Nightmare Tournament 2
Subclass
The forest and everything in it murmured softly, sending sparks of information here and there, reminiscent of how a computer network would, or a nervous system. Waves of sound flowing from one side to another, following their own express routes to many destinations. To those who didn’t know how to listen, it could seem chaotic, but to those who did, it was music and art, the smell of baked goods and the feel of silk, all in one. Beauty, torment, happiness, anger, laughter, fear, all present in a mish moshed pit of ordered chaos. Every little sound and movement representing another message being passed through, seemingly without any reason.
And when it all stopped, Zahler sat upright, immediately wary.
He could still feel, see, smell and taste, but the most important of the data receptors for the forest, the most direct route of information, sound, was gone. This was a spike of information being sent in itself, but a much more dire one than before. It started something in him he normally didn’t like to dwell on. A feeling that, when confronted, could mean danger to everyone and everything around him. Fear. The fight or flight sense not quite known by those who hadn’t lived a life of combat and running, the one that he had decided long ago would mean fight until flight was impossible.
Feeling about himself, Zahler’s finger tips brushed against something wooden, but polished in a way as to distinguish it from everything around him. He wrapped his fingers around it, then used the long, cylindrical object to heft himself up and glanced about. A soft tinkling broke the silence, and Zahler immediately spun in the direction of the sound, knees bent, spear held in front of him. But all he saw was forest in all directions. Forest that seemed just a little bit off, in a way that he just couldn’t seem to be able to put his finger on.
The boy’s deep blue eyes flicked about, here and there, searching for something, though he didn’t know what, something that could cause this, the complete silence of an entire forest. And then, as he watched, it was back. From the rustling of the trees, to the hoots, chirps and buzzes of various animals, all the noise that had been absent for only a moment, yet an astounding moment it was, was back. Zahler blinked, still looking about, not yet ready to relax. This thing, this moment of silence, was not a natural occurrence, and in the event of something like this, it was unlikely there was not a source. The boy spat and moved forward, spear held close and ready, ears pricked, the membrane of his eardrum stretched taught in expectants. Which is why he heard what had not been there before, or rather, didn’t hear.
A little ways off, there was an absence of sound. Not as clear as the one he had been engulfed in, but there nonetheless, and if he hadn’t been looking for something just like it, he probably would have missed it altogether.
Following this lack of sound, Zahler made his way farther into the forest, moving at a faster and faster pace as he neared the source, but keeping wary to everything around himself to the best of his ability. Before long, he found what he was looking for, and as he saw it, he let out a small intake of breath. In a small clearing, there sat a small boy of eight or nine, clutching at what looked like a scrap of cloth as he rocked back and forth on a roughly cut stump. But this wasn’t what made Zahler gasp, for as much as he hated to admit it, a gasp was what it was. Standing above the traumatized child was a man with skin of coal and blood red hair, a spiked collar on his neck, a red band on his arm, wearing a white wife-beater and blue jeans. The coal man lifted a hand to his mouth, puffing at the lit cigarette, then letting out a low chuckle.
“So, what about it kid? Wanna join? If you fight, I might owe you a favor. Hell, I could even bring back that dead mum of yours. Charlotte, wasn’t it?” He asked, then laughed harder as the boy looked up at him sharply.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Which means you’ll be coming with me. But first,” He looked around, then fixed his gaze (Zahler would later remember them as black pits leading to hell, only accented by the blood red rings in each) on the watcher in the bushes. He grinned, revealing sharp, yellowing teeth, “I wouldn’t pass up the chance for a little Egyptian food, even if it is watered down. Step out of your little hiding place and I might not kill you just yet,” He said, the smirk evident in voice and face.
Zahler felt his legs move, almost on their own, as he stood and stepped forward shakily. There was something off about this man, besides the odd skin and eyes. Something that pulled at the back of his mind, an absence that was just. Not. Right. And then it hit him as he was pulled closer against his will. The absence wasn’t just a feeling. The sound, information rush of the forest, and everything else was a warning of the unknown, as Zahler could not sense a single thing from this creature. There was a total lack of information coming from him, and even in his memories of races and creatures from his ancestors past lives, there was nothing on this person. Behavior, fighting styles, special abilities, social habits, all a total blank. No, not a total blank. Missing. As if someone had ripped them from him, someone with immense power.
