Chapter 02 - Common traits (v2.0)

A mere human is tested psychologically and physically, completely confused trying to desperately understand it all.

Chapter 02 - Common traits

 

 

  The demon slumps back into his throne with a satisfied grin on his face. Two hatches open in a spiral motion beside him, two humanoid creatures levitate through, the hatches close and they swiftly land.

 

  The creature on the right has a tall and thin physique, his glossy flesh shines in the light, a dark yellow skin tone and various black spots scattered randomly. His face is apparently old, saggy cheeks, small mouth, round chin, the sides of his face have numerous layers of loose dorsal fins, and they curve to the sides near the end. His wide and big green eyes shimmer like the ocean. A single piece of clothing runs around his neck, it hangs down, covering most of his frontal body.   

 

- Hello and good morning creatures of the universe! I’m Taif and right beside me is the lovely Lyla! We’re here live on main stage of the Vorago games! It's just a beautiful morning in  Jeuna today! The fauna is elegantly ripping each other to shreds and the sweet scent of iron just lingers in the plains! The tall grass is coated in the dried blood of the fallen! The rotting cadavers are about to reach their sweet spots, a delicious breakfast for anyone really! ... Today is a very special day folks, today is the 180,000th anniversary of the Vorago games! And my my my do I have a feeling this year is going to have the most beautiful violence we have ever seen! We have one thousand of the most courageous souls, collected from all over the universe, be it those good ol’ dalcop’s or real Budak’s! Cowards or warriors! All of them will fight for their lives!... Once again, lay down the rules Lyla! - shouts Taif in a youthful tone as he raises his right hand in the air.

 

              - C-creatures of the universe? Vorago games? F-fight? Did he actually just say Jeuna? I don’t understand! ... Argh! I can’t remember my last memory on earth! So I’m not really in purgatory, these are aliens! - I think as I look up, then around.

 

  Lyla is a female humanoid creature; she is tall and has a very straight posture. Her skin has a light lime green tone; the sides of her head have a hollow cylinder shaped hole going right through. A thick grey shell covers her head, her two nostrils are thin horizontal openings. Below the nose lies a vertical line all the way down to her small pointy chin. A few strands of interlaced skin fall from within the shell, they arch down and around her head, back into the shell. She wears a long sleeveless dress, the dress has a dark violet color, it’s texture reflects light.

 

- Listen up you spineless freaks!

 

Rule number one: Suicide attempts

will result in instant body restriction.

Rule number two: Rendering the collar 

on your back useless in any way is prohibited.

Rule number three: Attacking monitoring 

drones is prohibited.

Rule number four: Attacking guards is prohibited.

Rule number five: Have fun!

- says Lyla, as she opens a slight grin that reveals her razor sharp teeth and continues speaking.

 

- Urgh! My head is killing me! … T-these words, some momments I can understand and then suddenly I can’t understand anything they’re saying… What have they done to me? " I question.

 

- Any infractions of these rules will trigger the collar and your sweet extermination... Our newest rule, rule number one, this one is dedicated to those repulsive dalcop’s! This is for those who start thinking about taking their pathetic lives. You breathing pieces of waste think you’re so clever, and suddenly decide you can simply jump off a cliff... Well, think again! This new F.D.G. technology in the collars are perfect for you cowards! We even prepared a fresh video feed for the spectators and lucky b******s! - shouts Lyla.

 

  A three-dimensional hologram appears in front of each contestant. A pale humanoid creature runs inside a dense forest, he frantically gasps, looking back and forth. The creature’s wrinkly skin is covered in sweat, blood and dirt. His various bags of saggy and swollen skin bounce up and down around the entirety of his body. The creature makes a determined expression as his long stretchy nose whips around his face due to the strong wind current from the ocean in front of him. He leaps gracefully into a blinding light. The light fades, revealing an enormous cliff, he falls and screams for a minute. Four budaks appear on the edge of the cliff, staring down while holding their primitive weapons. The weapons are composed of sharpened animal bones or blunt thick bones. They laugh and point down at him.

