“Results.... Inconclusive, more testing needed to verify the existence of worlds existing within Hyperspace and Quantum Flux. As a side note, Strange properties have been noticed when in conact with substance AB33445120Z-9. Further testing needed.”
-Experiment notes
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Waking up on cold stone was never the best feeling. The chill that spread into your back, and the stiffness in your shoulders never seemed to go away until you managed to get a good nights rest on a soft bed. Looking around in the bleak darkness, Kylan groaned as he brushed his lengthy hair out of his face. Pushing against the ground he slowly pulled himself together, he paused for a moment, blinking as he moved a hand to his face. ‘I’m... okay?” the strange tingling at the edge of his senses left Kylan confused as he wiggled his fingers, looking at his body and wiping his face. Feeling dried flakes of blood peel off with his motions, the prospect of this being a dream was quickly removed from his mind. His limbs seemed to be fine, and the fact that there wasn’t a piercing pain endlessly moving through him was a good thing.
It was a slight bit disconcerting how he had no idea where he was, and on top of that he was in perfect condition. Looking around the dimly lit cavern, Kylan bit the inside of his cheek as he noticed the softly glowing moss and crystal’s on the ceiling. Small bugs moved along the ground, their carapace’s shades varying from grey to a poisonous purple. Unfortunately, he wasn’t an entomologist, so that made using the species of bug to decide where he was an option he didn’t have. Furthermore, the lack of practical skills to survive in this situation was rather.... upsetting. Not that he lacked the ability to survive, camping and hiking taught quite a bit to those who were willing to learn.
He wasn’t much of a cave explorer though, but he did know the basics. Which were mostly along the lines of ‘Don’t get lost, Don’t go under water, and Don’t eat the mushrooms.' the last rule something that he had jokingly added when he was thinking about what would happen if he was in one of those survival horror movies. Snorting softly Kylan shook his head, it seemed like his musing and daydreaming actually had a use now. Who knew. With a slight grin on his face, he looked around the cave once more this time taking the time to listen to his surroundings.
The soft drips of water echoed in the darkness of the cavern, the soft skittering sounds of insects moving along the stone floor, the chirps of what sounded like bats from somewhere overhead... well, food and water was a go. Wrinkling his nose at the thought of eating a bat, Kylan sighed, “Well... it’s an adventure right? And besides, I can't get lost if I don't know where I am...”. He was in a cave, without a phone, and if his memories were right, the world might not even be looking for him with that....thing that had invaded it. A warm gust of air escaped from Kylan’s lips as he nodded to himself, his fingers stretching with soft pop’s that seemed to echo inside his body. He would find a way back eventually... but for now, it was better if he focused on some objectives.
Where was he? Was there a way back home? and what was the System? Three simple objectives that would be more difficult to solve the further he moved along the list.... well, that was the feeling he had about them. Speaking of goals, hwo the hell could he see? was everything a dream? he was pretty sure his bones broke under the pressure he was feeling before he woke up in this cave. Shaking his head, Kylan pushed the thought to the back of his mind, a Dues Ex Machina to save the day was never a bad thing right? Another drop of water echoed, the soft ‘ping’ rumbling against the walls as Kylan took a step forwards, his back foot pressing into the ground to propel him into the air for his first step since waking up.
Only, he kept moving into the air. Yelping as he found both his feet leaving the ground Kylan started floating into the air for a few moments, his ‘step’ sending him over a yard forwards as he frantically tried to keep himself from flying into a wall. Landing on the ground, Kylan felt a heated surge of panic rise into his throat, his chest tightening as his mouth was suddenly dry. Gravity did not work like that on Earth. He had explored plenty of places, ranging from forests to caves with his friends. Sometimes the group would spend months in the wilds, underground, or at sea.... but never had they encountered a place where gravity itself wasn’t as heavy as it should be! His hand started trembling as a rush of fears started to bloom in his mind, What if he wasn’t on Earth? Was the air poisonous? Was he going to die from an unknown toxin? He had no reference of what was poisonous and what wasn’t, what plants could he eat? what about animals? Were those things he heard earlier really bats?
