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Unknown Place, Unknown Time

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As I drifted awake, I began to become aware of my surroundings. My bed, my lamp, the floor, the windows. My childhood bedroom. The darkness is everpresent as the items on my bedroom floor are the only sign that I’m in a room to begin with and the crude light from the window is the only source of light present. Yep, the same nightmare I’ve been having for years now. I barely seem to be aware of this fact as I hear rustling of leaves near my window. Yeah, I can faintly remember it was windy on that day.

I stare down at my stubby arms and short legs. I can somewhat fuzzly recall that I was transitioning into middle school as I sluggishly slide out of bed. Yes, when I was 12 years old is around the time my younger brother went missing. In fact, I seem to be aware that this is the specific day that he went missing. As I shuffle towards the door of my room, I look back. I can faintly see younger brother huddling in his twin bed next to my own. I can deeply recall the missing posters that seemed to plague the town long after his disappearance. After this point, he would be clinically considered dead and his body would never be found.

??? For a moment, I find myself puzzling over these details. Why am I aware of this? And why did I have a strange feeling that there was something extremely important that I was forgetting? Something really important that I needed to do… I push these thoughts to the back of my mind as I push the door open and head to the sink. Ah yes, a drink of water at the darkest hour. I blindly stumble back and find myself crawling underneath my bed.

Now, I don’t know what caused me to hide underneath my bed. Perhaps it was my fear of being alone, the erratic pounding of feet up the stairwell, the cries of angry but sick man that scared me. I can faintly recall that my brother would always cry about the make believe monsters under the bed but I was more scared of the ones that were real. 

Hah, I remember covering my ears and ears. Unaware that my brother would go missing. It should only be memories from this point. Some memories are hard to recall, like what my brother looked like. Other memories are easier to remember, such as my dad screaming at me keep silent as he did so with my mother, drunk as he was. He quickly departed for a few days to meet a friend of his. Then from this point, my mom would eventually have enough after 5 years and would decide to break up, taking me away.

But why am I thinking about these now? I thought I got over these nightmares long ago. There are no such things as monsters. The monsters are elements of society that I’ve been living with the longest time. I grew up, my mom got divorced, I got over the death of my brother, and became a young adult at the age of 20 or so. But to my suprise the dream continues.

Hmm…but you know, this is a weird dream. This dream is becoming more vivid with each growing second. This dream feels neverending and it fills me with a strange sense of deja vu Makes me thing back to when I consulted my therapist about my dreams and he responded by mentioning that I’m supposed to confront myself and reflect on my experiences or something like that? 

Welp, I can give it a try. I poke my head out like an idot and yell out half heartedly.[and quite awkwardly]

“Hey dip****, I know its you. I know you killed him and slunk back like the coward you are. As my old man, I always felt ashamed that you never found the strength to confide until I provided witness testimony in court that vertified all accussations of Pedicide. Only then did you chose to confide. Afterwards, you took the easy way out with a gunshot to the head.”

Yeah, I feel really dumb after saying that. However, whatever feelings I felt at that moment, died. MyI could only describe my state of mind as something that wasis reduced to  sludge. I found myself peering upon a colossal beast of indescribable proportions, veering its large red yellowish eyes in the dark toward me. Like large floodlights. Like the ones you might find at stadiums or perhaps rescue helicopters, glancing intensely from above. I can’t see anything but the eyes. The lights shining through the pitch black fog.

Well, sh*t. What even is that? I didn’t want to confront my inner demons like this. My therapist, Jerry definitely had the wrong idea. Maybe I could just continue to hide. Only, my knees seem to fail at this critical moment and my mind is completely frozen. All I can do is watch.

A loud rasping voice seems erupt all around me. Playfully but cruel and filled with malice.  

“I was on the prowl for a meal that was long over due by contract of the devil. After granting him a favor, he only offers me 50 damned souls which only, just only barely whets the appetite. Only I seem to find a second helping with meals that are bolder than the rest but much too small to see.” 

The creature plays around with the humanoid creature before me with its two paws until tossing its prey into its gaping maw. I recognize the screams of the dark humanoid creature as my father. The screams are cut off and the creature smiles joyfully. They say there is no noise in space. No noise in a vacuum. I can personally confirm that statement.

