The Holo-Room was a good place to figure out ones strengths and weaknesses. The self identifying magnifying glass we would all hate to stand in. Especially on any form of randomizer. And unfortunately for me this randomizer had set things to a very cold setting. I stood on a snowy mountain side where a blizzard filled the air with snowflakes and frost filled wind. Holograms made to look like Yeti's were charging toward me from multiple sides. My movements had slowed down considerably in the cold. Ice was building up around my joints and making it hard to move at all. A snowflake symbol hung above my head saying I was under the effects of the slowing Frostbite debuff. Which I will tell you right now sucks as much as it sounds. I had thought I was tough stuff before. The only reason I wasn't dead yet was because my chains had an amazing auto defensive skill for whenever I took damage. Not to mention the bandages helping as well. I spent 30 minutes under those conditions before I cracked under the pressure.
I had recieved several cuts and been hit several times by the holograms within. But my bandages were getting cold and frozen which made things difficult. After it became too difficult I called out. "Stop Simulation!" The holograms froze and dissipated before the door popped open and the room returned to the black hexagonal room it was when not in use. The cold dissapeared and so did the frostbite debuff above my head. I shivered as I stepped back into the workout room. My Anubis form melted into my civilian form like water being poured into a glass. It felt natural now. It was hard to imagine that I had only been in this world for almost 4 weeks. We still had 4 days till the next Dome battle and I was wanting to be ready. I had no idea what scenario would happen or what environment we would be dropped into. But I knew one thing for certain. I needed to survive to no matter the cost. I had friends watching my back outside the Dome but I knew that might not last long depending on how we all grew or if we all grew apart. I had sat down at a stool and was lifting weights. My thoughts had become more focused since I came here. But due to the fact we never slept here it made things... different. Memories I had long suppressed surfaced every once in a while reminding me of the reasons I had very rarely trusted people besides family. And even then I had felt that some things had to be kept private. My history is a complicated one that I share rarely with only those I trust completely.
And these past few days had truly forced me to come face to face with the demons of my history. I had been born to a wealthy man who ran a corporation based on air purification and crop growth. Seeing as those two things were very powerful resources it was obvious how well off we were. But it was around my 6th birthday that my parents began to have issues. Arguments about things I couldn't fully remember. But I knew my father was to blame. My 7th birthday was when he left. After 2 years of arguing and berating each other my parents separated. My father left and all his wealth left with him. My mother and I had been forced to move to a shack at the outskirts of the colony with little food to speak of. My mother worked hard tilling the ground and pouring blood and sweat into everything. Unfortunately life had other plans. We had no crops and the soil that had been tilled was as barren as the day it was turned.
My mother after months of trying and failing finally cracked. It was only a few days later that I returned from school to find her laying in a pool of her own blood. She had taken her life and left her child who had already lost his father. That had left me in the dark. I had wondered the streets for days till I finally found the mental strength to eat the first thing I found from a garbage can. A moldy piece of cheese. It had been a disgusting thing. I had retched but my stomache won out in the end as I ended up dumpster diving further. I learned in the following weeks what areas of the colony to avoid and what areas were considered safe zones. There was a diner that fed the poor kids scraps every Thursday.
I would manage to sneak in every once in a while and grab something that the bigger kids had missed. Over the days following I found myself being hunted multiple times by those bullies. They had grown up in the streets and felt that I was an eyesore. I got beaten black and blue on multiple occasions till I finally found a place that I called my haven. It was on a rooftop of an abandoned building that noone ever used. The building was full of trash and had obviously seen better days from how the chipped paint and cracked foundation looked.
Those days were harsh and had scarred and changed me in more ways than I could possibly describe. A child was a like iron ore. They could be forged and changed into whatever they needed to be. Some could be used for construction. Some could be used to make the iron in ink that fancy people used. Or in some way they could be forged into a weapon. I had become a weapon in my environment. I had seen everything that the government tried to cover up. They said they had programs for the homeless and jobless. But only if you had something to trade in turn. It was corrupt as a rotten apple. Even a kid like I was had seen it. It was a year later that I had my run in with the fever that made my life change.
The following days had helped me much. I was placed in school again. But my spare time had been spent learning how computers worked instead of learning how to get a girl or hang out with friends. I hacked warehouses on several occasions to let homeless and depraved people in to get something to eat or clothes on their backs. Things they desperately needed. It was after my 7th warehouse job that I had been suspected of having anything to do with it all. Now it might just be me. But a threat is a threat. And I was very threatening to those who knew my skillset but couldn't prove it.
