As the eighth creature fell, Kade felt dangerous. He’d never experienced fighting for his own survival, nor the rush of having power at the tip of his fingers. It was affecting him more than he’d expected, but thankfully not in an unwelcome way. As he’d continued exploring both the darkness and his powers, his perspective had slowly shifted. Now as he stalked his latest target the distinction became clear: he was no longer afraid of what was waiting in the dark, he had become what was waiting in the dark, and found that he liked it.
He’d learned a lot since he’d finally figured out how to use his abilities at will, and the intervening hours had been spent creeping through the halls, all his senses focused on finding the next creature. Arguably the two most important new pieces of information had come by accident. After using the smallest amount of energy he could several times, he’d realized that his maximum reserves had stopped increasing, as had the spread of black veins which now reached nearly to his chest on both sides. That thought must have been on his mind, as the next time he used the energy blast, it once again drained his reserves entirely, and worse–he missed.
The result was a brutal several minutes spent in hand-to-deformed-claw combat, with Kade resorting to madly beating at the creature with bare foot and fist. The effect was underwhelming, as the creature’s stone-like hide showed no reaction to his strikes, and it eventually led to Kade sprinting wildly down the hallway, the creature easily keeping pace and landing multiple bites on his retreating legs. Only when he finally collapsed to the ground and began wrestling with the creature did he make a grateful discovery.
Once again without meaning to, he fired the familiar energy blast into the creature–this one seeming birdlike, complete with razor-sharp beak–and it went still in moments. This time Kade quickly shuffled away from the remains in hopes of delaying its absorption–despite the countless small wounds he looked forward to healing. Looking down at his bracer, he confirmed both a hope and a suspicion.
Status Update!
Anomalous Energy Reserves +1
New total: 0/4
Interface Update!
Anomalous Energy Regeneration Detected! (Region-specific)
Regeneration Rate: +(1) Anomalous Energy every (5) Minutes!
Warning: Anomalous Energy is not supported by Dalton’s Fabulous Bracer of Hope! [Regeneration Rate] data may be unreliable!
The Bracer’s estimate turned out to be relatively accurate, but Kade also noticed some variability to it that he couldn’t make sense of at the moment. That was the discovery he hoped for though, and the discovery he’d been suspicious of was something into which he’d need to put far more consideration. It appeared that his reserves would only increase if he strained them somehow. Several tests of draining those reserves a single small blast at a time proved ineffective, but using his entire reserve at once would reliably increase his total. Reliably, but not every time, he discovered.
Armed with this information, he’d gone forward even more confidently into the darkness, each mystery of his power that he solved giving him a greater sense of control and understanding. Now, as he crouched in the darkness, eyeing the two creatures he’d been stalking–both similar to the rat-snake he’d first encountered–he looked down at his bracer with pride.
Anomalous Energy Reserves: 10/10
He’d have to be careful not to unleash his full reserves in the heat of combat–not just because this was his first attempt at an outnumbered fight, but also because he’d made a much less pleasant discovery. While the power of the blast appeared somewhat greater with more energy–though less than he’d have expected based on the relative values involved–the pain and bodily damage it caused seemed to scale exponentially.
When he’d unleashed a blast using his previous maximum, he’d barely noticed a change in the resulting light show, but his body had nearly given out entirely. He’d briefly lost consciousness, and had to drag himself slowly to the creature he’d thankfully not missed, certain that he’d have died without the limited healing it provided. That blast had been transformative as well, the black veins not just completing their journey from the tips of his fingers to chest, but spreading outward from there, up and down his body.
The result was that movement was increasingly painful, and he was having a harder time catching his breath. At this point he was worried that even if he survived this horrible ordeal, his deteriorating health might make for a short celebration. It didn’t change his current needs though, as he had been feeling a growing certainty that his time was limited. Whatever a ‘Ritual of Calm’ was, he felt like it was slowly approaching some kind of climax.
Taking a ragged breath, he began his attack. By now he’d discovered that his aim was far less about pointing an extremity in just the right way, and more about where he wanted–or imagined–the blast should go. The energy never appeared to curve or anything similar, it simply left his body–and he’d found it could be from anywhere on his body he wished–on a trajectory toward whatever he was focused on. This held true for his latest blast, which used barely a third of his power to tear down the hallway and collide with the nearest rat-snake.
For only the second time since he’d begun his hunt, a creature managed to survive a hit from the horribly destructive force. While the rat-snake looked injured, the angle was just wrong enough for it to survive. It let out a horrible, pained screech, and Kade prepared himself for the unfortunate reality of a two-on-one battle. His first instinct was to just let out another blast, but experience had taught him that hitting moving targets required a level of skill and focus currently well beyond him.
