On the last second, I was able to morph myself into a ball with spikes. My body ended up filling the pit, halting my movements in an abrupt stop. Being unable to stop, the grotesque giant hand and the horde of baby men, came crashing into my spikes one after the other. With a loud thunk and shlick, the forefront stomach demons were impaled and bellowed a gut curdling scream. This should buy us a brief moment before they reorganize themselves and come after us again.

If this was a video game or a movie about a certain kid, then I’d be cheering right about now. But sadly, it’s not, and in reality, I really want to puke and wipe myself. With the spikes being made up entirely of me, I can feel myself piercing their flesh and it is not a pleasant experience and I recommend covering your eyes or ears for this next bit. At first its like poking a finger into a slab of meat. It felt kind of okay when I thought about it as cooking. But the sensation quickly changed to an array of weird sensations. Some of it was mushy and creamy, others were smooth or rough, and there was even a hard or crunching feeling. But none can compare to the bodily fluids dripping onto me. The warm fluids were sometimes either pasty or runny with varying consistencies. And it even gets way worse since they can also be either sticky or smooth… But on the bright side, balls with spikes don’t necessarily have noses, so in this form I am saved from the noxious fumes made by the impaled victims.

[Anis]: “Klein… Get us out of here…”

I felt a chill as I imagined Anis saying this while pinching my ear and glaring at me. Since Anis is actually a part of me, it’s probably not a surprise that she feels what I feel.

[Klein]: “Working on it. Anis it’s hard to retain this form while chatting telepathically. Can you cast us into the dreamscape now?”

The demon’s stomach is very strange, but it should still function like any stomach. And like any stomach, the esophagus shouldn’t be far either. If we can rest and recollect our thoughts, we should be able to get stronger, find the esophagus, and ultimately escape.

[Anis]: “… I can cast it… But I won’t. If I cast it, we would spend the entire time covered in demon guts because we are extremely conscious that we are currently covered in the stuff.”

Anis said, sounding rather mad. She has a point, that would be extremely unpleasant. So, my only option is to fend off the demons while wiping the gore off. Luckily for me, I know just how to do it. Though hopefully my stamina can last long enough. Despite the skill [Polymorphic Soul] being so extremely fuel efficient on magic power, it doesn’t mean it is not taxing on my mental and physical stamina.

[Klein]: “I have a plan, it’s risky and I won’t be able to talk to you when I start, but we don’t have much time to come up with a better solution. Once it starts, I need you to find an opportunity to cast us into the dreamscape.”

Without waiting for her to reply, I created a giant eyeball within me and made my metal skin more transparent, allowing me to see. The stomach demons began to move again, and the window of opportunity is slowly closing. With that said, I morph my body again, pulling my spikes out of the demon shish kabob, dropping the demons like ragdolls. The demons who weren’t caught, and those who quickly regained their footing, were cautiously observing me for a few seconds before summoning bone spears from their fleshy bodies. The giant hand did not partake in this action though. Rather, it moved to the sidelines carefully observing the whole situation.

The spears wasn’t something I had expected, but it doesn’t affect the plan so much. As long as they will mindlessly rush towards me, my plan should still work. Continuing my plan, I arrange the upper spikes into a uniformed manner and turned each spike into sword blades. The demons looked slightly confused by my actions before  organizing themselves into a “three-line-formation”, with the front-line taking a throwing stance, the mid-line readying themselves to replace the first line, and the rear-line conjuring their own bone spears. I felt like I would be sweating by now if I still had a physical body. The fact that the demons are taking a “three-line-formation” rather than coming at me with their spears like mindless barbarians, made me shiver thinking that maybe they are actually a lot smarter than they look. And if they are, I may actually end up dead the longer I stay here. But I shouldn’t be reckless, I must be smarter and more careful if I want to escape.

[Skill leveled Up: Composure (Level 13/0)]

With the skill leveled up, I feel a bit more composed, allowing me to focus. The “three-line-formation” is a big problem, but luckily the stomach is still narrow, so the distance between me and them are still reachable by my sword-spikes if I extend them to its full length.

