I don’t trust people I meet online anymore.
I’ll be the first to admit that I have no idea about hacks and roms, or hell even mods for games. I’ve never tried to edit or make levels even when tools are provided but I’ve always wanted to. Sadly I don’t have the time either so I went searching on the forums because hey I wanted to be involved in a Mod or hack for a game because it’s always seemed like it would be great fun! Like I said though I don’t have the time, I’m in University and ask anyone that’s been, they keep you way in over your head with work if you’re full time or more.
I’m a humble Illustration student and nothing more but I bumped around forums sending a few PM’s and Notes to users who were modding in hopes that someone could use an artist on their team and hell maybe I would even get some input right? Sure you can’t put it on a resume’ but it would still be fun and a great project for me over Spring Break. A challenge to hone my skills lol.
Enough about that though you’re only here for my story about what happened, or my warning depending.
I had no idea how long this hack would take us and it ended up taking a little over a year finishing it up around Thanksgiving break and I had done plenty of work for this game, great work, work that I had poured myself into and that I’m still proud of or well would be had the events not unfolded like they had. It was a total conversion mod using what I think was Oblivion? Like I said full conversion and we had re-done all the work mostly based on text and I don’t know dick about game modding, I digress. We were a small two person team and our whole goal had been to do this quietly so we obviously had no real beta testers so I volunteered. I still had no idea what I was doing but I made the offer and got back an email from my partner, the one I had been working with.
Thinking he had been trying to be cute, I’m assuming my partner was a he, I chuckled at the name he had given the file and of course popped it open. He had named it a ‘cute’ two people one mod in what I’m assuming is a two girls one cup reference but hell if I know what went through his mind, and no before you ask that was not what he released it under and he did release it to my displeasure.
Opening the file on the Windows side of my Mac, hey I’m an artist and these displays are great, don’t judge! Opening the file the models seemed a little blocky but not in a way that’s too different to Oblivion hence my assuming that’s what he modded. This is where my pride in the whole thing comes in, loading up the game I was thrilled to see my work, all be it some of it was copy and paste of a few different wraps for the models that I did, I was proud. I painted them all by hand and let me tell you – yeah you likely don’t care back to the creepy right?
It had a brand new storyline, something like a bastardized version of LoZ where you had to go fetch a sword and that would start a quest line that would pull you through the game play. Well I had run through the landscape pushing and looking for glitches, for mistakes and what not or places you can get stuck at because if there’s anything more annoying than I don’t know it. Spotting a little path down the way I had sort of shrugged and followed it with my character, a little male wood elf retexture because I had nearly begged for them to stay in, a sort of nod to my first ever play through, you know how it is.
So here I was walking down this path, yadda yadda bits of art that had been cropped and fit together to make this path. It wasn’t bad and I didn’t blame him as I think that I had been why we took so long, I would have edited it too. I followed it back for a stupidly long time, to the point that I almost considered going back but I had singed up to be the tester to keep this quiet and damn it I was going to do it! At the end of this path, a path that took a solid ten minutes to walk to, there was the mouth of a cave that led to a new area. Okay, we didn’t discuss this area so I was a little curious myself considered we had gone in and I did have some input in the game my partner even occasionally praising my ideas! Ahem, again my ego gets in the way.
Entering this new area I was already a little peeved as there’s a drop so you can’t get back the way you came. Well already I was worried that this was a mistake and that it had been done in haste and possibly forgotten hence the blank area and far too long of a walk to get here in the first place. There were no monsters here, but traps and a chest along with a ladder down. Okay well I was still stuck in this cave with nowhere else to go and I was still devoted to playing through. It wasn’t supposed to be a long game, maybe a handful of hours total. I think he guessed five or six with all of our ‘quests’ or half an hour if you knew what you were doing and going for a speed run.
Moving down the ladder now there were a couple foes here, a couple bandits and a wolf where I picked up something more than the basic equipment but not anything over powered. Cool, cool at least this was starting to pick up but again I only found a ladder down. Again no foes; however I did find stairs up this time and I found myself thanking my partner quietly that he hadn’t kept this unnerving pace going and I hadn’t kept climbing down. I was half considering scolding him for doing something so predictable before the world around me loaded. It brought me back up into the outside world and I was no longer in a cave but again I found myself in what looked like a forgotten area. Okay, okay this is a little old now and I took note of this place on a pad of paper I had at my side so I could report to it later. I just called it ‘Empty Path- branch, cavern and valley.’
Turning back to the valley I did give it a go round before heading back to the cave though this time around it was locked. Damn it. Fucking stuck glitch. Alright. I’ll admit that I was a little worried and even a little unnerved but I also know that I didn’t do anything too overly creepy for the artwork in this game so there was nothing for me to be afraid of and even if there was hey it was all my work right? I hadn’t seen a single thing from the game so far so it had to be. Turning back around I felt my stomach turn as I came nearly face to face with an NPC along with four or five little houses. Okay, maybe it was scripted to show up late or just took my asshole Mac longer to load? Dick move Apple, dick move.
