[Welcome to Slumton: Restless Hollow]
Eris winced at the uncomfortable brightness of the lopsided neon sign staked just in front of the typical Slumton village, then glanced around the strange terrain surrounding it. What appeared to be thick black skeletons, frozen as they attempted to escape their graves littered the surrounding area, lifeless save for the mold that coated their rotten skin.
“I guess these must have been trees at one point…”
With an uncharacteristic frown, the man recalled his childhood as well as the many books his mother read to him. The nature of his upbringing precluded experiences such as travelling or social development, but he had still hoped some of the wonders of the outside world had survived this harsh environment. Of course, while this was disappointing, he was sure to see plenty of fair sights once he finally summits the overpass that starves such a massive portion of the world.
His attention returning to the well-used path that guided him through the poorly reconstructed ruins of a relatively small town, Eris adjusted his hold on the girl in his arms and continued moving forward. Hopefully there is a place to rest for free in this town; a generous family willing to share some space or even a nook that offers some degree of shelter. The former would be preferable, since sleeping outside tends to be uncomfortable and extremely unsanitary depending on the town.
The man entered, having already lost himself in thought. He wondered what it would be like to lay in a field of grass--would the blades cut him? The images he’s seen up close make them look sharp and uncomfortable, but as a whole, fields appear soft and almost fluid. Of course, he wouldn’t lay in the grass nude, so perhaps it was sharp but not enough to bother him.
“S-stop. P-p-please, sir.” a soft, polite voice demanded with barely enough volume to penetrate Eris’s daydream and return him to reality. “You c-can’t leave.” it continued at a slightly greater volume, but still carried very little confidence. The speaker was a young man, about the same age as Eris--which would put him in his early twenties. Apart from the well-crafted knife he awkwardly gripped in his trembling hands, his expression and behavior resembled that of someone hopelessly begging for their life.
“Are… you okay?” Eris asked, genuinely concerned for the man’s well-being.
The man was already drenched in sweat and shaking so much that he was forced to pull his elbows in to stabilize the blade. “The guards,” He spoke anxiously, “they’re coming. Y-you can’t get away, I won’t let you!” He inched forward hesitantly, moving the knife up and down in anticipation of attacks that weren’t coming.
Eris furrowed his brow in confusion, why would someone who was this scared not just hide or attempt some kind of stealth attack? What is the point in openly announcing himself, then putting up a bluff until a few guards arrive?
“What’s your name?” Eris asked, giving up his attempt to decipher the situation.
The man was caught off-guard by the question, then weakly replied “Ab--uh--my name is Able…?”
“Listen, Able,” he continued, “it’s my friend… she’s hurt.” he held up the girl in his arms slightly so Able could see her better, “I don’t want to fight anyone, I just want somewhere to rest. I promise, you and your town are safe from us.”
A short silence followed, filled only with the dull hum of the dim yet still abrasive lights and blinking signs advertising the church’s influence. Able’s face was contorted with stress and some kind of internal conflict as he frantically considered his next move.
Unfortunately, Eris watched his resolve steel and his stance become more hostile, prompting the wanderer to hold the girl closer to his chest defensively. An influx of magic flushed away all distraction and sharpened his senses, revealing a greater truth to this situation: they weren’t alone. In fact, eyes peered through each and every window, crack, and crevice around him--urgently waiting for some event to take place.
The familiar stench of fear was now pungent, making it seem as if the very earth itself was releasing it into the town. It was so overwhelming that the lights became brighter, the textures became less tolerable, and the hum of lights felt like they were rubbing against his brain. Eris became nauseated, and suddenly felt the exhaustion of the past day start to weigh on him, which threatened to severely depress his mood.
“Just stay where I can see you!” Able shouted, pointing the knife threateningly at his target.
Eris let out an exhausted sigh. He couldn’t blame Able for being this suspicious, anyone who spent this much time in such a corrupt environment would naturally struggle to behave rationally. Of course, there was still the question of who or what is corrupting this town.
“Able, what are you afraid of?”
Able pursed his lips and tightened his grip on the knife’s handle, clearly reacting to the question but hesitant to divulge any more details. The fear that had settled in this area seemed to become more active as the audience overheard the conversation.
