《The red abyss》 Download - Chapter 1 I looked at the lifeless eyes before me. They were filled with tears and emotional pain. Her mouth was still moving, trying to say something¡­ and yet, she couldn''t manage to do so. Reaching my hand out, I tried to grasp her. Comfort her. Tell her that everything is going to be fine. But I couldn''t. My body wasn''t responsive. I can''t move. Then blood filled my entire vision. I couldn''t see a thing. Red. Red. Everything is red. Like it should be. After a few seconds of staring into the silent red abyss, there was a flash. ------ I opened my eyes, staring into the ceiling. It was white and spotless, clean to the point where you could eat food from it. I thought about what I need to do today. Visiting my parents. Honestly, I really don''t want to do that, but apparently something happened and I need to come. I sighed, thinking about all the mental pain this little visit is going to bring. Getting up from bed, I looked around my room. As messy as ever I see. There were clothes strewn around my wooden floor, a few cans of soda underneath my computer desk and my gaming chair seemed to have fallen on the floor. Sighing, I got out of the room and into a 4 meter hallway. I went to the door which was right in front of me and opened it. After getting inside, I took a toothbrush from a shelf above my sink, sterilized it with some water and put toothpaste on it. Since I was finished with my daily routine, I went back to my room and put the chair back under its legs. Sighing, I plopped down on the chair. Damn, I really do sigh a lot. I turned on my computer and started searching games to play. I didn''t find anything interesting on my ''Stem'' account. I sighed once again. Seems like I need to find something new. I took the time, scouting the internet, trying to find a hidden gem that can appease my great appetite for gaming, until finally, I found something interesting.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. It was a strange little game which was posted on a forum for gamers. The game was called ''Nareoi''. It is a little RPG with a player base of about 400 players. From the description of the game, I found that it is a game set in a fantasy world. It has five main races , the elves, dwarfs, fairies, high humans and humans. Pretty generic and unoriginal, but still does it''s job. The game is set in the medieval era of Europe, again, really generic and uninteresting. But what is peculiar about the game, and the thing that especially caught my eye was the warning that was written to anybody trying to download the game. The warning stated: ''WARNING: BEFORE DOWNLOADING THE GAME, PLEASE CHECK THAT THERE IS NOBODY IN YOUR HOUSE.'' Now, this sounds like a warning that would be placed in a 18+ game. And honestly, I don''t care much. I could get some excitement, and that''s all that matters in games. And so, I clicked ''Download''. ----- A few hours has passed of watching ''ITube'' videos, waiting for the game to finish downloading. Time went at a snail''s pace, and I was already impatient when there was a slight ''ding'', indicating that the time has finally come. I opened the game, and found myself in a normal video game menu. I clicked the ''New game'' option and waited for it to load. A few seconds later, and a cutscene started. === ''Hello, hello! To the wonderful world of Nareoi!'' said the voice of a young woman while the computer screen was displaying a planet, rotating in space. ''This is not your ordinary world¡­ This is a world of magic, mysteries.. and blood.'' The screen zoomed in, into the planet, and showed 5 different continents like a map. The most central continent was the smallest one, it''s color was black. The continent to the right side of the map was the biggest one, it''s color green. All the other continents were making a circle surrounding the small black one. The three continents were all yellow, and have the same size. ''Blood.. blood is everywhere. No one can escape it.'' The woman bluntly said as the screen changed to a sight of a battlefield. Corpses were lying on the floor, weapons were embedded into the ground, and the blood. The blood was everywhere. It was an absolute carnage. ''This is not a simple and peaceful world. No, it is the world of conflict and battle.'' The woman said in a sad tone. There was a picture of a peasant, protecting his daughter from a monster on four legs. ''But, there is always beauty to the horrible.'' said the woman determinedly. The screen showed a beautiful forest, the morning shine coming through the leaves of large majestic oak trees, shrouding the forest in an everlasting shadow. The mushrooms and different exotic plants growing on the soil. ''This is the world of Nareoi. Do not let the abyss consume you.'' said the woman in a robotic voice. The screen showed nothing but¡­ red. === I looked at the screen, slightly surprised. I wasn''t expecting something so realistic looking. Honestly, I''m impressed. Now, this just makes me more excited to try the game out. I cracked my knuckles and took a deep breath. Character creation, here I go. Such realistic design! - Chapter 2 I embraced her in a loving embrace filled with affection while she cried onto my shirt. I felt the, now partially, wet fabric of my shirt sticking to my skin, as if it was a large moth. I gathered my courage and started speaking gentle words into her ears. She stopped crying for a second, before