CHAPTER 12: Reunited…
I looked around to get my bearings. I was of course, in the woods, right at the edge of the meadow that contained the Gelid Beetles, only the meadow wasn’t there anymore just more trees.
I looked at the wooden stick still in my hands and used my interface to identify it.
Apostates Ironwood Jo Staff—Epic— +24.5 Bludgeoning Damage, +17.5 Wind Elemental Damage, One Socket—Once wielded by the Apostate known as Ahmose, This weapon helps builds an affinity with Wind
Memories of my lost time in the labyrinth flooded my mind as I walked back to the camp I made with Arthur…
Nearly three weeks ago... Shit!
Some memories didn’t seem like they were mine.
One in particular, I was walking in a constant circle that kept transporting me back to the second room, I went on and on in that same circle for days making an odd constant, ‘Uuuh’ sound.
It was hard to describe, almost like watching someone else use your body. I would say I must have been sleepwalking, but the memory was too vivid. I wondered if I was possessed by something or if it was just more magical dogshit.
I was lost for Eighteen days in that fucking labyrinth.
A memory of a voice played through my head.
“Rick... Arthur needs you...”
When the voice faded I was in one of the halls singing, “Whoa-oohh.” It was as if I were a skipping Walkman, stuck on that opening line to the chorus for days until she woke me.
That voice. It was... How?
I questioned my own memory as tears flooded my eyes and I longed to see her, hold her, or even hear her once more, “There’s no way… She’s been gone 3 years.”
The sleep deprivation during my time spent in the dungeon made the walk back feel as if I were at the ass end of running an ultra-marathon. My legs slowly carried me as if they were set on janky cruise control.
I heard something in the distance.
“I just want to lay down, Dammit.” I removed my new staff and walked faster.
I actually spent quite a bit of time messing with the Bo staff when I was young, this was just a shorter version of it.
I spun my new staff around a few times, getting use to the length and weight as I closed in on the sound.
“Aghhh Nooo oo ooo!” A woman making a guttural scream in the distance, it was a brutally excruciating sound to hear.
I could only imagine it was the sound a woman would make while watching a loved one be gutted.
She would have been in the middle of the woods about a mile from camp based on how far away the scream sounded.
I ran, hoping to make it in time to help whoever.
“No! Noooooo!” Another blood curdling screech. The second dying out as if she ran out of breath.
I arrived at the area I thought the screams came from.
There was nothing there but an old stone foundation and what looked like the bottom of an old well in the middle of the woods. I jogged over to look around some trees and get a better view.
As I crossed the far side of the foundation another shriek.
This time it was right behind me.
I ducked, spinning around and extending the staff to trip whatever it was.
I connected with nothing.
The air felt heavy with grief and death, I tried to lighten the area a bit with a bad joke, “What is this, another Blair Witch movie? Blech.”
When I first stepped into the pocket of birch and pine trees, I started to feel anguish and unending grief.
It was like I watched the fall of the family I put to rest just seconds beforehand, rather than weeks.
The sorrow grew heavy on my chest, I looked around through tears to make sure I didn’t miss anyone then continued to camp.
“Please don’t leave me here,” This time the woman’s voice was barely audible. Again, I turned around and walked back to the center of the clearing.
A figure appeared in front of me. A dark blue glow surrounded the woman.
“Uh, hey... You good?” I asked slowly walking toward her, feeling more anxiety and worry the closer I stepped.
“Hello?” She said turning her head toward me.
My shoulders were heavy with apprehension.
My chest tightened and my breath caught as I looked upon her.
Her body was tortured and contorted.
Bones broken snapped in directions they shouldn’t be.
I hurried to her and reached my hand out for a potion.
Her hair fell to the side as she reached out.
She latched onto my wrist then... Smiled at me.
A bar appeared above her head.
[Wailing Woman]
[Tormented Wraith]
“Ahhh shit!” I attempted to yank my wrist free but she didn’t budge, I cast Retaliating Wind.
“Don’t leave me. PLEASE!” The last word shrieked from her mouth sent saliva blasting into my eyes and ears like a point blank shotgun blast.
I tried to break free but felt as if I couldn’t move.
Some sort of paralyzing attack?
I fell to the ground, her cold dead hand still gripped my wrist as she screamed straight into my ears.
Blood went from a slow drip to a constant flow, my vision turned red with blood. I watched my own blood travel into her pores as she absorbed it. My brain felt like someone tried a lobotomy with a chisel and hammer through my ear holes.
She hovered above me, triumphant. Her skin and face looking much more alive than it did seconds ago.
She smiled down at me then released my wrist.
The wraith slowly bent over, saying something I couldn’t make out.
“Eh, Fuck you. You made me deaf dumbass. I can’t hear you... Ya bitch.” I muttered unable to move no matter how hard I tried.
