Shaman's Hell

When Dakota awoke he felt numb and tired. Noticing that chains bound him to a table seemed the least of his concerns.

The heavy chain links were as thick as his fingers and were wrapped around his arms and legs. His chest and his neck.

The image of the Shamans face was still clear in his mind.

It was dark. Darkness all around him. He could not see where he was, but he heard nothing. Dakota assumed he must be a captive.

Before he could panic or feel the true weight of all his fear he stopped himself.

He had leveled up and even completed a quest. If he could increase his stats, then breaking these chains would be possible. He could escape and find the Raid party.

At that, he remembered being left behind. Not forgotten, but left to die. Left to whatever fate a captive of this shaman decided for him.

His stirring attracted attention. The goblin shaman entered from a doorway that spilt fire light.

He was an impressive silhouette in front of the door. With a wave of the monstrous hand several glowing lights appeared.

Dakota was in the center of a large table for certain. That table was in the center of a large and roughly round chamber carved from the stone.

These things frightened him.

The shaman stepped closer to him.

In a cold voice it cracked and mumbled with the unfamiliar human language.

"Room . . . ish . . . kchleen."

It smiled at Dakota's understanding.

His troll and goblin features telling the tale of his half blood. A creature that was both troll and goblin.

"You . . . inshides . . . mayke . . . room . . . not . . . kchleen . . . shoon."

The shaman began casting a spell and upon it's completion Dakota felt exhausted. He could not think or focus properly. His already feeble attempts to pull against the chains became pathetic.

He saw his stamina bar drop to 10%.

The shaman began casting another spell. This one made him feel the cold of the steel, it's weight and even the abrasive clothing he was wearing.

It was like he was very sensitive to everything he touched and was hyper aware of these perceptions despite the fog that prevented him from focusing on leveling up or even forming words.

Finally, the shaman sat behind the table. Near Dakota's head. He looked down so that he could only see an upside down macabre mask.

The shaman's eyes were bright yellow and much larger than the other goblins and trolls

It began mumbling and waving it's hands and a green light enveloped Dakota. The shaman chuckled and pulled out a two prong fork.

It was curved like the small tusks jutting out from the twisted lips from under the mask of the shaman. But these had been sharpened.

Slowly, very slowly and with a growing smile that split the shaman's face. The shaman pointed the utensil at his right eye.

Then twirling it for a few long moments, until suddenly he stabbed down.

He twisted whenever Dakota stopped screaming and could only breath. After several very long minutes of this game the shaman ate the eye. Dribbling drool and remains of his eye onto Dakota's face.

Not a whole minute had passed before the gaping eye hole stopped aching and Dakota could see from it again.

The shaman put away his fork when he saw Dakota's confusion. He pulled out a short bone knife and cut off Dakota's fingers. All four in one swift slice.

The shaman began chewing on them. Again, not a minute passed before the fingers felt relief and had grown back.

Dakota paled, he realized what was happening.

He was made unable to focus at all. Then made to be extra sensitive to touch. Then, the shaman cast a spell so that he would heal and regenerate.

As he gaped in understanding then roared in defiance. Challenging the shaman with that wordless cry. The shaman opened the entrance to the room.

Dozens of little goblins came in and climbed onto the table all around him.

The shaman said a word Dakota could not understand.

The little monsters pounced on him.

Clawing at his belly especially. Biting and chewing on his arms and legs, removing whole chunks of his limbs with a bite.

One of the little monsters tore him open and they all began ripping and tearing and chewing.

He was not able to pass out. Or focus on anything else. They dined long on his living flesh.

Whenever a goblin was sated and left with a fat belly the shaman allowed another one in.

Dakota would not know how long he spent being eaten.

When the troll came in it took it's time as well. Scooping out whole large handfuls of organs and breaking off whole limbs and swallowing them like noodles.

The fog drifted in and he was hazy. Not asleep, no the enchantments of the shaman could not allow that. But not quite conscious or alive.

Title earned. The Devoured.

When next he was aware the shaman had just returned. His fog vanished and the painfully aware exhaustion resumed.

This time the shaman burnt different parts of his body. After inviting the well fed goblins in the room, the table was engulfed in fire.

Fire that burned hot, yet did not seem to effect the table at all. Fire that licked and stole his will.

They fed on him alive again. Now he was burnt afresh whenever the spell began to heal him.

Once again, when all the goblins were done feeding the troll came in and feasted.

Then the fog moved in and he was gone for a while. Before the fog settled this time. He saw

Title earned. The Burned.

After that the times of lucidity were filled with butchery for the feasts to be held away from him more often then not. The shaman visited to play experiment of some practiced form of pain or to experiment with a new one.

Dakota knew the shaman was nearly done when he started to drool with that split smile that swallowed his face. The mask was a horror.

Dakota lived in pain and fear and numbness.

He acquired the new title The Shocked when the shaman began shooting lightning at him or applying a grasp that sent dozens of little burning tendrils of lightning.

The shaman began to come less and less to cast a spell upon Dakota. He felt the exhaustion and the sensitivity on him.

Was he being forgotten? Was his view of time slipping by? Was each visit a day? When had he last eaten?

One day came where the fog vanished. Hours went by where Dakota heard combat. . . Then voices.

He heard the muffled conversation.

"How much longer can you keep the rift open like this before it bursts open?" an almost familiar sounding voice asked.