The conflict returned to Able’s young face, but this time he submitted. His arms fell to a resting position as he relaxed, his fingers releasing the knife and dropping it blade-first into a patch of dirt that had pushed up through the asphalt. “Take your friend and leave quickly. They… it’s coming for you.” his hands clenched and glassy, terrified eyes turned up to face Eris directly, “If you don’t go now, it’ll devour you.”
“Ooh… bad move.” a sly, femenine voice interjected, coming from directly behind Able, “You were doing so well, and your expression was just…” the voice filled with pleasure as it spoke, trailing off into a sigh as it savored the memory.
Able burst into tears, collapsing to his knees and revealing the owner of the voice: a beautiful young woman in a modest dress. Her face radiated with a sincerely warm smile, like one you would see on someone who was just thanked for a kind act or gift. The presence of this woman, however, fit that of a sadistic tyrant usurping a throne before publicly beheading the former ruler. Eris didn’t need any special sense to recognize this as the “it” Able mentioned a moment earlier.
“And you, the stranger who made this little scene possible, what is your name?” The girl turned her attention up from Able to face Eris and the limp figure he held directly. Casually, she strolled down the street in their direction, casting knowing glances at the surrounding buildings before stopping next to the defeated man on the gound.
“My name is Eris. I’m just passing through.” came the equally casual reply after a couple seconds, “Who are you?”
It’s lips curled up into a twisted grin, “Hello, Eris. My name is Mana, and this cute ensemble…” Mana gestured, sliding both hands down her sides before resting confidently on her waist, “...is Jasmine.” The confidence instantly dissolved into the warm, kind demeanor from earlier as the woman reverted back to her previous personality.
“Please…” Able sobbed quietly, “Please give her back.”
Eris watched with a blank expression as the tears and snot were smeared across the desperate man’s face when he brought his sleeve up to wipe them away. Mana’s eyes widened and breath quicken as she returned her attention Able, the twisted pleasure of watching him suffer written across Jasmine’s face. Then it vanished. With a few blinks, her smile once again became warm and comforting. She crouched, placing one hand on the man’s back and leaning over to get his attention.
“I’m sorry, love…” she spoke gently, “...but I’m afraid Jasmine has become quite popular with the other men.” Her face contorted yet again, “Of course, you’re always free to join them.”
Able let out a pitiful whimper, then slumped over.
Mana straightened, her face once again expressing a deeply twisted pleasure, “God, this guy is just so much fun, I don’t know what I’d do without him.” She turned back to Eris, reverting yet again to the polite stance of a much kinder woman, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Where were we?” she paused, “Oh, yes. I’m Mana, the local hive mind. Welcome to my nest.”
Eris remained silent for a moment, looking from the surrounding buildings to Mana before resting on Able… whose will to live had been thoroughly extinguished. He regretted not taking action sooner but there were a few things he had to confirm first, especially because one seemingly valuable life could be lost if he acted too recklessly. Jasmine was obviously deeply cherished by Able, who--mere moments ago--risked everything just to warn a confused stranger.
“Hey, Able.” Eris said, causing the collapsed man to stir, “Thank you for trying to save me.” a smile lit up his face as the sentence formed, his excitement regarding the tremendous (though ultimately pointless) kindness piercing the oppressive mood. “Just leave Mana to me.” This caught the pitiful man’s attention, prompting him to look up with a very slight glimmer of hope.
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“Aw, c’mon now, giving the poor guy false hope is just cruel.” Mana’s sly voice interjected, “No, wait, keep going. I’m becoming aroused with anticipation.”
Eris looked back towards Mana, whose expressions continued to switch back and forth between sadistic and sweet, then took a threatening step forward. His face adopted a mixture of indifference and boredom as the two locked eyes, which was predictably followed by a weak magical assault that the young mage easily shrugged off.
“Possession magic, huh?” Eris shook his head in disappointment, causing Mana to take a step back and take a more defensive pose. “Did you even finish the introductory book? This is pathetic.”
“S-stop.” Mana whispered, her eyes widening as they filled with terror. “No, this isn’t happening...” Yet another assault launched and was easily shattered. “This isn’t… you can’t…” Attack after attack bounced off Eris’s mind, each one draining a bit more of Mana’s confidence.