Fuck it, I tried.
As I lay in the cold dirt bleeding out from my eyes and ears, I looked up one last time. Looking past the smiling ghost of my demise to take in the night sky.
Huh, is that another moon or a planet?
She moved even closer to my face to say something and I triggered Retaliating Wind, giggling and clearing her from view to take in what I believed to be my last sight.
It’s beautiful.
Something flashed over my near dead body.
The crazy crying ghost lady was gone.
No, there she goes.
She passed through me as she retreated from…
“Arthur. Good boy…” I said as he stood over me, claws looking as sharp as ever. “I missed you Dook.” I said, unable to keep my eyes open any longer.
“You hooker!” I jumped to my feet as I came to, immediately noticing I was in camp.
“Woof!” Arthur let out a quick quiet bark as if to tell me to shush, but his tail was wagging full force as he crossed the small blind in the blink of an eye.
I looked down and saw two children.
The first was a boy maybe Seven or Eight years old, light brown hair wearing a black hoodie with a blue arrow over the hood, the real Avatar.
The other was a girl, mid teens in plain sweats and a hoodie, both children looked dirty and exhausted.
“Hey Buddy! I’m so sorry for leaving you alone that long. I went for a walk and ended up in a different world somehow. There were a lot of ‘tests’ ya know what I mean.” His head was cocked to the side, I could tell he had questions but unfortunately we still couldn’t talk like that.
I explained what happened in a whirlwind of information, Arthur sat pretty, taking in every word with wrapped attention.
After letting out my pent up anxiety on Arthur, I decided to figure out what happened while I was gone, “Who are your friends?”
His tail stopped for a second like he forgot to introduce me. I let him know it was fine and that we should let them sleep, then I suggested we do the same.
Arthur laid down next to me keeping his face to the entrance, he made a nice little spot for me to lay down while I was gone, so of course I indulged.
“Wait, did you drag me all the way back here by yourself?” I asked, wondering just how strong my pup was now.
He was already passed out so I laid my head back on the pile of clothes Arthur fashioned into a pillow and passed out almost immediately.
The next morning I awoke with Arthur still lying in a ball keeping my feet warm.
I sat up from the ground and stretched giving him scritches behind the ear to wake him.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“Mornin’ Buck.” I greeted him and he returned the sentiment with a few licks to the hand.
The coals from the fire were still warm from the night before so it didn’t take much to get a fire going again.
I threw an extra log on once the smaller branches got going then removed the beast meat sticking it on the Rondel.
I guess this is my cooking stick now.
“I’m not too excited to try this, you?” I asked my dog who’s tail viciously wagged, “I guess that’s a yes.”
Actually, it does smell pretty good.
Flames from the small fire danced along the chunk of meat. Heat forced the fibers tight, rendering the fat to perfection, sweat began to slide down the broiled outer edge, filling my mouth with water.
With a quick change of heart, “Maybe I am excited.”
With the edges cooked to crispy perfection, I pulled the steak from the flame to let it sit.
Arthur stepped outside while I summoned a plate and set the steak down to give it a moment for the juices to relax. I shanked another steak and started cooking it for our guests.
The boy was the first to wake, “Mmm. Smells yuh—” He sat up rubbing his eyes clear to see me kneeling over the fire with a pile of meat on a dagger.
“Hey whoa, it’s okay buddy!” I said reaching out both arms, quickly retracting the hand holding the meat knife.
“Tay!” The boy yelled out, scurrying back on all fours to the girl, showing me the fastest crab walk I’d ever seen. The fear and terror were clear on his face.
It was obvious these kids had been through some real shit. I didn’t know how long they’d been with Arthur but I’d never been so proud of my dog. I don’t think anyone, anywhere, had ever been as proud of a dog as I was.
The girl jumped up pulling a small hunting knife from under her makeshift pillow. She held her arm straight at me as it shook uncontrollably.
I tried to calm them and ensure that I wasn’t a threat to the best of my ability by setting down their breakfast but keeping it by the fire so it didn’t ruin the outcome.
“Y—you better leave, now! We don’t want any trouble!” The girl said, keeping the younger boy behind her as they both backed up as far as they could into the mountainside.
“Yeah! We have a trained monster that will eat you if you come any closer.” The boy followed up.
“He really is a monster, isn’t he?” I cracked a smile, still holding my hands up in surrender.
Arthur returned at the perfect time, he nudged the girls side then crossed the small enclosure wagging his tail and licked the side of my face.
“Gah, thanks Buckaroo. Love you too.” patting Arthur on the head I bent over removing another plate then placed the steak on it
The girl spoke, “Arthur, you know him?”
“Woof!” Arthur shook his head, up and down.
“He’s my boy. He’s a good boy. Sorry to scare you guys, I found my way back last night with this guys help” I said petting Arthur. I cut our 2 breakfast steaks into 4 chunks.
