Once again, Zander awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling. This time however, he was prepared for the concrete prison that greeted him, and its comforting coldness. He slid his hand along its rough surface, caressing the grainy, brutalist layer, which cradled his body that lay curled up along the floor. It was as if nothing changed from when he fell "asleep," whatever asleep may have been. He ached all over, as if his entire body had hadn't been used in days, and he felt a series of pops as he stretched, feeling instantly better.
He sat upright, taking in the inescapable concrete room for the second time in twenty four hours, finding the scars that previously lined the length of his gut missing entirely, as if his body completely reset. He brushed his fingers over where the length of blood had coated his skin, feeling a phantom line across his body that clearly did not exist. Sighing deeply, he pushed his way to his feet, finally noticing the floating text that sat in the center of the room.
In the past few times he'd seen the mysterious writing, they'd been focused in the center of his vision, in a large blue box that served as a backdrop. It had been personalized, only discussing him, however this was different. The font changed slightly, and it felt bolder, more pronounced than his own individual messages.
[Congratulations on your rest]
[You have been selected to participate in the 5th wave]
[You are the 5,546,342,544th human to reach layer 2]
[Generating Layer…]
[Error! Layer already generated]
[Launching OneSmallStep.sys…]
[Welcome to the 2nd Layer]
His vision turned an intense black, like someone punched out a flashlight while walking in the woods, before a blaring fluorescent light enveloped his eyelids, piercing his vision and causing him to place his hand above his eyes, clutching his head. At the same time, he heard tens- no, hundreds of voices all erupting to life at the same time around him, some crying out in pain, some collapsing to the floor, and some cheering in victory.
He opened his eyes, his sight adjusting to the harsh light before turning to look around. An array of jarring, strange walls surrounded him on all sides, and he stood in a large room, the size of a large sports stadium. The floor was made of waxed hardwood, which shined in the overwhelming light that dominated the space. The walls were a sickly yellow, without pattern or texture, merely functional, with small damp stains lining the junctions between the floor and wall itself.
Zander was standing in the very center of the room, mixed within the midst of a large crowd of people, possibly hundreds of people total, all of whom were in a state of panic or disarray. He watched as a man screamed and fell to the floor, clutching his chest, holding a wound which didn't exist. Another vomited on the floor, wailing something about losing his head. A few more panicked and began to run around the room, searching for an exist, but the room was so large they couldn't find much to go off of.
Some others had a completely opposite reaction, however. A woman jumped to her feet with energetic flair, pumping her fist as she raised one hand in the air, her finger pointed. She began to scroll, as if swiping on a phone, confusing Zander. Others looked calm, their gaze slowly panning around the room, and Zander noticed that a few of those who remained quiet looked more physically strong, their stature often taller and muscle filled, or confident and composed. He couldn't tell which one looked more dangerous.
The ceiling was an inverse of the floor, waxed hardwood, which was strange, because he didn't understand how something like that could be kept on the ceiling, nor the practicality of waxing the ceiling. Nothing about this place really made sense, not to mention the fact that they were in a room bigger than a football field, with no decorations, furniture, or other amenities.
Just as the crowd began to regain their bearings, a large section of the wall slid to the side, some mechanism pulling it apart, leaving a screeching, twisting noise as moving metal echoed throughout the hall. From the gap, a group of twenty people emerged, carrying a collection of weaponry, from large assault rifles to polearms and medieval swords. In fact, most of the "soldiers" carried medieval weaponry, the metal of their weapons gleaming in the light. Their attire was rather strange, wearing a series of tan clothing that blended in with the surrounding walls, without pattern or camouflage, yet he found it difficult to track the men as they moved.
There were a few women, but the group consisted of mostly men, clearly cautious and maintaining a vigilant sweep of the nearby space. Amid the group, a man wearing a bright red cap emerged, equipped with an accompanying set of military gear, padding, and a large backpack that made him stand out as the de-facto leader of the group. He moved with purpose, nearing closer to Zander as his men stopped their sweep, falling behind him. Zander shifted from side to side, and he noticed the people around him cease their discussions, all silent in waiting.
Red Cap made his way to the front of the group, standing in front of Zander as he puffed out his chest, his confidence calming the panicked collection of people before him.
