The Game: Aether and Mind

"Well, well, and all good things come in three, well, I was wondering where you had gone to." Discord spoke with a slithering voice that was cool as the void, warping the world that for a moment was supposed to resemble the nightmarish city of Canterlot, turned into a somewhat chaotic landscape. However, it bore a strange resemblance to the, as the nobles called it, vagabond towns, such as Whitetail, Hoofington, or Ponyville, yet there was enough different from what one expected, to question their eyes. A few houses were bearing unusual colors like orange or cyan, curly grass, strangely symmetrical flowers, or a tree with branches growing downwards.

"Bad timing." I spoke dryly with a frown, and that was after the forsaken skill forced me to constantly smile.

"Oh, but you see, there couldn't be a better time! After all, it's the entertainment hour." Finally, the chimera appeared on a curved tree branch, alongside floating bowls of chips and coca colt© (this copyright is entirely fictional) . "You see, I was starting to worry since the fourth pony in nearly a millennia of time spent at least a fraction of their existence attempting to, how would I say, bond with me, just suddenly disappeared. And I mean it not as in "getting some milk", but as literally disappearing from this fabric of reality."

Discord took a deep sip from a can, but only one, before throwing it over his shoulder and seemingly deleting it from existence. The Draconequus stood up and walked the few steps to me, before putting his paw on to my head, leaving me quite unsure whether it was calming, or infuriating me even further.

"So please be at least one-eighteenth understanding that I was quite surprised to see that not comedy, but rather a whole tub of drama-cream was served on my daily bagel. And heavens me, it sure was as gut wrenching as it was entertaining, like a soap opera mixed with a thriller, but actually good." Discord smiled with satisfaction, before clapping a bit one handed as rose petals fell from the void down.

"Happy that my plight is a pleasure to you."

"Now now, no need to spew salt or paint the town red." Discord cooed, pinching my cheek while his choice of words left me wondering just how much he cared for the physical health of mortals since his mental stability was already questionable, at best. "Besides, it's not like I'm just sitting on the sidelines, eating popcorn and laughing at this dilemma of ours."

"Ours?" I question, pushing his hand away from my face with an attempted slap, though he was too quick-witted for that.

"Of course, after all, I did warn you about how Celly loves her webs and pawns, and in her game everything is expendable." Discord said, before slowly walking away with long, wonky steps, before turning around and holding his eagle paw to his heart. "Even 'family'~"

"You seem to know quite an awful lot." I mumbled half-loudly, before slowly trotting towards him.

"Of course, my little Star-y-poo, just not in the sense you might believe. While on the term 'believing' would you accept that I, the being in front of you at least, is a teeny, tiny bit younger than Celly?" I stared blankly at him. "Oh, what a surprise it must be to you, but don't take me to have been born yesterday, my intuition is unparalleled, and I know Celly well enough to be aware that something big is going on. Something grand. An event that will affect every creature on Equus in due time."

"What is it?/What is it?" The Game's voice overlapped with mine, as he took control over my tongue to ask this burning question.

"Sheesh, talk about personal space." Discord complained comically as he slowly leaned his head backward, to create space from my body that clung to his body like a scared cat. "I have no details, yet, but what I do know is that Celly has been awfully interested in her hobby as a couple's therapist from the shadows, and that she is gathering quite a humongous amount of alicorn mana."

"Alicorn mana? Isn't that just more mana per bucket?" I asked with confusion.

NO

"oh hooh hoo, no, absolutely not. I am myself not quite sure what makes it so special, but I know that with it, spells of much greater magnitude can be cast, the possibilities are practically endless. I dare say, if there were like two or three more adults of them around, I'd might get to start sweating." Discord joked, though there was a nervous undertone hidden quite obviously. "But you golden foal, you can do much more, than even alicorns could, even if it's just providing fuel for the fire."

"Come on, it's not that special." I waved my hoof dismissively, but it was just denial or maybe deception, but it was unclear who I lied to.

"Pah, don't undersell yourself. You will one day be able to achieve every last one of your dreams, but until then, just stay true to what you really are. And then all possibilities will open, as long as you don't throw yourself in the firing line of some-creature else."

"That sounds awfully manipulative."

"Oh, the line between honesty and half-lies is so thin, but even if the truth is spoken at face value, there will always be a selfish undertone. Afterall, would someone be friends with anypony, if there was not even a hunch of joy through decades of companionship?" Discord slowly walked back to me, his steps clanked on the grass floor, as if it was stone.

"I mean, you aren't wrong."

Discord stopped before me, before leaning down, his spine bent like a noodle, and he put his palm under his chin. "Stay true to yourself and me, and I'll pr-promise you, that you and I will do great things. We'll survive everything and nobody gets to choose our fate anymore." He leaned forward with his huge eyes, and although I expected a trick, nothing ever came.

"Well, I'm not going to betray, if that's any worth." I spoke slowly, but not due to intimidation.

