Journey (Working Title)

Chapter 1

The sound of rustling leaves as he pushed them out of his path, the sound of the wind brushing past him while he ran. There was nothing more that he loved as he ran through the woods. Even though he was being chased, he couldn’t help but love these sounds around him. The adoration almost masked the fear that he felt as he ran from them. They were chasing him for a reason unknown to him. All he knew was that he needed to get away. He could feel the pounding of their feet trailing behind his. Scared of getting caught he turned left into the thicket, hoping to hide from his pursuers but as he ran through the thick bushes he heard a faint creak under his feet just before the ground below him snapped and he fell.

He only fell for a short time before he hit water. The taste of decay in his mouth made him gag, the smell overbearing. He could feel the viscosity of the water as he paddled to keep afloat. Something was different about where he was. He could no longer see the hole from which he fell through the struggle to stay above water.

Through the splashing he noticed a platform nearby and made his way to it, glad that he could get out of this horrid water, when he felt something brush below him. It was something big. Frightened he swam faster, nearly grabbing the ledge before whatever it was grabbed his leg and pulled him into the dark, murky water. It burned his nostrils and he couldn’t breathe. While he was kicking, he felt the slightly soft body of whatever it was jolt at a blow and it let him go. Finally he was able to break the surface to get some air, immediately grabbing the platform above him. He pulled himself up, coughing and gasping for breath. The water soon became still. After barely catching his breath he heard the water rustle below. Scared to even look at the water, he backed up to the wall nearby. After some time had passed without incident he stood up and looked over the edge. Just below the surface he saw a pair of large, black eyes looking back at him swiftly disappear deeper into the water. Frightened, he looked for something to defend himself with, only to find that there was nothing to use. He quickly looked around, seeing a tunnel along the wall he was clutching. Slowly he made his way to the tunnel testing each step to make sure it wouldn’t break under his weight. Slowly making his way across the decrepit walkway, he urged himself to keep calm but when he heard the unsettling noise of the wood cracking under a large weight he couldn’t help but look behind him.

A large three pronged hand had reached out of the murky water breaking the wooden slats that he found to be his only safety from this bizarre experience. The sound of his own heartbeat was the only thing he could hear as it pulled it’s large, grotesque figure from the water. A grey, almost decayed figure pulled itself onto the platform. It’s face smushed and fat, with those same black, soulless eyes staring hungrily at him. A shiver went down his spine. It’s large figure was almost completely on the platform as he was paralyzed from fear, scared to even breathe. As it pushed its body further towards him he could make out more of its terrible features. It’s small, head sitting atop a large fat body, with hooved feet. Clicking and clacking along the wooden floor which was creaking with each step it took. It seemed that it hadn’t walked in a while as it was moving very slowly and unsteadily. It’s stench wafted across the room, snapping him into the present. After regaining his senses he realized that it was too large for the passage. Stumbling to get up he moved quickly to get to safety. Pushing his body to make it through the already rickety passageway. He stumbled almost falling to the floor where he saw the glimmer of metal. When he picked it up he saw that it was a sword. Armed now with a weapon he turned to see if it had moved closer. Only to find that it was right behind him snarling and huffing. His heart dropped as he tried plunging the sword into it, only to find that its skin was quite tough. Barely getting the sword into its tough hide before it let out a howl of pain and twisted its body breaking the tip of the sword and slamming him into the wall and hurdling him into the passageway only feet behind him. It lunged at him and he could feel it’s hand brush up against his cold, wet leg as it tried reaching where it knew that it couldn’t go. Relieved that he was out of harm's way he inched back eager to put some distance between it and him. It’s blood curdling howls would send shivers down the bravest man’s spine.

