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Argh, my fuckin' head..?
My ears rang, but not louder than the cacophony of ringing phones and mechanical typing.
"Ah, Korbin. You're late, have a seat." A painfully familiar voice commanded. A strong pressure dropped me down onto a cushion before blurry vision could refocus. Rubbing my eyes, the spiraling patterns within the pale wooden desk holding the boxy, eggshell computer immediately signaled where I was.
"Am I in trouble again? I told you, whatever Randy does during earth's time stop is beyond my contro-"
"Relax, Mr. Erickson. And for the record, you've never once been 'in trouble' during our assessments, as that implies we've officially administered negative consequences." My system agent replied, sitting across from me in his plain white button up dress shirt and red tie. His wide spectacles glistened under the buzz of their offices flickering fluorescent lights.
"You blew up a bunker." I reminded the system agent, causing their fingers to pause from constantly slapping away across the keyboard.
"One you ordered to be built into an active volcano halfway across Planet 147? No, we simply refused to continue interfering in a natural reaction." The system agent corrected, clicking a pen and whipping out a pad of paper from under their desk.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night. So, what's new? How's the kids?" I asked the System's crude manifestation used as an attempt at resonating to my earthen norms in order to effectively communicate its agenda. Except for reasons beyond probably any mortal mind comprehension, mine hates me, and I love it.
"Do try not to make this process any less enjoyable than it's going to be for me." The System agent replied, rubbing their eyes under their glasses.
"Can't really promise I won't make something any more or less fun until I know what it is." I replied while kicking my feet on the desk, hoping to speed whatever this was along. After all, we have at least 2 million more possible kills just waiting for me on Myzur.
"Due to recent developments, it's become pertinent that you're given a proper peer review of your Spiritual Passenger's journey in accordance with the Vessel Fairness Act of Universe 6." The agent replied after a long sigh, wearing a look of bitter reluctance I couldn't wait to aggravate.
"Ew, you couldn't think of a less demonstrable depiction of someone like me than a 'vessel'?" I asked, more than offended by the term.
"No, why would I?" My agent, my dearest System Auditor, casually replied.
"…alright you got me. So what, I'm going to be giving a peer review? What's a Spiritual Pa-" I paused, realizing how obvious the term was given the presence of my current body-mate.
"Oh, you mean G-Money?" I asked the System Auditor, who raised a brow curiously while still typing away without looking.
"No, I mean Galenthelos." He said with very little enthusiasm.
"We're saying the same thing." I replied matter of factly. My System Auditor stared blankly into my eyes for a few moments as I gave them the opportunity to ask why.
"…before you begin the assessment, I must first ask you to sign a few release forms essentially claiming you recognize and permit the System's explicit and temporary relocation of your spirit from your physical form." The System Auditor quickly explained, brandishing a stack of forms covered front-to-back in incredible small print.
"Is that not what we're already doing here? I don't recall you asking me to stop by today." I countered with a chuckle, finding the sudden yearning for permission amusing.
"No, not quite. Your spirit is explicitly bound to your body. As owner, your permission is required during any form of spiritual severance for all occupying parties." My System Auditor explained, stopping their typing fingers for the first time as he did.
"What about G-money? Does he just get to have my body while I'm doing his 'assessment'?" I asked, suddenly worried I'd just lost the wheel outside of the Escaping Fate objective.
"Of course not, he hasn't been given that permission. No, he'll remain idle in your body." He replied, sounding almost offended by my question.
"Alright, I guess the contracts are ironic enough for me to be on board." I said, snatching a feathered, multicolored pen from the desk and for the first and possibly only time in my life, just started signing.
"Why are all you infernal-types so self-centered? Yes, I made this explicitly for you, Korbin." He replied, rolling his eyes behind his spectacles.
"Glad to hear it, though I'm more of a slideshow presentation guy for next time." I said, lightly tapping my fingers to my tongue and shuffling to the next release form.
"I know." The System Auditor said, casually resuming their work on their boxy computer screen without any further elaboration. Seeing no reason to make small talk, I continued signing away at the release forms while whistling an old tune. After roughly 10 minutes of scribbling and whistling, I finally finished signing the final form.
"Alright, I'm all done unless there was a line for the date I didn't see." I announced proudly. The Auditor collected the papers without looking, slapping a final key triumphantly as he did.