"Listen up, because I'm only going to say this once!" His voice was strict and loud, echoing off the walls with almost religious fervor. "My name is Squad Leader Bill, but you can just call me Bill. We're from a branch of SkyCorp, a great power here in the second layer. Also, welcome to the second layer! If you're currently not being bombarded with notifications, congratulations on surviving the tutorial. For those who are…" His face twisted in a grimace, his eyes sorrowful. "We're sorry you had to go through that. I hope your death was painless." Zander noticed his hand shake slightly at those words, clearly he had gone through something terrible.
Wait, these people died?! He thought to himself, taking a step back in surprise. His mind flickered back to all the scenes he saw of people dying in horrible, terrible ways, remembering the dread he felt from confronting the werewolf. Just getting cut was bad enough… he couldn't imagine having to die and awaken here. He assumed they never had a chance to see their notifications until now, which seemed likely seeing a majority of people swiping at the air.
"Follow me, we'll bring you to the closest settlement. I believe it's the…" His voice trailed off, and he leaned over to one of the soldiers, whispering something into his ear. After a brief back and forth, he turned back to the group. "It should be the territory of the Migrants group. Seems y'all got lucky, some of the other groups aren't so gracious to newcomers." His expression turned dark, his brows furrowing as he spoke. "But enough of that, let's get you somewhere safe a-"
BANG
An extremely loud burst of noise rang out along the massive room, followed by a series of smaller thumps, as if someone or something was running through the vents. Zander dropped his stance, ready to move at a moment's notice, until the noise faded. The room was dead silent as people tracked the noise through the walls, including Bill's squad. He noticed Bill tense up, and the soldiers tighten their grip on their guns. This clearly wasn't a random occurrence. There was a danger around, and Zander certainly didn't want to stick around to see it.
"Everybody up!" Bill said, raising his rife to his chest, his eyes darting to the sides of the room. He noticed a short, but sharpened sword gleaming on his hip, and began to turn back to the door. "There are many dangers on this layer, and if you're left alone, you will surely die. Come! We must move quickly!" His voice turned from a raised, inspiring voice, to one of concern, and urgency. Zander felt a shiver run down his spine, and watched as the curious faces of the people around him turned into fear. As one, the crowd surged forwards, moving towards the door in the wall. Zander allowed them to pass, following their direction, but not risking him being crushed by the stampede of people. He followed behind until he stepped through the doorway, each side stationed by two guards, who shifted on their feet.
Once he passed through the doorway, he was met with a completely unorthodox sight. Instead of a sprawling, vast landscape that typically surrounded a large building, he was met with… nothing. There was a small, tight space to walk, but it felt more like a balcony than a hallway. As they left the gigantic room, the floor turned from wood to a dense carpet, which gripped to his shoes as he walked, making it hard to slip. Outside of the door, there was a massive drop, accompanied by what seemed like an endless void, which stretched as far as the eye could see. In the distance, he could see massive pillars of yellow, large complexes with the same, monotone greenish yellow wallpaper, creating towers of spaces that looked almost like an office building, but from the inside. It felt like each 'building,' as he so quickly named them, was a dollhouse, surrounded by nothing, where he could see inside. Looking carefully, he noticed small figures moving quickly through a few in the distance, before disappearing into a hallway and disappearing from view. Each building was massive, much larger than a typical office building, looking more like the size of a small town. He noticed dozens within his vision, before a thick fog blocked off the rest of his sight. The buildings were located near each other, forming little clusters of structures that looked almost like miniature cities. Overhead, the same intense, fluorescent lighting cascaded down from the same, dense fog. Somehow, the fog did not obscure the lighting, and instead prevented Zander from being able to see the origin of the lights.
"Do not fall! You will not come back, no one does." Said Bill, yelling from the back of the line. They shuffled carefully alongside the walkway, which stood along the side of one of the buildings that Zander had seen prior. There was no railing, or ways to stop falling, forcing most to give the edge a wide berth. "
"Keep moving!" Bill encouraged, which was joined by the orders of the other soldiers as they herded the group around. "We've got quite a ways to walk before we reach the headquarters of the Migrants." He approached one of his soldiers, who sported a green cap, which Zander assumed meant he was second in command. He strained to listen to what they were saying, but only heard a few words. "Migrants… Thrall… Danger… Sundown..." He quenched his brow after hearing those words. Something else was going on, clearly more than they were letting on. Also, when was sundown? There was no sun!
