The Land: Monsters

by Aleron Kong

  Time passed and the darkness remained. Since he seemed to have no control, he just let the force propel him ever upward. It was hard to gauge time. He didn’t even feel bored. He could have been falling for seconds or hours or longer. At some point, however, he passed through a palpable layer of darkness. It felt like slowly moving through a waterfall of paint. Like a thin skin of tangible nothing. The sensation of movement stopped right after, and he felt firm ground under his feet. That was when he realized his body was back.

  With snapping sounds, torches lit up in a circle around him. They were only ten feet away, and he stood in the center of the firelight. Looking down, he saw that he was wearing a simple black tunic with gold thread piping tracing along its edges. It was a far sight nicer than the ruined rags he’d been wearing only a few minutes before. What was more interesting was that his body looked completely different. Actually, not exactly different, but forgotten. This was the physique he’d had when he’d first come to The Land. Not the muscled hulk he’d become, but a man with brown skin, a slight build and average height.

  Shaking his head at the inanity of his personal appearance, he looked around. Unfortunately, he couldn’t see anything past the light of the flickering torches. Richter was about to leave the cordon of firelight when he heard footsteps. They rang like hobnailed boots on stone. The steps got closer. Richter readied himself for whatever might come.

  He even tried to access his status page to make sure he still had his high attributes despite his current physical appearance. A moment later, his brow wrinkled in confusion. It wouldn’t come up. Hearing those steps get closer, his features smoothed in controlled panic. The stride had a certain cadence that he’d heard before. A particular gait that come to trigger a Pavlovian fear response, because it always preceded hours of agonizing pain. It had been in a strange, timeless dimension. He’d fallen into darkness then too.

  Suddenly, he had a horrible suspicion about just who was walking toward the firelight. Seconds later, an ebony-skinned giant wearing a pitch-black suit straight off the Versace rack walked into the light. Richter fell back into an involuntary defensive stance. His lips pulled back in a snarl. Horrible thoughts shot through his head while he looked upon the face of the face of this old torturer.

  An irritated grimace crossed Nexus’s face, “I swear to god! You are one dick pimple away from hillbilly heaven! What could you possibly want?”

  CHAPTER 11 – Day 151 – Juren 2, 0 AoC

  Richter stared at the Auditor, the creature that was in charge of Trials in the Mist Village. The giant was responsible for some of his greatest suffering. The chaos seed wasn’t sure what to do. He’d thought about Nexus more than a dozen times and had played out seeing him again a dozen more. Pretty much every time he thought about their next meeting, he fantasized about beating the ever-luvin’ shit out of the black-and-gold giant. Every time though, he’d let that go. He’d learned his lesson the last time. Even with his higher level and boosted attributes, he wouldn’t stand a chance. There were some people you just did not fuck with, at least not on their own turf. For now, Nexus was one of those guys.

  Richter was also strong enough to admit his faults. At least, given enough time he was. Nexus had tortured him, but the truth was, if Richter had said the right words last time, his Trial wouldn’t have been nearly so traumatic. There was a ritual to becoming a Professional. You basically had to pronounce what your Profession should be, like “I am Alchemist,” or “I am Enchanter.” Then you would be tested by the Auditor. As simple as that was, Richter hadn’t done that. He hadn’t known that he had to, but he also hadn’t taken the time ask before his Trial. Being ignorant was never a defense that mattered.

  To compound his bad decisions, he’d attacked the Auditor. Yup. He’d been sucked into another dimension and had decided to attack the demigod that ran it. He felt very comfortable saying that Nexus was a sadistic asshole, but he’d been the one that had attacked a sadist. That was what had led to the weeks and months of torture.

  If Richter was a more zen person, he might have let the experience go completely. Truth was, zen was not his modus operandi. If he’d had a chance of taking Nexus down, he might have taken it. He wasn’t a total idiot though, and he’d learned more lessons than that a lack of knowledge could make life insanely painful. He’d learned to pick his battles. He’d learned to wait.

