Forlorn Dimension

by Matthew Satterlee

  She returned to the tower. Brendon and Lindsey were both sitting upright with a small pile of chopped wood in front of them, presumably for a fire, but there wasn't so much as a small ember right now.

  "I can't remember the last time I had to do this," Brendon grumbled as he smacked the blade of his axe against a small stone.

  "Are you sure that's the right type of stone?" Lindsey asked. "Let me see it."

  Brendon shoved her hand away. "I'm just out of practice."

  Ellen sat down across from them. "I found water," she said, "but I don't see any people or anything else here. And the sky is already turning dark."

  "How about food?" Brendon asked. Sparks jumped from his stone to the wood, but none managed to ignite a fire.

  "If the sky is getting dark, I'm sure food will find us soon," Lindsey said. "Of course, in the state we're in, we'll probably be the ones getting eaten."

  "That's true, but I'm sure Ellen will let us borrow her knife once something shows up."

  Ellen lowered her head and whimpered quietly to herself. Not even the collapse of civilization could make them forget about her knife.

  She still remembered that group from the fortress, the one who had chased her through the streets trying to borrow or maybe steal her knife from her. Was everyone going to react that way once they learned about its power?

  Her shield had brought her just as much, if not more grief. The cries of all the soldiers on the wall pleading and begging her to protect them were still fresh in her memory.

  A few more sparks jumped to the wood. One stuck around long enough to ignite a small fire.

  "I was starting to think you'd lost your touch," Lindsey said, impressed.

  "It's weathered a lot, but I still have it," Brendon said.

  Ellen stared glumly at the small fire. The wilderness was her home again. There'd be no more warm bed to return to at the end of the day, there'd be no more walls to keep her safe at night, there'd be no more cafeteria to serve her food each morning, and there'd be no more street vendors to trade her cooked meat. It was much more likely she'd end up being the meat keeping something else fed.

  Worst of all, there'd be no more friends to keep her company. Lindsey was twice her age, and Brendon was even older. She doubted she had anything in common with either of them. If it hadn't been for her shield, she probably never would've gotten involved with them in the first place.

  The fire grew as Brendon fanned the flames with his hands. "This little bit of wood isn't going to last long," he said. "Let's find some more before it gets dark."

  "You have to help tonight," Lindsey told Ellen. "I'll help out more when I can see straight again."

  Ellen eyed her for a moment. For two people who had never done much for her, Brendon and Lindsey sure did ask for a lot.

  She stood up and made her way outside the tower. Brendon was standing beside an adolescent tree a short ways away. She waited while his magic axes hacked the tree apart then picked up an armful of logs and followed him back to the tower.

  "Lindsey and I have a few friends we'd like to try and track down once we leave here," Brendon said on the way back.

  "I have friends I want to find as well," Ellen said.

  Brendon glanced back at her, seemingly worried. He should be worried, because she had made a promise to her friends and she wasn't about to break it for him.

  Back inside the tower, she helped Brendon grow the fire then went to sleep. The hard stone floor made for a miserable mattress, but she at least had the lumpy supply bag to use for a pillow.

  Some of her dreams took her back to the Monad Fortress and pit her against the tusked monster. No matter how fast she ran or how well she hid, it always managed to catch her. Her other dreams put her in a grave beside the wall. All she could do was lay still until a rock broke free from the wall and crushed her just like it had crushed all those weeping onlookers that day. Occasionally she found herself on the streets with a horde of frightened strangers calling her name, chasing her, clawing at her, tackling her to the ground and stripping her of everything she owned. Even the giant monster she'd met in the forest reappeared from time to time. It had no trouble cornering her, and there were no more giant axes to stop its teeth from biting into her.

  "It was just a dream," Brendon told her each time she jerked awake.

  He probably knew what haunted her even without her saying anything. The same things would likely haunt him as well if he ever slept, but he didn't. Each time she startled awake, she found him either lingering by the fire or feeding it more wood.