"Excellent, and your assessment just finished compiling. Since we're surprisingly ahead of schedule, we might as well keep the ball rolling, huh?" He asked, for the first time flexing the edge of their cheek into a hint of half a grin.
"I literally can't leave." I replied, before fumbling their pen onto the carpet. Instead of bouncing off the floor, the pen sunk straight through like it was water.
"Exactly. Alright, take a deep breath." The System Auditor said, standing up revealing a pair of tan khaki pants and walking around the desk.
"There's never once been a good thing to happen after someone said that to another living being." I replied, scooting my chair away from the approaching agent and leaning back.
"Relax, I have a feeling you'll appreciate the show." The Auditor replied, before lifting their hand up and placing a finger on my forehead. Immediately, I felt my consciousness siphon into their finger tip, though the collapse of my entire body into darkness was surprisingly painless.
"What is this?" I asked, hearing my own voice ripple through the emptiness all around me.
*ding*
>Commencing Assessment of (Galenthelos) #1:
[Conviction's Origin…]
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Finally, I can hear the rain.
I leaned my head back, allowing the downpour dripping through the trees thick maroon canopy to wash the blood from my face and hair. It'd been hours since I was afforded a moment of silence, having willingly sprung an ambush for resources. Unfortunately, that ambush was stationed just a few miles away from a major encampment that caught wind of my collections. Countless soldiers for hire from across the system flooded the forest firing flaming arrows while the infernal bastards that hired them unleashed their infernal flames from their bare hands. Luckily, none of that magic did their cunning or real battle prowess any favors, and I've long learned they all bleed the same.
My calves, back, and shoulders screamed their usual strained tune as I clutched the ripped cloth wrapped tightly around the tree bark. The corpse I collected it from didn't need it, nor did their long, curved dagger I wrapped around one end anymore anyhow. It was my preferred choice of equipment, having been a fixture in my daily survival since I joined the Proof Of Devotion in search of my sister Lilian…what, four years ago now? It wasn't a difficult choice, considering she'd been selected at just 16 years old, only 7 years older than me. It wasn't like she was the hunter between us anyways, and anyone can volunteer.
My father would've supported my choice, if he was still here. He himself had spent a lifetime defending our planet from the impurities that have plagued our galaxy for generations. Death had arrived for our people first, as ravenous as a starved beast before the hells rained from the stars. Only once had I seen one of their fleets breach our skies, the flames that engulfed the land to the clouds had burned its way into my skull long ago. As had my mothers screams…wait.
*rustle*
"We've got reports of over a hundred casualties in less than two days." A man's voice announced, echoing through the forest.
"I don't believe it, we haven't heard a thing since we got here?!" Another replied as they emerged through the brush below.
Great, another patrol. At least this one's pulling off alone, but what is h-
*tsssss*
Perfect.
Slowly, my calloused fingers gripped between the thick bark as I let the cloth hang loose from the dagger hilt. Slowly, I silently crept my way down the bark as I'd done so countless times until I was low enough. Kicking off, my hips twisted hard, sending my body twisting and adding the power needed to slice across the soldier's neck from ear to ear in one swipe. My cloth wrapped around the back of the neck as I fell, allowing me to swing off his body just enough to slow my descent. I already ducked down and sprinted into the tall brush that peppered this endless forest world by the time the gagging mess dropped and alerted the others, allowing me time to ascend the trees yet again.
"We got a man down over here!" The man hollered, jolting the other soldiers and infernal casters into a speedy, silent search below. The one who found me however remained still, looting his allies' corpses. Leaping from branch to branch, I finally returned to the same tree I'd leapt from to handle the first soldier, only much lower. Sizing up the distance, I unraveled a long strip of cloth from my forearm and knotted it around the branch I stood on. Placing the blade in my mouth, I slowly lowered myself down until I was just above the soldier.
Realizing I didn't have enough cloth to collect it after I leapt off, I considered climbing back up until the soldier shifted his weight to turn around. Unwilling to risk detection yet, I leapt down head first spitting the blade from my mouth. The soldier spotted me and leaned back, his mouth widening for another alarm. Yanking the cloth at the end, the dagger pendulumed at the other end into the soldier's throat, but not before he let out a shrieking "CONTA-urgh!"
