Items

Okay, I have to write this quick so we can leave. Slendy's in this town. He's not paying us any attention right now, but we need to leave before he does.

Scia and I met with Servik as planned, and he brought us to the hideout. Scia didn't seem to trust him, but I did. Don't ask me why, I just did. It was empty. I guess everyone was worshiping Slender Man somewhere else at the time. Anyway, we explored for a while before finding an alter with three items placed on it.

The first thing was a sacrificial dagger covered in blood stains. The words Erigian ta-almo Isalein forvourn were engraved in the handle.

The next item was a bone. A bone with fucking satanic symbols carved all over it.

The third object was small. I didn't even see it at first. It was a red crystal, smaller than a grain of rice. It was full of eldritch energy.

“So what is all this stuff?” I asked.

“The bone is supposed to draw spirits into the area,” Servik explained. “The knife is used to sacrifice something to the Unseen Face when and if it arrives.”

“Sacrifice what?” I asked.

“I don't want to talk about it,” he said. “Why do you think I want out?”

“And what's with the crystal?” Scia asked.

“Another sacrifice,” Servik said. “Meant to add to the Unseen Face's power.”

“Well, we can't have that thing growing any stronger,” I said.

“You can say that again,” Scia said, reaching for it.

“Careful,” Servik said. “That thing is-”

“OW!” Scia exclaimed. She jerked her hand back, and I could see the crystal embedded in her palm.

“-Sharp...,” Servik finished.

Scia cried out again. The Eldritch energy from the crystal was flowing through her body. When it stopped, a small mouth had appeared on the palm of her right hand, where the crystal had stabbed her.

“It's just like with Malkator,” I said. “He had a mouth like that on his chest, after getting cut open with an eldritch dagger.”

“So is this stuff what you're looking for?” Servik asked.

“Probably,” I said. “Although, I don't know why we'd need any of it, other than crystal.”

A path suddenly opened up, and a proxy stepped out of it. He had on a metal mask, and was carrying a Sonic Sword.

“Hello, Daniel,” he said. “Been a while.”

“Sound,” I said. “What are you doing here?”

“I'm just here to deal with you,” he said. “You've been causing problems, and my master has decided you need to be dealt with.”

Scia drew a blade from her shoe and charged at him.

“Scia, wait!” I called after her. “That sword can-!”

She ignored me, and he parried her attack with his sword. The sound wave it created hit her, and she fell over, clutching her ears.

“What is that thing?” Servik asked.

“A Sonic Sword,” Sound said. “It's designed to amplify sound waves.”

“Then why aren't you affected by it?” Servik asked.

Sound brushed his hair aside, revealing a device inside of his ear.

“If you're wearing earplugs, then why can you still hear us?” Servik asked.

“They're not ear plugs,” he said. “They're devices built to adjust the frequency of any sound wave they pick up so that my ears can handle them.”

Scia grabbed him by the ankle with her right hand, and he cried out in pain. She must have bitten him. The Eldritch energy inside his body left him, being absorbed by Scia. He angrily threw her off of him, then began laughing.

“What's so funny?” I asked. “All your power is gone. You're not an Enhanced anymore.”

“And I should thank you for that,” he said. “Enhanced have shortened life spans. I as nearing my limit. Now... now that's over. My body is no longer threatened by my power. Besides...”

He drew a gun and shot the alter. The bullet he fired was large, and had a mini speaker built into it.

“I don't need my Enhancement to beat you,” he said.

The bullet let out this ear-piercing screech. I grabbed the knife and stabbed it into the speaker, disabling it. He dropped a machine on the floor, and it let out an even louder noise. I used the Choir's power to restrain the sound as much as I could. Scia got up and continued fighting him. Servik charged at him two. They managed to knock him out, or so I thought. I grabbed the items and we ran to the door. It was then that I heard a gunshot. Sound wasn't knocked out. Servik... Servik fell to the ground, with a hole through his heart. Sound escaped immediately afterwards through the Path Of Black Leaves.