*Yeah, please put an f in the chat. I’m out.*

The creature's tone intensifies as it circles the room looking for something. Presumably me. 

“Where are you, and where can I find you? I would JUST love to meet a creature as feeble and minuscule as yourself who would choose to appear before me. If you don’t appear before for me, my pets can find you in my stead” 

I decided to take a closer look at the monster before me. I could describe it as being somewhat catlike, with a long body and a very large tail. Its fur seemed to have a life of its own with hard sharp thistles that were tangled and contained the screams of various spirits and souls. Various warped creatures, more than I could possibly hope to describe seemed to prowl in the mats of its fur. Eating each other. Chewing off their own limbs, body parts. Preying on the tears of despair emanating from leftover souls. Jeering at the hopeless, the damned, the worthless. Laughing and giggling throughout the whole process. Everything is squirming hungrily with hungry voraciousness and determination that should be unfound.

Surprisingly, at the sight of this. I choose to laugh. I can’t hold it back. Collapsing on the floor. I can’t take much more of this. Can’t control myself. I want to join in on the fun as well.

I reply back with, “You don’t need to do anything. Find me if you can but you are powerless before me. A dream which is all this is. All this can possibly be.” 

- Skipping some stuff I need to write….

- Make a bet/deal to keep himself alive for 10 years longer at the cost of his body getting devoured and his soul being up for grabs in 10 years..

Partly drooling at the thought of this it responds.

“I’ll let you go for now but just remember, I always collect my debts and find my prey. I’ll find you in 10 years hence. But I’ll find you in a hunting ground of my choosing, a place that I rule overI am quite familiar with. Feel free to explore but try not to get caught by my children or my pets. I wouldn’t want your soul to be harvested by such paltry beings rather than the real deal. You and I would be missing out on the real fun if you did.”

* Then guy gets devoured. Sell your life but not your soul.

* Reincarnates as a dungeon core in another world.

* A time limit to defend is 10 years.

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Unknown Place, Unknown Time

Day 1:

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As I came to my consciousness, the first thing I tried to do was to involuntarily puke. Or at least try to. I was unsuccessful. I tried to pat my body, feel my face, blink my eyes, scream anything to convince myself that I was still alive and not dreaming. I can’t feel my arms, legs, or anything. I think I’m going crazy. Am I dead or alive?

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

I should be in my bed; why was I feeling like this? Relax, calm down, and take a deep breath to calm down. I felt nothing, I can’t take a breath. In a sudden panic, I was thrust into full awareness. Dumbfounded, I find that I can sense the surroundings around me. Well, I certainly wasn’t in my bed.

Hmm, I seem to be partly exposed to the sun but partly encovered by rock. The surrounding rock seems to shed a sheen that is only masked by the hot steam of boiling water. Huh, new knowledge comes to mind. I seem to be in some type of crater, snuggled within the center of a giant meteorite. The air around me seems to be very hot, much hotter than the temperatures humans could plausibly survive. Very much like an air cooker.

To my knowledge, I’m pretty sure a meteorite this big could end the world however this doesn’t seem to be the case as all the flora life around me seems quite untouched outside the crater. Wait, forget about this. Where am I? I try to move but find that I seem quite stuck. Great. I can’t move. Why can’t I move? Oh. I seem to be a gem or orb of some sort. I think I’m an orb, but I can’t really tell because orbs can’t be alive but I know that this orb has to be me. I can recognize myself.

Thinking to myself. How did this happen? Unlike my other questions, nothing seems to jump out to me.

I sit still for a moment to take all this new information in. Wait, too much. Is it possible for a mind to get overloaded by sheer waves of information.  … Panicking again, I call out for help. Personally, this achieves nothing. I want to cry at this moment. What is happening?  A nearby small light creature of some sort seems to hear my cries for help and approachs me. Are my prayers being answered by the heavens?...

I hear the creature quietly note to itself, “Interesting, a new dungeon core. It gained sentiency quite quickly too.” It floats closer stopping a few feet from me.

“Uh, hello!” I cry out, “Can you explain what is going on? I really need help because honestly, I have no idea what’s going on right now.”

The small mote of light coalesces into a small, nebulous but humanoid being of some sort. A fairy? A small man of some sort? He then does a gentleman-like bow and tips his hat. A hat that just recently developed just as he grabs it. I could more clearly see the pipes lathered around his neck, the clangling of cooking ware, a well worn but weary jacket that tells various stories of past travels and of exotic doings. Perhaps a type of bard or a wandering trader. I think to myself. Only for these thoughts to be interrupted by his voice. 

