ELDRITCH NIGHT (Rough Draft)

Chapter 21: Dark Revelations

The crystal floated up above me, seeming to stare down at me as I lay helpless on the hood of an old rusted car. The jewel hovered for a moment, then faster than my eye could track it plunged into my chest. No wound was left behind, but I could feel the crystal deep within me. It had found the heart of the strange sphere of energy, and it called out for more.

I willed it to consume Eldritch Manipulation and Reactive Learning. One feat, one skill: one of each to go. The gem began to rotate, its gravitational force increasing. The sphere, and my skills, began to rotate with the crystal, matching its pace and expanding outward until my entire chest cavity was covered.

I could feel the energy rebelling, the skill and feat fighting against being consumed. The sphere was holding on to them, trying to exert its own force to repel the consumption of the gem. It was successful for a moment, the shapes that represented my abilities gradually slowed their descent and even reversed course for the briefest of moments.

The crystal reversed the direction of its rotation, moving even faster. A whirlwind of black and crimson energy inundated throughout my body. I could feel my skin crack and my eyes become dry and irritated. I bled from my nose and ears. Each cell seemed to be under stress, as if I was being torn apart. Disintegrated.

I willed the abilities into the crystal, hoping to expedite the process. My efforts proved to cause even more pain as my entire body spasmed, leaving me feeling crippled and weak. It was enough, however, as the skills plunged into the crystal, giving it a lighter shade and a larger, rounder form.

The crystal expanded until it was on oblong sphere of dark grey, swirling inside with red mist and lightning. It was nearly as large as the original sphere that held my skills and feats, if it consumed more it would become a perfect sphere larger and surrounding the original.

The energy and arcane symbols began to twist once more, faster this time. I could feel my chest begin to pull inward and my ribs begin to crack. I almost gave into the pain, and my body was quickly losing strength. My vision became blurry and began to narrow.

I almost lost to pain and despair, but a voice pulled me back. It was pure and loud, it spoke of fighting against the world, of independence, and rejecting those who tried to oppress you. It called out to fight the world just for the chance to be yourself. It was a song sung without care, reveling in itself because it could. It pulled me back, and with a final push of effort I called out for the catalyst to take the final two abilities.

The catalyst began to suck in Autodidact and Mana Manipulation. As the abilities were tearing free, slowly being drug down into the crystal – I could feel the excitement and anticipation of my dark companion.

The image of the kingfisher invaded my mind. It was attacking a creature made up of thousands of eyes hidden between folds of thick rubbery skin. Tentacles, each with a cluster of eyes at the end, struck out wildly but the bird was too fast and was constantly pecking out eyes and eating them, even as it tore through tentacle and flesh with its talons.

It wanted me to create this class, I could feel its anticipation and joy. These were the abilities it had suggested to me, the skills, and feats it had sworn would give me a powerful class. It was also the class that would further whatever game my companion was playing. It had called me bait, admitted to me that I was a pawn in its game. A lure to catch some otherworldly prey.

Rachel's voice sang out, once more repeating the chorus and filling my mind with powerful images of rebellion and independence. I wouldn't play the game of others, I would make at least a small part of this class my own. Perhaps it would make no difference, but it would at least be my own choice.

With energy and concentration born of rage I reached into my chest, pulling back the skills I almost sacrificed. In their place I released Analyze and Dark Companion. I would take more control over this creature, make it a core part of me. Perhaps we would merge, or one of us would become subservient. Either way I would understand it. Know what it wanted, what it cared about.

I didn't know what would happen, but I could sense the panic and outrage of the creature. It called out to me, it demanded and begged. It pleaded for me to stop, warned me of the danger of this course of action. I stayed my course, a momentary impulse causing me to rebel and filling me with a need to create something of my own.

The abilities quickly coalesced within the gem, causing it to grow larger. The facets quickly smoothed and grew more round, until the gem had only a single side. An unblemished ball of grey-red crystal. Within the crystal shell swam the sphere of energy that made up the skills, stats, and feats given to me by the system - no longer packed as tightly. This new crystal shell contained them, but also defined them and protected them by creating a barrier. The whole thing looked vaguely like a galaxy contained within a glass jar.

I could feel the dark companion scream out in rage, even as it grew larger. I now had a sense of it in the back of my mind. I could feel its immediate intentions, its emotions. I could see what it saw, though not yet know what it was thinking. It was part of me now, perhaps it always had been. I had imagined it as alien invader, a parasite. That was only part of the truth.

Another, greater truth also spoke out in my mind. The truth of what I was, what I could become. The class I had forged from blood, the power I had gained at the cusp of death and betrayal. I accepted it, and it settled around me like a mantle.

From this day forward, I was the Hierophant of the Elder Ones- Seer of the Unseeable, Namer of Lies.