They pushed ahead for a few minutes, before reaching the edge of the strange building. The group suddenly stopped, unsure of what to do, and Zander strained his head, trying to get a good view. Ahead of them, maybe a mile or so away, was another massive structure, similar to the one they stood in now, separated by a massive gap, which gave way to the void that sat below them. Once he pinched his eyes, he could barely make out the outline of a small, thin bridge, made entirely of glass, that slowly tilted upwards towards the expanse. It was barely an inch thick, and looked as if it would break at the slightest touch. There was nothing on the sides, nothing to hold a person, or to prevent them from falling. He traced the line of glass with his eyes, and saw that the bridge ended at a separate walkway, at the next building ahead. They had to go across.
"Don't fear! The bridge will not break!" The squad leader pushed his way through the crowd, before firmly placing his foot along the bridge, thumping it down with a boom! Zander flinched as the man stood on the bridge, certain that it would break, but calmed when he saw the man begin to walk along it, watching his footing, but confidently making his way forward. "This bridge may seem flimsy, but I assure you, the world is pretty damn weird now!" he said, chuckling slightly as he saw the concerned expressions before him. "Believe me, the Empire State Building could fall on this thing, and the bridge wouldn't even have a scratch on it!"
A rather brawny man, wearing a blue office shirt with a long, black tie, stepped forward, carefully placing his foot on the bridge, before stepping on it completely, squeezing his eyes shut as he finally put his entire weight along its thin frame. His arms flew out to the sides, as if to catch himself if he fell, but the moment he moved onto the bridge, his expression calmed. A small smile flew to his face, and he took another step, and then another. "It's safe!" He said, eagerly. "It's not even slippery! Feels like invisible grass under my feet, or something." He gestured for everyone to follow them as they began to file onto the bridge, one after the other. There was no room for more, with the bridge being so thin.
Zander was the last to step upon the bridge, tentatively placing his foot across its surface. He was surprised to feel phantom carpet under his feet, gripping around his shoes and preventing them from slipping. He felt secure, as if he could sprint across a small plane and never lose balance. A small murmur from the group began to spread, as they began to talk to each other, but Zander didn't bother. He looked around a bit nervously. Had they forgotten the strange thumps when they first awoke? There was something deeper in the background of this place, a danger they didn't want them to know about, at least not yet.
As he was thinking this, he noticed a flash of movement at the other end of the bridge, towards their destination. A shadow emerged, catching the attention of the soldiers, who readied their weapons, causing a wave of excitement and fear throughout the onlookers. Zander strained his eyes to see what was going on, but could barely catch a glimpse of whatever it could be, but before anything else happened, he heard an intense, reverberating thump thump – thump thump!
It wasn't his heart, it was something, approaching on all fours, and fast. Screams began to erupt from the front of the group, and Zander froze in place, finding himself unable to move. Gunshots erupted from the front, but still the footsteps kept coming, getting even faster than before. It was then that Zander finally got a look at it.
The monstrous being was an immensely large gorilla, its fur a pitch black, and its limbs covered completely in tensed, bulging muscles. Its arms were the size of a small child, and it towered over even Bill, who stood taller than Zander by a few inches. It somehow just barely fit its massive frame onto the small glass panel, but with absolute confidence it charged headfirst towards the soldiers. Its face was incredibly dry, like skin that had been rotting in a desert for a decade and drained of all color. Its skin was a sickly gray, almost like a zombie, and a small creaking could be heard with each step it took, its muscles twisting in terrifying noises. Worst of all, its face was twisted in a horrific scream, its mouth stretched and twisted like a snake unhinging its jaw. It looked as if it was stuck in an eternal yawn, unable to move its mouth.
SKRIIIEEEEEE!
It let out a shrill screech that pierced Zander's ears, sending his hands flying to his ears as he desperately tried to keep out the noise, but to no avail. Even covering his ears, the scream sunk into his skull, like someone took a jackhammer and began drilling into the side of his head. He flinched, falling to his knees, as did many others, writing for a brief moment, before the sound disappeared faster than it appeared.
