Voice of the Void

Chapter 1: a stormy day

*whoosh*

A figure nimbly danced between pot holes and buildings as rain poured forth from the sky. Their body long soaked, shining in the myriad of lights that cascaded down from the buildings it passed.

A cold breathe hung heavily on their bones without the warmth of a dry trench coat. People scurried past like blurs, the caffeine the driving force and will power that kept each foot moving forward.

*cough*

"Fwooo…Fwhoo…" Catching their breathe they slowed down to a walk as a key flickered gently with the reflection of the dim neon sign that hung overhead of the door they stood in front of like a sanctuary.

*creeeek*

The heavy iron door swung open with a bit of effort before being pushed shut again. Water dripped down onto the wooden floor and echoed off the concrete walls that lined its edges.

The figure took off their soaked trench coat and hung it up on a rack that was recently installed next to the door before trudging forward with the last vestiges of sanity they had left. The door gave entrance to a 5 by 5 room with a door on the left wall, and adjacent to the front door was a short flight of steps leading down.

The entrance was on the ground level, but this building itself was set on the edge of that ground level between two buildings. An open and murky grass and dark floored earth layed 10 feet below the buildings base. From a different direction it looked like a fort was installed on a small cliff, and then built around over the ages.

In fact, it was.

Down the short flight of steps was a longer corridor that extended about 20 feet before letting out into a room with a panoramic window only a foot high surrounding that half-moon like rooms rounded edges. The previous fort was retrofitted but for all and tense and purposes had kept its old charm and ancient aura while other buildings had become modern and 'in the now'.

The figure passed by 4 doors along the corridor, the ones closest to the stairs being a bathroom and storage space with the last two doors perfectly adjacent from each other being quarters to sleep in. Albeit that only one of them was ever used, the other was always within a state of ready to use if the situation fit the need.

*floof*

A cushion gave out a long sigh, while the chair that sat in the middle of the half-moon room swiveled with a creak towards a panoramic desk packed with equipment and mics along with several screens with toggles set at their base.

*click* *click* *click* *click* *click*

With nimble and calloused hands the switches were flipped in a certain succession before the screens roared to life. On the far left screen was the view point of 5 cameras that hung around the edges of the building whereas the two on the right reflected a simple line running across one screen with the other filled with news reports.

The figure slapped their forehead and got up, running down the corridor and into the bathroom before letting out a satisfied groan and quickly reappearing in the half-moon room. To the far right was a table that hugged the rounded corner as best it could, while carrying the burden of a gas stove and instruments of concocting the most potent coffee imaginable.

The once tired hands grew excited as they crushed, mixed, poured, and brew a dark colored liquid into being.

A long sip or two ensued after the process was finished, before the largest glass that could be found was filled with half the pot of coffee that was made before walking back over to the desk with the monitors and equipment.

"Sigh…" With a light tap, a red button was clicked with a satisfying clack sound before the once static line that filled the second to last screen on the right began to move like an ocean wave.

"Hey listeners…this is the Void coming at you with a new report on the latest strange occurrence happening within the city known as Abyss…I'm your host Malcom, and I'll be telling you what has gone on in the last long…long…while…"

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"Go!" A roar broke out of the clamor of steps from multiple people sounding out against the fog that filled the streets.

"I can't leave without you!" Malcolm shouted till his voice was hoarse.

"Go! I'll meet you another time! Don't hesitate or we'll both get screwed!" The bear like voice resonated again before disappearing around a corner with several undead monstrosities in toe.

Malcolm stopped in his steps as figures blurred by him. Their frantic faces, the fear that filled their souls touched his eyes like lemons and salt.

A body fell to his left before it was mutilated and pulled apart by an unknown entity that fell from above through the mists like a demon. The person yelled in suffering before their voice became silent to the now deaf ears of Malcolm. His breathe caught in his throat, but his feet began moving slowly until his legs spontaneously began to run on their own.

"No…no I don't want to leave him…no…" He murmured under his breathe, unable to stop his bodies reaction to death and fear.

