Alder was alone, kneeling in a room of pure black. His breath fell deaf on his ears, his lungs felt empty and incapable of use. A panic began to build and yet, his heart refused to race. It was empty, everything was empty, barren of life or its signs. Alder tried to stand but found his body lacked any response, he tried to scream but nothing came out. 

The sounds of distant chains being shaken broke the silence and provided Alder the first bit of sound he could glean, yet he felt only a slow building dread from its presence. Suddenly he fell, dropping limp to the ground with his limbs suddenly screaming in pain. His arm left blood as he pulled it away, bits of burnt falling against the stone. 

"Stone?" His voice had returned, shocking himself as much as the distant chains which suddenly stopped. 

He reached for his short spear and found it resting in its usual housing, not extended and supporting him against a storm of magic. Alder pulled a bit of cloth from a waist pouch, the piece was wrapped in corn husk and twine and a subtle scent of acid flitted against his nose. Neatly he unwraped the bandage and began to cover his left arm, the burns and scars ran the range up to his shoulder. He expected the sting that normally came with the process, but found only the dulling of a seering. Even fully wrapped and secured Alders arm still burned and protested each motion, still the dulling of pain was a welcome pressence. 

He needed to move, to stand and leave and escape. How had he even gotten here, he was supposed to be...

The chains started once more, only now they sounded more agitated, and their growing volume only meant it was coming closer. Alder flung himself against the wall and stiffled a scream of pain, barely missing a hanging hook and chain. The room had slowly shifted from a stone cell to a chamber in a hallway, only the chamber bore similarities to some sort of torture chamber. On inspection, Alder noticed similarities between the walls he'd left and those he now found himself in, yet something felt... off about it.

"W...h...o..." A gnarled, pained screaching filled the hall. It trickled over the stones with a sense of unease and hatred. "WHO?"

He pressed himself further into the stone, praying the lack of light would keep him safe. The chains became louder, growing closer with each second. He could hear footsteps coming down the hall now, two people, and they seemed to move in a strange unison pattern. He was about to peek the doorway when something dropped, and he had just enough time to shift back before the creature waded into the room. 

"WHO ARE YOU?" It was a massive form of flesh standing almost ten feet tall. Four massive arms protuded from a shifting torso, split by a drooling mouth and dagger-like teeth. A limp torso with a bald head hung lazily where the beings head should have been, and three angular eyes dotted the small space between the upper body and head-substitute.

"you should come out..." the creatures torso-mouth remained still, but the limbless body and bald head flailed. 

"COME OUTTT" The creature seemed to split apart as its mouth spoke, the screaming sending spittle and force outwards. Chains near Alder shook in response and the beast turned, its three sharp eyes panning across the corner and shadows. "COME OUT LITTLE ONE-"

"...this one only wishes to kill you. It'll be easier that way..." 

He didn't move, held his breathe as if it mattered, did all he could to remain still and silent against the breath and jangling of chains. His spear shuddered at his side, reacting to energy unseen.

"...set me free...I want to be free little one...have I not suffered...enough...?"

"SET THIS ONE FREE" its mouth shreiked and lunged towards Alders corner, giving him only a moment to dash aside and duck beneath the attack. 

Alder ripped the spear from his side in his dive, assuming his regular stance and forming it to combat length. 

"I intend to do just that," He said. Alder circled the creature, but kept his back aiming towards a hall. "I intended to help you all along, this doesn't seem to be that."

"...you...little one...kill me...free me...this pain...I wish to join my...my..."

"JOIN ME LITTLE ONE" its body turned slowly, three eyes coming to lock directly onto Alders heart "BECOME ONE WITH ME! THIS ONE IS SO WEAK, SO EMPTY!" 

"...free me..."

"FREE THIS ONE"

"...please..."

The creature pounced again, without warning and aimed straight for his throat. Alder pulled the spear to the one side and caught the creature at an angle, deflecting it off towards the opposite end. It followed the motion and ended up launching into the wall with all the weight possible, Alder took the chance and ran back towards the open hall. 

The doorway led into a long and winding hall, filled with twists and turns. He found himself caught at several forks trying to figure out whether he was stupidly running back towards the creature. For its part, the creature was making a full headed effort towards him. It crashed against walls with loud cracks, sending debris down atop Alder as he sprinted. 

"DON'T FLEE LITTLE ONE. LET ME FREE YOU. YOU CAN FREE US BOTH!"

Alders path deposited him at the mouth of a broken seat of double-doors, showing damage from a massive force splintering it. He slipped inside and was let out into the open clearing of a sparse forest, shades of the distant trees acting as a border of impassible fog and depth. 

