Chapter 8 - Haunted City of Greed

Lucan stepped out of the asylum and found himself in front of an abandoned garden. He looked around to make sure there were no other threats. Once he saw there was nothing, he crouched behind a bush and needed to think about his next steps.

If I didn’t have my intangibility, I’d be dead by now. My luck is that I practiced a bit during my shifts. Right now, I can only pass through walls, doors, and things like that. I was afraid I’d just sink into the ground and fall forever, but somehow I’m still bound by gravity even when I’m intangible. I can’t pass through living things or corpses. I tried to pass through Clyde once, but it didn’t work.

I still need to run more tests. It’s not infinite either. It only lasts as long as I can hold my breath. From what I’ve seen, my whole body becomes intangible along with my clothes… which is a blessing. It would be complicated to have a power that leaves me naked. I couldn’t test it with a real weapon. I wanted to test it with a weapon, but that idiot didn’t give me one. The glass became intangible with me when I passed through a wall, but was it because it was in my pocket? I need to test this and know my limits. What would happen if I released the intangibility inside a wall? Can I make the weapon I’m holding intangible? So basically, I can ignore armor. I just need to press the intangible weapon into the person and then make it tangible… but it can’t be that easy. There must be limits.

Standing up, he walked a bit while observing if there could be any creatures. In the corner, leaning against a wall, he saw an object.

“A sword?”

He ran to the sword but was surprised when he picked it up.

“Great, I’ll kill monsters with tetanus…” Lucan mocked.

The sword was all rusted, but he internally thanked for finding a weapon. On the wall near where it was, there was an inscription inside a heart.

“E.L.,” Lucan read the signature inside the heart on the wall.

So, thousands of years ago, there really was a civilization that lived in this place.

With the sword in hand, he held his breath and focused, becoming slightly transparent. Lucan became intangible, and so did the sword.

“Excellent.”

Returning to normal, he continued his journey. Following the garden, he saw a chapel and a statue of a weeping angel. It momentarily reminded him of his past, but he buried that feeling.

Climbing the garden wall, he was surprised.

“My god!”

From the top of a small hill, he saw a gigantic stone city. The sky had a green aurora borealis. There were hundreds of monsters scattered everywhere. From afar, he saw what looked like a giant ogre with half of its face eaten by larvae. The ogre was holding a large sledgehammer. But in the background, he saw a giant floating castle on a rock, the castle appearing to be on a floating stone island. It hovered in the middle of the city. On the horizon, the sky was blood red, but it was filled with dark clouds. In the distance, there were gigantic mountains. In the city, there was also a large silo that looked like a giant tower. Wherever his eyes touched, he could see a monster walking at its own pace. Some had four legs, others two. Sometimes they had weapons, sometimes not. In the distance, he also saw small flying imp-like creatures. This was the Haunted City of Greed, a city of monsters far from any civilization.

Looking to the sides, he saw a large cemetery with some fog, but in the middle of the fog, he could see a white light.

“Should I go?”

This smells more like trouble than anything else. I need to organize my thoughts and try to figure out what to do next.

Lucan returned to the middle of the garden, sat among the bushes, and focused on what he had seen. With the mental image clear in his mind, he pondered his options.

Something tells me that flying castle isn't easy to reach, and the path there isn't simple either. It wouldn't help me to get there if I can't reach the castle anyway. There's that silo, which would give me a good view of the area... but if I get to the top and find myself surrounded below, it would be my death. The silo would be the most obvious place to find someone; if I were on an expedition, it would be a great reference point to gather my men if we got separated. Everyone would think the same thing... but I can't apply my logic to this world. The Deviants here don't follow that rule; they know more things and have their own strategies.

I haven't developed my powers yet, so I have no idea if going to a place like that is good or what I might find there. My advantage is that I can simply run in a straight line in any direction; I can just keep going through walls. The problem is the enemies; if I get surrounded, it's over for me. My ability doesn't let me pass through living things, and I... don't trust my basic old training very much. I'm fighting monsters; cutting their necks doesn't mean they'll die. Stabbing a creature's heart might not work if they have more than one. My lack of knowledge prevents my brain from making a decision. How I wish I had a knife; at least I'd be more comfortable. At least I have a sword, even though it's rusted.

My options are limited to the cemetery, which is relatively close, but also a damn beacon because of that light. I'm focusing on meeting points a lost soldier might go to, but my lack of knowledge is affecting me. Is that light someone? But that could attract a bunch of creatures... I think. This frustrates me; not knowing this world deeply confuses me. I'm definitely in a tight spot here and more likely to die than live. Maybe it was just me, Clyde, and his partner who got teleported to this place. And I'm left with a haunted city that will kill me, but thinking like that is accepting my death. If I sit around crying in a corner, I won't change any outcomes; I need to stay calm. He mentioned that finding a captain would be good, because the captain has a special compass that points to their base in the Oblique World. And a captain has more experience surviving than anyone else here, especially if he gathers people. The order of leadership restores some normality to these guys; without it, they'll be like Clyde, where survival is above anyone else. Castle, silo, and cemetery... these were the three places that first caught my attention. That's what anyone thrown into this hellhole would see and be impacted by. I'll keep a safe distance, analyzing these places while gathering supplies. I need water and food... my god, the more I think about my chances of surviving here, the more desperate I get. Calm down, we just need to stay alive... like we've always managed, alone, but alive.

