Since I figured out the map function, a while has passed, in uhh, lives I mean.
There was a little balcony thingy at the lava pit that I hadn't noticed before, it had something? Well it had a sort of, ominously floating, red page, just kind of there??
Of course I'm not touching something so obviously evil— it had a fucking pentagram on it— but it's still the only thing down there, and I have to die again to get out of that little hidden hole in the wall, so it wasn't a really good trip.
No use avoiding it.
Audience of the mind, I think these monsters, that have been killing me constantly, might actually, be Demons.
I know, very outlandish as it may seem, I think they very well may be, actual Demons, from the bible.
Firstly: whenever I say the word 'God,' I experience an immense headache.
Secondly: honestly I don't have much proof that they're demons beyond that, and the fact that they're, uhh, aesthetics… are so on point to that idea, so to speak.
So until I find out what they, technically 'we' are, they' a bunch'a demons.
Which I guess makes me feel less conflicted about murdering them back, but also why proliferate death with more death, I mean why can't we find a peaceful solution to all this?— I think to myself as I get my head boiled clean from my shoulders by a blazing red hot ball of plasma.
So clearly diplomacy was never on the table. Doesn't make the act of it any easier, though.
The killing part of the whole process I mean, it's not like I haven't memorized their weakpoints by now, but it's not any easier with a rusty bit of sci-fi rebar and a rock, rather than with just my bare hands.
And asshole number one in my heart, is still probably nearly unkillable, still blasts fire in my face and to protect itself and still summons waves of nonsense to kill me.
And Yeahh any other time I've tried the old 'lime juice to the eyes' trick, has just made it angrier, so I really don't have a clue as to what happened that first time.
I think the only way forward, might be the glowing green crack in the wall.
It's just that I've checked everywhere, and my [Map] hasn't gotten past 60% even after scouring this entire place.
The problem is- I can't break it.
Despite the glowyness clearly indicating something behind it, it just refuses to break.
I tried bashing it with rebar, throwing the biggest rock I could carry at it —understandably having a body drained of nearly all of its water and anything else conducive to life, makes for a bad time when trying to lift more than some junk— I even tried to blow it up, but nothings worked.
That last part was mostly only possible because of a random red barrel near the front doors of the bodega, full of a rather explosive material for some reason?
I'm pretty sure something so volatile being so close to what was at one point the entrance to a bodega, is probably another safety violation, but it had been a while since my OSHA-30, even before my being shoved into all this nonsense, so I'm not sure.
Of course I'm sure these things, Demons, I guess, wouldn't really care about that one way, or another.
So instead of bashing my head against a glowing green wall, I decided to take the easy way out, and just jump the very spiky, very gothic fencing.
Problem 1: whenever i get to the top of the fencing, an impenetrable, glowing red barrier appears to stop me
Solution: the barrier is kind of janky around where the bodega connects with the office building behind it.
There is a small nook like part made from right where the fencing starts to hug the wall of the office building, and where it keeps a few feet away from the bodega itself.
Effectively, this nook means someone who is very good at contorting themselves, or someone without organs, could wedge themselves into that nook and walk vertically, by pressing themselves between the wall and the barrier, and being very careful.
sort of like that scene from the emporer's new groove, where the llama and guy walk up the ravine by pressing into each other and walking up at the same time, but with just me.
Problem 2: it's a very slow process, and the demons are very good at hitting slow, predictable targets.
Solution 2: the barrier seems to have some frictionless properties to it, meaning if I have my back to it, and I'm extra careful not to fall, I can effectively run while crouching up the wall of the office building.
That means I can get enough momentum to keep out of the danger below most of the time.
Surprisingly, the things that's gotten me killed the most after the point of outpacing the attacks from below, is the ledge to the top of the office building.
Somehow the snapped necks from slipping at that height are more embarrassing then getting melted alive or turned into goop.
It's a lot harder than I thought it would be, to go from vertical to horizontal at such an awkward angle, but I eventually got it.
The roof was empty, not even a vent duct or emergency escape hatch, but it gave me a great view of the surrounding area.
A group of those cyclopean, beteethed meatball things flew across a gouged out expanse of ground, like a massive thing had burst from the earth.
Around the entirety of the lake sized crater, are the near endless ruins of a city, demons crawling among the rubble like a barely visible colony of ants.
A mass of dust covers the bottom of the crater, making it impossible to determine its depths.
That was the most immediately noticeable thing, but it was in truth, rather far from me.
Close enough to be distinct, but the building I was standing on, and the ones around it seem to be far enough from whatever happened over there, to be effectively unharmed.
The sky was still enveloped by deep red clouds, making it impossible to discern what time it is.
Turning around, and towards the bodega area, there was even more scrawling concrete jungle, all broken, on it's side, or rarely, standing perfectly, like the building I was on right now.
But, there was also something else.
Far beyond the skyscrapers and the fires, broken metal and burnt concrete, there was a deep yellow glimmer, just at the edge of the horizon, between two devastated buildings.
Could just be a pool, could be the ocean, but regardless it looked like the sun's rays reflecting off of water, which doesn't mean much, except even up here I haven't seen anything like water besides that reflection.
The lime juice not withstanding.
Though that would make the next question simple, how do I get over there?
And what are the limits of these barriers?