Ortai Legacy: Descent

4.1 - Rust and Feathers (L)

The scent of dirty coins pricked my nose as I opened my eyes to a rough ceiling bathed in dim violet light. My burning skin cried out as it scraped against a floor like pumice stone. Gritting my teeth against a pounding headache, I forced myself to sit up. As soon as I saw my forearms braced against my legs, I knew there was something wrong with my vision beyond the dark spots clouding its edges. My skin looked black and riddled with oozing red cracks. It couldn't- I was fine. I must've just hit my head. I was seeing things in the shadowy room.

I started to call Olivia's name, but the sound caught in my throat along with a coarse wetness. A fit of coughs tore from my chest. Doubling over, I fought to clear my lungs. Pain clouded my mind. Energy buzzed in my veins, keeping time with a dull thrum coming from nearby.

None of this made sense. I should be in the woods near Silvervale, not a rust-coated metal basement. Glimpses of crystal-encrusted furniture and a giant crystal fountain made everything even more confusing.

My vision shrunk to a single point before fading completely.

***

Pale mist filled a room with seemingly no walls or ceiling. At least the floor wasn't sharp enough to sandpaper my arms. The pain in my body was no longer noticeable, but every throb of my temple sent a wave of nausea through me.

Mist gathered nearby and formed a humanoid shape with a prehensile-looking tail. It solidified into a blue-skinned being with no identifying male or female characteristics. A crest of pale blue feathers started at their forehead and ran down their spine and tail. Dark robes appeared on them as they turned to look at me with pointed ears flicked forward. The being stepped closer on feet that were a cross between a human's and the split hooves of a goat.

Feathers quivering, the being rushed to my side and grasped my arms. "What happened?" Mar'kost's voice came from a mouth equipped with a predator's canines. "There was a burst of arkegy from your side, then I was forced unconscious and brought here. It must be the effect of that spell, but I don't know if it was an intended effect or a result of our bond reacting to mortal danger."

I stared into his inhumanly large eyes. His pale blue irises were so large that they obscured any whites. I'd imagined his face a million times over the last few months, and despite the fact that he'd described himself as a feathery blue alien, I'd never quite imagined a face so, well, alien. Even the hands on my arms only sported three fingers and a thumb each, and his skin felt as silky as a well-groomed parrot.

His pale brows furrowed. "Are you alright? Can you understand me?"

"Y-yes." My voice caught as a bolt of pain shot through the base of my skull. "Something's wrong."

"I gathered that much." He glanced around. "This place resembles the dreamscapes I've read about. We're essentially located in your mind—at least, our consciousnesses are. Where is your physical body currently located?"

"Dunno." I strained my battered mind to recall the strange place I'd been in a moment ago. "There was this massive purple salt lamp."

He blinked. "Pardon?"

"Like, a big black crystal in a metal basin. Glowing purple. There were lots of little crystals around too. It smelled like rust."

His feathers slicked back against his scalp. "Did you notice anything else about your surroundings... or your condition?"

"Must've hit my head." Nothing else made sense. I'd tripped and hit my head on that big stone slab, and now I was imagining all of this.

"Please, try to focus." He started to prop me up, but that must've gone poorly judging by how I woke up flat on my back a moment later. "What do you look like in the waking world? Do you look like this?" He lifted my arm so I could see it without moving. "Is this your normal appearance?"