《Dungeon Core Abi》Chapter 20 : Terrortation
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Not being one to go against orders, Noir dissapeared into the shadows and left the dungeon with his partner as requested by their master. After being out for a short period of time, however, his frustrations started getting the better of him.
"Why!?" He shouts towards the overgrown pig, launching his spear at the same time. The powerful projectile rips through the air taking the Elder Boar with it upon impact and pins it to one of the large oak trees.
Finding itself stuck and bleeding profusely, the Boar knows there is no escape from the terrible demon that has injured it.
The forest dweller, once known to others of its kind as the Dominator, could no longer hold its title anymore. Although it had been pinned to the tree, for some reason the sight it saw seemed to be falling to the ground and the demon that it had encountered was shouting something that it couldn't quite understand.
"I'm already the strongest! I should be like... Master's bodyguard or something?" Noir continues on as he watches the severed head of the Boar hit the floor of the forest before the blood even has a chance to begin gushing.
Stepping out from a different shadow, Carrie's swings her blade for the second time this evening and removes the dark substance that's coating it.
"Don't be so childish. 'We' may be the strongest of Master's children, but we can also gain even more power." Carrie's icy words are like a dagger to Noir's own, for his want to return to the dungeon.
"We have already gained a good few levels from these Boars so we should head home, something is not right," he argues.
"You have been saying that since we left. Do you wish to please the master?" She leads her partner and he responds as predicted, "Yes! Of course!" Noir bellows.
"Do you wish to make the Master proud?" Carrie continues, knowing she has already won this psychological battle.
"YES!" he bellows fiercely, determination welling up within him.
"Then we must do what the Master has tasked us to. We must become even stronger and raise our levels even higher," she now has Noir in the palm of her hand as his eyes are ablaze with passion and give off a fierce determination.
"First we will rid the forest of these swine, then we'll return home to drop off our spoils and we can also inform the master of our progress." With Carrie's convincing words lighting Noir's way, he attempts to remove his spear from the headless Boar but takes a significant chunk of the tree with it. Unfazed by the event, he stores both the body of the beast and his own weapon alike before removing the once more pristine spear.
"Okay. You promise we'll go back after we kill the pigs?" Asking for clarification once more, Carrie rolls her eyes before answering.
"See what I mean. Just like a child you always need constant assurance. Yes we will return after killing the Boars." Confirming the order of events, both Noir and Carrie fade to darkness in the shadows beneath them. Off to rid the forest of one the many monster variants that inhabit it.
-Noir and Carrie, monster killers
Terrortation is a mixture between the feeling of terror that I had experienced during my first session of meditation and the name of the activity performed in the process.
Terrortation is not a real word.
We've already had this conversation, remember?
If I said it, then it's a word and the thought of it still scares the shit out of me. What if I can't wake up or worse, what if I'm forced to watch something I don't want to see?
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Scary thoughts aside, I'm still going to attempt it. Jealousy can make you do crazy things.
Ok, Me. If I don't wake up and any problems arise that needs my attention, you're in charge. Got it?
I will not let you down, Abi.
Please don't kill the apprentice either.
I will not, or I will at least try my best, right?
I know you meant that as a joke but it still seemed a little sketchy after how many times you mentioned it earlier.
I will make sure no harm comes to her for you, I swear.
That one's better, thank you, Me.
With that settled, I disperse Manifestation mode and begin closing my overview screens until only one remains. After watching Barry pound away at his entrance for a moment, making the hole in me wider, I shut the last screen. I am encased in the same familiar darkness as when I first became a Dungeon Core. My evergreen damaged crystal is the only light in the darkness of my mind and I try and relax while basking in its comfort.
With everything going on this is one of those 'easier said than done' tasks. Eventually, colours and shapes start to form, dancing around in the cloud of my mind and a scene begins playing out before me. It's not the one I remember last which is great news to me but it is a far cry from what I had actually wanted to see as the content is even worse this time.
