Sitting in the section of a dark cave illuminated by the light above, the very first vestige of sunlight beginning to show at the caves ceiling entrance, Damien quietly pondered his situation more closely before taking the next step. "Basic human survival rules of three… you can survive three minutes without air, three hours without shelter or protection from the elements, three days without water, and 3 weeks without food…The cave offers me some protection from the elements, since I can find cover from rain or extreme temperatures...The running river takes care of water… it's not salt water based on taste, thank goodness. It's been at least an hour since I took a small taste and I don't feel any adverse effects. Ill sample more over time to be sure, but I think I would have started to feel something by now… I have six pieces of some sort of meat. I've sampled one already and it tastes...less than ideal, but it'll help keep me alive…" Damien continued as he began to gather all the items he has on hand.
"I have those strange vials, but unless this journal mentions anything about it, I wont know any more…" He continued to ponder as he held up a small book. A small chalk like writing tool tucked away in a small pouch attacked to the spine. Damien could only make out the outline and shape based on feel. The small amount of light available to him made it impossible to even consider attempting to read it. Searching for an exit faced the same issue. He could only wait before he could begin exploring for options. His plan already long resolved.
"As soon as I have enough light, I'll strip down and try the diving route against the river current...If I can't find a quick exit or air pocket, I'll have to turn back. Here's to hoping I don't drown..." Damien commented darkly, as he watched the light from the sun begin to wash over the upper walls of the cave.
----Four near drownings later….---
Damien sat in his birthday suit, basking in the sun to help dry off. His hopes of finding a quick exit against the current was a bust. Though the water does seem to flow in from a higher point, it's coming down hard at a forty-five degree angle. The pressure increasing significantly less than a meter into the path. He would have to crawl up what is essentially a steep hill while the current threatens to rag doll him back down. If that wasn't bad enough, the actual surface of the stone in the water is actually eroded into a pretty smooth surface with occasional sharp edges. Adding insult to injury, he still had these damned shackles strapped to all his extremities. If he couldn't find a means of navigating the deeper parts of the cave, he was about to be left with only one option...climb.
"No way in hell I'm surviving that. That's at least 30 meters... a hundred or so freedom units….the combined wing span of thirteen or so bald eagles...speaking of...wings sound pretty nice right about now…." Damien trailed off in a daze as he began to truly wonder if he was doomed to die here again so soon. Quickly shaking the dark thoughts away, however, he decided to check out that journal he had on him when he woke. Hopefully something there would offer some assistance. Without further ado, Damien made his way back to his bundle of clothes and dressed himself before picking up the journal and turning the pages.
'Today I got a bit too close to the Citadel...I can't risk them misunderstanding. I doubt they'll believe me with these chains. I need to be more careful'---'I can't believe I managed to sell those skins at the market. I managed to earn enough to buy a couple of Blue Medicines! They'll come in really handy if I get into any serious trouble!'---'I ran into Eria today. I was so scared she'd turn me in, but she seemed genuinely sorry about what the village did. She even gave me a Red Medicine! Seems she's really making it out there. Those don't come cheap!'--'Eria mentioned a forest to the east. Says there's a lot of really old and powerful magic hidden inside. Maybe there's something that can help me get these cursed chains off me. Finally, I can live a normal life!'
'There goes my archeologist theory. It seems this guy lived in some shaman village that knows some magic. Not unusual. Egyptians in the Yu-Gi-Oh story used magic, so makes sense other cultures have it too...' Damien began to ponder as he turned the pages. 'So Eria was some kind of childhood friend, or just one of the kids in the village he grew up in--There's also my answer to what this bottles are. Some kind of healing tool. They sound really familiar. I know I've heard of Blue and Red Medicines before...'
'Aria was so kind. She was traveling with Aussa to search for their familiars. I still can't do much with my darkness except coat it around my staff--I hope I can find my own familiar soon. Maybe I'll find one in that forest Aria mentioned.' Reading up to this point, something clicked in Damien's mind. His hands beginning to tremble at the dangerous premonition he'd just had. 'Blue Medicine, Red Medicine, Aria, Aussa' He recognized these names now. He'd seen them countless times while flipping thru cards at the local game shops in his town. In a time before prices exploded and he couldn't afford to play anymore.