“You’re not a hive mind.” Eris spoke, launching an attack and easily entering Jasmine’s mind where he confronted the concept of Mana. Her self-image was unrefined and more closely resembled a child’s drawing than a real person. Not that Eris had much of an image to brag about, since possession was not his specialization, but his was clear enough to possess anyone who lacks relatively strong defenses.
{Get out! She’s mine, this town is MINE, you can’t have her!}
Mana’s image shrieked at Eris, reducing her control in an attempt to defend her thoughts from his relentless advance.
{Stop… no, stop!}
It wasn’t long before he had cornered the possessor in the back of Jasmine’s mind, reducing her influence by expanding his own until he had absolute control over the host. There, the poorly illustrated image of what seemed to be an old woman cowered, muttering idle insults and threats as the world closed in around her. Eris almost felt bad, but this individual had become so far separated from her humanity that she received pleasure from the pointless suffering of others. There is nothing he could do that would change this.
Defeated, Mana decided to retreat, her disformed face twisting with what was likely several unpleasant emotions as her presence began to fade from Jasmine’s mind. Eris could feel the poor girl’s presence begin to return and try to resist his control, but he would have to hold on to her for just a little longer.
{Let’s see where you’re hiding.}
Eris’s image raised it’s hand and grabbed ahold of Mana’s awkwardly enlarged 2-dimensional forehead. Chances are the sadist was screaming profanities, but since they had both already left the confines of Jasmine’s mind, direct communication was no longer possible.
To clarify Eris’s strategy, he had entered Jasmine’s mind, eliminated Mana’s control, and then used this medium to channel himself through the stream of magic connecting the possessor to the host. Mana’s withdrawal pulled him out of Jasmine, and carried him along the entire length of the connection to wherever Mana’s physical body was waiting.
[Possession magic is a strategic force--more so than just about any other. It relies on experience and one’s own ability to fully comprehend their own consciousness. The more aware you are of yourself, the more clear your self-image appears in your own mind and that of others. If your image is weak, then your ability to control others is weak and you should focus primarily on targets who are entirely unfamiliar with this kind of magic. However, those whose image is detailed can possess multiple hosts with relative ease.]
[Naturally, “possession” is merely an umbrella term that has many different subtypes. The weakest and most common form of possession magic is “individual possession”, which is what Mana was using. On someone who is entirely unfamiliar with magic, even a novice could succeed in possessing someone.]
[The most powerful and rarest form of possession magic is a hive mind. Someone who can fully comprehend their own strengths, weaknesses, and general personality is able to abandon their own body and possess numerous hosts. Only when all hosts are killed will the hive mind die, which makes them an incredibly formidable opponent. Not to mention, while the number of hosts are limited, their ability to invade new minds--whether for possession or simply to gather information--is unparalleled. Such beings are extraordinarily uncommon and typically considered to be mere legends.]
[Other forms of this magic include the ability to make golems or even set “respawn” points by imbuing artifacts with your image. However, unless your self-image is very detailed, respawning will typically result in a pitifully mutilated or unintelligent being.]
The piggybacking mage reached his destination, bypassing Mana’s defenses with ease thanks to her inability to distinguish herself from him. Instantly, he overwhelmed her mind, reaching deep into her darkest thoughts and seizing control of her body.
***
Mana’s eyes blinked as her vision cleared. Through them peered the mind of Eris, who curiously looked down at the wrinkled and brittle body he had inhabited. Beneath him was a finely crafted wooden floor, and surrounding the room were marble walls painted with blood and littered with the decaying corpses of church guards that had been hung up as decorations. Directly in front of him were two large double-doors that likely led to the world outside, and the muffled sounds of men and women laughing echoed from behind, likely in a different room.
Both Jasmine and Mana resisted his control, but he had yet to complete his mission.
Determined, Eris turned his host around, careful not to fall since the lack of muscle made each movement difficult, and shuffled his way to the door that muffled the sounds of laughter from before. He could barely feel the smooth texture of the knob with Mana’s wrinkled hands as he turned it, and pushed through to the adjacent room.
The sound of energized conversation instantly filled the occupying mage’s senses as he was met with a dozen or so raiders that were apparently working with Mana--likely as her defense from any physical assault that might occur. There were around eight men and four women sitting at a round table, all of whom carried swords, knives, or other generic weapons. A few possessed guns that were poorly maintained and likely haven’t been used in quite some time.
