Chapter 14 - Unleashed

“We’ve been waiting for you, Tal Cael.” they hissed in unity.

Tal froze, staring at the collection of Null clustered around his escape portal.

Each hooded figure remained where they were, yet they dipped up and down slightly with some unknown rhythm. The cowls of their cloaks obscured their faces, but Tal was sure they were gazing toward him with an unmatched intensity as they awaited his response.

Tal didn’t grace the creatures with a reply. Instead, he glanced at his expulsion timer. “10 minutes remaining”, it read. ‘Well, I don’t have long, but maybe this tower will be kind enough to deposit me somewhere without needing a portal…’ he turned, peeping back up the tunnel.

Before his eyes, a thick, grey mist poured out from the walls, slowly materialising into the dark, threadbare cloaks of the Null. But it didn’t stop there. Tal could see their shadowy forms coalescing up the entire length of the tunnel too. Each Null spread into a formation covering the tunnel’s full width without a word. Then, they settled back to their inhuman stillness. But, of course, he had been sorely mistaken to expect an accessible retreat.

Tal shifted in his footsteps, feeling the reassuring weight of his sheathed sword bear against his side. Despite its uncommon lack of input, he knew he wasn’t alone. At least, he hoped he wasn’t.

Tal whirled back toward the portal, emboldened by the presence of his weapon, and addressed the Null there. “What the hell do you want with me?” he spoke, trying to keep the quiver from his voice. “Go find someone else to bother! I want none of whatever this is”. His lone voice broke the silence as it reverberated back and forth against the dark tunnel. He wasn’t exactly sure if they were hostile or not - they definitely weren’t posturing as friendly.

“You!” they hissed. Then, another undertone, “We want you….”

“I d-” Tal started, only to be interrupted by the increasing volume of the figures.

“You, who bear the essence of our kin, now awakened beneath your lowly human flesh. Enough of it to house our whole collective! We’ve given you the highest of bequeathable gifts. And now, you will pay your part, whether you like it or not.”

Tal’s fingers began to shake, but that didn’t stop him from edging his sword from its sheath.

“There’s no need for violence, human. This will go just as easy as you make it. All we require is your mortal vessel to carry our being outside the realm of this Tower. We’ve already given you our gifts. Those will allow your body to house the full extent of us. And in return for your service, we may even let you keep our gifts.”

‘Shit. I should have known it was all too good to be true.’ Tal shivered, imaging the awakened blood flowing throughout his veins. Blood that, by all rights, shouldn’t be his.

His sword chose that moment to speak up. Or rather, it spoke directly into Tal’s mind for the first time. ‘They must be talking about another soul binding…Be careful, my new friend. I’ve heard whisperings of these creatures. You should take this very, very seriously.’

Something in those words triggered a flashback to the start of this mess. Comments from the same deity that had stolen him from his homeworld and thrust him into this Tower rang in his ears, “choose very, very, wisely”. His face appeared in Tal’s vision, staring down at him with a knowing look.

But Tal had already made his choices. He wasn’t about to be roped into some other deal. He was sick of being forced into decisions out of his control. He looked toward his timer again, noticing mere minutes remaining.

When it became evident that no answer was forthcoming, the Null hissed again, “The timer ticks, human. Did you think we would not notice that little detail?” they let out a short cackle, “What will it be then?” The Null behind him began to advance, slowly sandwiching him further into the tunnel.

Tal brought his sword forth and began moving toward the creatures blocking his one escape. The portal. He sure as hell wasn’t going the other way, back up the tunnel, into the miniature army now assembled there. “Like I would casually bind a part of myself to a creature who is all veiled threats and plotting. Please, there’s not an ounce of morality in the entirety of you. I’m betting you’d sooner kill me than let me go with your gift.” he replied.

“Morals are a mortal concept, human. And if you think you have the power to resist us, then you are sorely mistaken.” The Null at the base of the portal began to make their move, deciding Tal had gotten close enough. Their forms broke down, swirling into a thick, grey cloud. Then, the cloud rushed toward Tal faster than lightning.

Tal was too slow to dodge. Once again held back by his low-end attributes. Finally, the cloud collided with him at full force, knocking him to the harsh dirt floor. Tal tried to get back to his feet, but the cloud surrounded him, pinning him to the floor. He could feel the mist of the clouds invading his body. Snaking its way in through his nostrils, ears, and other orifices best left unmentioned.

But there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t move. Suddenly, Tal remembered his one ability - but it was all too late. His eyes rolled back, and his limbs spasmed outward. And horrifyingly, he felt his body begin to move against his will.

Tals heart spiked in alarm. His mind ran 100 miles an hour trying to figure out what to do. He couldn’t move anything but… ‘Yes!’ he mentally exclaimed, realising he could still access his status.

‘If only I had some spare attribute points…placing them in wisdom or intelligence might have helped. But shit, even with this status, I don’t know if there’s anything I can do.’ The timer still blinked down in the corner of his vision, only a single minute left remaining. ‘I’m screwed. I’m so royally screwed.’

His body jerked itself upright, making jagged, uncoordinated movements, but Tal couldn’t move an inch, frozen as he was in his own body. He turned, uncontrollably, to the arm of Null that had been pressuring him down the tunnel. They had never stopped advancing, and now they moved to surround Tal.