  She set out into the forest first thing in the morning. Brendon planned on changing Lindsey's bandages as soon as she woke up. Without a doubt the bloodshed they contained was more than she could stomach.

  She returned to the stream, took a drink, then felt her pocket. Her coin pouch was still inside. Those coins would only weigh her down now. Their usefulness had died along with the fortress.

  She followed the stream to the edge of the world then held her pouch over the side. She'd planned to toss it into the dark void below, but her hand wouldn't let go. Neither would her heart. Her friends might be scattered across the world, but having her coins close by made it feel like they weren't so far away.

  Ellen stuffed the pouch back into her pocket. It wasn't going anywhere. Her pocket was going to be its home for a long, long time.

  She wandered the forest for hours looking for anything noteworthy. She had no fear of getting lost; the tower stuck out so far above the trees she could see it for miles.

  Small shrubs grew all over. Ellen took their berries for herself. A few trees had fruits to offer. They were barely ripe, but she wasn't in a position to be picky.

  She found the edge of the forest after a while. The trees gave way to a rolling field of yellow grass that stretched off into the horizon.

  There were buildings in the distance. At first she felt relieved, it was a small trace of civilization, but civilization none the less.

  Then she felt sad. The whole area was in ruins. Most of the buildings were missing their roofs or a wall or sometimes both. Some were little more than piles of rubble, not fit for human or even monster. Nature had reclaimed most of the roads as well as the inside of some houses.

  Ellen turned around and headed back into the forest. She planned to search those buildings, there might be supplies inside them or even a group using them as shelter, but not today.

  She reached the tower as the forest became dark. Brendon and Lindsey were seated around a fire.

  "And where were you all day?" Lindsey asked.

  "Searching," Ellen said dismissively.

  "Find anything?"

  Ellen sat down beside the fire. "There's a village just outside the forest, but it looks deserted. I'm going to check it tomorrow."

  "You shouldn't go too far without us," Brendon said.

  "Why?"

  They both eyed her.

  "Well, you don't have to stay with us if you don't want to," Brendon said, "but it's going to be a lot safer if we stick together."

  Safer for who, Ellen wondered. Her time on the wall had been awful, but the day they'd dragged her there had been the worst by far. It was also the two of them who'd insisted they stand up to the tusked monster when they could've easily left without it spotting them.

  Brendon tossed her a flask full of water. Ellen caught it then gazed at it an awe. "Where did you get this?" she asked. She slid it into her pocket alongside the scraps she'd gathered earlier.

  Brendon pointed to the backpack in the corner. It was the same backpack he'd packed up back in his home. He smiled. "I'm getting back to my roots. All those axes I throw around are a last resort, not my main attraction." His expression became grim and serious. "If you're ever thinking about going back to the Forlorn Dimension, even for a glimpse, don't. That thing is still stomping around back there, and it's madder than ever."

  "Maybe you can smuggle out a few sleeping bags tomorrow," Lindsey said.

&n
bsp; Brendon looked horrified. "N-no, sorry," he stammered.

  More awful dreams haunted Ellen during the night, but none were bad enough to disrupt her sleep. It was Brendon and Lindsey's talking that finally woke her up.

  "I don't want that name anymore," Lindsey said. "Lindsey was a member of Galvin's Special Forces who wasn't afraid to show her face. She wasn't some vagrant who hid behind a cowl."

  "So what name would you like then?" Brendon asked.

  "Call me... L.L. It's different enough that I don't have to remember precisely what I lost, but not so different that the past is completely forgotten."

  Ellen opened her eyes. Brendon had a bewildered look on his face. She couldn't blame him. It was an odd conversation and an even odder name.

  "If changing your name makes you happy," Brendon said, "then don't let me stop you, L.L."

  "It's only temporary," L.L. said. "Once my face has healed and once we're back on the offense, then I'll use my real name again."

  "I'm going to check that village," Ellen said. She stood up.

  "Wait for us," L.L. said. "If this village has been abandoned for a while, there's no telling what you'll find lurking in the shadows."