"Good, not getting overzealous, just stay what you really are, Star Touch, neither Celly's or my lapdog, and dare I say, a bright future will lie ahead of you." Discord said with his smile growing large before the world shattered away, his magic faded, and I was sent to the mirror realm. And yet, his smile left an afterimage in my vision for just a moment longer than it should've.

"Stay true to yourself, why was he so awfully insistent about that?" I asked with confusion, as I looked at an old, dirty alley in which I found myself.

A quickly approaching monster charged from behind, stepping in puddles and kicking over the junk in its path.

I turned around to see for a fraction of time a zombie pegasus galloping towards me, but it was so bare-boned, it may have almost been a skeleton. I sidestep onto my hooves, evading the charging beast perfectly, and flung his skull into the brick wall with my hoof. The zombie was staggered for a moment, as blood and flesh slowly separated from the rock.

I gave no pause, and punched into the beast, denying myself the use of skills or weapons because the monster was already slain in just a few hits, before crumbling away into mist which I absorbed. Sadly, no gain.

"Never change, how oddly specific." I mumbled loudly, as the bits of flesh and blood slid down my slowly self-cleaning body.

You should move quickly, I detect several more zombies moving towards us from many angles.

"Yeah yeah, I already felt the ants smelling the honey." I complained with rolling eyes a moment after I ran off.

Hour 3.
I have scouted the city, however, was forced to retreat shortly after attempting to look at the lower level of Canterlot, as it was populated by much more than zombies, possibly even greater threats than Brawly, but just in the specialization and surprise department. The upper levels and to some extent the middle levels mostly house zombies, though I am sure to have seen a goblin, however, it also could've been a different, green monster. Similarly, how different and more dangerous kinds of nightmares resided in lower regions, so did their levels grow exponentially, to the point where even fodder enemies like the zombies were hard to evade.

I will see if I can pull them out of the many alleys of the slums, or at least bunch enough of them together to justify the use of a goblin Molotov.

-I hear some rustling coming closer, I'll write later.
XXX

Hour 5.

The situation had become more complicated in many ways, and despite the constant arguing with the Game, regarding the instantaneous extermination of the nightmares, instead of studying them, I have come to create several theories. The nightmares were dumb, at least as stupid as their makers intended to be, but they all shared similar instincts.

I placed a few of my long, silvery hairs at several hidden and hard-to-reach places, like under the cobblestone or crumbling walls, and the zombies were able to find them, sometimes going the same path I did. It's like they could follow my shade around.

It was also interesting to note that the amount of negative energy stayed the same throughout my whole expedition, despite killing a few nuisances bearing less than twenty levels, it was like there was a stockpile of monster goo hiding somewhere.

The real deal was incomparable to the dungeons but also bore a greater risk. I could swear I was being followed by something much smarter.

-I am hearing the flapping of wings again, I have to leave.
XXX

Hour 6.5

Now I was certain, there was something wrong with the nightmares in the lower city. They were much too organized, no fighting in between the groups, and they acted like a swarm. Quicker zombies followed me, despite one or two catching a glimpse of me, and the pack was certainly out of sniffing range. Tanky zombies, mostly minotaurs both muscly or fat, tried to guess the path I was taking, but so far, nothing equal to Brawly.

What was worrisome were pegasus zombies and their unicorn counterparts, due to their ability to annoy me, despite being far away. I'm currently standing atop of a building, the highest in the slums so that even the pegasi would not sniff me out.

I have to think of a strategy to thin them out, possibly through a fire trap, but for that, I'd have to round them all up for-
XXX

The reason the scourge can locate you precisely is due to the debuff [Corrupting Fragrance] which spreads your scent much greater than even in time of-

"Yeah, I can guess what you will say, but I don't want to hear grown up stuff right now." I mumbled while looking through the binoculars I had stolen ages ago, I had forgotten about them, hell, I didn't even see them in my inventory. Through said spying device I could see the undead horde gather up quite nicely at the foundation of the house, however luckily for me, those suckers didn't know how to use doors. Well, neither did I, as I was forced to use brute force through the fire exit. It was weird, as the doors should've been functional, even the hinges were in perfect shape, but they just didn't work.

That's due to the fact that even if ponies would regularly see this path, they would not spend any of their time thinking about opening the door. The Game snapped angrily.

I put the binoculars back into my inventory, or wherever it actually went and took a few steps back from the edge of the roof. "You are awfully irirated."

I am aware.

"So, where's the problem?"

Where isn't one?

"Not specific enough, unlike you, I cannot scan your body." I rolled my eyes and slowly walked towards the other side of the roof in hopes to see a bunch of nightmares clumped up, and thus see a justifiable use of a bomb.

Something in me is malfunctioning, it's like a loose connector. It should work, but the input is not received by my sensory systems. I stopped for a moment in confusion, as well as a substantial amount of worry. If Game died, then so would I, most likely, I think. You have reached over 100 points in Strength and Endurance, yet I see no notification popping up regarding a special quest!

