It had been an hour or two, but I eventually managed to reach the other end of the god damn pile. With my amature tunneling and the repetitive need for brakes, I was going much slower than I liked. Metal Manipulation going up a level or two helped, but the difference was miniscule. Oddly enough my digging wasn't for nothing when I saw the other end. I had even gotten another boon after all my efforts.
New Skill Created!
Skill: Tunneling
Rarity: Uncommon
Type: Physical
Level: 1 (Basic)
Description: You are able to tunnel faster and make a more stable tunnel.
Sub Skill Unlocked!
Main Skill: Tunneling
Sub Skill: Digging
Type: Physical
Level: 1 (Basic)
Discription: You can dig faster.
Metal Manipulation has increased in skill.
Metal Manipulation (Basic) Lv2 has increased to Metal Manipulation (Basic) Lv4
Stat increase: LUK+1, END+3, INT+4, WIS+3, PER +1, STR+2.
But I ignored it, my attention on what was on the other side more than anything else.
Baring a few more dents and scars in the area here or there, this place looked none too different. But unlike the red hallway I had originated from, the lights seemed to work fine, if a tad old. Some dim lighting and a few flickering bulbs here or there, made the environment seem to be under poor conditioning.
A random noise reverberating down from the hallway in front of me pulled me out of my internal musings. I won't lie, I jumped a little. Pushing past the small investment I felt, I addressed my situation.
I wasn't trapped anymore. I was out in the open. I could explore, potentially meeting other people. Something to look forward to, but also a risky endeavor. On one hand, they could help me in any number of ways. Safety, resources, information. On the other, they could be just as dangerous, if not more, than than the monster I just faced. Life was a game. And in a game, the NPCs weren't always friendly.
I didn't have any weapons or tools. I did have these pop ups that granted me skills and such. Sadly, it was still new to me and the only viable skill I had took too much concentration to be useful in a fight. At best, I could make a metal pole for later use. It wouldn't be too sturdy or that good of a weapon, and god knows I didn't know how to fight with it. It would be something at least. Hell I might learn a skill on how to use it if anything.
Regardless, it was all a mute point if I couldn't reach any other survivors. Who knows what other things roamed these halls. Not to mention a whole swope of things that went wrong when the windows first popped up. The ruble I just dug through showed how much physical damage all of this may have caused. If anything, even worse accidents could have happened.
My inner monologue was interrupted by the all too familiar sound of my stomach grumbling. I was reminded of the fact that since I had woken up hours ago, I had yet to eat anything.
New priority. Find some god damned food. All this worrying won't mean shit if I die from starvation.
Taking a moment to collect myself and my items, which were only my metal pole, the chip in my pocket, or the clothes on my back, I set out to explore the new world.
Much Later...
Considering there were monsters roaming around, this place was in good condition. Other than a few sections of damage here or there, it all looked untouched. Only in areas where I believe there had been fights did it look like a warzone.
Also this place was a real labyrinth I have to say. Only a few stepps away from the ruble did I start finding rooms and other corridors to go down. Most were locked, the metal doors shut with a card scanner next to them blinking red. There were wheels on the doors, like the ones you would see on submarines. More out of curiosity than anything else, I tried to manually open them. None of the wheels ever moved like I had expected.
For the ones that weren't locked, mostly because the door was either broken down or someone had forgotten to close them, I occasionally saw a grizzly sight.
Blood. Sometimes just a few drops, other times what could only be more than a person should be able to lose. Some of it was human. Other times it was the black oil that had come out of the robot. I saw more red than black. A whole lot more. I was just thankful there weren't any bodies. From the killers or the people that were killed. There was no guarantee the robots would be dead. I'd rather not deal with one all too soon again. And the people... I would rather not think about it.
When I could ignore the unsettling view, I gathered that this may have been some form of research facility. There were a lot of sciency stuff laying around. Documents rambling about tests and experiments. Protective gear that looked like high tech hazmat suits. The rare signe that had warning symbols or words on them. Nothing that could be used as a makeshift weapon or a functioning map sadly. It didn't help it was written in a language I didn't recognise. But it was interesting.
Anything to keep my mind off how royally fucked I probably was.
The biggest disappointment was that I have yet to find anything to eat. The slasher flick scenery I saw somewhat tempered my hunger though. If my stomach wasn't trying to eat itself, I guarantee I would have lost my appetite long ago. You would think that with the size of this place, that I have walked for about an hour or two, there would be a vending machine or something.
Imagine my surprize when I rounded a corner and I walked into a lounge area. It was just a small room with a few cabinets, some furniture, and a half broken vending machine. All metal for some reason, but that detail went straight out the window when I saw a beautiful sight. A vending machine that was still full of food. I thanked whatever god of irony existed for this bountiful gift. No hesitation in my step, I headed for the oasis before me. My belly even growled in anticipation.
