Adventurium

Chapter One: True power

Darkness never ending. Silence eternal. A calm mind, without disturbance. These were the things that Wilhelm knew for quite a time to come. Unable to move his body, unable to do anything but meditate. Where was he? Who was he? Why was he in this state?

Even Wilhelm didn't know the answers, as everything before this point was a blank for him. The only thing that he could recall was his name, Wilhelm. As for where he came from or any of his past? Nothing.

Drowsily, Wilhelm finally opened his eyes, the dark room looking groggy at first before he eventually fell back to sleep. More time passed….

Once again, Wilhelm managed to open his eyes with a clearer view, yet it still blurred together at points. He was now able to realize that he was chained to the wall by his arms and legs, unable to free himself. At the same time, Wilhelm felt that his energy was being sucked from his body! Straight through those chains, right into the wall.

Falling asleep again, even more time passed…. Wilhelm didn't know exactly the count but it felt like an eternity…

"CRASH. BOOM. POW." Sounds echoed out, breaking the once painful silence, as Wilhelm fought to open his eyelids, looking out at the large black room. Pillars sprouted on each side, ascending to hold up the ceiling as braziers lit up the room.

Hunching over in the chains, Wilhelm thought that maybe he was only hearing things. Only imagining an end to this eternal hell…

Slowly, he closed his eyelids to take another nap… but before they could close the curtain completely, the large door at the other end of the room burst open, which made his eyes shoot back to look. A human, an elf, a dwarf, and a lizardman all fled into the room in fright, seemingly fleeing from something.

Without noticing him, they ran to the center of the room, right below the stairs which lead up to his cell, which had no bars.

This gave him time to look over the group, without saying anything. The lizard man was bulky, looking with the visage of a dragon. A large thick tail at the lower of his back, as he donned thick iron armor. A large shield clasped on his left arm as his right hand wrapped around the hilt of a sword. Nothing magical or uncommon, it seemed that this lizard trained it's body. The scale was green, it's eyes were red.

"Hurry, my comrades! Take our stance in this room! Perhaps there will be a chance to flee!" The lizard man shouted out in a deep voice. There was a unspoken rule that the tank of the party was the leader.

The dwarf who ran in carried a large battle axe. The armor he wore was also made out of iron, but finely crafted to be a perfect fit. Perhaps it was his clan that forged it for him. A large braided beard rolled down his chest, reaching his waist , as the battle axe was bigger than his entire body. It was a funny sight, but Wilhelm knew not to make fun of the dwarfs strength.

"Aye, you will owe me a whole cask of booze after this is over, ya damn scale covered gecko!"

An elf was next, lithe and lanky. She had black hair, which flowed down her back and long pointed ears that broke through the tufts of hair. A bow was in her hands, a quiver full of arrows at her back, and a snobby expression on her face. A typical elf, Wilhelm thought. While beautiful, most were … full of themselves.

"Will you two shut it, the Chimera can already smell your stink a mile away Dwarf! Don't lead it right to us!"

Last was the human, who had golden hair and deep blue eyes. A holy aura wrapped around her, which let Wilhelm know that she was a healer. Her skin was fair, like a pearl. None of these adventurers were that old, so he was wondering what they were running from.

"L...Let me heal your wounds!" The young woman turned, placing the tip of her staff close to the lizard man, as a slight light fell down on a wound. It mended itself, as if it was never there.

"A..ah.." The lizard man spoke out in relief, as if he was trying to brave the pain and put on a stone face for his group. "I will distract it, so you all flee once it pounces!"

Wilhelm felt the strands of hair fall over his face as he silently hung there, watching this scene play out in front of his very eyes.

Wait, how did he suddenly have the information on these races and was able to quickly access their battle combination?

Wilhelm felt a huge headache, as he was instantly able to deduce this group….

Who was he? Why was he here?

Though, silence was unable to return to him to give him a brief respite to think, as what they were running from finally entered the large room, which looked like a throne room in some fantasy.