Fortunately, none of them seemed to pose any real threat to Eris, which made this entire situation a lot more manageable.
One of the men across from Eris noticed his entrance, leaning back in his chair and turning his attention away from his comrades, “Hey, Mana! How did it go with that traveller that came into town?” All eyes in the room turned expectantly towards Eris, “Also, if you’re done with that girl, can you bring her back here? I’ve got some steam I need to blow off, and none of these sluts know how to give a decent blowjob.”
Three of the four girls at the table (along with two of the guys) seemed to get playfully irritated at the comment, prompting one to throw a rag in the first offender’s direction. Eris ignored the questions and instead calmly approached the table before looking down at the gang partially responsible for the suffering of this town.
The weary mage lifted a knife that rested on the table in front of him, rolling it over in Mana’s hand to inspect the blade. Unlike most of the others, this one was kept in reasonable condition. Naturally, not all of these thugs had become complacent, which was good since a dull knife might not accomplish what needed to be done--especially with these feeble hands.
Eris looked up at the others, who still casually awaited his response. “Meet me outside.”
Gripping the knife tightly in Mana’s hand, Eris held the knife up, pointed the blade inward, and jammed it as hard as he could into her eye. Light flashed, followed by a severe pain, then he was ejected from the deceased mind and back into Jasmine’s. He withdrew, granting her freedom for the first time since she was possessed. She was likely kept in some kind of prison at their headquarters… it might have been wise to check for others that might’ve been imprisoned there as well, just in case they attempt to use hostages, but it’s too late for that now.
Eris looked around, noticing some of the people had come out of their homes when their captor’s host stopped moving. In front of him, Able held Jasmine, who had apparently collapsed. He cradled her in his arms lovingly, his head bent over hers and whispered something incoherent as she gradually returned from consciousness. She whispered something in response, which caused him to tighten his hold on her and once again burst into tears.
The young mage smiled, not really comprehending the significance of this moment personally, but glad he could help out a friend.
The townspeople wandered closer, some focused on the mysterious stranger that had wandered into their town while others (likely friends of Jasmine) rushed over to see for themselves if she had been returned. The display of affection soon turned to one of gratitude as their attentions turned to the man they percieved to be some kind of “savior”. Of course, the only person he has really “saved” was Jasmine, since the one possessing her was too weak to control more than one host--and even that was just returning a kindness.
It doesn’t hurt to have their trust, though.
Eris took a step back as their thanks became slightly overwhelming, not to mention the raiders just down the street and around the corner most likely could hear this commotion. In their heightened state of stress, they probably wouldn’t discriminate between enemy and bystander, so it would be best if these people would step aside for now.
“Wait!” Able shouted, helping Jasmine into an upright position before turning his attention to Eris, “I… I just…” His words were forced out in quick, emotional breaths, forcing him to pause a moment to collect himself. The others in the area ceased their chatter, respectfully allowing their neighbor to speak his mind.
“Please forgive me, I don’t have anything to offer you as thanks!” came his apology, which exploded with emotion half-way through.
Eris could hear pounding footsteps and panicked shouts not far off, most likely the raiders who had finally finished preparing for a fight. “I’ve got something else I need to do real quick.” Eris replied, approaching Able before kneeling and placing the young ghoul gently on the ground, “Keep her safe, then give us food and shelter for the night. Then we’ll call it even.”
Able seemed hesitant, “N-no, please, there must be something else we can give you as well…” he spoke and the people surrounding him nodded or mumbled in agreement. Eris smiled and shook his head, “Thanks, but I don’t need anything else.” The young mage stood, looking out at the road while about a dozen armed and angry raiders rounded the corner and noticed the small crowd that had gathered around him. “Like I said, I’m just passing through.”
Ignoring their complaints, Eris walked past them and casually strolled down the center of the barely recognizable path, then stopped about fifty paces away from his opponents. Luckily, they didn’t bring any hostages. He could hear most of the townspeople rushing to get inside behind him… but some of them started to approach from behind.
Eris’s determined smile was met with the frustrated grunts and curses from the inexperienced fighters across from him. He decided he likes this town, which is why he’s going to finish this up before the brave people who decided to fight with him get themselves killed.