Roaming the Abyss (in progress)

As you came to... it was silent.
Not a single sound broke the emptiness around you.
You might as well be deaf.
You realize you're lying down on the ground, you can feel grass against your shoulders. You rise on your elbows and open your eyes. You see a pair of travel boots and metal armor on your legs. Around your waist is strapped an accessory belt for small carriage and small weapons. You see a dagger tied up on your belt of unknown origin.
Around you grassy field spreads in the distance but the scenery is cut short by mist. You get up almost effortlessly and see you were on a shore of somekind. The water is perfectly still. You are standing next to died out campfire.
You reach over your shoulder and feel a hilth of a sword.
'What for? Enemies?'
Your chest is covered with a leather cuirass that bore some reinforcements in the form of a ringmail. You had the look of a warrior upon you.
Yet you had no idea who you were or where you were to begin with.
>"Hello!" you shout and not even the echo is there to answer.
>"Somebody!" you shout fruitlessly.
The silence was unreal. Almost too perfect to exist.  At the shore you see the tip of an old boat sunken into the water. Is that what brought you here? If so... then it must have been months ago, even years. Yet the campfire was still no more than a few days old. No... there were tufts of green grass protruding between the coals. All the signs pointed in months at least.
Who had made the campfire?
Who had made the boat and what for?
You unsheath your sword with an audible whiss and take a look at the blade. It's in pristine condition, no rust or dents to be seen.
You try to recall your name... to no avail.
All you knew, you were anonymous.
The place was foreign as well but you could feel it was natural. You could smell the humidity and the sea nearby. Only you could see the landscape 40 meters in all directions at best.
You feel the uncertainty and desperation creeping up on you.
You were totally lost in that empty world with no memories or recollection of your past. You were amazed you even know a word "past".
You slide your sword back into its scabbard on your back.
What to do?
Where to go if there even was "where".

After considering the options you decide you must depart and leave the place you woke up in. You couldn't stay and wait, for all you knew you were the only living being in that place. You're not even sure about the living part.
As you make your way into the mist, you see the path behind you vanishes in your wake. You had no way to mark your path should you decide to return, likely you'd be lost in the mist and roam the dim landscape till you starved.
You forge onwards. Only the grass reminds you of the land of the living, without it you would surely go insane.
You walk. Walk and walk for a time unknown. Your legs don't feel tired, you don't feel tired or even hungry or thirsty. That baffles you more than the gear you travel with. As you cannot explain the lack of need, you try to solve the mystery of your weapons and armor. What was it for? Who was it for? Who had made them?
Only thing you can remember is the shore you left behind. The only thing that seemed familiar in any way and you regret for leaving your safe harbor in that damnable mist.
You might as well be going in circles but you can't smell the sea anymore so you rationalize you're heading inland. Should you make a wide circle, you would stumble at the shore of the sea at some point. You dread the idea of getting lost... not that it was something to be worried about anymore.

After a while that might as well be hours or days, you see a change in the landscape. You walked at the foot of a rock wall. You gaze at the face of the rock and immediatelly see climbing was out of the question. The surface was too even and lacked all the necessary protrusions and places to pull yourself up. The edge of the obstacle could not be seen due mist. You had two choices: left or right and hope at some point you would either be able to climb or find an opening.
As you ponder your next direction you hear a sound. No... you hear a word.
>"Here", someone or something whispers to your right. You immediatelly turn your head to the said direction and try to see the source of the whisper. Nothing. You check your back and see also nothing.
>"Hello!" you shout and no response could be heard.
Advice from a friendly apparition or a trap?
Or just a pure hallusination?
All other signs for your present choice were lacking so you proceed right, leaving the massive obstacle to your left. You scan your surroundings, keep your eyes peeled and listen for anything. Due such impenetrable silence it was possible you heard just something in your head. Such environment would easily produce such illusions and you consider turning back. You decide to carry on in the current direction and hope something turns up.
It finally did eventually.
You found a stone door. Made by hand and chiseled on the stone. It was a gigantic doorway but the door itself was absent.
You scan the sight and know it must be the result of a steady hand. But the why the hell no one can be seen still?
Perhaps your luck would eventually turn to better.
The darkness swallowed all the light within but in the distance you see a small spot of light. Without it you would have likely kept going but it was apparently a way through the stony barrier. You walk in the hallway and walk towards the light.
'I might as well be dead and I'm proceeding to the land of the beyond.'
You see the doorway getting smaller behind you and the one in front of you getting bigger. The world beyond the both ways is hidden, just a spot of light but your destination is slowly getting more clear.
Eventually you exit the hallway and you can't but gasp at the sight: endless plains of waving grass. Like a green sea. The sun was shining in the hues of the fading evening light and the land before you was wide and endless. From the doorway there was no path or road. Just grass and perpetual moors.
And so, you keep roaming the abysmal plains, forging onwards.
To where, only time will tell.

Chapter 1.
-Remnants

The sun set and the moon illuminated your journey on the praerie it had turned into. You were no tired nor hungry. You walked in the pale light of the moon and did what you had done ever since you woke up. You were still as clueless as ever knowing only you had to keep going. What else there really were?
In the distance you saw a tiny flame, flickering in the night. A campfire.
'People finally?'
You take a deep breath and steel yourself. They could be hostile for all you knew. Still you were prepared to eagerly meet them in case you'd see someone friendly.
You approach carefully, making the camp more visible on after every step and soon it turned out the camp was empty save for the single campfire that was still burning.
>"Hello!"
No response.
'What the fuck is going on?'
The fire had been set up recently yet still there was no sign of a single soul. You take a look around but on the flat area around where the grass was short and withered, there just was no way they would he hiding. There were no supplies, nothing. Not even footprints.
You sigh and sit down next to fire. You were ready and willing to be ambushed even if that meant you would see at least one person.
You gaze into the fire and feel the warmth emanating from it. You eyes began to close. You began to drift to sleep.

