Now I know what got Mark in such a state. And why he told me to hide.

Three five-meter long velocicrocs sure would make anyone a little nervous.

And there goes another shard.

[These bipedal crocodilians appear to have assumed the role of rulers in this particular instance. They are quite resilient and, even though on the slow side while on land, are adept at lunging using its strong legs to both jump and pin down their prey as they feast. They are prowlers, roaming around while using pack tactics and their enhanced senses of smell and hearing. They are also lurkers, waiting for the right opportunity to attack while having a predilection for ambushes. They can be considered as a versatile armored unit tailor made for engaging enemies in swamps, bogs, marshes, rivers and lakes since their outstanding swimming capabilities make them excel in such environments while their poor climbing capabilities usually don’t come into play.]

The creature was rather scary. I would probably be shaking in my boots if I hadn’t spent the last shards finding out what could be in store for me. Those things? Sure they were nasty, but they do belong to a very particular category of creatures. The one I can deal with. Sort of.

I looked at the creatures, observing their strong legs and tail, plus flimsy and short upper limbs. I smirked. Half amused, half panicked. As expected from anyone in such a situation. Or so I would like to think. I am pretty sure I am going crazy.

They were indeed classified as crocodilian despite looking more like dinosaurs, but they were terrible climbers and not built for fast sprints. Unfortunately they were good at tracking and relied on pack tactics and ambushes. I was sort of hoping for the dumber pursuer type. But this will do.

They probably don’t have fancy abilities of any kind, although some might develop them by using the shards instinctively, even if unlikely. And the same applies for me. Shards were the key. The system wants them and will trade you pretty much anything for it. While keeping the balance, or trying to.

I looked back at the crystalized figures, at Mark's frozen face, and then back at the creatures. I just came out of one of those, and the odds were that I would just be sent right back to joining the crystal people in helping the system. But I wasn’t the same guy who escaped the crystal seconds ago.

I have changed my odds in mere seconds due to a single change. I had information now.

The largest of the three velocicrocs tilted its head, a low growl rumbling in its throat. Its eyes, cold and reptilian, never left me. The other two shifted slightly, flanking it, their thick tails twitching.

They were getting close, too close. My small office, once a sanctuary of paperwork and logistical puzzles, had become a hunting ground.

My mind raced, assessing the situation. And in a fraction of a second, I was ready to go.

They were big, powerful, lungers even if not jumpers, and clearly adept at hunting in packs. But they weren’t built for climbing. I suppose their heavy bodies and short limbs made vertical movement difficult. It didn’t matter. Not really. Not now.

I took one step back without taking my eyes off the creatures. Then I bolted towards the window behind me, ignoring the sharp pain in my knees as I scrambled onto my desk. That was sort of stupid, but I didn’t have time to study the new layout of my office before running for my life.

The glass was surprisingly intact, a small mercy in this chaotic world, although I couldn’t be sure why this information was of any relevance to my adrenaline drenched brain. I shoved it open, the hinges groaning in protest, and clambered out onto the narrow ledge.

I couldn’t bother to look behind me. No time. It’s not like I could stare the creatures into giving up, make them slow down in doubt or convince them to not kill me by using puppy eyes. I am pretty sure they eat puppies.

The drop to the ground was a good two stories, a fall I, most likely, wouldn’t survive. Especially if one of those things came after me, or worse, landed on top of me, they must weigh a couple hundred kilograms, at least.

But it didn’t matter. I never intended to jump. Just to the side of the window, running down from the roof, was the thick and sturdy drainpipe.

I reached for it, my fingers wrapping around the cold, metal pipe. It was slick with moisture, making it difficult to grip. But the bracers that fixed it to the wall were a very safe place to grab into. And used as steps in what might be considered a rather scary ladder.

Well, it would be scary on your regular day. When the other option wasn’t facing three velocicrocs the size of horses you sort of get an instant update to your perceived danger scale.

I pulled myself up, my muscles screaming in protest. I wasn’t exactly in peak physical condition; years spent hunched over spreadsheets hadn’t done wonders for my physique. God, I loved my job and now I am climbing pipes towards roofs to escape dinosaurs. This sucks.

The creatures below hissed and snapped, their frustration palpable. They couldn’t reach me. But I could imagine their willingness to wait to catch me. To keep watch. To roam the corridors and circle the building for a chance.

I continued to climb, pulling myself. My arms burned. The pipe swayed slightly under my weight, threatening to throw me off. Or maybe it was me getting lightheaded from the sudden influx of exercise. I glanced down, and the sight of a pair of snouts protruding out of the window and sniffing spurred me on. Fuck that shit.

I reached the roof, collapsing onto the rough surface, gasping for breath. The sudden shift from terror to relief was almost overwhelming. For the moment, at least, I was safe.

I was about to scramble to my feet and make haste to close the door that gives access to the roof when I remembered. The corridor that led to it was too narrow for those things. Well, not exactly too narrow, they could fit, but they wouldn’t be able to make the last two turns, too cramped for them. I never thought I would be thankful for such spiral staircases.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

I took my time. Taking deep breaths. And thanking the fact I am being pursued by giant lizards that suck at climbing and have no smaller versions that can reach me. If instead of horse sized things I was expected to deal with cat sized pterodactyls, then I would be truly screwed now.

I get up, my legs shaky. Exercise, bad. The door to the roof access was slightly ajar. I silently close it and slide the bolt lock. I knew it could be open from the inside, but I bet those things weren’t going to get this far. The metal clicked reassuringly. It was a flimsy barrier, at best. But it was what I had.

