The world of eternis boo.., p.1
The World of Eternis: Book I: Valor, page 1
ALSO BY D.J. DAMMEYER
The Assassin Trilogy
Fall of the Father
Rise of the Son
Legacy of the Eth (Coming Soon)
In Children’s Books:
Wendel the Wizard
Wendel and Friends (Coming Soon)
Hexie (Coming Soon)
The World of Eternis: Book 1
VALOR
Written by
D.J. Dammeyer
Cover art by
Mikayla Beasley
To those that inspire me with their art,
to those that freely offer me their help,
and to those that encourage me to dream.
To all my family and friends,
Thank You!
Copyright © 2021 by D.J. Dammeyer
All rights reserved. This book, or any portion of this book,
may not be reproduced or used in any manner
without the express written permission of the publisher.
ISBN: 9798674414469
Prologue
The Elements
A table of golden light filled the sky, looking down upon the world of Eternis. And around this table made of pristine Qi sat four beings of pure energy, each a representative of the elements that make up their world. Air sat next to Fire, who sat across from Water, who had Earth to her right. The Elements imposed their will upon the world below to great effect, but their power was not absolute. The sentient beings had the freedom of choice, and even the divine could not control those choices. And so it was that they eternally fought to stabilize the chaos that humanity imposed upon their world by their mere existence.
In the center of this heavenly table, sitting serenely in the lotus position, sat the Goddess Ether, an entity made up of all other forces. Small tendrils of power flowed from each of the Elements along the gilded table and into Ether, and from Ether back to all of the Elements. This was the flow of things – the endless interconnectedness that only Gods truly saw.
Ether spoke, a feminine voice that rang with purity through the air. The words were firm, yet fluid; free, yet fiery – a harmonious balance to each of her counterparts. “The Council moves again,” she said. “I see the fall of a Guardian coming.”
Fire chuckled – a high-pitched cackling laugh that sounded like sparks jumping from a fireplace. “So pick another. Guardians come and go. This is of no consequence to us, and won’t disrupt the balance.”
“I see much chaos stemming from this one loss, perhaps even the continents going to war again,” Air interjected.
“Our sister is right,” Earth chimed in – his voice deep and grating. “But we must have a guardian too. The Places of Enlightenment are fundamental for the population of Eternis. Without them, all Qi and Mana will cease to be.”
Water’s voice was smooth and cool as she spoke. “If the Council is the source of the disturbance then let us find a way to remove that piece from the board once and for all. If we take out the root of the problem, the chaos will fall away, right?”
“Perhaps,” Ether said thoughtfully. She waited a moment, pondering the implications of what she envisioned. Coming to a decision she said, “Very well. Let us summon a champion to deal with the Council.”
“Ah, I love it when this happens. We haven’t done this for millennia,” Air said, clapping her hands giddily.
Fire’s voice cut through. “And where will you pull this champion from?” he asked without much hope, not putting an ounce of faith in a being from another plane of existence. “Please tell me they at least have Casters where they come from,” but Ether was already acting.
“I have selected one. A fresh soul eager to right the wrongs of the past, from a place called – Earth.”
******
The pain was brutal. My side ripped open from the slash of some mugger’s knife – my guts on fire where the knife was still embedded. It all happened so fast. One minute I was walking home from the library, ready to pull an all-nighter for my college math final the next morning, and then, I’m being chased, beaten, cut, and stabbed because the mugger thought I wasn’t handing over my wallet fast enough. I played enough video games, and watched enough movies to remember them always saying that gut wounds were the worst. And not that I had much to compare to, but at that moment I thought they’d understated things.
I’d managed to flee for a moment, only to be tackled and pinned, my belongings ripped off me with such force that they twisted my ankle in getting my sneakers. They’d left after that, but only because someone came upon them and screamed. As a parting gift, the guy decided it was better if I didn’t survive, and plunged his knife in. The woman that scared the mugger off unfortunately ran away too – probably fearing she was next – and leaving me alone in the process. Bleeding in the middle of a currently unpopulated city park, in the middle of the night, I could only hope she’d called the police or something, but somehow I doubted it. People did weird things when they were scared, and self-preservation usually wins out over helping others. I’d always hoped to be different than that, thinking naively that if I were different, then others would be as well. Well that didn’t work.
I’m not sure how long I lay there, just struggling for my next breath, wincing with every subtle movement. At some point, the pain actually started to fade, though whether it was because I’d adjusted to it, or more likely, because I was dying, I didn’t really know. It was definitely the latter, I found out a moment later, when my eyes became impossible to keep open, my breathing turning shallow, just before it stopped entirely.