“Damn it!” I said. “He's... he's dead!”

“Where did that bastard go?” Scia demanded.

“I don't know,” I said. “But I'll make him pay for this next time I see him. Wait a second...”

I could see something. There was black mist rising from Servik's wound. I could sense him inside of it. His very essence was escaping his body. I reached out my hand and the mist was absorbed into me.

Servik, can you hear me? I thought.

Yeah, I heard him say. I'm on a ship... in the sky! What's going on?

I'll explain later, I said.

I could feel him. Slender Man was nearby.

“I can feel Slender Man,” I said.

“What do we do?” Scia asked.

“We run,” I said.

We took off, but I could feel him getting closer. I had to get us back to the hotel as quick as I could. I only had one choice.

“This is gonna hurt like shit!” I told Scia, grabbing her by the wrist.

“What's gonna hurt like-” she started to say, but she was cut off when I dove into the Godsway.

We fell on the hotel floor. My right arm felt like it was on fire, and she didn't seem much better. We explained the situation to Kallaway. I'm gonna finish typing this, then hes gonna try to open up a gateway into the Grove Of Fetters, then we're out of here.

Servik and the Glowing Person

I met this guy earlier. While David and Scia were sleeping, I heard this voice. It wasn't normal. It was like it was inside my head, but at the same time it wasn't. It seemed familiar.

Daniel, go outside, it said. I tried ignoring it, but it repeated itself over and over again until I caved. I went outside of the hotel. Down the street,and make a left. I obeyed it. It kept giving me directions. I followed them, until I found myself at the edge of the city. This is far enough.

“Who are you?” I asked.

I am a friend, it said. I aim to help you.

“What's your named?” I asked it.

All in good time, Ma- Daniel,” it said.

“What was that?” I asked. Did you just almost screw up my name?”

Oh, pay no attention to that, it said.

“What are we doing here?” I asked.

A friend will be joining us shortly, it said. Just be patient.

I waited for a few minutes, before a guy showed up. He was about 18, with spiky blonde hair and white clothes.

“Are you the Daniel guy that the voice keeps telling me about?” he asked me.

“My name is Daniel, yes,” I said. “You hear that voice too?”

You can both hear me because I speak to both of you, it said.

“Did you hear that too?” he asked. “I've been putting up with it for about a week now.”

“Yeah, I hear it,” I said.

Ugh, I just said you can both hear me! It said.

“Who are you?” I asked the kid.

“My name's Servik,” he said. “The voice says you can help me.”

“Help you what?” I asked.

“Get out,” he said simply.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked.

Isn't it obvious? The voice asked. Servik here was born in this town, and has been a part of this cult his entire life. He wants out, and you can help him with that.

“Why don't you just leave?” I asked.

“It's not an option for me,” he said. “The only way out for me is if someone with access to a pathway sneaks me out.”

“The Grove Of Fetters,” I mumbled to myself.

“What was that?” he asked.

“My friends and I only have access to one domain right now, and we're not even sure if it'll work.”

“If there's a chance, I'll take it,” he said.

And of course, Servik can help you in return, the voice said.

“How so?” I asked.

“The voice here says your after the artifacts that my cult is planning to hand over to the unseen Face,” he said.

“The Unseen Face?” I asked.

“That's our name for it,” he said. “According to legend, the being has a face, but it's so grand that we can't comprehend it, and therefore see nothing when we look at it.”

“That's an interesting theory,” I said. “So what exactly are these artifacts?”

“I'm not sure exactly,” he said. “There hidden in one of the town's secret temples, and it just so happens I know which they're it's in. Unfortunately, I don't know exactly where in the temple they are. I haven't even been all the way inside of it yet.”

“But you can bring me to the temple, right?” I asked. “Once I'm there, I should be able to figure out where they are.”

“How so?” he asked.

“I have ways,” I said.

“Okay then,” he said. “Meet me at (removing meeting location for safety reasons) tomorrow night at 1.”

