Chapter 8 - Under and Over

Elena peered through the dusty window of the warehouse, her gaze fixed on the colossal object that had descended from the sky not long ago. A continuous stream of grotesque creatures spewed forth from its depths, sending chills down her spine. However, something else caught her attention. Segments of the object began detaching, launching off and scattering across the surrounding area before coming to rest on the ground. Filled with trepidation and curiosity, Elena felt an urgent need to uncover the nature of these fragmented pieces.

Meanwhile, from the remains of the creature they had just vanquished, each of them received a copper coin, a blue crystal, and some experience points. The coins seemed to belong to a currency she had never seen before, likely the currency of the twisted game they found themselves trapped in. As for the shimmering blue crystals, their purpose remained elusive.

With Emilee finally composed after Trev's soothing words, the trio prepared to depart together through a storm drain that led to the nearby river. Their hope lay in finding a means of escaping the clusterfuck of creatures that plagued their surroundings.

"Ok, we are ready to go," Trev declared, offering a reassuring smile.

Emilee stood up gingerly and took a deep breath, her fear still palpable but no longer paralysing her. Elena had suggested they just kill her and proceed as a duo, but Trev was against this idea. Elena approached the storm drain she had previously prepared as her escape route and started the short descent down the ladder. Still upset that her knives and gun had been disintegrated, she had to make do with a metal pipe as her weapon. The pipe was a bit baberic for her standards, but she accepted it temporarily until she could find a more suitable replacement.

Her goal was to distance herself from the foreign object spewing creatures as much as possible and find her way back home. Regrettably, her destroyed phone rendered her unable to determine the scale of the crisis—whether it was confined to their immediate vicinity or if it plagued the entire globe. If it was a localised occurrence, Elena surmised they would need to venture at least thirty kilometres away from the object to have any chance of finding functioning technology. In dangerous conditions and foreign terrain this was likely a three day effort.

Once Trevor and Emilee joined Elena in the depths of the storm drain, their arduous journey through the darkness toward the river commenced.

~~~~

Trevor had long regarded his life as mundane—a series of obstacles that impeded his pursuit of genuine enjoyment. Each milestone reached—school, work, university—always hindered his ability to truly relish life's pleasures. In his rare moments of leisure, he found enjoyment in video games, particularly action RPGs and MMOs, but he had never had the time to fully invest in them. Now, the boundaries between reality and the gaming world blurred as the real world transformed into a perilous game of its own—a game he could fully invest in and, potentially, derive genuine satisfaction from. The risk of dying will be ever present, but what's fun without a little risk.

With cautious steps, they trudged through the storm drain, using each subsequent grate as a guiding light toward their destination. As they rounded a gentle curve, the end of the tunnel gradually materialised, offering a glimmer of respite from the damp and claustrophobic confines. Stepping out into the open posed its own risks, considering the horde of creatures that had emerged from the colossal object.

As they reached the end of the tunnel, Trev peered around, scanning the vicinity for signs of lurking danger. Fortunately, the coast appeared clear, prompting him to leap down onto the riverbank, where the receded summer waters of the urban river exposed a narrow path to walk along. The river's embankment, which had been replaced by sturdy stone walls on either side, left the group with no choice but to follow the winding course of the water. One direction led back towards the imposing object, which still partially obscured the sun over the river, while the other veered towards the centre of the city. Without consultation Elena began walking away from the object, she obviously already had a goal in mind. Trev decided it was best to follow her lead until they knew better. The river's twists, turns and high walls limited their visibility, offering only fleeting glimpses of the path ahead.

As they rounded a bend, an interesting building appeared—a floating structure upon the river, featuring stairs leading to the riverbanks and platforms facilitating crossings. Trev, a regular runner who frequently traversed this stretch of river and had been past this exact spot on numerous occasions. He had never seen this very conspicuous structure before. Resting atop a hard metal base, the bright orange dome boasted two entrances and appeared to be constructed from the same metallic material as the colossal object further up the river. The metal base seemed to have taken the form of a once expansive box that had now collapsed, unveiling the dome. Could this be one of the fragments Elena had described whilst walking in the drain?

Cautiously, the trio approached the dome, testing the stability of the boardwalk beneath their feet. Satisfied with its reliability, Elena advanced without hesitation. Surprised and her severe lack of fucks given, Emilee and Trev hesitated for a moment. For a small woman, she had no fear.

"Do we follow her?" Questioned Emilee.

"I suppose we should just in case she needs backup," mused Trev.

Emilee and Trev cautiously followed her up into the structure. Inside the dome, the true scale of the space revealed itself, defying its deceptively modest exterior dimensions. The room resembled a market, lined with stalls that currently stood empty, likely because the structure had only just landed. In one corner, a tall figure was setting up a small stand, completely covered in clothes that concealed any distinguishing features. The figure had not noticed their arrival until Elena cleared her throat, drawing its attention. The figure turned around enthusiastically. As it turned around, Trev realised it was not human, but reminiscent of a tree Ent from fantasy tales. Instead of towering over three-story buildings, this Ent stood just above human height. Its stump-like legs, lacking distinct feet, carried it across the ground, while its human-like arms sported only two fingers and a thumb. The square composition of its face bore a resemblance to a human countenance, whilst its hair formed a crown of leaves.

The Ent bounded toward them enthusiastically, causing Elena to raise her weapon defensively. However, the creature halted just beyond striking distance, its face breaking into a friendly smile as it gestured to its attire—a purple garment adorned with a heart symbol and the image of the Earth. Eagerly, it sought to convey its non-hostile intentions. From one of its pockets, the Ent produced two small flags, each bearing an image of the Earth, and vigorously waved them in the air using its three fingers. Attempting to communicate in a language foreign to Trevor, the Ent soon realised the futility of its efforts. It took them over to its stand and pointed at a sign. The sign indicated that they could exchange one copper coin for an item that resembled a wristwatch with a large blue face. In an attempt to bridge the communication gap, the Ent proudly displayed its own glowing blue faced watch, nodding its head with enthusiasm.

"Does it want to sell us watches?" Elena questioned.

"Looks like it," responded Trev.

The ent enthusiastically shook its head. It appeared to understand them.

"I don't trust it," glared Elena.

A moment later Emilee took her coin out of her pocket, stepped forward and handed it to the ent. The Ent accepted the coin carefully, placed it in a bag, and handed Emilee a watch in return.

"I trust it, it's cute," Emilee smiled.

"You can be the guinea pig," joked Elena.

Emilee put the watch on but nothing happened. She shrugged her shoulders. The Ent then pulled a blue crystal out of its pocket and placed it on its own watch. The crystal dissolved into the watch face. Emilee followed suit and placed her blue crystal on her watch. It too disappeared. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, a third bar appeared above Emilee, a blue bar labelled 'Mana.'

The ent spoke again, causing Emilee to jump.

"I can understand him! He wants you to buy watches too."

Elena and Trev both retrieved their coins, gave them to the ent, to which it handed each of them a watch. They inserted their blue crystals into the watch face, and a mana bar formed for them too.

"Welcome to the river rest stop!" said the Ent in a deep and enthusiastic voice, glad they could finally understand him. "And welcome Homo-sapiens to the Evolution games!"