Those creatures were strong; they could probably tear the door off its hinges if they could reach it and really wanted to give it a try. But I was most likely safe on the roof.

I wouldn’t bet my life on it, though.

I turned my attention to my surroundings. The roof was flat and open, offering a panoramic view of the university and the surrounding area. And it was a horrifying sight.

The once familiar campus was now a grotesque patchwork of different environments.

The library, as I had seen from my office, was now partially fused with a massive redwood tree.

The science building was half-submerged in what looked like a swamp, complete with gnarled cypress trees and murky water. Never going there, that’s velocicroc country.

Worst of all, the three buildings should be almost glued together. A crazy person could certainly jump from one roof to another before. They were now a couple hundred meters away from each other. It seems the world has gotten a lot larger. The city center must be thousands of miles away now.

Far away, the city skyline seemed jagged and uneven, with buildings merged and distorted in impossible ways. I couldn’t really see it. There was a haze or mist or whatever all over the place. If that was even the city. It might be just a forest of giant crooked trees or gravity defying mountains.

The sky, still a swirling kaleidoscope of colors, was now tinged with a sickly yellow haze. The air, while still carrying the strange mix of scents, was surprisingly refreshing.

I scanned the rooftops of the nearby buildings, searching for any sign of other survivors. But I saw nothing. No movement, no smoke from fires, no signs of life at all. The entire campus seemed deserted, except for the creatures below.

The same chilling thought struck me, again. I just hadn’t time to contemplate it fully since I was sort of interrupted by giant velocicrocs that wanted to eat me. Now I do. Unfortunately.

Then my last shard was gone. A simple yet essential query to the system.

[This instance contains a total of 8463 humans. None of said humans have spent the fifty spirit shards required for the acquisition of their initial trait, skill, ability or other enhancement. Do your best to collect the spirit shards in the vicinity of dungeons, within dungeons or defeating hostile entities. Number of active humans in this instance: 1.]

And… I was out of shards.

Those shards were well spent, but that doesn’t mean I liked the information I got. Sigh.

I am alone in this place. It‘s just me, the crystal statues, over 8000 of them, and the freaking velocicrocs. I would love to ask how many of those are out there, but I no longer have shards.

And that’s not considering the fact that other things, scarier things, might find their way here and the system won’t tell me shit about that. It didn’t say it outright, but it sure implied it.

I did consider spending my last shard in more tangible information, but I simply knew I had to know just how much is at stake here. And the answer was simple: a lot. I’m the only one “active” and the chance of any kind of rescue coming is basically null.

As it turns out, there are dungeons. Not really surprising all things considered. And I suppose my best bet is finding one, because there will be no ‘defeating hostile entities’ when this means going up against those damn things.

I sat down heavily on the edge of the roof, my mind reeling. I had no idea how to get out of this mess. Mark's last words echoed in my mind: Hide… make it out… Come back for me…

Come back? How? I couldn’t even leave. I had no idea how to even leave this very first building, let alone get the shards and then leave and then return to where Mark was now trapped.

I remembered the shards, the spirit shards. They were the key. I had to spend them all just to get some basic information. But it was well worth it. Even if a cold dread settled in my stomach.

I remembered the System’s responses. They were cold, clinical, and transactional. It hadn’t offered any help, any advice, it didn’t take sides. It had simply provided information in exchange for shards. It was a tool, nothing more. A vending machine was a fitting description. And it was greedy.

I most likely need to improve my odds. And this means enhancements. But fifty shards? As far as I am concerned this could be an astronomical sum, because it’s a fortune I couldn’t even dream of possessing right now.

But the crux of the matter is that I could become stronger. I could gain abilities, perhaps even super powers, by using these shards. Not sure as of now, but I will be sure and then I will be powerful.

I would have loved to cover the system with all sorts of questions, to study all the possibilities, to truly explore the options and how they connected with each other. It did mention that this was the cost for the ‘initial’, which means there are more than one and this means they can complement and boost each other later. And I do love theorycrafting.

Was that why Mark got me out? Has he been peeking at my notebook screen when he was supposed to be working harder so I can have more time off?

Spirit shards. They are the key to unlock the potential needed for “what may be’ my future self. It’s an intoxicating concept for anyone who likes games, or simply likes the possibility of blowing up giant lizards without relying on anything other than your own power.

But I had none. What I had was an island of safety in the shape of a roof, surrounded by velocicroc infested waters on all sides. I was cornered, alone, powerless and shardless. For now.

At least I was safe. Kind of.

I looked out at the ruined landscape, the swirling sky, the distant rooftops. The world had changed drastically and I was utterly unprepared for it. But I refused to become another crystal statue and wait for rescue. Mark almost implied that I was supposed to be the rescue team. So, all I need to do is to remain out of the reach of those things and collect spirit shards. How hard could it be?

Quite hard, as it turned out.

The view from the rooftop offered a grim panorama. The university campus, once a familiar grid of buildings and green spaces, was now a fractured mosaic of mismatched landscapes. A section of the football field was now a cracked, barren wasteland, littered with strange, obsidian shards. The student union was fused with gnarled alien trees, their branches looked more like some giant ivy twisting through the building’s windows.

My eyes scanned the rooftops of the adjacent buildings, searching for a viable escape route. I needed to stay off the ground, to find a way to navigate this new world without becoming prey. My mind, trained in this sort of thing, immediately began to assess the possibilities.

Ok, I have done things like this before. It’s no big deal. The floor is lava. That’s all.

…

Shit.