My outstretched arm was trembling slightly - which was understandable, as I was standing in a dream world, that's somehow not a dream, has a connection to the real world, as well as being the only thing that apparently allowed me to move right now. Nevertheless - nothing bad happened in this place as of yet.. and besides the sun that was no more, the giant obelisk that was standing right in front of me ... well - there was literally nothing. Some mana-sludge on the floor and gray skies don't count..

" Really now.. " - I hesitated, so much actually that I've felt my stomach turn, like I had the larva dance around in it..

"Don't pussy out!" - I told myself as cold sweat poured down my face.. this dream is really too real.. - "Whatever is behind this.. it is valuable.. I mean look at the box.. it's a safe vault.."

I gulped as I felt my chest get cold. I wished for the mana to flow right towards the lock, like you would wish for your own hand to lift. The action seemed natural, I didn't quite command the mana, nor did it follow my orders, in essence it felt like a part of my body, or.. considering it wasn't quite the physical world - part of my mind. The black oily substance started pulling towards a single point, eventually flowing upwards - forming a sort of a column. Just like a fountain would make a vertical flow of water, it moved slow, however.

"Damn-ass-shitgobbling-whores-crack... I'm fucking doing this!" - Saying my last goodbyes to the world, I've moved the black column right towards the lock. Like an oversized tentacle it waved approaching the intricate silvery disc.. and it stopped right after touching the metallic surface. I didn't feel that kind of nervous in a long time.. really - that was some retarded cherry-popping lock-virginity kind of nervousness..

I pushed my d... black mass of mana into the lock, slowly making my way through the labyrinth of crevices. As I did that - the world seemed to feel the attempt and it rumbled slightly, as if dozens of gears were in motion somewhere below the surface.

The inside of the lock was a real maze.. the mana, moved along very slow... until the noise rang..

At first I thought that the lock opened, however it didn't move.. It didn't even budge, it rang like mad. Ever heard a red-hot spoon being pushed into dry ice? Imagine a thousand of those ringing at the same time at different tones.. The back-side of my hand, the place where the mark was painted on, flared up - nearly blinding me by the sudden light. It was either a sign of me almost opening the lock, or the sign of it breaking.. so I thought... never lucky though..

The mark on my hand suddenly faded and turned to black, glowing dark - absorbing the already lacking light.. Then my arm simply inflated like a balloon that someone pumped full of water. It was bubbling unevenly, as if someone shoved spheres right under my skin.. and OF fucking COURSE.. it hurt.. badly enough for me to wake up from the dream, unable to even pull out the black tentacle from the lock..

Waking up never felt that good, mostly due to the fact that for a change - there was no pain.. just a slight itch in my right arm. I exhaled, feeling relieved. I really seemed to have been able to press the quick-load button and revert the slight fuck-up.. The pain from my arm swelling to the size of half my body - not there.

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I sat there, slightly panting.. my breaths were hushed within the small confined space, muffled by the light sizzle. . .

. . .

" ... "

I immediately looked at the source of the sound, at my right arm. Even in the darkness of the cave I could feel the tiny streams of smoke rise up from my forearm.. multiple places at that. It didn't hurt, but the darker spots that felt like cracked coal didn't promise anything good.. especially as they slowly grew larger..

" The healing should take care of that. . ." - nope. As ten seconds passed, there was no sign of the amazing healing fungus working. In the mean time - the charred spots grew to the size of a thumb nail.. I could clearly hear the ringing popping sound as cracks opened on the spot where my flesh was previously. My mind raced as I've tried to think of something .. I've touched the charred smoking flesh, feeling that it didn't just grow on the surface.. it grew spherically, with the center being somewhere below the skin.. I didn't want to know what would happen when it gets to the bone, or crawls up my arm and consumes everything.. as I've seen it - the flesh was rapidly being destroyed..

"Cut it off.." - Great plan! I didn't have anything to cut or chop with.. and losing the only fully functional arm, was like dying..

"Then cut them out.. " - My worried eyes stared at the spots, there was no stone sharp enough to cut with.. My forearm moved closer to my face.. My breathing became rapid and uneven.. the amount of fucks per second ringing in my head rose up to three digit numbers..

My eyes closed, making wrinkles appear all over my face as I grimaced.. then opened my mouth. I bit into my forearm, trying to gnaw off the charred piece of flesh.. Did you ever try to bite yourself really hard? The brain somehow prevents you from biting hard enough to damage yourself, even though you could totally bite your own finger off.. My teeth sank into my skin, pushing it harder and harder, but other than pain I didn't accomplish anything, chewing on the skin with all the force I could muster...

"Just.. fucking.. DO IT!" -The head was the only part of the body I had control over without the need of mana, however.. now.. I needed it. I released subtle amounts of mana smoke, pulling my jaws close shut with a single thought.. Metallic taste of sticky blood immediately washed over my mouth. I could feel some muscle and charred flesh on my tongue... I spat it out, forcing myself not to scream from the pain... at this point my hand was already shaking, trembling..

"DO IT!" - I yelled at myself once more.. Feeling of ripping flesh and dripping blood went on for the next few minutes. Seven times in total.. I ripped the charred flesh before it could grow too large, I ripped it out along with a whole layer of flesh which surrounded it.. My face, the whole arm, chest, legs, stomach and the floor below me was covered in blood, sticky blood.. Smell of iron dug deep into my brain as I felt my body becoming cold from the blood-loss.. My head rang and spun at the same time..my arm was laying motionless on the floor like a piece of cloth.. I cut down the flow of mana, the fucking fungus had to start working some time soon... or there will be no host to live off of..

I couldn't feel the arm any-more.. neither did I feel my lips, toes or the other arm.. But I didn't die. It was proof enough that the fungus did its fucking best to save the body.. I didn't lose consciousness.. I've been laying on the stone floor, covered in my own blood, with chunks of smoking flesh, that slowly charred, surrounding me.. My eyes stared into the wall coldly.. When the fungus healed me enough, I started feeling the pain from the wounds, the dull stabbing pain all over my forearm, nevertheless I didn't look down even for a second.. I just stared at the wall... for the next three hours I remained that way..