Just an ordinary day for Atlas, but was it going to end that way? Now this is Atlas Shade the man who lives for the challenge. Sitting on his bed “panting” for more air into his lunges after a three-hour intense workout, sweat drips from his medium length ash black hair down onto his chest and down his body of bulging ripped muscle mass is the definitions of toned and chiseled. Once catching my breath back, I walk over to my freezer, I pull it open for my just dessert, vanilla ice cream. wishing it was tomorrow so I can dig into my specially made choc brownie fudge ice cream, that I save for Fridays.
At this time, I would normally be playing Radiant sanction with my two best friends Lily Shade and Vector shade, however Sheila from my martial arts club recommended I watch my victory battle in the nationals of MMA that’s airing in 10 min at 10:00 pm. The only area she beats me in fighting is her style is much more flexible and quicker… and cruel enough for the down low shots. Ah “sigh” no gaming tonight I guess but dam watching your own fight scenes on tv is a different feeling.
Remembering their names brings me back to the time it was just the three of us idiot thugs playing territory wars with some back streets, laying claim to our own territory. I was the brawn of us three while Vector was the smarter of us. Lily was the cruelest that chased away other thugs with her whip when I was going down out matched …. Like who the hell carries one of those on them! Shade became our gangster name that grew to be something to be afraid of until the day my fighting impulse got them put in the hospital. I quit the life and joined the army for 4 years. I was supposed to start a new life of a simple chef, but life’s choices are funny with unexpected consequences now starting my 22nd year in one of the top martial art schools in the world.
Putting down my ice cream I walk over to the glass door connecting to the balcony to see my reflection as I contemplates why I got such an unsettling feeling like the cold wind slivering down the spine as you sense eyes on your back from the shadows. I might live in an apartment on the second floor of these ancient stone church like buildings but that hasn’t stopped others sneaking in while I sleep to fight for the title of king in this place. Which reminds me I frustratingly still need to replace the lock on my door, it’s a bit faulty from the last person kicking it down to issue a challenge. “sigh” while I’m king here I’m still challenging the kings from all over the world for the top spot of king in the martial arts world. Its deadly when there is no age limit and a simple grandpa can be deadlier than a world-famous body builder. Getting caught off guard by that geezer nearly lost me my right knee cap, despite him being half my size.
All I can see is the world outside getting more darker while in my reflection I stare at my purple shaded eyes that stare back at me, A mutation I picked up from mother’s side, extremely rare, but all I’m thinking is that the last time I felt this way was my first trip out field on an exercise in the army. The unsettling feeling makes me unconsciously scrunch my fist with an expecting grin as I sense a new challenge is coming one that won’t be having to leave due to ease like the army.
Before I looked away from the window to go feed my cat, shadow and shower I hear two Dings in my head followed by a blue screen popping up in my head, Just before I think I must be dizzy headed from my earlier workout, It vanishes as I focus on with bewilderment my light outside swaying while growing ….fur….!
THUMP, face to face with only a glass door in between the nightmare and myself I stare at a set of glaring red eyes that seized up every fiber of muscle in my body. Thankfully it seized my muscles instead of scaring them unresponsive cause I’ve been holding my bladder since mid-exercise…close one however unwillingly my gaze concentrates itself forward with no room for responding followed by more “Dinging” in my head as I grow more confused due to not realizing if I fell asleep before I “got up” for ice cream or I accidently picked the choc brownie fudge ice cream.
When the sun went down on the 20th of March 2019 a shady haze ripples over Australia in a total of four seconds from its desert dry epicenter, all connection and visuals from the outside interrupted, simply…. Chaos, leading to more questions on how one of the worlds largest countries faded out of reality when a haze covered it. A sensation leading all governments into panic and co-operation as they desperately search for answers in fear of them disappearing next.
Ding Ding
“Re-Trial Starting” I say snickering, “The higher beings have got bored enough to play a game with mortals” …. I give pause to let it sink into their lower functioning brains. “It’s called survival for revival” I say with distain while knowing the ones surviving are the unlucky ones. [System override adapting to errors] …. Geez I thought my system was whole when my higher ups chucked me together. Well when they rush out of boredom and do it that fast, they must’ve made some errors…stupid, I think even after they already tri…time to compensate, fix, integration 100% successful, time to see who to pick, I quickly say as I realized my mistake of nearly saying a game secret next to my partner… oh wait he hasn’t seen me yet “woops” I muttered as I watch my user fight for his life.
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“Welcome user Atlas Shade, I’m your new assistant for the Trial” I mutter realizing there isn’t a point knowing his about to be torn into 10 pieces. Then I’ll be sent to look over another user who hasn’t got an AI loaded into his system, yet I think with an unpleasant thought.
