Blurry faded images... me as a child, running through the streets. A split image, one running playfully and the other in frantic panic. The two converge and consciousness slowly drifts to the surface, just almost breaking the placid calm with thought.
There's stone underneath me. Solid and cold yet pitted and worn from the unyeilding passage of time. The room around me is slowly made known to me as my sluggish thoughts once again sync up with the world. The entirety of my small world as derelect and unyeilding as the stone beneath me. They built this place to hold us. A place to coral us away. A prison to await the end of the world.
The rubbish and tattered scraps, the water, mold, and rot, are as familiar to me as my own body. The room an extension of me. But this is only a feeling. Time had done to my mind what it had to the stone, what it does to everything. The cell that was my whole world for countless years felt so familiar, yet lacking in any actual memory.
Just as it began to recede back into the void; my conciousness was thrust abruptly through the unyeilding calm. Something foreign from above; sound and movement. Looking up, more from instinct and reflex than choice, a figure appeared. Silhouette cutting across the hole above that served as the tempermental light source of my small dingy world.
"...sun" my voice dry and cracked from dissuse came out choked and raspy. It brought surprise and panic. I had forgotten I possesed this ability. Panic distracted me from the figure, but before I could become too engrossed in it, an emaciated body was dropped into my cell from above. It crashed to the floor and brought everything else to an abrupt halt. I stared at it confused. So many new things happening in my world after all the endless nothing was overwhelming. I looked up but the figure was gone.
Who was he? A god, looking in on my little world? It didnt matter, as he was gone, but this body warranted inspection. My attention was immediatly drawn to a gleam coming off something sticking out of a bit of cloth.
"Shiny..." I started to reach out for it, and upon being unable to reach it from my current position, began to push myself up from the stone. The stiffness was present everywhere throughout my person. Body atrophied, yet still able to function due to unknown forces. I made my way to the glimmer, body attached to it all but forgotten. Upon reaching it, I drew it from the cloth, and my world shattered.
I recognised the object immediatly. the metal, twisted and molded into this shape, was unmistakably a key. Without a single doubt I somehow knew it would open the barred door to my tiny world. If recovering speach was a shock, this key was electricity coursing through my veins.
Now standing I made my way to the door and looked out. the hallway as old and decrepit as my own cell, yet several times bigger. I could see other doors, and movement somewhere else down the hall. Unable to stop what had already been set in motion, I was only frozen momentarily while my curiosity overcame my debilitating fear of the unknown. My hand, as if acting on its own, slid the end of the key into the slot and turned.
With a push the door half swung, half ground open. Tentatively stepping out the door, I look down the hallway. It is lined with other cells, but the most worst part was the grotesque creatures in the hall. Quickly ducking back into my cell, I peek out around the corner. The creatures are humanoid, but with shriveled leathery skin, drastically thinned hair, and gaunt, sunken faces. In place of eyes they have two empty sockets with a red gleam coming from deep within.
The creatures feel familiar to me, but I have no knowledge of them. I frantically searched the cell hoping to find a makeshift weapon. Hidden under some debris in the corner I found a cloth bundle with a strange looking doll and a sword handle that was missing most of the blade. I have no memory of either of them, but the way they were lovingly wrapped and hidden meant they had some importance.
With the broken sword in my right hand, and the doll in my left, I cautiously crept into the hall. Even as I got closer, the creatures took no notice of me. They seemed to be caught up in various stages of torment and/or madness. Further down the hall, the cells on the right ended, and a large metal fence looking down into a larger room replaced the wall. The floor of that room was covered in crushed bones in various stages of decay, and pacing around the room was a monstrocity beyond words.
I fell more than retreated back behind the cover of the wall and curled up back against the cold stone. What was that thing?! It was three or four times my height, and many more in bulk. I thought about going back to the room, but banished it just as quickly. There was curiosity, and the need to live a fulfilling life, yes, but there was also a deeper more primal urge that pulling relentlessly. I couldnt quite place it, so I put it to the back of my head.
I looked around the corner to check out the beast once more, but he was also staring up at me. I chill came over me, and sprinted for the stairs at the end of the hall. While rushing headlong, I couldn't help but look back at the beast. I turned just in time to see him chuck a corpse at me. I dove onto the stairs as i heard a tremendous crash. The body had smashed into the fence, bending it in, but not breaking it. The beast stared up at me with such bloodlust that I turned and ran.
Up the stairs and down a hall was a room filled with water. While running through I saw one of the smaller creatures crouched in the corner. Eying him warily, I proceded through none the less. The next hallway dead ended at a small room with an old rusty ladder. The cold rough metal dug into my hands and feet, but I started climbing frantically. My whole existence ached from all this physical exertion after being dormant for so long.
The ladder seemed to go on forever, but finally the end was in sight. Looking up, I had to climb the last bit blind as my eyes adjusted to the light. Upon reaching the top I pulled myself over the edge and lay on the ground. All I could see was sky. It was beautiful, and so terrifyingly vast. I have no memories of the sky, but yet I know what it is. Not wanting to get started on that line of though, I got up and looked around. I found myself in a small courtyard of sorts. On the far side were a large set of double doors, and in the center was some kind of odd sword stuck into a pile of ash and bone.
The sword looked worn, and oddly twisted, but it had more blade than my current one at least. As I reached out to try to pull it free, a small bonfire burst into existence around it. Quickly pulling my hand back I felt a feeling of calm wash over me. All my aches began to fade, and as I looked at my hands, the cuts and scrapes also healed rapidly.