"This land may change you.
Not even a soul stirs.
You're not the first to wade against the fire eternal.
This journey will mold you and perhaps once more will make you whole.
Remember: the fires are known to fade in quiet. In ashes you find no salvation.
Death is only an illusion, it's terrors many but the ending... flawed."

You wake up under the morning sun and the woman who talked into your dreams is gone. Not that you can really say someone even ever was there in the first place. The fire was out but clearly it had been used recently unlike the first you saw. The sun shone its light but still only you were present in that strange place. You get up and gaze into the horizon. In the horizon you can see something, a construction of sorts. And so it becomes your next destination.
As you arrive to your destination hours later you can only stand and watch in awe and confusion. Around the city the earth had collapsed in the ring like formation, sealing it off. You see skyscrapers reaching to the sky and ruined modern buildings on a plate that stood in the middle of the round chasm. You could point out no movement, casting off the occasionall structures breaking apart and collapsing. There was no way you could reach it without wings and so the dismal sight vanishes behind your back as you head out to your aimless journey.
Baffled by the unknown buildings and architecture, you try to rationalize your discovery. You had never seen such high and tall buildings before but somehow you knew it didn't belong there. It was unexplainably but without any doubt in a wrong place and even less you felt that you were in the right place either.
'What happened to me?'
You gaze at the sky and see no birds. Nowhere animals could be seen, not even insects.
You walk.
The ground had become bereft of vegetation. The sense of time was twisted and convoluted, giving the sensation that the landscape did not follow any natural patterns either. You were standing on a dried out sea floor. You see how the ground had cracked and split as the mud was revealed in an unknown time and finally dried out. You can no longer see the grassy praerie and you stand in an world that had suddenly emerged before your eyes. The sun had began to set and so you sit down, waiting for the inevitable. The darkness swallowed the world and you gaze at the stars above you. The only comfort in that emptiness was the nightsky and its unparallel beauty, soothing stars made you feel complete and alive for a short moment but that was only a fleeting emotion. The loneliness, emptiness, isolation and the sense of being lost were your only companions.
>"You don't remember, do you?" someone asks suddenly and you jump on your feet like a spring. Your hand squeezes the handle of the sword on your back but you decide not to unsheat it. No point scaring people away should they be friendly.
Someone was moving around you. Your eyes couldn't spot any movement but you could hear it, you could sense someone was close. In the dim light of the moon you try to uncover the sudden visitor who made contact but she was hidden in the darkness.
>"What do you honestly have but your weapons... and the need to traipse onwards?" said again the same woman's voice.
>"Please, reveal yourself! Don't play your magic and tricks with me but show yourself instead."
You remove your hand from the handle of the sword. If she wanted to attack, surely she would have done it already. She avoided your eyes afterall.
>"Time here is twisted, it grows and flows crooked and without logic but for revealing myself to you, the time is not right."
>"Please! I have no idea where I am, I'm so lost!"
>"You may not see me but know that I see you. Soon... you will see me as well. Give in not to the abyss, human."
'Human?'
>"Like moth towards the flame, proceed towards the light. Stay not in the dark", said the same feminine voice with more ominous tone.
In the darkness you see a campfire to light up. Was she the one who was making those things all along?
>"Hurry!"
You can only cock your head in amazement as your invisible companion can't still be seen. You are overcome by another sensation however.
You look behind you and you feel your blood freeze within your veins. You bolt in the direction of the campfire and grit your teeth realizing one obvious thing: you couldn't stay in the dark during the night and now you were literally running for your life. You brace yourself for one last angry charge and slide towards the fire. You get up in one fluid motion and reveal your sword at the pursuing monster in the safety of the light. You can see the gigantic half human torso creeping at the edge of the illuminated area. It is measuring and watching you and you can almost feel its tension when it cannot enter in the light. It had a human head but it was white as snow and filled with black holes, no eyes, no mouth, just holes. It grunts and "walks" around you, using its arms like legs. The whole thing was simply unnatural and lacked all logical features familiar for life. It began to hum, almost like trying to annoy you or call you to come closer. That humming... gah! it was sinking into your head! You squeeze your sword and push the blade onwards. The creature jumps away from the light and floats away. Floats? The damn thing could fly!
>"I will watch the fire. You may rest now", said your invisible friend.
>"You have my thanks. I have so many questions but now that I can talk to someone, let's just start by saying it out loud that you have a very beautiful voice."
The voice giggled.
>"And you are the most generous man."
The compliment was lacking. Not in context but in something else. Perhaps she had never seen anyone else. She was still able to commune with you and recognize you as a human.
>"You have a form or are you just a voice?"
>"Oh, I do have a form. I only hope you will be ready to see me. Seeing the hummer... I think I'll save my appearance for another time, human."
You would have asked her to call you with your real name if you could recall it.
>"Hummer?"
>"The thing you saw a minute ago. They are called hummers due their habit to make that sound."
>"What are they?"
>"They are something you will have to avoid. They will do bad things if you get caught by them."
>"Can I ask your name?" you ask and sit by the fire. You can see no one. No more of those hummers anymore than you can see your new friend.
>"I hardly have one, human."
>"You keep calling me a human. You are something else then?"
>"I a... I mean... it's complicated. My form is different from yours."
>"Right now I'm glad I'm not alone anymore. You may show yourself when you are ready", you soothe her. You meant every word, that voice alone meant the whole world to you.
>"I will prepare for my appearance, human. Then we may discuss more."
>"I look forward to it", you say eagerly.
The fire seemed to have a strange connection to you. You looked at the fire and soon you were overcome with the sensation of peace, serenity and safety. These thoughts and emotions enveloped you like a warm blanket as you again fell asleep.

