《The Voidstalker [Dungeon/Rift Progression Fantasy]》


 Chapter 1 - Land of Men

    ¡®I¡¯m really out of luck here¡¯


    In a place where almost everything was either green from vegetation or brown from the ground and wood, a skinny man dabbled his way forward.


    He had a makeshift machete, a little more than a bare piece of stone strapped to a stick, to cut his way through the vines in front.


    How many hours had he been walking now?


    Rylen wasn¡¯t sure. He was growing tired, but the animals he had seen so far were too small to bother hunting. They wouldn¡¯t do much to fill his stomach anyway.


    When he saw a tree with a deep mark on its trunk, he stopped and stood there in place. The gash was wide and uneven, and the insides of the trunk carried a trace of grey.


    He ran his fingers over it lightly and furrowed his brows.


    ¡®Should I have gone in a different direction?¡¯


    Relyn questioned his decision to walk south. In fact, he was questioning that decision for hours now, but everywhere around was getting tough.


    Just a week before, he had seen birds heading to the west in flocks, but the thinking of the west was enough to make his skin crawl. He had seen far too many weird things going west, things he could barely bring himself to remember.


    He kneeled down and looked over a red, four leaves plant. He carefully plucked it with his right hand and squinted his eyes, while his thin fingers moved the plant around and looked at it closely.


    ¡®Is this the one you can eat or the one that makes you shit your organs out?¡¯


    His last bad experience with the wrong plant hadn¡¯t been too long ago, and the possibility of making the wrong decision again made him hesitate.


    No matter how he looked at it, he just couldn¡¯t tell the difference, the red ones were always practically the same. He knew for a fact almost all the blue and purple ones were edible, but they weren¡¯t too common.


    ¡°Damnit¡± He cursed under his breath.


    At the end, he sighed and dropped it to the ground. Eating a poisonous plant in his conditions would probably slow him down for hours, or maybe even worse.


    Getting back to his feet and looking up, he saw the shape of a moon slowly rise into the sky in the distance.


    ¡°Is it Hell Day already? Fuck, it should only be in two days from now, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Did I miscalculate?¡±


    Relyn had a system to control when, what he had named the ¡®Hell Day¡¯ would happen. It was something that should happen every thirteen nights. But the last one was only eleven nights ago.


    Was it changing?


    It had been the same for so long now, it was unlikely. Maybe the culprit was the cave.


    The humidity inside was getting worse in the last couple of weeks and the moss had begun to distort the marks he had scratched into them, his calendar.


    But now, the cave was far behind him and there was no way of being sure.


    His mind raced and he felt his heart pounding in his chest. The machete slipped from his sweaty palm, and fell right beneath him.


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    He stared up at the sky with a blank expression and his knees buckled to the ground.


    All the struggles he went through crossed his mind. From the first memory that he could recall, when he woke up on the beach with his mind cleared of any memories, or the first time he killed an animal to fill his stomach.


    Living with so many questions had been hard, but finding these answers was even harder. In fact, Relyn hadn¡¯t been looking for answers throughout this time, his mind was too busy thinking about what his next meal would be.


    One mistake and this was where he ended up. Reality was brutal.


    Rylen closed his hands into fists and slammed them into the earth a couple of times until he grew tired. The impact made his knuckles sting, but the pain didn¡¯t even register - nothing mattered right now.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± He yelled out loud.


    But it didn¡¯t take him long to get back on his feet with a tight grip to his machete again. Rylen had always managed to hold himself together, always kept it in control even when everything was falling apart. Why couldn¡¯t he now?


    ¡®Think! You need to fucking think!¡¯


    He took a few shallow breaths to let go of the panic and looked around, trying his best to come up with something.


    ¡®How much longer do I have now? An hour?¡¯


    Rylen used his hands to measure the angle of the moon against the sun.


    ¡®Maybe a little bit less?¡¯


    He laughed bitterly. Running his way back was impossible at this point, and this whole place had nothing but trees and earth.


    Suddenly, he began to move east.