Some may think my demon is what happened to me on the streets. That is far from the truth. My father is the demon. What happened to me was his fault. And if I ever I get the chance he is a dead man. Why do I say this? Because it was his warehouses I always hacked. And I am certain that it was him that had a hand in getting me placed in the Roulet that shot me into space.
My anger grew more hot as my thoughts on it became more focused. That is till Beth threw a bucket of water on me. I had been so focused while working out that I hadn't noticed the steam pouring off my body. Overheating is a major problem for avatars. If you start melting then Thoth (Winston) has to come and fix you.
I was handed a glass of water afterwards which I gulped down greedily realizing how thirsty I had become. "You really lose yourself sometimes when you do stuff. You know that right?" She said as she knelt on the floor close to me with her back against the wall. I glanced at her before letting out a long sigh. "Focusing on things distracts me from anything that is going wrong or has gone wrong. It's a coping mechanism I've used for years." I said as I stood up and started putting weights away in their alloted slots. "Yes. But you do it on a level that even I can say is unhealthy. Might want to deal with whatever demons you have before they come back to bite you. Cause they do and they will." She said as she pushed herself off the floor and started walking for the stairs. "Oh. Btw. Thoth came by with a page for you. Apparently all you have ability wise is passives. He said something about having a list of abilities you might be able to unlock later. So whenever you're ready it's on the table upstairs." She said giving me a small smile before she went up to the main floor.
I sat with my back against the wall for a time and thought about things as they were. I was 24 years old. It had been 17 years since the day I was abandoned. 16 since I was left alone. And 12 since I found a better home. Had found a better home I should say. Time wears on the mind they say. Makes you feel older than you are. I felt ancient when those numbers popped into my head.
I shivered a little at the thoughts as a cold chill went up my spine. I slowly got up and moved over to the stairs. My thoughts turned to home where the people I had come to call parents lived. And my sister Kayla must be missing me terribly. My mind turned slightly depressed as I ventured up the stairs.
I found everyone gathered around a gold colored page laying on the table. "Can't read a damn thing on that paper! Why is it that T has to encode all his pages so only one other person can read them!?" Horacio said with frustration evident in his voice. I approached the table and forced a smile. "To keep nosey people from finding out things they have no business knowing." I said as I slapped his shoulder out of my way jokingly.
I finally got a good look at the page as it laid across the table. It was the size of a standard sheet of paper but held no lines on it. The words scrawled across it were completely in hieroglyphics and glowed with an intense dark energy. It was like they called to me. Pulling my vision in to them. like a song you can't stop singing. However as I picked up the paper. The hieroglyphs came to life in my hands. They danced and swirled into lines of clean and elegant handwriting. My name was written in bold metallic calligraphy across the top. Silence (Edgar G. Blackwood) Anubis. I slowly began to read it out loud.
"Anubis's abilities are based toward stealing life energy, healing, causing pestilence or famine. The following abilities could surface during upgrades or under extreme duress.
Drill Teeth: Turns Anubis's teeth into blood sucking fangs that absorb the damage dealt to the opponent and adds to his own. Amount absorbed varies depending on user or holder of Anubis's battleform.
Breath of Pestilence: Causes the Poison debuff. Does 3 damage to the opponent every 4 seconds till 20 seconds is over or a cleansing power/ tool is applied.
Bandage Bind. Wraps the opponent in bandages leaving them stunned for 5 seconds. This effect can stack depending on Anubis's Rank. This power can change into Bandage Wrap when aimed at allies.
Bandage Wrap: Heals allies 5 health every 3 seconds. Can be enhanced with higher Rank parts.
Shadow Portal: Allows for short distance fast travel. Can travel up to 70 meters and cannot be enhanced by rank. Pulling opponents through it will stun them temporarily depending on their rank. If lower rank than Anubis then they will be stunned for 10 seconds. If higher it will be 3-5 seconds.
Possible Passives and Class of Rarity are as follows
Cloak of Shadows (Uncommon): Makes it harder for Anubis to be noticed during night time and absorbs up to 10 damage before dissipating. Has a cooldown of 1 minute before it is automatically reapplied.
Aura of Preservation (Rare) : Puts into stasis any ally who has 1 hp left. Bandages will automatically wrap around them to protect them till Anubis can heal them."
I read it outloud and the paper turned grey before dissipating into zeros and ones having accomplished it's purpose.
Henry had his hands on the back of his head. "Damn. A healing and damage dealing class is rare." He said as Lily started smiling. "Under extreme duress huh?" She said with her mouth twisting into a creepy crocodile smile that sent chills of fear up my spine.