He rushed into the cold and damp of the open air, trying still to no avail to fill his lungs. He needed to feel some sense of control or power, he needed stability in this world of flailing and falling. His spear was the only thing he had left now, even his left arm was beyond use now. Trapped, he was trapped with a monster actively trying to devour him.

"Oh, Jeann would be so proud of me right now.."

"THERE YOU ARE" the screaming of an object being swung was the only warning Alder had before he was sent flying across the field. 

On relfex Alder had pulled his left arm up to block the strike, forgeting in the instant that it was burned and wrapped. Instead it now hung limp at his side, broken and shattered internally. He gasped and expected blood but nothing came. Alder pushed himself back to his feet and readied himself again.

"We need to talk, I don't want to hurt you."

"PITY!" 

The creature had retrieved a long piece of wood and was now wielding it like a club, swinging hard and creating a whirling scream of split wind. Alder spun his spear to throw its end under his arm, bracing for another strike. He shot a glance towards a stump, preparing dodge anything too severe.

It flung the club wide, letting Alder drop low and stab hard with the spear end. A spray of black blood coated his face and stung his eye, Alder took the pain as a sign to move and rolled towards the stump. He rested against it and tried to wipe the blood away, at the same time he had spear shrink and shift in form to a short arming blade with burstings of the spears form beneath. 

"Come on then, you big ugly." His mind rebelled against the words. "Lets see what you've got."

Arm limp, eyes stinging, body aching, Alder rose from his position slowly and steadied himself. The creature turned and smiled wide, bearing its teeth and preparing to eat its next meal with a devious longing. Its central eye, the creatures largest, was closed by a running stream of ooze. 

"...free me..."

"FREE US LITTLE ONE"

"My name is Alder," he took a step aside "Alder of Mehonoris. I'm a Pere and I'm here to remove this curse."

"RATHER WINDED, LITTLE ALDER, BUT IT WON'T MATTER WHEN YOU'RE DEVOURED!" It threw the club, shattered on its end as it was, with enough speed as to create an afterimage.

Alder let the weapon draw close before throwing his weight into deflecting the spin. He underprepared and found himself being spun aside in the process, swinging his limp arm out towards where the creature had been. In his confusion and action, Alder had neglected to notice the massive beasts movements and only managed to capture a glimpse of its movement. Its wide mouth opened to reveal the rows of sharpened blade like teeth. 

Alder yanked himself back, trying to avoid the bite, but failed to escape fully. The creature latched onto his arm and subjected his already burnt hand to a whole new wave of extra pain. He screamed in response and stabbed the blade into the space between the limp torso and third eye. The beast writhed and wailed in pain, unlatching and stumbling back.

The two stood feet apart with wounds dripping ichor and blood beneath them. Alder panted from exhaustion, clearly the lack of air and breathing hadn't limited the strain fighting had, and shifted the spears end length down into the faux-grass. He needed the support as standing was beginning to take more out of him with each minute and attack. 

"Creature!" Alder shouted with a thick confidence he could only ever pretend to possess "What are you, what do you want with this plane?"

"DEATH, AND LIFE" It gurgled

"...to escape..." the bald head mumbled 

"I AM A DEVOURER, THE DEATH OF MORTALS AND LIFE"

"Rather unwelcoming," Alder said "What brought you to this plane?"

"...that man...he...did things..."

"THE PAIN, THE SUFFERING IT! THEIR SCREAMS IN THE NIGHT DREW ME FROM THE DEPTHS!"

"I want to make a deal with you. I think I may need your help," He paused "Though you're a bit more deranged than I'd expected..."

"DEAL? YOU WANT TO SELL YOUR LIFE AND SOUL?" the beast flicked a forked tongue out and licked its lips, drips of ooze and saliva fell and began to pool around its mouth "I BET YOU WOULD BE TASTIER."

"...kill me...it needs...it needs..."

"A HOST!"

It spat a glob of black ooze before following with its usual charge, forcing Alder to dash aside in avoidance and sending him crashing to the ground. The beast used the chance to close the gap and slam a fist into Alders chest. He gaged and coughed, but found a tight grip forming around his throat. The beast lifted Alder, tightening the grip on his throat with each inch in height until he eventually was elevated to the same height as the creatures third eye. Two other arms gripped his wrists and pulled them aside, forcing his spear to drop silently to the floor. 

"SLIMY LITTLE WORM!"

"..Rather..rude don't you..think?" Alder wheezed. His left arms pain was becoming more akin to a dagger being shoved slowly, inch by inch, into his brain.

"SHUT UP." The last of the beasts four arms reached down and recovered the spear, inspecting it with interest. 

He tried desperately to swing his legs at the beasts eye, but was pulled away on the first atempt and the grip on his arms was tightened further. It sneered at him, mouth drawn into a ready attack.