Your sleep was without dreams this time. The voice of your new companion however still echoing in your mind and for a moment you are startled by the possibility if she won't be present anymore. You get up and sit by the died out fire. You rub your face deciding you would try to call your companion when you'd at least be perfectly awake.
>"Good morning", sounds the familiar voice and apparently she made the first move for you. You take a look and actually see someone this time. You see shape of a...
>"Shit!" you shout and spring upwards holding your hand on the handle of your sword. You maintain a sufficient distance and scan her with your eyes. Your companion was covered in fur and... she was a werewolf... of sort.
>"I expected something like that", she smiles happily and you doubt something that cute can be too dangerous. Her belly side was milky white and her back was dark brown in color. She also had a mane that had even deeper color. That however was not the most striking feature: she had grooved horns like she was some kind of demon.
You fix your posture and steel yourself, she was your only ally so far and nothing indicated in the direction of a threat. You let your sword free and sit back beside the died out fire.
>"Forgive me", you apologize.
She smiles again and giggles. Her eyes were silver color, very unusual. She was unusual.
>"This is why I thought I'd save it for later."
>"I understand now", you admit.
>"You had questions, human", she reminds you and smiles. She actually smiled with that muzzle of hers. She even had two breasts but her bosom was covered with a cloth that looked like silk. So were her nether region, which was covered with a waist curtain.
You had many questions. You didn't even know where to start so you decide to start with names.
>"I have no name, human", she admits.
>"Surely you have something."
>"Let's see... umm... Geri. I like that name. You humans had that name for your godly beings once."
>"Geri... so Geri it is then."
>"What is your name?" she asked with an apparent anticipation.
>"I'm sorry but... I can't remember."
>"Yes, that is difficult. As you pass the veil, it tends to wipe your memory."
Despite you yearn to know more about it to a point you'd kill for such info, you decide to start slowly.
>"You are anonymous", she confirms.
>"Then you may call me Anon."
>"Anon then."
You fix your position and sigh.
>"So... who are you and... where is this?" you ask and spread your arms.
>"Well, I already told you who I am. This... is here", she parrots your gesture and you feel desperation creeping up your spine. No way she was such a retard she pretended to be.
>"I mean, where am I?"
>"It is difficult to explain but... this is where you will be stuck for a while now, Anon", she explains and scratches her mane/hair, whatever.
>"Am I dead?" you ask and it didn't sound so stupid as you had thought.
>"I dont know. All I know is that you will die many times till you may reach your destination."
'Like what?"
>"You lost me there."
>"The hummers aren't the only things out there. Some will hunt during the day, some during the night and some will simply emerge without a warning", she explained with an ominous tone.
'Fucking terrific!'
>"And what are they?"
>"They are remnants of an forgotten era. They will be drawn to you and they will try to satiate their hunger, only to hunt the likes of you eternally."
>"I get it, they are my enemies. But how did you find me and do you live in this world?"
>"I slipped into this world by accident", she admits.
>"It was interesting and I found you lying by the fire at the shore. I wanted to see you moving and talking, I've never seen an actual human before. So I waited."
>"You... waited?"
>"For aeons I stood by you and waited for you to wake up. I imagined all that time what you would sound like, what are your eyes like when you open them up and for a time I thought you would never wake up. Wake up you did! It was worth the wait."
'She's some sort of godly pervert?'
>"So you're a... god?"
>"You could say that, yeah."
>"And I'm dead. I must be. I dont feel thirst or hunger so that must be so. You came here by accident or was it meant to be?"
>"I uh... I don't know", she says with unease and rubs her lower lip with shame and confusion.
>"Did you come here to guide me?"
>"I may guide you in this land. You wish to return to your world?"
>"If that it possible, then yeah. But I'd still like to know what is this place. It reminds me of hell but doesn't really seem like it to me either. Could this be some sort of middle part of it?"
>"I don't usually intervene with the realms that have a shape of sorts. I usually roam the unformed and ever shifting parts of the universe. This time I made an exception and I found you", she says like she had just found something of great value.
>"Had you not, I'd still be wandering in that damnable mist. Thank you, Geri."
>"What for?" she asked and cocked her head.
>"For waiting beside me for this day to come."
She seemed almost like she was blushing. She smiled at you and covered her muzzle.
Some things were certain now. You were met by a goddess and likely you were dead. What was the real goal in that world was uncertain. Yet the weight of the journey was now a little lighter. You were in no horry to unravel the rest just yet.
She explains nonetheless the situation at hand: you won't be able to leave this world you're stuck in but she sounds confident that there is a way. Right now you only enjoyed the conversation with your new friend who apparently had awaited that moment with you with just as much anticipation as you did.