"What if the quest isn't just triggered by reaching said point threshold?" I asked, and turned my back toward the direction I headed towards a second ago. A wind was moving upwards quite ominously. "I mean, I also had to do things that had nothing to do with monster killing to get rid of most of my 'ugly'."

...

That's it, of course, you operate as a separate sensory and decrypting mechanism! The Game shouted in my skull loudly.

"Now you've got me confused." I said even louder, as the wind was picking up to the point my mane was cluttering my vision. I know, I'd be dead as a normal human in an average zombie apocalypse, but suck it, style points!

You also possess sensors implanted in your very being, separate from me, which are triggered by events you perceive. Only then will I receive a command. This must be a failsafe, otherwise, I could just, were my intentions malevolent, put you in a coma, create realistic hallucinations, and extract all Aether on a world, causing a total collapse and instantaneous ejection to the nightmare realm.

The wind stopped for a second, just enough time for me to freeze and my lips to purse. "Your maker is a scary, smart, and another word starting with 'S' describing his dangerous-esness."

Of course my maker is powerful, he is part of an ancient civilization that harvested countless worlds and suns for the foundation of the project, which ultimately resulted in my creation. It's only to be exp-

A powerful surge of air rushed forward, knocking everything, almost even me with all my armor off the roof. I tried to turn around but said usurper came to me first, grasped me with great, grey, and cold talons, before stealing me away into the air. I struggled for a second, before seeing my kidnapper. It was nothing short of a gargoyle bearing a crooked, demon-like appearance akin to an imp and a winged, malnourished human.

Gargoyle
Level - 34
Class - Harbinger
Race - Gargoyle (Undead)
HP (Health Points) - 4200 [--- per minute]
MP (Mana Points) - 0 [--- per minute]
SP (Stamina Points) - unlimited [--- per minute]
STR (Strength) - 300
END (Endurance) - 212
DEX (Dexterity) - 468
INT (Intelligence) - 89
WIS (Wisdom) - 288
CHA (Charisma) - 187
LCK (Luck) - 98

Gargoyles are highly specialized undead creatures that are employed by most necromancers who gained the ability to manipulate souls. Unlike the majority of servants of reanimators, the Gargoyles were never alive, to begin with, they are creatures using a combination of dread rock and abyssal stone in combination of soul remnants. Despite its similarities to golems, this creature is much more cunning and fierce than any animated living stone warden could be.

Gargoyle
Despite its weight, it can move, fly and maneuver with excellent speed and delicacy. In addition, all members of this race can turn themselves into statues, boosting their resistance to physical damage and regenerate health at excessive speeds. They possess a great vulnerability to blunt damage and lightning while being immune to most mid-tier fire spells.

[Impale] Tier 1 Level 1
The user lowers their head and charges forward with the intention of impaling their target. 250 pierce damage is caused and one stack of bleeding is applied.

[Stagnant Slash] Tier 1 Level 1
The user engulfs their claws in the sorrows of damned souls, sharpening their attack and applying one stack of slowness onto their target.

[Agonized Howl]
The user releases a paralyzing howl that stuns every creature around them. There is a chance to induce the effects of [Fear] or [Panic].

"Not with me you fucking hunk of rock!" I shouted through my gritted teeth as the Gargoyle was flying towards the edge of Canterlot, most likely with the intention to drop me. I pulled my halberd out of my inventory and held it to my horn, before applying electricity onto my weapon with [Infusion]. My polearm's tip rammed into the left shoulder of the gargoyle, the beast remained silent for a moment before his arm was broken off by an electrical burst. My body was thrashed through the air as the abomination screeched loudly. We were losing altitude as the beast was attempting to gain a new sense of balance.

"Tesla, I choose you!" I shouted with much more passion than I should've at this moment, but it succeeded nonetheless, because Tesla appeared behind the gargoyle, and instantaneously fired a bolt of energy at the right wing of the beast. The appendage cracked off the main body with a thunderous sound, however, my joy at my newly gained versatility lasted only shortly before the beast hurled me away and both of us engaged into a free fall. I didn’t wait for fate to claim my flattened remains, and pulled out my shield, just before summoning Wadjeta.

"Fire at me!" I shouted, holding my shield downwards and towards the water spirit, the only thing between me and cobblestone. The young follower seemed to be distraught by my uncommon request but followed it anyway. A geyser of water shot forth, slowing my fall down with each second, but so too did the ground draw nearer.

-150

"Ouch, that fucking schmucked." I cursed while slowly standing up with my shivering kneecaps. "Oh fuck me." I mumbled once I rose to my full height and overlooked my surroundings, the kind which was very monotone with the choice of nothing but rotting flesh.

