《Of Pearls and Swine - History of a Dungeon Core》


 Prologue : Blindness

    Why?


    Why bother ?


    Every single time you cast off sleep and return - is it not hard enough to get up ?Mayhaps you get past the question by force of habit alone .


    Easy to lift yourself up if you wake up consistently, light and time and grace all there to welcome you once more . Easy to do without answering the question.Inevitably however you find yourself returning to what was always there : darkness , cold and a lack of time . Inevitably you return finding yourself lost , sensations of weight pressing around your neck and chest , no light,no warmth,no one but you . You had ignored the question . You gave the answer given to you by others . Now ?


    Now you curse me for exhausting you , for stressing you to the breaking point . You see - No- you feel the way ahead , the infinity of the path ahead of you . And you despair . Everything around you will go to shit - you know it . But you knew that all along didn¡¯t you ? And you fought it , walked through it . Where is that strength now ? Where has your will gone ? Was it ever there ?


    Exhausted. Drained . Alone .


    Are you lonely ?


    ¡°¡­yes.¡± A whisper echoed in the chamber .


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.¡° Damn you!¡± ¡­ ¡°¡­yes.¡±


    He looked around from where he was , not bothering to get up . ¡°Kill me .¡±


    there were no tears . No. For that would be something wouldn¡¯t it ? An answer . A release .


    ¡±Aaah.¡± a fake moan. ¡°Please ¡­No more .¡±


    ¡­


    ¡±You win . Are you happy ? ¡°


    ¡­What would you do if you get out ?


    ¡° Go back to life . Please . Let me go .Please.¡±


    ...I see .


    The man woke up . This time not by himself . The sun gently caressed his face . Birds sang and insects sang about . A gentle wind passed by . He got up : around him , his friends . His party . He wept from joy , awakening them with his sobs . Ignoring their questions he turned towards the entrance of the dungeon and kneeled down , bowing his head to the earth again and again .


    ¡°Thank you !¡± He repeated amidst his tears . He looked at the entrance , two marble columns and a white veil nested beneath a great tree , surrounded by it s roots .


    He then gathered his weapons and equipment and slowly , ritually laid them down next to the roots of the great tree .


    He gathered his companions and with a last joyful parting of gratitude towards the entrance he turned away .


    -Thank you Master .Thank you for being so kind. Thank you for showing mercy !We levelled up as well Master !


    I did not turn towards her , still gazing at the happy company leaving us , going back to their lives with an eagerness for life , a joy unparalleled .


    Mercy ?


    No. This is not mercy . This is cruelty.


    Of the worst kind .

 Blindness 1

    ¡°We have discovered an entrance .¡±


    His announcement brought about cheers and hugs amongst the group .


    He took another look into the tunnel he had just come out of before turning to smile to his people .


    ¡°Tonight , we crack the barrels . Our journey is over !¡±


    The expedition celebrated through the night . Constas brought out his oud , Amalis forced all of them to dance with him , Ion got drunk enough to juggle their cups and plates at some point. Sam and Harris quickly forgot their duties after the first rounds of drink , much to the pleasure of the rest of the group . Their celebration was elevated by the grilled meat of a dozen hares and one boar Oriohn hunted himself for this . Five men laughed and drunk and ate under the night sky . After they exhausted themselves Oriohn decided to share his meagre supply of Vatrin weed and they lit up the hookah.


    ¡±You are going to regret this tomorrow brother .¡± Ion smirked at him receiving the pipe.


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    Oriohn took his gaze from the heavens to look at him and then all around : Constans still fiddled with his oud , the breeze complementing him . Amalis had laid on the ground but his eyes were shining open . Probably lost in the sky . Sam and Harris had returned to the tent after a few round - the servants had as much tolerance to Vatrin as they had experience . Meaning none .


    He looked down the hill , the valley seemingly alive in the night breeze as the grass swayed . Still visible in the light of the setting moon .


    He remained silent as time passed and she went red before leaving beneath the horizon .


    He took one breath of fresh air , the smells of grass and soil , filling him . The pipe retuned to him . He returned to the stars .


    ¡°How log has it been ?¡±


    ¡°Six years. For you . ¡° Constans answered .


    ¡°¡­I d say ¡­ twenty .The last six are simply what you know of . ¡°


    The music of the night took over for a time .


    ¡± I ¡­ hated the time I found myself a beggar. But perhaps now , now I can find why .¡±


    ¡± Why ¡­ Why you hated it or why you lived like that ?¡±


    He didn¡¯t answer . The night embraced them , sleep coming on his own at some hazy point .

 Blindness 2

    He came close . Really close .


    A moment more and his hand would touch me . I felt his warmth .


    And it was enough :


    Using his spark I ignited ,fire surrounding me . He quickly retreated. A good choice , he earned my gratitude .