"...free...me..." the mumbling of the head sounded more pained now, its body shuddered in violent jerks. Alder saw drops of a blackish liquid start to run down the beasts forehead "kill...me..."

"HE CAN'T KILL YOU, HE CAN'T KILL EITHER OF US." The beast began to walk towards the double doors leading back into the mind-scape-manor theyd fled from. 

"...please...set me free..." it continued "...kill..." 

Its mumblings grew quiet and the body began swaying wildly back and forth, causing the lower half to stumbled backwards. The monster let out a ravenous cry and let go the spear once more, only this time doing so in a place far higher. 

Acting as fast as his fading mind could manage, Alder swung his foot into the falling spear and sent it flying through the bent over bald head and parts of beasts forehead. This time its cry sounded far more pained, and Alder was sent scrambling doward towards the floor. He landed hard on his front and had just enough mind and adrenaline left to yank out the spear and flee into the building once more.

His arm dripped ichor in small but distinguishable puddles on the floor behind him with each step, clearly marking his slowing path through the labrynth before him. Alder wheezed and tried to suck in any amount of air, stale or otherwise, but found the closest he could achieve was the previous state of thin empty breaths. Alder placed his good shoulder against the wall and tried to extend the spear for support, only this time nothing happened. 

He swore and gave it an annoyed once over. The gem wasn't damaged and the material itself remained as sturdy and unblemished as usual. The constant shifting of its form hed done was something Alder had only discussed with the spears designer, but was thankful he'd mentioned it. 

"Its me then." He whispered

It stood at the length of a half pole, long enough for good offense but far lacking in the alternative. He scanned around for any sort of wood plank he could use as a shield, but the pulsing pain in his left arm reminded him of the foolishness in that plan. Instead Alder pressed on, heading further into the labrynth and still leaving behind the bloodied trail. The sounds of the creature crashing against the walls and wailing was all that kept his body in motion. Alder couldn't say for sure, but he was fairly confident that if the run were silent then this monster would likely have found itself a much easier meal. 

Alder passed through hallway after hallway, around corners and through bends, until eventually he came to find himself at a scene that was almost familiar. He stepped out into the room of pews headed by a podium with a long tapesty embroidered with a silver shield. It was the Church from Old Town, only it seemed to be in a state of repair far beyond anything that could be expected after the attack. 

"YOU," panting, the creature slammed into the hall outside the church. Black ooze splattered against the point of contact and began to slide down over its wounded body. "You, what did you DO?!"

The previously limp body that had been atached was gone now, and the figure was beginning to split as if made with seams. Its three eyes spun wildly in until eventually locking on to Alders form. Instead of lunging as before, the creature chose to slowly approach. After a moment its form began to recover, though the body remained absent in the recovery. 

"So good... of you to join me." Alder wheezed. He took a ready stance and prepared to redirect any attack "What...do you mean...what did I do?"

"You KILLED HIM! YOU killed ME!" The beasts voice no longer retained its level of pitch and volume, instead becoming far more wobbly and with unexpected bursts of emotion and volume. "THat shOULDN't be POSSible."

"Sorry?" 

"HoW? how Did thIS HapPeN?"

"People die when... they lose their... head." Alder offered between rasping breaths. "I thought... you would know... that, at the least."

It roared and spat, throwing itself against the door at the entrance. "You FOolisH ChILD! You don't UNDerSTand THe cONsEQUEnces oF tHiS."

"You're right, I don't." He lowered the spear and tried to lean against a pew "but you could...tell me."

"It Doesn't MATTER!" It flung a pew, shattering glass and sending the shards scattering across the floor. "I should kill you." 

"So do it then," Alder slumped back into a pew, his breathing was growing steady again. He leveled the spear as a pointer and directed it to the creatures remaining face. "Kill me. I'm hurt, and you're a monster."

Its oozing body pulled as it was dragged forward by lengthy arms. The creature was losing its size with the minute, chunks and globs falling to the side and leaving a disgusting trail. It's body was shifting again, melting away to something smaller. Alder lowered the spear as the creatures bone pierced the miasma. It was literally killing itself to get at him, pulling its body apart from the effort. He gave a macabe chuckle and leaned back. 

"You're too weak. We both are." He looked around and noticed the gray edges around all he could percieve. He didn't know where they were, or how he'd get back, but the space reminded him of the small room he'd visited. 

"Help me..." It mimiced a childs voice as it begged, and Alder felt the urge to drive his spear through its face. Thats what we do, right? Kill monsters.

"Bind with my soul and I'll help you survive." 

"Bro..ken." It muttered "You are broken."

"Broken or not, I'm all you have for options." 