Talking to the NPC it fed me one of the standard lines, confusing since none of it was supposed to be in game. My partner had been excited that he had written all these lines and again I had helped with running through the lines and fixing a couple of typos and basic errors. Easy enough to miss and clearly this guy wasn’t bad with words because there were like three total. Okay, noted, added to the note pad at my side. When I looked back up it was almost like the NPC was looking at the pad I was writing on and I swear that little green indicator light was on for a moment, the one for the webcam. Haha okay maybe Skype was up and I mistakenly opened a video call. Sure enough there it was and a very confused friend of mine. Laughing it off and explaining that it had been a mistake and that I was in the middle of something I hung up and closed out Skype. Couldn’t have that happen again.
With that startling event solved and put to rest I chocked it up to coincidence, who hasn’t had at least one Skype scare be it phantom noise or otherwise? Normal little NPC village with no quests and basic items like foods and plates until I got to the little ‘mayor’ guy who had given me a key and simply said ‘Go’. Okay, ha ha my partner was fucking with me, lock me in knowing I would test and give me a key to leave, got it. It had taken him a week or so to send me the file after I offered to test so it must have been a last minute addition. Cute.
Heading back to the cave again the key did open the door and I was once more in the area that lacked monsters and down into the area with the bandits that respawned. Did enemies in this game re-spawn? I think I recalled them respawning every few in game days but that much time hadn’t passed so it must have been scripted. Kay got it. Back into the first room this time it did not lack foes but instead contained four skeletons that were again no issue to kill. Low battery noise, insert the moment I took to fetch my charger and let it snap into place before looking back at the monitor and there was that creepy goddamn NPC again. Huh. NPC’s didn’t just follow a player and there was no escort quest for this creepy bastard, another wood elf.
“I followed you.”
There were no options to answer, he said it like the idle lines they say while they walk past you. No webcam light and I didn’t say anything so if the game was sentient and I highly doubt that because no one died in it’s production like the other weird shit you hear and there was no time to do anything even remotely like that program wise. ‘Okay’ I thought as I shrugged and started heading back to the entrance forgetting that there was a gap that you couldn’t span back up to the mouth of the cave. Ugh.
NPC initiated conversation, that wasn’t new, I think guards did it too right?
“I’ll give you a leg up, but you have to pull me up after you’re on the edge.”
There was an option this time with yes and no, of course I picked yes. I’m a horrible softie and that’s something you’ve got to know before we go further. While I love playing a Dark Brotherhood character and did so in my play through and even in Skyrim I always feel guilty when I kill the NPC’s, more over in Oblivion because you have to kill someone random, someone who’s not even doing anything wrong.
Well the NPC gives me a leg up, something I didn’t know the game had the power to do, but it was cute and I enjoyed it and when I turned around there was the NPC waiting for me to take his hand and help him and I did, character kneeling down to take his hand and pull him up. Don’t trust creepy NPC’s even if they offer to help you, because this little fucker leaned in and bit my character not unlike the vampires when they feed at night. Fucker. Now I was worried that I would catch this damn thing, that I too would become a vampire I of course being my character. I swore and drew my weapon but the NPC stepped back and raised his hands, surrender.
“I’m sorry, they kept me captive, I was so hungry.”
Again there’s that soft streak of mine that I regretted later. Checking my character for any sign of the ‘sickness’ I didn’t see any and I found it odd because well normally when they bite you it’s something you catch. Oh right, I was playing a wood elf and it was much, much harder if not impossible to catch it. Then again I’m a constant shrine whore. Vampires aren’t always bad, they’re people too right? Lowering the weapon because you’re faster that way the NPC looked relived and we both left the cave. Short path this time, just a little thirty second walk.
“I’m following you.”
Okay, you’re getting creepy too I thought, walking with the idle text popping up on occasion. “I’m following you. I’m still hungry. It’s funny the sun hasn’t come up yet.” I hadn’t even noticed how long it had been, and he was right. Now I’ve been playing for what, an hour or two? Okay well it was time for a break so save and quit along with me sending an email to my partner. From there of course I headed out for food and nothing strange happened. Okay cool, creepy thoughts pushed to the side and I had forgotten about that creepy bastard for a time while I hung out with some friends and played Scion, yeah I’m a tabletop nerd.
Returning home I was reminded about what I sent to my partner and what happened of course I checked my email and nothing. Well the game wasn’t unplayable so I loaded it up on my Windows side again and nearly shit my pants when I loaded it up and there he was again, mouth open with my painted textures far more startling than I remember, but it was all in my style, and a artist knows when their work is edited. I don’t remember painting anything that dark but that looked like my work. No, it was my work.
“I WAITED.”
Caps lock, okay not cool and creepy but maybe it was a line of text that was left out?
“I’M HUNGRY.”
