by Alex Knight
Zelda Yoshida
Warden Recruit
Class: None
Faction: None
Level: 1
Thanks for that. Real helpful.
She scowled deeper and cracked her knuckles, eyes never leaving Kaiden. Feeling his cheeks go hot, he swallowed hard, and for the second time in two days found a spot on the far wall to thoroughly study.
“Approaching the SS Dalcinae, sir,” the pilot said from up front, half-turning to call over his shoulder.
“Well, alright, then.” Sergeant Dawson turned to the recruits. “The situation is as follows.” He pointed up to the front of the ship, through the cockpit to a distant point of light. As they drew closer, it resolved itself into the wreckage of some sort of ship.
“Earlier today, the merchant vessel Dalcinae broadcast an emergency signal reporting a voidspawn incursion within their vessel. Shortly thereafter, the ship experienced a lethal pressure breach. There were no survivors.” He spoke in a matter-of-fact manner, hardly even giving pause to those who had been killed.
Kaiden wondered if they were non-player characters, but then a much more disturbing thought took over. The sergeant had said ‘voidspawn incursion.’ Kaiden didn’t know what that meant, but he knew it didn’t sound good. He swallowed hard as his mind had far too much fun conjuring up exactly how terrifying a ‘voidspawn’ could be.
“This sky is under Warden Corps jurisdiction, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t tolerate voidspawn in my sky. Now, we know those tentacled freaks can survive the vacuum of space, so don’t expect the depressurization of the ship to have done anything other than inconvenience them. We slapped a patch on the breach and the Dalcinae’s systems auto-restored gravity, temperature, and pressure to normal levels.” Sergeant Dawson flicked a switch on the wall and the lights in the shuttle faded to a dim red.
“This is where you come in,” he said with another slight smile. As he did, the stars outside spun as the pilot rotated the shuttle into docking position.
“The Dalcinae was carrying a particularly valuable cargo of vibranium crystals, which was, most unfortunately, scattered all over the place by the pressure breach. You, recruits, will board the Dalcinae, exterminate any voidspawn that remain, and then bring me no less than five vibranium crystals each. For every extra crystal you bring, you will be handily rewarded.”
Quest: Collect 5 vibranium crystals
Expected difficulty: Novice
Reward: Initiation into the Warden Corps, +200 EXP
Notes: Additional crystals will award bonus EXP
Something large shuddered within the walls of the shuttle and an electric whirring drew Kaiden’s eyes out the window to where a long, accordion-style tunnel was extending from their shuttle to the docking bay of the Dalcinae.
“Should you fail to personally bring me one, two, three, four, five crystals,” he counted the numbers off on his fingers, “you fail this test and will be removed from my corps. Should you die while attempting to complete this mission, you fail this test and will be removed from my corps. Should you do anything other than board that ship, kick some voidspawn rear, and return victorious, you fail. Do you understand me, recruits?”
There was no hesitation this time as they shouted in unison.
“Yes, sir!”
A green light flicked on above Sergeant Dawson’s head. He pulled a lever on the wall and at the rear of the shuttle a door slid open to reveal the accordion tunnel, now connected to the Dalcinae. Air rushed in to fill the space as the sergeant crossed his arms.
“Well alright, then, recruits. Time to earn your keep.”
I can do this. It’s just a game, Kaiden told himself over and over, gritting his teeth as he crossed the accordion tunnel, each step taking him closer to the Dalcinae. Somehow it didn’t do much to make him feel better. NextGen had done too fine a job with this game. Sure, he might’ve been playing it, but it felt like he was living it.
The situation was fake; the world around him, fake. Even the voidspawn – whatever horrors they were – were fake. But his terror? His fear? The adrenaline pumping through his veins? That was real. “Best adventure game of the decade”, one company had rated Nova Online, but right about now, Kaiden found himself wondering why it hadn’t been named “best horror game of the decade”.
He’d been sitting at the rear of the shuttle, which meant he was first across the tunnel. The other recruits followed him in silence and even Sergeant Dawson, usually so boisterous, had fallen quiet, face set in a stern frown.
Kaiden clenched his hammer tight and took another step closer to the Dalcinae. The ship’s docking port was still closed, but he’d been instructed to cross over to it. A few more steps and he was there, breath caught in his throat. This was insanity. What kind of test was this, anyway?
It’s just a game, he reminded himself, and once again, it did little to help.
The rest of the recruits were in the tunnel behind him now, the sergeant watching from the shuttle. He gave a curt nod, then the door in front of him slipped closed with a hiss of air. They were sealed in.
Sergeant Dawson’s voice came over the speakers.
“When that door opens, I want you to put the fear of humanity in those tentacled abominations, you got that?”
Tentacled abominations, Kaiden thought. That's...inspiring. He shivered, imagining what the voidspawn looked like.
“Door opening in ten...nine…”
Kaiden shook out his arm, readying himself to charge in, and thought ‘on.’ His shield flickered into existence.
“Eight...seven…”
I can do this, I can do this.
“Six...five…”
I have to do this. For Bernstein. For my freedom.