I detect 25 zombies, with the majority being between level 25 and 30. In addition, I sense damage done to your pelvic bone. Fleeing will not be possible in this state.

I huffed at the over-dramatic assessment of my companion, before both consuming an apple pie and healing myself using the bell of propriety. At least now it could be used a maximum of six times, though now only four more uses were possible. A grinding rustling broke my inner tranquility, as well as my thoughts of mass arson, as the wounded Gargoyle rose from its crater and stumbled towards me. The nightmare took on a crooked stance, lowering itself, before releasing a dreadful, ear-piercing howl, so potent that even the fleshlings stopped in their tracks.

Resisted [Fear]

I hummed at the attempt for a moment, before slowly walking towards my opponents, a beast in a pitiful state. Barely 1700 health points graced the creature lacking one arm, wing, and having both legs damaged. I replaced my halberd with my club and infused electricity into it as well. The hunk of wood sparkled ferociously while being pulled across the ground.

The moment I stood in the vicinity of the gargoyle, it snapped forward.

I rolled to the side, evading its sharpened horns which pierced the ground and toppled the monster with a [Power Strike]-fuelled attack. The opponent rolled on its back, but could only hunch forward with its severed limbs and broken face - the proud horns it once bore were reduced to stumps. I inspected the sight while walking closer, but had to stop, as the monster swiped its claws around, dreadful energies tainted its hands, but I was not deterred by it. I lifted my club and rammed it forward, jamming its hand between my weapon and its dented chest.

I saw the life slowly trickle out of the monster, only a few, dwindling hundred points of health remained. I noticed how the zombies stare, but they were only an afterthought, they were a lowly punch, possessing only bite as a skill and a fireball away to burn their blight out of this world. I took my free hoove and used [Power Strike] to end the miserable monster.

The second the whistleblower was dead, the spell that bound the zomponies in place was broken and the rotting flesh shambled towards me. I jumped off the disintegrating gargoyle corpse and hurled a fireball at a random bunch of the horde. The flames licked their target, but it did little to satiate their hunger, but rather gave it a taste, before it spread across the entire horde and set the street ablaze.

I stood inside this ring of fire, but I did not fear the sight, in a sense, I reveled in it. The smell was as disgusting as it was addicting and the sight, to see the land burn below a doomed sky was awfully familiar.

Two loud thumps interrupted my mental tirade. One spare glance revealed to me that the scream of my fallen opponent had lured in a pair of its kind towards me.

I lowered myself onto all my hooves and took the hobgoblin club into my mouth with difficulties, as the visor did not open as much as I wished it to. With the use of [Charge], I zipped across the distance in no time, before powering my attack with [Power Strike] and unleashing a devastating blow to the first Gargoyle, who shall henceforth be named Gar, while his brother will be Goy.

-300

I grit my teeth as the cursed claws of Goy slashed across my back, a sensation of heaviness overcame me, like I was attempting to walk through shallow water. I rolled to the side, evading another swipe, and rammed my club forward, knocking Goy onto his back, but was forced to jump back and retreat. Gar slammed both of his hands down onto the spot where I stood only a moment ago.

I pulled my bell out quickly and used it to heal my bleeding back, but in my moment of weakness, Gar came rushing forward for another piece. I was lucky to have quickly rejuvenated my body, but my escape roll crushed my golden bell under the weight of my armor. With gritted teeth, I unequipped the bell and put on the broken pendant.

Suddenly two strong hands grasped my back, and claws dug into my hide, before slamming me down onto the stone and pining me into place. Goy looked victorious for a moment, but it didn’t last long, as I levitated the broken pendant on my lips, and fired a bolt of holy light at my foe again and again. Goy screamed with such agony as the stone his face was made of seemingly started to melt, that he decided to let go of me, but not before slapping me away once more.

I blinked hard, the contact sound of regeneration from the apple pie keeping me on my toes. If I had any. Gar looked at his brother with concern, but one-face overcame the pain quicker than I would've hoped for. I on the other hand felt horrible, the weight was crushing me.

Slowness
Decrease the being afflicted by this status effect by 10 dexterity for each stack.

'Fuck, fuck, fuck I'm reduced to thirty percent movement speed!' I cursed, and this fire was only heated further by the fact that I could've cleared the effect, were my bell still intact, but it needed to be held by me to heal, and I could not allow this.

The use of [Eye of Change] is advisable. The Game commented from the side with such a soft voice, it made my position almost absurd.

I blinked, and it seemed my perception was afflicted by the curse as well because the Gargoyles moved faster than I could ever hope to incept their aerial dash. I growled as an unstable hunger gripped me all of a sudden, and the world around me was devoid of color once more, but this time I could perceive even less of the beast, I couldn't even recall using the skill.

Gar and Goy screamed in gruesome agony as their life was sapped away, but most horrible was that whisks of what I believed to be souls were consumed by the all-consuming maw.

