Ga’Thran of the Garden usually liked her profession. Preparing civilizations for the integration into the system tended to leave her satisfied in a way that few other people could experience. Elevating an entire population to the advent of growth, wealth, health, and immortality left a mark on a person that even countless repetitions couldn’t dull.

Usually being the key adverb.

She stretched her long furred back and dug her claws into the loose dirt below her; enjoying the pats the stranger currently stroking her glinting fur.

Observing humans and interacting with a few over the last few decades had given her an understanding of why her predecessor had quit after working in the field for over a hundred standard cycles. With most other civilizations she had worked with, the process of integration had taken a standard cycle at worst.

The one that was currently petting her seemed alright, most humans in fact seemed alright, on their own. She considered asking the stranger for their opinion on a system integration, but sadly it would most likely result in a public freak out. It was unfortunate that Earth had cats.

Truth be told, the inherent power structures and tribe like societal structures weren’t uncommon, in the wider scope of the universe they were quite the opposite. But something about how humans worked, be it malice, greed, fear of the new, or the perceived need of power over others, made humans unable to cooperate in the face of planned adversity. The individual people, most of them, weren’t the issue either rather it was what they called herd instinct. A few idiot humans that stood in positions of power caused all her grief.

This changed when said adversity came to be. She even had proof, she’d seen firsthand how humans had come together when grave dangers assaulted them. In those scenarios humans inevitably became one of the most cohesive group-entities she had ever experienced, though not rivaling peoples like the telepathic hiveminds of the Garron System and similar races.

It had brought her closer and closer to an idea. An idea she didn’t want to have. Intrusive thoughts the humans called them.

She shivered all over. Puffing up the previously flattened fur. The human tried to get her attention but she was already off.

Intrusive thoughts, one in particular, were why Ga’Thran of the Garden was currently stalking through what humans called Central Park. Not for the first time did she consider just forgoing the planned adjustment period and tutorial possibility newly integrated civilizations were offered entirely. Just make the final call out so that all the other races would finally get access to the system’s glory and be able to defend themselves from the slowly encroaching horde.

Be the humans ready or not.

Ga’Thran rubbed her furred back along one of the barkier trees in her path. One could say what they wanted about humans, but their trees were some of the best plants she had ever come across. Her homeworld hadn’t had more than barkless trees, a defense against Trakers that usually grew along rugged cliffs.

When she had scratched all the itchy parts of her skin, she began stretching herself against the tree, digging her claws into the bark and hyperextending her back. Enjoying how she felt in the lighter gravity, even though she had gained weight ever since coming to earth.

Her sustained bliss was interrupted by something impacting the tree ahead of her. Without the system reaching into this galaxy none of her skills worked properly externally – she was not a mage – so it took a moment to figure out what had transpired.

As she turned around, she was hit too. It didn’t cause any harm, but pain was there regardless – even if only for the duration of the impact. Then one more. Another. A third and forth. She saw the assailants, three boys, around the age of a decade by human standards, standing with bb-guns in their paws and pointing at her.

“Why isn’t the kitty running away?” one of them asked.

“This one is boring,” the littermate responded. Followed by another shot, that impacted Ga’Thran of the Garden’s snout. It hurt.

Had they fired at one of her littermates or had she not been under the Pact the three kids might very well be dead right now. Ga’Thran known in the wider multiverse as Ga’Thran of the Garden, what few knew, was that she had been born of the fire. A clan best known for their temper. Ga’Thran had just been less vicious than her littermates.

Today, she decided, a garden would burn.

“Fuck you guys,” she yelled.

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This had been the final straw today.

“Humans are ready for integration,” and her words filled the ears of all the people on Sol-3 and the galaxy humans called the Milky Way.

###

The door fell shut behind Max as he took a deep breath. Portland’s air was especially good after a rainy night. So much better than what he’d experience in New York. A few more steps brought him out of the shadow of his sister’s apartment complex and into the warming rays of the sun. The early morning sun was already working hard pushing the vestiges of the cold night away.

He turned around once, just to make sure he’d closed the windows. It was supposed to rain before he got home from his work experience at the Oregon Zoo. The apartment complex he was staying in over the summer towered over the low-density housing of Portland’s southern outskirts.