Zander opened his eyes, which he hadn't even realized were closed, staring at the void below him, visible through the unsmeared glass which he sat on. A set of terrified squeals rung out ahead of him, and he watched twenty bodies go flying, launching into the air, as if punted into the grip of an invisible tornado. They were launched away from the edge, falling into the void as they screamed high pitched, desperate screams, which faded away slowly as they fell further and further into the black fog below. Another body fell in parallel with the glass bridge, toppling another twenty people, sending more spiraling to whatever awaited them below.
Gunshots burst out from the direction of the gorilla-like monster, which Zander could finally see properly. The hulking beast towered over the humans, its visceral expression sending a paralyzing shiver down his spine, and he began to feel sick. The soldiers unleashed their rifles upon the creature, but despite their impressive noise and relatively large caliber, the bullets merely bounced off the hide of the creature, ricocheting with a flash of sparks, sending bullets flying in different directions. A few flew back towards the soldiers, sending them tumbling to the ground in an instant, clutching their chests in pain.
In just a few seconds, dozens of people were either dead, dying, or severely injured, with the rest practically unable to move. Blood spattered onto the now slippery bridge, which was coated in a new layer of red. Zander saw one body slowly begin to slide down the glass ramp, causing a wide streak of guts to spread further down, until someone kicked the man away, and they gasped silently, their arms outstretched, searching for a hold, searching for someone to help. There was nothing for them.
The monster crashed into the line of people, now that the soldiers were taken care of. Zander watched someone's head get crushed under the sheer weight of the horror, its massive frame easily crushing bone and flesh. This caused a panic in the remaining group, only half of which still stood. They began to run, pushing into Zander and sending him tumbling to the floor with a yelp. A foot pressed on his face, then another kicked him, as someone tumbled over the edge. It caused a little domino effect, causing even more to fall on top of each other. Zander screamed as the thuds of boots echoed around him, the thundering noise overpowering his senses, before another swift kick launched his leg off the cliff.
Shit! He cursed to himself, desperately trying to stop the rest of his body from rolling off, but despite his desperate scratching, he found no hold to stop himself, nothing to grab on, and before he knew it, he fell off the bridge. Just before he tumbled into the abyssal depths below, his eyes scrambled for something, anything he could grab on, landing on the edge of the glass before he, in one final, desperate attempt to keep his life, barely managed to snatch the edge of the bridge, his one hand supporting the rest of him, which dangled off the edge, his balance teetering on the edge of a knife.
"H-HELP!" He screamed, feeling his pit sink as he glanced downwards, seeing nothing but an endless, infinite void. "Somebody, help me! Please!" His desperate, anxious voice rang out loudly, but was overpowered by the screams that surrounded him, and the thick crunch! of death. He reached for the edge with his other hand, trying one-two-three times, before finally getting his second hand to hold onto the thin pane, and he began to pull himself up, slowly lifting his exhausted body back to safety, if you could even call it that.
As he practically kissed the glass that now lay beneath him, he looked back, trying to find signs of life, but instead he found nothing but a carpet of red, bloodstains and bodies left behind the path of destruction caused by the monster. Speaking of- it stood above the bodies, its chest puffed out, and it reared on its hind legs, its massive fists banging on its chest like a drum, releasing its unnatural, guttural shriek to the sky once more. It turned towards him, rearing its head at his quivering form, before charging once more, its fists splashing up a wake of scarlet innards as it sprinted.
Crap! Crap, crap crap! He told himself, desperately searching for something to do, some way to get past the monster, to avoid the deathly void below him, or the swift death that faced him. His mind reeled, and his desperation grew as he found he could do nothing. There was nothing he could do, no way to get around it, no way to lead it on, no way to survive, except embrace the death that came before him. Perhaps it was false, like the first layer? Where death is not permanent? No, he can't assume that, if he died and was never reborn, that would be a pathetic end. Well, not like there's much to do, I'm dead. He thought.