It was a more sophisticated model than I had ever seen before. Lots of lights and spheres, along with the vibrant colors adorning the machine made it look more suitable at a casino building. Even the food on display looked exotic and expensive.
Reaching the vending machine, I realised a problem I had almost immediately. A vending machine requires money. I sure as shit didn't have a cent on me. I checked. Other than some gray pants, shirt, and some shoes, I was basically naked. Squeezing my hands reflexively, I felt a bumpy surface in my grip. Looking down, I saw I still had the metal pole in my hands.
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The glass screen didn't look too tough to smash. A couple of swings and I'd probably be able to dig my way into the metal chest of wonders. Seeing no other option and my gnawing hunger subverting any inhibitions I may have had, I got to work.
After the first swing, one that barely even scratched the vending machine, the thing started talking.
"Hey! Stop that!"
...I'll admit, I screamed like a little girl. Sure, the death machine had almost killed me. Sure, the world went insane and life was a game now. Sure, I could summon metal poles out of thin air. I could, kinda, handle all of that. But a talking vending machine? Apparently that was my breaking point.
"Shhh! Quiet you. You want to bring down all of the anomalies down us? Now is not the time to discover your musical talents."
The feminine voice, although clearly sinthetic, had enough emotion to convey her clear irritation at my actions. An emotion that had a bit of fear and anxiety mixed in if I guessed correctly. Regardless, I needed a minute to calm down from that scare. Not that the vending machine was going to be too kind to leave me be, asking questions just as what looked like a mechanical eye popped out of it.
"You calmed down yet? Good. Now assuming you are not going to start beating on my glorious form once again, care to explain why you had the gall to do such a barbaric thing?"
A moment or two of some breathing exercises and I had finally managed to collect myself to answer.
"I was trying to get some food."
It was simply amazing how confused a vending machine could sound.
"You know there are simpler ways to get some right? Like say, paying for it."
I rubbed the back of my head, an embarrassed look most likely on my face.
"I, uh, don't... don't have any money to spend."
The eye blinked.
"Well, then you won't get anything from me. No matter how hard you hit my chasi. Good day sir."
With that, the mechanical eye retracts and shuts off.
"Can't I just get something this once? I haven't eaten in hours!"
No reply.
In a panic and desperation at the possibility of starving to death, I mentally checked everything I had to offer. No money. Can't break the vending machine without an alarm probably going off. Maybe a trade? My clothes wouldn't fit a vending machine. Don't know what it could use a-
"I have and AI chip."
The speed at which the metal eye popped out of the vending machine surprised me, especially when it was basically just a hairlines width from touching me.
"My vocal recognition software must be malfunctioning, because I could have sworn you just said you had an AI chip in your possession."
We stared at one another for a few uncomfortable moments before I understood what she was implying. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out said AI chip. Immediately, the vending machine began to examine it in multiple angles, even had some red laser scan the metal rectangle. An uncomfortably long time passed before the vending machine gave me a reply.
"I think we can work out a deal."
I smiled, thankful something seemed to be going my way for the first time since I woke up today.
"You let me out of this infernal machine, and I give you complete access to my chassis. What would you say to that my two legged compatriot?"
Hadn't the AI said it was a glorious form just a second ago? ...Well, far be it from me possibly messing up this wonderful opportunity.
Some minutes of fiddling latter, I had the AI transferred their consciousness. It hadn't been as grand as I was expecting. I just inserted the chip into a port she asked me to and then a bandana popped out. It looked simple, a perfect circle with a metallic sheen to it. The cool part was when I decided to put it on, it automatically shrunk to fit my wrist comfortably. The metal was also uncharacteristically soft.
I wonder if I could replicate it with my metal magic?
"Let us be on our way, meatsuit."
Being so deep in my own thoughts, it took me a second to process that sentence that came out of my new accessory.
"What did you just call me?"
Must be my hearing, or whatever the AI was using as a speaker to talk with me was out of tune. Because I could swear she just called me-
"Meatsuit. That is your new designation until you prove otherwise."
Although that clearly wasn't my name, I didn't have the energy to argue with her at the moment. Picking up my weapon after dropping it in the initial question of my masculinity, I went on my way. Only this time I had a companion along for the ride.
"Wait, are we not forgetting something? Hmm...Oh. We forgot about your food. Which I do not have access to anymore. Seams you will need to break my old chassis to recover your organic nourishment."
One that may have been just as dumb as I was or unnecessarily cruel it would seem.
"Well? Do you wish to starve to death? Chop chop as they say."