Ayla attempted a backward dash, but the tentacle lashed her leg, and she fell on her side with a scream. Blood spurted from above her shin.
I wanted to help her, but more tentacles burst out of the Crowned One. Its legs turned to ash, replaced by two strong tentacles that kept it standing. Its arms sagged, as did its head. An eye sprouted out of the middle of its face. From its torso, more tentacles covered in eyes sprang forth.
Now it was as if its skin and body were just a puppet on the strings of a tentacle creature. Using its upgraded maneuverability, it climbed the platform where Esme was.
“Jump down!” I shouted.
As it lashed at her, Esme jumped off. I ran forward and caught her. Gave her a kiss and set her to her feet.
“Help Ayla,” I said. “I’ll finish this bastard off.”
She nodded and ran toward Ayla. I leaped onto the platform with the power of the Leaping Shoes. Since my clothes gave me increased agility when fleeing, I knew I could always turn and run and be able to outpace this ass ugly monster.
“It’s just me and you, you fuck.” Not my most creative insult, but it would do. I brandished my ice katana as the roiling ball of tentacles flailed toward me.
As it lashed at me, always from more than one direction, I’d jump to dodge. Or I’d sidestep, backdash, or even roll forward. I did whatever I had to do to avoid its attacks and get a few strikes in.
But each time I cut off a tentacle, a new one would grow. Still, the fact that shadows bled out of the wounds meant I was doing damage. And it couldn’t have infinite health.
I wasn’t perfect, though. I mistimed a forward roll and a hideous, slimy tentacle slapped my belly. An ungodly pain flared through my core as I bruised. I doused myself with a healing potion. The pain receded and the bruising eased.
All I could do was whittle away at it. After a few minutes, Esme and Ayla jumped onto the platform. They attacked it from behind with hammer and katana, though it didn’t really have a behind, given that its tentacles could lash in any direction.
Realizing it was cornered, it crawled off the platform and back onto the floor of the throne room. Was it trying to run?
I chased it, my clothing’s special ability giving me just enough agility to outpace it and get a whirl of katana slashes in. The monstrous thing shrieked and cried out from all the amputations. Ayla and Esme kept hitting it, as well. And then as I severed yet another tentacle, shadow vomited out, and it didn’t grow back. Esme hit some of the tentacles with an Ice Blast, and they actually froze, which allowed Ayla to shatter them with her hammer.
The whole monstrosity turned into shadow. The entire room filled with black smoke.
SHADOWSOUL TETHER SLAIN
Blood covered Ayla’s right leg. Esme’s airy blue shirt was soaked in sweat. The front of my shirt was bloody and the threads broken.
Despite the pain, we all hollered in joy. We’d just won our greatest battle. How good it felt.
“You all right?” I asked Ayla.
She nodded and jumped into my arms. I planted a loving kiss on her cheek. I was starting to feel more than just lust for her. Our noses touched, and I kissed her lips.
Esme came to my side and hugged me. I kissed her, too. Lest we get carried away, I settled Ayla back on her feet and walked toward the throne, where a treasure surely waited.
But upon arriving at the throne, which was this wide seat with a red-velvet cushion and a back and sides that gleamed with gold, I found nothing.
I scratched my stubble. “Surely that couldn’t be it. The tether must’ve been protecting some sort of powerful item.”
“Well,” Ayla said, “didn’t you say this was a ‘backwater shit island,’ or something?”
“I was just trying to belittle him.”
Esme jumped onto the throne. She sat on the velvet seat, looking like a tiny child. She struck a queenly pose. “I’m queen for the day!”
The sound of grinding gears came from somewhere beneath our feet. The dais we stood on began to move down, as if an elevator.
“Nice one!” I said to Esme.
“I didn’t mean for that to happen, but I’ll take the praise.”
“She wanted to be queen,” Ayla said, “forgetting that she’s just our willing servant.”
“Stop,” Esme replied. “Keep saying such things and my juices will soak this chair. And then you’ll have to suck Remy off so he can adventure without a stiff.”
“I don’t mind any of that,” I said.
The platform came to a stop. A room lit by golden light appeared ahead. Perfectly polished candle holders stood in the corners. Incense burners spread a musky scent around the room. The banners hanging on the wall, which sported a spiral, sparkled as if they’d just been sewn.
“Magic is keeping this room preserved.” Ayla pointed to a golden treasure chest at the far end. A golden mist surrounded it. “And there’s our prize.”
Esme and I ran up to it, as joyous as we’d ever been.
“Since you’re queen for the day,” I said, “you do the honors.”
Esme was so giddy as she flung the top of the golden chest open. She reached inside and pulled out… a scroll.