    There was something there, or at least it should have. Rylen remembered the day he saw them going in that direction.


    With his experience walking amongst the forest, he could roughly compensate for how much he had already walked south and figured he wouldn¡¯t be too far off.


    He quickened his pace, pushing through the vines and grass as fast as the terrain allowed him.


    Occasionally, he had to stop and think about where he was going to make sure he¡¯d still be on track.


    But after delving further into the forest, finding a place that wasn¡¯t completely covered by the tall trees leaves was rare, but when he finally found the one, he finally felt a bit of relief.


    In the short distance, he saw a trail of smoke going up through the air.


    ¡®It¡¯s close now.¡¯


    From time to time, the tall trees in front of him would make him lose sight of the smoke sign for a couple of minutes, but soon he would track it down once again and continue on its way.


    That was his guide.


    The sole of Relyn¡¯s feet went numb a long time ago, but taking any more breaks was not an option in his situation, he simply gritted his teeth and kept going.


    His body was damp from sweat, and the temperature had been dropping steadily. Whatever warmth he had left was fading quickly.


    But finally, he saw hope. And it was only a couple of minutes away.


    ¡®Found you¡¯


    He saw a source of light ahead in the distance, just enough to form a small contrast to the dark surroundings.


    He had been avoiding them for so long now. And for a good reason.


    Rylen had seen many of them by this point, wandering in the forests. Sometimes they were lost, sometimes they were going somewhere.


    What had kept him away all of this time were the few he had seen that defied all logic he had of this world, true monsters.


    ¡°What are you doing here at this hour?!¡± A voice rang out, not too loud but enough to be heard, and it came from a man wearing a silver plate armor holding a torch high.


    ¡®And you found me too, uh¡¯


    What struck Relyn was the strange language in which the man spoke, it was clearly different from his native tongue, whatever that was, but he could understand all the words of it.


    ¡®Can I speak it too?¡¯


    His throat felt dry and he was unsure, but he forced himself to speak.


    ¡°Hello. I want to eat food and drink water. I think I had.. uh.. accident.¡± His voice was weak, but it was the truth.


    ¡°This accent¡­ where are you from?¡± The man¡¯s eyes narrowed, scanning him up and down.


    Before he could answer, a second figure stepped out of the shadows, someone dressed similarly to the person Relyn was already talking to. But his expression was more grim, more urgent.


    ¡°We need to get the hell out of here now.¡± He said, looking at his partner.


    The first man hesitated, his gaze flicking between the boy he had just found and his partner. Then, with a heavy sigh, he turned back to Relyn.


    ¡°You are going to have to answer some questions later on.¡± He said, not taking his eyes off Relyn for too long.


    "For now, follow us closely. Don¡¯t try anything funny with me."


    As they walked, Rylen''s instincts screamed at him to stay alert. He had a rough understanding that most of these people were weak, scavengers like himself. But a few of them had supernatural powers that creeped him out. These men might be the same.


    But for now, there seemed to be no better option than to follow.


    The second man, who also was carrying a torch, led the way. His pace was quick, and his partner followed closely behind, keeping a watchful eye on Relyn.


    ¡®Who are these guys?¡¯


    He was trying to understand the situation he got himself into, and when he looked closely at them, something unexpectedly came to his mind.


    ¡®Soldiers?¡¯


    Sometimes, Rylen would remember pieces and bits of information of a world he didn¡¯t know by experience. And this had just happened again.


    ¡°Well, where are-¡± Relyn was about to ask something but didn¡¯t get to finish it.


    ¡°Quiet!¡± The man right in front of him urgently cut him off, his expression serious.


    ¡®They both have their hands busy and are wearing this heavy thing¡­ I bet that I can run away from them and get myself a head start if something happens.¡¯


    Relyn¡¯s mind raced with plans and counterplans as they continued to walk in.


    ¡®But what if they catch me then? Maybe I should try to steal one of the swords¡­ No, there¡¯s no way I can beat them like this¡­ I¡¯m just going to run.¡¯


    Following along the dense woods, traces of light began to break through the trees. That light grew brighter with every step, until they emerged from the shadows and found themselves facing a tall stone wall.