    I saw through his eyes for a time - the starry sky has changed a bit . Still , so much beauty .The wonder remains the same as the first time .


    I was surprised when I first found myself in this new world but not as much as you would expect to : in a way I had both prepared and asked for this . Just like I had prepared and asked for the present I awoke to.The awe remains the same .


    Right now I find myself in a peculiar position . I stand triumphant yet exhausted and weak . I feel ¡­ out of breath . Can you imagine this feeling ?


    Once , when I was a teen , I was collecting shellfish in the sea . For hours I was swimming further and further from the beach following the cliff side . I had a knife with me , a nice diver s knife . At some point it slipped through my fingers . It fell to the depths . I dived after it . I reached out to grasp it again and again , it always seemed to be within reach . It wasn¡¯t .


    It eventually reached the bottom .. Stuck in the sand of the sea floor I collected it and turned upwards .


    It was deep enough for the sun to be darkened by nothing but depth . I pushed the sea floor with my legs and begun to swim towards the surface .


    It still seems to me I had reached somewhere I would never reach without all the special circumstances blessing me . My breath was already out by the time I reached the sea floor you see.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.The water s inflection , always there shimmering in dazzling light as i suffered oxygen deprivation - it stuck with me .


    This is the feeling I am going through right now . My mana pathways ready to fill me with power . I¡¯m just too deep this time - just a little bit more , keep going for just a little bit ... A little bit more and I ll reach the surface once more .


    Perhaps it is better described by smoking . If you chain smoke - so much that it blocks out your lungs in a very real , felt , conscious way , you can get to experience this sensation . Let me tell you , this is a great way to gain control over smoking . Let the fool persist in his folly and I ll show you the birth of a wise man .


    Despite this condition of mine I tried to regain my senses . No vision , besides what I show through the man that woke me up . I lost him and thus sight soon after .But sound and touch was there . I felt my way in and touched upon the edges of my hallway . Blocked . I ll have to breakthrough to reclaim my halls.


    I heard a breath and I went up wards . There , it is buried but it still kept growing even under ground .


    I pushed my fire and prayed . The heavens answered me and reached down , a hand extend to make me rise up again . I took it : My tree broke out of the ground , fed on my fire and grew out of the top of the hill .As it grew to stand tall I felt the wind . Immediately my power , the flames that surrounded me which had gone so close to being snuffed out due to me using them connected - I felt them dancing upwards , caressing the bark and the branches before settling in their places . They would be flames for a time but before long they would settle into leaves . I hope no one is left around to observe the change .


    Now all I have to do is breathe .


    My presence will reinstate itself on the surrounding land and I will have once more a home to protect me .


    I am tired . I am starving . I am dirty and humbled . I am drained .I am vulnerable , at my weakest . I am exhausted .


    I am grateful.


    I am alone ,


    This is true Mercy .


    I am triumphant.

 Blindness 3

    The waves of the sea kept rolling , meeting the white sands again and again .


    - I want that . It s been too long since I ve heard the sound .


    The white glittering sand , flowing through his fingers , made warm by the sun .


    The beach , a natural harbour framed by cliffs . But large enough for these rocky protrusions to seem small while laying down near the middle of it .


    - Some palm trees would be nice ¡­


    Closing his eyes he focused for just a second .


    -¡­ but I guess they are overrated. Cedrus trees lining the beach give a more grounded aesthetic.


    Lazing down on the sands he looked up alll around .


    -A river. Cold and icy fresh currents ending up in the sea . Fresh water to drink and a good excuse for some green to exist as well . So to the east some mountains, to catch and hold some water . A forest .Up and up and up . A large plain through witch the river flows in between ! And to the north ¡­. Well let¡¯s see what we ve got left.


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    Closing yes once again he noticed that most of his stash was gone . Where once all kinds of splashes of colours and even well defined shapes were , now his visuals consisted of mainly a golden rhombus and some fiery red lines . The rest would be just constantly changing colours of extremely low intensity .


    -¡­fuck it , let¡¯s place both to the north and all of the rest as to make ground south .


    getting up he observed th lay of the land and walked a good deal inland.


    - Right here will be the core of the floor ¡­


    Following his words a low rumbling and the earth rising to obey formed a hill under his feet .


    - ¡­the river should be closer to the core¡­You know I love you Mel .


    As the scenery changed to obey he let put a sight .He looked to the north where the golden red energy had started working on some rocky hills .To the south the soil was flat and salty , devoid of but the weakest of energies .


    -It s never easy ¡­up until now it s never been easy ¡­


    ¡­


    Please ¡­


    This time !


    Let it be ¡­


    easy.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    And thus he completed his Gate and the dungeon ready and open for anyone that might come in .


    And for three centuries no one came .