Chapter 1: You can’t die in the Safe Zone, but you sure can hurt.
He awoke into a world of black. And then color. And then shapes. Shapes which soon became sharper and crisper. He recognized cold stone walls of brick, illuminated by flickering torches that cast eerie shadows.
WELCOME ISAIS.
The words were gone as quickly as they arrived, and he blinked in confusion.
“What is an Isais?” he asked out loud, words bouncing off the walls.
That’s you, idiot.
He screamed and jumped. “What in seven hells!” he shouted, spinning in a circle, fists clenched. “Where are you?! Show yourself, fiend!”
I’m in your head fool. Calm down.
Isais stopped his spinning, though his heart still raced. “Is this a dream? I’m dreaming.”
Maybe. I know how we can find out. See that rock?
Isais couldn’t say exactly how, but he knew exactly where the voice in his head was looking. “I see it.”
Pick it up and hold it against your hand.
Isais did so, his brow ruffling in confusion. “How is this—ahhh!” Without warning twelve legs burst from the sides of the rock, a small head dug its pincers into his skin. Isais threw it into the dark where he heard it land with a splash.
“What was that?”
In his head he heard the voice laugh. That was a rockmuncher! Well, at least now we know you’re not dreaming.
Isais held his hand up to his face and inspected the small wound that was even now beginning to swell. He shook his hand with a mix of anger and embarrassment. “Is it poisonous?”
Venomous.
“What?”
Venom is passed on by bite, not poison.
“Oh. Well, that’s good to know I sup— wait. Is it venomous??”
Isais got the feeling that if the voice in his head could shrug his shoulders, it would have done. Possibly. I guess we’ll find out. If you don’t die, we can safely say it’s probably not venomous. In the meantime, we should get you some clothes.
“Die? Clothes?” Isais looked down. Only then did he see he was almost completely naked, except for an unflattering white loincloth tied around his waist. Well, this day just kept getting worse.
“Where am I?”
Looks like a dungeon. Or a sewer.
“But where?”
Vermasse.
Vermasse. The name was familiar. Awfully familiar.
Vermasse is the world, idiot.
Isais closed his eyes, rubbing at the corners with a finger and thumb of one hand. He desperately tried to remember, but no matter how hard he tried nothing would come to him. His mind was empty aside from a few scenes that were nothing more than colorful blurs that darted around his empty head, too fast to be caught or viewed.
“How did you get inside me?”
I would like to know the answer to that one as well.
In the depths of the tunnel, somewhere too dark to be seen, came the sound of something sharp scraping against rock. As if small animals were scurrying in the distance.
Move.
“What?”
Move. Now. Go!
Isais moved slowly through the darkened tunnel, suddenly feeling very vulnerable thanks to his nudity. The scratching had fallen silent, the only sound now was of his heart hammering in his ears and running water growing deeper beneath his feet. Torches lined the walls every so often, flickering valiantly against the dark. As he continued onwards, however, the torches grew less and less frequent.
He stopped. From somewhere up ahead came a smell that turned his stomach. It filled his nostrils and reminded him of death. Hesitantly, and with shaking fingers, he withdrew a torch from its bracket and held it before his face. The twisting shadows that it created now followed him through the dungeon shaft. The scurrying and scraping noise was beginning to grow louder.
When it comes, you must use your power.
“What the Pasht are you talking about?” Isais regretted speaking immediately. His voice sounded unnaturally loud and the narrow tunnel carried it lord knows how far.
And then it came.
At first, Isais struggled to see what was rushing towards him. In the dark was a fast-moving ball of grey, red pinpricks that could have been eyes darted from wall to wall. Suddenly the dungeon was alive with a terrible screeching noise. Isais flinched, throwing his hands to his ears. Too late he remembered the torch. It fell from his hand, falling into the water now swirling around his feet where it quickly sizzled and died.
The world went completely dark and Isais suddenly discovered he was blind.
Nicely done.
“What do I do?” his voice shook.
Follow the eyes.
Isais frowned and then remembered. Two red dots approached in black.
Kill it!
Fear tore through him as he searched frantically in the dark for a weapon, hands searching in the foul stream.
You are the weapon you fool! Magic! Use your magic!
Magic? Isais stood, unsure what to do he thrust out a hand and shouted. “Die!”
Nothing happened.
Pasht’s balls. Think it. Imagine it. Will it!
Think it.
He thought hard about the creature now circling him and what he could use to possibly kill it.
Imagine it.
He imagined forces around him rippling, twisting and building. And then— firing!
