Nicklaus Bamford stood with nothing on but a loincloth. Half-destroyed stone structures were scattered as far as he could see. Once immaculately stone carved pillars lay broken on the streets of a once grand city, while vine-covered stairs led up the side of the cliff out of sight.
Nick’s attention, however, was focused on a small campfire at the edge of the ruins. Moments ago, he was in the kitchen having a silent argument with his wife while making dinner for the kids. Now he was in the middle of what God knows where, with nothing on but an old, used-looking loincloth. After blinking several times and pinching himself a bit harder than he would have liked, Nick decided this wasn’t a dream.
He made his way towards the campfire while doing his best to avoid the crumbled stone on his bare feet. If there was a fire, there were people, and if there were people, he would get answers. Nick had lots of questions, although at the moment he was still considering the fact that this very well could be some sort of elaborate hallucination. Pushing those thoughts back for now, he stopped. He was about fifty feet away from the fire; he didn’t see anyone. A flash of lightning had him glance up. The sky was just on the verge of darkness, and the clouds hid what little sun there was, giving everything a gloomy feel. A single drop of rain fell down and struck Nick directly in the eye.
“Ahh, damnit! Seriously.”
Rubbing his eye, then shaking his head in confused irritation, he looked back at the campfire. It looked to only have a few sticks remaining. Carefully climbing up on a crumbled stone wall, he looked around. But I didn’t see anyone near the fire.
“Hello, is anyone there?”
Not getting an answer, he slowly made his way down and towards the fire.
“Campfires don’t just build themselves.” Nick mumbled.
When he was standing a few feet away, he called out again.
“Hello, I seem to be lost; if I could get some directions, I would...”
“Hello, chosen Hero of Light. You are not lost, but exactly where you are meant to be.” A feminine voice echoed out.
Nick spun around, looking for the speaker, but saw no one. “Where are you?”
“I am right here.”
Turning towards the sound of the voice, Nick’s brow creased in confusion. Above the fire was a ball of white light. It was no bigger than a cue ball, and Nick could have sworn that’s where the voice came from; if so, he had a good idea of what was going on, but he continued looking around just to make sure.
“Can you not see me?”
Nick looked back at the glowing ball of light, then slowly spun in a circle. “No.”
At this point, Nick was getting irritated. Someone was obviously playing a prank on him. He just couldn’t understand how he got out here, or where here even was.
“I am above the Shrine.”
Nick’s brow creased as he looked around again. “Shrine?” His gaze turned to the ball of light.
“Do you see me now?”
“Ahh, I get it,” Nick said as he swatted at the ball of light, his hand going right through.
“Don’t do that!”
“A hologram,” Nick looked around, “you can come out now. I do not consent to video footage. I’m not sure how you got me out here. But I want to go home. Immediately!”
The only thing that made any sense was that his wife had to be in on this. But he couldn’t imagine Sarah drugging him. There had to be something he was missing.
“Who are you talking to?”
“To you,” Nick turned to the ball of light, “who are you anyway?”
“I am Beatrix of Riven Guard. And you are Nicklaus Bamford, the chosen Hero of the Church of Light.”
“Yeah, I’m really not interested in this bullshit. Take me home, or you will be facing a lawsuit that your great-grandchildren will be trying to pay off.” Nick said as he began glancing around for a camera.
“Apologies. I cannot send you back; I do not have that power.”
“Oh, and who does?” Nick asked while actively searching around.
“That would be the High Priest of the Church of Light; he will be wanting to meet with you soon, and you can speak with him about returning to your world then.”
Nick ignored the nonsense the hologram was spewing. Looking on the other side of a waist-high crumbling wall, he thought he spotted movement.
His eyes quickly locked onto a figure wearing a gray robe, hood covering their head. The figure just casually strolled towards the stairs.
“Hey! You!” Nick shouted as he headed towards them.
“Nicklaus! Don’t. Come back!”
Nick ignored the hologram and walked right up to the figure. He was done with all this bullshit. He needed to find his family. Grabbing the hood of the still-walking figure, he pulled it back. What happens next would change Nick’s life and the entire multiverse forever.
Nick stumbled back, eyes wide. “What the fuck?”