"With . . . helph . . . frahm . . . fwend . . . Hoomahn . . . all . . . waysh" the broken words from the shaman answered. Dakota could hear the cruelty in the voice.

The door opened then.

"Shee . . . hoomahn . . . shtill . . . livvesh."

The silhouette of a man stood beside the shaman at the door. It stepped closer as if it might help. Then the man relaxed and walked away. "As long as the Rift don't burst. Booker won't care." Isaac said. In a flat tone.

The shaman laughed "khee khee khee kheee!" and the door closed.

Booker was alive! Isaac too!

That was definitely Isaac.

And they did not care! Isaac walked away!? They did not just abandon him. They betrayed him!

A fury built in Dakota then. Like nothing he had ever known before.

He stopped all at once. The fury settling like ice instead of raging like fire. He could think. He could focus.

Quickly he called on his menu.

Skill: Devour lvl 1

[destroyed enemies will have a small portion of their mana absorbed after death]

Quest: Slay enemies

10 - 5 ability points

30 - 5 ability points

50 - 5 ability points

??? - ???

Title: The Devoured

[50% resistance to natural weapons (teeth, tails, claws, wings, barbs, spikes, bones, unarmed)

Title: The Burned

[Adds Heat resist skill]

Skill: Heat resist lvl 2

[50% resist fire/heat]

Title: The Shocked

[Adds Electric resist skill]

Skill: Electric resist lvl 2

[50% resist electricity]

A title he could not even remember getting appeared too.

Title: The Enduring

[Do not feel negative effects of low stamina or debuffs]

As he read it Dakota felt the enchantments of the shaman lift and he began to cry. He had been this close to such a benefit. Had he only been able to focus.

He calmed himself only when he heard the sound of several goblins dragging their feet by his door.

He shook himself and looked at his menu again.

He had a new quest as well.

Quest: Slay Shaman

Rewards: 5 ability points

item.

He smiled. Remembering the world before he entered the Rift. The system that made his goals quests.

He looked at the quest rewards for the slay enemy quests. He had 10 ability points to spend. He thought hard and remembered his inventory. Hoping he could escape that way.

Nothing useful was in there. Only . . . 32 mana shards!? Of course. The system must of put them there when he was in battle, collecting them for him.

He refocused and tried to throw the chains into his inventory.

It worked.

His whole body felt lighter. His chest heaved as he had not been able to sit up or be without the great weight of the chains for so long. Sustained by the foul magic of the shaman.

Dakota got up at great length. Rubbing his arms and legs. It hurt just to move. Several long minutes passed as he stood and nearly fell.

He stood tall and opened his stats

Name: Dakota Alain Tibor

HP: 100

MP: 130

SP: 270

Title: Demon Lord

Devoured, Burned, Shocked, Enduring

Level 1

Ability Points: 10

Strength: 17

Dexterity: 12

Constitution: 10

Intelligence: 13

Wisdom: 9

Charisma: 5

Skills: Devour Lvl 1

Heat Resist Lvl 2

Electric Resist Lvl 2

Items: Voidheart

32 Mana Shards

He looked on and pulled out the pile of Shards. He held one in his hand and considered his Devour skill. Did he actually have to eat them?

At the thought the Shard in his hand vanished and he felt it's power disperse into his hand. It was better than eating or sleeping. He did not get a refreshing feeling after. Perhaps it was more like caffeine or adrenaline. Feeling your power rise with a touch like that could be intoxicating.

Dakota Devoured 9 more Shards when his level jumped to 2. All his ability scores increased by 1 and his HP, MP, and SP all doubled.

His exhaustion vanished after leveling up. He felt so many aches and pains vanish. All just for leveling up. Simply being without those constant discomforts had his head spinning in pleasure.

His quest to raise his level prompted awarding him another 5 ability points to spend.

He used more shards. Exactly 10 more and he was level 3. 10 more shards and level 4! He chose to save the last 2. He knew it could not have been a waste to consume them. But he felt this small amount was not worth consuming without enough to level up. It suddenly felt very important that the number of shards consumed remained even, or at least enough to level him up.

His Wisdom increased and he could now vaguely hear footsteps approaching his carved room. He knew his time was short. He dumped all 15 points into the ability he felt would help him most at the moment. Strength. Now his stats read

Name: Dakota Alain Tibor

HP: 520

MP: 640

SP: 1,920

Title: Demon Lord

Devoured, Burned, Shocked, Enduring

Level 4

Strength: 35

Dexterity: 15

Constitution: 13

Intelligence: 16

Wisdom: 12

Charisma: 8

Skills: Devour Lvl 1

Heat Resist Lvl 2

Electric Resist Lvl 2

Items: Voidheart

2 Mana Shards

Dakota's stats jumped so high. He thought he understood why so many Ascended had little issue tiring as he saw his Stamina Points.

Seeing this he moved to lay himself on the table. He re-equipped the chains and he was by all appearances in the same predicament as he had been.

He was giddy. Still feeling light from the lack of pain and the turnabout of the circumstances.

As the foot steps came closer Dakota felt the same dread he had felt before. His increased perceptions only made it worse. Now he could hear it sooner. Dread it sooner.

The idea of breaking free was foolish he realized. He had to be careful to maintain his center this time. He could not afford to lose himself again.

The foot steps stopped outside the door and as it grinded and moved away to allow the shaman to visit once more Dakota blanched at the sheer glee in the face of his nemesis.