บท 521: Chaos (2): The Adventures of Bitch & Dumbass
A/n: so after the last messy chapter, I wanted to end the Chaos recollection at this chapter but I underestimated myself. Still, I can promise you that this chapter is way easier to digest than 520 and Chapter 522 will be a gigantic 11.5K words Chapter so look forward to it where we end the Chaos with a bang.
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♪ London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down. London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady. ♪
"Shut up, Hooman."
♪ In the Chaos Jon and Zain, Jon and Zain, Jon and Zain. In the Chaos Jon and Zain, my fair lady. ♪
"Stop it."
♪ Lookin for an exit from this place, from this place, from this place. Lookin for an exit from this place, my fair lady. ♪
"I said…"
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Fine."
As Jon moved Nefertiti away from his face, she looked at him with annoyed eyes. Unlike him, she wasn't having a fun trip at all.
First, she is out of her habitat. There are no shadows where there is no Time. Even though Jon had successfully managed to sustain himself and her with Time to not dissolve in the Chaos, there is no way for her to just enter the Shadow Dimension and nap in peace.
Jon put her on his shoulder again and she snuggled after some time on her own.
"So, my good guide. How far is that place you sensed?" Jon asked the man walking not far from him.
"Not far. Not close. Nowhere. We walk until we find it." Zain replied.
"That's what you have been saying for a week now."
"It wasn't a week… or maybe it was."
"I already know. You are under my Temporal effect but your perception resonates with the nature of Chaos, that's why you are my compass."
Zain… or what remained of him, is currently Jon's guide in the Chaos. His body carries a curse that originated from Sithis who also originated from Chaos. The Curse allows the body of Zain to possess two different nature's that are completely opposite, Vampirism and Lycanthropy. Either way, this curse allowed Zain to be a part of Chaos.
"I don't like him." Nefertiti said as she looked at Zain from the back.
"It is natural. You are a being of nature whose Spiritual Part is more dominant. He is completely the opposite." Jon replied.
"What do you mean?" Nefertiti asked.
"How to put it… Do you know what a Soul is?"
"Obviously. It's Essence."
"That's right. He doesn't have that… a Soul. In Chaos, Soul is just like Time, it dissolves. Now, he is just a mind powering a body that can exist here." Jon said.
"Like… machine?"
"Exactly! You are so smart. He is a machine. Machines can have Intelligence but not Souls."
Soul is the Privilege of the Living. It is the only thing that despite being non-material and completely untouchable, humanity always knew of its existence.
It is the thing that gives people emotions and provides them with life. It is the core and the essence of the living.
Zain lacked that. He died a long time ago and his soul went to the Dreamsleeve (a general term for the Afterlife in ES universe). This body is just his brain reacting to information recorded into it. Of course a body needs life to extract information from a brain but Zain's body is the perfect undead being. It can work in mysterious ways once the limits are removed.
All this and that aside, there is one import question at the moment. What is this situation?
To sum it up, Jon rewrote Zain (or rather called him back) to escape the prison of Chaos. He had to go through three important steps which were Balancing his Existence, Creating a Time, and Remaking himself into a Reality. With Zain as an important part, Jon could get rid of him after managing to escape the Blank Space but he had another use for him.
In Chaos, there are Bubbles of Reality. Places where Time exists. In truth, Chaos doesn't completely dissolve Time as Time is its weakness thus it gathers Time in places where it can be contained. It is exactly like the density of liquids, Oil won't mix with Water so Water pushes Oil up because it is lesser in density. Time and Chaos are the same thing.
These Bubbles of Time contain Mini-Worlds which are very unstable and always shifting. To make things worse, these places do not have a fixed location and do not stay in one for long. To find one, it purely depends on luck. That's why when Jon asked Zain to find one, Zain suggested walking in a straight line until one appears.
That aside, the place they walked in was the very definition of Chaos. To make it clear, it was a Sea of darkness. This Sea doesn't have a fixed surface but it was a maze of tunnels talking every possible direction and always changing. Tunnels normally would have walls and a ceiling which were also part of that Sea.
