Upper Nightmare Levels

“Good boy, Astrid. Your love stirred and reached me. I’m sure we will have a fruitful relationship.” Ydunn hummed.

I had learned my second spiritual spell. Stolen from my first god. I had crumbled unwittingly into unconsciousness seconds after my adrenaline and battle frenzy dissipated.

I awoke well rested, considering my prior condition, on a firm pillow reminiscent of a woman’s thighs and was awed by two gravitational planets I met in my view. They weren’t of the dwarf variety. I sensed Ydunn caressing and disordering my hair with her fingertips. Going up and down over my bed head with practiced motions.

At once, she sparkled a giddy, risque smile and her torso lowered toward my head. Her abdominal region rapidly smothered my senses. From what I saw, her mouth was wide open and she lifted a bundle of hair into her rosy as makeup lips. Slurping, pretend chewing and swallowing ensued for a moment. It was honestly nice, compared to dying. The sensation was tame until she deposited the drenched hair back into its place. That was uncomfortable. This god truly has no concept of personal or bodily space.

I wasn’t in a hurry to get out of my comfortable rest, still my baseline needs crept.

I needed to eat and move my cramped body. I had no circulation and felt permanently low on energy.

I pushed and rolled myself out of her lap. Ydunn put on an indiscipherably mixed face. Oh, it reminds me of a child in the process of losing a coveted toy.

“Could you create for me some sustenance and drink?” I ask.

“Don’t leave without my permission!” She argued.

Ugh. This is going to be frustrating. “It won’t happen again.” I lied.

“Ok, I’ll hold you to that. Know that any rule breakers will get chastised and dealt with. How about I get some of your tasty blood for these resources I’m giving you? Food for food.” She implored.

“I can’t accept that, and you know it. My condition is fragile.” I growled.

“Ok, I will consider it as a debt that your future self will pay, beloved.” She said the same cockiness I’ve seen in the people I hated. My siblings, my bosses. They always thought they had the world, and they did. Even with everything, they still ended up taking from me. Whatever was holding the breach of these feelings couldn’t bear it anymore.

“You think you can do anything you want to humans, don’t you?” I outraged. Each of her trifling whims flashed in my mind. As a result, I brazenly slapped her across the left blush colored cheek. It could be heard anywhere in the distance.

I normally wouldn’t think to do anything close to this. To me, however, this selfish, blood sucking sap deserved it.

She glared with indignation and untethethored attraction. It felt like I was seeing her build up to something.

She rushed forward, and we grappled back and forward, bumping into trees for dominance. “Give me more! I want to see more of you!” She exclaimed.

I struggled and was pushed down once again. Damn this godly strength. This is utter rubbish.

“I’m going to draw the emblem now. I can’t wait!” She said with glee.

I was resigned to it. I acted illogically, and this could very well have been the best outcome.

I felt twitchy and sensitive as she sketched the emblem, and once again I honed in on the emblem traced across her lower navel.

Then I was inside the fleshy, nightmarish abyss. [“Could I get a sword again? No, a real metal sword this time?] I asked.

[“No swords for disobedient children.”] She replied.

Damn her.

I spent my time sneaking around scorpions and observing the humans imprinted across the walls. I touched and tried to carve them out. It wouldn’t budge with my bare hands, and they reacted with disdain.

The scorpions found me despite using the darkness as cover, and it made me wonder if they had some magic to hone in on my location. I suppose it could be a natural ability. I know very little about these creatures.

I ran, having gained experience on what materials and imprints I could and couldn’t step on from yesterday. The scorpions tried the same tactics of trying to block off corridors with stacks. I braced my healing magic and tackled through each one. Temporary attachment to my body was ok, as long as I wasn’t pinned down and overwhelmed like last time.

I thought I was doing well until I saw dog-sized spiders. They had a black fuzzy exterior across one side of the forward face. The other side had half of a human face embedded. The orientation of right or left appeared random. The stretched face was seemingly conscious and smiling in bizarre joy.

I didn’t want to face those for many reasons, and I avoided them as best I could. I had sprinted and dodged until I reached the central spherical room, from which all corridors lead.

I couldn’t see any clear paths to head down, so I expected it to get bloody and desperate. I started fighting scorpions and then the spiders that arrived. The spiders weren’t as tough, but they spoke in chaotic and anxiety-inducing mutters. I had resolved myself to ignore the insanity of this melting world, but it wasn’t complete.

Before they could fully cover every surface of my body, Ydunn pulled me out into the divine realm.

She explained happily that the second level was complete. I could now use the [Carnivorous Craving] magic. It made my skin lacerate into open black mouths with tendril teeth. Inexplicably, the tearing of my own skin did no damage to my condition, and the mouths had minds of their own. This would certainly be effective when the creatures try to hoard and mob me in close proximity.

I spent a day resting while contending with Ydunn’s whims. The next day, I delved into another level of the talisman. That was my schedule for as long as I was with her.

On the third level, I confirmed that my theory was false. I expected each progressive level to have fewer and fewer people trapped, as it would be harder to get to them. This wasn’t the case; the number of faces only grew on the third level.

I tried to summon a [Carnivorous Craving] on my arm to save an entangled human, and the face only wailed in angst. A dead end once again. I wouldn’t give up saving the humans trapped, but it seemed impossible.

The third level ended up being easy, as [Carnivorous Craving] could mangle and rebuke the critters of the cave. It was mana-intensive, so I made sure to pace myself and mix in some running as well. I felt my stamina grow as a result of life-threatening runs from the last two days.

I was brought back by Ydunn rather anticlimactically, with no real threats to my life occurring. I cautiously expected that to change in the next levels, and unfortunately, my instincts were rewarded beyond their expectations.