He kept sliding back, keeping his eyes on the thing that should only exist in fairy tales or fiction only to hit his back on something. Turning around he saw that there were rusted metal bars just wide enough to squeeze through. As he pushed through the bars the sounds of howling stopped and he could hear the creaking getting more and more distant until a final splash confirmed that it had in fact decided to give up on him as a meal. After getting through the bars he laid back against the grimy wall hoping to catch his breath. Clutching his chest he wondered where he was. This was not Earth. How could it be, there was nothing like that anywhere he’s heard of. The unmistakable feeling of dread hit him as he curled up against the wall. Hoping to find a way to return to his old life. He made his way down the tunnel hoping that he would be able to get away from the creature that nearly killed him. His body battered and sore, he pushed on getting farther into the darkness, once he felt that he was far enough away from the creature he sat against the wall and passed out.

He shuddered awake, still soaking wet and his face covered in grime. He looked around wondering where he was, still hoping that this was just a dream. He only had the option to push forward, he definitely wasn’t going back.

As he walked through the tunnel every drip and scuttle of a small animal caused him to tense up. He still had the broken sword in hand. Hoping that it would be better than nothing. The weight of it increased with every step. He walked for hours in just one direction getting darker and darker. Thankfully his clothes had dried, though the stench of his clothes got worse the more he pushed on. He could barely stand the smell. Dragging his body forward determined to get out of there.

Before he realized it was completely black. The sounds of dripping water echoing around him were starting to make him crazy so he started dragging the broken tip of the blade against the wall next to him. The sound of the scraping was oddly therapeutic, giving him something to listen to other than the sounds of the dark, dank tunnels. He soon realized that there was a maze of tunnels. He didn’t want to get even more lost so he kept on straight. Passing tunnel after tunnel winding away in darkness. Fighting the fear trying to sneak it’s way into his consciousness. He didn’t know how long he had been walking for. When he noticed a glow up ahead, the soft glow of a fire. Excited he started jogging toward the lights, a swift jog was all he could muster. Tired from hours of walking, hands blistered from trying to keep his hands on the sword afraid of encountering something. When he got to the source of the light he noticed that it originated from a tunnel that branches off from the one he was journeying. Scared to lose his only source of direction he decided to take off his shirt and hung it on the wall. Only slightly chilly he ventured down the path in pursuit of the light. Secretly hoping for someone that could help him. The path twisted and turned as he walked it. Getting brighter as he got closer to the source of the light. He came around a bend that seemed where the light was coming from. He readied himself and peeked around the corner sword at the ready.

When he turned the corner there was no fire, but the walls were covered in large fluorescent mushrooms growing from the walls and the floor. They were too bright for his eyes which had adjusted to the pitch, black darkness that he had been wandering through for hours. The more his eyes adjusted he noticed they wound down the hallway. He followed the path deeper into the tunnel following the lights. He was relieved that there was at least light for him to see again. The wonder barely overshadowed his feeling of anger for he was still alone and lost. He worried that he may never find his way out, but as he continued down the path he found the sight to be quite amazing. The deeper he followed the mushrooms the more brilliant the colors became. They were all sorts of colors from reds and greens to blues and golds. The colors fused together to make an amazing assortment of the colors of the rainbow. He wandered in awe barely aware that the ground had a slight incline that was leading him up. The path turned to stairs and he climbed them, still admiring the soft glow. As he climbed higher, he noticed that the structure started to look more dilapidated than stone looked. He saw the end to the stairs. Excited he rapidly climbed the final steps only to find that the path ahead was caved in. His heart dropped and the doubt and fear that he was holding back rushed forward and consumed him. He clutched his chest as he started hyperventilating, stumbling to the wall for support. As he leaned into the wall it crumbled under his weight, falling into the new opening he sighed in relief shoving the dark thoughts to the back of his head. He got up and shook the dust off himself. The pathway was dark, the mushrooms didn’t swarm this path. He went back into the hall and grabbed one of the mushrooms and plucked it. To his relief it didn’t stop glowing when he plucked it. The sap coming from the mushroom was just as bright as the mushroom itself. He smeared the sap onto his sword enabling it to glow and he headed down the path hoping to find an exit.