“That’s it?” I said. “A piece of fucking paper?”
“Now hold on,” Ayla said. “A piece of paper could be anything. A new power, perhaps.”
True. Esme removed the wax seal, which also had an imprint of a spiral, and unrolled the scroll.
She began reading,
Here lies a blessing from the Deep God Yormalalor to the warrior who slew the tether of the Shadowsoul. Know that the Shadowsoul is a deviant and wretched creation, sent to devour worlds and souls in service of the Outer God Zalhalu, who is an enemy of mine. I will aid those who choose to fight it.
Should you partake of this blessing of mine, you will gain the power of the Nihility. This is an element beyond the control of any mortal or god. It is the primordial sea from which all things emanate.
And so I ask you: will you willingly draw power from the Nihility?
“That’s it?” I asked.
“That’s all it says,” Esme said. “I think you have to answer, Remy. You’re the warrior in question.”
She handed me the scroll.
“But we don’t even know what this power does. Of course the gods would be vague. How annoying.”
“Nihility…” Ayla tousled her gorgeous green hair. “It’s not an element I’m familiar with. Whatever power it’s going to grant you, I imagine it’ll be beyond what any curseborn is capable of.”
Esme took my arm. “Whatever it is, I know you can handle it, Remy. I know – in my heart – that you were meant to come here and free us from the Shadowsoul. Perhaps it was this Deep God, Yormalalor, who inspired us to find you.”
“Hmm… so are you saying I’m being used by an eldritch god to fight another eldritch god? Are the Deep Ones and the Outer Gods at war, or something?”
It sure seemed that way. Not that learning that was very comforting. In any case, I wasn’t the type to say “no” to power. Whatever that power was, I wanted it so I could protect what I loved. Protect Esme and Ayla, and ensure that we lived better lives than the ones we were living before we met each other.
“I accept,” I said. “I willingly draw power from the Nihility.”
Everything went black. Suddenly, I was floating in space. Stars burned around me. Behind those stars were clouds, each one the size of a galaxy. These clouds took such bizarre shapes. One even resembled the tentacle monster we’d just defeated.
The stars themselves began rotating around each other. Swirling as if in a cauldron of fire. Then they took the shape of words. Words I could understand.
NEW NIHILITY ABILITY UNLOCKED
FAST TRAVEL GRANTED
Ayla attempted a backward dash, but the tentacle lashed her leg, and she fell on her side with a scream. Blood spurted from above her shin.
I wanted to help her, but more tentacles burst out of the Crowned One. Its legs turned to ash, replaced by two strong tentacles that kept it standing. Its arms sagged, as did its head. An eye sprouted out of the middle of its face. From its torso, more tentacles covered in eyes sprang forth.
Now it was as if its skin and body were just a puppet on the strings of a tentacle creature. Using its upgraded maneuverability, it climbed the platform where Esme was.
“Jump down!” I shouted.
As it lashed at her, Esme jumped off. I ran forward and caught her. Gave her a kiss and set her to her feet.
“Help Ayla,” I said. “I’ll finish this bastard off.”
She nodded and ran toward Ayla. I leaped onto the platform with the power of the Leaping Shoes. Since my clothes gave me increased agility when fleeing, I knew I could always turn and run and be able to outpace this ass ugly monster.
“It’s just me and you, you fuck.” Not my most creative insult, but it would do. I brandished my ice katana as the roiling ball of tentacles flailed toward me.
As it lashed at me, always from more than one direction, I’d jump to dodge. Or I’d sidestep, backdash, or even roll forward. I did whatever I had to do to avoid its attacks and get a few strikes in.
But each time I cut off a tentacle, a new one would grow. Still, the fact that shadows bled out of the wounds meant I was doing damage. And it couldn’t have infinite health.
I wasn’t perfect, though. I mistimed a forward roll and a hideous, slimy tentacle slapped my belly. An ungodly pain flared through my core as I bruised. I doused myself with a healing potion. The pain receded and the bruising eased.
All I could do was whittle away at it. After a few minutes, Esme and Ayla jumped onto the platform. They attacked it from behind with hammer and katana, though it didn’t really have a behind, given that its tentacles could lash in any direction.
Realizing it was cornered, it crawled off the platform and back onto the floor of the throne room. Was it trying to run?
I chased it, my clothing’s special ability giving me just enough agility to outpace it and get a whirl of katana slashes in. The monstrous thing shrieked and cried out from all the amputations. Ayla and Esme kept hitting it, as well. And then as I severed yet another tentacle, shadow vomited out, and it didn’t grow back. Esme hit some of the tentacles with an Ice Blast, and they actually froze, which allowed Ayla to shatter them with her hammer.