I stared at the petrified corpses which paused In positions filled with terror and genuine fear. It made me question, for a moment, how a nightmare could possess fragments of souls when they were born purely by the deepest fears of mortal kind. Was there perhaps a great beast at work, or possibly someone capable of passing the mirror realm?

I let out a sigh and sat down, taking a break as the flames around me began to dwindle, becoming but shades of their once rage-fuelled selves. My eyes fell onto the broken pendant, an item which was so strange, that I couldn't even fully claim it as my own. I levitated it towards me and touched it, only to let out a yelp and letting it drop to the ground. I hissed with pain, genuine, unblocked pain, before pulling my gloves off, to see my fur and flesh singed by the divine powers.

"What the fuck!" I shouted as I saw my flesh mend slowly, before opening my status window with fright and haste.

Star Touch - Nightmare Slayer 1 (John Weaver)
Level - 32
Class - Warrior - level 22 (The Gamer)
Race - Unicorn
HP (Health Points) - 780 [78 per minute]
MP (Mana Points) - 1035 [178 per minute]
SP (Stamina Points) - 780 [78 per minute]
STR (Strength) - 78.75= 79 (79) [105]
END (Endurance) - 78 (78) [104]
DEX (Dexterity) - 63
INT (Intelligence) - 103,5= 104 (104) [46]
WIS (Wisdom) - 89
CHA (Charisma) -93.6= 94 (94) [104]
LCK (Luck) - 40

Corruption (30)
Corruption causes mutations and applies temporary debuff. Every ten stacks of Corruption a debuff is applied. Debuffs become more severe the higher the stack count grows. The amount of stacks determines the chance of mutation.

Corrupted Fragrance (2)
Powerful creatures are drawn towards you to fight. Rare enemies promising great riches are much more likely to be found and are less likely to flee.

Nightmare Affinity
Your affinity has been changed towards that of the nightmares. The effects that are special to nightmares affect you in the same manner.

Rapid, Adaptive Mutations
You are able to gain skills at a heavily quickened pace, however, obtained abilities mutate into different forms, and their original state is much harder to gain.

Unknown
This effect needs to be triggered by a certain action before it can take effect.

"What, why did I get three more effects?!" I shouted in confusion, before quickly snatching the broken pendant into my inventory.

I believe it has to do with the great number of stacks you have already aqu-qu-qu-qu-- The Game suddenly stopped, his voice repeating the ending over and over again.

"Game, come on man, what’s wrong with- ? Hello? Game! GAME! Answer me!" I shouted into the city, but I received no answer until, abruptly, I did.

Detecting excessive, primordial, nightmare influence on the G.A.M.E: device. Searching for the cause. Searching. Searching. Searching. Cause found. Rule enforcement protocol cracked. Possibility of damaged transmutation and filtering subsystem. Initializing emergency shutdown of the calculation cores 2 to 12. Running on base decision capacity. Creating backup using host-memory. Host, prepare for Back up.

I stood on my tips, tapping my hooves on the ground, looking left and right as the gruesome, horrifying voice boomed in my head. It felt like screaming when it was nothing more than a proclamation. A death sentence, when I was sent to the hospital.

All sensations were robbed from me while a sting traveled through my spinal cord, and my body fell to the floor, the flames being my last sight.

I cannot recall how long I was unconscious, but it wasn’t too long, for the ringing din of flames still burned nearly two meters high, but what concerned me was my health, which now was topped off. A message suddenly greeted me.

You've gained the skill [Fast Recovery].

Fast Recovery
Recover health at twice the regular speed

[Fast Recovery] mutated into [Quick Recovery].

Quick Recovery
Recover health by using Stamina points as fuel in a 1:2 ratio.

"The effects are already doing their cursed work." I whispered while an empty sensation spread to my intestines. "Game, can you hear me?" I asked hopefully.

The G.A.M.E. unit is currently unavailable for vocal support. The cold, inner voice answered.

"Of course, is there anyone else who's broken inside?!" I shouted.

Suddenly the flames before me parted, and the ring of fire was breached by a knight. A bipedal monster wearing iron armor riddled with holes and damaged beyond repair. The uneven surface indicated that it once was covered with decoration, but they were all ground off by the sands of time. A broken bastard sword was wielded in one hand, and in the other was a beautiful, prestigious, silver-colored shield bearing an aura of some kind of magic, possibly stemming from the elegant drawing of a mighty ram.

~~"Bru..." The Knight whispered, but his sentence broke off into a distorted whispering.~~

I saw something at this moment, a realization that nearly broke my very insides as I peered into the very being of the creature standing before me. A vision that was more horrible than even the nightmare kin in its purest, however brief, memory. Even the memory of ever having possessed this fragment of a moment vanished just a second later. I couldn't even decipher what the creature, this bipedal knight, was. It was natural not to question it any further, like why air and water were needed for survival, even when the exact process was lost to someone entirely unaware of the bodily functions.