the dam broke once again. I continued whispering late into the night, until she fell asleep. I laid her on the bed and took my own position next to her, ready to comfort her at a moment''s notice. I closed my eyes, and fell to the land of nightmares. ------ I broke out of my reverie, looking at the screen of my computer. My now complete character stood there, looking exactly like me. Well, not exactly like me. I made him a bit more masculine, a bit less fat, a lot more trimmed. All in all, he looked like the perfect me. The me I once was. I shook my head. This is not the time. I looked at every angle of my character, finding nothing that could be considered a flaw. Satisfied, I hovered my mouse over to the ''confirm'' button, and clicked. My character moved, walking out of screen. Yet, I couldn''t help but notice the subtle glance that he made my way. I sighed. It''s no time to crazy, it''s the time to play. Or game, as the newer generation likes to say. I looked at the screen expectantly, seeing the small loading icon of the game rotate in the lower left part of the screen. The icon was a picture of a silver sword, going through the stem a large rose, and coming out of the other end of the rose bloody. Honestly, I like the design. It resonates with me on a deeper level. Or it could be I just like the art work. When the loading icon faded, a small pop-up screen¡­ well.. popped up. The screen asked me what my name in game is going to be, with a space that I could type on right below it. I clicked on the white space. Seeing the small line blinking in and out of existence in the space, I thought about what name is best for me. After thinking for a few seconds, I decided that simple was best and wrote my own private name. Many people would find it stupid, but I don''t. I find games as tools. Tools that I could use to come to another world, and do something significant in that particular reality. And, if I''m not myself when I go to another world, then who am I exactly? I am myself, and I think I should stay that way. I clicked ''confirm'' and the pop-up went away, making the damn loading screen to continue. I just wanna play the game man! A few seconds of absentmindedly looking at the blood dripping down the shiny silver sword, a loud noise rang out through my speakers. It was the noise of horses, galloping on mud.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The loading screen faded away, giving in to another cutscene. === Five leather armored men rode through the rain and mud with their swords at the ready on their hips. The leading man looked behind him for a second, assessing the situation, and finding that no one is missing. "MEN! WE NEED TO GET THERE AS FAST AS WE CAN! OR DO YOU WANT TO MISS IT?!" yelled the leader through the rain. "YES SIR!" everyone behind him responded, a hand holding tight on the fiber rope which was tied around the horses necks, and the other hand resting on the hilt of their sword. They continued riding through the muddy plains, nothing obstructing them. After a few seconds, they could see a shape through the fog. It was the shape of a building. Everyone kicked their horse on the side, making the horses go even faster. they finally arrived at the small sized temple. The stone temple was crumbling from old age, the strong wind didn''t help it''s condition. When they were right in front of it, they pulled on the rope, making the horses neigh and stop. "Let''s go!" Yelled the leader, dropping down from his ride. Everyone follow suit, making their way after the leader and into the temple. They went through a corridor, and into a room. The room had a stone staircase leading down into the ground. Walking down the stairs case, they arrived at the basement. "NO! Stop!" screamed the leader, storming at a nearby figure with his sword drawn. The sword went through the figures neck, making red ooze come out of the wound and stain his black coat red. The figure dropped down on the floor, his hood fell from his head and revealed a handsome young man in his 20s, with his mouth half open, leaking blood. "Destroy the circle!" The leader shouted to his men who just came down the staircase, pointing at a magic circle which was surrounded by a few dark figures. "Yes sir!" Shouted back the soldiers, rushing in, swords unsheathed. "Shit!" "Fuck!" "Defend the circle!" Shouted a few of the black figures, taking out short swords which were hidden in their long black coat. The first of the soldiers arrived and slashed his sword diagonally, aiming to decapitate the head of one of the enemies. The enemy crouched down just in time, his own sword flying through the air and through leather. The swing had enough force to break through the bone of the soldiers leg, incapacitating him in the process. Similar battles happened all around the wide celler, every black figure distracting the soldiers and not giving them way to the circle. Two of the soldiers died, while they managed to kill all the other people from the opposing team. "Good job men!" Said the leader looking at the results of the battle, before focusing his gaze on the magic circle. "Shit.." he muttered as he approached the circle with cautious steps. He was just about to wipe away the black goo that the circle was made out of when a bright light blinded him and his men. Everyone shielded their eyes instinctively. It was only a few seconds before the light started diminishing. "Fuck. Men! On