A head of a lion peeked through the room, before proudly walking through as it followed the scent of its prey. The hind legs of the goat. The wings of a dragon. Two extra heads spawning at locations on it's back and side.

This was a chimera, a creation of a demon prince, more specifically … Demogorgon.

Wilhelm instantly knew what this creature was and it's origin...

The large creature stalked into the large room, right between the pillars, on an old and torn red carpet.

The adventurers that entered were bloody and exhausted, probably from fighting this beast before fleeing. They cowered, wishing to shrink into nothingness in the room to save their own lives, before slowly taking a step back. Then two. Then up. Another one. Eventually the petite human bumped her back right into the chest of the man, who was easily 6 ft. He stood over the small 5 ft 7 female.

This startled her, as she jumped from the sound of chains now shifting around. She looked back, before gasping and covering her mouth. A man was hanging here, his clothes ripped and worn. His body is covered in muscles. Long unkempt hair flowed down his back, black in color. A messy beard sprouted on his face, as clear blue eyes peered down at her. As if he was some king or ruler… he had the vistage of … power!

Wilhelm slowly shifted his gaze from the woman up to the beast, before whispering in his hoarse voice. "Do you have…." He tried to say, before finally pushing out the last word. "Water…"

The young woman was surprised, before rushing to get some water. She held it up, before letting the man gulp it down. While this was happening, the chimera pridefully walked up to the center of the room, right below the stairs, right where they stood.

Prideful was its nature, playing with it's prey, as three heads silently gazed up at the pitiful adventurers. It figured it would eat well tonight, as these weaklings walked on it's territory. It slowly crouched down, it's wings flaring up as it got ready to pounce. It's eyes focused on the prey, before hearing "Gulp...Gulp...Gulp...Ah!"

Wilhelm broke his lips from the canteen, his throat feeling much better as he drank down the water. He shifted his head, his icy blue eyes looking down at the chimera. "Such a lowly beast, you dare to intrude here?!" His deep voice boomed out into the room, which shocked the other people in the party. They had no clue he was there until this point.

The Chimera locked eyes with the giant man in the group who looked just like a human, but the killing intent that he leaked felt like a huge hand, pressuring it to the ground. It couldn't pounce even if it wanted to, as it felt one hundred times heavier. It shivered like a frightened beast, unable to move.

Thick arms tried to move, which made the chains clatter together. Wilhelm flexed, trying to break free from the bindings, but was simply unable to. His head sunk down in weakness, his power draining from his body.

The group realized that they had to free this man if they had any hope of surviving! They started to grab, to cut, to smash at the chains, though nothing seemed to work. The Chimera slowly started to realize that the man that it was afraid of was nothing but a prisoner.

It slowly reared it's back legs back, before jumping up into the air. It's large maw was open, fire clearly visible in it's maw. Wings spread out, large claws aimed right at the group. Faces of horror, right beside Wilhelm. The group gave up on any form of survival.

Suddenly, time froze. The chimera in the air, the group and their faces afraid. Wilhelm turned his head, looking from left to right, as his vision turned lightly blue.

"Do you … wish to be free?" The female voice asked out.

Wilhelm stayed silent, which caused the voice to ask once more. "Do you wish to be set free, Wilhelm?"

Wilhelm shifted in the chains, his head slowly tilting back as he looked up at the ceiling. "Naturally." He said with a calm and proud voice.

Soon, small beads of blue and gold, looking like sand, gathered in the room. Swirling together at a certain spot, it formed a glowing female, who smelt like divinity. A flowing white dress, golden jewelry, and a spear in her right hand. A set of keys in her left.

"To be set free after all you have done, yet… this is the only way." The woman said in a voice full of sorrow. Though, Wilhelm had no clue what she was talking about. She slowly walked around the chimera, pushing through the chains.

"Wilhelm Von Fairfax, King of the ancient Avalon. For your crimes, you have spent countless ages here in your castle, chained like a mere beast. You show your fangs and bite the hands that reach out to you. Without a country, without a crown, without your power. You are nothing! Though, you are the only man... " She bit her tongue, afraid to give away too much. She reached forward, pushing the key into the lock on the chains, before light sprouted out in cracks on the chains..

