When you hit rock bottom, the only way to go is up. I thought I had seen the worst this twisted metaverse had to offer (I hadn’t), and… was still standing. I would say ‘and survived,’ but that wasn’t technically true. I had died twice in this world, or whatever facsimile of death existed here–the atomization of my True Self(™).

The first death–an impulsive sacrifice to protect Rook–that intriguing matron of the Round Table–from the flame-dripping jowls of an ink-black beast from a forgotten corner of Chinese mythology, discovering some quanta of selflessness within me I didn’t know existed.

The second–a desperate middle finger to the cannibalistic cult leader that forced me to witness my own devouring. A rape of the mind wrapped in the excuse of enlightenment. Even now the memory made me want to retch.

But death was not the end. It offered no solace or escape. And while the first did indirectly confer some tangible benefits, the second only added to my bondage.

I was in the hole, negative 1,692 Universal Cryptocurrency Credits. Not a huge sum, considering what I could make from completing a single Task, hunting an invasive entity and purging it from The Collective. But I could not afford transit fare. If I ran out of ammo, I would not be able to buy more. I couldn’t back up my data at the Restoration Point. And, most concerning, if I died again or if the mysterious pink rain started to fall, signaling a Cycle change, my debt would be compounded.

If I didn’t get more Crypt safely and soon I could get trapped in a downward spiral of financial slavery with no end in sight.

I stood in the middle of Spawn Alley, ignoring the shifting crowds around me. They were mere shadows to me. Passing shades. Clutched in my hands was the small, ornate chest containing 100 Crystals–the shining ephemera harvested from the foreign data of slain monsters. A payment from the Progenies Serpentium in exchange for one of my Voynich Manuscript pages.

I wanted to kill him, their leader. Der Schlächter. I wanted to rip him limb from limb. But who was I kidding? He could snap me like a toothpick. I was powerless against him. But I would not be so forever…

100 Crystals would do me a lot of good at the Data Forge. I could expand my data storage capacity. I could increase my statistical categories. I could forge and fuse, export and transmute. But I hesitated. Without the ability to back up my data, any upgrades could be permanently lost. The valuable anomalous item I gave away and the horror I endured would be for nothing.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Re-establishing contact with Antisoc had put a little wind in my sails after what transpired at Nadir Tower. There was a path forward. A whisper of a hope at uncovering the truth. But now a thousand doubts started to encroach. The long fingers of paranoia tightened their grip around my throat.

True, I had somehow managed not to burn any bridges with the three main Volunteer factions vying for their own (possibly mutually exclusive) victory conditions in The Collective. But I was being watched.

The Serpents were searching for my friend, my only bog dram friend in this purgatorial existence, Camel. Or more specifically, a map he was said to possess. I was on a ColSec watchlist for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Okay, I was 100% guilty of being an accomplice to a heist at the Repository, but they couldn’t prove that. And Antisoc, who possessed troves of incriminating data on me, could have eyes anywhere. Or everywhere.

The Serpents offered me an incredible sum if I retrieved Camel’s map. 1,000 Crystals, taken from a great vault overflowing with them, in addition to paying off my debt. Despite my absolute loathing for the group, the reward made me salivate. I was ashamed. But how could I betray Camel? He was the one person who had my back through all of this. I couldn’t betray him. I wouldn’t betray him. Or so I kept telling myself…

Then again, where was he? I hadn’t seen Camel in many Cycles. Did the Serpents abduct him? Was he in hiding? If he was in danger, I should find him and warn him. But if I was being followed, I might lead the Serpents straight to him. Then again, they might only care about the map, discarding my friend like a used up husk. Maybe looking for the map would lead me to Camel. Or vice versa.

I gnawed at my lip. Volunteer passersby bumped and jostled me in the alley under floating red lanterns, going about their so-called Second Lives. Indentured servants bound by undisclosed contracts. Did they notice the chest I carried? Did their glinting eyes covet my treasure?

Just try to take my Crystals. I dare you. I’ll materialize my Mark I Trench Knife so fragging fast…

I had multiple decisions to make, and quickly. I glanced up at the eternally dark sky of The Commons, peering through the glare of city lights, zooming in with my enhanced vision, trying to discern any signs of the weather. A fool’s errand. An invisible clock was ticking, and I was balanced on the edge of a knife. Death or rain would doom me. I needed Crypt.

Yeah, there is that saying about hitting rock bottom. But there is another idiom: out of the frying pan and into the fire.

⇆ I can stash my 100 Crystals in the Storage Cube at my residence, waiting until I have enough Crypt to back up whatever improvements I want to make with them.

⇆ I can take a risk, using the 100 Crystals at the Data Forge to make me stronger, hopefully reducing the chances of an untimely death.

⇆ I can take on a new bounty to pay off my debt, knowing that I will not be able to use the MAR Station to get anywhere. The longer it takes, the more likely a Cycle change is to happen, compounding my debt.

⇆ I can try to find Camel (or his map), possibly beginning the steps for the Serpents to pay off my debt. I don’t trust them, and yet they seem to do what they say they will do (both good and bad).

⇆ The clock is ticking, but there may be other options for getting the Crypt I need that I haven’t considered yet. I should spend some time thinking this through.