  "Just let me check her bandages and get my armor on, then we'll head out," Brendon added.

  Ellen ignored them and set out on her own. She'd gotten into enough trouble because of other people; not just Brendon and Lindsey and Kilroy, but her friends as well, new and old. For once, if there was trouble to be had then she wanted it to be her own.

  A stream of complaints chased her out of the tower, but she tuned them out.

  She made her way to the abandoned village. Brendon and Lindsey eventually left the tower and started following her, but she had a strong lead.

  Ellen took out her knife as she approached the ruins. There was no telling what might be lurking inside those crumbling buildings. Even the grass growing between the cracks in the roads was tall enough to conceal something deadly.

  She strolled cautiously down what used to be an old stone road, glancing into the dilapidated buildings on each side of her, but there were no signs of life anywhere.

  She soon reached a four-way intersection with a moss covered well in the center and headed right towards a two-story brick building with a collapsed roof. There was a small stone courtyard in front of it that had somehow escaped being taken over by the grass growing all over the rest of the village.

  Ellen couldn't help but wonder, what had driven everyone away from this place? All the damage looked to have been caused by a lack of maintenance rather than battle, and the sky was only beginning to turn dark.

  Whoever had lived here, they'd picked the place clean before they left. There wasn't so much as a scrap of wood or rusty weapon anywhere.

  It was far from the first time she'd seen a habitual area void of all life for reasons unknown. All of them had left her feeling unsettled. Despite having traveled to so many corners of so many dimensions, she still had dozens of questions about the world nobody could answer.

  She spotted Brendon and Lindsey leaving the forest and picked up her pace. They were going to catch up to her in a few minutes, and while she didn't mind having them around, the freedom she had right now was quite a pleasant thing. She had nowhere she needed to be, no timetable to follow, no superiors to answer to, and best of all, nobody demanding she lend them her knife or her shield.

  Ellen drifted into the courtyard. There was a rift to her right, one like she'd never seen before. It was pure black with shimmering spots of gray dancing across the surface.

  A wooden post with a note nailed to it stuck out of the ground a few feet from the rift. It was impossible to miss; someone wanted her and whoever else might wander by to read what they had to say.

  She approached the post and pulled the note free, but she had only a moment to study the strange runes covering its surface before a boy emerged from behind a mound of rubble.

  He looked to be a few years older than her. He wore plain green trousers and a button up shirt covered by a green vest. His hair was silver with a green tint.

  He grinned and walked towards her.

  His presence unnerved her. Despite being alone with no weapon, and despite her having her knife in hand, he didn't hesitate for even a second.

  The boy stopped a few feet away. Ellen watched him intently, her eyes narrowed. He looked very pleased to see her, but she already wanted nothing to do with him.

  His grin grew. He'd probably realized just how uncomfortable he made her.

  "So what does your note say?" he asked.

  "I don't know how to read," Ellen said.

  He laughed. "You stupid, illiterate girl."

  One of his hands shot forward. He moved so quickly that he had the note back near his body before Ellen realized he was reaching for it.

  She darted back a few steps, far enough that he couldn't grab anything else of hers. "So what does it say?"

  The boy read, "Enter this rift, and you'll find yourself inside the Brazen Dimension. At the very bottom of this twisted expanse of land awaits a mysterious stone called the Pillar of Immortality. He who touches this strange creation will find their body has become indestructible. No longer will you need fear hunger or disease or old age, nor will you have to concern yourself with that which crawls out of the dark to bring an end to humanity. Be forewarned, however, traversing the Brazen Dimension is no easy task, for the ground is ever crumbling and the sky is perpetually black."

  He crumpled up the note and tossed it aside. His grin faded.

  "Well there you have it. We just have to walk into that rift, search for a strange looking stone, touch it, and then we'll become immortal. Sounds simple enough." He looked towards the rift.