The place was completely insane. Jon must avoid the motions of Chaos as if he fell back to the sea, he'll have to go through it all over again. This made the fact of walking on a straight line to be a challenge.
Still, what is the theory about Walking in a Straight Line?
Simple, a Straight Line is the perfect form of Order. The only way to defy Chaos and find a Time Bubble is to follow this methodology.
"We're still not there yet?"
"Close… and far."
"Please, God."
"We found it."
"Thanks, God. Appreciate it."
It was a momentary appearance for a sphere floating through the Waters of Chaos. It was white unlike any black and through it, one would be able to see the strange motions of Chaos settling quieter.
"Hold on tight."
Jon held Nefertiti on closer and grabbed Zain before coming into contact with that white sphere. The situation shifted and the scene changed, nothing felt quite the same where Jon was now.
Unlike the Sea of Chaos. This place was dry, maybe too dry. It was a desert land and a dark sky with a misty atmosphere and that's it. The desert was a bit flat and there was no wind whatsoever.
"This place is rather ominous. But… now what?" Jon turned around to look at Zain only to see…
"Tsk! I forgot this would happen."
Zain has collapsed like a dead body which is what he actually is. Nefertiti jumped off Jon's shoulder and tried to revive Zain with a few strikes of her paws but it seemed impossible.
"That's understandable. Unlike the outside, this place has a flow of time and Zain is dead as far as Time is concerned."
Nefertiti didn't seem to care but as she moved back to Jon, she noticed something under her.
"Hooman… shadows."
The thing she missed the most was back. Of course shadows exist where Time does and for that, Nefertiti sunk in her own shadow in an instant. Like that, she came out again and looked at Jon.
"Hooman! Hooman! How long did I take?" She asked.
"Almost a minute." Jon replied.
"… It was just a few seconds over there." She said.
It seemed that even with the existence of Time, things were not that stable and the flow of Time between Reality and Shadows is also affected.
"Something else." She added
"What's up?"
"There is a shadow… a person… that direction, an hour walking."
***
Strange things kept happening in this Time Bubble, aside from the whole problem about everything might suddenly revert back into chaos once again, there were more things to make a tough guy like Jon run for his damn life like the world is coming to end.
"A thunderstorm, easy! A snowstorm, everyday thing! A firestorm, been there! An ash storm, don't mind it! A brainstorm, done that! But a fucking Time Storm? Why the fuck is that even a thing?"
A Time Storm or to be more specific, a whole bunch of Time Cyclones started raging around once Jon went into the direction Nefertiti pointed at.
These Time Cyclones were a whole new animal compared to what imagination can spare. Just like how storms tear everything apart, Time Cyclones were tearing reality itself apart. Jon didn't only have to worry about his current present action but also his past and future actions. There is no Magicka to use in this reality but it felt abundant with energy. Sadly, if Jon tried to exploit this energy, the whole Time Bubble will be torn apart completely.
And if that's the only thing Jon had to worry about then things might have been easier but for some reason, there were multiple bolts of purple lightning chasing him wherever he went.
Right now, he only had his physical ability to face all that. Nefertiti refrained from manipulating the shadows for the same reason as Jon while the other Deadly Sin artifacts were useless in this place.
Actually, not all were useless. [Greed] could be used but if it takes damage, it won't be regenerated easily as it needs Magicka as well. If [Greed] was destroyed in this place then it will be completely lost.
"Hooman, incoming!" Nefertiti gave Jon a warning and he too felt a terrible threat coming from behind him.
"Hide in my clothes." Jon replied as he can't protect her and himself at the same time.
He can no longer hold back and unleashed his Devouring Shadow Aether, [Greed]. The Dark Matter spread around as if it was losing control because of the differences in space but as soon as Jon could control it, he covered himself completely with it head to toe taking a hooded cloak form
His appearance became like one of those ghost monsters that lurk in large cloaks. With [Greed] on, his reflexes told him to dodge the incoming bolt of lightning and counterattack whoever sent it.
Right now, it was only him and another person in this Time Bubble and that person was coming at Jon with all their might.
In a charging move, a figure covered in grey robes holding a black battle staff struck down at Jon from behind with purple lightning covering the staff.