You walked the desert under the sun with Geri who walked beside you, at times she'd only float in the air moving onwards for her own amusement. She was playful and happy with you. It seemed like nothing could ruin the journey you had embarked on, you were just happy to have her with you even while you still had no idea where you were and why.
>"I wish to see the human world someday", Geri admitted and floated besides you, hovering at your pace on the neck level.
>"Why have you not done so?"
>"I don't know. It scares me somehow."
>"what could you possibly be afraid of? You're a god."
>"Gods do have fears too, Anon. I couldn't explain it, not now at least."
>"Fair enough."
You breathe in the warm air and for a moment you feel like you're alive. You really feel alive casting off the lack of needs like hunger or thirst. The sun was warm on your skin but you didn't sweat. It was a positive change.
>"You mentioned something about dying several times before getting to my destination. Let's start with this destination shall we?"
>"Your destination obviously is to get out of here. The destination exists but getting there will be tricky", she giggles and makes a loop in the air like a dolphin would swim in the water.
>"And that gets us in the dying part."
>"You are a prey here. Yet you are a dangerous prey as humans are. You fight back and may succeed but your success is measured by your sheer will. You'll face death. Enough death to leave you broken and battered against the ground", she explains with a sad expression.
>"You're telling me I will die over and over?"
>"Yes. I will revive you and you may try again", she finishes and hugs you. You hug her back and almost ignore her words as it was just a jest.
You travel with your newfound companion and feel the burden being lifted. She laughs and smiles with such warmth you didn't even know possible, despite having wolf's head and all, she produces emotions even better than a human would. Well... she was a god after all.
>"Can you tell me about yourself?" you ask and Geri descends on the ground as she began to walk instead.
>"Tell you about me? That may prove difficult. Your human intellect is limited and so is your language."
>"Have you always existed and is that... werewolf thingy what you really look like?"
>"Yes... and yes."
You soon realize it was all you needed to know. Not that you really cared since you spotted something you could not explain. Gigantic, towering being walked slowly in the distance. It was almost fluid like yet its skeletal structure was solid, which could be seen through the strange, almost transparent flesh. It just roamed onwards and it didn't appear to see you. It was almost like time around it was going slower.
>"Roamer", Geri explains.
>"Harmless as long as you don't provoke it."
You don't really know what could possibly provoke something like that since it was several dozens of meters high.
>"You said they are remnants. Remnants of what exactly?"
>"This land is a culmination of things discarded and unwanted. Remnants of different timelines, dimensions and possible futures collide here. Here they are meing merged together and left unattended."
>"So this place just sucks in all kinds of crap?"
>"That is one way to put it", Geri admits.
>"Why aren't there any people here? So far I haven't seen even insects."
>"This place does not follow your mortal logic, Anon", Geri explains and places gently her right paw on your cheek. You are slightly startled by the sudden act of compassion from her part but you see no reason to retort.
>"You'll just have to bear with me and try to trust me. I want to get you out of here and I will no what I can."
>"Th... thank you", you reply meekly.
Geri smiles with her half animal features and the warmth of her smile is almost stunning. Wolves were always seen as bloodthirsty predators, no idea how you can recall it now but generally that was not the only thing that got you baffled.
>"Back to your goal then. You see that pillar in the horizon?" Geri asks you and you can only see strange and chopped up scenery that was huddled together like a painting of a madman. You think you can recognize some strange statue in the middle of the rubble.
>"Uh... no?"
>"You will see it eventually, perhaps in the day or two. Forge towards it and prepare for anything. The road leading there is perilous and hopeless."
'Jeez, that's reassuring.'
>"I will be nearby, just keep your goal in mind."
And then she was gone. From your field of vision at least but you hoped she kept her word and really would be present in some form. All of a sudden you felt lost again but now you had some direction to embark on.
>"Fine. Let's just forge onwards then."
And so you did. You traversed the path that was laid before you. It's not that you could really choose.

Chapter 2.
-The first time

It hadn't been long when you saw enormous Roamer to walk past by you. This one was on fire and it radiated heat within several dozens of meters radius. It burned everything in it's path as it "roamed" across the dismal plains, finally disappearing in the horizon. It didn't really pay any attention to you and the whole thing gave you a mental image of something truly magnifficent yet demonic at the same time. Geri didn't really show any signs of being present and you grew somewhat anxious to talk to her again. You didn't notice any signs of twilight either. Not that you really could expect any logical features in that place but as long as you had daylight left you didn't have to seek for a bonfire to fend off those monsters Geri warned you about. How did those humming, faceless torsos even killed their prey? You wince and shrug off your thoughts.
After a while you come across a wreckage. It had glass panels on all sides and inside you saw cushioned surfaces you imagined were for sitting. Perhaps some device of transport and a chair in one? Why else does one sit on such a thing but how? The glass was intact yet dirty but there was no way to enter since it was sealed and held no open passages. You felt the smooth but rusty metal surface of the carriage, then you tried the strange looking piece sticking on the side of it and it moved. You hear a click and the thing pops open. It was a hatch afterall, very well hidden at that even. The wheels appeared to be be made of some strange leather or some other soft yet hard material around metal core. All four wheels were flattened at the moment so you guessed they were filled with air.
>"Who are you? Piss off!" you hear someone yelling and are immediatelly startled by the sudden human voice. You sneer and see your surroundings to no avail. You look inside of the wreckage and see a shadow like character bounce out. You feel a sudden and painfull chill shoot through your body. The shadow had leaped through you and it was now walking around you. It had a human form but nothing else.
You begin to hear other voices as well, no other shades however. You draw your sword and point it at the shade.
"They came demanding money... hello... my head hurts", echoes around the shade in different voices, some woman, some man and it appeared to be completely random.
The shade shoots through you again in a blink of an eye and again you feel your body freeze. It was definitely harming you with its touch. You growl and strike it with your sword. The sword is coated in frost as it passed through the damn thing but didn't hurt it in the least. It leaped again and you feel knives in your guts. You could barely see and the pain was absolutely horrible. It was freezing you from within. You turn around holding the heavy sword in your hands, it had suddenly become absolutely massive. The shade was twithing like bolts of lightning were shooting through it.
>"Mommy...", a child cooes.
The shade grabbed you in a terribly cold grip and you feel your entrails freeze over and your head feels about to burst. Your conciousness is mercifully fading and you see just black, still you can hear the voice talking.
>"Look mommy... let's go... have I not been a good boy?" were the last words you heard before the short moment of pain and insanity was devoured by the black void.