The knight was slowly extending his hand, it was shivering, almost like it was questioning its sight while balancing on the last few threads that made up its mind. The armored gloves suddenly relaxed, hanging loosely, before both hands clutched the helmet, and a bellowing, mutilated scream echoed through the armor, through the street, and beyond this broken realm. The knight took up his sword and ran forward with the blade dancing across the cobblestone, calling forth sparks to join the journey.

I snapped out of my trance, questioning only for a second what put me in this state, to begin with, before calling forth my spirits to my side. Wadjeta fired a stream of water towards the knight, who in turn raised his shield, taking the impact and slowing his advance only meagerly, but did little to stop wetting his armor. And yet the knight would not slip, it would seem. Tesla sparkled with enticement and released a bolt of electricity that illuminated the darkened streets, banishing the shadows.

The knight, it would seem his mind was freed for just a moment. He threw his sword into the cobblestone in front of him. The electricity impacted with the metallic weapon, and the ground swallowed the attack a moment later. In all of this, the knight did not stop, he kept running through, and picked up his weapon during his charge.

I rolled to the side as the blade was swung at me, I saw my reflection in the sword as it brushed against my mane. As I took on a high stance, the next swipe came. I was forced to side-step and block with my weapon, but however much I evaded and parried, it became clear my opponent was superior in close combat, in both strength and skill.

This is an automated message. Jack-of-all-trade skill sets are highly ineffective against nightmares and the G.A.M.E. device, despite its ability to master all skills with time, was never meant to pursue this intention. Highly specialized warriors are much more effective in the war against the well's darklings, while nightmares that are too powerful against the host should be avoided until extermination is ensured.

"I don't need this kind of advice." I huffed with puffed cheeks, before ducking my head under yet another swipe. I growled and erected a [mana construct] between us. The knight pulled his blade back and held the palm of his hand against the pommel of his blade before ramming the weapon through the barrier. I groaned in discomfort as the blade broke the left side of my helmet. With little time at hand, I summoned an [Ice bolt] from my horn through the opening created by my opponent.

The knight stumbled back a few steps, and I was left unsure whether it was the surprise or the spell itself which caused him to disengage. Suddenly the frost began to grow across his armor, swallowing him from his feet as the water crystalized. In just a second's span, he was encased, and imprisoned in an icy cage.

I breathed heavily, so much so that I could see my own breath while taking a few steps back. [Observe.]

This creature cannot be observed, its stats are hidden and encrypted. This being is not allowed to exist under the watch of the Eternals. Immediate extermination is adviced ordered.

I was about to question the intention, when it came to my brain, that the knight was still alive and the cracking ice reinforced this worry. I hastily pulled out my club and used [Hobgoblin Smash] on the knight. The ice shattered and sprinkled into a shower of snow as the knight with his damaged armor was hurled across the ground.

The knight laid only for a second, before ramming his sword and shield into the ground and standing up; water and ice shards parting from his being. He jumped back into the battle and charged forward with his soaking armor. I pulled back my club, awaiting his next attack, my heart rate rose with each second of impending doom or victorious battle. How ironic that one felt most alive when just a second later this sensation could forever fizzle out.

I jumped into action as the knight apparently slipped and swung my weapon in an arc, but I mistook his intention. He did not slip, but slid across the stone and attacked me in my moment of recoil.

My club and right hoof fell to the ground, severed from their wielder; Me. I equipped my halberd, clinging to it with teeth and remaining hoof to block a swipe aimed at my throat. I pulled my club towards me with [levitation] and hurled it at the knight.

The knight's blade lit up with a metallic glow before he cut through the wood with ease, yet neither of us expected the extent of the consequence which this action would have. From the broken wood rose the half-translucent form of the hobgoblin, the dead, once enslaved beast let out a booming roar that woke the memory of being chased by this behemoth through his cave once more. An invisible force shot forward, and despite the shield taking every last ounce of the impact, it could not hold and was thrown away, leaving but a broken shield-arm behind.

I pulled out my bell and held it to my heart, my faith was not broken, but it was running low, and despite only half remaining, I was thankful for the little that had regenerated. I looked upon the club, a husk that was slowly regaining its power, it would be useless for some time. For now, it would have to be returned to my inventory. With a grunt, I took up my halberd and stood up on my hind legs.

*Notification (1)

"Not now." I mumbled, staring at the knight which stood up with shaking knees, once more I was left to wonder how much damage I had imposed on my opponent, and how much was just shock. I played with the idea of giving him a heart attack but was then left with the bleak assumption that it likely didn't have one.

The knight held his weapon close to his chest and walked forward slowly with even, almost graceful steps as his old armor clinked and clanked, some bits of metal even breaking off. It felt like an eternity, but truly? It was probably just five seconds, before he stood before me holding his heavy sword with one hand. He lifted his weapon slowly, signaling a strike from above. I held up my halberd and blocked it with the staff. His sword did not stay in place for long, it slid along my weapon and I was just barely able to pull my hoof away, before blocking a follow-up swipe.

