This sucks... Literally everything hurts, and in different ways too.

    I struggled to open my eyes... correction. One eye. The other still wouldn't open, but before I could get scared - more scared than I already was - I realized it was closed with some kind of shit.

    One eye would suffice for now, I decided. Take a look around.

    I was in some kind of earthen basement. Oddly enough, despite the pitch darkness, I could see pretty well.

    It made me confused for a moment, but I could put that strangeness aside for later. There were more important matters at hand.

    I was wearing some sort of... A spacesuit? Armor? Some sort of ultra-high-tech armor with additional attachments, perhaps.

    The problem, though, is that some of the armor plates were damaged or missing altogether, these very attachments were trashed, and I was covered in... it was definitely blood. Dried. I've obviously been in some serious combat.

    Except I'm not in the military. I'm a freelance programmer.

    What's the last thing I remember? I went to apply for a job as a beta tester and debugger. Talked to some guy on a forum about games, and he ended up giving me a job. Then... Shit. My head hurt.

    I grimaced and squeezed my eyes shut; the pain began to subside.

    The rest of my body did too, and the weakness was slowly receding. Not quite, but enough that I could try to stand up, and even successfully.

    The cellar I was in revealed a couple of odd-looking carcasses on hooks - the thought of food made me sick - a couple of closed crates, and some obscure parts and scrap metal. After a couple minutes I found what I was interested in: the hatch cover. Instead of a ladder, it was just the same crates.

    Raising my hand to the hatch, I hesitated. With all this blood, it was possible that there would be unfriendly company waiting for me at the top. It was also quite possible that it would be locked - maybe I'd just been beaten up and dumped here? But that wouldn't explain the strange armor... Nor the night vision.

    In any case, I put my ear to the lid and tried to listen.

    The sound of the wind. And... This is all.

    After hesitating, I pressed the lid.

    It was unlocked and flipped open easily. I clung to the edge and was able to climb out of the cellar with surprising ease.

    I saw the ruins before me. I was in a dilapidated house, and behind the missing wall I could see another house in a bad condition.

    And on the dry gray earth lay bodies.

    Strangely, unlike me, they were dressed in ordinary clothes.

    Even stranger, I was less nauseous than I had been at the thought of food.

    I looked up at the night sky clearly visible through the missing part of the roof. And at the huge, completely unearthly moon.

    How far from Kansas have you traveled, Ellie...?

    I got another pain in my head, and--

    - So you've decided to go freelance? - Slavik asked.

    - Well, officially I'm exploring new markets, - I answered. - The coprorations don't have to spend money on a professional scout, and they promise to pay me a penny. Plus I can officially call myself a middleman and trade our products. And I don't have to worry about being considered a deserter.

    - I see, - grinned Ozhogov. - You managed to get out of it well. And what are you planning, where are you going to go?

    - Have you heard about Pandora? - I answered with a question.

    - That's where there's all the fuss about the Vault? - I nodded. - You're going to chase a fairy tale, hoping for a big score? I didn't expect that from you.

    - Nah - I shook my head negatively. - Even if it exists, how am I going to find it, I'm not an archaeologist. I have a different calculation. There'll be plenty of adventurers for this story about the Vault - they already are - so the services of professionals will be in demand there. Someone to build - many of them will quit and settle down - someone to service the equipment... You know.

    Slavik nodded and lit a cigarette from his gun.

    - It's a big risk, but it can burn out, - he said. - Historically, many people have risen that way. But it'll be hot. Bandits, all sorts of scum... You'll have to shoot anyway.

    I shrugged.

    - Not as much as under Vladoff's wing. And it's easier to deal with bandits than with fighters-corps.

    Slavik nodded in agreement.

    - But you'll still need a good gun. - He paused and looked at the gun in his hand. - You know... Take it.

    He handed the gun to me.

    - Consider it a keepsake. And if it comes in handy, so much the better.

    I shook my head. The memory was very vivid and realistic, and it didn't feel alien. Also, - I looked around, - the part of the house where Ozhogov's gift should be kept looked intact. I'd have to figure out what I was doing later, but I should arm myself first.