You get up like waking up from a nightmare. You were sweaty and shaking. You see a lit up bonfire next to you. On the other side is Geri sitting on the ground.
>"What the hell?" you stutter.
>"I haven't named those yet but touching some remains can be dangerous. They may contain dormant anomalies. It freezed you to death as you can see", Geri explains like a doctor explains his procedure: without sympathy or anything you'd have hoped for the occasion. You had just died!
>"I fucking just died!" you grunt and hold your aching head.
>"I told you it would happen", she reminds you and you get up. You walk away from the fire and Geri who is watching your receding back in confusion. You run your hands across your face and wipe off cold sweat. The scenery was again desert like hellscape with absurd combination of different architectures and timelines. Geri floats besides you and you can see her confused expression deepening.
>"What's wrong?"
>"I was frozen to death, that's wrong!" you shout at her and she hovers a step or two further away from you without touching the ground. She lands on her paws and follows you by foot.
>"I told you it would happen and you seem like you're blaming me."
>"I'm not blaming you, Geri", you correct her without being too honest about it. You face her wolf-woman like form and rub your face.
>"Death just is something we abhor greatly. Even those who say they're not afraid of it can never be fully without fear. I sure as hell see it now!" you growl and resume your travel.
>"I do not understand. You can be resurrected and still you're afraid of it?"
What in the end was so terrifying about dying if it never was even final? Guess that's about it.
>"Yes."
You think you can still feel the gut wrenching pain residing within. You could still feel that damnable agony when your blood froze and your entrails were torn by the cold needles.
>"Anon, please stop", Geri pleads and you comply. You turn around and lock eyes with her. She's like a little girl being lost. It looked like you weren't the only one who was lost in the first place.
>"My knowledge on the world of matter and substance is very limited. The world of emotion is even less known to me."
'Sweet Jesus, she really doesn't know anything.'
You were thrilled, delighted to have a companion in that hellish place and now she was dumb like a boot. The disappointment and terror overcame you in waves. You practically were still alone, you only had a map in the form of that wolf-woman.
>"It's okay, Geri", you whisper and turn away.
'I can't blame you. Thank you for guiding me anyway.'
>"You look sad. Why?"
>"My first death just hit me. I'm dealing with it", you answer with another half truth.
>"Okay. May I point you to another direction? It's not much safer but the direction is correct."
'Like I could avoid being killed again', you thought with fear. You hated yourself for being so honest with yourself.
>"Just tell me where to go."
Geri raises her hand and points into a direction in the hellscape. It was a city of sorts. Some of the buildings reached all the way to the sky, almost to the clouds. The place looked fascinating and oddly outwordly. The walls appeared to be made of... glass? Some of the atrociously high buildings stood intact, some were collapsed by an unknown force.
>"Why do I think this is going to be even worse?"
>"Do not despair, Anon. The path is perilous but you can endure."
>"By dying over and over?"
>"That is the most efficient way to find the right path."
>"Is there any other way?" you sigh.
>"This is a trial of will. You must not despair and you need to steel yourself if you wish to ever get out of here."
Without a word you make your way onwards. You step on a strange ground. It was almost black and flat like a frozen lake. It had a dashed line and some lines ran the whole lenght uninterrupted. You heart skipped a beat when you saw more of those carriages. There were dozens, no... there were many more. Some of them had their hatches open and some had broken glasses making them unsealed. Did those fuckers ran rampantly without your knowing?
You take a deep breath and grit your teeth. You still recall your first death with horror, the cold, the pain and being absolutely helpless... you shook your head and took a step forth. You'd make a run for it if something indicated hostile presence. You didn't see the damn thing last time before it was too late. All it had to do was to pass through you once and you'd be notably weaker to do anything. It was also too damn fast.
Metallic rods arched above the things your were certain to be roads for the carriages. They supported strange lanterns which had lights of three different colors: green, yellow and red. Some of them were lit and appeared to produce their signals still, even if nothing or no one was there to follow them, while some of them were either broken or just lacked the need to work.
You passed a carriage after another but no signs of life or any indication of the shades was to be detected. Maybe you just had rotten luck last time. Geri of course didn't share her knowledge of the dangers here. She really could be more supportive than that if she even cared about you in the first place.
'Then why would she be bothered to guide me in this insane world?'
The buildings were truly magnifficent in size and even more breathtaking they were when one stood at the base of one. They really were coated with reflecting glass. You notice this feature gasping when you see your own reflection from the dark surface. You remove your hand from the hilt of the sword and fix your posture. You slowly raise yourself and feel your face with your hand. It was little wiry but you couldn't really talk about beard. Hell, how long did you even lied on those misty shores?
You touch the cool glass with your right hand and press the surface. It barely budges. You look at your warrior build and outfit with surprize. You didn't pack any notable weapons or protection, you were wearing simple leathers and sleeveless leather quirass, just as any man would put on during long trips. Almost like it was made for the absurd journey ahead. You droop your head for a moment like a man who is about to give up. You raise your head and look at your reflection again. It still hung its head facing the sheets of marble beneath it.
>"What the...?"