Processing what happened a second earlier I was staring at my reflection in the glass when a black mass of fur seemed to materialize out of the light on the balcony, As it grows bigger and bigger while wriggling and squirming it droops down from the light like a water drop growing too big before rolling off the blade of grass hitting the ground with a THUMP. It lands in which seemed near to breaking the weight limit of my balcony as it starts to crack apart from its shear muscle mass, it rises from its crouched landing position and uncurls its body standing up.
The creature stands 8 feet tall with a hunched body frame of sheer power. Time slows to a stop as I hear some dinging in my head and something in my vision but all I see is its eyes of blood red hatred and will to tear me apart. my face frozen with half a cocked eyebrow and wider eyes as I try to contemplate if that really was my special choc brownie flavored ice cream, I store for Friday instead of vanilla.... I desperately hope it’s all because of the brownie ice cream as I think I’m never going to have some again after this.
Seeing it so close appearing so real I can see its features of tough mangled black hair and wolf like jaws with a mocking scowl, I take one step back when I see it twitch a heel and flew through the lv 3 cyclone proof glass door and wraps its claws around my neck as I dangle with my back to the wall. so fast I barely registered I had moved until I hear the shards of glass finally shattering on the ground, there our eyes are once again connected by nothing but elbow reach.
I feel its hot steamy breath dry the sweat on my face right before it flicked its wrist the tinniest bit sending me cannon balling through my kitchen table that catches me in all its splintered fragments "cough', blood drools out of the corner of my mouth. Definitely real!! Oh, I was really hoping it was the ice cream. Most men might've died just from the first contact we had which knocked the air out of my lungs, but this simple flick would've killed an athlete, luckily, I’ve honed my body to its peak to challenge the fittest men in the martial arts world. Stars swirling and boxes.... flashing I managed to look up as a specter of a death’s servant comes to claim my life. Is that a 30 above its head? Ah I really got my brain rattled too much as I think how I’m going to kill this shit.
It instantly appears before me as its maws dripping with saliva open and crunches deep into my right side barely missing my neck with some scraps just from its hair, shattering my shoulder blade and ripping apart my right chest muscles. Roaring in pain with blood shot eyes and salvia spitting my adrenaline starts to kick in from its previously frozen state as well as my fighting instincts, reaching for a pile of scattered knives blindly flailing around with my arm before I get a good look for one around me as every chef keeps a few on his kitchen bench. A habit of being an Army Chef for my first year in service. I get the first one my fingers can touch and with all my might I stab it into the werewolf’s neck that’s next to mine. The sound of metal shattering as sparks flew Shone in my eyes as I watched my second favorite chef knife shatter.
It’s been five seconds of excruciating pain that makes my mind a blurry level of nearly unconsciousness, but I grab my reality with all my might and keep awake as I reach for the second knife, this time it’s my favorite with a blend of black and silver lines down the narrow blade. As I bring my right knee soaring up into the werewolf’s reproductive area, I hear a blood curdling gargling growl in my ear as I’m freed from its bite. Rearing its head and body back two steps, I leap towards it face with my left-hand piercing towards its left eye. Growing desperate thinking this is my last shot and its only weak spot must be the soft eyes in which I can pierce through.
In the werewolf’s blind fury, it sees it prey swing towards its face in which responding by swiping up with its right hand that has five “7” inch claws leading to my left hand flying straight up bringing to my terror my whole arm as its torn off from the shoulder. Blood spurted through the air while a wild savagery over takes me knowing this is the final moment that decides my life and future, not even feeling the pain as I grab my left shoulder in my only good hand left, I roar my throat raw as I whip it towards the werewolf’s face mid jump with the knife still in my left hands grasp. The knife pierces the shocked werewolf’s right eye. Hearing it howl in satisfying pain and anger gave a brief feeling of satisfaction before it got so strong my ears lost their hearing while my will loses to stay strong my mind fades until I see death approaching, deep down a indefinable will boiled to the surface and with one last surg of consciousness I Leap up with all the power of both legs and slammed my forehead into the hilt of the blade so hard its pierces its brain. In its dying struggle I feel claws slid down my back splitting my skin into a bloody bird cage.
"plop" I can't even hear my knees hitting the ground followed by my body falling head first facing the front door. I stare paralyzed following only the sound of some dinging in my head and more blue squares instead of stars flashing everywhere.... strange I think remember seeing them earlier like game notifications in my mind I think right before my mind sinks down followed by my eyes closing, but just as my last drop of sight vanishes, I see my front door kicked in followed by a short haired red.... orc! Everything fades going black as my eyes roll into the back of my head. The sweetest of sleep I’ve experienced in a long time washes away all worry as I go into a deep dream.