Out of Character:
Bunnies approved by Gesse
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The Journal of Jacob Rivers -- Entry One,
Master Silas said that I should keep a journal to ‘focus my chaotic mind’, or something like that. I had always scoffed at the idea, but for some reason now feels like the right time. Why now? Well, today marks the beginning of what could be the greatest chapter of my tragically short life.
I have found a gate into another world, a world coursing with ancient magic. Today, I go forth to this ‘Garden of Secrets’ from my home in Chicago with Master Silas to test my skills against some of the greatest champions in existence.
In this new realm, I have heard rumors of the mighty Cabal of supernatural beings that orchestrated this, as well as the legendary treasure that they will bestow upon the champions of their tournament. While I often wonder what it might be, it is not why I have come. I am sick and slowly dying; I have been for three years and I doubt that I will live to see my twentieth birthday. What use could I have for shiny treasures?
No, I want more than anything else to accomplish something truly great with the life I have left. I want to make Silas Gesse proud. I must show him that his years of instruction haven’t been a waste of time, before my illness forces me to leave his tutelage, or before he finds out on his own and refuses to keep teaching me. I hate to keep this secret from him, but I couldn’t bear to lose him as a teacher until I have proven myself. This is my last chance to do so.
Silas and I have entered a holy shrine that pulses with primordial power. The Cabal is preparing now as the other warriors gather. Soon, we shall step throuh the rift into our first challenge.
Jacob felt as though he'd awoken into a nightmare. Dense clouds billowed oppressively overhead like volcanic smog as green daggers of lightning slashed phantom wounds into the sky. Raging winds howled like a chorus of lost souls. Raining fire tormented a hellish wasteland of ash, barren rock, and human remains.
Caustic gusts of toxic fumes and soot poisoned the air, stinging the psion’s eyes and burning his lungs. The stench of brimstone and decay strangled him. He let out a harsh cough, pulling the collar of his tan overcoat over his mouth and nose. The wind lashed against his pathetically slight frame, forcing him to struggle to stay standing until he pressed his back against a cliff.
The young psion began to survey the bleak landscape, letting psychic energy flow through his senses and explore his surroundings. Granite cliffs and steppes went on as far as he could see, with deep, dark ravines cutting sinking into the earth like gaping demonic mouths.
He let his gaze wander upward. The tainted lightning and swirling fire gathered and intensified around a massive spiral of black and red cloud, pulsating like a massive, malignant eye in the heart of the storm. It stared down upon a ring of jagged monoliths resting atop an imposing cliff like a crown of back iron. Its ominous silhouette flickered menacingly in the storm. Jacob’s skin crawled as he struggled to pull his eyes away from it.
“What is this place, Master?” he asked, sensing the presence of his sensei, Silas Gesse, next to him.
“A reflection of a soul in torment,” he replied, as mysterious as ever. “Fear, doubt, lies, and anger scour the soul...”
“…Burning away hope and promise, and leaving naught but a barren wasteland behind,” interjected Jacob, finishing the adage that Silas had taught him years ago during his training. “But that didn’t answer my question, as usual.”
“Perhaps not in the way you wanted.”
“Apparently.” Jacob sighed. The Silas hadn’t changed a bit since the day he’d found the old man in an honest-to-god mountain shack – just like in the movies. For years, Master Gesse had played the role of old martial art master to the letter, speaking in proverbs and riddles, sending Jacob off on random and pointless mundane tasks, and generally making little to no sense. Yet, somehow the apprentioce learned from the master, and Jacob valued Gesse’s teachings. Sometimes, though, the whole 'old, wise, and mysterious' demeanor got a little stale and annoying. “Must everything be another obscure lesson, Master? This is hardly the time.” He pointed a slender finger to the distant stone circle. “I know that you don’t like it when I use my powers too much, but I think that we need to go there. I'm pretty sure this time.”