The Darkness Within

Destiny?

My name is Chris...er...well, it used to be, but that was another time. I'm called Sarvin now, but we'll get back to that soon enough. In another place and time, I was a young(ish) man, 29 years old, in the year 2020. My goodness, what a year that was! One of the hardest, for not only myself, but much of the world. It was the year the pandemic came about, forcing people into their homes or into masks, out of jobs or working harder than ever and, for some, it was life or death. I had recently lost my job, but due to different circumstances. You see, I was diagnosed with a nearly debilitating spine disease and was no longer useful at my factory job. 

Nevertheless, all of these factors opened up a lot of time for me to focus on the greatest hobby I've ever known... role-playing games! Whether it be around a table with friends, in front of the television with a controller in my hand, or a simple text rpg on my smartphone, I would regularly dump countless hours into my fantasy worlds. Life has always been fairly rough for me, but we'll not get into that. I've always searched for a way to escape my reality for as long as possible. To just be someone else, somewhere else, without my earthly limitations, able to do whatever I wanted, whenever I chose...that was what I yearned for, more than anything. 

Luckily for me, some of the local game stores were still open, requiring a mask to enter, however. I visited them whenever I could, seeking new materials for games with my friends and often holding conversations with some of the older patrons about how much gaming has changed in the last few decades. It was during one of these exchanges that I was directed to a game shop I had never heard of, in a part of town I seldom visit. I'll never forget the name, "The Sleeping Dragon". With a name like that, you'd think it would show up easily on an internet search for gaming stores, but nobody I knew had ever heard of it and it had zero online presence, quite a rarity in that time because everything was online. 

Anyway, I digress, this game shop was in a rougher part of town, surrounded by dilapidated buildings in a higher crime area than would be expected of a shop of it's sort. It seemed completely "out of place", in every sense of the term. Amongst the aged, nearly crumbling, concrete and metal structures that once were likely thriving places of business, now mere ruins, still standing as a reminder of better economical times long passed, stood what I can only describe as something out of a medieval fantasy film. A beautifully built wood and stone building with a large sign above the door reading "The Sleeping Dragon".

The first thing I remember noticing upon entering the building was some sort of sweet smelling incense. It was almost like the smell of a freshly opened bottle of whiskey, with a sort of vanilla scent mixed in. Now, I love a good bottle of whiskey, so this scent really appealed to my tastes. The large room I found myself in was rather surprising, the building didn't seem quite so big from the outside. The interior was fairly well lit, with what seemed like lanterns befitting the era from which this building seemed to be. It was something akin to a cozy inn, with a tavern on the main floor, except instead of alcoholic beverages behind the counter, there was an assortment of rpg coins, miniatures, various replica weapons and dice. The rest of the room had wooden tables of varying sizes, some long and rectangular, others smaller and round, with comfortable-looking wooden chairs sat all around. The walls were lined with books for a various assortment of games, models, even some character costumes for those who really try to get into the spirit of the role-playing experience.

Behind the counter sat an elderly man with long, flowing, white hair and a long beard. He had a reptile of some sort perched upon his shoulder. "Welcome to The Sleeping Dragon! You've found us, so what can we find for you?" he happily asked. "I'm looking for something immersive. An adventure, maybe. Er...something my friends and I can sink a lot of our time into without getting bored." I responded. He stared at me for what was probably only a moment, but felt like an eternity. It was as though he was looking directly into my soul, searching for something. Maybe it was just me, I can be a bit awkward at times. Eventually, he smiled and spoke once more. "I believe I have just the thing for you..." he said, pausing to get something from under the counter. "...ahhh, here it is. It's quite old, but I can tell you from experience that this is the single best adventure setting out there. You have my word on that!". He let out a short laugh and blew the dust from the cover. 

"How much?" I asked, thumbing through the bills in my wallet. I had not expected to buy anything just yet, so I hadn't brought much cash in with me. I was mostly expecting to browse and return another time, knowing just what I wanted. "Well, I'll make you a deal Chris. I'll let you have this, free of charge. You just promise me that you'll use it in good faith and have as much fun as you can. Don't just toss it to the side with your other books. I see something in you that I haven't seen in anyone in a long time. You were destined to have this book and it was destined for you!" he said, a large smile growing across his face. "I don't recall telling him my name...I am rather forgetful at times, though." I thought to myself. He did sound rather mystical and all-knowing with that sales pitch. How could I say no? "I... I... I absolutely will! And I'll tell all my friends about this place as well! I always do what I can to support good businesses like this one. I'll surely be back here frequently. You've gotten yourself a new regular customer, sir!" I exclaimed, reaching for the bag which he'd just placed the book inside of. "Oh, I'm sure I'll be seeing you again soon! Haha! I'll be looking forward to it! Say goodbye to the man, Lump!" he responded, looking at his reptilian friend, still perched on his shoulder. It made a strange yipping noise and almost seemed to smile, making me chuckle just a little bit. I responded with a small wave and walked out the door.

Upon leaving, I was immediately brought back to reality of the world around me. It felt darker and gloomier than it had felt inside The Sleeping Dragon. In fact, it had started to rain, a light drizzle for now, but I could see by the cloud coverage that it would soon get worse and that we were in for a long, stormy night. "All the same to me..." I said to myself, "...gives me a chance to read through my new book." I hobbled my way back to my car, an old, beat up thing. It was honestly a wonder that it still ran. As I turned the key in the ignition, my old car rumbled to life, at the same time the low rumbling of thunder also hit my eardrums, confirming what I already knew was going to happen with the weather that night. 

Just as I stepped under the canopy at the back door of my apartment building, the rain began to pick up. Thank goodness, because I can't walk at much more than a snail's pace since my diagnosis. I was grateful to not get soaked on the way across the parking lot. As I got on the elevator and hit the button for my floor, my best friend entered as well, just in from a smoke, as we're not allowed to smoke inside of our apartments...a rule I did not often follow, but Nathan was never much for rule-breaking...too paranoid he says. "Hey, I was just thinking about you, I've got this new adventure setting from this cool store across town. I'm gonna thumb through it tonight, not much else to do, anyway." I said, turning to face a soaked Nathan. "Ahh, well, that's cool. Let me know if you plan on using it, I can roll up a new character tonight. It's been a bit since we've played. I'm really wanting to get back into it soon!" he responded, with a small laugh. He was right, we hadn't played in person in quite some time, a couple of months at least. I've been more into videogames recently, to be honest, but some face to face social interaction sounded like a damned good time to me right about now. 

The ride on the elevator was short, as I lived on the third floor. I stepped off, waved goodbye to my friend and quickly headed to my door, not far from the elevator. Stepping inside my apartment, I looked around for a moment. Quite unremarkable, blank white walls all around, not much furniture, just a bed and a dresser with a television and game system on top, my apartment was a bit dreary, but had all of my necessities. I sat on my bed, only just then realizing that I hadn't even read the title of my new book yet. I had been too excited to get back to my home. 

Pulling my new book from it's bag, I inspected it immediately. "The Three Kingdoms" was stylized across the top part of the cover, with a beautiful map printed underneath. It was definitely old, but seemed quite sturdy. After taking in the art and quality of my new book, I hopped out of bed, grabbed a cigar and ashtray from atop my dresser, sat back down and got comfortable. The thundering outside was getting louder, the storm had really picked up. "I hope we don't lose power again... that's low income housing for ya though..." I said to myself. I then lit my cigar and reached for the book, finally ready to see what wonders could possibly be held within. The last thing I heard was a loud crash of thunder just as I opened the cover...and then complete darkness.