              - Oh, no! Come back buddy! ... You have enough skin for my new winter coat! - maniacally shouts one of the budaks.

 

- Man, what a waste! - the other budak mutters, as he looks down.

 

- Sure is, he had so much meat! He could have been food for days! ... Anyways, let’s leave - says the third budak as they turn around and walk away.

 

  Suddenly, the creature stops in midair, levitating and completely restricted of his movements. He struggles to move as he is slowly pushed and pinned against the side of the cliff. The creature is frozen in place and the dark yellow ocean is the only thing that can be seen, as far as the eye can see and the video feed ends.

 

- Well, let’s try not to spoil anything… LET THE VORAGO GAMES BEGIN! - the demon shouts while striking down his staff.

 

              - W-what? ... Games? - I think.

 

  The synchronized ignition of the platforms startle many of the contestants, they begin moving slowly, forming many single file lines. Various navy blue colored spheres have appeared around the wall, one for each prisoner, as one of the prisoners gets close the sphere violently jiggles from the inside, almost as if it's alive. The platform flips the prisoner upside down, his feet stick to the platform, the platform ascends above the sphere. I look around and it’s happening to everyone as they approach the sphere. Suddenly, I get flipped upside down, I continue watching the prisoner dangle back and forth, and the platform slowly descends into the sphere.

 

              - NO! PLEASE! " the alien shouts as he tries to push away from the sphere.

 

  His arms slowly sink inside it, the material of the sphere sticks to his arms, he screams in fear, he tries to pull back his arms, his strength alone isn’t enough. His arms are now trembling to maintain strength, until he slowly gets pulled in again. The material covers his mouth and muffles his screams, I look down and it’s my turn.

 

              - Why don’t I scream? ... Am I this broken already? ... This emptiness, this is what it must be like to give up... - I think as I am swallowed by the sphere head first.

 

 Suddenly I am falling in complete darkness, I feel that same cold slimy liquid as before, I’m moving down fast, making fast left and right turns. Suddenly I fall inside a cylinder-shaped space, nice and cozy. Here is completely lit up, everything is very clean. There are various screens turned off on the beige walls around me, it has a scarlet colored leather cushion behind my entire body, that is now splattered with a navy blue colored slime. Directly in front of me is a thin glass visor, but I can’t see anything through it, it’s completely dark outside of here. The cylinder I am inside begins moving down, to my right someone has carved symbols onto a metal panel on the wall, these are symbols I have never seen before, but slowly I began understanding somehow, as flashes of these symbols pass through my mind, memories I’m sure I didn’t have before, I understand. The message reads: “I see no god up here”.

 

          -      Up here? Up wh- I say and interrupt myself when I see a planet and the stars through my visor.

 

 I hear big metal latches unlock, suddenly two seat belts automatically latch around me, one from each side.

Suddenly I start moving forward again, only this time, it’s faster. The space capsule rapidly gains speed, the speed becomes overwhelming, forcing myself to hold my seat belts and close my eyes tightly. The interior of the capsule becomes warmer by the second, I'm sweating and start taking huge panic breaths. I open my eyes, revealing a bright red and orange light and the stars rapidly moving backward in a blur.

          -      T-this feeling... Am I in outer space? - I ask myself, as the speed becomes faster and faster, -What the f**k is happening?! - I yell and gasp for air.

 

 I involuntarily slowly close my eyes; my head feels light and slowly everything in the borders of my field vision begins fading into darkness until I can’t see anything. I slowly wake up, moaning in pain, my vision is blurry, it’s dark and there is a strong red light blinking. Suddenly I take a huge panic breath; I frantically look around and then take off my seat belt. I look through the visor again, I see a light blue, slightly violet sky. I get up, holding on to the structure of the ship, judging the upward inclined angle the front of the pod is in,

-  

          -      This pod just might have landed somewhere that cushioned the fall... Now, only if I could find some kind of exit - I think to myself.