Lucan went to climb the wall to get to the other side, but he remembered his intangibility and passed through it.

Man, even I forget I have this. Well, the advantage is that I can just stick my head out a bit and peek at the other side. If I enter one of those buildings, I'll do exactly that. But for the love of the gods, no more dungeons and being locked in places without windows. I'm not going back inside a place like that anytime soon.

Moving slowly and crouching, he went from bush to bush, always looking around. Lucan moved cautiously, scanning his surroundings. He needed to reach the city. Currently, he was descending a small hill. If he found a building, he could better concentrate on his options while gathering supplies.

Food I can get by killing one of these solitary monsters. Water, I'll need to find a source. I'll just need fire and a place for the campfire... and, of course, a way to make fire. Damn, the only method I know is striking stones against thin shards of dry tree bark along with dry leaves. That’s going to be a real problem! Oh, wait... I have a torch that’s always on fire. Man... how could I forget that? Well, fire problem solved. Food from the monsters, fire from the torch... water, I'm in a haunted city; there has to be a source somewhere. With water, I can boil it to purify it. And one of these houses must have a pot. Right, considering the options for getting food... everything's going well. So, I just need to focus on finding a water source while looking for shelter and ensuring a hiding spot. I need to sleep and scout the area.

Lucan reached the buildings and dove into the bushes.

Wait, if I just write on a big sign and post it on the silo that I need help, some human will see it, right? If there are any... my options are increasing. I could just gather some materials and build a fire on top of that silo to get someone's attention. I don't know if there's a known code among the Deviants...

He passed through a broken wall and arrived at the grounds of a small building. Lucan looked around and entered.

The place was filthy and messy, with furniture thrown about and torn pictures. A foul smell permeated the air, but that was true for the entire city. Holding the sword, he looked around the house. The architecture was different from any old photos he had seen on the internet.

With the sword in hand, he walked through the place. The floor had some torn, dirty rugs. Lucan stopped for a moment and opened a drawer, looking for something. He found some very yellowed papers. As soon as he touched one, it disintegrated.

What a shame...

With the sword in hand, he continued, staying alert the entire time, searching for anything that could help.

I wish I had a damn backpack or a sheath to hold this sword.

He approached the house's entrance and stayed away from the windows and doors so no creature could see him inside. Lucan found two sets of stairs, one going up and the other going down to what seemed like the basement. However, the basement stairs were cluttered with stuff, like someone had made a barricade to prevent something from coming up.

What are the chances there’s something in that basement?

Lucan went upstairs and entered a room. It was a mess, with what seemed to be blood on the wall. If the wall weren’t stone, Lucan would have thought the blood was paint, it was so dry and old. It looked like random red stones. As a precaution, he looked under the bed to ensure everything was safe. Opening the closet, he found some very old clothes.

“Did the prana help preserve them? Even though they're in terrible shape.”

The clothes were completely different from what Lucan was used to.

They’re from another era, another time, a culture completely different from mine. If they didn’t have technology, how did they make these clothes? By hand? But that would take a lot of time... nowadays, you just select an outfit on a tablet at the mall, and at some point, the machine sews it for you. I definitely feel like I'm in another world... well, I literally am.

The only thing Lucan managed to salvage was the shoes.

Man, I've been barefoot since I was in my Inner Self. I’ll never take shoes for granted again; my feet are killing me.

He sniffed himself.

I also desperately need a bath.

Descending the stairs, he decided to explore that floor again. The kitchen was empty. There was a stove that seemed to be made of stone.

I... have to check what’s in that basement, don’t I?

Lucan approached the basement stairs and looked at the barricade.

I've never tried going down a staircase while intangible...

Analyzing the situation, he had an idea. He positioned himself above where the basement should be.

"Hope this works."

Holding his breath, he became intangible. He walked a bit to get used to it and did something a bit crazy to test it. He knelt on the floor and pressed his head against the stone floor.

"Alright... here we go."

Trying to push his face into the floor, he could feel his cheeks and face pressing against the stone.

I don't know how this is physically possible...

Forcing his head further, he could feel his face contorting with the effort. He turned and pressed his forehead hard against the ground.

"Come on!"

Pressing even harder, suddenly his head went through, and he could peek into the basement.

"It worked!" As he said this, he completely phased through and fell into the basement, hitting the floor with his intangibility turned off, feeling a bit of pain.

Damn it... I only wanted to phase my head.

He stood up, summoning his sword and staying on guard.

That's a question. Do I take fall damage while intangible? Wait, wouldn't that be a way to phase through the floor? Like jumping into a pool? Not that I've ever done that...

With the sword in one hand, he summoned the torch in the other and examined the basement.

There was absolutely nothing; the place was completely empty.

Great, found my base... the good thing is, only I can get here!