He checked his phone to see whether Jamie had sent him any updates on the bus. She’d not said anything since she’d gotten on the bus – not entirely unlike her. Even this early, before the sun rose, it sometimes got stuck in traffic. Given her radio silence, all must have been going well.

Max walked along the road, leaving the apartment complex, which his older sister inhabited during the semester, behind. The music in his ear managed to mostly suppress the noise from the highway behind the building but being from New York he had long since accepted such an integral part of life.

As he moved through campus he pulled the headphones out, just enjoying some bird chatter. On the other end of the deserted campus, he plugged them back in and got to the bus stop in relative calm. After waiting a few minutes, the vehicle arrived.

He entered, quickly scanning his season pass before going all the way to the back, joining a brunette girl a year older than him, wearing casual overalls and oozing swagger only a person fully aware of their looks could manage.

Initially Max had disliked Jamie. They’d started the internship together, but she had been assigned the fun post, actually working with the animals, instead of just cleaning the cages. Only later did he find out that she was already several semesters into her biology degree and had experience working at zoos. In light of some of her skills and friendly demeanor he’d given up on his dislike of her, and gone full one-hundred and eighty.

“Sup dude. What’s good?” his local friend asked. Max grinned as he sat down in the seat in front of her.

“I’m alright, my neck’s a little sore though. Must have slept wrong,” he responded. “How about you?”

She chortled in response. “You could have just asked you know.” She placed her hands on his neck and began massaging.

They chatted idly on their bus trip before switching to the blue line. After another couple of minutes slumping in their seats they had to get up again. Leaving the train station into the early rays of sunlight.

On their way from the station, they met a few other employees and began chatting about the day. Their supervisor – a young woman by the name of Janett roughly five years their senior – was just inviting them to this week’s bouldering excursion when they stepped into the staff area. It being Monday Jamie and Max had to wait for a couple minutes until they were assigned to any specific area for the week.

In Maxs three weeks of internshit – as he had renamed it – he had thus far spent two weeks digging up, stacking, and transporting manure. Last week though had been what he had hoped for when he applied for an internship out of town. He’d been accompanying and supporting Kazuo – their conservation professional. Supporting was a far stretch, but it had been an educating and fascinating experience.

Absorbed in his thoughts he took a moment to reprocess what Janett had said.

“Jamie, this week you’re going to be with Eduard, he does hoof stock handling,” Janett said with a smile on her face. ”Max, I’m going to need you to help the zoo keepers with their daily duties again. They’ve really appreciated your help the previous weeks.”

Max was already contorting his face when she kept speaking.

“I’ll make sure that you get at least another two or three weeks with the more interesting jobs.”

They were effectively paying him 28$ per month, which was the public transportation fee, and he was doing the work of someone that earned a hundred times as much. Work he didn’t even want to do in the first place.

He considered just heading home. But he’d made a commitment and he’d adhere to it.

Maybe his parents were right when they claimed that going into biology was a thankless and not well-paid field. At this point, he was ready to believe that his father had paid Janett to only give him the uninteresting jobs so he’d change majors to something like engineering or pre-law. He’d complained to Janett before and had only then been assigned to Kazuo due to that; maybe he’d have to do it again if he wanted his next two months to be as fun as the last week.

But thinking back at the last week with Kazuo, he felt that it wouldn’t be that to be a biologist, as long as he would manage to make a solid living he’d be content.

He took a cart with one of zookeepers he was assigned to, to the elephant exhibit. The large animals seemed a little more relaxed, calmer, than usual, which Max appreciated. Pitchfork in hand he began carting manure and old inlay into one of the trailers.

The sun rose further and even though the air still felt cool he’d already put up a sweat.

During a particularly light load on his pitchfork, he felt a strain in his eyes.

Then his ears exploded in sound. Coming from everywhere and in every intensity and frequency.

“Fuck you guys, Humans are ready for integration.”

Suddenly there was text overlaying his vision in bright white letters.

Congratulations Max Fifty-seven thousand three hundred and forty-one of Earth. You have successfully signed up to participate in THE CRAWL instead of the tutorial.

Since humanity as a whole has signed up you have been awarded extra concessions by the Adjudicator.

Trait: Primal – System Events do not discriminate by age.

Your innate trait has been awoken.

Equipment Mastery (Beginner) – Your equipment is slightly stronger, durable, and more useful. Your Equipment can make you stronger in return.

Then the world blanked out.