"Dark Magic!" Jon could recognize the nature of the Magic that seemed to have originated from this Time Bubble dimension.
As soon as that grey person's attack missed, the land started to shoot stalagmites at Jon in the most strange of ways. Jon never saw any Earth Magic before but if a man can't trust the land he stands on then the fight ought to be hairy.
Dodge, Dodge, Side Kick. Jon's pure physical ability proved supreme. His body covered in the lucid [Greed] made him look like a ghost and he even used dirty tactics and smart moves to outmaneuver his attacker.
*Swoosh* *Swoosh* *Zap*
The two exchanged high-speed attacks that were as fast as lightning and the last moves gave Jon the edge in close quarters. Seeing his attacker heavily using magic, it meant that he is fighting a Mage who is not experienced in heavy combat. From the skill, moves and control; this ought to be a Battlemage using the staff in both close and long ranges.
"Brilliant!"
The exchanges between them were flawless. It is as if the two were meant to fight one another on equal terms with the same amount of skills. The two had a very similar awareness and sense to combat despite the two different styles. Jon was pushing forward to limit his attacker's long-range ability and the attacker was leaving traps every step they took back to limit Jon's unstoppable momentum.
Still, with Jon's advantage of momentum came the attacker's advantage of the terrain. The attackers waited for the slightest mistake Jon took to exchange a hit for a hit receiving an explosive punch in the abdomen for a strike towards Jon's head.
Jon's strike sent the attacker back violently while the attacker's strike made Jon slow down and lose a bit of balance. It may seem that Jon received less damage but with the attacker showing a hint of anticipation, Jon tried to move from his place as he thought a trap would come at him from the earth but… that wasn't the case at all.
From around Jon and all of a sudden, a Time Storm formed. Jon could see the attackers grinning with a nasty smile then raising the middle finger to him.
It was then when Jon was enveloped by the Time Storm.
And all of a sudden, he was out.
What happened?
Well, that was Jon ripping apart the Time Storm with his bare hands disregarding the injuries he was sustaining. He wasn't the one who would receive a middle finger sign as he falls down, he is the one who returns it double… no, triple.
The attacker saw Jon and despite Jon not seeing the attacker's face, he could tell the huge shock the other party was in. Jon returned a middle finger sign by his left, then a middle finger sign by his right, then joined his hand together and made a triple middle finger sign, the peak-level middle finger technique.
His opponent was defeated both mentally and physically.
"Motherfucker!" The attacker finally spoke but the language was Elven.
"An Elf? And a girl… quite young!" Jon seemed surprised.
"You can speak, monster?" The Elf girl was surprised as much as he was.
"What part of me looks like a monster, you crazy bitch?" Jon was offended.
"Everything, dumbass." She said pointing at him up and down.
Jon took a good look at himself seeing that he's all enveloped in [Greed], he sure looked like a monster.
"That's just for my protection, dammit! And didn't you attack me when I was just minding my own business?"
"I was attacking the dumbass who invaded the Time Bubble." She said.
"Fucking Bitch!" Jon held his head from frustration.
The two were overwhelmingly pissed at each other but Jon finally tried to be the mature one.
"Alright. I'm just here to look for a way out. I'm not disturbing your… CRAZY BITCH!"
While Jon was speaking, the girl launched a sneak attack at him that he managed to cleanly avoid. There seemed to be no point in maturity anymore. He ran toward her and she ran from him while throwing attacks at one another.
"Get out of here, Dumbass."
"I'll catch you, Crazy Bitch."
As the two didn't need an introduction, they fairly got along as Dumbass and Crazy Bitch.
After a few hours of chase, Jon and the Elf girl were completely exhausted. He sustained a lot of injuries from the Time Storm and she was drained.
"That… fucking hurts."
"Stop cursing, asshole… I mean Dumbass, sorry."
"No problem… Wait… Tsk! Crazy Bitch."
With even round two ending with a Deadlock Draw, the two finally got the chance to talk.
"Keep your distance!"
"Nah! So you can use Magic from afar. Not gonna happen!"
"I'm not using shit, fuck off."