  Ellen did the same. The rift was an ominous looking thing that led to an ominous sounding place. She'd never heard of the Brazen Dimension before. The name alone made her uneasy. "It sounds too good to be true."

  "I'm sure it's all fake," the boy agreed. "I'm guessing we'll walk into that rift and some petty crook will try to put an axe in our heads. Or maybe it'll drop us into a horde of monsters that'll spread our guts across the world before we can blink." He pondered. "But you know, it does sound like a fun adventure, plus I always enjoy a challenge." He grinned. "And who knows, maybe that stone is real after all. I certainly wouldn't mind being immortal."

  Ellen felt even more unnerved. What sort of person would enjoy fighting their way through a decayed dimension full of monsters? He had to be deranged. Or maybe he was so powerful he didn't need to worry about it.

  But she couldn't deny that the prospect of being immortal was attractive. Even during its safest hours the Forlorn Dimension still had some monsters lurking close by. If the Pillar of Immortality was real, she'd never have to worry about monsters ever again.

  The boy walked towards the black rift. "I'm going on ahead. You can follow along if you want, but don't think I'm going to help you find your way. In fact, you're going to regret running into me again."

  He stepped into the rift, and his body started fading away. Just before he disappeared, he shot Ellen one final grin.

  She didn't want to run into him again, that was for sure, not in the Brazen Dimension or anywhere else.

  "I hope you're not trying to leave us behind," L.L. said from behind. "The world is a dangerous place, and we're not going to survive if we don't stick together."

  "That's an odd looking rift," Brendon said. He picked the crumpled note up off the ground and started reading. Once he finished, he chuckled and threw it away. "That's quite a story there. I hope you don't think it's real."

  Ellen glanced at them, then looked towards the rift again. The whole story was probably fake, but then again, if the world had the power to create a monster the size of the one that had wiped out the Monad Fortress, why couldn't it create a simple stone that made anyone who touched it immortal?

  "It's just a fairytale," Brendon said. He spoke cautiously, as if he knew what she was
planning. "You're not going to find any magic stones inside that rift."

  "She's thinking about going," L.L. said. "Maybe we should grab her before she does something she'll regret."

  That phrase grab her made Ellen shudder. It was the same phrase that group of strangers who'd chased her through the streets trying to steal her knife had used. She wanted to believe Brendon and L.L. were different, she wanted to believe they valued her as a person and not a utility, but now she had more doubts about them than ever.

  She eyed the strange black rift. There was no harm in checking. She'd probably search the whole dimension and find nothing, or maybe a horde of monsters would chase her off before her search ever started. Either way, it would only be a small detour. Her friends wouldn't notice if she took a week or two for herself.

  "It's probably just a rumor," Ellen said, "but I'm going to check anyway."

  "You're not going to like what you find in there," Brendon warned.

  "We're trying to keep you safe," L.L. added.

  They took a step towards her, and Ellen ran.

  She darted into the rift. It captured her then Brendon and L.L. soon after, but as the darkness set in, both of them disappeared.

  Ellen felt uneasy. This wasn't how rifts usually acted.

  She felt even more uneasy when the darkness faded and the next closet patch of land was several hundred feet below her.

  She screamed, until she realized she wasn't falling. A strange force was holding her and carrying her gently to the ground.

  The land below her could hardly be called land. It was nothing more than a twisted labyrinth of crumbling platforms that lurched out in every direction, spiraled up and down at angles that were often too steep to traverse, ended abruptly, and occasionally overlapped or even crashed into each other. They were surrounded on all sides by pure darkness. The sky itself, if it could be called a sky, was black, and so was the space beneath it. The platforms were supported by sickly looking beams that stretched so far downwards she couldn't see where they ended.

  But something was casting a faint light over the whole area. It was bright enough that Ellen could see all the monstrous shapes crawling around on the land below. There was a lot of them, but they weren't alone. There were others fighting their way across the twisted platforms. Some stood strong while a horde of monsters encircled them, like the boy she'd run into a few minutes ago, while some didn't stand at all.