******
Awareness came back to me slowly, though it was muted and numb. Someone, or something, was asking me… something else, but I couldn’t quite hear, and yet somehow I knew I’d answered. I thought it was a feminine voice, but I couldn’t be sure. There was no concept of time, and no real understanding of what was happening, but somehow I got the impression I was talking about the games I liked to play, as visions of them played in endless loops through my foggy mind. I was answering questions, which never became any clearer, for what could have been a minute, or an eternity, and when all was done, my limited consciousness left me again.
PART ONE:
Valor
Chapter 1
Blackness…
When I first woke, it was to a darkness so complete I had to wonder if I was blind. As I felt my heavy eyes adjust to the surroundings, my vision started clearing into shades of muted grays, but it was so subtle nothing was really distinguishable. While this was comforting to some degree, letting me know I hadn’t lost my sight at least, it gave me no understanding of where I was, or why I was here.
I racked my brain for answers, but could come up with none. The frustration I felt nearly caused panic to overwhelm my rational mind. I was mere seconds away from sprinting into the oppressive darkness and letting the fates decide my… well, fate. I didn’t even know who I was, which I think was the most terrifying part.
As my thoughts continued to spin around all the unanswered questions, I finally latched onto the one thing I did know, and started to build from there. I could feel my body, and if felt fine. Nothing hurt, or felt strained, not even my head. This last part surprised me somewhat. I had begun to think perhaps my amnesia, as that seemed to be what was going on here, was due to a blow to the head. My physical assurances led the way to more of a self-awareness that I had been missing. My body was the body of a child, maybe thirteen years old or so. Though I felt rather intelligent, if I did say so myself, far advanced for my age. This made me wonder if my consciousness had somehow been transferred into this body. I felt disconnected. Although I was clearly able to move my arms and legs, thus ensuring me this was my body, it didn’t feel like it belonged to me. It felt foreign. Knowing that this was leading me to more unanswerable questions accompanied by ever-increasing levels of panic, I forcibly stopped that line of thought, and shelved it for later.
Making a decision, I stood. It was easier than I anticipated, though my body was stiff. This also let me know I had likely been in that position on the floor for a while. If I had to guess I stood about four and a half feet tall, and while I could clearly recall enough to gauge measurements, I had no reference for if that was average or not. Weird. Moving my hands inches from my eyes, I couldn’t even tell what skin color I had. Shrugging my shoulders, and huffing out my irritation, I looked around before picking a particularly dark splotch in my surroundings, and walking carefully in that direction with hands outstretched to catch any obstacles that I might have run into otherwise.
That might seem like an odd choice, but my reasoning proved sound. The darker spot was a tunnel, and in contrast to the surrounding gloom, I guessed that the darker it was, the deeper it was. All I knew at this point was that I needed to leave this place, and sitting still wasn’t getting me anywhere, and could likely lead to my death. There were subtle echoes from my footsteps that seemed to reverberate off the solid walls of my surroundings. It probably shouldn’t have taken me this long, but it suddenly dawned on me that I was barefoot. The ground felt like stone, smooth and cool, with no cracks or seams that I could feel. I also took note that I was only wearing a thin, fitted shirt, with some kind of equally thin pants. I had nothing else. No food supplies, no water, no weapons, no money.
Despite being completely at the mercy of my surroundings, I wasn’t scared. Surely that wasn’t normal behavior for a 13-year-old. Shouldn’t I be terrified at being alone in an unknown p
I closed my eyes, despite the darkness all around, and drew my focus inward as I took yet another breath, following the course the air took. This time, when I inhaled, I felt something inside start to stir. It was lower than my lungs, and I briefly tried to find whatever it was I’d discovered. After a moment, I somehow saw a small light pulsating in my abdomen. I had no idea what it was, and though it wasn’t unpleasant, it was so unexpected, that when my calm vanished, my inner sight went with it.
You have discovered Soul Sight!
This is a skill that allows you to see the inner Mana and Qi of the body. As this skill develops it may also be used on others to see their Mana and Qi flows. Current rank is Rank 0. You have discovered the skill exists, but cannot use it regularly without more practice.
+10 XP!
“What the – ” I blurted, startled at the strange, semi-translucent, message that had popped up in my vision. With the message came information that didn’t require me to actually read it. The sensation that accompanied gaining this new knowledge made me feel powerful, and I couldn’t help but intuitively know that this skill was a crucial one to develop. I didn’t know who, where, or what I was, but if I could better understand those I interacted with, I’d have a better chance at not getting stabbed in the stomach.
“Where did that thought come from?” I said into the darkness, before I realized I should be as quiet as possible in case there were things that could hurt me here. Also, there was something familiar about the message. Inevitably, I had to shrug it off though, for all I knew, it was just a bit of my memory returning.
