Afflicted Mind

(Note: I'm under the impression that this is a bit of a storytelling forum. So I'm going to wing it. If I'm doing something wrong /tell me.))

The bright sun of Penumbra was nothing new to him. In fact, it was a relief.

Walking through the Abyss in a suit similar to antiques that were once worn by unevolved humans back before mankind was capable of even remotely sophisticated space flight was possibly one of the most obnoxious and drawn out experiences he'd had in his life. Walking through the sun with slightly tinted glasses was a real relief. Of course this was outweighed by the freezing cold, he hated the cold...

His breath turned to frost as he spoke to himself. He mumbled and talked to himself often. Being a Meta-Physicist had taken its toll on his mind. Constantly twisted and warped emotions made him more than a little odd. Exposure to the bizarre environments of the Shadowlands hadn't helped either.

"Far north. It's always far north in this wretched place...."

He'd traveled far. He found the swamps and strange suspended stones in Nascence to be rather pleasant. Elysium was fascinating in its own right. Scheol was...well, he hadn't spent too much time there.

But now he found himself on a mission to reach "Inferno". Sounded like a raging contrast to where he was now....and where he had been.

He began sequencing a nano formula. He felt a brief surge of rage engulf him as the cloud formed into a creature resembling many of the winged "demons" he'd encountered here in Penumbra.

He repeated this in two other formulas. The second gave him a rather pleasant sensation. He felt at ease as the cloud formed a green sphere with an antenna of sorts. The last made him feel dazed. Nearly passing out before the cloud formed another sphere, this one purple. Both had strange faces, if that's what you'd want to call them. Despite being around them nearly every moment of his life, they were still some of the strangest things he'd ever seen. Certainly the strangest he'd traveled with. Not even an Atrox who insisted in fighting solely in a bikini was as odd a travel companion then these beings were.

For a moment he fought with himself. Parts of him arguing in his mind, almost like a corporate meeting gone wrong, with people shouting at one another in heated debate. Only this was entirely in his own mind. One person wants to turn back and rest longer. Doesn't want to go through with it. Another says that we've bought these boots from that guy who insisted we'd need them, we should go. The other says to the two that we have to push on, boots or no, turning back is not an option.

He ran. Making a clear line north. His "pets" in tow. He was stopped as three frost demons closed in on him.

Rolling his eyes, he directed his demon to one, his green sphere to himself, and the blue to another demon. He cocked his crossbow back and aimed at the last one.

"I've had enough of this..."

The crossbow fired, the bolt pierced through the head of the demon before it was even in arms reach. The poison that coated the bolt bubbled, and it was a grisly sight as the head of the best began to liquify.

His demon at rended the second one asunder. The third had stopped dead, staring confused into the blue sphere. He aimed his crossbow sideways and, without looking, fired, landing another bolt clean into the other creature, which suffered the same fate as it's companion.

He then walked, leaving the remains of his fallen foes untouched. He was tired of running. The wind blew around him. The metal of his crossbow had frost forming on it. He was becoming more tempted to listen to the first voice he had in his head.

Finally he reached a cave. The structure wasn't that different from the many other caves that Ergo dwelled in. Save for the cold and ice, of course.

The floating head looked on. He didn't need to talk to that thing or the Yuttos that stood around it. He had what he needed already. He'd been through he once before, and had the key. He didn't want to interact with bizarre robots anymore than he had to.

But now he had the boots that he "ABSOLUTELY HAD TO HAVE IN ORDER TO TRAVEL IN INFERNO!!!". He was ready to open the portal. He reached out to activate it. To enter the hot lands. It didn't sound that bad after spending all this time in the cold. It might be rather nice, in fact. He felt his body being violently teleported yet again....so sickeningly familiar...


((To be continued! This is a sample. Commentary and constructive criticism much appreciated.))