We picked our way through what must have been a huge cavern. Though my steps didn't echo, I could almost feel a vast space all around me. I strained my ears for the any hint of a monster and heard nothing. The silence was deafening. We had been walking for a long while--maybe an hour--and had come across absolutely nothing. Even the floor didn’t change, remaining a monotonous smooth gray.

“How can we still be in the same cave? Are we walking in circles? This is crazy!” I complained.

No response from my usually chipper companion.

After another hour of trudging through the darkness with only my sword’s light to illuminate a small twenty foot circle around me, I decided I needed a rest. With a sigh, I carefully lay my weapon on the ground to free up my hands to grab food from the Bag of Holding.

Light vanished.

For the first time since I had arrived in this other dungeon, I heard noises. Flutters of wings. Chitters and hisses. I felt the wind of a creature flying by me, and something rough like tree bark slid across my cheek.

Panicking, I scrabbled around frantically until I found Veritas and lifted her up while yelling, “Light!”

A pure golden glow burst forth from the blade in my hand, lighting up a circle twenty feet around me. I spun to the left and then the right, my eyes darting everywhere.

Nothing.

“Why did your light go out?” I shouted.

You put me down.

My head swivelled around and around, but even so my thoughts were plodding along.

“You mean you can’t do anything when I’m not touching you?”

That’s correct, Paol. It’s not merely my speech that disappears when you no longer have contact with me. Everything I do stops.

“Okay, okay! Well, do you have any idea where all the monsters went?” I asked in a rush. My eyes were darting everywhere, but I couldn’t see anything. I couldn’t hear anything either. The space around us was just as silent and empty as it had been before I put down the sword.

I do not. Do you mean that you saw some monsters after you released me?

“Yes! Didn’t you sense them or see them or whatever it is that you do?” I asked exasperatedly.

No, Paol. I am a piece of metal. I have no eyes or nose or ears.

“What? That’s crazy! I know you can see everything I do because we talk about it!”

Actually, you’re right that I can see everything that you see, because it is your senses that I use. When you are wielding me, I see what you see and hear what you hear and smell what you smell. It is only through you that I can sense the world with human senses. I may be a powerful artifact, but I am still a piece of metal.

“But you sense mana,” I accused.

Indeed I do. That is a part of my nature since I am both magical and sentient. But sight? Smell? Sound? Taste? Those I can only do through proxy.

Her voice in my head held an odd, wistful twist to it.

I still didn’t see anything around me, and my adrenaline had subsided. Hands shaking, I breathed deeply and asked, “Do you want to be able to do those things? See...hear...smell...taste...or even touch?”

She was silent for a while before replying.

I would like to do those things, yes. Please do not ask me more.

I sensed pain, so different from her usual cheerfulness. For some reason, I felt ashamed, though I also felt a little silly to be worrying about a sword’s feelings. How did a sword even have feelings?

“Well, okay, I guess you didn’t see any of what happened after I put you down. Actually, I didn’t see it either because it was completely black.”

Just describe for me whatever you can.

“As soon as your light went out, I heard noises all around me,” I explained. “Sounds like animals squeaking or making other high-pitched noises. And I heard the flapping of wings. Slight breezes against my face, and then I felt something large and flat--a wing maybe--rub for an instant against my cheek. It felt rough, so I don’t think it was a bird.”

“That’s when I dropped down to grab you and have you light up the place, but now it’s exactly like it was before--no sounds, nothing to see, just darkness. It makes no sense.”

That’s...disturbing.

She was silent as I turned this way and that, alert for anything that might attack me.

Paol, I would like to do an experiment.

“An experiment? What experiment?”

I would like to darken my light for a moment. Will you let me do that?

“Why do you want to do that?”

Just a suspicion. Don’t worry, I’ll turn it back on quickly.

I was panting in and out quickly, and I felt a little light-headed. Fear twisted my stomach. I didn’t want everything to be in the dark again. I wanted to be able to see.

“I’m afraid,” I whispered hoarsely.

The communication came to me, somber yet sympathetic. Concerned and determined but also comforting.

Trust me, Paol. This is necessary.