Instead he went into a defensive crouch, preparing himself for the inevitable charge…that didn’t come. Confusion played across Kade’s face as the two creatures faced each other, letting out a series of hisses and screeches that seemed different from what he’d heard from them before. He was stunned when the uninjured rat-snake pounced on the other, tearing into the exposed flesh beneath the rocky hide. Kade let a little smile touch his lips at the unexpected good luck, wondering if he’d still get credit if one of these creatures actually landed the killing blow.
Then he heard more screeches echoing from further down the hall, and rising in pitch to manic levels. Kade’s smile fell away as his head whipped from side to side, more of the telltale skittering joining what was becoming a chorus of otherworldly screeches. Finally a shape raced by him in the darkness, and jumped into the frenzied melee between the first two creatures. Kade took an involuntary step back, thinking that this was escalating beyond anything he might have been prepared for.
His worst fears proved unimaginative as ever more shadowy forms appeared from all around him, each joining the growing pile of horrifically warped creatures. Kade was preparing to run far and fast when urgent beeping from his bracers managed to capture his attention.
Warning! Unstable Chaotic reaction detected nearby!
Ziggarat swarm is forming a Chaotic Convergence!
Chaotic Convergence is resolving into Ziggarattus Matriarch!
Warning! Ziggarattus Matriarch is Rank 2 on the Dalton Danger scale!
Kade frowned with suspicion at the names the bracer continued to provide him, suspecting they might be…less than accurate. It didn’t completely distract from the terrifying reality in front of him though, as he could see that the mass of mutated rat-creatures was indeed beginning to take some kind of recognizable shape. Not willing to wait to find out what a ‘Rank 2’ was on the bracer’s scale, Kade took off in the opposite direction as quickly as he was able on stiff legs.
Immediately he felt his breath grow ragged in his chest, as his injuries and ruined veins took their toll. He stumbled slightly but persevered, forcing his aching body ever forward. Behind him the sounds of the individual rat-creatures were disappearing into a deep, bone-shuddering howl that seemed to come from what was now unmistakably a singular monster of horrific appearance. Kade was perhaps a hundred meters away, still limping and wheezing his way down the hall, but each glance backward showed the creature becoming more distinct in shape. Somehow lit from within, the monster was clearly visible even in the dim light.
Kade was grateful to find that it either hadn’t noticed him, or wasn’t yet capable of pursuit, but all his instincts screamed that this wouldn’t last. He knew he couldn’t count on his singular ability being able to stop the creature, and his mind raced as he tried to think of any kind of plan. Even after hours in this place, he’d barely strayed from what he considered the main path of the seemingly-endless hallway, and there had certainly been no obvious hiding places or convenient, spike-filled pits to drop the monster into.
He’d only found one room in all his exploring, and it was the chamber of horrors that he’d awoken in. Glancing at the map interface he’d barely used, he saw that in all the back and forth of his hunting, he’d actually managed to get fairly close to his starting point. With some luck he could make it back, and at the very least put a door between himself and the monstrosity still forming behind him. A long, haunting wail echoing through the halls showed him what fate thought of his plans.
Kade somehow found the willpower to push his body into moving faster. It was still little more than a power-hobble, but it nevertheless brought him closer to his goal that much faster. As the shadowed corridor that was his destination came into view, Kade could already feel the relief beginning to flood through him. He’d been moving for several minutes, and there had been nothing but silence behind him. Finally with the door almost right in front of him, he allowed himself to slow down to a tired shuffle.
Without even risking a glance behind, Kade slipped through the door as quietly and swiftly as he could. Only as the ancient latch fell into place did he allow himself to finally relax, his ravaged body collapsing into a heap against the door. The full extent of his injuries had at last become impossible to ignore, and he allowed himself several minutes to just breathe into the darkness.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
As time ticked slowly by, Kade felt himself slipping into unconsciousness, and had to forcibly shake himself back to coherence. Once more rising unsteadily to his feet, Kade needed another few moments of simply breathing before he’d be ready to move, the echo of his ragged breaths reverberating around him. Suddenly his eyes shot open, and he began desperately trying to raise the brightness on his bracer once more.
Kade had spent some of the most terrifying moments of his life feeling trapped in this very chamber. While it felt like a lifetime, it was mere hours before that he had been flattened against the nearby wall, alternately hyperventilating and screaming. During that time he’d heard every conceivable echo the chamber could produce, and he remembered the crystal clear sound of his own voice reflected back at him from every direction. Crystal clear, every last echo–until he’d heard the breathing. It was distorted, gravelly…and close.