"Just wait until I find a way to exploit the energy of the Bubble into magic, I'll teach you a lesson."
"HAH! A muscle brain like you? Please…"
She was about to undermine or doubt his ability regarding magic even though she never witnessed him use any but now that she thinks of it, the monster-like man ripped apart a Time Storm.
"You… Dumbass, how did you survive the Temporal Storm?" She asked.
"Temporal Storm? That's a fancy name. Well, that was actually easy but a little bit consuming and takes a toll. These storms are probably caused by this place being attacked by Chaos so I…"
"Wait wait wait!" She interrupted him, "The Chaos is indeed attacking the place but you can't figure out why?"
Her question raised a strange point. It felt like she was ridiculing him but he ignored that.
"Maybe there are different Elements in this Time Bubble causing it to be more unstable than usual." Jon gave his best guess.
"Duh!" The girl replied as it is obvious, "That's you!"
Facing fingers again, Jon became royally annoyed.
"Me? I did nothing."
"You're truly a Dumbass! People don't have the same sense of Time, we are the only minds in this mini-world called the Time Bubble, our logics apply on it and for that, our perceptions of Time are contradicting with one another. Time started collapsing the moment you entered here." She said.
Jon was taken aback by the girl's profound analysis that made perfect sense to him.
"That's why you wanted to get rid of me, Crazy Bitch? Come on, not fair!"
"Mind and Logic are essential to stabilize the safe zones in the Chaos. You at least should know this before you enter the Spring of Sithis." She said.
"The What of Whom? I never entered any spring." Jon said.
"…"
"…"
The silence following the discussion was deep and shocking. Jon learned of the existence of something he never knew about and the girl was completely unaware that someone can access the chaos from a place different than the Spring.
""Who the fuck are you?""
The two asked the question almost at the same time but were completely freaked out by one another.
"Okay, give me a moment to think." She held her hand up and sank in deep thoughts then spoke to him once again, "You didn't complete how you survived the Temporal Storm?"
Jon also cut his thoughts and answered.
"The Storm was clearly caused by Chaos so it must be affected by the same principle of the Motions of the PSJJJJ." Jon said.
"You're talking about the Psijic Endeavour! Manipulating the Time in a Chaotic Manner to access a higher power." She continued for him, "That's genius, Dumbass."
"Of course, I wrote a book about the matter." Jon bragged.
"I see… so it is true you are an experienced Mage." The girl concluded.
"That said, tell me about this Spring of Sithis of yours." Jon was very interested in that Spring thing.
The girl seemed troubled so she diverted the subject.
"Tell me how you ended up here first."
"I've been answering a lot of your questions, Bitch. Let's make it on turns." Jon suggested.
"Tsk! Dumbass bastard." She wasn't taking his persistence well but she eventually complied.
"The Spring of Sithis is sacred to us… the Cult of Sithis."
She only said those words and Jon jumped away like a scaredy-cat. Now this guy can fuck with Daedric Princes as much as wants but Sithis, that's a whole different animal. Guy's called the Dread Father for crying out loud.
The Cult of Sithis is not just the most Ancient Cult on Tamriel but also the Most Powerful. It is basically an Apocalyptic Cult that would murder anything in the name of Sithis or so the public misconception went. Jon himself wasn't very knowledgeable about the cult other than its most famous branch, the Dark Brotherhood.
"You seem awfully reactive, I guess it wasn't your intention to enter this place at all." The girl said.
"You bet your ass I didn't! Why would anyone want to be here?" Jon shouted.
"Relax. I mean no harm. I may be a member of the Cult but I am not a worshiper of Sithis." She said.
Jon eyed her from distance before getting closer again.
"I don't understand how that works but as an Elf, you shouldn't be interested in this kind of Worship." Jon said.
"What are you, Dumbass?" She asked.
"A Nord."
"Well isn't this surprising? A Human and an Elf who clearly do not worship Sithis meeting in this chaotic place."
"Being the bitch you are, I am not surprised you do all matters of crazy shit. Either way, let's get to what matters… You know a way out?" Jon asked.
"If going out is your goal, then I am in no way to help you." She said.