Juices erupted from the cut as I slowly pulled the knife through the center. It was the most beautiful sight to an empty stomach. A vibrant rose red center covered up in a thin blanket of deep brown crust. I slid some meat to the kids.
“Go ahead and eat up, you guys look hungry.” I said before taking a bite myself.
Arthur was the first to dig in and fully enjoy the meat, “Wuhf!”
“I know right. Don’t talk with your mouth full though. Ugh, this is ridiculous. No seasoning or anything. Imagine if we add a dash of salt and pepper. Dang, priorities.” My eyes watered from the sublime outburst of flavor assaulting my taste buds.
“I’m Rick, what should I call you guys?”
“I’m Oliver, this is my big sister Taylor! You can call me Oli. You’re dog is awesome Mister,” The boy swiftly tore into his steak after introductions.
“Why would you leave your dog al—” Taylor started to berate me but was silenced by her steak mid question. Her eyes enlarged with the burst of flavor.
“Nice to meet you both. Well, we ran into uh, something very upsetting. I took a walk to blow off steam before bed... Apparently, dungeons are a thing now and I stumbled into one. I didn’t expect to be gone for almost 3 weeks.” I proceeded to explain the labyrinth before being interrupted by Taylor.
“How could you have been gone for 3 weeks?” Taylor asked.
“I had no easy way back. I—”
She cut in, “Right, but how would it be close to three weeks? The Rapture was only 4 days ago. That doesn’t make sense.”
“What do you mean it’s only been 4 days?” Confused, I looked to Arthur, “I was gone more than just the night, right?”
“Barr?” Arthur cocked his head to the side looking at me with worry then shook his head left then right.
“This is getting annoying, I was clearly gone for Eighteen days. I remember sleeping through a few nights in that first cavern where the loop was.” I paced the small enclosure, “So, to understand more clearly and make sure I’m understanding correctly, I was gone for a few hours?”
“Woof!”
I removed the razor thin feather of the Ba from my inventory, holding it up to prove to them I wasn’t crazy, and quell my own doubts.
“Whoa. That’s cool.” Oliver said, eyes locked on the bright metallic feather. “You should put that on the end of your stick!”
“Huh? That’s a good idea... Maybe when I get some tools.” I said grabbing my staff from the ground and holding the feather up to it.
Smart kid.
“So, I was gone for a few hours here but it was 18 days in fantasy land. Maybe, I was in some sort of time loop? Or perhaps it was some sort of time distortion, like time moved slow here or super fast there or both? Fuck.”
“That’s a dollar.” Oliver stated.
“Oli, stop. Not here.” His big sister scolded him.
“No he’s right, I shouldn’t talk like that in front of you guys, sorry kiddo.” I went into my wallet and tossed him a 10. “Keep the change. That should cover any other slips.”
Oliver took the bill with a big smile but I noticed his sister wasn’t able to smile at all through the exchange.
“So, how did you guys meet this here monster?” I asked running my hand through Arthur’s coat.
Oli took the wheel and ran, “There were these scary, tenn-acle monsters chasing me and my sister. When they talk, they make you do anything they want. It sounds really scary when they talk too because they have a bunch of mouths. They knocked off Tay-tays headphones and made her stop running and drop me. Then Arthur jumped in and HUH! HAH! GRRRAH! HOO WAH! He’s really cool.” He hopped around the small camp acting out the action sequence for me, making noises with every swipe and bite he made.
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Their called Choir Leeches. They take the children, to the big one. They make the adult men kill each other then they feed on whoever remains, adding to their mass, I don’t know what they do with the women but they have a lair in town where they bring them. They have small worms that follow them called Shudderlings. They can’t do the same voice control but they’re just as dangerous, they attack in swarms and burrow inside of you to take control of your body.” Taylor explained before breaking down, “They have our Mother. They—they killed…”
“That’s okay. It’s okay kid.” I reassured as Arthur moved to her side and pushed into her.
Arthur looked at me with determination in his eyes and I returned the look.
“I’ll go get your Mother.” I said resolute.
DING!
Quest!
Shit. I wasn’t expecting that.
I opened the quest to view the objective although I already had an idea of what it was.
[New Quest! “A Mothers Love” – Save Taylor and Oliver’s Mother before she is bonded to the umbilical ligature, then get her to safety.]
I had no clue what an umbilical ligature was, but it was obvious enough that they were connecting the women to some sort of contraption.
Arthur made a whine to get my attention and looked at me with worry. Apparently he got the quest as well. I shook my head no then looked at the kids sitting across from us. I didn’t want to tell them about the quest, they had enough going on to be scared of, they didn’t need some quest acting as a count down or deadline in their minds.
They don’t need that constant reminder.