"Hey, over there!" A deep, gruffly voice hollered as the towering, heavily armored man with red skin and long fangs earned mine as well as several other soldiers' attention. Kneeling down, I quickly pierced my dagger into the fallen soldiers' cloth undergarments, tearing away and wrapping several strips around my arm until the approaching footsteps grew heavy. Patting the second corpse at my feet, I felt a smile twitch at the edge of my mouth finding another dagger to tie to the other side of my cloth before taking off toward the large man. A rustle sent me into a backward roll, avoiding the slash from a man using a spear with a sword's blade at the end. Curious, I kicked up to my feet and faked a lunge at the man, who swung the weapon wildly like a thumbed beast finding a large branch.
I stomped down hard, jolting the man's foot upward reflexively kicking to defend himself before falling totally off balance. Stabbing my blade in the back of his calf and thigh, the soldier dropped to a knee allowing me to slice their throat. Another heavy pair of footsteps alerted me to release one dagger, spinning on a foot and swinging it into my flanker's cheek. Yanking with another twisting stomp, the man's face lurched forward allowing me to plunge my gripped dagger under his chin. His body flopped forward, nearly crushing me if I hadn't leapt and rolled over another corpse.
Seeing the long-bladed spear weighing down a gap in the brush, I twisted the daggers cloth around my wrist tight and wrapped them down with one hand while kicking up the strange spear into the other. Two sets of footsteps closed in from two angles quickly, forcing me to get a visual over the towering foliage concealing me. The smaller one closed in much faster than the towering man I'd first spotted was, forcing me to face the man clutching two thin swords head on. With a heavy step, he leapt forward with a flurry of wild stabs. Sliding under him, the end of my new weapon pierced into the man's gut, piercing through the back as he slowly slid down as the back end dug into the soil.
*BOOM*
The forest ignited into a bright white light as the storm screamed on, illuminating the rage twisted in the towering long fanged, scarlet-skinned man. He'd finally closed in clutching a long axe with two edges, one my sister I believe once called a 'hal-burn' or something. Unraveling the daggers from my forearm, I caught both hilts in each hand and prepared to dash toward his knees. That's when he did something annoying, and stopped in his tracks in a ready position. One I'd seen in other soldiers that proved far more difficult to kill.
"Myzurian's, your people waste yo-" the man began, before I turned and took off into the towering foliage. His heavy boots stomped behind me a few steps before disappearing behind his wicked calls.
"See you soon, little one!" He taunted in the distance as I dashed by another soldier, tossing a dagger into his neck and ripping it free as I ran past. Seeing a relatively clear path, I curved my sprint back around. By the time I caught up with the towering man after trading my speed for moving silently, he'd already begun walking back to his camp. Curious, and hopeful I could get ahold of new Devotion arrivals soon, I climbed up a tree amidst the surrounding treeline preparing to jump atop my target when the burning gates dragged open with a metallic groan. Out wheeled a charred log cart towering too high for me to peer into even from high above. Several hulking creatures that resembled the scarlet-skinned giant only larger and unarmored pushed the cart out, with a smug-looking man with ash skin wearing pitch black armor from neck to toe following behind.
"This is far enough, dump them. The beasts will handle the rest from here." The man announced, snapping his fingers twice in the air. Both of the giant monstrosities circled the cart, tipping it on its side immediately crumbling the charred wood. Countless burnt corpses of all sizes poured from atop the wreck, some wearing clothes I'd seen on a few of natives' corpses when I'd first landed here. They were mostly women and children, the typically casualty found outside of the woods here. The others however were fellow members of the Myzurian Devotion, their silver emblem embroidered into their blue and white chest patch being totally unmistakable from my own. I felt my nostril twitch seeing the aftermath of their terror, preparing to leap down when I felt a light tug on the back of my shirt.
"Psst." Someone whispered from somewhere in the foliage below, though I'm not sure who grabbed me considering I'm over 20 feet up.
"Come here, Gale." The voice whispered, this time sounding oddly familiar while using the nickname only my sister ever used, earning my undivided attention. Leaning over, the whip of long blonde hair whipping between the brush sent a surge of urgency through me as I slid down the tree bark. Peering around, I nearly tossed my dagger straight towards the face that popped out from around another trunk.
"Hello!" She said, stepping out revealing a Myzurian woman somewhere in her 30's. She looked so much like Lilian…
"H-hi, who are you?" I asked, internally taken aback at how hoarse my voice was. The familiar looking blonde woman smiled, tilting her head making her eyes twinkle though the rain.