This pathway was different from the tunnels. They had drawings lining the walls, depicting a story that he couldn’t decipher as they were faded and old. Down the path he saw a door, wooden but it seemed new. New was good he thought to himself, reaching out to open it. Before his hand could touch the door it sparked and repelled his hand back with a hum.

Aggravated that he just kept getting problems, he swung his sword in the direction of the door and a drop of sap flung off the edge of the sword and hit the barrier. The barrier shimmered as the sap passed through it and shattered into colorful sparks. Hope welled up inside of his chest and reached out reproachfully. There was no spark or barrier as he grabbed the door handle and opened it.

Inside was a large room filled with light. He walked in shielding his eyes from the blinding light. When his eyes adjusted he could see an expanse of mountains though several large columns. It was the most beautiful scene he had ever seen. He walked closer to the opening and could tell that the room was carved into the side of a mountain as the walls were rough rock. Even though the walls were rough the floors were a shimmering, marblesque material. A small table and a chair lay beyond a small bridge over an opening in the ground. When he came to the bridge he noticed that under it ran water, soundless for some reason. Suddenly realizing he was parched, he reached down to get a drink. As his hand came close to the water there was a shimmer as his hand passed through a barrier. The water was cool to the touch. He saw the grime wash away from his hand, putting the sword down, he put both hands in and washed the dirt and grime off his hands. Only pulling them up to quench his thirst. The water was clean and chilled. It felt good as he drank it, washing away his exhaustion with every gulp. When he finished he noticed a door by where the water passed under the wall. He got up, picking up his sword and walked over to it. This door didn’t shock him as he opened it. Inside was something he could never have imagined. The water lifted up into the air and showered back down again though unknown means. The air became warm and humid as he walked into the room. A pair of clothes hung next to the door, he immediately stripped down and ran into the falling water. It was the perfect temperature, not too hot but not too cold either. He gratefully washed himself off and stepped out from the water. The air became warm and by the time he walked over to the clothing hanging by the door he was dry. He reached out and grabbed the clothes, they were softer than any clothing he had ever felt. He put them on and they were nearly a perfect fit. The outfit outdated, as if it was from medieval times but he never felt more comfortable.

He exited the room and walked back into the large open space. On the wall across from him were books. He walked over to the shelf and looked at them. He grabbed a book bound in a green binding and heard a hum, magical in nature. The books on the shelf started disappearing into the wall, revealing a door. Still holding the book he walked into the doorway. Inside was a massive library, several stories tall with books lining the walls. On the wall in front of him was an outfit with a glaive resting adjacent to it. The outfit was intricate, made of a mixture of hardened leather and metal. On the chest was the depiction of what looked like a dragon to him. He walked up to it, drawn to it. He reached out and touched the symbol and could feel something coming off of it. He reached out to grab the pole arm but retracted from it as he got close, something felt uncomfortable about it. He turned to his right and noticed something in the corner of the room. Walking over to it he started to feel sick. Pushing through the uncomfort, he came close to it. He could hear a pulsing sound and the air got heavy. The light in this corner was dimmer, as if the light was being sucked into something. As he approached the corner where the light was the darkest, he saw glints of a black glow. He touched his hand against the corner and it shattered with a glow of orange. The newly exposed corner had hidden an ornate pedestal with a dark, purple orb-like crystal atop it. The orb seemed to pull the light towards it and it called for him to take it. He reached out to grab the orb struggling, the sick feeling nearly causing him to fall over. When he touched it he froze. A dark miasma flowed out of the orb wrapping around his hand and crawled up his arm. He struggled to break free of the dark grasp but was helpless. The miasma continued to envelope him, entering through his skin. He could feel every bit of it with excruciating clarity. His veins turned a mixture of black and a deep, dark purple.

He could feel his body rejecting the energy that was now flowing through his veins. The pain was nearly unbearable. His body tried to let out a cry of pain but when his mouth opened, no noise came out. The miasma exploded outwards and shot back at him, entering every part of his body. Suddenly the orb exploded, throwing him several feet back. He hit the floor and was knocked unconscious.