By the time Kade managed to find the control for brightness and hammered it as rapidly as he could, he was certain he could feel the hot wet breath on his face. But when the light filled the room, he saw nothing. He spun in place, checking every corner, not ready to believe he’d lost himself so quickly to baseless fear. He slowly advanced through the chamber, his eyes once again finding the various instruments of torture, and likely what passed for science and experimentation in this awful place.
But as the light fell on the final stall, illuminating the remains of some long-dead creature that didn’t have his luck, he had to admit that the chamber held no lurking beasts. He wasn’t disappointed, exactly, but he’d begun to rely on his instincts, and they were screaming that danger was nearby. It was for that reason that Kade found himself in a defensive posture when he was struck suddenly from behind, claws raking down his back as he fell forward.
He was proud that he kept his head enough to unleash a quick blast at the creature while struggling to his feet, and the energy tore a clean hole through the beast’s shoulder. He only saw the monster after he’d fired the blast, and only for a moment as it took a single step backward before completely vanishing. If this truly was the so-called Ziggaratus Matriarch, it was thoroughly transformed from the small, scaly rat-mutants he’d been fighting before.
The only comparison he could make would have been a panther, though it retained the gray coloring of the smaller monsters, and he was certain he’d seen more than two sets of legs as it vanished. Now seemingly alone in the room again, Kade started spinning in place, eyes darting from corner to corner. He’d been through a lot in a short time, and felt like he was getting admirable control over his anxiety and fear in the face of impossible situations, but the creature seeming to fade from existence right in front of eyes was unnerving. It was a spectacle of true, undeniable magic, and his rational mind rebelled in spite of everything he’d been through.
Now Kade struggled to keep any semblance of calm as he waited in a torture chamber for a monster to appear from nowhere, it’s only obvious goal being to tear him to bloody pieces. His eyes were still darting around the room when the creature duplicated its earlier attack from behind, but this time Kade was lucky enough to be turning as it happened. His eyes widened as four clawed hands swiped out at him, eerily human in shape, despite being at the end of long, sinewy legs that were undoubtedly feline in appearance.
The favorable angle meant that Kade was able to avoid three of the outstretched arms, with the final set of claws opening a shallow, bloody gash across his chest. Again Kade was determined to give as well as he got, and the pain from the claws were nothing compared to the fire that ran through his veins as he unleashed a powerful blast directly into the twisted face of the creature. The blast of energy illuminated that face in excruciating detail, giving Kade a clear enough view to see that the rat-like features were still present in the shape of the snout, even if the rest of the body was that of an eight-legged panther walking on human hands.
The light revealed something else that strained his understanding. As the blast of energy–fist sized as he’d risked pushing more power into it–collided with the creature, he watched its face seem to implode as the energy passed through. But instead of blood and viscera, it appeared that tiny stone chips were blasting out across the room, as if he’d shattered a rock with a hammer. Even more shocking was witnessing the head reform itself using the same mysterious fragments.
Kade couldn’t tear his eyes from the sight as thousands of tiny shards came together, stacking and reorganizing until the shape of the deformed rat matriarch had returned to its original, horrifying appearance. The entire spectacle had taken mere moments, and the creature showed no sign of disorientation either from the force of his original attack, or the process of rebuilding its own head. Seconds after he’d blasted the creature’s face apart, it was already back to swinging at him mercilessly with deadly claws.
The next few minutes made it clear that the beast was playing with him, as it rapidly appeared, slashed at him brutally, then disappeared to start the devastating process over again from a new direction. Kade managed to score another two hits before he’d exhausted his energy reserves, but he was so delirious from blood-loss that he barely felt it when the creature slammed into him and for once didn’t disappear. Instead, as he landed back in the very cell in which he’d begun this mad journey, he distantly felt the beast tearing into him with abandon as his vision began to blur.
The pain felt like it was happening to someone else as Kade lay on his back, his head thankfully pushed to one side so he wasn’t forced to witness the devastation of what he knew would be his final moments. Instead he found his eyes locked on the mysterious bracer, as his left arm had landed in just the right position that the bright display screen was shining directly into his face.
Anomalous Energy Reserves: 0/10
The bracer offered no other surprises or new insights, it just shone with indifference as carnage was unleashed nearby. Kade idly wondered if the bracer had coldly witnessed its previous wearer’s fate, offering no help or comfort. His thoughts seemed to be coming more and more slowly as he continued staring, his body jerking slightly as the creature continued its grizzly work.
Kade knew that death was approaching when he saw the light that he’d always heard about, the one that would take him to whatever came after this brief hell he’d been forced to experience. It was beautiful in its own way, but he couldn’t understand why it was so muted. He had a clear impression that the light was an immense sphere, floating in an endless sea of darkness. The light was everything, and yet it was somehow being contained, restricted by something wrapped tightly around it.