It was the last thought that sent an ominous chill up Kylan’s spine, his flesh suddenly feeling as if it was crawling. He might not be on Earth, but given the fact he could ‘jump’ with a single step that meant that gravity was lower... so that would also mean he was stronger then most creatures on this planet until his muscles started to decay and adjust. In turn, that might be just enough of a cheat so that he could survive here, at least, he should be able to survive as long as nothing poisonous attacks him. So, there was a bright side at least.
Taking a deep breath as he steadied himself, Kylan took another step, each movement sending him forward several feet forwards at a time. With a slight grin forming on his face, Kylan chuckled, despite all the problems and terrors he had about the situation, there was one thing that was true. It was an Adventure, perhaps the adventure that he had been longing for. Walking out of the small, dimly lit cave Kylan made his way into a more open chamber, the ‘sky’ above his head thick with mossy growths that glowed and glimmered in hues of blue and red, soft purple’s forming where the color’s met. It was like the night sky of earth in a way... at least before all the light pollution made it impossible to see the stars.
A sigh escaped his lips, Kylan’s tongue moving inside his mouth as he bit his cheek nervously. He needed to find some supplies, and it looked like he would be surviving on the edge of starvation if he wasn’t able to find any creatures with meat to feed off of. He needed to get out of this cave. Looking around as the soft chirping sounds of bats echoed in the air, Kylan kept himself close to the walls as he looked around the murky darkness, the luminescent moss creating enough light to make it difficult to find an exit above him while it illuminated the floor. The rocky ground had soft tufts of grass growing in between cracks, the stems of the plants a sickly black. Shards of rocks littered the ground, some pulsing with light waves of red, blue, white, and purple as they rested on the floor. Looking closer to these rocks, Kylan knelt down, his hand picking one up as he turned it over in his hand. They reminded him of Geodes, only that strange wave of light spread through the rock like a ripple... it was intoxicating to look at, the pulse of energy moving through the rocks almost seemed to pull the eye to it, threatening to consume the mind of any who would stare for too long.
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However, despite the strange effects on the stones, what was more important was that they also had rather sharp edges. Grinning lightly Kylan nodded to himself, a sensation of relief spreading through him. It was a weapon, a primitive, terrible weapon- but it was a start. With these he could make a spear, and from there on he would be able to work his way up the tree of technology. He had a starting point and a path to follow. Now all he needed was to make his way back home. As the thoughts crossed his mind, Kylan’s shoulders relaxed as he looked around the cave once more, the more open cavern glittering as things moved far above him.
Pocketing a few of the stones, Kylan looked around in the dark as he took a step forwards, a sudden sense fo danger washing over him. It wasn’t like the empty mechanical feeling that the System brought forth, rather, the sensation was as if he was about to step into the lair of a bloodthirsty beast- a situation he was rather familiar with. Several years ago he had gotten lost on a camping trip and was forced to take shelter in the mountains due to a storm. The cave he found himself within was home to a hibernating bear that later started stalking him once he left. It took days to get the bear off his trail, and upon returning to the city he had found out that the animal was ‘wanted’ by the local forest rangers as it was rabid.
The only reason why he left the cave was due to the sensation of danger. It was as if someone put a knife to his throat while a sudden gust of cold wind washed over his body. The alien System had a similar feeling to it, which was why he reacted so violently to it’s invasion. Tensing as his body prepared to leap in any direction at a given moment, Kylan paused as he heard a soft twittering. Looking up, An enormous bat like creature swooped down towards him, it’s legs revealing sharp claws as it’s wings seemed to bubble and shift, the flesh seeming almost liquid. The worst part of the creature was it’s face, the bat had no eyes, it’s mouth was hanging open and in place of anything above it’s nose was a deep hole that would likely act as an ear of sorts.