And with this realization, the terror that had steadily built in him, though in a controllable force so far, broke free.
Zahler’s eyes widened, then he began jerking about, as if the teenage boy had lost control over his muscle functions. A low gurgle slipped past his lips, then began to rise in volume and lower in pitch, turning into a loud growl as his jaw began to stretch, elongating into the start of a snout, his cheeks losing their fullness, muscles in his neck bulging and rippling, eyes turning a golden brown. He dropped the spear and doubled over, clutching at his stomach, then jerking upright again, his horribly mutated expression pained.
The man let out another chuckle, reached out his hand, then squeezed it into a fist. “Stop,” He said calmly, and Zahler collapsed onto the ground, breathing hard, barely able to move. He looked into the eyes of the strange creature, stranger than even himself, despite how he acted just then, and he let out a small whimper, ashamed to be in such a predicament. He was helpless to another being, and was unable to do a damned thing about it, even subconsciously. It was the most terrified he had ever been in his entire life.
The man leaned down and looked Zahler in the eye, chuckling quietly. "Well well. Who’d have thought that some of you still exist. After all that has happened, you manage to straggle on. You’re almost worse than the humans that way," Zahler groaned quietly and reached for the fallen spear. The man’s eye flashed and he batted it away. "Ah ah, not while I’m talking," He straightened and shook his head. "Ah well. I suppose the only thing you’ll really need as encouragement is your own life. But just in case," He turned to the child, who watched with dead eyes and Zahler could see the man’s cheeks twitch as he grinned again. "If you want to save those like this one, you will also have to participate. And who knows? If you win, I might owe YOU something as well," He looked over his shoulder, the grin widening. "Now, rest. The journey to where we intend to go will be made while you do," He said, as Zahler’s vision began to darken, his body unable to resist the call of sleep.
Subclass
The forest and everything in it murmured softly, sending sparks of information here and there, reminiscent of how a computer network would, or a nervous system. Waves of sound flowing from one side to another, following their own express routes to many destinations. To those who didn’t know how to listen, it could seem chaotic, but to those who did, it was music and art, the smell of baked goods and the feel of silk, all in one. Beauty, torment, happiness, anger, laughter, fear, all present in a mish moshed pit of ordered chaos. Every little sound and movement representing another message being passed through, seemingly without any reason.
And when it all stopped, Zahler sat upright, immediately wary.
He could still feel, see, smell and taste, but the most important of the data receptors for the forest, the most direct route of information, sound, was gone. This was a spike of information being sent in itself, but a much more dire one than before. It started something in him he normally didn’t like to dwell on. A feeling that, when confronted, could mean danger to everyone and everything around him. Fear. The fight or flight sense not quite known by those who hadn’t lived a life of combat and running, the one that he had decided long ago would mean fight until flight was impossible.
Feeling about himself, Zahler’s finger tips brushed against something wooden, but polished in a way as to distinguish it from everything around him. He wrapped his fingers around it, then used the long, cylindrical object to heft himself up and glanced about. A soft tinkling broke the silence, and Zahler immediately spun in the direction of the sound, knees bent, spear held in front of him. But all he saw was forest in all directions. Forest that seemed just a little bit off, in a way that he just couldn’t seem to be able to put his finger on.
The boy’s deep blue eyes flicked about, here and there, searching for something, though he didn’t know what, something that could cause this, the complete silence of an entire forest. And then, as he watched, it was back. From the rustling of the trees, to the hoots, chirps and buzzes of various animals, all the noise that had been absent for only a moment, yet an astounding moment it was, was back. Zahler blinked, still looking about, not yet ready to relax. This thing, this moment of silence, was not a natural occurrence, and in the event of something like this, it was unlikely there was not a source. The boy spat and moved forward, spear held close and ready, ears pricked, the membrane of his eardrum stretched taught in expectants. Which is why he heard what had not been there before, or rather, didn’t hear.