A memory stirred, and Kade realized he’d encountered the light before, and had been compelled to free it. Once again he turned his will to the task, somehow reaching out to grasp at the strange thing straining to hold in the light. He was surprised when he realized he could indeed touch the unusual covering, and he knew instantly that it was a single, endless black chain wrapping around the light. Pulling on it was easy, but he found that while the chain wasn’t wrapped tightly, it was layered around the light an impossible number of times. No matter how deep Kade felt that he dug into the mass of dark chain, the amount didn’t seem to diminish.
Even still, each time he tore at the chains a little more light shined out from somewhere on the strange orb. Finally the light seemed to blast out directly toward him, and with a blink he realized his mind was back in the chamber of horrors, his eyes still locked on the bracer’s display.
Anomalous Energy Reserves: 9328/10
The display was even harder to read than before, but it wasn’t the bloodloss. Instead, the whole room was bathed in teal light, radiating out from every vein in Kade’s body, the charred blackness replaced with a blinding brightness. Distantly Kade felt the weight of the creature disappear from his chest, and with its absence he found himself easily regaining his feet. He didn’t need to look down to know that his body was well past mortally wounded, his chest and abdomen open and exposed to the world; somehow he knew the frost gathering on his skin would hold him together long enough.
The Matriarch hadn’t disappeared, and was instead wearily backing away from him. It paused as Kade raised both hands before him, and the energy began to pour out. Not in small individual blasts as he’d been doing, instead it erupted outward like water bursting from a dam. Rather than destroying his body as he expected, Kade found that the energy wanted to come out even faster. Before he realized what he was doing, the energy was flooding out of his eyes, and then his mouth as he started screaming. Soon it was erupting from his entire body, an enormous wave of devastation directed at the creature that had long ago become an indistinct shape in the center of the blast.
Rather than needing to consult his bracer, Kade could feel the energy leaving his body, and knew it was almost spent. When the light at last began to fade, he could see that he’d not just destroyed the creature, but carved out a hole in the wall behind it that went on endlessly as the halls he’d explored since his arrival. He stared at it impassively for a moment, then collapsed to his knees, nothing left to give.
As he slumped forward, barely catching himself with his hands, he was distracted by furious beeping from the bracer. He managed to just make out the series of messages.
Status Update!
Anomalous Energy Reserves +72
New total: -16/82
Warning: Anomalous Energy is not supported by Dalton’s Fabulous Bracer of Hope! [Anomalous Energy Reserve] data may be unreliable!
Objective Update!
Path: (1) Slay 10 Unstable Manifestations of Chaos
Progress: 37/10
Objective Complete!
Fabricating (1) Soul Core consumable!
Attention!
Excess latent mana has been gathered from Unstable Manifestations of Chaos! Additional relevant item(s) will be fabricated!
Attention!
No Soul Core detected! No other compatible items can be fabricated at this time! Storing excess latent mana…
Kade wasn’t able to process much beyond the part about the Soul Core, but his waning attention was captured when a small sphere fell from somewhere on the bracer, rolling to a stop against his knees. The object was relatively plain, not much more than a shiny ball, but to Kade, it was salvation. Knowing he had only moments left before his body succumbed to its injuries, he used the last of his strength to snatch up the sphere, and pull it to his chest without hesitation.
Compared to what had come before, using the device was relatively anticlimactic. Somehow he understood that its purpose was deceptively simple. It didn’t actually alter him in any real way; it didn’t change what he was or put anything new inside his already abused and ruined body, it just made a single connection: between his soul and his mind. What came next came entirely from within, from whatever it was that made up a soul.
He felt a new type of energy coursing through his body, and it had the unfamiliar sense of being warm. It was neither the cold numbness that had been a part of him for so long, or the raging fire that had torn its way through his flesh. Instead he could only think of the new feeling as comfort, a sensation he realized he’d forgotten at some lost moment. The warmth spread through him, creating new paths for the energy to flow as it did, and finally he felt it gathering at his waist.
Looking down he saw that his torso had been remade as well, showing no sign of the tribulations he’d experienced. More surprising was what appeared to be a belt of pure energy, forming around his hips as he watched. After a few moments it did indeed solidify into a thick black leather belt, with what looked like a series of small metal hooks circling it all the way around.
Just as Kade looked to the hooks in confusion, energy seemed to explode outward from the belt in every direction, lengths of it embedding in the walls, the ceiling, and the floor, leaving him at the center of an inconceivably thick spider web of energy. Just when it seemed that the strands would never stop coming, everything halted all at once, the energy solidifying before his eyes just as it had before.
Finally the strain was too much, and Kade felt himself falling forward to crash into the ground. Seemingly following his command, the thousands of glistening black chains fell with him.