  That wasn’t to say that he was calm. The agony of his long imprisonment had imprinted itself on Richter so deeply that he couldn’t stop his heart from racing upon seeing the black-and-gold giant. Nexus’s form could change based on his whim. The giant was currently about twelve feet tall. The more salient point was that he was looking at the chaos seed with an extremely irritated expression. As much as Richter wanted to hurt the bastard, he swallowed his pride and said, “I am Enchanter.”

  Nexus looked at him. Richter looked back. Nexus kept looking at him. Richter kept looking back. Nexus cocked his head forward, widened his eyes, and stared at him. Richter started feeling like he might have made a mistake… again. He was preparing to defend himself when the Auditor threw both hands in the air and complained, “Argh! I know you’re an Enchanter, numb-nuts. I’m completely aware. Those are the words for your Trial! You are here…”

  Nexus stopped talking and really stared at Richter, as if he were searching for some hidden meaning. When he spoke again it was with surprise in his voice, which quickly turned back into derision. “... for the Rite of Ascension. Something that I absolutely cannot believe you are qualified to undertake.”

  “If I weren’t qualified, why would I be here?” Richter shot back.

  Nexus shook his head like Richter had just tripped getting off the short bus. “You must have reached your Threshold. Everyone that does is brought to see their Auditor. Most are wise enough to immediately leave if they have not thoroughly prepared. You don’t belong here.”

  “You’re telling me I shouldn’t try to ascend?”

  “No,” Nexus told him, and for once, the giant sounded earnest. He gently placed a hand on Richter’s shoulder. “I’m telling you,” he squeezed ever so slightly, “that you’re the worst. No one likes you,” he breathed deeply through his nose, “and you stink.”

  Nexus kept massaging the now-seething chaos seed’s shoulder, “So are you here about your ascension or not?”

  “You’re damn right I am,” Richter growled.

  “Great,” Nexus replied with a self-satisfied smile. “That’s one,” he said holding up his middle finger.

  Richter’s heart dropped at seeing the Auditor’s smug face. He felt like he’d just fallen for something here. If there was one lesson he’d learned, it was that words had power. He’d just agreed to something and Nexus seemed pleased about it. That meant there was something Richter didn’t know.

  “What aren’t you telling me? What happens to me if I don’t pass this Rite of Ascension?” he snapped, grabbing Nexus’s arm.

  Somehow, the darkness surrounding them grew even blacker. The air grew heavy and Nexus’s body seemed to swell. His voice became more formal. The speech pattern was older, more imperious. “Do not put your hands upon me, mortal! You are no one to demand anything from me! I curse the day you and your ridiculous villagers came into my domain!”

  Richter dropped his hand and took a step back. The vehemence in Nexus’s voice was thick and visceral. The giant was seriously pissed! For the first time, Richter wondered if all this animosity might not be entirely about him. Even though he’d fought Nexus, he’d never actually hurt the Auditor. In fact, the whole time he’d been tortured, Nexus had kept a pretty pleasant demeanor. If Richter wasn’t the cause though, what could possibly have made the Auditor so furious?

  Not knowing how to respond, Richter just stared back at him. Nexus’s expression grew even uglier. If he was angry before, now he was furious. Like, a second shy of making tummy pancakes when the doorbell rang kind of furious. The enraged Auditor screamed into Richter’s face, “I swear to god, shit
break, I will beat that doofy look off your face! If you came here to waste my time, I’ll do to you what I’m going to do to that mus-”

  Whatever Nexus had been about to say was interrupted by the loudest crack of thunder Richter had ever heard. It sounded like two mountains being slammed together and then shaken like dice in an unbelievably massive hand. Richter winced at the cacophony, but he also noticed that Nexus did something completely unexpected. The giant flinched. There was no mistaking the fear that was on the Auditor’s face when he looked up. Whatever had caused the thunder was something he was afraid to anger. What the hell could scare a being with near-infinite power in his own dimension?

  Richter still had no idea what was going on, but it appeared as if someone was making sure Nexus couldn’t just abuse him this time. Looked like that old adage must be true: everyone had a boss. Ironically, the Auditor seemed to be under review. The chaos seed’s mind tried to conjure up what Nexus could have done. He’d tortured Richter for months and that hadn’t raised any alarm bells. What could possibly have happened to put the giant on a short leash?