Suddenly, amidst his panic, a sudden draining feeling emerged from deep within the core of his very being, as if his blood was slowly being taken, constantly emptying him, and within a moment, his mind cleared. He felt his panic calm, his focus sharpen, and time seemed to slow down around him, as his thinking became faster. Without processing what he was thinking, his hand reached down to his side, his palms clasping around the hilt of a well-worn sword that lay at his feet, the very same sword that hung around the waist of the Squad Leader, who couldn't be found. He didn't even know it was there, and yet it was, so he gripped its hilt tightly, as if letting go would spell certain doom, and a plan began to form into his mind. He knew the creature would ignore him if he went over the edge… so he must make the advantage for himself.
He charged towards the rampaging monster, earning a defiant screech from its gaping maw. The gorilla dwarfed him, its pale gray skin filling his vision completely. He pushed and pushed, fighting against the bit of nerves that crept up into his skin, sending goosebumps along his arm. Just when he could see the white- or void-like blackness of its eyes…
He launched himself off the edge.
He jumped in parallel with the bridge of glass, watching the beast's head follow him perfectly, before holding out his sword towards its massive, unyielding limbs. Just as it seemed like he would continue to fall, the blade cut into flesh with a stark krsh! Coupled with a reciprocating roar of pain from the monster, one which clearly hadn't felt pain before. It stumbled, its legs buckling as the blade cut bone, digging further into its massive body, before catching, suspending Zander in mid-air. A spout of blood spiked from the wound, splashing onto Zander's face, blinding him as it covered his eye lids. He grunted in pain as he felt the sting but continued to press the blade further into its limb, despite it suspending him over the void completely.
The beast fell to the side, sending Zander reeling as its balance finally gave out, and with a desperate push, he used the last bit of suspension to launch himself through the air, his fingers barely grasping the edge of the bridge, stretched to their limits. He quickly crawled his way up, his fingers scratching against the transparent surface as he stood up, positioning himself along the side of the writhing creature, before pushing with all his might.
It flailed and thrashed in place as Zander pushed. A muscled arm slapped him to the side, sending him reeling, but he steeled his teeth, and began to shove once more, slowly feeling the massive body inch forward, further and further, until finally it gave way, with the creature's giant body sliding off the edge with a final, screaming push. Instead of screaming, or crying, the monster's face turned to look up at Zander, its sunken, hollow eyes locked with his own, until it was enveloped by the void below.
[Thrall (Brute) Killed]
[20 Essence Gained]
He didn't have the capacity to process what that meant, his body slumping with exhaustion. He laid on the bare glass, his previously racing mind slowing down, and he felt another burst of emotion, of anger, sadness, horror, and fear, all together at once. He convulsed for a moment, his mind overwhelmed, before he stilled, sighing deeply. Then the pain came. His side felt as if it was thoroughly pressed by a hydraulic press, a small fear passing through him as he imagined his skin dented, like a hammered piece of metal. Quickly, he brushed his hands along his right side, towards his shoulder, feeling for any serious injuries, but found nothing. It seemed he would live, for now.
For a few minutes he sat there, before finally turning to examine his surroundings. All around him was a blanket of corpses, nearly thirty, scattered about the small bridge. He heard no gasps for air, no cries for help. He saw several people with their heads crushed, or necks broken, all done during the monster's bloody rampage. He felt tears stream down his eyes at the wanton violence, a mixture of sadness, grief, and fear of what could've happened to him. He wept on his knees for a few minutes, before making a cross along his heart with his hand. He was not religious, but these people deserved any respect they could get, even if they couldn't get a burial.
Eventually, he got to his feet once more, before turning back towards the direction they were heading, before the interruption that killed them all. His hands bled slightly, as blisters formed along his palms. He looked for the sword he used to kill the beast but found nothing. He frantically searched, before a memory appeared before him, one of the gorilla falling from the edge, sword still stuck in its side. There was no weapon left for him to use.
The soldier's guns seemed useless, but he looked for them anyways. Most of them were thrown off in the midst of the attack, and the others were shattered from the intense impact that sealed their doom. Cursing slightly to himself, he decided to make his way without one.
