Dungeon of Doors

~ Lord Fredrick, The Dungeon ~

Ghostly green chains rattle as the subject thrashes in its bindings. Geoff's husk is lurching back and forth erratically. Its limbs lamely slap at the chains whilst its torso pushes against the bindings. The thing in the husk's stomach does its best to struggle against the chains, but it refuses to come out its host. Several phantoms flinch when one of the chains snaps apart. The broken binding turns to sickly green motes of light which fade into nothing.

Before the creature can attempt to break the other chains I add two more with a snap of my fingers. The fel green light of mana twists into solid links that pin the creature in place. It lets out an odd gurgle from the back of its throat. My brows furrow as it stops struggling against its bindings.

"Be careful, Sir!"

I ignore the warning from Henry. The boy is underestimating me, or perhaps overestimating whatever is inside this man's husk. Since it won't come out I have to go in. One finger raised guides the mana around me into a small translucent green blade—a scalpel.

Quiet settles over the town center as those watching hold their breath. The parasitic monster doesn't move, as if waiting for me to make the first move. I float forward, bringing the sharp ethereal blade of the scalpel up to Geoff's stomach.

One clean slice.

Cloth and ghostly green skin cut in twain as my blade moves through them. I watch with narrowed eyes as the husk's stomach opens up to reveal a mix of unnatural looking green glowing gore alongside some kind of solid jelly.

I reach out curiously to make contact with the jelly, only for it to recoil. The living goop ripples before surging out of Geoff's belly toward my face. Soft rubbery slime turns sharp much like the scalpel in my hand and swings out.

Luckily I'm too fast for the blades. One blink and I'm several meters away from the monster's writhing body. It doesn't leave the husk, opting to instead attack the chains binding it with its newly freed gelatinous limbs.

One chain snaps, then another. Rather than rebind it I shift my scalpel into a sword with an injection of additional mana. The blade lengthens and shimmers with unnatural light as I wield it with my mind rather than my hands, which are busy cradling my book.

"What's goin' on?" I hear a ghost question.

I don't bother looking at the spectator. The monster has nearly completely broken free now. I raise my sword and slice off part of the gelatinous parasite's limbs as it cuts the last of my chains. That's when I hear the faint whistle of another phantom moving past me in a hurry.

"Geoff! What's wrong with you?!"

"Stay back! That's not your friend!"

The ghost looks torn as he glances at me over his shoulder. Clyde, apparently knows the man who's ghostly body is being controlled by some kind of slime monster. Before I can intervene the monstrous parasite takes the chance to attack Clyde.

Grunting, Clyde's ghostly figure lurches forward. The slightly different green slimy monster's limbs slip through Clyde's torso and juts out disturbingly. A look of agony mixed with sadness flashes across the man's face. I gulp before lunging forward in a bid to use the obstructed view of the monster to make a surprise attack of my own.

My blade flashes toward Clyde's neck. He watches with teary eyes as my sword approaches, and sails right through the gap where his neck would be if he hadn't been violently beheaded in life. I'm met with a satisfying squelch and the sight of fel green goop falling down as I bring my blade in a low arc to cut the monster's tentacles.

Moving around Clyde gives me a full view of the husk of Geoff. His stomach is a gaping hole now and his body is more of a shield than anything as the goop monster uses its tentacles to probe the space around it. I can hear Clyde let out a shaky breath before he places a hand on my shoulder. I don't turn toward him as I keep an eye on the monster.

"Geoff is still in there, you can't kill him."

"Why do you care so much? He's already died once."

"Because I owe him my life many times over!"

I suppose I shouldn't be needlessly cruel. It may be some trouble, but I'm sure I can kill the monster inside Geoff while leaving his body intact. My eyes narrow as I watch the monster lurch forward. I swing my sword, using a single finger to guide the motions in the air.

We trade a few blows, but the monster is using its body to fight whilst I'm using a floating weapon at a distance. I'm winning despite my mediocre swordplay thanks to my risk free methods. Clyde's nervous muttering reminds me of my goal here. I speak to Geoff's husk, hoping this isn't a waste of time.

"Geoff!"

The man's name doesn't seem to do anything. The monster in his stomach continues to flail angrily at my sword. His eyes remain vacant, his body limp. I try once more.

"Wake up, Geoff!"

I pause my attacks, shocked to see Geoff's eyelids twitch. His eyes remain unfocused, and I quickly resume my assault to keep the monster from gaining ground. Clyde might have been onto something. I try once more yet louder still.

"You need to wake up, Geoff! Your comrade is waiting for you!"

Geoff's eyes shift. His eyes widen and his gaze moves from the middle distance to lock onto me. His gaping jaw twitches as if he's trying to say something, but cannot bring himself to do so. The sight is an eerie one, especially with the parasitic monster thrashing about against my blade.

Clyde shouts at Geoff whilst I'm trying to think of a different approach. His voice seems to do the trick, or perhaps it is what he says, as Geoff listens.

"Damn it, Geoff! Boss would kill you if he saw you like this!"