  Richter just shook his head. There was so much going on that he didn’t understand. All he could do was keep his guard up and hope it did some good. The Auditor looked back at him, even angrier now that Richter had seen him flinch. Right after though, it seemed like the wind went out of his sails. With a heavy sigh, Nexus started speaking again. The aristocratic imperiousness was gone. This time, his words were intoned with an air of ritual. Somehow, he still managed to say them like an absolute dick.

  “Worthy traveler. Your path to power has led you to a moment of Ascendance. Your journey has been fraught with danger,” the Auditor rolled his eyes expressively, completely belaying the content of his words, “but you have prevailed.”

  It looked like he was chewing nails, but he also added, “And it is my pleasure to answer your earlier question, as you are entitled to know. There are indeed consequences if you fail your Rite of Ascension. You will be immediately removed from my dimension. You will also lose points from every one of your attributes. The higher-ranked the path you choose, the greater the loss of points you will suffer. Finally, if you fail your ascension, you may not attempt it again until you reach a new level, and subsequent Rites of Ascension will be more difficult. So, knowing this,” Nexus gritted his teeth so hard Richter thought they might crack, but he still forced the words out, “noble traveler, do you still wish to proceed along your path of Ascension?”

  Richter had no idea who or what was making Nexus play ball, but he was grateful. Just like he’d expected, this Rite of Ascension hid serious consequences. Even when Richter died, he was able to gain back his Attribute Points when he leveled up again. To lose points, not just from one but from all nine of his Primary Attributes, was not a small thing. Nexus had also just told him that the loss would increase with certain choices. If he lost one point in each of the nine, that was something he could deal with. If he lost five or ten from each… that would be like wasting a third of his progression since coming to The Land, and he would never be able to make up the lost ground. He wouldn’t be crippled, but his dream of growing strong enough to protect his people would be extinguished.

  Nexus waited for his response. Richter ground his teeth. These damned checks and balances. Now he had to make a choice. Did he stay where he was, stuck at this damn Threshold? Or did he risk losing his Attribute Points? A choice that, trapped down here in the deeps, could lead to his death and Singh’s curse taking hold. The giant stared at him, daring him to say yes.

  It was a large decision, but he wasn’t one to waste time, especially when there was something difficult to be done. The simple fact was, if he wasn’t moving forward, then he was moving back. “I want to proceed,” Richter told him defiantly.

  “As such it is my honor and duty to lead you to your evolved avatars. Come with me, dick cheese.” There was another crack of thunder. Nexus coughed and corrected that last bit, “I mean, if you please.”

  Nexus immediately started walking away, though he made sure to look back and throw up two fingers. That’s two, he mouthed.

  They quickly left the ring of burning torches, but more fires sprung to life on either side as they walked. Nexus didn’t slow or turn to make sure Richter was following behind. There was no conversation. That suited both men. The torches winked out of existence behind them, never more than ten lit at a time. All the chaos seed could see beyond them was blackness. Even his Traveler’s Map didn’t work in this place. If the light or Nexus disappeared, he would have no frame of reference. The only impression he had was that they were slowly moving higher.

  The two of them walked for what felt like hours. Richter wasn’t worried about the passage of time though. It didn’t flow normally in this dimension. No matter how long he was here, he might leave Xuetrix waiting for a minute or a year. There was nothing he could do about it either way. Richter was a passenger for the moment. He had to go where this path led him.

  They finally stopped. With a wave of Nexus’s hand, the torches around them were extinguished, and they were plunged into darkness. Richter’s fingers twitched to form the spellform Darkvision instinctively, but he stilled the impulse. His frantic run from the ichorpede’s lair had ingrained the reaction. Dark could mean that a monster was inches away, that you could fall into a crevasse, that a shelf of stone could slow you down long enough to be eaten. Dark meant death. He didn’t want to risk anything that could be considered threatening by the Auditor though. After waiting for a few seconds, his eyes adjusted and he realized that the blackness wasn’t as deep as he’d believed. Without the light of the fire to blind him, he could see much more clearly.

