330 Realm of Insanity
Mouths formed along the moss and stone, attempting to gobble him up with each step he took, but he moved too swiftly for such an outcome.
“Let me out! Let me out! Let me out—!”
As he leapt up, meeting the wriggling horror face-to-face, he prepared a lofty sum of azure flames, concocted of desperation and madness in that moment.
[Dragonheart: The Jaws That Snap]
Conjured from the blazing heat were the jaws of a colossal dragon; no facial features, only teeth that tore and squeezed, large enough even to wrap around the massive Jabberwocky before slamming shut.
[Level Up!]
[Level Thirty-Two Achieved.]
[New Skill(s) Acquired: Flame Hardening]
In that same moment, he found himself landing back down in the dank cavern, freed from the rift of madness as his sanity rebuilt itself swiftly.
“I made it…out?” He asked himself, holding his own head.
To his surprise, the beast that weaved madness still lived, even at that, the sanity-depraved technique he used only left bite marks upon its flesh, but no mortal wounds that should exist.
I leveled up from it though…Did I only kill an aspect of it? He questioned.
“‘Milio!”
Running up to him, the elven tinkerer huffed, seeming frantic and in a hurry, though the Dragonheart was still coming to after briefly running on only the fumes of sanity.
“What happened?! The Beast screamed then you both just went…Poof! I mean, really, some spooky stuff! I thought you were a goner there for a moment,” Blimpo asked.
“I don’t even know how to put it into words…” Emilio responded.
Stomping its feet, the Jabberwocky cried out again with its voice that shook the cavern by its seams.
“–Let’s get outta here while our feet are still listenin’ to us!” Blimpo said.
“Best idea you’ve had all day!” Emilio responded.
It was Emilio that ushered in a burst of strength, kicking off of the ground with a swift dash as he carried the elf by the back of his shirt, shooting both of them through the exit of the dank cave.
“Phew!”
“Wah!”
–In unison, the two let out breaths of relief after escaping the abode of the Beast of Absent Reason; an encounter that weighed more than just physical exhaustion, certainly felt most by Emilio who had to sit for a moment.
The land beyond the exit of the Chasm was something remarkable in its own right, though remarkably unsettling was more than likely the way Emilio would describe it.
pA n,dan(-)0ve1.c0m It was a branch of solemn rock, like a thin mountain with a top layer of soulless, gray sand, creating a path neighbored by crooked trees that stretched from the side of the narrow mountaintop, surrounded by a sea of abyssal water.
“Is all of the water in this place black?…” He noticed while sitting there, regaining himself.
Blimpo caught his breath as well, “Pretty much. The After doesn’t do much to sustain life, and well, normal water is life itself, in a way.”
“I’d say that makes sense, but I’d be lying. Nothing in the After really makes any sense to me–not a single moment of it since I’ve been here,” he said.
It was a quiet moment taken, and one certainly needed after the loud encounter with the Jabberwocky; they both watched the abyssal water swish and move subtly, though nothing could be seen beneath it.
“That’s because you’re looking at the After from a perspective of life, when it operates on the perspective of death; inherently, life doesn’t make sense here. It’s a concept that doesn’t exist–or at least…It shouldn’t naturally,” Blimpo told him.
“Am I an exception then? From what I’ve gathered, I’m basically existing on some sort of threshold: one foot in the After, one foot still in the realm of the living,” Emilio said.
“Exceptions are cool,” Blimpo responded.
“Doesn’t help me,” he sighed.
As they returned to their feet, it was time to continue their journey as they crossed the sand-blanketed, narrow mountaintop within the nebulous corners of the After, surrounded by the ever-present sea of the abyss on both sides.
“So, question,” Emilio said.
“Yeah?” Blimpo looked up at him, walking behind as he took large stomps as steps, making sure he didn’t slide from the loose sand.
Emilio looked side-to-side, seeing only the pitch-black water as far as he could see, “What happens, if say, one were to…fall into those waters?”
