Purgatory.2

A familiar warm darkness enveloped me as the door closed. For a moment I felt panic creeping in. Had I been tricked? Had I just tripped a death flag and been sent back to my original spawn point? But no, there were lights kindling in this darkness. None of them were bright and the darkness seemed to pull in the light they produced once it left their immediate area, but it was enough to see a little. 

Each of the lights was a different color and each color seemed to have a range of shades. The light actually came from spheres that we're about the size of a soccer ball, and each of these balls seemed to be growing from a stem that rose straight from the floor and "bloomed" at about my eye level. 

All my sneaking and research had led me to this room, but now that I was here I had no idea what to do. There were obviously no people or spirits  walking around in here. Perhaps they were sleeping somewhere. Maybe I could take one of these spheres and use it as a light?

I put my hand to a sphere intending to pick it from it's stem but it was as insubstantial as smoke. When my hand crossed in to it though the smoke began to unfurl like some weird flower and an odd keening noise began. My hand was cold and I had the sensation that I was holding something slimy. I watched for a moment before I realized that the shape the smoke was taking was vaguely humanoid, and the keening was actually a high pitched scream from the flower I was messing with. I yanked my hand away in horror and made sure not to make contact with any more of them.

This might be even worse than before. I looked out in to the darkness with little prickles of light as far as I could see. They seemed as numerous as the stars. How was I going to find three people in this garden of screaming flowers? 

I closed my eyes and let out a huge sigh. Relax I told myself. You've come this far, there's a way through this, just think. 

I cleared my mind of everything but this moment as I stood in the dark. Nothing more than right now mattered. As extraneous thoughts dissapated I felt a light tug on my consciousness. Surprised I opened my eyes but the feeling left me as soon as I did. I restarted and this time I simply headed toward the tugging with my eyes closed. I waved my hands in front of me as I went but oddly they never connected with anything. 

It didn't take long before the tugging ceased and when I opened my eyes again a light gold sphere sat directly before me. 

I was reluctant to touch another one, but it gritted my teeth in determination and plunged my hand in to the spheres heart. 

It was different this time. The feeling was warm and somehow strong and there was no screaming at all. The fog unfurled again as before, but a bit of it clung to my hand determined to hold there. As the body unraveled I took note that it was different from the shape of a 'real' body, just like my own shape. 

When it solidified the thick form was of a well muscled human down on one knee one hand holding mine. His eyes were closed and his chiseled face was peaceful. His blond hair was close cropped and the gentle stubble of a beard showed across his face.

"Lin." I called softly and his blue eyes opened. He looked around then and stood a pensive look on his face.

"Mak, this feels weird." He complained looking at his body then clenching and unclenching his hands.

I nodded in understanding.

"Yeah. You get used to it though."

"Mak, I can't find the log out button." His eyes rolled around in the darkness seeking something that he'd never find.

"Nope, it's not there." I said in a soothing voice.

"Mak?"

"Yeah?"

"You're not being very helpful." He complained.

"Them's the breaks." I shrugged at him.

"Ok, how about you explain this." He made a gesture that encompassed everything.

"I'd rather wait. I don't want to explain it more than once." He frowned at me but nodded. 

"Fair enough. I hesitate to say this, but lead on." I raised my eyebrows at him but closed my eyes and relaxed again. The tugging resumed and I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding. It would have sucked to fail right now. How would I explain to Lin that I was just winging this?

Our destination this time took quite a while as the tug was not at strong as it had been with Lin. There were times when I had to stop for a while before I could determine which direction was correct. Time was non-existent here though and it could have been minutes or days. When I finally felt that 'destination' feeling a pale green sphere was in front of me. I placed my hand in it and this time it was cool to the touch. There was no screaming, but there was a definite vibration that hadn't been there with Lin. 

The figure that unfolded, for lack of a better word, was not as tall as Lin, but taller than I was. It was slim with dusky skin, dark hair, almond eyes, and pointed ears.

"Vee." I called her name and her brown eyes snapped open and met mine. She looked at herself spending a few moments inspecting her legs and bouncing around on them then turned back to me and nodded. Vee really was pretty unshakable.

I closed my eyes and relaxed, but the destination feeling was still there. I looked again and saw a reddish orb that was close to the stem that had held Vee's. 

"Uhhh Vee." I pointed at the orb. "I'm gonna need you to put your hand in that." She looked at me with narrowed eyes but then did it anyway.

This time the mist widened out before it coalesced. When it did take form it was tall, buxom, and literally wrapped around Vee. Thick red hair cascaded down and around the two and the skin of the newcomer was not as red as the devil I had seen earlier, but it was definitely not a natural skin color. Two small black horns sprouted from the woman's temple and a thick long stubby tail twitched slightly toward Vee. I gave the tail a wary look as an unpleasant recent memory surfaced.

"Brel." Vee commanded icily. Golden orbs fluttered open and then closed and the half demon pulled the wood elf even closer if that was possible, and gave a happy little moan. 

Vee only ever gave one warning, and as it had been ignored she now gave a full force jab to the half demons midriff. 

Brel fell clutching her middle.

"Do it to me again my mistress of pain." She panted.

"Alright we have the brawn, the brains, and the idiot assembled, so spill Oh Sneaky One." Lin demanded.

"Well," I said without preamble, "we're dead."