"H-hey!" Zander heard a voice from behind him, across the glass bridge. "You're alive! Thank god!" The man's voice was bright and cheery, and he rushed over to Zander, doing his best to avoid the bodies that littered the ground. His face was a bright peace, with large freckles across his face. He looked almost cartoonish, like Beryl was, however long ago that was. The man brushed his hand through his long, blonde, hair, brushing it to the side, which took on a natural curl. He looked almost how Zander would imagine Clark Kent, if he was blonde. He was of a fairly average build, rather tall, and with soft, brown eyes.
"Glad to see someone's still here! My name's Michael! Nice to meet ya" He said, sticking out his arm, which Zander took in his own. They shook, and Michael moved closer to the next structure, jogging slightly up the long, glass panel. "Let's get the hell out of this place. I'm not trying to be caught again on the glass." His face grew solemn as he turned towards the graveyard behind them. He tsk'd his tongue, before smiling slightly, turning away. "Let's get to solid ground, eh?"
Zander nodded, and followed the strange man until their feet met a familiar carpet. They entered through a large doorway, which, upon passing through, led to a stretched hallway, nearly a mile in length. All throughout, the same damp carpet and ugly lime wallpaper.
As they finally reached a safe spot, Zander released his breath, which he hadn't realized he had been holding. He clutched his chest, the wind catching up with him as Michael looked at him in concern. "You ok, buddy?" He asked, placing his hand on Zander's shoulder.
"Yea…" His stomach churned for a moment, a flash of brutal gore and guts enveloping him. He felt his face, still slightly sticky from the monster's innards, and did his best to wipe away the blood, to little success. "I'm good." He said, breathing in and out slowly, his breath labored. "I'm good." He repeated.
"Name's Zander, nice to meet you Michael." He said, standing up straight and turning towards the man. "I just wish we knew where we were meeting. This place gives me the creeps. Feels like anything could run out of one of these doors." He shivered at the thought of more bloodshed. There would be no ledge to save him this time.
"I got a theory about that, by the way" Said the perkish man. "See, I think those… things appear on the bridges only, hence the danger. You saw how the soldier guys tensed up as we got close? They were pretty calm before… even with the weird banging." He frowned for a second, before shaking his head. "Still, I think it makes sense that this place is safe. It's like a game, no? We've got safe zones, and the shelter is the safe zone, while the bridges are the danger zone!" He raised his voice, as if discovering a devious plot. "Makes sense stuff would be like this, what with all the stats, and quests or whatnot. Speaking of which, why didn't we get a quest? Layer one made it seem like this would be nonstop narrative, not some weird, open world type thing." He smiled, clearly referencing the games he'd play in his free time. Zander knew the look, he had the same one about his favorite games.
"I don't know, where did the gorilla thing come from?" Zander asked, his eyes darting around the thin, but tall hallway. There were a few lights missing from the ceiling, smashed or broken, with no sign of glass along the floor. "It could be they came from here, then moved to the bridge. If that's the case… could there be more?" He froze as he spoke, looking for any sign of movement. "Shit, should we be more quiet?" he asked in a harsh whisper.
"Eh, I think we're fine. We made enough noise that if one of those things was around we'd probably already be dead. Unless they don't hear well. What if they're deaf?" Michael rubbed his chin profusely, lost in thought. "We could get some rocks or something, see if we can distract them if we find anymore. Whatever, too much thinking, let's just keep moving." He acted calm, but the two moved at a jog, instead of their slower, cautious gait.
They reached the end of the hallway after around ten minutes of jogging, heralded with a set of two large, metal doors. The door itself was shrouded in shadow, the lights far above it shattered, casting a blinking layer of light that occasionally lit up the door itself. It looked almost like something out of a horror movie, but upon close inspection, the pair couldn't find anything dangerous around it. They stopped right before they went through the door, and Michael cracked the door slightly, peering through the gap.
"There's another glass bridge here… and more of these weird buildings as far as the eye can see. What the fuck even is this place?" He cursed under his breath, his brows furrowed. "The squad leader guy said there was a settlement or something here, right? 'The Migrants' or whatever?" He glanced around, looking for lights, but he saw none. "I don't see any signs of life, just miles and miles of whatever these things are." He closed the door again, looking into Zander's eyes. "Seems like we're in this together, hu-?"
Zander blinked, and Michael was gone.