I snapped out of the daze, Taylor was still responding.
“They’ll just add you to their mass, for some reason their curse speech didn’t work on Arthur but it’s too dangerous to ask anyone to go in.” Taylor said.
“Oh Arthur isn’t going, and I have an idea to deal with their little trick.” Arthur walked to me shaking his head.
“Rrruff! Ruff ruff!” He argued.
“I know I didn’t look too impressive last night, but I’ll get you if I need back up. Plus, I haven’t told you yet but I also have a cool little trick I picked up.” I said activating Retaliating Wind then touching Arthur to cover him with the wind magic.
His hair stood straight up and he barked at the wind that dare ruffle his majestic fur.
“Calm down buddy, it’s me.” I said canceling the spell which so the wind stopped fluffing him up.
“Do you have any idea whereabouts they are?” I asked.
Taylor responded. “Yeah, they’re at the super market. Most of the building was destroyed during the Rapture, but there’s a portion of the West end still sort of intact. Last I knew there were Ten Choir Leeches, a few dozen Shudderlings, Then the big one. I think they called it the Grand Cantor.”
“Okay, so big fight. Fuck it. Can’t let you kids be without your Mother. Also, when I cleared that dungeon it said something about a safe zone. I think it’s a spot where the System won’t generate any monster spawns.” I said, eyeing Oli who was about to ask for another dollar.
“Alright, I don’t think you should go. I was going to sneak in and get her tonight,” Taylor spoke with resignation.
“No way, you guys just hang out here for now. Arthur keep them safe bud, I’m going to scout. I’ll be back in a few hours.” I said, Arthur tried to protest but he knew the kids needed to be kept safe.
“You might want to clean up first. People might think you’re a monster.” Oliver said giggling into his palm.
“What do you mean?” I looked down to see my clothes absolutely covered in thick dried blood, I reached up feeling my face, “Oh, Jesus. No wonder you guys were terrified of me!” I laughed as I stood, I gave Taylor the Rondel so she had something to defend herself with.
“You shouldn’t say that.” She said in all seriousness.
“Say what?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“His name in vain... He is here now, somewhere. If we want to ascend like the others then we need to follow his law.” Taylor explained, leaving me utterly baffled and even more confused than I was before.
“Ohhh!” the light bulb went off above the slow noggin, we’ll blame that on morning brain fog, “You mean, Jesus? You actually think this is the Rapture? I thought you didn’t have a name for the event so you were just calling it that, but you’re serious?”
Oliver answered instead, “Yes, it is the Rap-chur. We saw it! A bunch of people disappeared. We even saw some fly into the sky leaving everything behind, even their clothes.”
“Now that you mention it, Me and Arthur did fight something the system dubbed a Lesser Demon, but with everything that we’ve seen, I have a hard time believing an almighty god would be in charge of this destruction and mayhem.” I hypothesized in real time adding, “Whoever is behind this...” I trailed off before getting too hot headed in front of the kids. “Just don’t believe everything you see or hear. You could be right, but keep an open mind.” I ended the discussion and walked to the stream a ways from camp.
Rapture?
Fuckin’ really?
There has to be a better explanation but I’ll leave that to the actual heroes of the story, the ones with the cool pants.
I removed my shirt and pants, placing them in the freezing cold stream then washed my face off. My beard had grown past a five o'clock shadow while I was gone.
I scrubbed all of the dried blood from my arms and face, watching as the river carried it downstream in a flash of pink.
I put on an old torn pair of pants and a ripped up flannel. I carried the soaking wet clothes back to camp, wringing the water out as I went along.
I hung the wet clothes over a small drying rack that I quickly erected, then walked into the blind one last time to say my goodbyes.
I was met with a gasp, then Oliver speaking, “Holy moly mister, you clean up good! Is that scar new?”
“Well uh, thanks bud that’s kind of you. And no, this one is from before. I think the potions repair scarring nowadays, well most of them.” I laughed, feeling the old scar on my neck, then remembered the scars that formed when I didn’t have a potion.
“How did you get it?” The boy asked.
“Oli, don’t!” His sister whispered vigorously.
“It’s okay Taylor. Ah, I got this in a car accident. But that’s all I’ll say about it. Good?” I explained without going any deeper into the worst night of my life.
Oliver’s face lit up with a big goofy smile, “Okay Mister Rick, Sorry!”
“That’s alright Oli. No need for an apology. I’ll be back in a bit. Taylor, did you take part in any sports in school, or any extracurricular activities?”
“Uhm I played Softball and Field Hockey, Why?” She asked, giving me a weird look.
“Just wondering what weapon would be most comfortable. A baseball bat or Mace would probably fit better than that little dagger or hunting knife. I’ll see what I can find while I’m out. Be right back Puck!” I slapped Arthur on the side of his butt and ran off.