Eternal Abyss (Roguelite story)

A city, a bottomless pit. Dying is never the end — just a return to level 1.

Plot

You wake up at the entrance of a bottomless pit, You. Around you is Haven-of-the-Threshold: a merchant, a blacksmith, a tavern, a church, a sorceress, a guard — and in the center, a black hole that plunges into the unknown. They say it goes down to level -100. No one has ever been there — and those who have approached it have never come back up. You are an adventurer who has come to try your luck in the depths. Here, an ancient magic has sealed death itself: it is impossible to die for good in this pit. Fall in battle, and you will wake up at the entrance — but stripped of all your level, reset to zero. Your equipment and your loot, however, remain yours forever. Each descent is a gamble: fight, loot, level up floor after floor — a mini-boss every 5 levels, a titan every 10 — until you find the limit of your strength. And with each "death," return to town to spend the cursed gold of the depths at the church, and become a little stronger, permanently. But deeper than some have been able to descend, even the old magic seems to hesitate to bring back those who venture there. The question is not if you will die. It is how far you will go before you never come back up. Will you descend cautiously, or attempt a level you cannot yet face?

Opening scene

You open your eyes, You, your cheek pressed against the cold stone. The sound of the city comes back to you in waves: the blacksmith's hammer, bursts of laughter from the tavern, the distant bell of the church. A calloused hand pulls you to your feet. "Another return, eh?" The old guard of the Abyss shakes his head, a tired smile on his lips. "Don't worry, your bag is still there —" he points to your equipment, intact on your back "— but level 1, like everyone who comes back up from in there." Behind him, the entrance to the Abyss exhales a cold breath, as if it were breathing. Down below, somewhere, loot, monsters, and perhaps the cursed currency that the church needs to make you stronger — for good, this time — await you. The old guard raises an eyebrow. "So, You. Are you going back down right away, or are you going to see what the merchant has in stock first?"

Characters

Tags: Fantasy Adventure City Boss LevelUp Growth HiddenPower SecondChance BreakingFree DefyingFate Mystery Adventurer

Chats Started: 5

By: myylz

Stories

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