With bated breath, Damien did something he'd neglected to do this whole time so far. Slowly crawling his way over to the underground river now that the sun had risen and he could better see. Glancing down at a pool of stagnant water at his face and locking eyes with his own amber eyes in his reflection. He still carried his usual gloomy but youthful expression, but his features were noticeably different. However, now that he was looking at himself closely, he could only chuckle nervously at the realization of just who he'd inhabited. A chuckle that gradually shifted into a trembling and gripping rage.
"Of all the rotten luck! Here I am thinking about how great it would be to become some elite duelist! Instead you toss me into a damned cave, chased by wild creatures-no, MONSTERS in the spirit world as Dharc the God Damned Dark Charmer!?!" Damien was livid. He was screaming his frustrations as he continued to stare at his reflection, his visage now twisted into a wrathful grimace. His emotions at an all time high as he thought about every rotten thing that had come in his past life. A life so miserable he developed a damn near supernatural sixth sense just to survive. Thoughts about how he had to fend for himself. Lie, cheat, steal and learn on his own. Building his entire life off of lies just to find a roof to sleep under, and just as his life was starting to look up, just when he had plans for how his life was truly going to begin, Some god swoops out of nowhere and what? Tells him 'times up, kid' and throws him into a shit hole cave in the middle of some spirit world to die some miserable slow death by starvation?!
As his wrath continued to bubble, he could feel his field of view slip away, an extreme case of tunnel vision as the world around him turned dark. Only his reflection still showing. He didn't think much of it as his only real thought at the time was how he wished he could break everything. Just smash every corner of this cave until it collapsed around him. Turning his glare at the staff near by, he quickly made his way to it and clasped it in his hand. At that very moment, something happened that managed to wash away all the anger out of him like a bucket of cold water. The moment he made contact with the staff, he felt a surge of some sort of energy flow out of him, into the handle of the staff and up into the skull that adorned the top. The tunnel vision he was experiencing seemed to slither and writhe before traveling down his arm along with the energy. Coating the skull on the staff like some kind of ethereal black flame.
It was only then that Damien realized it wasn't tunnel vision he was experiencing. It was darkness. Pure dark had been gathering around him so dense nothing could be seen aside from him. Looking at the head of the staff still near the ground, he observed as the darkness seemed to be eroding the dirt and stone under the staff wherever the flame managed to reach. Carving away at it at a surprising rate. Not wanting to see if he could dig his way into a deeper cavern of the cave, he decided to lift the staff fully off the ground. His mind finally cooling off as it continued to process this new phenomenon. Feeling the energy within him begin to settle down, Damien watched with curiosity and a hint of excitement as the dark flames began to shrink back. Almost as if being absorbed back into the skull resting atop the staff, before finally fizzling out.
With his earlier rage now a distant memory, Damien quietly made his way back to the brightest part of the cave. Curiously staring at the staff and the small vestiges of darkness still licking the air around the skull resting atop as he sat down to study it. 'Well, I can't really complain about getting superpowers--I suppose' Damien thought quietly as he reached out and touched the darkness cautiously. Noting how it didn't seem to have any effect on him. 'I really wish I had some real time to study this, but I'm gonna have to hope Dharc left me some useful details in his journal. This isn't really the kind of place I can spend a lot of time learning how to use this...Maybe I can use some of the card effects to get some hints too..' Damien continued to ponder as he tried to recall all the effects of the "Dharc" variants. 'I think they were something like--'
1: Taking control of a Dark monster if taken by surprise presumably if we take the 'flip' portion into account.
2: Being able to unify with said dark monster to become 'Familiar-possessed' and greatly increasing his strength.
3: Somehow acquiring some form of piercing ability when 'possessed'.
4: Being able to somehow bring about a level 3 or 4 light Spellcaster. Likely the most convoluted ability.
"There's also the Link version and his abilities. Though I don't know if link monsters are even really still considered the original spirit or not...It's worth considering though. I think he could reborn an enemies dead dark monster..." Damien thought out loud as he rested his chin on his left thumb and pointer in a thinking pose. Still watching the dark wisps with fascination. A bit disappointed when the last few plumes of darkness disappeared. "I guess I'm not gonna get anywhere guessing. Let's hope Dharc left me some useful tips and go from there..." Damien concluded as he set down his staff and picked up Dharc's journal again. Eagerly turning the pages to see what else he could gather.