“Okay,” I said. “I'll be there.”

Good, the voice said. I'm glad the two of you have come to an agreement.

“Who the hell are you, anyway?”

I am black and I am white, it said. A bright light suddenly appeared in the distance, taking a vaguely humanoid shape, but glowing too brightly for me to pick out any of its features. My name cannot be said right now, but you will soon come to understand the nature of my existence. Until them, goodbye, Daniel Ferris and Servik Caekiza.

With that, the being made of light faded away.

“Okay, that was fuckin' weird,” Servik said.

“Honestly, I've seen stranger things, but that was still a confusing sight,” I admitted. “Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow.

“Great,” he said. “See you then.”

So, we're getting help. Hooray.

So shit went down...

We were scouting earlier when he appeared before us. My Enhanced self appeared through a gate and stood there in front of us.

“Who are you?” Scia demanded.

“He's me,” I said.

“What?” she asked.

“I forgot to mention,” I said. “There's three of me from other universes who got pulled into this one. This guy's an Enhanced, and not a normal one.”

“What are you doing here?” David asked.

“I've come for a challenge,” the other me replied.

I reached for my sword, and he lifted a hand stop me.

“I'm here to fight Kallaway,” he said.

“What?” I asked.

“You're in bad condition,” he said. “You wouldn't be much of a challenge for me. As for the girl, she may have powers, but they're not suited for a fight against someone like me. Kallaway's the only one here who I wish to fight with.”

“Fine,” David said, reaching for his sword. “I won't hold back.”

“Neither will I,” the other me said.

He removed all ten of his weapons from their various sheaths, and they all fit together, forming this giant, long handled blade, with guns at the tip of it and a trigger on the handle.

“You sure you wanna do this?” I asked David.

“I'll be fine,” he said.

The two of them charged at each other. Their weapons clashed, and David was thrown backwards by the other me's strength. You know what, I'm just gonna call him Enhanced Daniel. David charged at him again, and he parried effortlessly before kicking David away. They kept fighting, but Enhanced Daniel seemed to be to strong. He didn't even look like he was taking the fight seriously, but it was hard to tell with his mask on. After a few minutes, David backed off so he could speak.

“Tell me something,” he said. “When did Slender Man begin the Enhancement experiments?”

“For me, it was 25 years ago,” Enhanced Daniel said.

“I see,” David said. “It's only been a few for me. I guess that explains the difference in our power. In your world, Slender Man had time to work out all the kinks, and perfect the Enhancements.”

“Yes, that's true,” Enhanced Daniel said. “But then again, you're still not revealing your true power, are you?”

“Heh, you're right,” David said, chuckling. “I've been holding back. But not for much longer.”

I could feel the Brute's power fill the air. David charged at Enhanced Daniel and swung his sword upward. Enhanced Daniel blocked the attack, but the attack was so strong that he was sent flying a few blocks away. David chased after him, and I ended up losing sight of them both.

“Come on,” I said to Scia, and I took off to try and find them again.

We found them again, after a while. They were still sword fighting brutally. David had a gash on his left should, but he didn't seem to care. Enhanced Daniel seemed unharmed, except that piece of his mask had broken off, exposing his left eye and some of his cheek. David kept pushing himself for a while, before stopping to catch his breath.

“Is this the extent of the Brute's power?” Enhanced Daniel said. “I was expecting more for the you.”

“I'm not finished,” David said. “I have the power of two Fears. Not just one.”

Purple armor formed, covering David's entire body. A pair of large wings sprouted from his back, and his sword grew larger and more demonic looking. He charged at Enhanced Daniel, attacking rapidly. Enhanced Daniel blocked all of his attacks, before slashing David across the chest with such force that his armor was shattered and he was sent crashing into the ground several yards away.

“Pathetic,” Enhanced Daniel said, pointing the tip of his weapon at David, and preparing to squeeze the trigger.