A little ways off, there was an absence of sound. Not as clear as the one he had been engulfed in, but there nonetheless, and if he hadn’t been looking for something just like it, he probably would have missed it altogether.
Following this lack of sound, Zahler made his way farther into the forest, moving at a faster and faster pace as he neared the source, but keeping wary to everything around himself to the best of his ability. Before long, he found what he was looking for, and as he saw it, he let out a small intake of breath. In a small clearing, there sat a small boy of eight or nine, clutching at what looked like a scrap of cloth as he rocked back and forth on a roughly cut stump. But this wasn’t what made Zahler gasp, for as much as he hated to admit it, a gasp was what it was. Standing above the traumatized child was a man with skin of coal and blood red hair, a spiked collar on his neck, a red band on his arm, wearing a white wife-beater and blue jeans. The coal man lifted a hand to his mouth, puffing at the lit cigarette, then letting out a low chuckle.
“So, what about it kid? Wanna join? If you fight, I might owe you a favor. Hell, I could even bring back that dead mum of yours. Charlotte, wasn’t it?” He asked, then laughed harder as the boy looked up at him sharply.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Which means you’ll be coming with me. But first,” He looked around, then fixed his gaze (Zahler would later remember them as black pits leading to hell, only accented by the blood red rings in each) on the watcher in the bushes. He grinned, revealing sharp, yellowing teeth, “I wouldn’t pass up the chance for a little Egyptian food, even if it is watered down. Step out of your little hiding place and I might not kill you just yet,” He said, the smirk evident in voice and face.
Zahler felt his legs move, almost on their own, as he stood and stepped forward shakily. There was something off about this man, besides the odd skin and eyes. Something that pulled at the back of his mind, an absence that was just. Not. Right. And then it hit him as he was pulled closer against his will. The absence wasn’t just a feeling. The sound, information rush of the forest, and everything else was a warning of the unknown, as Zahler could not sense a single thing from this creature. There was a total lack of information coming from him, and even in his memories of races and creatures from his ancestors past lives, there was nothing on this person. Behavior, fighting styles, special abilities, social habits, all a total blank. No, not a total blank. Missing. As if someone had ripped them from him, someone with immense power.
And with this realization, the terror that had steadily built in him, though in a controllable force so far, broke free.
Zahler’s eyes widened, then he began jerking about, as if the teenage boy had lost control over his muscle functions. A low gurgle slipped past his lips, then began to rise in volume and lower in pitch, turning into a loud growl as his jaw began to stretch, elongating into the start of a snout, his cheeks losing their fullness, muscles in his neck bulging and rippling, eyes turning a golden brown. He dropped the spear and doubled over, clutching at his stomach, then jerking upright again, his horribly mutated expression pained.
The man let out another chuckle, reached out his hand, then squeezed it into a fist. “Stop,” He said calmly, and Zahler collapsed onto the ground, breathing hard, barely able to move. He looked into the eyes of the strange creature, stranger than even himself, despite how he acted just then, and he let out a small whimper, ashamed to be in such a predicament. He was helpless to another being, and was unable to do a damned thing about it, even subconsciously. It was the most terrified he had ever been in his entire life.
The man leaned down and looked Zahler in the eye, chuckling quietly. "Well well. Who’d have thought that some of you still exist. After all that has happened, you manage to straggle on. You’re almost worse than the humans that way," Zahler groaned quietly and reached for the fallen spear. The man’s eye flashed and he batted it away. "Ah ah, not while I’m talking," He straightened and shook his head. "Ah well. I suppose the only thing you’ll really need as encouragement is your own life. But just in case," He turned to the child, who watched with dead eyes and Zahler could see the man’s cheeks twitch as he grinned again. "If you want to save those like this one, you will also have to participate. And who knows? If you win, I might owe YOU something as well," He looked over his shoulder, the grin widening. "Now, rest. The journey to where we intend to go will be made while you do," He said, as Zahler’s vision began to darken, his body unable to resist the call of sleep.