 I notice the back of the pod is the escape hatch and I frantically hit the walls with my hands and feet. Suddenly the circular hatch opens and I fall out the hatch screaming. I’m surrounded by trees, I go through numerous branches, leaves, and vines. My body loses control; I start spinning in midair and hit a swamp.

 Underwater I notice my entire body hurts, I think I broke my leg. I desperately swim up the thick water; I reach the surface gasping for air. The water is dark green mixed with a dark yellow soil, the bubbles of the water have a dark yellow tone also. I swim through the swamp looking up the enormous white trees with long green leaves, I cannot see the sky. I find a solid flat surface; I break a branch and use it as my cane as I slowly walk through the swamp.

          -      T-this can’t be earth... Am I in the other world or am I in space? - I ask myself as I stare intothe violet sky, 

          -      This doesn’t feel right! I feel alive! - I yell slightly sobbing, 

          -      Please god, give me some guidance, If this isn’t the other world then whe- ” I say to myself, as I get interrupted and stop walking, then slowly groaning in pain than screaming,  

 

          -      OH GOD! WHAT THE F**K! THERE’S SOMETHING ON ME! - I shout as I look over my shoulder. I see a cone shaped shell attached to my upper back, it's yellow with black spots and i can see it breathing. -   WAAAHHHH! - I scream in complete madness.

 I quickly grab it with my left hand, I try to rip it off, I feel various teeth sinking deeper in my back, I scream in pain, suddenly the shell burns my hands, I quickly let go and frantically hit my own back against a tree's bark. Breaking the creatures shell and squashing it, I scrape it off my back against the tree; it falls off leaving a purple slime on the tree and on my back mixed with blood.

 I walk for minutes, I feel dizzy again, breathing heavy and I’m sweating. I reach a land covered in dark purple grass and the same trees. I lay down in the grass, moments later I feel another sharp burning pain. I slightly sit up, I see another creature, and this one is sucking on the side of my foot with the broken leg, it’s burning my skin like acid. I reach for a tree, I hold on to pull myself and sit up, groaning in pain, kicking forward to throw the creature off my leg but it won’t let go. I reach for the creature trembling, almost crying, no strength left to struggle.

 Suddenly a foot kicks the creature off back into the swamp, revealing a big hole of burnt flesh, in fear I quickly crawl back until my back hits a tree and I look up. A tall person stands in front of me, he looks down silently, he is wearing plates of armor all over his body, its made of a hard leather hide and metals, various pouches are tied around his belt. His face is hidden by a shiny black glass face helmet that straps around his head. His hair is tied up in dreadlocks. He holds a weapon similar to a spear, it’s made out of a long dry bone with an acute tip, the blade emerges from the side of the pole, resembling an axe, the opposing end has a single thick spike.

          -      W-who are you? Where are we?! - I shout waiting desperately for a response, he continues to be silent - ANSWER ME! - I shout.

 

The alien turns his arm, revealing a brand on his wrist, the same brand I have on my wrist.

 

              - Poor human life form... His body just isn’t moving, that lifeless stare says it all, he has completely lost the will to live - thinks the unknown alien.

 

 

      My eyes open wide as his blade begins moving. During the last few seconds I manage to throw myself on my side, the blade horizontally cuts right through my right arm, my screams of pain echo through the forest. My body breaks through a fragile part of the mushy ground, before I know it I’m underwater being taken by the current of the swamp. As I move, my body is moving only in reaction to the pain, uncontrollably twisting and turning as I try to hold my breath.

 

- Humans... This is no place for such a fragile race " the alien says while walking away.

 

       The current gradually becomes faster and faster, slowly my vision begins fade into a dark haze, the haze comes and goes, each time heavier.

 

- N-no! Must… Not... Fall… Asleep " I think as I see a dark tunnel ahead until the darkness completely engulfs my mind.