It suddenly locks eyes with you and gives almost a fiendish smirk. You jump away from the glass and grip the sword but don't unsheathe it. Your reflection mauls the glass with rage, landing a blow after another and making it crack. The cracks spread like spiderwebs across the sheet of glass and it soon shatters. The glass flows on the ground leaving your perfect dublicate standing in the hole where the glass once was. It looks at you almost with lustful eyes and draws its sword as it charges at you. You encounter your opponent and parry his blow with your sword. Whatever it was it was strong. You try to do a riposte but your clone saw it coming and steps aside making you open for a blow. Like your body remembered the movement you automatically fix your error, removing yourself from the harms way and deliver a painful blow in you reflection's face. It winced holding its mouth. It spat blood on the ground while you stood ready.
>"Can you understand me?" you try to make peace. "I don't want to fight you."
The reflection walks before you like a shark measuring its prey. It smiles with a malevolent smirk but no words come out from it. It or him, you don't really know what to call it. It lunges in the air and makes a deadly spin landing a strong blow that would have surely broken your block but instead his sword split one of the marble sheats. Your foot opened his lips and more blood came out. It attacked with bloodied face but you realized too late it was feigned. You feel a knee in your gut and your eyes begin to water. The fist slit your lips and you tasted blood in your mouth. You figured it had to mimic your fighting style, you saw it almost immediately. Maybe it even could read your thoughts. You stumble against one of the metallic carriages and it sprang to life. It let out a earshattering sound that sounded like whistle of sorts. It even had flashing lights. The sword bore in to the metal mere inches away from your face and you exploited the situation. You kicked him away from you and the sword was left sticking from the roof of the howling machine. The reflection took a pair of daggers without backing off an inch. In the blink of an eye the dagger flew across the distance between and sank into your shoulder. You grabbed the damn thing and pulled it out but in such a short time you feel him pushing the other into your stomach. The sword was too long for that distance but without a second thought you smash his dagger into his skull. His eyes roll like in confusion but again you saw an opening. You pushed him away and removed his head with a single sweep. He stood headless for a good time and you ponder if you should cut him more. Eventually he begins to disintegrate and turn into a glittering dust. The sword embedded into the carriage's roof vanished as well. You pull the dagger from your stomach accompanied with a good amount of swearing and gritting of teeth. It turned into smoke in your hand. Your face was bleeding and your front had two extra holes. The pain was burning on every movement but you had to forge onwards.
>"Geri", you grunt. "Geri!" you shout painfully.
She is nowhere to be seen or heard. You limp onward trying to stem the bleeding with your hand. You were badly wounded but if one of the major organs was pierced, you would soon collapse. Humans could endure much damage but if the dagger had severed an artery or something like that, it would be a death sentence and a new waking next to a fire.
You shake your head and force yourself to pick up the pace. Your walk was agonizing and slow but you didn't stop, not until you began to feel dizzy and your body got heavier. You kneel to one of the yellow carriages and lean on its closed door. You swallow blood and gasp as it was painful to swallow.
>"Geri! If you can hear me... just fucking give me a hand here!"
'Or a paw, whatever!'
Only silence. You could swear that damnable shore was just as silent and that was the first thing you could remember. You take a look at the wound and see red spewing out. The bleeding didn't seem to stop.
The sky was getting grey and you could swear you heard a distant thunder.
>"Anon, you called me", Geri says and you jumped upon hearing her voice.
>"What happened?"
>"My own goddamn reflection tried to kill me. Even mirrors aren't safe in this shithole!"
>"I never even imagined."
>"Please, can you do something about this? I'm bleeding too much."
She kneels next to you and measures you from head to toe.
>"What will happen if you keep bleeding?"
'Aww shit, not this again.'
>"I will die. You can resurrect me but you can surely close my wounds as well. Please, help me."
>"Resurrecting is actually easier than healing your flesh. I will try. Let me touch the wound."
You remove your hand and she places her own just below the ribs. She's feeling your bloodied skin and leathers for a while like she was pondering what to do.
>"I think I know what's going on. The blood is coming from an organ that has a cut in it."
'Could be the spleen, I was minutes away from exsanguination. Or the lungs, in either case my end would have been an unpleasant one.'
>"That's bad. Try to close it."
>"I will now heal your wound", she informs you. You feel tingling around the wound and the pain was fading. She rubs your wound for a moment and finally removes her hand. You put your own hand in place and notice the pain was gone. So was the wound itself.
>"Your shoulder need fixing too. One moment."
She repeats her thing and soon the extra holes were gone.
>"Thank you", you whisper. She looks at her bloodied paw with the same look when someone looks at something one does not fully understand.
You grab her by the shoulder and give her a firm hug. She doesn't resist but her confusion is apparent.
>"I'm so glad you're here. I don't know how I'd ever keep my sanity otherwise. Without you I'd be lost for good in this hell."
>"Anon... I... why are you touching me?"
You come to your senses and let go of her.
>"Forgive me my intrusion, Geri. I'm sorry, it won't happen again."
>"It's not that, Anon. I just... don't know."
You get up feeling slight shame for your sudden actions. You check your gear and take a quick look of your surrounding. Geri is still feeling the spots where you had touched her, mainly the neck and shoulders. Her expression is a mix of fear and awe.
>"Can't you be with me all the time? I mean... if these things pose a threat to you, then I can go on my own."
>"My presence attracts them even while they cannot touch me. We are both otherworldly visitors and especially my lifeforce is so much greater it would attract every remnant within miles. That's why I must depart again."
>"Till we meet again, my friend. Thank you again and I look forward to seeing you again."
>"Friend...", she whispers slightly baffled. After that you were alone again but you could still feel her soft fur against your chin.