"H-HELP! HELP! UP HERE!" Zander looked up to see Michael being dragged up the wall by a elongated arm made of pure shadow, its skin a dark black. Desperately, he jump as high as he could, his fingers barely brushing against Michael's shoe, but not finding hold. Shit! He thought to himself as he scrambled for something he could use, something to throw, or a rope, or something, but there was nothing except carpet.
He watched as the man was dragged higher than he could even dream of going, the several story high ceiling completely unreachable. Michael screamed and begged at whatever had a hold on him, but if it understood him or not, its tight grapple did not cease. Zander watched as the flailing man threw punch after punch on the creature's flesh, but it did not even flinch.
Zander's jaw dropped in horror as the shadow grew another arm, and then a body, looking like a blob of goo, made entirely of shadow. The arm wrapped itself around Michael's leg, then in an instant, pulled the limb clean off, showering the carpet in a blanket of blood.
"AAAAAAAAAAGH!"
Zander looked away, flinching as the man screamed in pain. The creature brought the limb to its blubbery form, pushing the stump of the appendage deep into its body, before absorbing it completely. Then, it moved to the next.
Crunch! Crunch! Snap!
The screams stopped then, and Zander couldn't handle it anymore. He ran, he sprinted as fast as he could, through the doors, across the next glass bridge, and into the next building. He sprinted through, screaming until his voice was hoarse, tears flowing from his eyes as his stomach churned violently. Still, he did not stop.
He ran for what felt like hours, through multiple anomalous structures before his legs gave out, sending him tumbling to the floor. He sat along the edge of a balcony, overlooking the edge of the void, which seemed ever more tempting in comparison to the horrors that awaited him here. Just as he was thinking that, his vision began to blur, his bruise that coated his shoulders and neck noticeably became more sore, and he felt his senses dim. He blinked a few times, doing his best to stay awake, to be alert from the monsters that stalked him, but to no avail, and for the third time in what felt like a single day, he fell unconscious.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sarah walked alongside a large complex, accompanied by a squad of four men, all armed to the teeth with swords, staves, and wands, their arsenal bolstered from the war between them and the Bandit Kingdom just a year ago. Her short, brown hair jostled as she moved, and along her back sat a shield in the symbol of a leaf, colored a deep, vibrant green overlaying with a familiar, unmistakable lime.
Two years ago, she had awoken here, terrified and disturbed at the unending hallways of offices, her last memory of being ripped apart by blackened claws at the hands of what she now knew was a werewolf. Despite her failure, she took her new start in stride, and joined the scouts of the Migrants, who took her group in. Three days in, she watched her first friend die, a man named Marcus, who'd taken her under his wing, and taught her the ways of fighting. He was surprised by a Thrall as they rounded a corner, who took his head clean off in a single swipe. She remembered the countless nights after that followed, nightmares and terrified episodes of death, but even still, she had to keep moving.
She shook her head, launching herself out of her daydreaming. She needed to focus, they were in uncontested lands, and any misstep could lead to her or her team's quick deaths. The group of five had been moving for the good part of the morning, looking for any stragglers that could've found themselves lost after their awakening. It was Awakening Day, after all, and they needed to do anything they could to prevent more deaths. So far, they'd found nothing, but as the day stretched on, she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
Shouldn't we have run into the escort sent by the Migrants? She asked herself, looking for any nearby sources of movement from the nearby complexes. They had a shaky, but formal agreement to escort newly awakened to safety, and their patrol paths usually converged through the midst of their journey, but today, nothing had happened. She motioned to their group for caution, and they unsheathed their swords, each blade tipped with a slight blue glow.
They moved as one, silently clearing out room after room, before coming across what could only be described as a horrific sight. A pile of thirty bodies at least, stacked along each other, as if they were climbing over each other to escape something. The bridge itself was caked in a layer of slippery blood, still a bit fresh from hours before. This had clearly just happened.
"By the order… This is horrific" A man, adorned with a small necklace of a circle cut through with a cross, muttered, his hand forming a ball above his heart in a salute to those who died. "The Lord's will claims these people, may they rest in peace." He said aloud, bowing his head to the pile of corpses. The rest of the group reacted violently, with some doubling over, covering their mouths with their hands. Sarah had seen this type of scene before, but from human hands, during the war.
