n

n

nGeth wrinkled his nose. A foul mix of rotting flesh and feces assaulted his senses.

nHis eyelids pried open, trying to find the source of this putrid odor. As the air touched the surface of his eyes, the burning almost forced them closed again.

nGeth's vision was heavily blurred. He blinked rapidly, trying his best to regain his sight. His body was battered and aching, and he could feel some type of restraint tearing at his wrists.

nHe struggled briefly and found that it was difficult to move. It felt almost as if his joints weren't in place. He could feel his appendages, but the most he could do was make the muscles twitch.

nAfter a bit of struggle, he finally managed to blink through the burning of the rotten odor. As his vision cleared, a strange scene appeared before him.

nHe found himself in a vast underground space. It reminded him of a Dungeon before it had been conquered.

nIt was dark. Very little light radiated from the encircling crystals.

nThe location isn't what he found strange... It was the picture that was displayed before him. Hundreds of corpses were lying in the area surrounding him.

nFeces and bile littered the few open spaces between the decaying bodies. A few of the bodies were moving. They seemed to be broken and struggling just as Geth was.

nHe turned his head towards himself. Geth needed to get a better idea of his condition.

nThe first things were his hands. His fingers were all broken in odd angles, bits of bone protruding between them.

nThe hands themselves were heavily swollen and bruised. Geth's wrists were cuffed together by a block of earth.

nBlood flow was cut off to his fingers by the heavy stone. If it wasn't, he would probably bleed to death.

nStruggling to turn his neck, he found that his arms were hanging limply from his shoulders. His legs weren't in any better shape, limply laying on the ground in front of him.

nHe noticed that the bodies around him weren't just human. There were Lizardfolk, Goblins, and even some of what he thought were Dwarves and Elves.

nThe Elves had their eyes gouged and ears ripped off while the Dwarves were missing limbs. It looked as if the hair had been ripped from their faces.

nThe Goblins and Lizardfolk were mutilated even worse. In all, it was a truly gruesome sight.

nEvery creature was bound or crippled in some fashion. It seemed that the humans were the least tortured.

nGeth shuffled slightly, causing the stone weighing down his arms to drag against the floor.

n

"Who... who's there..?

" A nearby voice strained the words out.

nThrough the pain, Geth managed to turn his head towards the whisper. What was left of the broken body looked like an old elf.

nThe man's skin was old and wrinkled. Even with the scars of torture, Geth could make out the lines of much laughter near where his eyes should be.

nHe tried to reply but found that he couldn't form words. His actions weren't his own as his body toppled towards the old man.

nGeth could feel the searing pain as his shoulder began to move, dragging himself towards the tortured elder. He came to rest just beside him.

nThe old man seemed to sense his movement as he got closer. A smile briefly lit the old man's face before he forced himself to speak again.

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"A... human? How fitting. Hah-

" A rough fit of coughing interrupted his brief laughter before his face turned serious.

n

"There is only one,

" *Cough*

"Chance to make things right.

"

nThe elder's forehead pressed up against Geth's. A chilling sensation ran through his mind as pressure began to build.

nIt felt like his head was going to explode, but he couldn't move. His eyes closed. He could feel something foreign enter his mind.

nAn unfamiliar shape was emerging. With closed eyes, Geth could see the form of a large dome. He wasn't sure how, but he knew that the object had become a part of him.

nAnother alien presence began to surround the dome. Geth watched as a strange blue tendril approached the edge of the new structure.

nThe tendril began to carve out a shape on the outer walls. The pain was excruciating, worse than being tortured one thousand times.

nThe lines that were drawn glowed an angry red. The burning sensation it gave off resonated through his entire being.

nJust as Geth's consciousness was about to fade away, a powerful frigid sensation replaced the heat. Once he could focus again, he found that the blue substance was being siphoned through a spiral etched into the dome.

nAs the dome was filling, thousands of strands of the odd liquid began to reach out. Intricate drawings were burned into the structure as its outer edges expanded.

nThe size continually increased as information began to flood Geth's mind. When the process was complete, millions of complex markings filled the inner space.

nThe old man let out a tired breath,

"Humans really are resilient creatures.

"

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"Hopefully, the next time our races meet, we won't let our pride get in the way.

" A bright smile lit the old man's face just as his life faded away.

n****

nGeth woke in a cold sweat, jerking his body up and startling the women beside him awake.

n

"Babe, is everything okay?

" Zolis asked while worriedly looking around the room. Concern showed on Alise's face as she looked at him.

nGeth looked at the two women before answering,

"Just a bad dream. I'm going to walk around a bit. You two get some sleep.

"

nHe kissed them both gently before donning his gear and leaving the room. Geth didn't like lying to them, but he wasn't sure what he should say.

nHe knew it wasn't just a dream. There, on Albus' pages, was the only proof he needed.

n:An unknown force has entered your mind. Mana Sense has been upgraded to Level 4.

nAdditional Talent learned. User has gained Talent, Absorption.

nAbsorption (Max)-

nThe wall standing between you and the surrounding Mana has thinned.

nMana Recovery has doubled.

nExperience gained from all sources has doubled:

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