More of its body and bone were melting away, now it was merely a small thin creature no larger than a rabbit. Its loss of size was matched in the unpleasantness the task produced, tendrils of scent weaved their way through the procession and infected all with the stench of rot and decay. Alder gagged but held his seat, he wasn't going to let a bad smell ruin his chance to capture a demon. I'm just like all those damn fools, chasing a dream that could kill me. 

Unlike all the stories however, this demon was real. This chance was real. They were both directly infront of him, staring him in the eyes and screaming for Alder to take the risk. He wanted the abilities of other casters so badly, and wasn't it tradition to make a deal with a devil or patron for your powers? Of course he'd never been one for the affairs of the gods or the worships they required. 

The monster belched and threw up more of the black ichor, spilling some against Alders boot. He lifted it with displeasure and scooted aside, just out of reach. What is this thing, really? Nothing in the books or countless journals mentioned exactly what these things were. It could be a disease that infects someone with terrible luck for all Alder knew, but yet he was about to sign his soul away to this thing for the chance at using magic? 

"why?" Its voice was far more composed now, and echoed through the hall in a strange doubling. 

"Because you can give me what I want." He said. Was that the honest answer, was that really what he wanted?

"Why?" It asked again, "Why do you want this?"

"Its all I've ever dreamed of, I want to use magic to study magic." 

Alder felt a pressure against his mind, like something was tickling his scalp with strange fingers. He shuddered at the experience but otherwise controlled his reaction, trying his best to focus on the figure beside him. It was little more than a glowing orb at this point, strangely that fact made Alder more scared. A beast, a monster, better yet a man, he could handle with ease. This was beyond anything he knew. 

Cracks appeared in the world around him, and a booming voice shouted something that Alder couldn't understand. He couldn't even parse the words. He knew he was hearing something, especially after the glowing orb began to shrink in on itself, but it was beyond his hearing. Pain wracked his bones and Alder let the spear drop with a bewildered clang. 

"Its found me." The orb said. Alder wasn't sure how he was hearing the thing now, only that he still was. 

"Whats found you?" He asked "Can I help?"

"Deal," it strained its voice, as if being pulled away. The orbs light dimmed "you wanted to make a deal? Then give me control."

"Give me knowledge and i'll create you a form."

"Give me your form." The tendril shoved into his mind and gripped it vice-like. He fell, pain in his head outweighing his shoulder, and struggled to shield his thoughts. It was easier done when one hadn't just allowed an unknown creature to peruse at their leisure moments before. 

"No," Alder pressed the words through clenched teeth as his mind burnt. "I'll... give you one!"

What is it doing? Is this what happened to the last victim? Victim. Was he about to become another short word, join all those of his ilk on the other side. Or wherever one went when they died, he wasn't quite sure where his thoughts on the matter. 

He screamed and tore at the world around him, looking for anything he could use to store the possessive shit in. His hand came to rest on the spear and he pulled it closer, willing it to shrink. Mercifully it followed his command, but the link opened before the creature as well and it could see what was happening.

"No! Not a weapon! I must be flesh!"

The black ooze that had been dormant and pooling on the floor, was suddenly alive and sliding towards Alder at a disturbing pace. He swung the spear wildly while struggling to his feet. The globs splattered into smaller monsterous forms and continued the charge. His left arm was still useless, and he could sense the inevitable approaching. 

"Flesh!" The voice cried. 

He was so busy trying to defend against the ooze that he had neglected to watch where his flailing arm went. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a sliding black rising up his left had, He cursed and ran the blade over the growth, but only managed to hurt himself in the process. It was up his wrist now, inching closer towards taking him. 

"We have made our deal," It cooed "Now I shall take my flesh."

"No. You. Won't." Alders jaw was clenched tight from the pain, yet he felt an almost cathartic relief at the decision he was about to make. "You want my flesh, then have some."

In two, fluid motions Alder flung his left arm onto the pew and struck it with the spears length of blade. The cut wasn't clean, and he nearly gagged in pain, but he had to swing again. And again. And again. On the fourth strike to the elbow the limb fell to the floor and the ooze devoured it, dissolving the mass down in moments. Its shifting form looked like the young dragonlings he'd seen as a child in the paintings and sketchs. Adorable and deadly, all in one. 

"What is this?" Its voice raised "What did you do?!" 

"I made a deal," Alders mind started to fall, conciousness was abandoning him. He wasn't sure where he even was but he was alone anyhow. No one would be there to save him this time. "And I gave you what you wanted."

Jeann would love this, she'd been right from the start. Dead or not, she'd still have another tally for her list. Ulma could probably take the armor, so that was good. Atleast he knew it'd go to another Pere, eve if she seemed otherworldly at cards. Why was he thinking of Jeann & Ulma, and what was he even doing anyway? 

The world spun and Alder collapsed backward onto the stone.