I sighed, feeling a sense of loss when my Soul Sight faded. I tried to quiet my mind and take another breath like I had before, but the feeling I’d just experienced eluded me. Deciding to move on for the moment, I continued walking, using only the subtle slap of my feet on stone, and the resulting echoes to guide my way.
I’m not sure how long I walked. Sometimes the path curved, and a few times there were intersections, but I continued straight. At some point, the thought occurred to me that I might be walking in one giant circle, but there was nothing for it, so I continued. A little while after the first curve, I started to get hungry, and since then, it had only worsened. The thirst had kicked in too, and a constant pain in my gut grew like an unwanted weed in the garden of my body.
You are hungry!
Body -1!
Temporary Body level is 4!
You are thirsty!
Body -1!
Temporary Body level is 3!
*Warning! If Body score drops to 0, you will die!
I was tempted to stop and sleep, after what had surely been several days of walking, but somehow I thought that would be a mistake, even when I received yet another message that started to break my resolve to go on.
You are fatigued!
Mind -1!
Temporary Mind level is 4!
*Warning! If Mind score drops to 0, you will die!
It could have been hours, but it was probably more like days, and I found myself crawling on the floor. My thirst and hunger-weakened body, combined with my already scrawny child’s form, didn’t seem to do well with long periods of exertion without any provisions or rest. My Body was down to one now, the thirst and hunger dropping it so low, and my Mind was down to two. I still didn’t really have a clue what that meant, but I did know that dropping one more Body point would kill me.
There were two bonuses to this experience though, but I’d have to survive to be able to use either of them. I had received two other skill messages in my mind’s eye that were definitely useful.
You have discovered Dark Vision!
This is a skill that allows you to see in dark environments. As this skill develops it will allow you to see in increasingly darker environments without difficulty. Current rank is Rank 1. You have discovered the skill exists, and have started to use it effectively.
+10 XP!
Dark Vision +1!
Dark Vision +1!
Dark Vision +1!
Dark Vision +1!
Dark Vision is now Rank 5!
Due to continued exposure to dark environments, your eyes have adapted. You can now see 30ft. in dark environments without difficulty!
Congratulations! You have reached Novice rank in this skill. As a bonus, you have an increased chance of finding hidden items or locations in dark environments.
You have reached your first Novice skill!
+20 XP!
You have discovered Enhanced Hearing!
This is a skill that allows you to hear things others may not be able to hear with clarity. As this skill develops it will allow you to hear subtler sounds at increasing distances. Current rank is Rank 1. You have discovered the skill exists, and have started to use it effectively.
+10 XP!
Enhanced Hearing +1!
Enhanced Hearing +1!
Enhanced Hearing is now Rank 3. Due to continually straining your hearing to understand the subtlest of sounds, your hearing has enhanced. You can now hear things 50ft. away as though they were right next to you!
At the last rank-up of my hearing skill, I’d gotten so excited that I actually picked myself up and started hobbling as fast as I could. Not because of the actual gain I made, though that was pretty nice, but because I could now hear a far off burbling sound from up ahead that could only be running water. Reinvigorated, I made my way as fast as I could, desperate to slake my thirst, and praying that it wasn’t a trick of the mind.
I squinted at the almost blinding blue light that started off as a pinprick in the darkness ahead, and then slowly expanded into a wide archway as I neared. Despite my eagerness, I took it slow, allowing my eyes to adjust with each labored step. I still didn’t know where I was, and for all I knew there were dangers up ahead. I still wasn’t fearful, but anyone savvy enough would be cautious. It wouldn’t do for me to exit my current space only to emerge, blinded, and be ambushed and killed. There was a flash of battle in my mind, a knife that slashed my side, but the vision was gone as quick as it’d come. Shaking that disturbing image away, I finally made my way to the end of the tunnel, and the beauty of the cavernous place before me was nearly enough to wipe the exhaustion from my body.
The soft blue light came from the ceiling, which held large azure crystalline stalactites high above. With my eyes now adjusted, I could tell the light wasn’t harsh at all – it had just been in contrast to the absolute darkness I’d been immersed in since waking. Instead of the rocky, stalagmite-ridden ground I had expected to find, there was a lush meadow, complete with a few tall, widespread trees, and flowers of every color I could imagine. A gently flowing stream ran through the middle of the idyllic space, and I could see fish jumping from the water even from where I stood. My stomach was ultimately the one to urge me forward, and out of my examinations, with a near-deafening growl of hunger. It was so loud that if there had been any predators nearby, I had little doubt they were aware of me now.
Congratulations! You have discovered a new place: Place of Enlightenment!
+30 XP!