“Four...three – oh, and recruits? This is a novice-level mission. Try not to embarrass yourselves, huh?”
A hiss of air shot through the airlock and the Dalcinae’s door stuttered into movement, groaning slow and tired as it raised into the ceiling. The sound echoed out and away down the halls of the Dalcinae, fading into the distance like the howl of some celestial giant.
Fighting the chill of ice in his veins, Kaiden huddled down behind his shield, hammer at the ready. Virtual reality didn’t make his fear any less real.
I can do this.
The door was open a good six inches now, moving slow and sure. As it did, Kaiden squinted into the darkness beyond, sure a horde of voidspawn would come pouring out. From the ceiling a light flicked on – briefly illuminating the docking bay – then right back off. In the moment, Kaiden took in a metal floor covered in debris. Remnants from the pressure breach, he figured.
Finally, when the door stuttered to a stop in the ceiling, a passageway leading deeper into the ship was revealed at the back of the room.
Location discovered: SS Dalcinae
Class: Medium Transport (Hauler)
Faction Alignment: Neutral
The lights flicked off again and the docking bay fell into darkness. It felt like some giant mouth, opening and waiting for Kaiden to step in. Foul air escaped from within, mingling with the cold, sterile air of their own shuttle, then smothering it entirely.
I can do this. Kaiden steeled his nerves and took a step forward. Then another. As he did, the recruits behind him shuffled forward too. Another step. And one more toward the looming dark ahead.
“What’s the button to sneak?” one of the recruits whispered from behind.
“Just crouch, you idiot. Like in real life,” another hissed back.
“This game needs to come with an instruction manual…”
Kaiden tuned out the others, then lifted his shield as he neared the end of the tunnel. The glowing light from its energy barrier trickled into the room. Enough light to guide him forward, but hardly enough to do much beside make him a target for whatever was undoubtedly hiding in the dark.
Every inch of his body felt exposed. Vulnerable. He could already imagine tentacles slipping silently through the tras
h-covered floor, rising up at his ankles, wrapping themselves around his legs and–
Something nudged his shin and Kaiden’s heart near burst from his chest. He jumped to one side, then slammed his hammer down. Something crunched beneath the blow, but as Kaiden drew back to strike again, nothing moved.
Just trash. Just debris. He took a deep breath and tried to shake the fear from his thoughts. I’m scaring myself. Imagining something where there’s nothing.
The lights stayed on for the most part, but were unstable, flickering as if they were strobe lights.
Emboldened by the fact Kaiden had yet to be tackled and strangled by some horror from the abyss, the other recruits began to trickle into the room. In the strobing lights their movements were choppy and quick.
“At least in here we’re not getting yelled at,” one of the recruits said, laughing. “I forget if I’m in prison, or joined the military. Am I right, boys?”
“Shh!” Kaiden shushed him with a look and a gesture. Nothing had attacked them yet, but that didn’t mean the room was safe.
“It’s just a game, bro. Chill out.”
“A game that can get us out of prison early. I’d consider that a bit more than a game,” Kaiden said as he moved across the space, eyes locked on the passageway at the rear.
His foot hit upon something that rolled a few steps, clattering the whole way. A crystal, he realized, bending to pick it up. Its surface was a vibrant red, smooth as glass and warm to the touch. Kaiden slipped it into his inventory with a smile.
Vibranium crystals collected: 1/5
One down, four to go. Maybe this wouldn’t be so difficult after all.
“Was that a crystal?” one of the recruits shouted, rushing over to Kaiden.
“Crystal?” another said, perking up. And just like that, their fear was forgotten as the recruits dropped to the floor, scouring the debris for more. A few found some, too. But in less than a minute there was nothing left but trash.
Kaiden waited for them to finish, then turned his eyes back to the passageway leading deeper into the Dalcinae. There was no avoiding it. They had to press on.
Kaiden kept his shield firmly in front of him as he inched closer to the passageway. Emergency lights did their best to cut through the darkness in the hallway, lining the walls a few inches above the floor and glowing a faint yellow.
As best as Kaiden could tell in the low lighting, the hallway had several doors on either side, then an intersection where it split into two directions.
We need to make a plan. Maybe form a wall, move down methodically.
“We’re here to pass the test and shave time off our sentences,” a recruit said, pushing past Kaiden and lighting the hallway with the blue glow of his shield. “So what are we waiting for?”
“Quiet!” Kaiden hissed, grabbing at the man. “We don’t want to attract attention!”
The man shrugged off Kaiden’s hand.
“Are you even sure there are voidspawn on this ship?” He looked around, then banged his hammer against the wall. It connected with a clang that echoed down the hallway and sent shivers through Kaiden’s spine.
Certain an onslaught of voidspawn would come charging toward the sound, Kaiden readied himself in his best approximation of a fighting stance. However, all that came from the hallway was a long silence in which nothing happened, and then, the laughter of several recruits.
“This is just some stupid trick by the sergeant, isn’t it?” one of them said, joining the first recruit in the hallway. “They’re not going to kill us off on our first mission. They’re testing to see if we’re ballsy enough to be wardens.”
