My head! What happened?! My body hurts! Everything is spinning! What is this annoying buzzing?! Why is it so dark?! Am I floating?!
Slowly I felt my consciousness returning, and with a lot of effort, I opened my eyes, only to stay face-to-face with a dark void. Scrambling to my feet, I nearly passed out as dizziness overtook me, then I scanned my surroundings, trying to figure out where I was.
There was nothing, no up, down, forward, back, nothing, just a dark void! There was nothing to determine distance! My sense of depth did not exist!
This must be a dream, I better enjoy it while I can since lucid dreams are rare for those who do not train. So I walked forward, thinking about how strange this was. There was no floor, but I felt my feet stepping on something soft and wet.
I walked for a few minutes until I heard a noise as a small bright spot appeared on the horizon, growing bigger as the noise became louder. It sounded like drums and flutes.
The dot glowed brighter. Suddenly, there was a blinding flash, forcing me to cover my eyes. When the light disappeared, I had a complete view of where I stood, space, with nebulae, planets, stars and a circle of asteroids floating around me.
I saw the thing I had been stepping on all this time, a gigantic sphere of flesh with swarms of dark-shelled insects flying around it, a shapeless mass of tentacles, mouths and teeth, floating in front of a massive red star. I fell to the ground, terrified at this sight.
This must be a dream, it can only be a dream!
The sound of drums and flutes continued, dangerously close to me. Looking at its source, I faced several amorphous creatures playing the aforementioned instruments.
Getting out of there as quickly as possible was the only thing that crossed my mind. That was a mistake, because due to my panic, I fell into one of the giant mouths. The amorphous creatures watching me were my last sight before I disappeared into the dark abyss below.
I do not know how long I fell, my back hit an unseen water source, and as I sank, I saw a majestic stone city at the bottom of the ocean. Water entered my lungs, making me panic as two gigantic yellow eyes belonging to a colossal octopus head stared at me.
I sank until I fell face first on a sand dune, rolling downhill, glimpsing the pyramids of Egypt covering the horizon. I saw the pharaoh sitting on his throne, staring back as his face transformed into a great tentacle extending upwards. Then he changed again, nine hundred and ninety-nine different forms, and with an amused laugh, he waved his hand and the sand enveloped me.
When it disappeared, I found myself in a forest of gnarled black trees, a dead earth stood beneath my feet and a sickly green sky rose above me as a large shape reached out from an endless hole in the ground.
The creature moved with its massive goat hooves, spitting smaller monsters from its oozing mouths. My mouth dropped in horror and I tried to run, but my legs failed me, letting a gigantic mass of dark tentacles grab me and take me to one of the several maws.
I found myself falling again as several screams, giggles and moans of pleasure assaulted my ears. I closed my eyes and covered the sides of my head, trying to get rid of the distorted sounds.
Suddenly, everything was silent. I hesitantly opened my eyes, facing a series of luminous orbs floating in front of a large gate made of light. The spheres stared at me, then I heard a genderless and emotionless voice.
"You have one goal, entertain us."
The gate opened and an invisible force pulled me towards the void that awaited on the other side. I did not resist. I'm just a human after all, what can I do?
"That's for you to decide, we'll just watch, entertain us."
The voice spoke and the gate closed behind me, enveloping me in darkness.
-XXXXXX-
My head! What happened?! My body hurts! Everything is spinning! Who the hell is barking?!
"WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!"
My memories returned in a flash, I remembered everything that happened, standing up quickly and looking around.
Immediately, I realized that something was wrong. I was not on my way home after my classes at the university. The place was unfamiliar, grass was under my feet, and heavy fog stood in front of me with the outline of trees on the other side as the barking of dogs continued.
My breath caught, my eyes widened and I gasped at what I saw upon turning around in search of some landmark, a gigantic stone building with the metal gate raised, a side entrance and a dead horse being devoured by crows to my left and several boxes and old barrels to my right.
Please no! This must be a dream! It has to be a dream!
I did not have time to think, the barking grew louder, and looking back, I saw three large shapes moving through the mist.
My legs shook, my breath quickened and sweat trickled down my face. When the first paw appeared, my brain worked again and I ran at full speed towards the side entrance without looking back, but I could hear the deafening barking and the sound of several heavy legs stomping on the grass.
I threw myself inside the side passage, almost rolling down the stairs, but I managed to regain my balance while holding on to the wall. Looking back, I saw one of the giant dogs staring at me; too big to enter the narrow corridor.
"HERE, FOR YOU!"
I raised my middle finger to the dog, who barked as if understanding the gesture, but I didn't worry too much since it couldn't get in. So, I went down the dark, moss-covered stairs, using the wall as a support.
This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real!
But when I stopped in front of the entrance at the end of the stairs, seeing the corpse sitting beside it, I realized… This is real… I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, this should have been impossible, but here I am.
I sat down next to the corpse, who seemed to be here for a long time, its skin was withered and dry, revealing the outline of the bones, the eyes were gouged out, several teeth were missing, and the smell, by God, the smell!
"You didn't even get the chance to go in, did you? Or were you trying to escape?"
I took off my backpack and made an inventory, first, a book that I liked to read as a fan of cosmic horror, a compilation of short stories by H.P. Lovecraft, but now, I do not see much use for it.
Or so I thought, because as soon as I took it out of my backpack, it opened and a green tentacle emerged from the cover, wrapping itself around my hand and pinning it to the book.