A skeletal face stared back at him with red, glowing eyes. No sooner than the words left his mouth, the creature lunged at him. Nick didn’t see the dagger until it had been plunged into his gut. Gasping in pain, he reflexively reached for the dagger. However, the dagger in the creature’s other hand was faster, and it was shoved into the side of his neck before he knew what had happened. Nick could do nothing more than weakly flail his arms as pain devoured his mind. He had no choice but to watch in horror as the creature ripped its daggers out, only to plunge them back into him over and over again as his body collapsed to the ground. Red eyes were the last thing Nick saw before pain-filled darkness took him.
YOU DIED |
Nick stared at the words as they slowly faded. Did those words matter? Yes, he had died, but that really didn’t matter, did it? He no longer felt pain; in fact, he could no longer feel anything at all. He didn’t want to be alive any more than he cared he had died. He wanted nothing, and nothing mattered. The thought sparked a memory, and an image of his wife and two kids flashed through his fleeting thoughts. He had to find them.
Nick’s eyes shot open, and his hand jerked up to his neck and then to his stomach and chest. His breaths came quick as he looked around with wide eyes. He was back in the ruins, standing in the same spot he had arrived in. Nick calmed his breathing while trying to control his racing mind. Something had just killed him, but he wasn’t dead! Was he…
He crouched down, not wanting the creature to see him. Just the thought of the creature sparked a burning anger in his chest. Part of him wanted to rush the creature and attack it. Forcefully pushing that thought down, he started towards some rubble when he nearly tripped over what looked to be a dark brown club. His only thought was how he could use this to bash in that creature’s head. Reaching down, he picked it up. Immediately, words appeared in his vision, causing him to stumble from his crouch and fall on his backside.
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Celestial wooden Club
Rarity
Unknown
Damage type:
Physical
87
life
50
Requirements:
Strength
10
Dexterity
3
Wisdom
10
Special effect
Instantly restore 50 HP
~This Club was forged from a fallen branch of a Celestial Life tree.~
“What the hell?” Nick mumbled as he tried to figure out what he was looking at. To Nick, the words looked like a bunch of squiggly lines with dots and triangles, but at the same time, he was somehow able to understand them. The symbols were on a translucent scroll, although it was difficult to see through and took up his entire left vision. Nick starred at the softly glowing silver symbols for several seconds. From what he could tell, it seemed to be some sort of stat sheet similar to a video game. Confused, he placed the club down, and the translucent scroll instantly vanished.
Looking at the club for a few more seconds, he shook his head. Right now, he was more worried about the creature that had just killed him. His mind attempted to unravel the fact that he had just died, but he forcefully pushed the thoughts aside. He needed to focus on surviving; charging in before he even understood what was happening was not a good idea. Making his way to the rubble, he peeked over, looking down at the campfire. He saw no one other than that ball of light floating there. Nick moved to the other side to get a good look at where he had just died...
He Died… Nick shook his head at the thought while lightly slapping his cheeks. He had to focus. Feeling hidden, he peeked at the bottom of the stairs. There was still a pool of blood where he had just died...
“Focus!”
His hands balled into fists, and he began shaking in outrage, fear, and confusion. His brow furled in concentration as he tried to spot the creature. It took several minutes, but he finally saw the hooded creature casually walking down the stairs. Nick’s breath came faster; he could barely hold himself back from charging the creature. His nostrils flared with each breath, his eyes glued to the creature as it walked back up the stairs.
One thing and one thing along held him back from charging in. The need to survive, not for himself but for his family. He had to find his wife and kids. He would kill this abomination of a creature; there was no doubt about that. But first, he would spend a few minutes observing it. He could not help his family if he was dead. But he wasn’t dead. At least that’s what he kept telling himself.
Nick wasn’t sure how much time had passed as he watched. The hooded creature would walk up the stairs out of sight, and after a bit, it would walk back down. Over and over, it even stopped in the same spot each time, from what he could tell. Now that he had calmed down a bit and had time to think about his situation, he no longer felt the urge to charge in at the creature blindly. That would have been an absurd thing to do. He still planned to kill the cursed thing, but what had he been thinking, wanting to charge in with his bare hands like that?