Dread filled Tals gut as they spoke. “Do you agree, now, to perform a ritual of soul binding?”

Tal’s lips moved against his bidding. “I d-”

‘NO!’, he screamed mentally, bringing his full two points of determination to bear and stopping the compulsion of the Null. But it wasn’t enough. Tal could feel the creature’s control over him strengthening steadily.

Then, another presence filled his mind, one that was flitting but starkly compassionate in comparison to the invasive, careless feel of the Null. The presence filled his mind with warmth, and he couldn’t help feeling extremely grateful. “I’ll do what I can, my friend. You’re definitely gonna owe me a nice whetstone afterwards, though!”

Together, the two battled against the influence of the Null. Tal pushed as hard as he could, willing his lips to remain still.

It was too much for the pair to force the presence of the Null from his body. He wouldn’t even know where to start with something like that. But exercising force over the muscles that his brain already knew how to control to stop himself from saying “I do” was something the two could manage.

Their silent battle raged on unabated for what felt like an eternity. Then Tal felt, more than saw, the remaining Null disperse into a grey mist and flood into him like water from a broken dam. His lips began to tremble, slowly shaping themselves into an angry snarl.

Tal would have given up then and there if enduring had been his sole focus. Instead, the timer once again appeared before him. 10 seconds remaining.

“I…” the Null forced him to speak, but Tal interrupted them with an ear-piercing scream.

Tal could feel his energy and his sword’s mental presence beginning to falter. Finally, he sagged, too exhausted to continue.

Tower Of Judgement

Banishment commencing…

Prepare for forceful ejection! You are being expelled from the tower and placed outside through the closest portal available to you.

Error. The host contains a living entity. Attempting to remove…

-3 to Constitution due to Forceful Ejection.

Temporary Nauseous Debuff added due to Forceful Ejection.

The world flashed multicoloured. Tal’s vision whirled. A belated sound met his ears as the world reeled around him.

“I DO!”

The world turned upside down. Inside out. Strange colours flashed in and out of existence. Strange objects whirled by. Then, abruptly, his vision slammed to a stop. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a second to recover from his ordeal. ‘I…I made it!’ he thought, disbelief colouring his thoughts.

Tal laughed; he had really done it. He was free. Finally, pushing himself so hard. He had made it out in one piece. Not only that, but he was better than ever!

Then, the sound of his sword filled his ears “Ah, Tal…I can feel…something up in here with me - And it’s not your brain. You might want to check your notifications?” it spoke uncertainly.

Soul Binding

Error: Binding interrupted…Binding aborted

Error: cannot abort without harm to host and secondary party.

Contingency measures were applied by The Tower Of Judgement.

Success!

You have formed a Soul Binding with a hivemind known to you as The Null. Usually, one would mutually exchange a small portion of their soul. But, instead, you have joined your souls down the middle, connecting them through the magical equivalent of a resistor.

The consequences of your actions may only be known in time!

His heart dropped. ‘But…I thought. No! How? That’s just…not fair.’ How had that all happened? But most importantly, what did this mean for the future going forward? He prepared for the mental battle he had been engrossed in moments before, but nothing happened.

Tal told his sword the details of the prompt. Then followed up, “So…Is it gone or just…lurking within me and waiting for its moment to strike.”

“I wish I could tell you, my friend, but I’ve never even heard of anything like this happening. I can tell you, though, that something is undoubtedly foreign in your soul space with me.”

“Soulspace?” Tal was about to ask before he was interrupted by an agitated voice. “Name, race and homeworld, please.”

Tal sprung upward. ‘Holy shit, that scared me.’ he thought. Tal closed out of his prompts, finally taking in the environment before him.

At his back stood the portal he had presumably exited from. The portal was propped up close against a glittery-black and purple wall, so the only entry or exit was head-on.

Immediately out from the portal was a vast expanse of open ground. Gravel pathways ran rampant around the portal’s vicinity leading off in many directions.

Most importantly, the wall curved inward, maintaining a certain yet large radius away from the portal. Perched on top of the wall was an even more extensive collection of wicked-looking defensive gear. The inside of the wall featured a multitude of slits and barricades.

Tal gulped, looking around at the myriad of ranged weapons aimed at him through the gaps in the wall. Bored-looking soldiers and military men gazed back at him, instantly discounting him as a threat.

The person in front of Tal cleared his throat excessively loudly. He repeated himself from behind a grim face and a thick pair of glasses. “I said…what is your name, race and homeworld?” He pointed at Tal, with pen in hand, then pointed back down at the giant ledger in his hand.

Tal needed no further prompting and quickly gave his details to the exasperated man who noted them down. He gruffly pointed to a few gravel pathways leading through or around the fortifications in response. He briskly told him what lay in each direction, then, without a further word, began walking away behind the safety of the defences. Leaving Tal to figure out for himself where he should be going.

“Well, this is going to be fun! We’re finally off on an old-school adventure. Maybe we will even find a dragon!” his sword chimed in.

Tal cringed internally. ‘I swear to god. I hope not.’