The pages flipped by itself despite the lack of wind, having more than its size shown, stopping on a blank one that did not exist before. Then, red letters appeared writing a sentence.
"Rejoice! For the Old Ones have chosen you, mortal who seeks knowledge of the void! Your actions have touched the curiosity of the Cosmic Horrors who live in the Ether of space! Now, they are willing to reveal what you seek, but they demand compensation!"
"What?!"
"Enter the dungeon of Fear and Hunger and face its horrors! What you will do is your choice! Escape the dungeon, save everyone, kill everyone, or become a god! The Old Ones don't care! They just want something that alleviates their eternal boredom!"
"Is this some kind of game to you?!"
"Not for me! I am only here to assist you! For the Old Ones, this is like a play! But for you, only you can determine!"
"Who or what are you?"
"I am the compilation you bought, given life by the Old Ones! My goal is to help you, for I am just an actor in this great play! So my survival depends on you!"
"If you are here to help me, what can you do?"
"Imagine me as a Grimoire, I contain spells and rituals beyond human comprehension, but I am nowhere near the level of the Necronomicon."
"Seriously, can you show me?"
The pages moved again as soon as I said that, stopping at another blank one, then the letters appeared.
"Glimmer of Truth: Reveal to your enemies a fraction of the truth of the universe; show them how insignificant they are compared to the grand scheme of things. This spell does not work on those too foolish to understand the truth, the insane, as their minds have long since shattered, and the Enlightened, as the truth is something they have always sought."
"Cats of Ulthar: Use this spell to summon the cats blessed by the gods as a swarm. They will surround your enemies, slashing with their claws, biting with their fangs, devouring with their divine hunger. Show everyone how these little animals became apex predators because of the gods."
"Soul of the Cosmic Void: You always have been interested in dark and profane things, your quest to satiate your curiosity led you to read the books and tomes on subjects considered 'heavy' by society. This trained your mind, leaving you prepared for the horrors that are to come, it made you resistant to what this dungeon has to offer. Now your mind is a fortress, but your body is weaker than the weakest of warriors. Unfortunately, or fortunately, your curiosity is insatiable, always craving for more, even if it ends up hurting you."
"Is that all?"
"I also provide notes and descriptions of all the items in your possession."
"Is that so? Then I will do a test. What is this?!"
I quickly removed an object out of my backpack.
"Generic Snacks: Generic Snacks from the cheapest brand. It does not contribute a bit to your health. Honestly, there is a possibility that they shorten your lifespan. Despite that, you eat them anyway, after all, it is your favorite."
"And that?!"
I showed another object.
"University Books: Textbooks from the university you attend. Old and with a few pages slightly torn, but still in good condition. They are a little heavy, enough to crush someone's head if you try hard enough. Perhaps the knowledge written on them is useful for something?"
"And this, this, and this?!"
"Case: A simple case containing pencils, erasers, pens, sharpeners and other school supplies."
"Water Bottle: A full water bottle, you haven't opened it yet."
"Agenda: A small agenda, more like a notepad that fits in the palm of your hand, used to write down important dates, such as schoolwork submissions and exams."
"Coin Purse: A small coin purse, made of high quality leather, when animal rights were not yet invented. It belonged to your late grandfather and was given to you as a gift. Contains:x20 five-cent coins, x15 ten-cent coins, x10 twenty-five cent coins, and x5 fifty-cent coins. You better keep them; you never know when they will come in handy."
"Wallet: An old wallet, made of high quality leather, when animal rights were not yet invented. It belonged to your late grandfather and was given to you as a gift. Contains: x1 Identity Card, x1 Credit Card, x3 business cards from places you frequent, and x1 five-dollar bill. Wow! I have more money than you do! And I am a book!"
"Cell phone: A touch screen cell phone with a charged battery. Contains some games, music and ebooks. Luckily, the cell phone is not old enough for the battery to drain quickly. Can be used to restore your Mind if needed."
"House Keys: A key ring containing your house keys. They're not very useful, but they can be used to stab someone in the eye and run away."
"Hang on! I didn't show you the last four!"
"And you don't have to! I already knew about all the items you have!"
"You were just showing off, weren't you?!"
"Perhaps..."
Great, the book has a sense of humor .
"And what should I call you?"
"كتاب الألف سر"
"I have no idea what you just said."
"Kitab al'alif sirin."
"How about I just call you Kitab?"
"It is acceptable."
Well, I guess that's it, I don't have anywhere to go. I sighed, resigning myself to my fate. I put my things in my backpack and got up, looking at what I was wearing, a black shirt with the university's emblem above the heart, dark jeans and black sneakers. Nothing that offered protection for what I was about to face.
I need to think about my priorities.
What should I do?
The book said the choice is mine.
Have the others already entered the dungeon? If so, are they already in their canonical places? Should I find the NPCs? Most importantly, should I save Le'garde? After all, this is all his fault. Moreover, which ending should I try to do?
With no other option, I advanced towards the dungeon's dark entrance.
"Goodbye my friend, I hope you don't leave too soon." I said to the corpse.
"Don't worry; I'll be here for a while." It turned to me and replied.
I shook my head in surprise, but when I looked back, it did not appear to have moved.
My God! Is this place getting to me already?
I took my cell phone out of my pocket and turned on the flashlight, then stepped into the darkness.
"You have entered the dungeons of Fear and Hunger, home of Gods Old and New, lair of monsters and horrors! I am Kitab al'alif sirin and I will be your guide! What is your first action?!"
END OF CHAPTER