the ready!" Shouted the leader. Everyone stood with caution, their swords fixed in place, ready to attack or defend. After the light was gone, everyone could see a mascular naked man. The man had dirty blonde hair with dim green eyes. The man had a shocked and confused expression on his face. === I looked on as the six men got inside the celler and started battling the cultists looking guys. There was a black magic circle which was illuminated by the lit touches that were adorning the wall. Suddenly, the circle began to glow. I looked on expectantly, waiting to see what kind of vile creature will be summoned from the eternal void when a bright light, like that of a flashbang went out and consumed my room. There was a moment of confusion, before full on shock started forming on every fiber of my face. I was standing naked¡­ In front of four soldiers in leather armor¡­ Their swords raised against me¡­ How the FUCK did this happen?! Staring contest won! - chapter 3 I took in the sight of the armed men. They had black leather armor with the symbol of a sword on their chest. They had black leather gloves as well. I then scanned my surroundings, finding the dead bodies of the cultists. The sight of blood seeping out of their wounds was made even more creepy by the atmosphere of the basement. I took a deep breath out of slight fear, only to gag and try to cover my nose with my left hand. It felt like I was a human vacuum, gathering all the stench of waste from the dead bodies. Honestly, the sight of the blood and dead bodies doesn''t make me disgusted. I have already been there and done that. What does make me disgusted is the horrible smell and the fact that people died here.. in the place I am currently standing on. I looked back at the soldiers, finding them still standing, with their swords on the ready. I closed my eyes before opening them and saying, "Hello¡­?". The soldiers remained in their position, except for one. The man who moved was behind all the others. He had beautiful blonde hair that reached his shoulders, blue eyes, sharp cheekbones, and an obviously toned body. He moved by taking a few steps back in the direction of the staircase. What he didn''t anticipate, it seems, was that on his third step, he would slip on some blood. CRUNCH! I cringed. The back of his head hit the edge of the first step, making an unpleasant sound. Then, his body laid there, unmoving. "Fucking incompetence¡­" I heard the supposed leader of the soldiers mutter under his breath, which made my gaze turn to his. We made eye contact. I felt my muscles tense. Blood pressure was building in my head, making my feet a bit wobbly. "How¡­ did I get here?" I asked tentatively, anticipating to get nothing from the veteran standing a few meters in front of me. And nothing I got. Not even a single word was exchanged. He didn''t even seem to react to my question. We stood there for a few more seconds in a staring contest before the leader blinked. "Ha! I win!" I said out of stupidity and to try and lighten up the mood. The leader frowned, staring right into my soul. Or so it seemed from my perspective. "Men, take it." The leader commanded his troops. The two soldiers approached me, still ready to fight. Ah, why did I say that? Why the fuck all the stupid shit comes from my mouth in these kinds of moments¡­ This is my shock ridden brain trying to cope with the situation, isn''t it? Fuck. When the first soldier was near me, he tackled me to the floor. I grunted in pain as my naked back hit the bloody cobblestone the floor is made of. I tried struggling, but it seems he''s stronger than me.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I peeked behind the soldier holding me to the ground and saw the second soldier taking out some kind of rope from his bag. Huh, I didn''t notice he had a bag. This is not good. I started panicking. Struggling even harder, I tried to slide from underneath the soldier holding me. But he had the advantage. I wasn''t strong enough. Shit, this is bad. Now that the shock passed, I understand what this situation entails. I was summoned from that circle, wasn''t I? And those guys killed the guys that summoned me¡­ does that mean they will kill me too?! Fuck! How did I get into this situation?! It was the game wasn- There was a loud smacking sound, and then everything went black. ------ I woke up inside a dark place. My sitting position, if you could call it that, was very uncomfortable, to say the least. I wriggled about, trying to find a position I could be comfortable with. While I was doing that, I managed to find out I was in some kind of cage. One of the metal bars of the cage bruised my right knee after all. After a few seconds, I finally found my preferred pose. Now, to assess the situation. Getting summoned, having a staring contest with an obvious veteran, getting knocked out and finding myself in a cage which is probably made for animals. This pretty much sums it up. I sighed. This is some fucked up shit.. Suddenly, my surroundings started rattling aggressively. Honestly, I''m not sure what is happening. There was no carriage outside in the cutscene, so where am I? Am I tied to one of the horses? No, it can''t be. A horse can''t support my weight and the cages weight. Or am I just being dragged around on the ground? I sighed once again. This is not the time. I''m in a very dangerous situation. I could potentially die. But.. if I die, I will see her