Imperious 002 - It's Got Claws

For an instant, Anna had the soul shaking feeling of being in many places at once. It was like her entire body had been broken down into its most basic materials, the fundamental components scattered across an inky black void filled with an uncountable number of stars. Every molecule seemed to have a portion of her soul attached to it, spreading her sense of self throughout an indeterminable distance. She was everywhere, okay, not really, but it was the only way she could describe it. The most unsettling part was that it didn’t hurt.

The strangeness only increased as she felt a change take place within each and every one of those separate molecules, a deep set shift that brought with it a brief sense of connection.

SYNCHRONIZING

The feeling intensified; deep, fundamental concepts bombarded her very being. Her world, her universe expanding beyond anything she could rationalize with her mind as it was. Bits and pieces stayed, though, ideas and notions that clung to her out of a sense of familiarity.

INTEGRATING

The molecules began to move, pulling together towards a singular point. She was being rebuilt, reconstructed, piece by piece as her sense of self grew more and more clear. One particle compounding upon another to restore that which had been scattered in order to study her at her most basic level. A flood of information spread through her being, a rush, a whirlwind, a cascade of feelings and emotions and realizations before, finally, she was whole again.

She floated in that space and marveled at the stars before looking down at her body. It didn’t look different, but it certainly felt different. Not stronger, not faster, just… more.

Then she fell, the void rushing past her. She watched the universe stream by, stars turning into a blur until a pair of eyes opened within it. They were both close and so very far away. She could feel something ancient within them, unknowable, far removed from her understanding. Two smoldering spheres of red-orange light that gave her a sense of resigned cruelty. A feeling she could barely grasp on to. It was like the gaze of a parent just before they punished their child, but one turned to all that existed.

It was tyrannical.

Her heart pounded as the universe moved faster, an invisible hand in the cosmos grabbing hold and pulling her through it. She was nearing something, closer, closer, a heart stopping drop to her death. She sat up and opened her eyes. “Holy shit,” she breathed, her chest heaving. She whipped her head around, her mind trying to catch up with the experience, retain it as best she could as she tried to rationalize what she’d seen even as it faded away. She was still in the cell, those gray walls and bars greeting her, the lights were out. She scrambled to her feet, stumbling over to the bars and grabbing hold of them. “Hello?” she shouted, “Hey! What the hell was that?” she called.

She ran her fingers through her hair when no one responded, her eyes flicking about. Okay, okay, there were words. I saw words. Am I going crazy? She frowned, No, mom always said that crazy people aren’t lucid enough to ask that question, she pinched the bridge of her nose. Then what the hell was that?! Integration? Tutorial? What the fuck is a tutorial in this context?

She rounded on the bars again and slammed her fist against them, “HEY! IS ANYONE OUT THERE? HELLO?” she shouted at the top of her lungs. She glanced up at the ceiling. Is there a camera? She found it set just a cell or two down, it looked like it was on some kind of swivel as it was turned away from her. She waited for a few seconds, her hand poking through the bars and ready to wave at it only for it to just sit there, unmoving. No power at all? Fuck!

She pushed away from the bars and racked her brain. “Okay, calm down,” she breathed, “They wouldn’t just abandon the station. There’s gotta be somebody out there,” she muttered to herself, trying to ease her pounding heart. She walked over to the bench and sat down. Deep breaths, she thought and pressed her hands against her thighs, running them up and down to work a little bit more feeling into them and soothe herself. Her hand brushed against something in her pocket and she froze. What the?

She hopped back to her feet and shoved her hand into her pocket, pulling the tiny object out. It was about the width of a hockey puck, about as thin as a cracker, and shaped like a hexagon. It looked like it was made out of stone or some kind of matte colored metal. She scratched her head, “Uh…”

Item: Tutorial Starting Kit Token - (Tierless, Unique, Soulbound)
This token may be crushed in order to provide the individual it has been assigned to a basic starting kit of equipment to use in the tutorial. This item may only be used once and can only be used by its owner. This item has been soulbound to Annastasia Flitt.