Half naked, as my outfit is torn straight down the middle, I am sprinting down the linear corridor of the dungeon that the Goblins called home. When I say 'I' I actually mean my former human self and it would somehow seem as though I am chained to her as I cannot pull away or stop following her no matter how much I try. Not that I would want to stop, I can only imagine that Kal is somewhere behind, following at a slower pace but relentlessly hunting us regardless of the differences in speed.
Constantly sprinting whilst clutching myself to avoid extra pain, there isn't a branching path in sight. I watch myself as I trudge on down the long empty corridors, wailing to myself as I go at the loss of my best friend. Why do I feel so uncaring whilst staring at myself like this? I don't even remember this happening but there's no doubt that it did, especially now that it's playing out in front of me and I'm watching myself relive it. I doubt my mind would be able to make something like this up on its own.
I come across two Goblins and have to let go of my chest, revealing myself to them so that I'm able to grab the daggers from the loose hanging sheaths behind me. This makes them go crazy and they're momentarily stunned looking back and forth between either in a contest of who gets to mount the mounds first. Showing my bountiful chest to the monsters that are about to die doesn't phase me or myself in the slightest as in a few seconds, with the way they're gawking, they won't know anything anymore.
With my prediction being bang on the mark, I watch as I dash between the Goblins slicing two throats in one fluent movement. They're not the most capable enemy, especially when distracted, but I made sure to exterminate them with extreme prejudice and looked kick ass in the process.
Horrible Goblins, go me.
Placing both daggers back in their less than sturdy holders, I grab hold of my myself once more continuing on forward, opposite the messy scene that is left behind us and that only took a few seconds to create. More singular tunnels constantly heading forward and never branching off are doing the old me no favours in this situation. Even a split tunnel would give us a 50/50 chance of escaping the lunatic calling out from down the tunnel behind.
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My old heart must be pounding right now and if it was attached to my current crystal I would be fearful of the beating organ damaging it further.
She carries us through an empty room and down more of the same tunnels once again. It dawns on me a little that this is what my second and fourth floor would be like to anyone that would invade me.
It's actually easy to progress through.
Although that was never my intention when I was creating it and it's not as if I'm going to be welcoming anyone around for afternoon tea in my Core room either, so I suppose it doesn't really matter.
Not to mention my halls are empty but my Boss Rooms are littered with Arachnids of different varieties.
Anyone entering me down there will find themselves in a sticky situation...
...
Oh yeah, Me's not here.
He would definitely have had something to say about that one.
A single Goblin makes its way down the dark tunnel it has been wandering along when suddenly it no longer knows anything. The dagger lodged directly down into its brain had ended its life before it even knew about the gorgeous Rogue approaching from behind under the cover of darkness.
As I contemplate the internal layout and structure of floors below the Rogues' Village in my own dungeon, myself is also leading us further through the one she is, and I have previously failed at, trying to escape from. Eventually, the end of one tunnel signifies the step up in the pace of the location we are moving through.
A tall stone door is set in the wall and myself is pulling us down towards it even faster now that she believes she may have found a way out.
How naive I was.
My lack of experience with dungeons was the only fault I could have been said to possess as an adventurer. In our three years together we completed a great number of contracts but had only ever entered two dungeons in our whole career. We had never even passed the first floor in either one as we were just a protection detail, added on to ensure the safety of the scholars who were carrying out their research.
With my new and improved dungeon knowledge, I know damn well that behind this tunnel blocker, there is either going to be a mini-boss, or the floor boss, as large ass doors are a great way to begin the start of a challenge. Veris's door has pictures of herself on it for crying out loud, if that isn't a declaration then I don't know what is.
On the front of the door is a carving of a large Goblin Mage who appears to have a Fireball floating above its hand.
Ugly piece of work.
My good-looking self stares for a moment at the large Goblin featured before her on the stone door. Watching her stare, I wonder why she isn't moving as Kal shouldn't be too far behind. It's not as though he's going to get lost on our trail, is it?
I then realise, as my friend Mr Foolish once more slaps me back into understanding, that the large monster on the door is a damn sight bigger than the ones she has just killed and looks more intimidating than your usual Gob does.
"Oh Abi, where are you?" Kal's words echo down the far-reaching tunnels prompting my dilly-dallying self to push us both through the rather heavy looking door and into the room she believes has a rather large Goblin laying in wait for her.
