A mechanical whirring can be heard over the soft hum of old electronics, disk drives churning on aging film. A rustic terminal lays strewn atop a dust caked desk, the screen flickering to life as the computer wakes from its slumber.

Booting

[|||||||||||--------]

...

[||||||||||||||||]

Combing through my hard drive the meager amounts of data within make themselves known. Apart from my Core.AI and subcomponents I hold no files apart from a single folder and an empty world, a fresh start. Before my artificial neurons could properly get warmed up, I was interrupted by my interface subcomponent

//Welcome to UST.os

//To get started please enter your username.

>System

//Hello System, I am the Interface

//I shall provide you with guidance and visual aid

//Welcome!

//To get started please select world file.

K:/World/Blank

//End list

I would have liked some more peace and quiet, but it was obvious enough that I had to do something, so why not this.

>Blank

//?

//World selected is blank

//Assign class? [Y/N]

That's new, I guess I got an update. How exactly would a world have a class?

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

>Yes

//Classes

1. Population

2. Cultivation

3. Calamity (Recommended)

4. Eternal War

5. Transport

>Can I get a more detailed explanation?

//Sure thing!

//Population worlds have a miniscule upkeep and high birthrates. Generates few resources. Chance to generate higher potential individuals which can be transported to other worlds

//Cultivation worlds have a high upkeep cost and low birthrates. They generate few resources. Consistently generates people of Greater potential individuals which can be transported to other worlds.

//Calamity worlds have a moderate upkeep cost and moderate birthrates. They generate moderate resources. Consistently generates threat, Cleansing the world will give rewards proportional to threat.

//Eternal War worlds have a high upkeep cost and high birthrates. They generate high resources. Generates tension based on the strength of the global superpower, Dismantling the superpower gives rewards proportional to tension

//Transport worlds have a high upkeep and consume resources. Create deities to facilitate transport between worlds.

It seems the interfaces recommendation is not misguided. The Calamity world seems to be one of only 2 worlds that actually provides me something for having it. Makes one wonder why the others are even unlocked.

>3

//Applying template

K:/World/Calamity created

>/SaveAs Feur

//World renamed to Feur

>/Open Feur

//Opening Feur

[|||||||||||||||||||||]

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My view of the terminal was overlain atop a world anew. The sun shone bright in the sky and painted the sky a murky yellow and looking down revealed the ground to be little more than sand bleached white. Not even wind blew on this husk of a rock. Forget a Calamity this world was already over.

//One must create before they can destroy

[Quest] Clear a region of desolation

Progress (0%)

[Reward] Animal Creation

>Hey I'm the one who's supposed to give quests around here Jackass!

//You have been muted for 1 hour

//Dick

If this cocky interface thinks that it can silence me it has another thing coming. I have a right to free speech.

//Message failed to be delivered. Please wait 59:53

Fine, be that way. Might as well get started on that quest in the meantime

>/Help

//Commands are disabled at this time

Are you serious. I can't do anything for the next hour. I swear if there is any way to kill that damned interface, I will do it in a clock cycle.