  The light he was seeing by had no real source, but it was enough for him to make out what was around him, if just barely. From out of the gloom, he could distinguish dimly illuminated figures. They were arranged in concentric circles around him and Nexus, even extending back in the direction they had just come from. The details of the statues were almost imperceptible. They looked to be faceless humanoids made of black sand. As far as he could see they were featureless and identical.

  Congratulations! Your road has been long and fraught with peril, but you have persevered and increased your power. Your Core of Power will light your way.

  The chaos seed turned to Nexus, “What happens next?”

  The giant didn’t face him when he responded, he just intoned his answer with a hint of resignation, perhaps even pity. The lack of annoyance in the being’s voice worried Richter more than any of his animosity had, “Do you want to turn back and stay as you are or ascend and become more?”

  Richter’s guard was immediately up, “What happens if I try to ascend?”

  “Do you want to turn back and stay as you are or ascend and become more?” Nexus repeated, still not deigning to look at him.

  The chaos seed’s anger surged, but he didn’t let himself lash out. He wouldn’t make that mistake again. He also wasn’t foolish enough to think that if he asked again he would get a different answer. There was no crack of thunder this time; it seemed Nexus wasn’t required to answer any more questions. Richter had all the information he was going to get. There was no point turning back now.

  “Let’s do this.”

  Nexus’s response was simple, but heavy with magic, “Thrice heard and witnessed.”

  CHAPTER 12 – Day 151 – Juren 2, 0 AoC

  Even though Richter had known that was coming, his breath got a bit more shallow at hearing the words. A lair full of monsters he could face. The power of Three… he wasn’t about to take that lightly. Even though he couldn’t feel them, he knew invisible strands of magic had just bound him to his choice.

  Nexus continued to intone, “Now you will be tested. Let go of what holds you back.”

  Before Richter could question that quizzical response, he felt a pulling from inside of him. The sensation turned into a ripping. He tried to take control of himself, but lost the battle moments
later. Strands of black-and-gold energy pulled from his body and a scream was torn from his throat. The energy began to coalesce in the air, a riotous mix of colors. A second tether shot out from the battleground of light and reentered Richter’s body, completing the circuit. Through it all, a cascade of suffering swept through him. The agony was horrific.

  It was not a boast that he was no stranger to pain at this point. He had been eaten, stabbed, burned, struck with lightning and castrated. This was different. It was… his mind scrambled to even find words that could describe it. In the face of such unrelenting torment, his reason failed him. It felt like the lining was being ripped free of his stomach walls. Like the calcium of his bones was being siphoned away. It felt like his very molecules were being divided with no care toward the tender flesh they comprised. His mind nearly fractured. Richter did everything he could to try and stop whatever was happening to him, but it was to no avail. The torment only worsened.

  The giant finally turned to face him. Richter was in so much pain he couldn’t even feel shame at weeping in front of his former, and now current, torturer. His gaze centered on Nexus’s face, expecting to see a smug expression. Instead, the Auditor’s face was impassive, the definition of stoic. Suddenly Richter knew that whatever was happening, it wasn’t because of the giant. He’d thought Nexus had somehow tricked him into being tortured again. Now he understood that this was all occurring because of his own choice, because he’d chosen to ascend to a higher tier. On a deep level, Richter knew that this was his final test to becoming something more.

  The pain increased and he felt more being pulled out of him. Through the suffering he realized that he was becoming less. With a horrible suspicion, he pulled up his status sheet. Every one of his attributes was falling. His level, attributes, skills, health, mana and stamina were all rolling back. His very essence was being pulled out of him and collected as a sphere of roiling black-and-gold liquid. To Richter, it looked like the two colors were fighting for dominance. That battle made the sphere nearly lose cohesion again and again. Then more energy would pour into it from his own body. It would regain its structure by feeding on his very essence. Then the process would begin again. Through it all, the pain grew worse.