Another guy suddenly just... appeared. Out of fucking no where. He just showed up right in the air above Enhanced Daniel's sword, and dropped down lightly on the blade, as if he was weightless. He then snapped kicked Enhanced Daniel in the face so hard he went flying down the street, leaving the weapon behind.

He was about my height  and was covered from head to toe with bandages. His body was filled with eldritch energy. Not at the same level as the Fears, but close.

“I- it's him!” Scia gasped.

“Who?” I asked.

“I don't know,” she said. “He attacked me a while back. He has some kind of telekinesis or something.”

The man began approaching Enhanced Daniel, who slipped into a portal, reappearing moments later behind the newcomer and grabbing his sword. He swung it with all his strength, but the bandaged man caught the blade in one hand as if it were nothing. Enhanced Daniel pulled back and swung again, but the bandaged guy kept blocking with his hands with seemingly no effort at all.

I rushed over to try and help David.

“You okay?” I asked.

“I can barely move right now,” he said. “Who the fuck is that guy?”

“No clue,” I said.

“Something's not right,” David said. His irises had vanished, and his pupils had grown larger, just like the Vision's. “I should be able to see through his bandages, but there's something about his aura that's disrupting my Vision.”

“Really?” I said. “So you can't see his face at all?”

“Nope,” David said.

Enhanced Daniel continued fighting the new guy, who kept blocking the sword and bullets easily. Enhanced Daniel then cut a huge chunk of earth from the ground and threw it at the bandaged man. I got a look at that telekinesis that Scia mentioned. He raised his hand, and I could see the eldritch energy expand from his body and wrap around the chunk of stone, stopping it in mid flight. It wasn't telekinesis. Not exactly. He was using his eldritch energy as an extension of his own body. He fired the stone back at Enhanced Daniel, who sliced it in two with his blade. The bandaged guy used his power to lift a manhole cover a few feet away and flung it like a Frisbee  Enhanced Daniel punched it in midair, causing it to collapse in on itself. The bandaged man then vanished and reappeared right in front of Enhanced Daniel, then they both vanished.

I heard a crash behind me, and turned around. Enhanced Daniel was lying in a small crater several yards away, with the bandaged guy standing over him. Enhanced Daniel's mask had fallen off, and his face was contorted in pain. His skin looked like it was burning from the inside out. I knew exactly what had happened. The bandaged man had pulled Enhanced Daniel through the Godsway.

The bandaged guys power suddenly spiked. I couldn't move. I was terrified by this guys power. He raised his left hand, stretching out all of his fingers in a spear hand position. I was paralyzed in fear. All I could do was stand there and watch as he drove his hand through Enhanced Daniel's heart. I could do nothing while I watched myself die. I... can't even begin to explain what that felt like.

He pulled his arm out of Enhanced Daniel's chest. Some of his bandages fell away as he did so, exposing his pale forearm. He turned to us, and began to slowly approach us. I couldn't move a muscle.

“That's enough, Fury,” a voice said. Martyr Beta was standing off to the side, watching us. “The target's dead. Let's get going now.”

The bandaged man vanished without saying a thing.

“Who... who was that!?” I demanded.

“The Archive's most recent experiment,” Beta said. “We call him the Fury. He's our ultimate weapon.”

A smokey door appeared out of now where. Beta opened it, and I could see what I assume was the Blind Man's domain, the Catacombs, on the other side.

“You've all just seen what he's capable of,” Beta said. “You all now know how foolish it is to oppose the Archive.”

He stepped through the doorway, which disappeared behind him.

“Shit!” I said. “That guy... I don't think we have a chance against him if he shows up again.”

“I knew he was powerful, but that was just ridiculous,” Scia said.

“Obviously,” David said. “Your copy beat me in my armored form, and the Fury just... wait, where did the body go?”

“What?” I asked, looking around.

There was no sign of Enhanced Daniel's body. Or his sword. Or the crater. There wasn't a single sign of the fight, except for David's injuries. I swear to god, things keep getting weirder and weirder.