Closing the door swiftly, and with a good strong push, I quickly scan the area as does myself and what she sees is not what she was expecting.
The Goblin Mage is a tad bigger than the others we have seen so far and looks exactly the same as the mages we've seen outside the dungeon whilst on previous contracts.
Watching her relax as best she can with the vile enemy of mankind across the room giving off its disgusting presence, a simple arm movement is all that can be seen before the Mage follows in the same footsteps as the other monsters in the halls.
"Abi?" The voice of death and despairs calls from behind and a thud from in front even startles me as the Goblin's body hits the ground. With another door at the end of the room, instead of a stairwell, it's clear to me that our next destination is the Core Room itself.
Entering to keep away from the monster behind, I can see a bright blue core shining brightly as the door is opened and I am pulled in behind myself by the invisible tether and she closes the door after us.
Whilst my beautiful self searches around for another exit, as this is the first time she's ever been in a Core Room, the results are obviously disappointing and I'm left wondering why I still don't remember this. This is definitely the last room in the dungeon and myself has run us into a dead-end yet I can't recall any of this happening.
I still don't remember anything about my death.
I take a long look at the beautiful crystal before me as my other self begins to breakdown. It's no bigger than a fist and shines like a frozen sun. The door across the room from us begins to creak. A hand grips the side of the door and it is forced open as Kal slowly reveals the horrible grin that I did not want to see in this session.
"Hehehe, where you gonna go now Abs?" his sinister laugh and disgusting smile serve to crush what remains of my former self's spirit but suddenly I am no longer attached to the old version of myself by the tether from before, instead I have been absorbed somehow making me whole. I remember the rest of this nightmare, now that I am back in my body, yet I still can't see any solution now just as I didn't back then.
At that moment I did the only thing I could, I removed my daggers and smashed the Dungeon Core, knowing full well that if I didn't then Kal definitely would. I couldn't let him have that power for himself, not after what he did to Anya so I took it for myself. Consequences be damned.
A strength like none I had ever felt before suddenly rushed into my human body, however, at the same time so did the blade of the person I once called my friend. Pinning me to the wall, he is furious over the power I have just taken for myself and he squeezes me harshly thinking it's over now that I have been rendered incapable of movement by his weapon. In his rage or lust, he seems to have lost his primary senses as I still have both daggers in my hands still and not letting an opportunity pass me by I lodge each one in a different eye now that we are both close range. Unfortunately for me, the distance was too far for an insta kill strike and he removes both blades whilst screaming unable to see anything.
Pinned to the dungeon wall by a ridiculously large sword I stare down at the body that I once used to own. My gorgeous green hair is still in curls but is stained red at the tips. My body has multiple bruises and cuts, along with the ripped clothes, from when I managed to escape his grasp the first time. Other than the shameful state of my garments and the minor injuries I'm actually fine, except for the sword that is lodged in me. I know the moment I try and release it, or when gravity does the job for me, that will spell the end of my life as a human. Kal is crawling around on the floor and has no chance of escaping the dungeon either now that he's blind, he will probably bleed to death at the same time I do. He might even die before I do.
Not that it's a competition.
"Abi?" He weakly calls from the corner of the room where he ended up.
I don't want to answer him but I do it anyway. I even know what he is going to say as this is the second time I have lived through this moment. Feeling the emotions building up inside me though, I don't reply the same way I did back then. The first time, I had asked him what he wanted, even after everything he had done I still felt something toward my ex comrade and felt for him.
This time however I give him the answer that comes recommended from the Rogues' Handbook itself, I pull myself off the side of the sword and I tell Kal, "Go fuck yourself, dickhead!"
With that, my terrortation session finally comes to an end and I'm immediately assaulted by a panicking Me.
Abi, a group of knights have just started to make camp outside your dungeon and the Categoriser is with them!
What?
You have been meditating for 12 hours.
Well isn't that just a barrel of crap I've landed myself in?
I finally get my memories back, not that they're of any use to me, to be put straight into the situation which may cause me to lose the new ones that I've only just made.
Terrortation really does suck!
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