The demons and I intently looked at each other with a glare, as if trying to discern what the other is plotting. The stomach was quiet. And in the midst of that quietness, the stomach began to rumble. This acted as the signal. the demons roared and fired off a quick and rapid volley of spears. But while they did, I used the lower rows of spikes to tightly grip the pit as I began to rotate the upper rows of swords, throwing gore off my body. This created a propeller-like motion allowing me to parry all incoming spears and even redirect some back to the demons. From here, I was able to break their formation for a brief moment creating an opportunity to strike back. The act of turning myself into a constant moving object is causing me a head-splitting headache. I may not last long, but I need to reduce them as much as I can. With much pain and difficulty, I made the blades  extend themselves much longer, hacking away at the nearest demons.

[Anis]: “Klein you’re burning up! I can’t cast us into the dreamscape like this! If we go into the dreamscape now, the transformation will slightly pause in its tracks, allowing several spears to pass through. And you can’t go on like this either. You’ll feint from the mental strain allowing them to kill us when you do.”

Fudge! I haven’t thought about the delay. This might actually be our end unless I can think of some way to break free.

[Anis]: “Klein… Do you trust me?”

Anis said, sounding a bit worried. My heart ached from the question… I only met her for a short while, but she had helped me a lot, and we spent a long time together in the dreamscape. As much as I want to say yes, I can’t. I know deep down; I still don’t trust her completely. Despite helping me a lot, there’s just something about Anis that bothers me. When I first met her after waking up, she gave off a comforting feeling with just her voice. There is something unsettling about her that I just can’t put my finger on it.

[Anis]: “… You don’t have to trust me completely... To me, what matters most is that we are both alive, and I will do anything to keep us that way… So please, you have to listen to me and do what I am about to say, or we will both die.”

I haven’t answered her telepathically, yet she was able to understand my vague thoughts. In the dreamscape, to give me some privacy, I’ve trained to hide my thoughts, so it’s even more unsettling that she still knows. But still, she is right, I don’t have many options, but Anis hasn’t lied to me so far. I’ll give whatever she says a try.

[Anis]: “Sorry Klein… I will explain how I am reading your thoughts later… Right now, I need you to construct a second brain within yourself and imagine me occupying it. In doing so, I should be able to help you retain your current transformation.”

My head is telling me that creating a second brain is an extremely bad idea. But there it is again. There’s this comforting force that compels me to trust her. It’s strange and suspicious but there isn’t any other way. I did what she said and almost immediately the mental strain lessened.

[Skills leveled Up: Magic Control (Level 11/1), Soul Control (Level 16/1), Memory Control (Level 6/1), Polymorphic Soul (Level 8/0), Body Enhancement (4/0)]

[Warning: An irreversible abnormal status trait is developing. Trait can impact the user negatively. Discontinue current action to avoid obtaining this trait.]

Dang it! I thought it was working. It was good that my skills improved and the mental strained lessen but the system is firing off warnings to discontinue what we are doing. I am now faced with a choice between a rock and a hard place. Either I continue and maybe miraculously survive with some kind of ominous curse-like trait or discontinue and most likely be absorbed by the demons in a death-like state. If I weigh my options, living is better than dying. But since I don’t know the effects of such a trait, it’s even possible that I’d wish I was dead depending on the outcome.

After a brief moment, I have now decided between the two kinds of poison. I grit my teeth and chose to continue. I wish I had more time, but nonetheless I can always deal with the consequences later.

[Skills leveled Up: Magic Control (Level 12/1), Soul Control (Level 17/1), Memory Control (Level 7/1), Polymorphic Soul (Level 9/0), Body Enhancement (5/0), Soul and Memory Magic (Level 3/1)]

[Warning: An irreversible abnormal status trait is almost fully developed. Trait can impact the user negatively. Last chance to discontinue current action to avoid obtaining this trait.]

