Hello? I float, endlessly through a black abyss. I try to reach out, feel anything. There is nothing, just me and my thoughts. I spin to look behind me, but overshoot it. I slowly spin, lost in the darkness. Is this death? I can't feel anything, can't open my mouth. But I sense a presence, something else with me. Are you okay? My eyes perk open. Who's there? I try to locate where the mystery voice came from, but it felt internal. You poor thing, this world has not been kind to you. Memories flood in, I physically wipe them away. You don't know what's been happening. The voice hesitates for a moment, despite my rude answer, I still want it to keep talking. How do you plan on getting out of this. You mean this black hole? No. I feel the smallest of contact on my hand, a tingling sense of cold. You still lay on the icy floor of the dragon's lair. I fall silent, feeling an iron clamp grip onto my heart. You mean I'm in that monster's home!? I smack myself in the head, trying to wake myself up. I feel more parts of my body come back to life, feeling the chill dig through me again. Be careful. Don't tell me what to do. I want to ask who they are, but if I'm in trouble. I need to wake up. The voice lets out what sounds like a sigh. Don't try anything stupid, I'm still counting on you. Me? Until we meet again. A bright light shines, lighting up the void around me. I squint, trying to shield my eyes with my hand.
The black dissolves away, being replaced by pain and cold and terror. I gasp, my body feels like it's burning. I cough violently, every inch of movement sends waves of pain through my skull. The blizzard roars on above, the dragon has given up trying to dig a hole to me. I try to get up, my arm bends awkwardly. I scream, the bone was split in two. My health has climbed a little since going unconscious, but my dumb little stunt sent it back down to red.
I take a few minutes to let the pain subside, trying hard not to hyperventilate. It's slightly warmer down here than out in the elements, but I will most definitely die if I stay here. I try moving my head around, feeling groans in my neck as I survey my surroundings. There is bones, bones everywhere. Crushed skulls, torn ribcages, femurs and pelvis joints stick out in jagged spires. I try to wipe the since dry blood off my face with my good hand, trying to move my legs around.
A distant roar echoes, making loose bones on piles stutter and fall. I freeze, waiting for a massive beast to rush in, and rip me apart. Only more roars, accompanied by a different scream. I shuffle to my feet, faltering when I put weight on my legs. Multiple icicles have bored themselves into my calves and thighs, blood seeps out on their ends. I don't know if I can pull them out or not, luckily none of them got in too deep. I grasp my broken arm, my posture is slouched and ragged. Most of the debuffs have subsided, but the concussion and a bleed effect still remains. Topped off with a chill, my health can't move any higher. The frostbite on my leg seems to have gotten worse, purple veins and black skin grow out steadily. I shuffle out of sight, peeking around the corner. The room I fell in seems to be the garbage room, leftovers for the great beast. It connects to a much larger room. Ice stalagmites protrude out of the ground, sharp icicles hang from the ceiling. The floor is all lumpy and smooth, strange patterns of substrate frozen in place moves across the walls and ceiling. I can't spot the dragon, so I keep moving. Have to get out of here. I'm seriously debating if I want to leave or not, but I'd rather freeze to death than be eaten. My stomach growls, ice everywhere but nothing to drink. I stay close to the sloped walls, I dare not wander out into the open. Luckily there are plenty of nooks and crannies to slip into, but I'm moving slowly, and I can only use one arm. I try prying some of the icicles that are more shallow out, after a quick shock of pain, it's over. My health climbs a little on each one, but it's still not enough to move any faster. I dare not touch the deeper ones, I can even feel one of them stuck in my knee joint. I check my inventory, looking to see if I have anything. Empty health potions, soiled food, a half full water jug, and a ring. My stomach churns looking at the last one.