“Ah, well hello. I happen to be a fae traveller of some sorts. More of a minor fae elemental of some sorts but I would be interested in providing some assistance. For a price of course.”

I don’t exactly trust the man*thing* or whatever it is before me. But rolling with the punches seems like best option I have currently. 

“Yes! Anything, as long as its in the bounds of reasonability. Anything to help me understand where I am, what I am, and how I got here.” 

“Woah, woah, woah! Slow down with the questions.” he heartily laughs, “I’ll answer your questions to the best of my ability. First, I’ll talk about the surrounding area.”

He takes a second to ponder this question. And proceeds to blast[sputter] th. “You seem to be within the mountainous regions of the Winding Moors of Sabeth. Giant craterous lakes, rivers, waterfalls can be found in this general area. Strange phenomoms of upward flowing rivers flowing upward and various hot springs in this location make it a popular tourist destination for travelers that brave this locations dangers. However, more specifically this location is named the Ruins of the Flowery Chests. Numerous rocks fall from sky, leaving rocks strewn about this area, creating vast valleys and expansive chasms. And don’t forget the valley of far fetched flowers. Oh, I could just go on and on about this location. For one–”

I cough. Quickly cutting in, I ask, “If you could answer the other questions first before going into too much detail. That would be nice.” Yeah, there goes the mysterious vibes I felt if there were any to begin with. And he really needs to slow down and take a breath, I think to myself. 

“Fine! I get it, some people just aren’t so easily bewildered by the natural beauty the world provides.” He appears to pout at the thought of this. Only he doesn’t seem upset at the thought of this, “My answer to the second answer is as plain as this, you are a dungeon core. A dungeon core collects energy from the environment, either from artifacts, dead creatures, etc.”

He then decides to ponder for quite a bit of time. Pacing wide circles around me. Deep in thought. 

“It’s a bit strange though because I’ve never heard of a core not having a basic comprehension of what they are or their capablities. But I could easily scratch it up with the fact that it seems that you gained consciousness quite recently or that you might be faulty.” … “Ah, pardon me. I forgot to introduce myself. I am known as Suibhne by some or Sverre by others. Known to the public as a wandering minstrel or bard. I am making it my personal goal to explore every location, travel the world, and talk to as many people as possible. Quite a noble goal, am I right?”

“Sure,” I sigh back. I guess listening to this guy must have brought me back to my senses. “Now, I can faintly recall that there was a price for this information. Also, what about the answer to my third question.”

“Oh… Yes, I forgot about that. Sorry.” He gives me an apologetic look. But I don’t buy it.

At this moment, if I was stuck in between describing his personality as an airhead and an idiot. I would compromise and call him both of these things plus a clown. Just how scatterbrained is this guy? Still, he seems trustworthy and quite knowlodgeable.

“For your question considering payment, it isn’t much. Just pact that allows me to take shelter within your core and replenish some of my energy before I decide to leave. I quite a few pacts with core and creatures, acting somewhat like rest stops and inns. If you know what I mean, which you probably don’t. And for your third question, I don’t think I can answer it. The question ‘How you got here’ isn’t something that I can particularly understand. Unless you want to fill me in on the details. Which is something I personally wouldn’t mind. Because honestly, I loveee storiess!”

I faintly think back. What happened before this? … That’s right. I made a deal with a creature of some sort. 10 years I think for… my body. The 10 years were for… what? I can barely recall the monster mentioning at the end of the 10 year period, my soul would be up for grabs again? Thinking even harder. I can recollect something about a name. I think it was the King or the telltale beast of –something. Whatever. Afterwards, the creature devoured me. After recollecting the events before, I decided to hold back possible questions for a later period.

“Well, I can talk to you about it later. Personally, I’m satisfied with answers for now. But I feel I don’t feel like I can call you your name.”

“Ah! You can call me Pip. I wouldn’t mind it at all. Anyway, feel free to make use of my services. Singing, dancing, acting, information, etc. I’m a man of many skills with lots of time on my hands.” He smiles and offers to shake his hand but I just sit there doing nothing. I just blankly stare at him. “Oh, I forgot that you’re an orb. You have mannerisms that are similar to some humans I’ve met.”