again, won''t I? I pondered that line of thought for a few seconds before my rational mind kicked in. I''m not religious. I don''t believe in the afterlife. But I do believe in life. And currently, my life is at risk. I need to escape somehow. Maybe I can negotiate with them? Probably not. Sighing a third time, I closed my eyes and pictured all the things that could happen to me. All of them end bloody. I don''t want that. I''m just a random run-of-the-mill gamer. How could I even do anything in this kind of situation? Well, I guess I can¡¯t really do anything right now. The cage I¡¯m in at the moment is obviously made out of metal. It is smooth and cold to the touch. I am naked, and it is very unpleasant. All I can do right now is wait. --- My inner clock told me that a few hours passed. The rattling finally settled down, which means we have arrived at our destination. At this point, my entire being is filled with despair. Give a man a few hours in the dark and an uncertain future, and what you get is a mess. My head hurts from the rattling of the cage, My chest hurts from my nervousness, and my stomach hurts because I''m afraid. The combination of those and the fact there is a high probability of me dying is making me shit myself. I waited for a few more minutes, thinking about all that transpired, almost getting into full-blown depression, when light came into being. The rag, or whatever, that was covering my small cage, was lifted. Finally, I could see. And, not only can I see, but I can also perceive that I¡¯m fucked. From one cage to another - chapter 4 Through the bars of the cage, I could see the leader of the soldiers looking down at me. There was a man beside him. The man had a mask covering most of his face. The mask was red and had the shape of a bird. The man also had bright red hair that reached down his shoulders. His leather armor was black on the lower half, and gray from the stomach up. He looked down at me for a few seconds, I''m guessing he¡¯s assessing me. "A nice find indeed. We could sell it for quite a lot to the crown. Get it out of the animal box." said the man, not moving an inch. "Yes sir." replied the leader, taking out some keys from the shoulder bag that he was apparently wearing. The keys were brown and very simple looking. The leader of the small group of soldiers that apprehended me put the key inside a keyhole that was situated on the outside front of the cage, and turned it around. There was a click, and the bars started sliding away as if they were a door being opened. The leader looked down at me, seeing my reluctance to come out. "Out." he said in a commanding tone. I looked at him, still apprehensive. I didn''t want to go out, but I have a feeling that if I don''t obey, something bad will happen. It always happens in stories. It''s best to follow the directions of your captives then not to. At least until help arrives. I hope help arrives. After thinking about it for a few more moments, I nodded my head and got out of the ''animal box''. The leader took me harshly by the arm and led me after the masked man who was already walking away. I looked behind me out of curiosity, wanting to see how the cage was carried with me in it. And indeed, my guess was right. The cage was being dragged by the horse with the help of a rope. I am glad that the cage was small enough that I didn''t fly around everywhere from being rattled like that. I was pulled forward by the leader, making me stumble a bit before catching my footing. It seems I was to lost in thought. After walking absentmindedly for a bit, looking down on the floor, I looked to my side for a second, noticing that there are a lot of tents bunched up together. It seems like this is a military camp of some sort. I then looked forward and saw that we were being led to a large wagon. The wagon had a cage attached to it. There were a few animals growling at each other inside. There was a generic-looking pup bloodhound, a kitten which looked a lot like a black panther, and a small purple boar. "Put it in." the masked man told the leader. The leader looked at me for a second before fishing another key out of his bag with his one useable arm. After that, he led me right in front of the cage.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The animals obviously noticed us already and we''re now looking at me, their mouth opened. The leader was apparently disinterested in this situation, as he opened the cage and threw me right in. When I was inside, he closed the cage, having finished his job. I looked at the animals inside my new temporary home. They were all growling at me. "Hey! Hey¡­ hey.. no need to be so aggressive!¡± I whispered yelled, waving my arms around in a panic. The animals appeared to be even angrier at my little outburst and took a step towards me. The cage was not that big, which means if they took another two steps with their small stature then they will be right in front of me. I crouched down, having heard somewhere that if you do this, you could frighten animals off. And surprisingly, it worked. The animals stopped advancing. I breathed out a sigh of relief before I started thinking about the happenings of today. I was kidnapped by a group of soldiers from a video game. Fucking hell. This is bad. They also said something about selling me to the crown. Not only that, but they were talking about me as if I was some kind of animal. Now, the question is, how do I proceed from here on out? I need to escape somehow. I looked out of the cage and saw all the tents. The only person I saw there was the leader, who was sitting on a wooden chair, scanning the surroundings. It looks like he¡¯s keeping watch while everyone else is either in the tents or out and about in another area. I sighed again. This is not helping. I can not ask the leader to be released. He would not listen to me. How can I escape? maybe I could find a way to bre- ¡°FUCK!