Bastian's body was under his control, the foolish Fortunamancer had been playing too greedily with his magic and that made him the perfect place to hide. Until, of course, the mind-walkers jumped in and began poking where they shouldn't. He could feel them, crawling through the dark. He tried misdirecting them, but these were skilled creatures and they had much power in him already.
I have little time before they discover my true name it thought, directing Bastian's body to remove the mask. Something shoved the mask back, and a fight ensued. The creature was distracted and in an instant, Kin was inside it's mind.
It was an alien and harsh landscape of dead, rotting trees and swampy water and mire mud. Ghastly remains were everywhere and carrion crows cawed harshly from the air. It was rooting around, looking for its name. The beast within Bastian tried to misdirect Kin, creating false images of books in the water but they were paper-thin veneers and were not real. The beast had no choice, either submerge on its side of the gateway or have its mind plundered. It began to slink back, growling and angry, but it was not fast enough. Kin grasped a skull from the mire pulled it free just as he was ejected from its mind into Bastian's.
Bastian's mind was a confused mess, solidifying into a crowd of people in an empty room that seemed to fade in and out, only Bastian staying regular near the center. Bastian and Kin stood there a moment, silent before Kin said "That thing, whatever it is, is still in there. But I grabbed this as it retreated..."
The skull held a memory only an imperiomancer could tease out; it was just one thing....a word. "Balhrahar" said Kin, searching his own memories for the word, then he dropped the skull...stunned into silence, it shattered on impact and reformed itself on the ground.
"What?" asked Bastian.
"It can't be...that's not even possible."
"What is it?"
"Look; the Rhyle know of this...thing....that oversees and rules the Shadow Lords. They call it the Overlord and sometimes they call it the Lord of Oblivion. It dosen't have a true form, per-se, it exists in a state of total chaos...like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly...timey-wimey...stuff..." said Kin, trying to explain "It is the first Perditiomancer and extremely powerful at that, a fallen servant of the Light that did not return to the Light when the Anchorites cleansed them. Balhrahar is its true name, and knowing that means we can maybe force him out but I..." there Kin stopped and scuffed his feet,
"I don't know how to do that...it can still walk in and out of your body without you knowing...it could even influence you...I need to do something you might not like in order to hold it back, at least for a little while..."
"What is that, Kin?" asked Bastian, nervous, people bumping into Kin in a nervous frenzy.
"I need to reach into the depths of your unconscious and plant something, a defense. If it tries to enter you, it will attack and force it back. But it won't last, this thing will overcome it."
"How long will I be protected?"
"I can't say....a day, a week, I've never done this to block such a powerful entity before. It's mind in completely alien and strange, and I'm thankful it pulled out of I would have been lost."
"Then do what you have to do, Kin. Just...let me be normal for a while...."
"Then do exactly as I say, I'll need you down there. It's pretty dark in people's unconscious."
A torch appeared in Kin's hands as a doorway opened up before them, "Down the rabbit hole we go..." remarked Bastian.
I have little time before they discover my true name it thought, directing Bastian's body to remove the mask. Something shoved the mask back, and a fight ensued. The creature was distracted and in an instant, Kin was inside it's mind.
It was an alien and harsh landscape of dead, rotting trees and swampy water and mire mud. Ghastly remains were everywhere and carrion crows cawed harshly from the air. It was rooting around, looking for its name. The beast within Bastian tried to misdirect Kin, creating false images of books in the water but they were paper-thin veneers and were not real. The beast had no choice, either submerge on its side of the gateway or have its mind plundered. It began to slink back, growling and angry, but it was not fast enough. Kin grasped a skull from the mire pulled it free just as he was ejected from its mind into Bastian's.
Bastian's mind was a confused mess, solidifying into a crowd of people in an empty room that seemed to fade in and out, only Bastian staying regular near the center. Bastian and Kin stood there a moment, silent before Kin said "That thing, whatever it is, is still in there. But I grabbed this as it retreated..."
The skull held a memory only an imperiomancer could tease out; it was just one thing....a word. "Balhrahar" said Kin, searching his own memories for the word, then he dropped the skull...stunned into silence, it shattered on impact and reformed itself on the ground.
"What?" asked Bastian.
"It can't be...that's not even possible."
"What is it?"
"Look; the Rhyle know of this...thing....that oversees and rules the Shadow Lords. They call it the Overlord and sometimes they call it the Lord of Oblivion. It dosen't have a true form, per-se, it exists in a state of total chaos...like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly...timey-wimey...stuff..." said Kin, trying to explain "It is the first Perditiomancer and extremely powerful at that, a fallen servant of the Light that did not return to the Light when the Anchorites cleansed them. Balhrahar is its true name, and knowing that means we can maybe force him out but I..." there Kin stopped and scuffed his feet,
"I don't know how to do that...it can still walk in and out of your body without you knowing...it could even influence you...I need to do something you might not like in order to hold it back, at least for a little while..."
"What is that, Kin?" asked Bastian, nervous, people bumping into Kin in a nervous frenzy.
"I need to reach into the depths of your unconscious and plant something, a defense. If it tries to enter you, it will attack and force it back. But it won't last, this thing will overcome it."
"How long will I be protected?"
"I can't say....a day, a week, I've never done this to block such a powerful entity before. It's mind in completely alien and strange, and I'm thankful it pulled out of I would have been lost."
"Then do what you have to do, Kin. Just...let me be normal for a while...."
"Then do exactly as I say, I'll need you down there. It's pretty dark in people's unconscious."
A torch appeared in Kin's hands as a doorway opened up before them, "Down the rabbit hole we go..." remarked Bastian.