Wilhelm slowly closed his eyes, leaning his head forward. After he reopened them a second later, the world was back to normal, with the chimera falling toward the group. Wilhelm flexed his arms, before shattering the bindings and stepped in front of the group. It all happened in an instant.

Far too fast for the group to follow with their eyes. The chimera was already falling toward them and didn't realize that Wilhelm was now free, so when he appeared in front of the group, it quickly wanted to escape. Wilhelm reared his thick right arm back, closing his fist, before "BAM."

Wilhelm hit the beast right in the jaw, before shooting it like a bullet from his force, sending it through two pillars. Wilhelm shook his hand, before slowly walking down the steps like a god descending to earth. "Come on, is this all you've got?"

The group behind him fell straight on their ass, almost pissing themselves from freight. They were speechless, amazed that the man was able to get free and … such power …

Wilhelm reached his right hand up to his opposite shoulder, before "RIPPP." The sound of cloth tearing could be heard in the room, as he pulled the already worn shirt from his rippled chest, before tossing it behind himself onto the floor.

This gave the chimera enough time to stagger back to its feet and take a sprawling stance, trying to flee from the room. As soon as it tried to leave, the force of a monarch pushed down on it once again, stopping it in its tracks.

"Who said you could leave, huh?" The large man asked, slowly walking toward it as he cracked his knuckles with the palm of his hand, before copying the movement with his other fist.

"BOOM, BOOM, BOOM" sounded out as the left and right fist fell down on the beast, beating it into a bloody pulp on the floor.

Wilhelm turned around, looking at the group, before slowly making his way back to the group. Blood splattered on his face made him look like a demon king straight out of myths, more so with his long black hair and beard. He walked up the stairs.

The group gulped, watching this monster in the flesh approach them. When he stood on the spot where a throne used to be, he looked up at the ceiling. This was the only spot where light entered the throne room, right where he was supposed to sit.

It was the middle of the night outside, it would seem, as he closed his eyes. Though, a divine light flowed through the window, falling right onto Wilhelm. Since the start of the battle, Wilhelm felt a nagging voice in his mind, slowly pulling his power from him.

Wilhelm finished up that fight due to this, as he felt the divine light stripping him of his power. Stripping him of who he was. Though, due to this, a voice in his mind ttttringed out. In this world, power was measured in levels, and through training or meditation, one could increase their level. "Ttttring, you are now level one!"

Wilhelm felt all of the power that he fought tooth and nail to attain slip from his body, through this ancient and divine spell known as "Reincarnation." His sins would be forgiven for the power he had. Normally, when someone dies, their souls go to a waiting place for their reincarnation, but the "Gods" could use this as a punishment to those unfortunate souls on the mortal realm.

Wilhelm couldn't imagine that they could interact with this world as much as they have due to their strict rules and guidelines, which is why they normally have to have followers and what not to serve them and their wishes.

"Weaklings." Wilhelm spat as the light faded from existence, leaving him at the starting point of the world. This made the group think that he was talking about them, but he peered up toward the heavens with a set of eyes. As if he was looking down on the gods themselves.

The group slowly stood up, before trying to open their mouths.

"W-who are y-" They all tried to say, albeit trying to talk over each other.

"No questions, please." Wilhelm stated, before turning to the entrance of the throne room. "Let us leave this place quickly. Though a Chimera normally is too prideful to let other beasts hunt it's land, it could have missed a few." He stated, before leading the way. A ruined castle with broken walls and moss hanging from stone laid bare in front of his eyes as he left the door.

A feeling of loss, of heartbreak, of sorrow pained Wilhelm, before turning to look at the following group. "Lead the way." He said, before silently following them on the road back to a small village a few miles away.

Walking the dirt roads of the village, Wilhelm slowly contemplated everything in his mind, before being led to a tavern.

The group paid for his room and he quickly turned in for the night after taking a shower and falling onto the soft bed.

This was the start of a new adventure.