Kael Draven
Look, I was already processing the fact that my life now had a gaming system, a rusty frying pan and a baritone voice ordering me around like this was some cosmic reality show. But what I didn't expect was to notice that those statues around us weren't there just to intimidate.
Each one of them was holding what looked like..... A portal? Yes, a portal, like in science fiction or fantasy movies. They were floating circles, glowing in different colors, with a rippling energy that made it seem like the space behind them was alive. Each portal was different, and the statue holding it seemed to be posing dramatically, as if competing for a “most epic of the year” award.
“Kael, are you seeing this?” Sofia broke the silence, and for a second I thought she was going to say something reassuring. But no, because life doesn't give me those opportunities. “Look at the one over there, is that a portal with fish floating inside?”
I turned my head, and yes, he was right. A portal appeared to be filled with water, as if someone had plucked a piece of the ocean and put it there. The fish swam casually, completely oblivious to the impossibility of the situation.
“Well, this is new,” I replied, trying to sound relaxed as my brain wondered if we were going to be eaten by a giant whale or worse.
Another portal showed what looked like a dark forest, with trees so tall you could barely see their tops. Yet another looked like a cave with lava bubbling at the bottom. And yet another... well, honestly, it looked like a giant library with floating bookshelves.
“So what do we do now?” asked Sofia, folding her arms as she looked at the statues.
Good question. The system voice had given no further instructions. Just the typical “survive” which isn't exactly helpful when you have multiple potential death options in front of you.
“Choose a portal. Each will lead to a different environment. Complete the challenge to unlock your next stage. Warning: failure to choose within the time limit will result in random selection.”
“Time limit?”, I repeated aloud, just as a counter appeared in the corner of the window: 00:05:00.
“Five minutes, great,” Sophia sighed, glancing sideways at the portals. “And I bet 'random selection' means something horrible.”
“Definitely something horrible,” I confirmed, because the one constant in my life was that things could always get worse.
Sofia Draven
While Kael kept looking at the portals as if they were impossible puzzles, I tried to think logically. I'm not a strategic genius or anything, but clearly some portals were more dangerous than others.
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“Okay, think, Sofia,” I muttered to myself. “The water one seems more manageable than, I don't know, the lava cave or the scary forest, what do you think?”
“Manageable?”, Kael arched an eyebrow. “Do you know how to swim? Because I barely float.”
“Well, I don't feel ready to die roasted or devoured by anything in that forest,” I replied, pointing to the watery portal. “Besides, if we're going to die, we might as well at least do it in a cool way.”
Kael looked at me as if I had just suggested we go into a giant blender, but the counter kept ticking over.
00:01:45
“All right, all right! Let's go to the fish one,” he finally said, holding up his hands. “But if we swallow water until we drown, I want it to be clear that it was your idea.”
Kael Draven
Without much more time to debate, we approached the watery portal. It was like looking into a giant aquarium, but in motion. And just as we were about to cross it, I felt a strange vibration, as if the air itself was tightening.
“Ready?” asked Sofia, though it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself.
“No, but here we go.”
We crossed into the doorway and I immediately felt as if I had been dunked in cold water. Well, sort of. The surroundings changed in the blink of an eye, and the next thing I knew, we were inside what looked like..... a submarine?
“What the hell?”, I blurted out, looking around.
We were in a narrow hallway, with gray metal walls and flickering lights on the ceiling. The whole place had a cheap sci-fi movie feel to it, but the sound of bubbling and the faint creaking of metal made it clear to me that we were underwater.
“I wasn't expecting this,” Sofia said, looking at a small window in the wall. Outside, there was only darkness, with occasional flashes of fish rushing by.
“Well, at least we're not swimming,” I tried to joke, but my stomach was turning.
Sofia Draven
Before I could reply to Kael, a new message appeared in front of us:
“Challenge: Survive the Kraken attack. Objective: Reach the control room and repair the oxygen system. Reward: +2 stamina and a basic map of the System.”
“Kraken?”, I repeated aloud. “We're on a submarine and now we have to deal with a Kraken? Is this some kind of sick joke?”
Kael let out a nervous laugh. “This...this is worse than my math final exam.”
“Focus, Kael. We've got to move!”
Suddenly, the submarine shook violently, as if something gigantic had struck it. The sound of a low, deep roar echoed through the metal walls, and that's when I knew the Kraken wasn't going to wait for us to be ready.
“Run!” I shouted, pulling Kael along as the hallway began to fill with smoke.
Kael Draven
The thought of surviving against a Kraken in a submarine was officially in the top of the worst things that had ever happened to me. But as we raced through the corridors, I realized something: this place was a maze. And with my luck, we were definitely going to end up in a dead end or being crushed by giant tentacles.
“Do you have a plan?” I asked, panting as we kept moving forward.
“Yes! not to die!” Sophia shouted over the noise.
“Great, I was already considering that!”
Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, the Kraken's roar echoed again. And with every step we took, I felt like we were a little closer to finding out just how bad things could get.