Will it.
Isais willed it. He willed with all his mind. Stretched his arm as far as it could go, and then stretched some more. He willed and willed the energy to manifest itself, to banish the evil creature before him.
Still nothing happened.
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And then the creature leaped.
It happened with a screech that turned into a growl.
Isais stumbled back as the red eyes cannoned towards him. Losing his footing, he fell hard. His back hit the cold stone floor and as water quickly rushed over him. Something sharp tore into his arm as he threw it up for protection. Isais screamed and cursed and beat at the creature. But it was hopeless. He was too weak. He needed strength.
Suddenly something started to change. He felt forces ripple over him. Through him. Centering on him. The force was pulled from a thousand strands from a thousand corners of his brain, building and building into a giant ball in the empty space of his mind.
And then he released it.
The creature squealed before Isais felt it knocked from him. As it flew through the air, its teeth tore at his skin painfully.
Dizzy and dazed. Isais quickly pushed himself to his feet and scanned the black for any sign of those glowing red eyes. But they were gone.
Good work, said the voice in his mind.
Isais shook his head in disbelief. “I did it. I did it! Holy cow. Was that magic?”
It was.
“I feel it. I feel so strong!” He held his hands in front of him, expecting to see arms built of rippling muscles. But he could still see nothing through the dark.
You must let go.
“Let go?”
Release it. The power you feel.
Isais wasn’t sure what the voice meant but then, slowly, the energy ball in his mind started to disintegrate. As it faded away it left Isais feeling tired and suddenly very aware once more of his surroundings and the danger he was in.
Something else flashed in his mind then.
[https://i.imgur.com/VnSTd8e.png]
[https://i.imgur.com/ADf3peO.png]
"What the hell was that?” Isais asked as the image quickly faded away.
Your attributes. You leveled up your willpower. I thought you’d like to see.
“Levelled up my willpower? What are you talking about? Show me again!”
The image flashed up once more at the forefront of Isais’ mind. He could see it clearly now, though none of it made any sense.
“I don’t understand…” his voice trailed off softly.
This is the essence of you. It represents your power. It is part of who you are.
“Part of…? You mean there is more?”
Another image flashed up then, clear and almost tangible. It was somewhere between the front of his mind and the back of his eyes, yet he almost felt that if he reached out a hand he could touch it. It was so close, though he knew it couldn’t really be there.
[https://i.imgur.com/B8awLzZ.png]
Name: Isais Albion.
Race: Human. Corrupted Twinsoul.
Primary: Willpower Mage
Secondary: Berserker Soul.
Statistics—
“Whoa! Before you show me anything else, I want to know what this means. Corrupted? Twinsouls?”
That would be me.
“But you’re not real!”
Aren’t I?
“No!”
Has it occurred to you that only you can hear me? That if anyone were to see you know you would be talking to yourself?
Isais collapsed into a sitting position. He didn’t care that the water now ran over his naked body. He didn’t care about anything at that moment.
“I don’t understand.”
You will. Now look.
[https://i.imgur.com/B8awLzZ.png]
Name: Isais Albion.
Race: Human. Corrupted Twinsoul.
Primary: Willpower Mage
Secondary: Berserker Soul.
[https://i.imgur.com/ADf3peO.png]
Skills
Will: +1
Kinetic: 8
Physical: 2
Battlefield Aura: 0
Psyche:
Luck: 2
Intelligence: 11
Charisma: 4
Fortitude:
Strength: 3
Constitution: 4
Dexterity: 2
“This is crazy! Whatever this is, it’s not real. None of it is.” Weariness was beginning to overtake him, nausea built in his stomach. He was suddenly hungry, and then repulsed by the thought of eating at the same time. Rubbing at his eyes, Isais pushed a palm into his head. “I need to lie down,” he muttered.
No. Don’t rest. You must keep moving.
“Keep moving? Look at my arm! I could have been killed!
Laughter. Not in here, it’s impossible. Your health can’t drop below 1 in the safe zone.
“Health? Look at me, I’m losing blood!”
It’s a flesh wound. Now you can’t die here but you can feel pain. A lot of it. So move!
And so, he did. He headed back down the tunnel, clutching his left arm to his chest, his hand trying to stem the blood now dripping freely. It stung and throbbed— a constant reminder that he was not alone down here. For a few moments he was walking blind. Terror in his chest warned him of enemies that did not exist. When the first torch came into view, he breathed a heavy sigh, racing for it.