She stepped tentatively out onto the bridge, making her way to the front of the graveyard, her gaze wide and alert, searching for creatures that may be lying in wait. After confirming the lack of danger, she bent down towards the first corpse, finding a bright red baseball cap lying nearby. Bill… she whispered, her heart panging. They hadn't known each other much, but they'd always talked well when they met. He would visit regularly, and for the past two years they celebrated the holidays together, with her and Matsuo.
She need to move, she could mourn later. "Spread out in squads of two, keep your message skill ready. I can handle my own, but I will run if I'm in any danger. It seems like this could've been the work of a brute or even a variant. Do not engage, but look for any survivors of this massacre." She walked up the sickly ramp, moving towards the Migrant's territory, which would've been the group's final destination.
She spent the next hour combing the rooms of the nearest complex, searching each individual room full of office desks, chairs, and hanging lights that brightened the room further. Each room had similar, yet different styles of decorations and furniture, making each of them monotonous, yet still varying enough to distinguish themselves. After finally finishing with her sweep, she made her way towards the metal doors at the end of the elongated hallway.
She looked at a watch on her wrist, which read 6:00. It takes them an hour or so to get back, and she didn't want to be out here when the lights go out, even with her fellow scouts. I should search the next complex for as long as I can, then turn gather everyone in about thirty minutes. She couldn't afford to search any longer for someone who could be dead, despite how much it hurt her to turn around without an explanation for the slaughter of awakened.
Just as she was about to leave through the waiting doors, she noticed a large stained section of the carpet, its red color already being drained from the carpet. She looked up, seeing a small thread of shadow hanging from the high ceiling, waiting for something to move below it. A trapper… clearly it got someone, too, the tricky bastards. This was the worst spot for it to be hiding, too. It's only thanks to the light that she noticed it.
Clicking her tongue in frustration, she focused on her inner self, drawing out mana from her core, and pushing it outward. The invisible energy glowed a faint blue as it left her body, before the it solidified into a large, floating sword, made entirely of the energy. Slowly, another formed, then another, before she finally stopped. She imagined the swords flying up and piercing the trapper above, skewering it on their sharp edges, and instantly they flew through the air, moving faster than an average awakened could process. The first sword, with a distinct blue color, stabbed deep into the blubbery skin of the trapper, which now revealed itself fully when approached with danger. It cried softly, even its voice invisible to Sarah as she used the next blades, colored a deep green and purple, to shear it in two, with the creature finally dropping to the ground, dead.
[Trapper (Basic) Killed]
[5 Essence Gained]
Her vision briefly flickered with notifications, but she brushed them aside. She needed to keep moving, to find anyone that might be nearby. She took off into a sprint, her body swiftly blurring with speed as she moved, quickly clearing out the nearby complexes without care or caution, searching for any signs of life.
Twenty minutes passed, and she was growing tired. She couldn't keep up her top speed for much longer, and she decided to finally stop at a nearby bridge, clutching her chest above her breast, which heaved with strain. Her lungs burned as she stopped, moving to a slow walk, not letting herself stop moving. She knew it would be worse if she did, so she had to keep moving, at least a little.
Sighing to herself, she looked down at her feet, when she suddenly noticed a sliver of movement out of the corner of her eye. Summoning her swords, she spun around towards the creature, but found herself staring at a man dressed in torn, tattered clothing, with a massive purple bruise the length of a bowling ball, along the side of his shoulder, even to the point where it met his head. He had bright auburn hair, and bright green irises that accented along his peach skin. His neck hung limply at his side, but his breathing remained calm and unmolested.
She reached into her pack quickly, grabbing a clear crystal that looked to be of the purest quartz, and crushed it in her hand. A small glow appeared around her vision, and she spoke loudly and clearly to the air: "I found a survivor, seems severely injured, but not life threateningly so. I'm a few complexes north of the massacre, get here quick if we want to be back by dark." When she finished speaking, the remains of the crystal burst into light, congealing together above her head and splitting into multiple orbs, which zipped into the distance.
"Alright, big guy" She said to herself, knowing he was asleep. She picked him up from his sleeping form, easily tossing him over her shoulder. She positioned him in a way where he couldn't roll off of her, before moving towards the entrance to the complex.
"Let's get you somewhere safe."