"Hey!" I stand up off a bench I was sitting on, a smile goes across my face. "Jordan where have you been?" Jordan slows to a walk, a heroic grin plastered on her face. "Just out and about, I found something." "Oh really." I flick the handle of my sword, listening to its light ting. "Yeah, I happen to get a pair." She opens her inventory, fishing out a small silver ring. My eyes open a little, looking rather surprised. "Where did you find that." Jordan tosses it to me, I snatch it out of the air. "I got grabbed by a rather large bird." I gasp. "Wait really? Are you okay?" She waves it away, her choice of weapon rests on her hip. "I'm fine, but more importantly, I found two of them in its nest." I slip the ring on, feeling a sense of warmth. A buff shows up, displaying itself next to my health. Fowler Ring, increase in stamina and health regeneration. "Wow, you sure I can have this?" Jordan slips the other on. "Of course, nobody else deserves it." I laugh. "Yeah, everyone else is a bad apple." Jordan happily jogs past me, her beginner gear fits with the rustic look of the village around us. "Come on then, everyone is waiting for us." I follow her, making way for the capital.
The memory subsides, before traveling to that day. I blank out fo the horrible event, tears finally come. I take the ring out, slipping it on. I won't lose this. A flash of the memory come back, her head detaches from her body. For my sake. I grip my fist, bloody knuckles and scuffed red fingers clasp down. And yours.
The roar returns, much closer this time. I hide behind a large chunk of ice, holding my breath. Thump. Claws skid across the ice, the thundering footsteps makes the walls vibrate. Thump. The dragon slithers into the large room, something large and furry laying limp in its mouth. It glances around sniffing the air in suspicion. It loses its train of thought, turning to drag its prey into the garbage room. I shuffle away, peeking out behind the ice chunk. A white tail slithers away around the corner, horrible noises of bones crunching as the dragon digs in. I move a little faster hoping my footsteps and ragged breathing is being covered up in the noise. The dragon came in from the right, that's my best bet out of here. I debate crossing the middle of the room to get there, fear keeps me glued to the walls. It takes a few hours for me to circumnavigate the room, many obstacles stand in the way. I shiver, feeling the blizzard cold wash through the right entrance. The freezing effect comes back, my health starts detonating.
I smack the wall with frustration, I can't leave, not until that blizzard dissipates. I try to find a place to hunker down, searching through room after room. The noises of the dragon eating still echoes around me everywhere I go, this labyrinth seems endless.
I keel over feeling pain in my stomach. You are starving, decrease in movement speed, health decreases slowly. Great. I try eating the soiled food, hoping the ring will tank the debuff. I almost vomit, trying hard to keep it in. I wash it down with the rets of my water, nausea sets in. Health clinging onto the orange, but the hunger has subsided for now. How am I supposed to get food now. Even if I leave this cave alive and the blizzard dies down, I'm still thousands of miles from the capital, I don't know how they even teleported me here. I almost fall, grabbing the last second onto an anchor, my boots kick ice down the deep pit, noises of it smacking the walls until hitting the floor much later. It goes even deeper. I hit dead end after dead end, everything looks the same.
I finally find an area, what looks like a ship. It's broken down to the point of a wreckage, it's wooden hull assaulted by years underground and falling rubble. The mast has fallen over, sails torn and frozen over. I clamber up the side with one hand, my broken arm hanging limply on my side. I slowly get over the side rails, landing on the deck. It groans, and the boards crack a little below me. But it holds. I fight to get below deck, having to budge fallen boards out of the way. It reeks of rotten flesh, I can still smell salt. Either I'm near the ocean, or this was carried up here. Paintings with an ancient design hang awkwardly on rotten walls, broken gear and splintered barrels lay on the floor. Eight rooms in total, not phong useful in any of them. But it's significantly better in here than out there, most ice in the ship sits on the upper deck. I think about starting a fire, wondering if the dragon would be able to smell it all the way down here. Even so, how would I start one. I know how to, but I don't have the materials, or the strength to try. I sit down in the captain's quarters, staring blankly at the shattered glass windows. I wonder if anyone from my world misses me. I scoff at the thought. Defiantly not. I lay down, the two of the bed legs have broken, and the mattress has many holes in it. But it's better than the floor, and the tattered blankets aren't half bad. I spend the rest of what is probably the day digging the deeper icicles out, scavenged cloth on hand to act as a tourniquet and to clot the wounds. I try my best to make a split, using small boards and more cloth to stop my broken arm from swinging around. It stings incredibly, and even after finishing I lay there in pain. But everything has been addressed, except the concussion and the urge still to vomit. But I'm alive, and if I'm lucky and stay out fo the dragon's way, I can make it back home. But problems remain for the the trek home. I need equipment, time to heal, and luck. But most of all.
Food.