The creature was obviously on patrol. As for why? He had no idea. His only option for answers was the hologram. Though he didn’t know if that creature would hear them talking and come charging over. Images of the creature stabbing his body played through his mind. Nick shook his head. He didn’t have time for those thoughts; he would get revenge soon. After the creature started back up the stairs, he grabbed the club.
Celestial wooden Club
Rarity
Unknown
Damage type:
Physical
87
life
50
Requirements:
Strength
10
Dexterity
3
Wisdom
10
Special effect
Instantly restore 50 HP
~This Club was forged from a fallen branch of a Celestial Life tree.~
He ignored the translucent scroll the best he could while he made his way to the campfire. As soon as he got close, the hologram spoke up.
“I’m glad to see the madness didn’t take you.”
“Madness. What?” Nick whispered, as he set the club down, “Lower your voice; there is some sort of creature over there.”
“Yes, the madness has taken many strong warriors. And of course, there are many fallen in the area.”
“I said keep your voice down, turn down the volume, whatever you need to do,” Nick hissed, “now, what do you mean by fallen? Wait, never mind that at the moment. Where the fuck am I?”
“There is no need to worry about the fallen; they will not come near the Shrine unless you engage them first and run over here. As for where we are, this is Shades Mire.”
“Shades Mire? What the hell are you talking about?” Nick asked, raising his voice louder than he intended.
He then quickly made his way to the crumbling wall and peeked over. Immediately, he put his head down when he saw the creature coming down the stairs. After waiting for a couple minutes, he peeked over the wall again. The creature was on its way back up.
“Okay,” Nick said as he approached the ball of light, “I need answers. First of all, where is my family?”
“I presume they are right where they were when you were summoned here; well, they most likely are not in the exact same place. You humans tend to move around a lot.”
“Look, you damned hologram; I don’t have time for your smart ass. I need to find my family!”
“I can assure you, your family is not here.”
“My family better be safe, or everyone involved in whatever the fuck is happening will come to regret it! Where the hell is here exactly, and why am I here?”
“We are in Shades Mire, the Fallen City of Eve.”
Nick took a deep breath; he wasn’t getting anywhere with this damn ball of light.
“Further more, Hero or not. I demand respect; you will address me with my proper title and show me the respect I deserve if you wish for my aid. I also demand you stop with that foul language; it’s a sign of low intelligence.”
Okay, just breathe; it’s fine. Just play along, get all the information you can, and then simply leave.
“And how would you like me to address you?”
“By my proper name and title, I am Beatrix of Riven Guard, the former Queen of Eve and liberator of the Followers of the Light.”
Nick opened his mouth to attempt and address the ball of light, but was cut off as she continued to speak.
“Savior of the innocent and mentor to the Hero of Light, protector of the…”
“Hot damn! Are you fucking kidding me? Come on! I’m not in the mood for this shit.” Nick grabbed the club, and ignoring the screen, he swung it at the ball of light.
He hadn’t expected anything to happen, but to his surprise, there was a cracking sound, and the light shattered into thousands of pieces. Immediately, a rectangular scroll appeared over the top of the club description.
Celestial soul acquired.
It then slowly faded, only leaving the club description, which was now slowly turning a deep red. Dropping the club, the screen vanished. “The fuck is going on?” Nick mumbled as he watched the brown club take on a red hue. Before he could even glance in the direction of the creature, the sound of a deep, echoing bong rang out.
Be warned. For killing a Celestial Wisp, you are now an enemy of the Church of Light.
Note: This may also affect how others outside of the Church of Light perceive you.
No sooner than Nick read the words, a burning, itching sensation started on his left forearm. At first, it was manageable, but as the seconds ticked by, it became more and more intense. It slowly began to glow a deep red, and then the pain truly came. It felt like someone was holding a branding iron onto his flesh, then shoving it in to brand his insides as well. Nick reflexively began to claw at it as he screamed in pain. Suddenly, the pain completely vanished without a trace. Leaving Nick on all fours, panting for air. Getting to his feet, he looked down at what had caused him so much pain. It was an image of a majestic-looking tree surrounded by odd symbols that slightly shone a deep silver, not unlike the club’s stat page. It was completely smooth to the touch, but when he pushed on it, he thought he felt something hard just underneath his skin.
“What is happening?”
Nick then suddenly remembered the creature and quickly moved towards the rubble to make sure it hadn’t heard him yelling.