Chapter 3.
-Through trial and error.

The deserted lanscape was a city of some sort. The black roads were obviously for the metal carriages which were scattered all across the place and the thinner paths were for people who did not travel on the carriages. You rationalized it quickly but the truth never really mattered much. You were walking in a city of some advanced nation but hell knows what happened to its people. Geri had explained in multiple occasions not to go and try to rationalize anything. So far you had been the only human being there and somehow you knew it would remain that way for the rest of your crappy trip.
You could see reflecting glass everywhere and you abhorred at the thought of another encounter with your own clone. What if you woke entire horde of them? There was so much glass around you it felt impossible to avoid casting your reflections upon it.
'Better to cry over things when the time comes, not before that.'
You sit behind one of the carriages and take a look around. Your only landmark was the large cucumber shaped glass building in the distance Geri had pointed out earlier. She would meet you there and give you more instructions when you arrived. You were already longing for her presence, her voice and beautiful smile. Geri was the only thing that kept you from despairing completely. When she was around, you'd always have goal in that surreal hellscape.
You stand up and take a quick sweep. You bolt back into your hideout between the carriages. You raise your head from the cover carefully. You saw one of the hummers hovering above the road like it was searching for something.
'Lifeforce', Geri had said earlier. Can those things smell your lifeforce? Like a hunter smells the blood of the wounded prey?
The hummer didn't make much sound yet but the little hum was still pretty creepy when it seemed somewhat reminiscent to a song of somekind. Like an old man was humming to a tune. You notice a difference between its dormant and hunter mode. While in hunter mode it loses a melody and becomes irritating, mind numbing buzz. It hangs its long fingered arms above the ground like a vulture would hang its legs. The hummer keeps humming its tune and floats behind a corner out of sight. You didn't know why but those holed, faceless torsos were so far the most intimidating monsters that place had to offer. Maybe due the size or the lack of any humane features.
Just what makes it so to call one with a name remnant? Remnant of what?
You scurry away between the carriages and exploit every shade and cover you can think of. You felt like a rat in a maze but for the time being it felt the most wise decision. According to your earlier exprerience any encounter might be fatal.
You pass through a sun-shaded area at the side of the road that had several tables and seats. The tables were carrying several dishes and cups filled with steaming liquid. You hesitate to take a closer look. What if the beverage jumped on you?
You wanted to know if that fuckup of a world was plain retarded in the same measure as it was scary. On the other hand it would be a perfect ambush. Not that you felt hunger or thirst but still. The liquid was black and steaming. It was poured on a small ceramic cup. You break eye contact and your mouth opens wide. The streets were full of people in strange outfits. There were so many going on about their own daily business. The carriages were moving again and all of them had at least one human sitting inside. People were smiling, sipping the black liquid and talking with each other or in some strange devices held against their ear. The lanterns above the roads were changing theirs lights and the rhytm and movement of the carriages was changing as the colors changed. Red light stopped the movement, the green initiated it again. The yellow appeared to be some sort of a heads up signal. So much life at the foot of the great glass covered buildings, there was so much in such a small area at once. You look at the sky and see a gigantic flying machine above. You watch in awe as the city around you suddenly had awoken in its glory. People pass through you as they walk on the streets. They go through you like the shade that killed you the first time but without the sensation of cold and pain. This time you were the ghost instead. What had just happened? Why was the city alive again? You walk in the middle of the traffic and try to see something familiar. The city was filled with humans but they seemed too strange and foreign it was impossible to familiarize yourself with them. Despite you would have given anything for a short human to human interaction but right now it was impossible to enjoy it.
You shake your head in disbelief and look around yourself expecting to at least see some pattern or explanation why that place had suddenly changed or why it was there in the first place.
The place was dead again. No movement whatsoever casting off the blinking traffic lanterns which still were doing their duty from times unknown.
"What the hell?" you sigh. You're afraid you will soon lose your sanity since nothing in that place was to be trusted. Everything was like seaweed: it was constantly moving, warping and twisting in the waves of distorted reality. You were lost in a sea of chaos and surreal where nothing was true. You filled your mind with pictures of Geri pressing her hand on your wound, the pleasant smell of her coat... you knew you would pull through it. She was already waiting for you and you only had to survive the road leading to her. You run in the general direction of the landmark she pointed for you and feel a sudden burst of energy surging through you.