The whole monstrosity turned into shadow. The entire room filled with black smoke.
SHADOWSOUL TETHER SLAIN
Blood covered Ayla’s right leg. Esme’s airy blue shirt was soaked in sweat. The front of my shirt was bloody and the threads broken.
Despite the pain, we all hollered in joy. We’d just won our greatest battle. How good it felt.
“You all right?” I asked Ayla.
She nodded and jumped into my arms. I planted a loving kiss on her cheek. I was starting to feel more than just lust for her. Our noses touched, and I kissed her lips.
Esme came to my side and hugged me. I kissed her, too. Lest we get carried away, I settled Ayla back on her feet and walked toward the throne, where a treasure surely waited.
But upon arriving at the throne, which was this wide seat with a red-velvet cushion and a back and sides that gleamed with gold, I found nothing.
I scratched my stubble. “Surely that couldn’t be it. The tether must’ve been protecting some sort of powerful item.”
“Well,” Ayla said, “didn’t you say this was a ‘backwater shit island,’ or something?”
“I was just trying to belittle him.”
Esme jumped onto the throne. She sat on the velvet seat, looking like a tiny child. She struck a queenly pose. “I’m queen for the day!”
The sound of grinding gears came from somewhere beneath our feet. The dais we stood on began to move down, as if an elevator.
“Nice one!” I said to Esme.
“I didn’t mean for that to happen, but I’ll take the praise.”
“She wanted to be queen,” Ayla said, “forgetting that she’s just our willing servant.”
“Stop,” Esme replied. “Keep saying such things and my juices will soak this chair. And then you’ll have to suck Remy off so he can adventure without a stiff.”
“I don’t mind any of that,” I said.
The platform came to a stop. A room lit by golden light appeared ahead. Perfectly polished candle holders stood in the corners. Incense burners spread a musky scent around the room. The banners hanging on the wall, which sported a spiral, sparkled as if they’d just been sewn.
“Magic is keeping this room preserved.” Ayla pointed to a golden treasure chest at the far end. A golden mist surrounded it. “And there’s our prize.”
Esme and I ran up to it, as joyous as we’d ever been.
“Since you’re queen for the day,” I said, “you do the honors.”
Esme was so giddy as she flung the top of the golden chest open. She reached inside and pulled out… a scroll.
“That’s it?” I said. “A piece of fucking paper?”
“Now hold on,” Ayla said. “A piece of paper could be anything. A new power, perhaps.”
True. Esme removed the wax seal, which also had an imprint of a spiral, and unrolled the scroll.
She began reading,
Here lies a blessing from the Deep God Yormalalor to the warrior who slew the tether of the Shadowsoul. Know that the Shadowsoul is a deviant and wretched creation, sent to devour worlds and souls in service of the Outer God Zalhalu, who is an enemy of mine. I will aid those who choose to fight it.
Should you partake of this blessing of mine, you will gain the power of the Nihility. This is an element beyond the control of any mortal or god. It is the primordial sea from which all things emanate.
And so I ask you: will you willingly draw power from the Nihility?
“That’s it?” I asked.
“That’s all it says,” Esme said. “I think you have to answer, Remy. You’re the warrior in question.”
She handed me the scroll.
“But we don’t even know what this power does. Of course the gods would be vague. How annoying.”
“Nihility…” Ayla tousled her gorgeous green hair. “It’s not an element I’m familiar with. Whatever power it’s going to grant you, I imagine it’ll be beyond what any curseborn is capable of.”
Esme took my arm. “Whatever it is, I know you can handle it, Remy. I know – in my heart – that you were meant to come here and free us from the Shadowsoul. Perhaps it was this Deep God, Yormalalor, who inspired us to find you.”
“Hmm… so are you saying I’m being used by an eldritch god to fight another eldritch god? Are the Deep Ones and the Outer Gods at war, or something?”
It sure seemed that way. Not that learning that was very comforting. In any case, I wasn’t the type to say “no” to power. Whatever that power was, I wanted it so I could protect what I loved. Protect Esme and Ayla, and ensure that we lived better lives than the ones we were living before we met each other.
“I accept,” I said. “I willingly draw power from the Nihility.”
Everything went black. Suddenly, I was floating in space. Stars burned around me. Behind those stars were clouds, each one the size of a galaxy. These clouds took such bizarre shapes. One even resembled the tentacle monster we’d just defeated.
The stars themselves began rotating around each other. Swirling as if in a cauldron of fire. Then they took the shape of words. Words I could understand.
NEW NIHILITY ABILITY UNLOCKED
FAST TRAVEL GRANTED