"...What?!" My hands looked thin and frail and leathery. On top of being all leathery, both of my hands were covered in strange runes and symbols inked into my skin. I looked and felt all over my body, terrifying realization setting in. I was one of those humanoid monstrocities. I couldnt beleive it. I had been ignoring my lack of memories, but how could I not have known what I am. Calming down a bit I reasoned that I at least still had my sanity unlike the others I've seen. I stared into the fire which helped calm me even more. It felt so welcoming, like home.
Once again, that primal urge drove me onwards; some unsatiated need. I slowly pushed open the large double doors. The next room was an even larger courtyard, with tall pillars and full of large vases. I could hear the heavy footfalls of what I assumed was the gigantic demon of a creature that had so rudely thrown a corpse at me earlier. Across the room were an even larger set of double doors. These were barred shut. It would probably take a while to free them up... CRASH! Suddenly chaos errupted. The creature from earlier crashed down from the sky. The floor shook and cracked, normally unyeilding stone no match for this kind of force. I quickly turned around and ran straight into a closed door. How did this happen? I pulled on them, but the frame had obviously collapsed, effectively sealing the doors.
I turned and dove to the left to avoid the creatures giagantic stone hammer hurdling at me. I crashed into one of the vases, knocking it over and receiving several cuts from the busted ceramic pieces. Without hesitating I ran, putting as much distance between us as I could. There was no time to unbar the doors that were likely the exit to this aweful place. Then to the left, a doorway, too small for this wretched abomination, but perfectly human sized; as a door should be. The creature was gaining on me, even with his proportionately stubby legs, and great mass, his strides still covered much more ground than mine. I ran for the doorway, seeing the hulking mass quickly approach in my left periferal. I saw it pull back its club, readying itself to crush me, and I dove headlong into the doorway. The giant stone hammer slamming down just on the other side. Fortunatly, I had escaped. Unfortunately there was a flight of stairs directly on the other side of the door I had just dove head first through.
I came back to conciousness next to another bonfire. This one on a ledge overlooking a small partially flooded room. The mystical fire had already healed all my wounds, so I got up and carried on. Through the next doorway was a long hall with cells on either side. The prison here was even more dilapidated than I had previously seen. The cells on the right hand side had all caved in. The ceiling had also completely collapsed, the sky visible through the broken masonry. I was brought back to reality from my sky musings by a sharp pain caused from an arrow sprouting from my chest. I dove into the nearby cell on my left. Strangely enough, shortly after removing the arrow, the pain dulled considerably. Must be a perk of my monster physiology. My leathery flesh barely even bled.
I looked around for some way to defend myself. I found a few boards lashed together, possibly an old table top or something similar. This would make a passable shield. Also looking around there was a fair amount of ragged cloth and rope. Layered, wrapped around, and tied in key places, it made for decent... clothes? None the less, it was padded. While it wasnt exactly armor, it was better than nothing. Armed with my makeshift protection, I peeked out around into the hallway. At the far end, and on top of the corridor's upward slope was one of the humanoid creatures like myself. It fired off another arrow from its bow, which I blocked with my shield. I tried to call out to it, but my voice was little more than a raspy whisper from disuse. So I charged foward, shield up to block the incoming arrows. As I got closer, he turned and ran down a side passage on the left.
As I got to the top of the slope I saw a similar gleam to what drew me to the key in my cell. It was captivating. This, this was the primal urge. I needed to find these gleaming treasures and posess them. I picked it up, and it turned out to be a small hand axe. This would make a much better weapon than my broken sword, which I proceded to tuck into the rope that served as my belt. I turned the corner and raised my sheild just in time to block another arrow.
"Hey... Hey you. Stop." My voice was getting progressively stronger. I was trying to yell, but it at least came out at the level or clear speech this time. "Im one of you. We dont have to fight." Thunk. Another arrow crashed into my shield. I guess theres no other option. I charged foward shield raised, and crashed into my fellow creature. It wasnt expecting this and was momentarily stunned. Capitalizing on this opening, I swung my new axe. It cleanly cleaved into its skull, killing it instantly. Then a wisp of mist like substance siphoned off from the corpse to me. As the mist entered me I felt slightly more complete; more lively.
At the end of the short hall was a doorway. Through this door was a second floor balcony overlooking the small courtyard with the first bonfire I found. On my right were cell bars, and Inside I saw a person laying on a bed of rubble. It was the benevolent god from my cells skylight who had helped me escape. They could not see me as they were turned the other way, and I did not want to be rude by calling out, so I worked my way around to try to find a way in. There was not one. Maybe they magically removed the doors so as not to be bothered? I would return later.
There were also two sets of stairs. one going up, and the other down. I checked downstairs first, but it was only a side door leading to the bonfire courtyard. Upon starting up the other stairs, I heard a grunt and the sound of metal scraping rock. Just then a huge metal ball became visible over the top edge of the stairway. I rolled off the edge of the stairs to avoid being crushed, and landed roughly on the stairs leading down to the courtyard. CRASH! I limped up the stairs to see what had happened, and saw that the metal ball had broken into my saviors place of respite. This was unacceptable, pain ignored, I ran up the stairs and found my fellow abomination who dared to commit such heinous heresy. I walked up to him boldly, and as pushed the wild swipe of his old rusty blade away with my shield, and slammed my axe into the crook of his shoulder and neck. Justice done, I turned around as the wisp from his corpse entered my body. I then rushed down the stairs and into the opening created by the metal ball.