Chaotic belongs to TCDigital.

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I had the urge to write again, about my time in the other world.

Well, why don't you?

It's been years since I last wrote anything about it... I couldn't do it justice.

Why not write about a more recent time?

Well, things kind of escalated since then, you know? It just seems like it'd be...

Unbelievable? You explore a vast fantasy world, experience incredible things, things that other people only dream of, and you're worried that people won't believe a little escalation?

Dream of? Seriously?

You know what I meant.

Heh, I do. Yeah, it's worth a shot.

Hey, can you do us a favor?

Sure, what is it?

Can we write part of it too?

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Act I: UnderWorld

Another Time

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"My name is Michael."

I bend over into a low bow as I say those words, one arm behind my back and the other across my chest. I can feel my heart pounding, hear my pulse rise in my ears. The air is hot and dry, but my body feels like ice.

I steal a glance up at the beings before me. Three of them, one sitting, two others standing at his sides. One, a blue-scaled lizardman, lithe yet muscular, with a mane of red spikes and tan scales down his chest and stomach. The other, an orange-skinned demoness, dark red hair disappear behind a pair of red, bat-like wings, a crest of horns on her head, and talons like a raptor. Agitos and Takinom, the advisors and champions of the leader of this land I've found myself in.

Seated on a throne between those two is the beast himself. Red skin lined with massive veins stretched across a chest and stomach so heavy with muscle that it seems ready to split with an unchecked flex. A head like a demon's and a dragon's, sharp chin, wide jaw, yellowed teeth where lips should be. Blue featureless eyes with a piercing glow, and forward-swept horns the same color. Thick tail draped over one arm of the massive throne he sits on. Chaor, King of the UnderWorld.

I'm counting down. Two hundred left.

While the expressions of confusion and shock are stiff fresh on the faces of my unwitting hosts, I straighten back up and continue my speech. "My deepest apologies for this intrusion. If I had been given the choice, I would not have invaded your privacy like this. Please accept my most humble apologies." I bow again, but not as low this time. I need to see how they react.

Chaor does not immediately rise from his throne. He does, however, grind chunks of stone off the arm of his throne as his massive clawed hand grips it tightly. Agitos quietly slinks to the side, away from his lord and out of potential lines of fire. Takinom steps forward, hands arched and, teeth bared. There are no words, though. I have stolen the first questions on their minds right out of their mouths, who are you, why are you here, before they even had to chance to think of them.

Time passes. One hundred fifty counts remain.

Chaor rises from his seat, his arms thankfully at his sides rather than raised to attack. He steps forward, one fur-cuffed metal boot hitting the stone floor with a clack, then the other. He folds his arms across his chest, narrows his eyes at me, and inhales deeply. He finally speaks, and his voice is tense with the threat of death.

"Michael."

He seems to taste my name in his mouth, blue tongue drifting across the gap between his teeth as he draws out the last sound. He sneers down at me as he drags the claws on one hand down the spiked bracer on his other arm. A spiked brow rises, and he continues, "Your name sounds strange, creature. What are you? Where are you from?"

I force myself not to turn my eyes away from his. My nails on both hands are digging into my palms, my pulse is raging in my ears.

One hundred counts.

"I'm a Human." Pause. Breathe. "I and my kind are from a world far away from this one, a planet we call Earth."

An irritated scowl darkens Chaor's face, and I lower my face away from his piercing glare. "Indeed," he mutters, and he moves to sit down again, his fur loincloth rippling as his legs and flesh shift beneath it. "What do you think of this 'Human'?" he asks to the creatures near him.

Agitos creeps back to his spot beside Chaor. "He looks similar to some of those in the OverWorld," he spits with an accusing tone. "You must keep in mind the possibility of this being a brazen spying attempt."

Takinom relaxes her posture and tilts her head to the side, resting a pointed finger against her cheek. "And yet, what this creature has accomplished is both beyond the abilities of the OverWorld and too foolish to be one of their schemes. Appearing directly before you and announcing himself, it does not fit at all."

A moment of silence. Thirty.

Chaor leans on the arm of his throne closest to Takinom and rests the angle of his jaw against his open palm. "Very strange indeed," he huffs, nostrils flaring as he exhales sharply. After a moment, he turns his head ever so slightly in Takinom's direction, and the glow of his eyes shift as they move, looking to her instead of at me. "We need more answers..."

And that's ten. Nine. Eight.

I turn, already leaning into my sprint, and race toward the large doors leading out of the throne room. I hear a cry of alarm from Agitos, but to look now- no, focus. Left foot and right arm out, right foot and left arm out, echoes of my footfalls around me. I'm still counting, three, two, one.

The doors burst open in front of me, revealing a group of creatures in spiked plate armor, red like rust. "Lord Chaor!" cries out the soldier in the lead.

My right arm is swinging forward. I reach forward like I am about to grab the creature's face. He notices me with a start and slams to a halt. The soldiers behind him do not notice, and there's a crash as metal strikes metal, and the lead creature takes a step forward, bracing himself. He raises his arms to shield his face as his companions stagger around him.

I push hard with my planted foot, turning my dash into a leap. My foot connects with the creature's armored knee, and I step high, my next footfall landing in the valley of his crossed arms. Cries of alarm and distress ring out below me as I launch myself over the ones unknowingly responsible for my escape route, and I brace myself for the landing on the far side.

"Catch that man!" Chaor bellows somewhere behind me.

I hit the ground, and a jolt runs up my leg. I've landed poorly, but I can't dwell on that right now. I sprint away as fast as my legs can take me, and I round a corner to the left the moment I find an opening.

Heated air and a stench of smoke fill the hall behind me, and Chaor's roar reverberates down the corridors. "Do not kill him, you idiots! Capture him!"

The noises get further away as I run, but not quickly enough. The walls are a blur. I'm following a path I can't see, only remember.

As some of you might have guessed, this isn't my first time doing this. I've run through this section of Perim, of this hostile slice of UnderWorld, more times than I care to try to count. Some attempts end quickly and painfully, others seem to drag for ages.

Time to see if I can survive another time in Perim.

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Chaotic belongs to TCDigital.