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V2 - Chapter 38: Modern Amenities

The three of them arrived at the base of the ruins of Sariel after a long trek. Just past the broken gates rose hundreds of toppled spires from the remains of the once teeming city. What struck them as odd however was the evidence of a modern rocket platform and a control tower.

“Houston, we have a problem.” Brad chuckled.

“This doesn’t make any sense.” Brittany quipped, “I thought we were coming here for a weapons quest. Why does half the city look like a shuttle launch station?! This game has seriously lost all sense of sanity!”

“This game has totally been screwed up.” Blondie chuckled, “ Whatever! Let’s go find our loot!”

Brittany looked back at the forest, and a gust of wind came bursting through the trees with the piercing voice of the Leviathan. “Come back…”

She bolted ahead. Fresh, raw fear burst through her mental walls. She had to get away, far away from that voice, that presence, that sinister… thing. Travel across the ends of the game if need be—just not right there, right then.

Brad and Blondie struggled to catch up as Brittany kicked into a higher gear. She ran as if her life depended on it, because in her mind it truly did.

The trio ran toward the station. It was a truly strange sight to see; tumbling ruins adorned with a launch platform and scaffolding from the modern world. The remaining ruins more closely resembled a castle and had the presence of a monolith towering over them, ominous in feeling and wonder in appearance. They managed to get inside without much trouble. After some searching they found what looked to be some kind of equipment storeroom, which also seemed completely out of place.

They stopped just inside the room. Brittany’s eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. The other two caught up, their faces bearing similar reactions to the ‘ruins’ they thought they would be presented with. By instinct, Brittany found the light switch and turned it on, illuminating the room.

“These sure aren’t just some old stone buildings covered in runes…” Blondie trailed off.

“You’re right about that!” Brad swept his eyes over the monitor screens, computers, and other technological advancements.

Blondie crept over to one of the monitors. “Okay, this is a lot to take in. Let’s take our time to look through everything.”

Each of them spread out, covering three different areas of the room. Still under the illusion of surprise, they poked and prodded everything they could. Brittany pushed a button at random, and a map appeared on each party member’s NR enhanced visions.

“What did you just do?” Brad and Blondie chimed in unison.

“Nothing! I was just going over the computers! I don’t know what happened.” Brittany said.

The map wasn’t like any other quest map they’d received. It was just a map of the city that showed two beacons close together, about a hundred yards away, going off every five seconds. The entire complex was nothing less than impressive.

This place just doesn’t seem to end!

Brittany felt the walls closing in on her as she searched throughout the many screens, computers, sensors, and other instruments she couldn’t even begin to label. It was too overwhelming, being out in the wilderness without a shred of true technology besides their guns, tools, and everything on their person, and to be thrown into this. The word ‘surprise’ seemed like the understatement of the century.

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The entire complex was like a maze mixed with a puzzle wrapped in a Rubik’s cube. There was enough for an army to explore by themselves, let alone three people.

At first glance there didn’t appear to be anything of interest inside the room. However, Brittany opened a storage locker to discover a box full of military style MREs. She pulled several of them out and opened them up, revealing a well-seasoned chicken patty, cornbread, and mashed potatoes. “This is amazing.” she said excitedly, “It looks like they’re still good too!”

“Wow, this must have been stored here for a while.” Blondie commented as she picked up one of the bags, “They even have beef stew!”

Brad raised his eyebrows, “Who would leave food behind?”

Brittany shrugged, “And this stuff is clearly from the modern world. Why would a medieval-styled game have military MREs? Not to mention this room and the modernized artillery we’ve found. None of this makes any sense!”

After eating, they moved into the streets. The buildings had fallen in on themselves, creating an uneven labyrinth of rubble. They proceeded to walk through the ruined city, making their way toward the main temple. The entire structure was in shambles. The roof of the central temple had caved in and the altar had been destroyed. The interior of the building was covered in dust and debris. There was no sign of anyone.

As they approached the massive entranceway, they noticed that the pillars had been knocked over and there were many scorch marks on the surrounding walls and floor. The large doors were completely destroyed, leaving only a hole in the center of the wall. As they entered the temple, their footsteps echoed loudly against the stone floor. The room was eerily quiet with no signs of life.

“What happened here?” Brad asked.

“Looks like someone broke down the gate.” Blondie remarked.

“It doesn’t look like there’s anyone else inside though...” Brittany added.

“What if it was a trap?” Brad pondered, “Some sort of giant monster that killed everyone inside?”

“That would be crazy!” Blondie exclaimed, “Even if that was possible, why would they destroy the temple too?”

“Maybe they just wanted to make sure there weren’t any survivors.” Brittany replied.

“It seems like this whole situation is pretty messed up.” Brad added, “We should get outta here.”

“We’re not done yet though!” Blondie insisted, “We still need to find the weapons we came for!”

“Maybe we should split up?” Brittany suggested. That way we can check all the rooms in the temple faster?”

Brad adamantly shook his head, “No, I think that’s a bad idea. There’s always strength in numbers.”

Since poking around aimlessly isn’t working, then it’s time to pick a couple doors and find out where it leads us.

“Okay, then how about we walk down the corridors of this building and open doors along the way?” Brittany offered instead.

It was the pink elephant in the room. No one wanted to explore further into another part of the already mysterious and potentially dangerous place.

“I think that’s a good idea.” Brad sounded hesitant, “It’s no use walking around this whole place if we get nothing done in between.”

“I can’t believe I’m agreeing with the nitwit, but I think it’s a solid plan.” Blondie said.

What did she just call me?

“Yeah, we should stick together just in case one of us gets shot in the gut, we will be quick enough to make sure their soul stays intact.” Brittany retorted.

“I’ve had enough of your constant bickering!” Brad yelled. “We need to stay together, and back each other up—no matter what. We are living in the now, and we’re all we’ve got.”

All three went silent. They stared at each other with distrust hanging firmly in the air between them like fog in the dead of night. No one had the gall to make the first move, let alone a drastic move that would cause the others to retaliate. Obviously, the game prevented them from targeting each other, but who could say what was outside the walls of the ruins at that time, and there was nothing against pushing someone outside and locking the door.

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