The road to the landmark in the distance was not easily achieved however. The hummers began to show increased activity in the vicinity as you spotted a dozen of them hovering around like in search of something. The playful hum echoed throughout the plaza and there appeared to be no other way than to simply try to sneak past them. You could see the weirdly shaped building in the distance that reflected the sun making it glow. There you would have a chance to rest. The hum made it easier to keep a track on the hovering torsos and it also served as a warning signal. You recalled those carriages to make sound if disturbed. You didn't know if they reacted to the sound but it was worth a shot. You made your way on the other side of the plaza and spotted several carriages. Those things werent hard to come by since they were literally everywhere. You checked the surroundings and kicked the yellow one. Nothing. You kicked again and nothing other than a loud thud was produced upon impact. The hummers changed their patrolling patterns slightly but you still didn't get them to leave their spots. You picked another and gave it a frustrated kick. The thing began to ring and flash its lights with a terrible whistling alarm. You bolt for a cover behind another carriage and watch carefully not to disturb it as you dived in. The hummers changed their hum into a hunting chant as they began to buzz in deafening tone. It didn't break your ears, it was eating up your conciousness. You had to be careful, the buzz was making you slightly disoriented. You saw the path was clear as the hummers swarmed to the shouting carriage. They were measuring it with great interest and felt it with their hands. You didn't stay to find out if they decided to do what ever it was they did to their targets of interest. The road was open and you made a run for it. You heard the hummers cease their hunting buzz and it turned into a normal hum. You knew they wouldn't reach you. You would see Geri again soon.
That was a lesson learned hard: never assume, never underestimate. You tripped as another hummer charged behind a corner in front of you. You gasp and reach for your sword but you were lying on the ground and in panic you hit the pommel on a wheel of a carriage losing precious seconds. The hummer already had began its paralyzing buzz and you felt your limbs go numb. Your vision blurred as the voice filled your head and saw the hummer hover above you. It landed its hands to the both sides of your head and you could only watch in terror as the dozens of holes merged together and melted into a one black pool of darkness on the featureless face. You felt the darkness pulling you to it and then came the pain. You began to disintegrate and vaporize as the black hole sucked you in. Atom by atom you turned into dust and were sucked into the void. The hummer's face closed and soon it had normal holes in the place of just one.

You woke up next to fire and curse so loudly it surely reached Geri's ears. The death was not the most terrible you could imagine but you saw to it you would not go through it again. You make your way back to the streets of the abandoned town. You pass the spot where your reflection attacked you and notice the empty sheath of darkness in the middle of hunreds of dark mirrors. You pass the spot where Geri healed your wounds and curse the wasted effort. You pass the spot where the city came alive again but you also noticed the cups were empty this time. What ever reason ever caused that you were too pissed to care. You repeat the procedure of luring the hummers away and this time you unsheath your sword but are very careful not to make any sound. You ponder for a moment. Attack the hummer or just maintain the stealthy approach? On the other hand you needed to learn more of your foes. Could they be killed? At least the first one you had seen was startled by your defiance. You run and memorize the place it had emerged at, it had been sudden and agressive approach making you lose your touch and self-restraint for a short but fateful moment.
'This must the stupidest idea ever.'
You jump on a carriage and leap in the air with your sword drawn, ready for a blow. The hummer attacked as you recalled and you retaliate smashing its head with the blade. The impact was almost perfect. The hit cleaved its ugly head asunder and the hummer began to twitch uncontrollably in the air. It smashed in the buildings, collided with the ground, broke a couple of windows and set off a carriage alarm before it finally stopped moving. The noice was too damn loud however, you had to leave the area quick if you desired to carry on without pursuers. You ran without care since the path was without hideouts or blind corners this time and you ran till you no longer couldn't. The bridge was suspended on a huge chasm and had long since collapsed. You make your way to the edge of the destroyed bridge and look down.
The black void beckoned you below.
"Gods piss down to my throat once more", you grumble and retreat from the edge of the chasm. You take a look around and see another bridge in the distance. It seemed more intact than the one you were standing on.
Either you took your chances with the shitty excuse of a bridge you were standing on or tried to reach the one further away. You looked at the landmark. You wanted to call out to Geri but you didn't want to risk exposure. The bridge was a goddamn nightmare but not unsurmountable, just too wrecked for any sane person to try and cross it. The landmark was so close yet so far away. The hummers were moving in from the direction you had come from and they were clearly tracking you. You don't know how but you could tell they were consentrated on something. For a moment you hoped they would have stopped at their dead pal but they knew something was still nearby.
"Guess I'll see if my climbing skills are any good."
The hummers approached to your position and you proceeded with the perilous attempt ahead. Hanging wires and twisted metal was a major sight and only thing keeping you from falling. You honestly hoped those damn hummers couldn't fly as they hovered above ground. Maybe they wouldn't see you if you got far enough. Your hands burned with pain as they held you hanging by the thick steel cable. You did your best not to look down. You grabbed another cable above you and slowly traversed the chasm. Cable after another you move onwards between ground and the sky. You could see a platform ahead of you but it was still rather far away. You didn't despair, you could make it if you only managed to hold on and carry your weight. You were strong and fit but still the climb with nothing but your hands was getting increasingly difficult. You grab a piece of metal that looked sturdy enough to hold your weight and climb above it. Your arms thanked their maker for the moment of rest. You balanced yourself on top of the arched metal and made your way onwards. It looked like you were going to make it but that wasn't the first time when the void gave you the middle finger. The suspended metal platform popped with a screech and you see a large bolt bouncing off. Next thing you realize there was nothing beneath your feet.
It took about three minutes for you to reach the bottom.

After getting your shit together at the typical point of return you take a deep breath. You do your best to ignore recalling the popping sensation when your body was crushed against the rocks deep below the ground. In the almost complete darkness you couldn't even tell when you would hit the bottom.
Dying was shitty as it was but dying several times wasn't any better for sure. Fastforwarding to the plaza you ponder your options. The collapsed bridge was the shortest route but it required not only skill but also luck. The several minutes of freefalling through the pitch black darkness wasn't something you wanted to go through again. You leave the plaza and steel yourself for new encounters. You take the road going left from the plaza. It seemed to be the most ideal direction to the intact bridge you had seen earlier.
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