I took a deep breath.

“Okay, go ahead.”

Her light winked off.

The sound of wings beat over my head, and once again eerie chitters and squeals assaulted my ears. The rush of wind blew against my face, tossing my hair to the side. Suddenly, there was excruciating pain.

Shadow Bat attacks you for 21 damage.

“Light! Light! Turn on! Turn on!” I screamed.

Veritas lit up, and silence descended, instant and overwhelming. The only sounds now were my gasps of pain. I bled from the shoulder, droplets of red spilling down to the ground. My attacker had sliced through my leather armor like paper.

You are bleeding. 5 damage/minute for 5 minutes.

I saw my health dropping in my vision. Groaning, I fumbled with the Bag of Holding, awkwardly trying to reach in with one hand while maintaining my hold on the sword with the other.

“What was that?” I gasped.

Grab a healing potion and drink it. I’m sure there will be some in the bag.

I had been planning to ask the bag for bandages, but the potion sounded like a much better idea. I didn’t know how I would have used bandages without putting Veritas down, which would have turned off her light.

I pulled a small bottle of an oddly viscous red liquid from the bag. The cork popped off with the flick of my thumb, and I greedly drank it down. The taste was salty and sweet at the same time. My status showed my health stabilizing and then increasing. The flow of blood down my arm slowed.

Paol, look around you. Look for blood.

“Yes! Of course I see it! It’s dripping down my arm!”

Do you see it anywhere else around you? The Shadow Bat struck you with great force, causing a large tear in your shoulder.

“Yes, I know. You don’t have to tell me.”

The wound still throbbed with pain. Why was she stating the obvious? Nevertheless, I obediently ran my eyes over the ground in all directions. Except for the blood at my feet, I saw no other signs of scarlet anywhere.

The creature struck you hard, giving you a wound that bled deeply. Such a hit should have sprayed blood all around you, but there is nothing. Nothing at all.

She sounded grim.

The pain had subsided enough that I was able to speak calmly, though my eyes were still darting this way and that, looking for the damned creature that had attacked me.

“Yes, I know. It makes no sense. What’s happening?”

I think I know what’s going on, and this isn’t going to be easy. The monster that attacked you is a Shadow Bat. Probably level 15 or higher.

“Great. Glad to hear it.”

Shadow Bats only exist in the Realm of Shadow.

“What’s that?”

The Realm of Shadow is a dimension that overlays our own. It is accessible if you have the means, but very few do. A wizard using a spell that opens doors to other dimensions could do it. Some thieves or assassins might be able to Shadow Step through it for short periods of time, but most people never encounter it or even realize that it exists.

“So that’s where we are? This Realm of Shadow?”

I believe so, and that’s a very big problem. For one thing, as you have seen, the creatures here are powerful. The Shadow Bat is among the least of them, and it took away over a quarter of your life with one hit.

Hit Points: 77/80

At least I was almost back to full health. That potion was amazing. I hoped there were a lot more in the bag.

And I think I understand why we haven’t been getting anywhere. In the Realm of Shadow, light is anathema. The light that I give is of eldritch origin, so it is able to manifest in the realm. Unfortunately, that means that when I am giving off light, it...disconnects us from the realm. We are temporarily frozen in the realm, in a kind of stasis, and no movement that we make will take us anywhere because we are no longer completely in the realm. However, we are not in our world either, so we are in a state of limbo. That is why we haven’t been getting anywhere. With all your walking, we have not moved one inch from where we began. We might not even be in a large room or chamber. The problem is simply that we can’t affect or be affected by anything until we release my light.

“So...we’re completely safe as long as we have your light, but as long as we have your light we can’t leave.”

That is correct.

I thought about that.

“Then the only way to get out is if I can make it blindly through this room while dodging a monster that can kill me in four hits.”

Well. Shadow Bats usually cluster together in colonies. It is very likely that there are many bats in the room.

Knowing now that another attack was not imminent, I closed my eyes in weariness.

“How am I supposed to do this, Veritas? How do I get out of this?” I asked plaintively.

A pause.

I’m sorry, Paol. I don’t know.