Again my character is bitten and again it’s more of a third person view while my own wood elf struggled against him, pushing and wiggling before after about three to five seconds going limp in this NPC’s grasp. What a dick. Despite my understanding, relaxed and good nature I had it, that was my character, my baby and I wasn’t going to let this dickhead keep attacking him. Vampires are a bitch to kill and it was the middle of the night so I didn’t have the luxury of sun damage. Either way I drew my weapon and attacked him giving him a good thrashing before he threw himself to his knees with his hands down flat on the ground.
“I surrender!”
Well fuck. Bleeding heart, I damn you. I let him live. He wasn’t so scary now that I had beaten him into submission, he was well fed and looked normal again. I was even starting to enjoy having him as a follower, like a companion. It was kind of cute and about ten minutes later he would prove to be real useful when he helped me butcher this ‘rival’ vampire.
“This one is mine!”
Battle phrase? Okay neat but I didn’t know if this voice that he seemed to have now was my partners or not. Either way it was late now, about eight and yeah call me a light weight but I had work in the morning and I had to sleep and work on one of my projects for University. Save and quit, report to my partner who still had yet to reply to me and going to bed. It was the weekend and I hardly blamed him, you get some buddy, or at least have fun.
Monday rolled around with nothing happening out of the norm for my college classes and trips out with friends. Loading the game up again I recoiled and nearly threw myself out of the chair when that damn NPC looked as if he hadn’t been eating since the last time I saved. Face sunken in and again my art thought I had not accounted for any starved vampires. I wasn’t even aware that they were going to be in the game. Sure I was going to do a painted version of one since there was call for an NPC that was supposed to be a vampire, but we weren’t going to honestly make him anything but a normal NPC with a special skin. This was not supposed to be here, he wasn’t supposed to be real and he sure as shit wasn’t supposed to look like this!
“YOULEFTMEYOULEFTMEYOULEFTME-“
This repeated for ten seconds even as I backed away from him afraid to have my character turn his back to this creepy fucker before the talking stopped but the lips moved as if it was still saying the line, but it changed, like a glitch but it seemed intentional.
Okay, let’s count all the ways that I was fucking done with this mod. Things I didn’t draw showing up in my style, it looked like my work to the point that I was convinced that yes it was mine. This thing had done things I wasn’t sure this game could do, perhaps it was something my partner added but I was not at all okay with this. Alright. The voice. It wasn’t the stock voice then again that’s a sort of no shit conclusion there right? No default audio like that, and pieced together audio would of course be recognizable and sound like shit. I wasn’t cool with this fuck anymore so I simply exited, deleted my save and started a new character. Altmer this time, yeah I’m an elf fan, I happen to like archers and magic but after the encounter with the wood elf vampire I needed a change. Still there was this path though I ignored it and thankfully it had no impact on my game and that NPC was nowhere to be found, imagine my relief.
It was playable, the game was cool with a decent storyline and while it was obviously something made by two people, it was still enough for me to be proud of for my first attempt. The end game content would bring me crashing back down from that pedestal I had set it on. Reaching the final battle and winning, slaying the beast that I imagine he modeled himself as it was a dragon and sure there was a model for one in the game it wasn’t the same. Kay cool, he put a lot of work into this and I remembered doing the texture for this one, again something I was proud of!
With a dead dragon at my feet and the final loot in hand all I had to do was return to the city and give this pendant to the main quest giver. Sweet, game worked, everything looked great we just had that one issue and-
There was a gap from floor to the exit of the cave.
“I’ll give you a boost.”
Nope.
Nope nope nope!
I didn’t turn around, I knew what was there and I just exited, I didn’t even bother to save. Fuck that; fuck that right into the ground.
Not surprisingly my contact didn’t respond to my emails and I chocked that up to some strange fucked up fate you only hear in these horror stories because he never emailed back and the last post from his account was a post of the file onto some obscure forum. I doubt that it even exists anymore, the forum that is. I still have the email with that mod in it, I can’t bring myself to delete it because I can hardly believe this shit myself, but I don’t want to play it again. I don’t want to remember that thing that I did that I don’t remember doing.
Am I just crazy? Did he have more than one artist work on this project who’s just good at mimicking styles? Is it something else? Fuck man, I don’t know what I want to believe, just don’t play the Mod. From what I remember the mod name was: “Dragonslayer- Kingsgrave”
Stupid common storyline, you’re the son of the slain king going to fight the dragon who is responsible for destroying your home and family, the vampire’s name was Seven, I didn’t name him and I have no idea what the significance is of that name.
If there’s enough call for it I’ll play it again. I will admit that it’s eating at me, why is Seven there, what does it mean? Is there an underlying story? How did my work change and why? Was that the only changed work? Thinking about it makes my stomach turn but it drives my curiosity and with summer break approaching… I’ll have the time but I’m afraid, remembering it now makes me uneasy.
~~ TheIllustrativeGamer
Authors Notes[]
This is my very first attempt at a creepypasta, any con-crit would be appreciated, thanks for your time and I hope you enjoyed even if just a little!