In the flame’s light, he could see that the tears in his arm were jagged and swollen with red blood. And yet they were not as bad as he expected. Relieved, he removed the new torch and returned to the spot where he’d earlier been attacked.
He saw the creature that he had killed then. Mottled grey fur, patched and torn to reveal horribly pink flesh beneath. Kneeling, Isais thrust the torch into the creature’s face. It was a mistake. The face was a thing of nightmare. Small jagged teeth below a pink nose and beady eyes that still glowed faint with red energy.
Sewer rat.
“What?”
That thing that caused you so much stress and trouble was just a sewer rat. Gods you’d better improve fast or this is going to be a short run.
“I don’t know what that means, and I don’t want to know.”
The voice laughed.
Isais ignored it, stepping over the dead rat he pushed on. The tunnel widened, two narrow platforms opening up either side of the steady stream of water. They were dry and Isais leapt for the left most one. Something caught his eye then. The light of his torch caused it to glisten softly in the dark. Leaning into it, Isais was surprised to see it was some sort of treasure chest.
“What?”
Open it.
Isais did so. Amazingly the lid flipped open, a small rusted lock falling away. The sound of creaking hinges echoed throughout the chamber and Isais’ ears twitched, expecting at any minute to hear the sound of screeching rats once more. When nothing but silence hovered in the dark, Isais breathed out heavily and peered inside the chest.
“Well, this is suspiciously lucky,” he mumbled, pulling out a brown pair of tattered trousers and a white tunic. There was a hat and gloves too, but Isais decided to skip those. Instead he reached for an equally old pair of leather boots. They fit his feet well, which only heightened Isais’ weariness.
Feel any different?
“Not really. A bit warmer.”
Hmmm. Disappointing. Still, it should mean nothing big is coming for us anytime soon.
“Enough with the cryptic messages. My nerves are already shot.”
And then, as if the Gods themselves were laughing at him, the sound of more screeching filled the tunnel. It came now from all around. Above. Below. The left. The right. Isais span and span, but could make out nothing in the dark.
Prepare yourself.
He did. Reaching out desperately to pull energy from within his body, balling it in his mind. He waited. And then waited some more.
Left!
Isais spun, handing lashing out reflectively. Energy rippled from his palm and a pair of red eyes were thrown backwards into the dark with an inhuman screech. Grasping the torch in his injured arm he waited some more. He could feel himself growing more tired, his very body pulling him towards sleep. He resisted, keeping his mind’s energy ball as collective as possible.
Sound behind him and he span again, and again another creature was flung into the depths of whatever hell Isais found himself in. At the same time a third leapt at him. With no time to draw power, Isais lashed out with the torch. Flames licked at the beast, catching on its fur. A terrible, shrill howl rendered the air around him as the rat rushed screaming for the water.
Isais collapsed onto his hands and knees, sweating building on his head.
You mustn’t rest. Not yet. You’re so close.
“How the fuck do you know?” Isais hissed.
Be calm. Anger is an after effect of human magic.
“If you say so.” Though he knew the voice was right. He felt more irritable than ever before. With a groan, he pushed himself to his feet. Something gold caught his attention.
Will: +1
Fortitude: +1
“Not now,” he growled, shaking the image from his head. The tunnel widened yet again, lightening as it did so. But it wasn’t Isais’ torch that bathed the sewer in light. A hole in the roof up ahead let in a bright beam of white sun.
“Thank the gods!” A fresh burst of energy powered him forward and he collapsed gratefully into the sunbeam, feeling the warmth on his face.
The door.
Breathing out heavily, Isais turned and saw the great slab of stone the voice in his head generously referred to as a door. Sunlight rested upon it, showing the years of moss that had grown upon the otherwise grey rock. Approaching it, Isais set his shoulder and pushed.
It didn’t budge. Not even slightly. Not even a creak.
He tried again.
“No good.” And then, hammering it with is fist he shouted, “no good!”
Calm. Look for the puzzle.
“Puzzle? Of course there is a puzzle. Why wouldn’t there be damn a puzzle!” Feeling foolish for his outburst, but putting it down the lingering magic still in his veins, he began to search near the door. It didn’t take long to find it.
[https://i.imgur.com/L4MwArz.png?1]
Looking to the door, Isais saw then two separate dials carved into the rough stone.
[https://i.imgur.com/56W40Nw.png]
He touched one, running his finger over the engraving. When it came to the middle symbol, Isais was surprised to see that it moved. “Well what do you think that means?”
But no answer came.
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[https://i.imgur.com/B8awLzZ.png]
[https://i.imgur.com/sjdpcoa.png]