I blurt out in suprise, “Wait, humans. They exist in this world. Are any humans close by?”

“Not quite, but you should be wary if any humans are close by. Elves, dwarves, humans, any humanoid creatures are quite difficult to deal with. Maybe even more so than monsters.”

Does this mean they’ll kill me on sight if they see me? I am a dungeon core after all, if I knew what that even means. Am I no longer considered a human being? I harbor these thoughts to myself.

Pip seems to gauge my general thoughts. Glancing and gauging my emotions despite not having a body or a face.  Parsing his lips with a sip of water from his canteen, he speaks.

“Humans aren’t all that bad. Its not like dungeon cores haven’t gotten along with other creatures or people before. In fact there are plenty of examples of cores becoming symbotic with other creatures as the protector of certain towns or the manager of magic towers. Plenty examples exist but any humanoid races might not take to you fondly, at least at first. Either way, you should figure out some way to protect yourself.”

After pondering for a bit, Pip hands me a book. Planting the book on my head. Or would it be my body? Forget it— It seems to be a tome of some sort. With basic instructions on how to gather and utilize mana. I wonder how I can understand this from just the title. Anyway, I decided to stare at Pip and then stare at the book. A moment of silence passes between us.

“...Hey Pip!”

“Yes!” he bursts out happily. Happy to answer.

“I can’t flip the book.”

“Oh! I can flip it for you. You only need to see information once to remember it.”

“Yeah,” I dryly note, “I do well with remembering, it’s the forgetting, forgiving, and patience attributes that give me trouble.”

–[End passage with something] -We can spend a day learning stuff…

End of Chapter 1

-0-0-0-0-0- I typed this at 4/10/2023

Unknown Place, Unknown Time

Day 2:

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Well, the first day passed over with Pip giving me advice on what to do next and how to gather mana. During this, I thought that I should keep a entry of how many days have passed as I can deeply feel the 10 year time limit ingrained into the fiber of my very being. I am so f***ed. Either way, its a future me problem. Anyway, getting back to what Pip was saying. He mentioned that if I were to continue to dwell in rocky fields I was *residing in* despite just arriving here, I wouldn’t likely last week without getting found.

He recommended that we travel to the Ruins of the Flowery Chests. Apparently, a relic site of some sort could be found nearby and it contained lots of metal and ancient technology. In the past, according to Pip, it was a special research site where humans and dwarves delved in as they produced the most advanced mechanical and magical creations ever seen throughout the lands until it was finally abandoned. I asked Pip how he knew all of this and he responded nonchalantly with,

“Well, I’ve been all over the place. I never tend to stay in one place for any more time than a week. I would also admit that I have been around for quite a long time much longer than I’d like to admit. Even longer than others would presumably prefer.”

To this response, I asked him if every fae was like him and if others were as helpful. He only laughed it off and told me that depending on the fae, your experience could vary to being double-crossed on sight or being stabbed with forks, getting cursed over the most trivial of things. Over time, I had a general suspicion that Pip was not liked in the fae community and he hated them back with the same vicious ferocity. But it might just be me. Sh**, why am I thinking about my situation like this? I think  I might be losing my mind.

————

As Pip left for the Ruins of the Flowery Chests or the Dalc Relc Site 14[?]. He left me behind like the airheaded individual he is. Yeah, I think he forgot I can’t move on my own. That didn’t stop him from telling stories about places he been to, bars he’d outpartied to the brink of destruction, and the current state of the world. I could hear him from pretty far away but unlike me, he couldn’t hear me at all.lik I had to wait for him to come back before he apologized to me.[Laughingly, smiles it of] 

I smirked at him impatiently with ill intent. Despite not being a featureless sphere, I think he got the message as he nervously brushed it off [edit this later]. He made a cart of some sort to move me.….[continue later]

* [Make sure to talk about the Scourge and the King. Scourge and the King are the same being. They have different personalities though. The King more actively destroys the world and is more known in this world. However, protag met the Scourge.]

Future draft passages: 

* The ruins of the Flowery Chests. Now that I’ve thought about my location. It seems like a terrible place for me to be positioned at, adventures occasionally explore the location searching for artifacts or knowledge. Monsters roam in the area