"Always so brave. I'm a friend, one who's been watching you for quite some time now, Gale." She said, taking a step forward. I raised my dagger, scanning her and my surroundings for an ambush.
"You can't call me that." I said without looking at her. She put two open hands up, making a show that she was unarmed I guess.
"That's fair, I figured it'd make you feel more comfortable. I assure you I am not here to do you any harm. Quite the opposite in fact." She said, taking a seat on a fallen tree's waterlogged bark and patting beside her. I shook my head no, to which she casually shrugged before taking a deep breath.
"-I'm going to need your help, Galenthelos. Against people just like the ones you've fought for years. Only much, much worse, and with far more resources and avenues to spread their misery." She began in a more serious tone than she started with.
"Not sure if you haven't noticed, but I'm managing to stay alive. But total victory is nowhere near my people's grasp, at least not here." I replied in an angry whisper, trying to ensure none at the encampment could hear us arguing. The woman smiled, standing up with her chin high.
"No, of course I don't mean right now. You've way too much left to learn before you can hope to lend any real assistance. Which is exactly why I'm here. Today, I extend my hand to you." She said, stepping to the side and lifting a hand up the maroon canopy above. The leaves parted ways, allowing the full force of the storm to dump down on us.
*BOOM*
Thunder shook the bones in my chest with its power, the rumble itself taking my breath away for a moment.
"You will be tested, in both body and spirit." She proclaimed as the thunder settled.
*BOOM*
Light filled my vision as another boom shook the ground itself, knocking me off balance.
"You weren't meant to undergo these trials so soon, but the infernal scourge cannot continue to spread any longer if life is to have any hope in this universe."
"Wha-"
*CRACKLE*
A bright white light ignited the woman's palm as she was struck directly by a bolt of lightning. Yet somehow she still stood firm, holding the spiraling ball of white light like a small star in her palm.
"What are you willing to do, to become strong enough to do more than survive, Galenthelos?" She asked, raising her hand up gesturing the ball of energy at me. Almost everything screamed for me to turn and run as fast as I could away from this woman and the incredible power she wielded…yet, something about her felt so familiar. And the idea of no longer having to hide, and kill, and hide again for the rest of my life, maybe even find my sister someday, sounded appealing. Really appealing.
"…whatever it takes." I answered after a short pause.
"Good, don't forget that." She said, thrusting her arm forward causing a blinding flash of light that consumed my vision as I felt an incredible heat surround me entirely. It felt as if I was fading away bit by bit, until I felt like thousands of grains of sand whirling on the breeze. I wasn't sure if I was awake or dreaming, everything was just absolute white light. Then, all at once it felt like I was pieced back together.
*ZAP*
*ZAP*
My eyes shot open, feeling a jolt of energy shoot through my spine. A constant hum hung on the air as jagged white lines shot out from every direction, their paths seemingly endless. I felt my jaw flop open in wonder, taking a step forward only to feel a massive charge jolt through my foot and up to my brain. A smile arched across my face as the warm sensation filled my bones, opening my eyes just in time to avoid the massive streak of lightning hurtling toward my face. The sheer freedom this energy roamed with sent my heart in an excited flutter as I chased the more intense looking lightning storms in the distance.
Every step was by no means a disappointment however, the white writhing floors providing plenty of opportunities to dodge and identify the energy's majesty in action. The way it twisted and ripped through itself, unapologetically with a force that felt pure. It took time to get a feel for what truly surrounded me, that it was somehow following me as much as I did. Once a few bolts hit me a couple of times, it became difficult not to feel when and where it would unleash itself. The energy was truly alive, occasionally expressing its own distaste intensely as it struck my body. Still, there was no mistaking that I felt considerably better after each strike, like each time I was hit gave new knowledge and strength. My skin even began to feel as if it were absorbing the energy around me, as if I could somehow take this with me. Excited, I continued exploring deeper into the endless storm, my eyes locking onto a strange figure in the distance. It started as just a blob, one that slowly shaped itself as I grew closer until i swear it grew le-
[ERROR, Terminating Assessment…]
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My eyes fluttered open, fighting to ignore the splitting headache as a familiar horned, scarlet skinned figure came into focus.
"What the FUCK is going here?!"