    He had arrived in the land of men.

 Chapter 2 - Salath

    As the three of them got closer to the stone wall, Rylen noticed they were covered in scratches, long and deep. They didn¡¯t seem new, but they were still there.


    ¡°Hand over your weapon¡± The soldier closest to Rylen said.


    ¡°No,¡± Rylen replied flatly.


    Both armored men immediately rested their hands on their swords and changed their stances.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going into the city armed. Even if it¡¯s that thing.¡± The man promptly said.


    ¡®Have I dug my own grave in this place?¡¯


    Rylen looked around and cursed under his breath.


    ¡°This is your last warning,¡± The soldier spoke again, his voice sharper this time.


    ¡°Hand over your weapon, or we¡¯ll treat you as a threat to the people of Salath.¡± The soldier continued, drawing his sword.


    Rylen looked at that sword curiously. He knew he was probably behind with the tools he made, but this was something else entirely.


    The sword, though worn and stained with dirt, still had Its blade straight and the edge looked sharp too.


    Reluctantly, he extended his arm and handed over his machete, and only then they began walking again.


    When they passed through the gates, Rylen was surprised.


    ¡®So many of them here¡¯


    A number of people were on the streets, talking, walking, trading goods. Some laughed, others bartered, and children ran in between them.


    What puzzled him most was the calm atmosphere. No one seemed worried about what was happening beyond the walls.


    And how did they have food for so many people?


    Suddenly, he heard heavy footsteps coming from somewhere behind. He looked back, and with the corner of his eyes he saw heads moving left and right on top of the wall.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s your defense¡­¡± He said, still looking at the top of the wall.


    ¡°What are you staring at? Keep your head down¡± One of the soldiers muttered. His grip tightened on Relyn¡¯s shoulder as the soldier pushed him forward.


    Relyn¡¯s instincts kicked in and he almost reacted, but he stopped himself and kept moving.


    Soon, they stopped in front of a wooden house with a sloping roof and thick beams. One of the soldiers motioned him inside, which Relyn followed.


    Inside, he found himself in a big room. In the distance, a narrow staircase led both up and down, but he quickly looked at the only person inside, an older, chubby man seated behind a wooden desk.


    ¡°By the love of the Gods, what is that smell?¡± behind his desk, the man said, waving his hand.


    ¡°Name?¡± He proceeded to ask.


    Rylen looked behind, unsure if that was directed to him, but soon he felt something against his back motioning him to answer.


    ¡°Rylen¡±


    ¡°From?¡± The man immediately asked another question. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    That was a good question.


    He, himself, didn¡¯t quite know the answer.


    ¡°From?¡± The man asked again after a few seconds of silence.


    ¡°The outside¡±.


    The chubby man murmured something to himself before continuing.


    ¡°He¡¯s cleared.¡±


    ¡°Rylen. Rylen from¡­ uh, what city has people like that?¡± Behind the desk, the man spoke to himself and raised his finger, thinking.


    ¡°St. Lius. Yes, Rylen from St. Lius¡­¡± He laughed out loud.


    The soldier behind Relyn nodded, and walked him to a table at the back.


    ¡°Sit,¡± The first man Relyn had met said, gesturing to the table.


    Both soldiers sat down across from him, and the one who had just spoken leaned forward and narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m soldier Bolton, and this here is soldier Merley.¡± He quickly introduced.


    "Now, to the important stuff. What were you doing back there?¡± He asked.


    Rylen had rehearsed something on the way to the city.


    ¡°I had an accident.. working in the forest, my head is still confused. I only need food and somewhere to stay for the day.¡± He said.


    ¡°Are you one of those cultists?¡± Bolton asked, and he slightly raised his lips as if to show some disdain to the idea.


    And Rylen, paying close attention to everything around him, wouldn¡¯t miss that.


    ¡°No.¡± He quickly answered.