¡± I looked down at my right arm, seeing a long gash going through the length of it, blood seeping out. The one who injured me is the panther kitten. Sneaky bastard. But shit! This fucking hurts. I looked at the little panther and saw him eyeing my leg. Behind him, the boar and the hound were coming closer as well. I don¡¯t think this is normal behavior to animals, but fuck it. I don¡¯t need their bullshit right now. I stood up abruptly, making the panther jump back and hitting the hound. Both small animals lost their footing and dropped down on the floor, thrashing about. The boar looked at me in horror as I lifted my leg off the ground. I stomped it down, making the now untangled panther and hound, as well as the boar, to jump up and freeze. Now that ought to make them understand. I won¡¯t tolerate them scratching me. What if I got some illness from the panther? That is going to suck. I sighed once again. ¡°Great.. Now I have some unruly kids to discipline on the trip to wherever our destination is going to be.¡± I muttered as I looked at the ¡®unruly kids¡¯. I never liked animals. Paradise - chapter 5 I looked at her as she was eyeing my broken leg worryingly. "Ahh, you don''t need to worry. Everything''s gonna be fine. I will be back on my legs in a month or two." I said, trying to sooth her. ------ I opened my eyes, only to close them because of the bright light of the sun. I turned my head away, and rubbed them with my right arm. After getting the pain away, I opened them again. I sat up and looked around the cage, finding the three animals still asleep on the opposing side of the cage. These animals are way too smart for my tastes. They didn''t attack me after my show of dominance, and this is what scares me. Animals like them should be functioning on instincts, and yet, they didn''t kill me off while I was asleep. Shaking my head, I got up on my legs and stumbled a bit before catching myself, and holding my left arm which still hurts from the scratch I got. The cage was rattling rather violently. Good thing I''m a heavy sleeper. I looked out of the cage and to the driver''s seat of the wagon. The one driving was the leader that caught me. He was still wearing his bloody leather armor, holding the reins that were tied to two horses. The horses were the ones doing the heavy lifting I guess. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. I wonder why he didn''t change clothes. Isn''t it filthy to stay with bloody leather on you the whole time? But, to be honest, I don''t really care. He''s the dick that caught me and wants to fucking sell me. I mean, yeah, I probably annoyed him with my staring contest joke, but what can I do? It just kinda came out of my mouth. Alright, maybe.. I can really talk to him? It probably won''t work but it''s not like I have anything else to lose. Except my life, but I''m not that pessimistic. Carefully, I stepped through the wagon, trying to not wake the animals up before I got to right behind him. "Hey.. can you hear me?" I whispered, hoping to catch his attention. He didn''t even flinch, continuing to direct the horses on the dirt road as if nothing happened. "Please answer." I said a bit more loudly. This time he turned around and looked at my naked form. Wow, I only just noticed, but I don''t give a shit about being naked huh? That''s weird. "Stop making noises, beast." He said in a gruff voice before turning his head back to the road. This is not the way to communicate, I guess. But I don''t understand, why did he say I was making noises? Couldn''t he just say, ''Stop talking'' or something? I sighed, and looked behind me, seeing the animals still sleeping. I then sat down on the cold metal floor of the cage and looked outside absentmindedly. Green grass being illuminated by the afternoon sun. Beautiful roses and other flowers that I don''t know the names of, blooming in the distance. Small ants going in groups, minding their own business. The faraway trees with orange leaves, flattering in the wind. This place looks like paradise. Without air pollution, almost none human interference as far as the eye could see. It could really be called the Garden of Eden. But it is not. I am going to be sold, people don''t talk to me, there is blood staining my bare foot from the basement. But.. this place is not hell either. It is something in between. Still, if you think about it, this scenery was created from blood. The blood of animals, decaying corpses being eaten by the microorganisms on the ground, probably dangerous and poisonous herbs that kill the offsprings of animals that eat them. There is always prey. This place is the definition of the rule of the jungle. Kill or be killed. Drink blood, or be drank from. I hope I won''t die. And to do that, I need to escape. I looked away from the outside world, and turned my eyes to the peacefully sleeping animals. Maybe¡­ maybe I can use them to do just that. But, how do I make them do what I want?