The words just… appeared. A semi-translucent panel that hovered in front of her face. It looked like something out of an old-school RPG, with a white frame and blue background. She took a step back and it followed her, staying in the exact same place in her field of view. She turned her head and it followed. Okay, definitely starting to worry about that crazy train ticket I might have picked up today, she thought before quashing the rising panic about her mental state with a firm thought. The token thing is real, I’m holding it, it’s solid in my hand. Whatever this is, it’s really happening, she thought, trying to stay rational.

She looked at the token again before turning back to the panel, actually reading the words this time. “So I just… break it?” she asked.

No new panel of details appeared, in fact, the previous one vanished as she thought it might be a little annoying to have it hanging around in her face. She exhaled, “Okay, so, now we’ve got mental commands going too,” she muttered and scratched at her messy head of hair. She shrugged and pressed her thumb against the center of the token. Might as well, she thought and felt the object immediately give way under the smallest amount of pressure. It snapped in half and dissolved into little particles of light that floated up to the ceiling and vanished.

She rubbed at her eyes only for several objects to fall on her while she wasn’t looking, one item clipping her on the side of the head. She cursed and pulled away, hand pressing against the probable lump that was forming. “Mother f-” she trailed off and stared at the things at her feet. “What the fuck?”

A small leather backpack sat on the ground with a bedroll attached to it. It looked like it was stuffed to the brim. Next to it were two more tokens. Unlike the first that had been blank, these two had funny little symbols on them that she didn’t recognize. “Okay, matter from nothing, no big deal, don’t tell mom,” she mumbled and snatched up the first token.

Item: Basic Weapon Token - (Mortal-Common)
This token can be crushed in order to provide the owner with a weapon of their choice. Some weapons may be unavailable due to the low tier of the token.

Weapon? She rolled her jaw left and right and squinted at the bars. She looked down at the token again and crushed it like the first. Instead of items just falling from the sky this time she got another window.

Please make your request. 

Available weapons: 

Simple Melee Weapons. Simple Ranged Weapons. Mortal Tier. Common Grade.

“No idea what that means,” she said before glancing at the cell door again. Would that even work? She sighed, I don’t think I have any other options. She cleared her throat, “Uh… can I have a crowbar?” she asked. 

The screen vanished and she had the immediate urge to take a step back. She hopped backwards just in time to dodge the heavy metal crowbar that fell from above and landed with a clatter at her feet. She reached up and clapped her cheek in amazement, “...woah,” she laughed, “Alright, I think I don’t mind being crazy,” she said and crouched down to pick the item up.

Item: Crowbar of the Tutorial - (Mortal-Common)
This heavy metal crowbar is far more resilient than a mundane tool of similar design. It can be used as both a weapon and prying implement.

She let out a low whistle before glancing up at the hall beyond the cell. She looked back to the other token on the ground and the backpack next to it. I am getting the feeling I am going to need this stuff, she thought and picked up the other token.

Item: Basic Armor Token - (Mortal-Common)
This token can be crushed in order to provide the owner with a set of armor. Some armor may be unavailable due to the low tier of the token.

She mouthed the word ‘armor’ and tilted her head thoughtfully, “Hokay, uh, weapons and armor. Really not liking this,” she muttered but crushed the token anyway. 

Please make your request. 

Available armor categories: 

Light Armor. Medium Armor. Heavy Armor. Mortal Tier. Common Grade.

I have to pick by category this time, it won’t let me just choose a bullet-proof vest or something, I guess, she thought. It sounds like I’m going to need to be ready for a fight. She considered the light armor but pushed the thought away, What’s the point of ‘light’ or ‘medium’ armor anyway? If you’re going to wear something protective, shouldn’t it actually… protect you?

She frowned, I just hope it doesn’t weigh a ton, I’m not exactly quick on my feet as it is, she thought before speaking, “Heavy Armor,” she said and took a quick step back. As before, an object just appeared in the air above her and fell to the ground. This time far noisier than the crowbar. It looked like a leather jacket with cuffs at the end of each arm, the entire thing was coated in linked rings of metal. She picked it up and found that while it was heavy it wasn’t horrible to lift either.

Item: Ringmail Chestplate of the Tutorial - (Mortal-Common)
This heavy armor is far more resilient than a mundane piece of similar design. It can withstand physical damage and is particularly effective against piercing attacks.