    ¡°Now, enough with the nonsense about the outside. You speak strange, are you from the north?¡±


    The wrong answer could complicate things, but he wasn¡¯t sure what the right answer was, nor did he know a good lie to say right now.


    ¡°I live by myself, on the outside,¡± Relyn said.


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me you don¡¯t live in a city?¡± The soldier had a weird look in his eyes.


    ¡®Yes! Damnit, yes!¡¯


    The soldiers looked at each other, and the second men murmured something close to the ears of the soldier interrogating Relyn.


    ¡®Are they suspicious of me?¡¯


    He turned vigilant and slowly lowered his right hand, where a small dagger he had made was hidden.


    ¡°What I¡¯m about to say now is procedure. You need to listen to it very carefully, do you understand that?¡± Bolton, the soldier carrying the questions continued, pulling a small scroll from somewhere in his armor.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°As per the Act of Celsus, all cities, with the exception of the six great capitals, may, after carefully considering their own provisions and inventory, refuse to provide assistance to those born outside their territories unless in situations of public calamity. Individuals in unfortunate circumstances must request provisions from the city halls of their homeland or from one of the six great capitals.¡± The soldier slowly read the scroll in his hand.


    ¡°That means we don¡¯t have to give you shit, got it?¡±


    ¡°But¡­ you¡¯re in luck. We had a rift showing up yesterday not too far from our walls, and the city is still looking to hire some crawlers.¡±


    ¡°The payment is 18 coins of silver and you¡¯re free to eat and drink from our provisions until the exploration is completed, we¡¯ll also give you shelter for a while, if you¡¯re interested¡± Bolton offered.


    The word ¡°rift¡± meant nothing to Relyn, but ¡°food¡± and ¡°shelter¡± were enough for him today.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m interested.¡± He responded.


    ¡°Good.¡± The soldier put away the scroll he was carrying and pulled out a different, bigger scroll and put it on the table right in front of Relyn.


    ¡°Sign it and I¡¯ll show you what to do¡± Bolton continued.


    Relyn leaned in and read what he could. There were some strange words in there but he was able to understand the idea behind this paper.


    It exempted the city of any responsibility, complying to a bunch of different rules and giving up on his right to seek justice if anything were to happen during his duty.


    Some of these concepts felt strangely familiar to him, though he couldn¡¯t recall why.


    ¡°You need to spill a drop of your blood in there.¡± The soldier spoke, and drew a small knife.


    Relyn stretched forward his hands to grab the knife, but the man¡¯s hand backed down.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it for you.¡± Bolton firmly said.


    And so, he lightly punctured Relyn¡¯s thumb and small drops of blood fell into the paper. As soon as the first drops touched the scroll, it emitted a faint yellow glow before rolling itself back into its original, closed state


    ¡®They have all sorts of things here¡¯


    Looking at that, Relyn grew even more vigilant.


    With everything done, the soldier got up from his seat.


    ¡°You can grab food and water in that room, but you need to eat on a table here¡± He pointed towards one of the doors there.


    ¡°The expedition is in two days, now take the night to eat and wash yourself. Ah¡­ you¡¯re also going-¡±


    In the middle of his sentence, someone bursted in through the door.


    ¡°Finally found the two of you!¡±


    The man stood in place while gasping for air.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes, the captain is requesting for everyone on the north-east wall. An Uncommon was seen¡­¡±


    Both Merley and Bolton¡¯s eyes widened  and they ran out the door at the same time.


    ¡®Uncommon?¡¯


    ¡®Screw it. They¡¯ll take care of it¡¯


    Relyn immediately walked to the room Bolton told him. The room was as sparse as he expected, just a table with a tray of bread, a small block of cheese, and some water.


    He settled at a table near the corner and didn¡¯t waste time before tearing through the food. Unsure if he could get another serving, he looked around, but no one seemed to watch him or care.


    He went back two more times to get more food.


    In between his coming and going, he noticed there were about fifteen people scattered across the hall, most hunched over their meals in silence, and only a few of them looked healthy, four, maybe five at most. The others were pale, too skinny, or just too old.