My skills are improving, and even my unique skill has gotten stronger. The blades now extended further and moved more smoothly, allowing more demons getting hacked up by my blades. The baby men are becoming more and more like ground meat, but the giant hand is still just standing by the side lines. I shivered a bit, because things are going too well. The demons showed they were smarter than how I had expected them to be, so something is up otherwise they wouldn’t pointlessly want to get hacked up by me.

[Skills leveled Up: Magic Control (Level 13/1), Soul Control (Level 18/1), Memory Control (Level 8/1), Polymorphic Soul (Level 10/0)]

[New Trait unlocked: Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)]

[New Derivative Skills unlocked: Parallel-Thought Processing (Level 1/0), Autopilot (1/0), Second Identity: Inanis (Unique), Mental Resistance (1/0)]

[Warning: New trait and skills has made user resistant to mental attacks but susceptible to mental usurpation by Second Identity: Inanis (Unique)]

[New Abnormal Status unlocked: Mental Usurpation]

Mental Usurpation… An abnormal status where the user’s mind may be taken over or erased at any given moment. Requires constant mental resistance to negate effects… This means Anis can take over my mind whenever I let my guard down… Don’t tell me… Did she plan this from the start? Was she after my mind? I’m such a fool! She was only helping me because she wanted my body! I need to destroy the second brain now, hopefully it may destroy the abnormal status.

Just as I was trying to destroy the second brain. It began to reconstruct itself every time it gets damaged.

[Anis]: “Klein stop! You have to trust me! I’m not trying to take over your mind! We have to work together to stop the demons and escape!”

[Klein]: “It’s a trick! You want me to let my guard down so you can take control! This force, this unsettling feeling of wanting to trust you! Were you using [Soul and Memory Magic] to tamper with my mind, controlling me to do your bidding?!”

It’s always strange. How I don’t have any memory. How I ended up in that crater alone. How my mood always changes when I’m with Anis. And how Anis always seems to be knowledgeable about certain things. It all fits. Anis is the mastermind behind all this.

[Anis]: “Klein please-”

Anis said but was interrupted by a sudden giant rumbling. The demons who were hacked and grounded up, began to converge and became several giant fat babies made out of ground meat. Their severed umbilical cords morph and change into snake-like creatures with multiple eyes and rows of teeth. It doesn’t end here. The rumbling continued and the pit that my lower spikes were gripping began to move towards the ceiling, flipping me upside down. When the rumbling and moving stopped, I was placed at the center of the ceiling dangling above the pool of stomach acid. The remaining ungrounded baby men readied to throw their spears at me, but this time my blades can no longer reach them.

[Anis]: “Klein let’s have a truce for now…”

[Klein]: “For now…”

I readily agreed, but then the baby men launch their spears. With the help from Anis, we continued to rotate our propeller blades, parrying the spears. But it was strange. None of the spears were aimed at me, rather they seemed to only be aimed towards my spikes. Wait, spikes?!

[Klein]: “Anis they are trying to drop us into the pit of acid by aiming at my lower spikes!”

[Anis]: “You mean your upper spikes! Erm… Wait that isn’t important right now, do you have any other bright ideas?!”

Let’s think… We can’t stop parrying because they will change their target towards our main body. And we can’t unhinge my upside-down lower spikes because that would make us fall into the acid. Maybe we can use something here. There’s acid directly below. A horde of spear wielding baby men and giant baby men standing by the ledge. Several grotesque umbilical cord snakes and the giant hand hovering around the stomach. And lastly the pit where my spikes were gripping. I’d have to assume that the door to the intestines are hiding below the acids, but then again where is the esophagus? As I thought that, some kind of fluid began to ooze from the pit making my spikes loosen their grip.

[Anis]: “The host demon is using this fluid to drop us into the acid.”

[Klein]: “Wait a minute, why would there be a pit inside the stomach?”

As I was contemplating, me and Anis both arrived at the same conclusion.

[Anis & Klein]: “It’s not a pit, it’s the esophagus!”

To our revelation, the umbilical cord snakes did a kamikaze rushed towards us, ultimately jamming themselves into our blades.