“We should at least stay together,” Kaiden said, but the rest of the recruits had apparently turned into fearless battle-hardened veterans and were pushing past him, spreading down the halls.
“So I guess we’re doing this…” Kaiden shook his head, sighed, then followed the other recruits deeper into the Dalcinae.
Chapter Six
Docking Bay 01, Kaiden read, noting the lettering above the door as he reluctantly followed the other recruits out into the hall. He’d need to find his way back – something the other recruits seemed to have forgotten.
If they weren’t going to work together, then he couldn’t afford to fall behind and miss out on all the easy crystals. From his previous gaming experience, he figured the quest would have enough crystals for everyone, but some would be more dangerous to retrieve than others. The more ‘safe’ crystals he could retrieve, the less voidspawn he’d have to encounter.
Between the blue glow of everyone’s shields and the yellow of the emergency lights, the surroundings no longer looked like a scene out of a horror film. The darkness was close on them, however, and as the group moved on, Kaiden felt it nipping at his heels. If he fell more than two strides behind it was as if he’d been abandoned entirely.
Safety in numbers, he told himself. Or maybe we’re just making ourselves a bigger target.
As the hunt for crystals continued, the recruits spread out more and more, branching off down hallways or into side rooms. Despite Kaiden sticking with the largest group, they were soon spread thin. Within minutes, there were only eight of them. Thankfully, Zelda had gone off with another crew.
The big man was still with them, however. Kaiden had given him a large berth so far. If their prior conversation was any indication, they weren’t exactly on good terms.
Kaiden realized he still didn’t know the man’s name. He focused on him for a moment.
Titus
Warden Recruit
Class: None
Faction: None
Level: 1
Titus, huh? An appropriately frightening moniker for the big man. Even in-game he towered over everyone else, his muscles on muscles all too visible even beneath his armor. Not that they would help him here. Here, the massive man’s strength stat was the same as everyone else’s. It was an oddly comforting thought.
“Well, this might be a problem,” someone said from the front of the group. Kaiden looked up to find the floor ahead of them buckled and bent. Some sort of hydraulics were visible beneath.
It’s not a floor at all, Kaiden realized, creeping closer.
“This is some sort of freight elevator,” he said, peering through its torn and bent surface and into the darkness beneath. “Odds are it goes straight down to the cargo bay.”
“Looks like it’s seen better days,” Titus said. He stepped forward and gingerly pressed one foot on the edge of the buckled floor. It groaned almost immediately. An electric hiss burst into the air followed by a shower of sparks that tumbled downward, fizzling from existence as they were swallowed up by the chasm.
“Maybe there’s another way down?” he asked, turning back toward the group. Before Kaiden could respond, a line of text popped into his vision.
Channel Joined: SS Dalcinae general
There was a buzzing in his ears that popped and crackled and then Sergeant Dawson’s voice filled Kaiden’s head.
“Seems like you’re taking your sweet time in there, recruits.”
He’s talking through some sort of comms system in the armor, Kaiden realized as the others reacted to the voice in their ears.
“Now, I’m nice and cozy over here. I can wait all day. But according to our scans, you can’t. The Dalcinae’s core was more damaged than we thought. The ship’s power-hungry systems are going to start failing one by one.”
A groan broke out through the ship. Rising from the lower decks, it echoed through the halls, then ended in a deep clang. Following the clang, several machines in the floor wound down, a faint humming Kaiden hadn’t noticed before slowing, before stopping entirely.
Then the floor was slippery and his feet slid out from under him. But he didn’t fall. Instead, he toppled forward, almost in slow motion. And floated.
“Yeah.” Sergeant Dawson’s voice returned in Kaiden’s ear. “Looks like the gravity just gave out – though you probably noticed that.”
“Hah!”
He landed with a cheer that quickly devolved into a groan as he bounced off and floated back up.
With the artificial gravity off, the lights seemed to find enough power to switch back on for a moment. They flickered rapidly on and off, casting the same strobe effect as before.
“How are we supposed to find any crystals like this?” a recruit said, kicking toward the nearest wall and moving basically nowhere.
“How are we supposed to defend ourselves like this?” Kaiden corrected him.
If we were to be attacked right now...He shook the thought from his mind.
The whirring in the floor kicked back up into a gentle hum and the lights clicked off.
“The gravity’s coming back on!” Kaiden said, even as the gravity kicked back in and he face-planted onto the metal floor.
In the corner of his vision, his health bar flashed and dropped. The numbers above it now read ninety-five percent.
You’re kidding me, right? That fall actually did damage?
“It’s back? You got it back on?” The drill sergeant’s voice came through the comms distantly, as if he were away from the mic. A moment later it cleared up. “Alright, recruits. We’re feeding the Dalcinae some of our power to keep it alive. Gravity should be restored.”
“Uh, we might have a problem here,” Titus said. Kaiden looked up, finding himself near Titus’ hulking figure. While the artificial gravity was out, they must have drifted over the elevator because they had landed on the center of its damaged platform. The platform groaned and shook around them but seemed to hold steady.
Right up until it didn’t.