    Finishing his meal, he lay on the cot provided. He glanced at the others not too far from him and adjusted his dagger to behind his palms.


    His plan was clear. He would wait until sunrise and escape, this was not his place. Although life outside was difficult, he was used to being alone and fighting his way through another day.


    This place had too many people, too many variables.


    Time passed and Rylen kept his ears and eyes on alert. At some point at night, he heard screams and a loud thud, but they were quickly subdued.


    Steps, something being dragged on the street¡­

 Chapter 3 - First Day

    When Rylen woke up the next morning, the air was still and warm. He sat up quickly, rubbed his eyes and his hands instinctively went to his sleeves, checking for his dagger.


    And luckily, it was still there.


    ¡°Damnit! I actually slept in this place¡­ I need to get out of here now.¡± Rylen muttered to himself.


    When was the last time he had a comfortable place to lay his back when he was tired?


    He couldn¡¯t remember. His nights were usually spent feeling a cold stone beneath him against his bones no matter how many layers of leaves he used.


    Sometimes, he woke up shivering. Other times, it was the sounds of creatures and animals getting too close to his cave that woke him.


    But comfort could get you killed in this world. He kept that thought buried deep in his mind.


    Looking around the room, he saw the hall was empty now with no one around. He stood and walked toward the small room with the food he¡¯d eaten yesterday, but when he opened the door, it was also empty.


    No bread, no cheese, not even crumbs. The pitchers of water were gone as well.


    He didn¡¯t stay for long and walked outside. The streets were quieter than yesterday, with only a handful of people out. They moved quickly, heads down, as if they were in a hurry.


    When he reached the main gate, he had a simple plan. Don¡¯t stand out. Just get in line like everyone else and walk away from that place.


    ¡°State your business,¡± One of the guards asked an older man in front.


    ¡°I have a load due to deliver today¡± The old man replied.


    ¡°What¡¯s the load?¡± The question came quickly.


    ¡°Erian''s talismans for the church of St. Lius¡± The man said, scratching his head.


    ¡°Not essential. Gate¡¯s closed for the day, please turn around.¡±


    ¡°But I have to take these today, the holy mass is tomorrow morning!¡± He pleaded and gestured to a cart piled high with crates.


    ¡°No exceptions,¡± The guard added, crossing his arms.


    ¡°Foolish! When we¡¯re so close to the times of repentance! Idiots¡­¡±


    Relyn stepped back, watching them talk. The old man muttered something under his breath and unwillingly turned his cart around.


    ¡°Fuck! What¡¯s happening?¡± He cursed to himself and started to plan his next steps.


    Looking at the sun¡¯s position, he figured he¡¯d still have enough time in the day to walk his way back to his cave, but there was no time to waste.


    He took a long walk around the town, scanning the gates and the walls for any gaps, any weakness he could exploit.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe that boy they found. I heard his face was so deformed they still don¡¯t know who he is¡± Someone passing by spoke, almost whispering.


    ¡°Yes. But he isn¡¯t the only one, we know about him because his body fell from the wall, but what about the others?¡± Another person asked, in the same tone.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t the army letting anyone speak to the soldiers?¡±


    ¡°Why do you think there¡¯s so few locals in the army?¡±


    ¡°Oh.. you think they-¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, exactly. But keep your voice down, damnit.¡±


    As he walked, he noticed things were very different from the day before. People were tense, something completely different from just a couple of hours ago.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The hours passed by, and Rylen wandered aimlessly.


    No matter where he looked at, the walls seemed to be flawless. There were no gaps and no places one could get in or out with the exception of the main gate. He was taken aback.


    And unfortunately for him, everytime he walked up close to the gates again, there would be even more soldiers stationed there.


    Relyn frowned. Whatever happened in that place, it had trapped him inside.


    Eventually, he found a place where people came, went and spoke freely.


    It was a strange place, everything was red with the exception of the tables and chairs, and it was loud with conversations.


    The room was simple but crowded. There were about twenty tables around, most of them occupied at this point.