He ran till he didn't know where he was anymore, until he was lost like a child in a desolate city. This WAS a desolate city, and with the mentality Malcolm had when he went towards a particular portal was not unlike that of an inexperienced child. Cruel fate, that was the only reward they received.

"Huff…huff…" His sides ached so horribly it might as well have been fire within his lungs that he breathed out in a fast erratic rhythm. The cold sweat had stopped long ago, as if his body was conserving what energy it had left to keep his mind going.

"Sanctuary…" Malcolm's eyes darted around as this familiar word met his ears from his mouth.

A sanctuary was a 'safe place' that had others like him trying to stay alive within it. The fog, the creatures, the unknown, none of it could step foot in these places. Through mystical means or otherwise these sanctuaries existed as hubs for the 'players' to take quests and most importantly breathers from the horrible circumstances past the hollow confines of the sanctum.

Malcolm and Jack, Bear Jack, had left from a group of friends towards the south east part of the city to find other gods that dwelled each in their own sanctuaries. To find opportunity or power to help them in their journeys, as well as to satisfy their curious minds of the unknown.

They travelled south for what felt like mere hours before they found another group of people that told them they were in the farthest north eastern edge of the city. They hadn't believed it until the group took them through a strange zig zag route to the wall hundreds of feet high that surrounded the city known as the Abyss.

This was when they realized when they had been told about the strange pathways the city carved out that they figured out they might have been better off asking for a guide before they had left.

Too late.

They arrived at the north eastern sanctuary of a god known as Pan. He was the god known for nature and all things supernatural in their truest form. If the god Genome could give you the genetics of a wolf, then Pan would give you the curse of lycanthropy. However, the downside to Pan was that his sanctuary moved about, seemingly in the middle of the night…

Malcolm and Jack had awoke to people shouting to get going when suddenly the fog rolled in thick and screams poured out from its depths.

'Sanctuary…have to find another…' He thought to himself over and over.

Hours later the perimeter of a sanctuary came into view, Malcolm who felt like he was losing his mind broke through the wall of fog into the place of safety.

Heads near the wall of fog swiveled over to him but soon turned back away as if this wasn't strange.

With a gaze around the sanctuary seemed to be futuristic and strange. Strange in the context of being entirely different then the world he just stepped out from. People with claws, heads with the eyes of snakes and the skin of leopards, some even had the wings of angels and the horns of demons. All varieties of strange creatures could be seen but undoubtedly they all chose to have these traits.

'Genome…haha…ha…' Malcolm's heart hurt, as he had arrived at the destination he and Jack and chosen to move towards, but he was alone.

"What do you mean he died?! Fuck that dumb idiot, who the fuck are we going to find to keep the network going…this is the first established communication route between sanctuaries, we can't let it fail.

A big man with the patterns of a tiger shook his head, "I don't know…the guy got tired of the job, and didn't come back…we just need to find someone to operate the computers and radio…"

Malcolm took in a deep breath as a reassured and confident smile broke onto his face, he walked towards the Tiger striped man with an objective in mind, "Hey nice to meet you…Malcolm…I heard the last guy left, I'd like to take up his spot since he's gone now" He spoke as if he knew everything that had gone on so far, Malcolm's acting skills could earn a grammy.

"What…oh man…uh yeah sure, HEY CHARLOTTE" He yelled for a beautiful woman to come over, as she got closer Malcolm noticed her hair was green with fluffy moss and sleek grass. She seemed to have taken the plant route.

"Show this guy the bunker…and uh…I don't know just help him settle in and get the radio station running…pronto…" He beckoned his finger over to the man several heads shorter them himself. The woman looked Malcolm up and down before extending a jasmine colored hand to grip his arm and pull him to the middle of the Sanctuary.

Months passed.

"…and that concludes the update, check back in with the Void on our regular schedule to get more updates on what portals lay out there, ways to survive, or opportunities for trade."

*clack*

The familiar satisfying sound of the red button being pressed rang out in the room. The soft pattering of rain struck the thin and long window with a cacophony of tiny drums. Malcolm closed his eyes, 'I just hope your listening Jack….'