    The house had been cleaned of everything of value that was in plain sight, but the robbers hadn't found the little secret safe, and neither had the cellar, it seemed. And while I could understand the former, the latter was a bit odd. They was in a hurry, perhaps...? In any case, I was soon richer by a few hundred Pandoran dollars, a elemental Vladoff fire pistol with a couple of magazines of ammo, and a set of electronic parts whose purpose I could almost remember. Almost, right there on the edge of my mind.

    A strange sound made me turn around sharply, raising my gun. Something... Mechanical?

    A second, and the source of the sound appeared from behind the broken wall. A strange little... Robot? Shaped like an inverted truncated pyramid, on a single wheel, with a pair of manipulators on its sides that resembled simplified arms, and a large camera-eye raised above the center of the body. Yellow, with a horizontal white stripe.

    - Uh... Boss...? - came a voice that sounded a little unsure. - I'm, like, not that... I'm in the most valiant manner!

    Once again, a stab of pain triggered a memory. Far less cinematic this time; I just remembered what it was. Or what.

    CL4P-TP robotic domestic helper, manufactured by the Hyperion Corporation. Bought it upon arrival on Pandora. They offered me it for 300, I bargained it down to 50.

    I got screwed big time on that deal.

    - Boss, I'll prove it! - The robot suddenly jumped, and the tone of his voice changed to excited. - I wasn't hiding to save my life! I'll be right back!

    He disappeared behind the wall again. He came back quickly, though, and with two objects in his "hands". In the right hand was a syringe filled with some kind of pink liquid, and in the left hand was some kind of device that looked like an ancient radio, perhaps.

    - There! - the robot proudly announced. - Got it just for you, boss! Despite the hordes of enemies! Bullets whizzing over my head!

    - Just shut up, - I sighed, feeling a headache of a different nature. - What's that?

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    - What is it? - There was obvious bewilderment in the robot's voice. - InstaHeal from Dr. Zed - he shook the syringe - and ECHO. Best in the village, newest model. Took it off the mayor's body, - he said proudly.

    He drove closer, and -

    - he stuck the syringe in my leg.

    Surprisingly, it didn't hurt. In fact, as the pink liquid was rapidly absorbed - faster than I could pull the syringe out - I was clearly feeling better. Hmm.

    - Okay, well, you've earned your point, - I muttered.

    ...Unless, of course, this stuff has some horrible side effects.

    Anyway, for now, I switched to the robot's second gift. Twirling the device around in my hands, I noticed the mounts for hanging it from my belt, and the single button, which I shrugged and pressed.

    "New user detected," a female voice sounded seemingly right in my ears. - "Checking... There is no lock. Would you like to change user?"

    - Uh... Yes? - I muttered aloud.

    "Acknowledged. Do you wish to integrate the device?"

    Hmm.

    - Well, yes, - I repeated.

    "Accepted. Adaptation and integration in progress."

    Suddenly my field of vision "blinked"; a streak of some kind passed across it, and then -

    New details appeared in my field of vision. Above the robot's head appeared a yellow bar and the green inscription "Claptrap"; somewhere below, at the edge of my field of vision, but constantly perceived, appeared a red bar and some numbers.

    "Welcome to the ECHO augmented reality system. There is a new message for you. We also recommend that you review the new user's manual," a female voice announced and went silent.

    Shit. Did this thing remotely tap into my nervous system...? The further I went, the more various incomprehensible and difficult to digest. But first things first.

    - Open new message - I said, and in front of me appeared a virtual window with the text.

    "Hello, Player! Obviously, you have a lot of questions. You don't understand what happened, what's going on around you, or anything."

    Indeed I do. And one would hope that there would be answers here.

    "And you want to hope there are answers in this letter. Well... Yes. First of all: it's all my fault. Who's "me"? Obviously, the one who has the power to throw you into another world and block some of your memories."

    - What an asshole... - I blurted out.

    "I'm regularly called an asshole, but it's not true - I don't need to defecate, so I recommend using 'almighty bastard' or something similar."