    Some people there were too excited, screamed, while others seemed happy to quietly drink in the corners.


    At one end of the room, a woman dressed in grey walked in between the tables, exchanging mugs for small coins. The concept of exchanging metal for things was something he had in the back of his mind, but this was the first time seeing it in person.


    A silent agreement everyone followed.


    Suddenly, someone stumbled left and forth, before finally managing to climb up a table.


    ¡°A toast¡±


    ¡°Come on, man. Get down, let¡¯s go¡± A voice at the table urged him.


    ¡°No, no, no.. Stop, I want a toast¡­ Yes, a toast¡± The stumbling person said out loud.


    The room became quieter, and people looked over in curiosity.


    ¡°To our brave heroes of the army of Salath. A toast, everyone. Raise your mugs¡±


    ¡°They fought so much for us all, and at what cost?¡±


    ¡°Get down Julian, what if someone-¡±


    But the person on top of the table didn¡¯t listen, and continued.


    ¡°They just take our children to Gods-know-where. For every two hundred we send, how many do we receive? Maybe fifteen?¡±


    ¡°What an honor to the people of Salath!¡±


    Finally, the voice who tried to convince him before couldn¡¯t take it anymore and pulled his friend down.


    People whispered to each other, and the room that was previously quiet, slowly came back to being noisy again.


    ¡°Not from here, friend?¡±


    Rylen glanced over his shoulder and noticed a man sitting alone at a nearby table.


    His clothes were different from the other people of the town, they were old but well kept, with a style that didn¡¯t seem common around here.


    It wasn¡¯t just the clothes that caught his eye. The man¡¯s left sleeve hung empty. He only had his right arm.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not from here¡± Rylen replied and turned his head around again.


    ¡°If the ale isn¡¯t messing with my head,¡± The man said, leaning back, ¡°I think I saw you yesterday. You¡¯re with the expedition, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Rylen studied the man carefully. There was nothing threatening about him, but the room was too crowded, and the noise was against his senses. He seemed to be relaxed, but Rylen kept his eyes on him attentively.


    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Rylen answered after a pause.


    ¡°Thought so. Here.¡± The man chuckled, reaching for a mug on the table.


    ¡°This one¡¯s on me.¡± He pushed a wooden mug across the table. It stopped just within Rylen¡¯s reach.


    Rylen glanced at the beverage. It was deep red, and it seemed to have a mixture of herbs on its surface. The smell was sharp and heavy.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said quietly, lifting the mug to his lips.


    He didn¡¯t drink. Instead, he tilted it slightly, letting just a little of that liquid touch his mouth before lowering it again. The strong smell was enough to make his stomach turn.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that¡¯s nothing. Just a little something to warm you up. You may need it¡± The man laughed and shook his head.


    Rylen half smiled and nodded.


    The room was too packed, too loud. He was sure he made a mistake coming here. The longer he stayed, the more people would notice him.


    Rylen stood up. He left the mug on the table and moved toward the door.


    Leaving the tavern, he walked a few steps away before stopping and spitting out the drink that had been in his mouth to the ground.


    Seeing the sky grow dark, Rylen started walking back to the place he had slept the day before.


    After he had walked for a while, a familiar sound made him stop. Footsteps, but not just a couple of people. It was the sound of several pairs of boots marching at the same.


    Rylen hid himself in the shadows of one of the alleys there, behind what seemed to be some trash cans, and held his breath.


    The group that marched through the place just a couple of seconds later were soldiers. At least ten of them were together and their faces were serious.


    In the center of their formation, four of them carried something small, wrapped tightly in black cloth.


    It wasn¡¯t large, maybe the size of someone¡¯s leg, but the way they carried it was suspicious. They held it close, and all the other soldiers around seemed to be there just guarding it, like that was something really important.


    One soldier at the back glanced to the sides, and his eyes moved to the alley where Rylen hid.


    Rylen froze, his hand immediately moved to his dagger. The soldier stayed there for a moment before turning back and quickening his pace to catch up.