We brought David back to the hotel, and did the best we could with his injuries. I don't think he'll be able to help us find that object now. He said he'll be able to recover quickly, but I'm not so sure.

Damn it all to hell...

Clone

“What's next?” David asked me, as we sat in the hotel room.

“Not sure,” I said. “It's gonna be difficult to get anywhere, with most of our transport methods being too dangerous.”

“I have one idea, but I haven't tried it at all yet,” David said.

“And what would that be?” I asked.

“The Grove Of Fetters,” he said. “The Brute's domain.”

“You think you could enter it?” I asked.

“I don't know,” he said. “It's possible. But even if I could, where would we go?”

“I'm not sure,” I told him.

“What about Vocallas's old hideout?” he asked. “Red Daniel gave you the address for it, didn't he?”

“To tell the truth, I already checked it out,” I said. “While I was at the runner hideout, I went over there to see if I could find anything.”

“Did you?” he asked.

“Nothing,” I said. “It was a waste of my time.”

It was at that point that we got a knock on our door.

“Who's there?” I asked David.

He used the Vision's power to see through the door.

“Some pink haired chick,” he said. “Wait a minute...”

“Something wrong?” I asked.

“She looks... a lot like the Vision,” he said.

I approached the door.

“Who is it?” I asked, without opening it.

“My name is Scia Malkator,” she said.

I glanced at David. He was just as shocked as I was.

“Come in,” I said, opening the door.

She looked a few years older than me, and, as David had said, she was almost identical to the Vision, with the exception of her hair, which was pink instead of orange. She even had the vision's eyes. She came inside and stood in the middle of the room.

“What brings you here?” I asked.

“I saw a vision of you two,” she said. “I figured I was meant to meet the two of you.”

“How are you connected to Benhjamin Malkator?” I asked.

“I am a clone of him, created by the Archive,” she said.

“Is that so?” I asked.

“Yes,” she asked. “And what are your names.”

“I'm Daniel Ferris, and this is David Kallaway,” I said.

“I see,” she said. “Um, is he okay?”

I looked over to see that David was sitting, unmoving, on one of the beds, resting a head on his hand with his eyes closed.

“Hey, is something wrong?” I asked him.

No response.

“David!” I said. “Answer me! Are you okay?”

He opened his eyes. “I'm fine,” he said. “Just lost in thought.”

“Is that so?” I asked.

“There's something in this town we have to find,” he said.

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes,” he replied. “And we'll need her help to get it.”

“What is it?” she asked.

“I'm not sure exactly,” he replied. “I just know it's important.”

So... I guess Scia's part of the group now. Great.

Cult Town

David and I are about 20 miles outside of New York City now. We would be further, but our transportation is limited. I can't use the Godsway in my condition. Every time I use it, I feel a searing pain throughout my body. With my arm the way it is, I can't use it safely. And even if I could, I couldn't bring David with me. He's not a Devil Killer like me, or a Fear descendant like Malkator. I don't think he'd be able to enter.

We tried going through the Streams of Destiny, but as soon as we entered, I felt something. Something terrible in the distance. It wasn't a Fear. It was something else. Something I didn't want to be in the same world as. So, we left immediately. I'm not taking my chances.

We entered this town called Liatis earlier. David was hesitant to enter.

“Be careful,” he told me.

“Why?” I asked.

“I've been here before,” he said. “This is a cult town. Everyone here is a follower of Slender Man.”

“So this is a huge town full of Proxies?” I asked.

“Not exactly,” he said. “There's a difference between cultists and proxies. These are just a bunch of nutjobs who worship the tall guy. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't watch our backs. Tall dark and faceless has been known to humor his cults with his presence.”

“So, be careful, basically?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “We're just passing through. Just don't mention who we really are and the people here should leave us alone.”

So, here we are. Hopefully we'll be okay. We'll be leaving in a couple days. Wish me luck, I guess.