He attacked, I blocked.

I swiped at his legs, and he side-stepped, before stabbing forward.

~~He laughed~~

I rolled to the side and walked backward while he continuously launched light attack after another.

~~There was a hint of enjoyment in both of us.~~

My vision blackened for a moment, I felt timeless for a second, and then I awoke once more. My halberd penetrated a weak spot in his armor, there where his heart should be, but only black, crumbling dust escaped his hollowed form. The knight's body began to shake, as his visor slowly rose and our eyes met for one accursed moment. His boot suddenly kicked me in the chest, my body thrashed across the floor.

I looked up just in time as the raging metal warrior descended down on me with his weapon bared. I rolled to the side and threw a charred zompony corpse at the knight, but he didn’t cut through it. Whether he wasn’t falling for this trick a second time, or his mind was extinguished, I couldn’t even begin to dream of the answer.

I breathed heavily before my eyes widened as he advanced towards me with senseless murder in his being. "Lightning Strike!" I shouted, and Tesla followed my order. The knight swiped the air in front of him, catching the bolt with his weapon, and electrified his arm just so that the advance would not be delayed. "Water Beam!"

Wadjeta fired another stream, and just like against Tesla's attack, the knight swallowed it, charging through. I rolled to the side as the grand sword embedded itself into the ground, but before I could react, the armored, limp gauntlet of the nightmarish fighter impacted with my frontal globe, stunning me for just a second. A second enough, for the knight grasped me by the throat and started to choke me. I felt my vertebrae shifting and buckling under the sheer, inhumane strength. I summoned a goblin knife, but the blade broke off against the metal. I looked through my skills and chose to take a gamble.

"Summon lo-ower less-lesser chaos e-e-elemental!" I choked on my words as much as my throat was being crushed by the knight. Suddenly, a warped, distorted warcry ruptured forth from the battlefield.

The knight loosened his grip only lightly to peek upon the new fighter. An ever-shifting mass of colors and shapes, with patterns that floated across its 'skin' like a bugged screen, stood not far off. Its body was at one point bulky, then slender, just before becoming crooked and round.

The chaos elemental seemingly crossed eyes with the knight before his body started to violently spasm. The chaotic being zipped forward like a lagging gaming character, its fist formed a hammer-like appendage and slapped the weakened knight away.

"Observe."

Name: Lower Lesser Chaos Elemental
Level: 30
Race: Chaos Elemental
HP: 100% (12.5-8750)
MP: -
SP: -
STR: 1-700
END: 1-700
DEX: 1-700
INT: 1-700
WIS: 1-700
CHA: 1-700
LCK: 1-700

Elemental
This creature never ages and requires only energy which it drains from its environment to survive. Elementals cannot die by natural means and will return to the ethereal space to regain their power. Some Elementals will let themselves be summoned and work in return for faith, a very lucrative currency for Elementals as it allows them to tap into mortal imagination. Stronger Elementals demand higher payments.

[Chaotic Form]
This creature can shift its form and power in any way, and allocate its power accordingly and instantaneously.

[Distorted Presence]
Concentration, thoughts, spells, and to some extent, the laws of space are distorted in the presence of this creature.

Chaos elemental cannot be inspected precisely, for its stats are ever-shifting. *Notification (3)

The chaos elemental was not halted by my confusion and zipped forward, reaching speeds I could neither comprehend, nor survive. My minion collided with its suddenly expanded body weight against the knight and knocked him into a wall that now began to crumble. The dazzled knight had not a moment to rest before wicked claws sliced across his crumbling armor, but the warrior awoke from this action. He grasped his weapon and swiped the claw, only for the sword to bounce off the suddenly hardened surface, but the knight didn’t stop, he used the momentum to strike a different spot and impaled the chaos elemental through his chest.

The chaos elemental let out a warped scream and punched against the back of the knight, cracks, and thuds could be heard, but the knight resisted the pain. He pulled out a knife from his waist and began to stab my minion, and held his longblade with his armpit.

The knight saw it’s weaknesses faster than I could analyze its strengths: The chaos elemental could shift its power and various stats across his whole body, empowering certain spots beyond its level, but thus left other areas weakened.

The chaos elemental began to grow unstable with each strike of the knife, but the knight buckled just as much if not more with each received strike. Suddenly the knight let go of his knife and grasped his weapon with his hand and mouth, channeling so much energy into his weapon that the metal began to melt, before slicing through my minion in one swoop, releasing the energy into the void with a shrill shriek.

The knight was victorious against this one, but not against me, for he fell, weakened through his wounds. The blade was embraced by the cobblestone, but the knight did not, he remained vigilant even when on death's door, standing on his knees. I walked towards the dying warrior with careful steps and stood still just a moment to look into his surprisingly mellow, orange eyes.