“Neat,” she quipped and took a few moments to figure out how to put it on. It wasn’t a difficult process, just slipping it on over her head and forcing her arms through the sleeves. There were some straps at the waist and shoulders that she could use to tighten it a bit to her body. After getting it snug she found that it was pretty much fitted just for her. “Not bad,” she said and turned her attention to the backpack. She was about to reach for it when a low metal thud drew her attention. It was coming from further down the hallway. The security door? She hurried up to the bars and grabbed them again, “HEY! I’M IN HERE!” she shouted, “HELLO?”

No response, just another low, heavy thud. Then another, and another. Coming a bit faster than before. She craned her head to listen for any voices coming between the blows but didn’t catch anything. A bad feeling started to worm its way into her guts as she took a step back from the bars. Maybe whoever it is is just focused? She thought blandly before cursing and grabbing the crowbar. She slammed the pointed end against the seam between the door and the rest of the cell. It bounced off, the seam too narrow to fit the crowbar. Shit, shit, shit!

Another low thud, she turned to the bars themselves. While not insecure, the holding cell bars weren’t exactly new either. She wedged the crowbar between two of them and shifted to the side, grabbing hold and pulling with all her might. Come on! Another thud. Come on! THUD! COME ON!

With a loud clank and clatter, the bars snapped from where they were welded to the frame of the cell. The hole still wasn’t big enough though. She moved to the next set and repeated the process. THUD! THUD! THUD!

BOOM!

She couldn’t see it, but she could only imagine the security door had been knocked off its hinges. There was something in there, with her, strong enough to rip a heavy metal door out of a wall just by slamming into it. This is completely nuts! She thought, Fuck! She whipped her head around, there was nowhere to hide but at the very least she knew what direction the hall to the security door was. She hurried over to the left side of the cell, snatching up the backpack and pressing her back against the wall as heavy feet trotted into the holding area.

She squeezed her eyes shut. All she wanted in that moment was to be small. Be invisible. For whatever it was to just look past her just like the others at school usually did. The only reason that bitch Chloe had paid her any mind was because she’d been seen as a rival. Otherwise, otherwise, I was nobody. She thought, Nobody, Invisible, Just a fly on the wall. She steadied her breathing until it came in silent rasps. The heavy feet outside paused as if whatever it was had abruptly lost track of her. She bit her lip and pressed her back harder against the wall. Go away, please go away.

The heavy footfalls resumed, drawing closer. She squeezed her eyes shut as the sound became clearer. There was a faint clattering that accompanied each step. Four steps moving in concert with one another. Four legs, it’s got claws, she thought, a chill running up her spine. She opened her eyes and felt her blood turn to ice when her eyes met a single blazing mote of fire inside of a wolf-skull the size of a mailbox. She snapped her hand to her mouth when it didn’t react to her, instead just staring into the cell and tilting its head now and then as if searching the interior.

What the fuck is that?

Lesser Skeletal Hound - Level 5

Oh that’s really fucking helpful! No shit, sherlock!

The hound snuffed at the air, huffing out a cloud of steam before turning away. She didn’t so much as blink until she heard it trot back down the hallway towards where the security door had been. There was a low clatter as it stepped over the fallen door before the steps began to grow distant. She let out a shaky breath and slumped down onto the floor, No way, no fucking way, she said, clasping the sides of her head, What the fuck. Am I supposed to fight that thing? she thought, It’s as big as a horse!

She looked back up at the bars. She had to get out of there, fast, before it came back and sniffed around again. She had no idea why it hadn’t seen her and she didn’t want to test her luck a second time. She grabbed her crowbar and raced to the bars, setting it between them and this time positioning herself so she could use the wall behind her as leverage and push. It took only a few tries to get the bars to pop out only for her eyes to widen in horror as they clattered on the ground.

Somewhere inside the precinct, she heard the Skeletal Hound start to move again and a new window appeared.

New Quest Alert!

Escape the Precinct (Hard)

You have awoken in the precinct and have already found yourself in danger. You must survive if you are to thrive in this changed world. Survive your attacker and escape the precinct. Or die.

Rewards will be awarded based on Performance and current Level.

I am so fucked.