Geoff's limbs begin to twitch. His eyes dart around between the beast in his stomach and those around him. His face shift, and he manages to pull his agape jaw up into place. The monster inside him looks to be panicking—The thing's gooey limbs twitch and slap at Geoff as his stomach begins to stitch itself back together. Clyde and I back up as the monster flails violently.

"Ngh… Fuck-" Geoff groans.

Clyde and I watch, jaws slack, as Geoff uses a hand to shove the monster back inside his belly. His stomach seals itself up with the monster still inside. The bulging squirming shape of his middle is frankly unsettling, even to a ghost such as myself.

"Geoff?" Clyde asks, floating closer.

"It's me, you oaf."

Before Geoff can say anything more he's scooped into a hug by Clyde. The two of them hug for a moment and then Clyde pulls back to give Geoff a disturbed look. He's pointedly staring down at the wriggling mass inside Geoff's stomach.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Clyde murmurs.

"Nah. Kind of like having a full belly—except it's more violent than Boss."

The two catch up. Information is exchanged on what happened after Clyde's death, and for once the dismembered phantom actually looks like he's willing to live his afterlife. Geoff is a bit twitchy and fidgets a lot, but I cannot blame him with the monster sealed inside him.

Henry is still wary of Geoff—for good reason—but he shares what he knows with everyone. We've got new information on Aquartis, the water dungeon. Apparently Henry's party leader is someone from Daywark. I'm unfamiliar with the man, but he's a one eyed soldier from Daywark.

There's a wide eyed look on Dirk when I turn to ask him about it. He composes himself quickly before recalling when he last saw the man. Billy, the one eyed man, was a junior soldier who worked under Dirk back in Daywark. He was the only survivor of Dirk's suicide mission into Woodrin.

The wind picks up, passing through me slightly faster. I turn with my brow furrowed, finding a strange black stone jutting out of the ground. Looking at it gives me an unnerving feeling. It is as if I'm staring down into a deep hole with no bottom in sight.

"Lord Fredrick," Three voices speaking in tandem call out to me.

I turn to greet Vivian. She's arrived with a bundle of parchment under one arm. Her hooded face is unreadable, but from her tone I can tell something more than simply providing answers to the ghosts is on her mind. She floats down to my level before holding up the papers.

"Vivian. Welcome."

"I've brought you the answers for the ghosts, as well as the information you requested."

Her collective voice catches the attention of the other phantoms as they watch the interaction. They keep a wide birth, only eavesdropping from a distance they foolishly deem as safe. I motion to Dirk and he takes the bundle of documents from Vivian.

"Thank you, Vivian."

"Of course, Lord Fredrick. Are those two new arrivals?"

"Yes. Geoff and Henry."

Vivian's eyes linger on Geoff's stomach, but she doesn't comment on it further. She instead walks past me to the strange black stone jutting from the soil. She places a pale hand atop the peak of the stone before explaining its presence.

"I've come not to only deliver answers, but also to give you a request."

"Request? I'm happy to help with whatever you need."

The strange feeling of a yawning pit makes me uncomfortable as I watch Vivian so casually tap the top of the ominous stone.

"Firstly, I have created a new region of the dungeon for you and the others to occupy in addition to this one. There is more life, plants, animals."

Excited murmurs and hushed whispers are quick to start up upon hearing the news. Vivian clearly isn't done talking, though, as I can hear the bad news coming before she delivers it. The way she's tense and gripping the black stone so tightly makes it clear she's nervous.

"However, there is an anomaly with my creations in this new area."

"Anomaly? How do you mean?"

"That which I make is normally exactly as I will it to be. Unfortunately, something has gone terribly wrong, and that which occupies this new section of your territory is twisted strangely."

How vague. I swallow my fear and float closer to Vivian, trying to ignore the primal fear that wells up in my ghostly body as I stare at the black stone. I must ask what her intentions are. She could have hidden this issue from me, but she chose to reveal it.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want your help. You're a man of science, knowledge, a scholar. I want you to document and analyze the new level so that we might find the cause of my creations being twisted into something different from my wishes."

"I'm in your debt, Vivian. Of course I'll help."

"Splendid. This grave marker here is your path to the new area—It is a two way connection."

Transportation? Some kind of strange ominous passage connecting two spaces? I hide my fear as best I can, reaching out to touch the smooth surface of the black stone. My lips part to speak as a strange tingling sensation stings my fingertips.

"Really? How does it work-"

My guts twist as I'm pulled down to the ground. An unpleasant lurching sensation fills my body as my vision goes dark. The dense pressure of rock all around me overwhelms my senses. A sensation akin to being buried alive screams throughout my body as I'm pulled along with some kind of invisible current.

The torment is over moments later, as I spill out into the light with my body feelings oddly numb all over. I pant despite my lack of lungs. After quickly patting down myself to check that I'm unharmed I finally decide to look at my surroundings.

Purple flowers bloom up the slope of a grand mountain. Trees with reddish purple fruits dot the landscape. The gentle bubble of a babbling brook reaches my ears, as well as the flap of bird wings.

It's beautiful.