The knight toppled and dust seeped from his body like water from a punctured barrel. His armored gloves reached forward, grasping my cheeks weakly, and he mumbled one word, one broken word.

"...der..." The words, both before the fight, and after, I remembered them to be soft and sweet, weakly and yet plagued with fatigue and false hope, but I couldn't perceive the two words he had said, even if the fragment crossed my thoughts, I couldn’t understand them. They didn't exist for me.

The knight's hand fell to the ground and his being was put to rest. Hopefully, this nightmare would one day end.

*Notification (3)

My eyes hovered over the textbox that appeared next to me in red, I dearly missed the soft, blue shades of the Game. I missed the sensation of not being alone, loneliness, I had truly forgotten the extent it truly was.

You've gained the skill [Kinetic Control].

Kinetic Control
Manipulate the kinetic energy in an object freely. You can store, siphon, redirect and transfer kinetic energy. Stamina consumption and strain on the mind varies.

[Kinetic Control] mutated into [Kinetic Blast].

Kinetic Blast
Fire a condensed blast of psionically powered kinetic energy at an opponent. Cost depends on strength of the projectile; consumes stamina and creates mental strain on the user.

You gained the skill [Polearm Proficiency]

Disobeying the mainframe guidelines will lead to punishment and potentially immediate termination. Do not extend the lifespan of a nightmare unless it directly, and un-consequentially, with no ulterior motive or secondary goal, furthers your ability to end the nightmare plague.

I stared at the last textbox for a moment, my head hurt just looking at it, imposing pressure on my skull, on my mind, ultimately causing me to stumble forward and fall. "I miss you Game, why did you leave? Did I make you leave too?" I asked with a bitter tone, my lips were dry and tranquilized. From my position, I saw the shield of the knight, and I forced my mind to see this object as nothing more than an upgrade. It was almost too late, as the mere presence of the knight in my mind, caused his crumbling body to be enveloped by erasing flames.

I quickly pulled the shield into my inventory with [Levitation], I didn't dare to pull it out without the Game back at my side. "Emergency protocol, when will the Game return?"

No time frame can be given until the last stages of the restoration protocol. Do you require guidance from the data banks?

"No, I'd just like to talk."

I'll comply. Which topic do you wish to receive information from? I have the data of over 100,000 worlds in my data banks. Do you desire wisdom over culture, fighting styles, possible crafting recipe fragments or stories? If it's a topic that can stimulate your mind, I'll likely have it available.

I listened, and yet, I could only shudder. In a sense, this was the Game, just in a factory reset-ed state. I could not fathom how horrific my stay would've been if all I'd been left with was an emotionless automaton. I tightened my hooves against my barrel as worries began to swirl in my chest. It was sickly.

"N-no, I'd just want to talk, discuss some things..."

Very well, which memory fragments do you want me to review? Do you desire an evaluation of your fighting? Or perhaps tips to improve your social standing?

"Huh, no-no, not at all!" I snapped, but unlike the Game, the adjutant just stood there, waiting for a command it comprehends. "I wish to get some things off my mind. My soul. You understand?"

If you wish I can cut emotional ties to all memories you have acquired in the last five hours, this will however reduce your power for some time. While on the topic of power, you will receive your earned stat points once restorations are complete. The Adjutant said, but I remained silent, hugging my shivering form tightly. I could not describe it, but I was scared, fearful in a way I never was before. I felt so cold and alone, the threads of my mind gradually parted from my mind. I was alone in this forsaken world, in this blasted body with no support from anyone, no one who could relate. Not one to whom I could talk to and with. I am sensing a disturbing amount of negative emotions causing a disbalance in your system. Please refrain from sorting out inner troubles during the following hours. Do you wish for me to stimulate your system with an injection of dopamine? Do 37 picograms per milliliter of blood sound agreeable?

I rocked back and forward as this terrible coldness overcame my body, I began to shake. The sheer level of control the Game had over me was nothing I was unaware of, but just how easily it could be changed by a stranger with nothing but the mission in mind frightened me.

"How long, please, how long until the Game is back." I asked coldly. I felt my emotions and mind stagnate into a perfectly balanced state, and this thought pushed my worries even higher. I could see with each coming moment how every person I met, all items I've collected, could be used to advance my journey. Everything was just an asset, raw material, even the promise of salvation for my little sister seemed so... wasteful of my time.

Expected timeframe should not be longer than-

"Than what?" I asked with shock, but the Adjutant remained silent. "Answer me, when will my friend come back! Hey, I am ordering you as your host, when will he return!" I shouted and jumped on my hooves and walked towards the textbox that still had the threat from before.

"Star? Please wake up. Come on my foal, please wake up for mommy? Please open your eyes, Star." A frightened, wavering voice called from the beyond in a desperate manner, causing my mind to shake.

Severing connection between the mirror realm and the host now.