“Oh, that would definitely be bad–very, very bad! In fact, I heard it’s a fate worse than death–and that’s coming from the depressed souls living here in the After!” Blimpo answered, “As curious as I am, even that is something I wouldn’t dare venture into.”
“That didn’t answer my question really…but I’m assuming it’s not too good,” he replied.
Either way, he took more careful steps as the black water definitely didn’t bode well for any sense of safety.
It seemed this is what a lot of the After was: vast, treacherous regions that mainly laid silent and devoid of any other souls, yet held boundless histories of their own. There was no doubt in his mind that the After was a place he’d be curious to explore if he had the proper time and mindset–all of it was quite a curiosity to him.
If it wasn’t the abyssal waters, then it was the creatures that inhabited it, though the Primordials and beasts like the Jabberwocky were definitely existence he would prefer not to encounter.
“What even was that thing, anyway?” He asked, “The Jabberwocky, I mean.”
“You’ve never heard of it? I guess it makes sense that a slain monster wouldn’t be too talked about on Arcadius, actually,” Blimpo said, “The Jabberwocky used to be a pretty high-end threat in Vasmoria, I think. It was said that there were always adventurers returning, left without their sanity and completely mad…For a while, nobody knew what was going on.”
“It seems like somebody caught on, seeing as it’s now occupying the afterlife,” Emilio remarked.
Blimpo laughed, taking careful steps across the sand-covered path, “You can say that, for sure. From what I’ve heard, the one that slew the beast was “Ajax, The Supreme”–Vasmoria’s terrifying general.”
“Ajax?” He muttered.
It was definitely the first he’d heard of such a name, especially one holding such a lofty title, though there wasn’t much time to think of it as he reached the end of the sandy path, having to walk up a steep slope to what awaited next.
After picking himself up over the slope, he turned back, extending his hand down to his companion, “C’mon.”
“Thanks,” Blimpo accepted his hand before being hoisted up.
As they both reached the top of the sandy slope, what occupied the region before them was finally seen–a sight that definitely left both in awe for a moment.
“Woah, that’s…” Emilio began to say.
It was colossal; an oval-shaped tower that existed like a monument amidst the abyss, with slowly moving rings that orbited around it. There was no doubt the structure was mystical in origin, but he recognized what it may have been.
“…An oval tower. This is what Adam mentioned to me,” he recalled.
“Really?” Blimpo looked over at him.
He nodded, “He said something about…being able to find more help there with those I’m familiar with? I don’t know what he meant by that, but I’d say more help isn’t a bad thing.”
“I agree,” the elven man nodded.
Though walking across the field of soulless sand that existed around the Oval Tower almost made him doubt if it was necessary as there was an odd feeling that drove itself into the pit of his stomach while looking upon the nebulous structure.
Just what is this place, really? I know Adam is “on my side”, at least in some way, but…anything that something like him recommends, well, I should have my doubts, he thought.
The closer he got, the larger the Oval tower appeared to him, displaying its vast size, made out of sleek, dark-gray steel that was left without a single scratch or dent in its immaculate shape.
“Is it just me…or does this place reek of…the total creeps?” Blimpo shudders, trying to shake off the unsettling vibes gotten from the structure.
“I feel you. There is definitely something about this place,” he agreed.
It wasn’t seen until he reached the front of the tower itself that a door revealed its existence to him, cutting into a circular outline of a threshold before opening an entrance into the mysterious structure.
All that could be seen past the door into the Oval tower was a room guided by the light of silver torches and a cold air that left from the interior.
“After you,” Blimpo said jokingly, but not completely falsely.
“Fine,” he sighed.
Entering first, he immediately felt his body brushed by the chilly winds existing within the tower, looking around to find himself walking on what felt like porcelain tiles. It seemed much larger on the inside, though there wasn’t much point in questioning it as such concepts seemed common in the mysticism of the After.
“Brrr,” Blimpo followed in, rubbing his own arms for warmth, “Why’s it always gotta be so cold everywhere?”
“Maybe you should wear a shirt, heard it helps,” he responded.
“Yeah, yeah, point taken,” the elf replied.