The alien creature sent waves of fear through Kylan’s body, his hand reaching towards a sharp stone and gripping it, the cold rock cutting into his flesh as he took a deep breath. With a screech the bat suddenly swooped down towards him, the monster’s mouth opening widely as it revealed a throat full of rotating teeth, a ghastly howl of sound escaping from it’s body as it struck Kylan’s helpless body. Suddenly unable to keep himself steady, Kylan could only feel the world violently sway around him, his body shaking as he lashed out with the stone, cutting into the air as the bat flew back, a sharp hiss escaping it’s mouth as it’s prey unexpectedly fought back.
It was then that another rock suddenly sailed through the air and slammed into the bat’s side, the creature growling in distress as Kylan fell back, his body pressing against the stone wall behind him. A soft ‘twang’ echoed in the darkness as an arrow with another sharp stone attached to it smashed into the bat’s face, the item pressing through the animal’s head with a burst of bloody gore. “Almost lost you there eh kid? What are you doing in these caves?” a grizzled voice echoed as a man stepped out of the shadows, his face covered with a thick scarf and the rest of his body cloaked with layers of hide clothing. It was impossible to tell he was human... well, besides the fact that he was using English. That was a giveaway. Pausing the man, spoke again, cycling through French, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, and a few other languages before Kylan got over his shock. “W-what? What just happened?” his voice spilled from his mouth as the man chuckled, the figures shoulders relaxing lightly as a slightly muffled reply escaped from his mouth. “You almost died that’s what happened. Howlers might look like bats at first, but these things are near the top of the food chain in these kinds of areas.” the man sighed as he shook his head, strands of dark hair escaping from his hood as he continued, “Names Gregory by the way. Lets get out of this cave, I felt something... shift in this area, I never expected another human to appear though!”
A slightly infectious joy spread through the mans tone as he finished, his hand stretching out to help Kylan up as it suddenly vanished with the next set of words from his mouth, Gregory's tone flat. “Now, don’t go telling me your name. As far as we are concerned you don’t have the privilege of a name until you can show your worth.” Blinking, Kylan stuttered in confusion as he followed the man, the figure already starting to walk through the narrow cave corridors and the winding passages, “Worth? Where are we going? and who are we?” Shaking his head the man made a ‘what can I do’ gesture with his hands, remaining silent as he continued to walk on, the cavern walls narrowing before opening once more, forming into an opening with dim light filtering through it.
The pair soon found themselves walking into an open forest, light filtering down between the heavy branches of the trees. Looking up, Kylan paused, swallowing nervously as he noticed the infected black veins that were on that blade of grass in the cave winding and crawling up through the wooden trunk. The leaves above his head were a sickly blackish green, and the sky behind them.
A sense of sheer terror flowed through Kylan as he looked into the sky, the night starts twinkling as red and black veins seemed to throb angrily above him. The shadow’s of creatures wobbled in the distance as they dived through the clouds, thick trails of multi-limbed creatures swaying as the shattered moon writhed with life. The Moon. Was. Alive. Thick ponderous tentacles of black and blue flesh wormed across the surface, the cracked moon being held together by the creature that the tendrils were part of. Feeling a hand press down on his head, Kylan found himself looking back at the ground, Gregory’s voice rumbling in front of him, “Don’t look up for too long. Things can see you too you know?” The man’s voice held a slight trace of fear as he continued, “I forgot to mention that.... But you should be fine. Just don’t do it again. We are going to head to town, so try and keep up.” With those words, the man stepped forwards, his body leaping into the air as he kicked off the branch of a tree.
Looking at the man’s movement, Kylan shook his head. How was he supposed to do tha-.... right. Lower gravity. Jumping up into the air, Kylan found himself rapidly nearing the thick tree branch. Kicking at the branch in a terrified attempt to change direction, he suddenly was tossed to the side, his body rapidly catching up with Gregory as the man chuckled, continuing to guide the newest survivor to the Village.