[Klein]: “Anis, shrink your blades and move them inside the esophagus! I’ll do the same. We will use them to climb up and escape to the mouth!”

I hurriedly commanded Anis, but before we could, the giant hand had grabbed a giant baby man and hurled it towards us. On impact it had bent several of the spikes I used to the grip the pit. But the attack didn’t end there. The giant baby man had grabbed onto the umbilical cord snakes that were jammed into our blades and by the weight of the giant baby man, my spikes where loosened and we immediately began to fall. I cursed in my mind and jammed all my nearest spikes and blades back into the pit walls.

[Anis]: “Klein I am casting you into the dreamscape while I will do my best to get a better grip on the esophagus walls! Use this time to train and improve our skills!”

And in that moment, I was immediately cast into the dreamscape by Anis without so much as a warning. But something happened after that, that Anis did not expect. It hasn’t even been half a second but-

[Skills leveled Up: Magic Control (Level 20/1), Soul Control (Level 22/1), Memory Control (Level 10/1), Polymorphic Soul (Level 16/0), Body Enhancement (10/0), Dreamscape (13/0), Parallel-Thought Processing (Level 2/0), Autopilot (2/0), Mental Resistance (5/0)]

[New Derivative Skills unlocked: High-Speed-Thought Processing (3/0), Gymnastics (7/0), Acrobatics (7/0), 3D maneuver (4/0), Perseverance (4/0)]

[Klein]: “I’m taking the driver’s seat now.”

[Anis]: “How’d you get back here so fast!”

Anis yelled sounding extremely surprised. But I ignored that. I quickly undid the “ball with spikes” form and returned to the “coin sized humanoid” form. Then in quick successive movements, I extended my arms to grab the wall and proceeded to climb so fast I was already almost out of the stomach demons’ line of sight. We were able to escape but this action had a steep price to pay. My spiritual body wasn’t able to completely adapt to the consecutive changes to the point cracks began to show on my body revealing that it has undergone tremendous stress. This is extremely risky but If we can escape from the mouth and hide in the snow then it’s all worth it.

[ENTITY STATUS MENU VERSION 0.1.1 - BETA]

NAME: NAMELESS

TEMPORARY NAME: KLEIN

SPECIES: LIVING DISEMBODIED SOUL

TITLE: OTHER-WORLDER, BACK-DOOR USER, UNKNOWN TO THE GODS, LIVING UNDEAD

LEVEL: 0

OTHERWORLD ENERGY: 150

SOUL CAPACITY: 100/100

SOUL PARTICLES: 10/100

CORRUPTED SOUL FRAGMENT: 1

PARAMETERS:

Agility: 0

Strength: 0

Endurance: 0

Intelligence: 0

Dexterity: 0

Magic: 0

SKILLS:

Composure (Level 13/0)(Leveled Up!),  Running (Level 3/0), Stealth (Level 1/0), Magic Control (Level 20/1)(Leveled Up!), Soul Control (Level 22/1)(Leveled Up!), Memory Control (Level 10/1)(Leveled Up!), Mathematics (Level 20/0), Speech (Level 20/0), Polymorphic Soul (Level 16/0)(Leveled Up!), Body Enhancement (10/0)(Leveled Up!), Parallel-Thought Processing (Level 2/0)(NEW!), Autopilot (2/0)(NEW!), Mental Resistance (5/0)(NEW!), High-Speed-Thought Processing (3/0)(NEW!), Gymnastics(7/0)(NEW!), Acrobatics(7/0)(NEW!), 3D maneuver (4/0)(NEW!), Perseverance (4/0)(NEW!)

UNIQUE SKILLS:

Godly Sacrifice, Soul and Memory Magic (Level 3/1)(Leveled Up!), Dreamscape (13/0), Second Identity: Inanis (Unique)(NEW!)

TRAITS:

Hero System Beta, Back Door User, Disembodied, Not-Quite Undead, Soul Chimera Abomination, Memory Error, Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

ABNORMAL STATUS:

Mental Usurpation (NEW!)