"Well, isn't this just fantastic? What is your purpose here then?" He asked.
"That's my turn to ask, Dumbass. How did you get in the Chaos and arrive at this Time Bubble?" She asked.
"Alright. I fought a very strong opponent who had an indestructible body. This body was formed by the Elements of Chaos and Change. It combined between Lycanthropy and Vampirism through a curse called [Hate]." Jon said.
"That's disturbing. Keep on."
"Well, as the body was already of a dead man whose soul was claimed by a Daedra, the body was possessed by that enemy of mine who is actually someone immortal. Heard of Mannimarco?"
"Shut up!"
"True! To cast the Immortal Mannimarco out of his indestructible Vessel, I had to create a very complicated aspect regarding Sithis. The whole point was if you could use the power of Sithis for anything, you must pay something in return that would take the interest of Sithis. As Sithis hungers for Change, he took back the Indestructible Vessel and Mannimarco's Incarnation with it but…"
"You didn't realize that the same aspect would also apply to you for calling upon Sithis."
"Let's say I was drunk in victory."
"What a Dumbass!"
Seemed like the two of them had an airheaded nature that got on the nerve of the other. Simply saying, the two were geniuses of an equal standing yet Jon is stupidly capable and she is immensely knowledgeable.
"Okay… my turn." Jon said and started thinking of a good question, "Say… if there is a way to escape this place and return to Nirn, what would it be?"
Jon's question was cunning but the Elf girl didn't seem to be minding to answer him.
"That's not a simple question but if you want my guess, then you must think logically. What is the most important thing in the Chaos?" She asked.
"Time."
"Of course. The only way to navigate through the Chaos is to have Time. A Piece of Time, I mean. I guess you already possess one else you won't be here, right?" She said.
Jon became serious as she mentioned that. He unintentionally touched his hand to feel Nurina's Gold Ring on him.
As he was covered in [Greed], the girl didn't see what's on Jon but he then looked at her asking.
"What's yours?"
Jon could feel her grinning as soon as he asked. She moved the side of her robe and showed and retreated away instantly.
"I possess an unlimited supply of Time, Dumbass. You may exhaust me but still, this Time Bubble is my rest stop. Go find yours." The Elf girl was treacherous indeed, she wouldn't reveal her card unless she is absolutely sure she would win.
Jon could see her Trump card and his surprise was of absolute shock.
An Elder Scroll.
That was it… an Unlimited Supply of Time. That's why the Girl was able to use Magic.
Just like Nurina's Ring, the Elder Scrolls were the Ultimate Records recording events from the past, present and future. That is the source of the girl's power.
Still, Jon had the perfect Reverse Card in his sleeve and without further ado, he pulled out his Elder Scroll.
"MOTHERFUCKER!"
"To your face, Bitch!"
He possessed an Elder Scroll, she possessed another Elder Scroll. If the two of them clashed at the moment, too much Time pressure would be created and the Time Bubble would be destroyed. None of them wanted that.
"Fuck!" She pulled back first.
"Feels good, isn't it?" He said.
"Fucking Dumbass!"
"Stupid Bitch."
As the truce was signed, the two returned to peace talks once again.
"Seriously, how old are you? Revealing your card as you are winning like a stupid villain." He said.
"Shut up! You can't ask a lady about her age!"
"You Elves aren't sensitive about age, cut the act."
"Quit annoying me."
"So… an Elf with an Elder Scroll. You must have a lot of resources back on Tamriel. Let me guess, you're from the Aldmeri Dominion?" Jon asked.
The Elf girl looked at him with utter silence and the space around them seemed shifting.
"What's wrong?" Jon asking.
"Dammit, you had to run your mouth, hadn't you?" She shouted at him.
Jon understood that she was serious and gave her a minute to gather her thoughts together.
"I… I never have imagined it but how ancient are you?" She asked.
"Ancient?" Jon was taken by the word.
"Mannimarco, the Aldmeri Dominion… these words weren't uttered together for a very long time, Dumbass."
"What do you mean?"
"It seems you and I are from two different Eras… you may be a thousand years before my time."
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