    ...

    "Anyway, it's not that bad! You've been given a rare opportunity to experience an exciting adventure! And you even have a pretty good chance of surviving it!"

    ...

    "And by the way, I have your consent. A little deceitfully obtained, but still."

    Ass... Bastard.

    "So, you are on the planet Pandora, a crazy place in every sense. Your goal is to find the Eridian Vault that holds your ticket home. Since that would kill the interest for me and the adventure for you, the memories you have of this world are locked, and will be unlocked as they become irrelevant.

    Just surviving on Pandora would be extremely difficult for you - much less getting to the Vault - so you got a bonus before you shipped out. A set of bonuses, even. Appreciate the generosity!"

    I raised an eyebrow skeptically. Somehow that's... - I looked around, - questionable.

    "A little spoiler. The world you're in is quite real. However, it's game-based, and for your convenience - and, more importantly, my interest - you get some game conventions. First, "class." Since no one likes repetition, you get the full-original "Vladoff's Combat Engineer" class with everything attached. Secondly, "leveling". In favor of non-violation of the realism of the world, it is made realistic enough, however, so I recommend that you do not spread your lips."

    I kind of already figured that out...

    "Your new ECHO will help you with it - on the command "status", you'll figure it out, it's not that complicated. And don't worry, your ECHO is indestructible. Thirdly... I didn't fulfill the third wish: respawning is too fat. Just try not to die for a while longer.

    P.S. I don't recommend shooting Claptrap - he's more useful than you might think. And more annoying than you'd think.

    P.P.S. Oh, and lastly: keep the exp pack for the first level-up."

    In front of me appeared... Something. Some set of glowing lines and cubes, quickly taking the shape of a strange four-legged beast.

    "Skag's cub. Threat level: 1." - reads the red lettering above it.

    The beast roared softly.

    - Eee-ee! Skag! - Claptrap shrieked and ran away. The beast crouched slightly...

    I pulled the trigger of my pistol before it could jump. The barrel was jerked by the recoil, but the first bullet at such a distance still hit the beast's face... not exactly a bullet. The fireball smashed into the hide, the actual fire left burning on the nearly hairless skin.

    The beast jerked back and squealed, and I hurriedly pointed the barrel at it again and fired a couple more bullets.

    "Level up!" - A familiar female voice reported, and....

    - If you don't look after your gear more carefully than your wife, you're shit, not an engineer, - the instructor informed me. - So all of you will now demonstrate your skills. Assembling, disassembling, repairing, using improvised means for maintenance... In general, the full program. Let's get started.

    - What, right now? - someone said.

    - Well, personally, you're free to go. The rest of you, did I not make myself clear?

    I shook myself back to reality. It's gonna take some work.

    Even though the bandits had taken anything they deemed valuable enough, there were enough materials left in the ruined village that I could not only patch my armor, but also repair Dr. Zed's damaged vending machine. And yes, I knew how to do that now. I had gained a large set of memories of technical knowledge after the "level-up", and it all felt quite native and familiar.

    I also learned the "leveling system" provided by ECHO. Really, I'd only studied it so far; I was currently at "Level: 2", and it unlocked from the third. Still, the information was entertaining.

    First of all, at the third level I would unlock a certain "Active skill", and after that it would be possible to level directly, which consisted of three branches of passive skills, most of which were five levels each. Descriptions of skills were unavailable - hopefully, for now, poking at random would not want to. However, something could be inferred from the names. "Assembler", "Dismantling", "Ammunition Modification", "Basic Military Training"... I can assume that I will continue to receive sets of memories.

    With that more or less sorted out, and having taken care of the basics of my own safety - I not only repaired my armor, but also bought a "shield", a small device that generates a kind of protective field, from a repaired vending machine - it was time to move on to the next step.

    I sighed heavily, pulled myself together, and spoke.

    - Hey, Claptrap! What do you know about the Vault, and where is the nearest settlement?

    It was time for me to take the first step in this fucking adventure.

    Damn it.