Liam was in agony.
The first thing Liam saw as he was sucked into the void was darkness, boundless darkness. It was so dark that he could not even see himself. All around him was total pitch black. What immediately followed was searing pain. Liam screamed out loud, but no sound was heard. It felt as if the world was tearing him apart, ripping him into tiny shreds as he flew through the void. Liam had his fair share of gunshot wounds and slashing, but it paled in comparison to the pain he was experiencing. He felt like he was in some sort of torture depravation tank device, in which the only thing he could perceive was just the mind numbing pain. Liam was slowly losing consciousness, but as his mind started to fade his survival instincts kicked in. 'Get a grip on yourself!' Liam thought as he grit his teeth. He had a feeling that if he allowed himself to faint, it would be the last time he woke up. It was then did he notice a small blot of light in the distance. Like a light at the end of the tunnel, it signaled the end of the journey. Liam held on, with only his tenacious will to live keeping him from fading to black. 'Just a bit further... Almost out..' He encouraged himself, his face warping like crazy due to the soul crushing pain. Finally, Liam exited the wormhole. With the absence of extreme pain, Liam relaxed and lost consciousness, under the watchful eye of a large grinning figure...
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Liam awoke from the sound of fire crackling. Rubbing his bleary eyes, he found himself inside a cavern. The room was oval in shape and spacious being almost 20 meters in diameter, with walls of rough hewn stone. The walls were filled with numerous claw marks, as if it were the tool for which the cave was excavated out of. Some shelving seemed to be hammered into the wall, and were filled with all manner of things, from heavy books to potted plants and even... animal skulls. Looking down, he saw the floor was covered with all manner of furs and animal pelt, creating a sort of patchwork carpet that looked rather comfortable to sleep on. littered on the floor were manuscripts that seem to have been crushed and forgotten, with a large number of them piling up in a corner. Lining the room were a bunch of wooden tables that were populated with a variety of items. One was filled to the brim with an assortment of alembics, distillers and flasks, some bubbling an unknown liquid over an open flame. Another had a collection of crystals of some sort, arranged in a formation. But most tables were covered in thick stacks of yellowed parchment. The manuscripts were stacked haphazardly, with some toppling onto the floor. In the far corner, a large opening stood, the only exit to this spacious cavern. As Liam looked up, his pupils narrowed. Balls of purple light floated around the upper lofts of this cavern, bathing the whole room in a ghastly and mysterious glow. Every once in a while, the balls would pulse, casting grotesque shadows on the scarred walls. 'Damn!' Liam thought, 'That's magic right? That has to be magic right? I've never seen technology like this before...' It was obvious to Liam that he was not on Mother Earth anymore, but a foreign and mysterious new world. Liam approached the dancing lights, but before he could get close, slammed face first into the glass barrier in front of him. It was at this moment that he realized, he was trapped.
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Nergal awoke from his slumber from the sound of someone yelling. Rubbing his elongated nose, he picked himself off the bundles of pelts and fur that was his bed and walked out of the bedroom. As he entered his laboratory, he was once again greeted by the sound of shouting. looking around. he finally found the source of that infernal racket: the soul jar he used to trap the wayward soul he managed to obtain. "How curious! He awoke so quickly... Most souls obtained through this method are either remnant souls or severely damaged ones. It is surprising that this soul although damaged, is still sprightly enough to regain consciousness... perhaps he has a strong will to live..." Nergal murmured as he placed his hand on the glass orb, lifting it up to eye level. Being stared down by him, the soul immediately silenced himself and returned its gaze at Nergal from the orb. Perhaps the soul might have bargained or even conversed with Nergal, had he been more humanlike. But decades of neglect and self-experimentation had caused Nergal to look more monster than man. His eyes were sunken, with heavy bags underneath, with no pupils in sight. His skin pasty and grey, almost having a quality of a cadaver. But what was most unnerving of all was his mouth, which was missing his entire lower jaw. Instead it was replaced by mandibles, similar to those on a beetle, which clicked as he spoke. The hand that gripped the globe was bony, but almost had a metallic quality to it. His whole body was covered from top to toe in dark robes, with a small badge pinned on his chest. The insignia on the badge depicted a skull and an open eye on the center of its forehead. Inspecting the soul, Nergal was satisfied. This soul was in relatively good shape, and given a few days of healing its injuries, he could finally proceed with his experiment. "Haha! Magus Vesuvius was indeed a knowledgeable Mage. His Unstable Spirit Invocation may be somewhat random in reliability, but achieves fantastic quality if one is lucky... With this method, I can finally concoct Dollo's Brew... Of course, you little one, cannot understand what I am saying. Haha!... cough cough." As Nergal coughed, he looked down at the black blood that spattered on his hand and scowled. "Damn this accursed body! If it wasn't for resources why would I have harmed my body to this degree? Hopefully the Brew can get rid of this issue entirely... I don't have much time... everyday the rejection gets worse and worse. I still want to live! I WILL LIVE!" Nergal shouted into the void, before doubling over, vehemently coughing. Unbuckling a potion from his belt, he quickly downed its contents, which relieved him from his coughing fit. With his renewed resolve, he buried himself in the mountain of manuscripts on the table, leaving the lonely soul to watch on.