"This place is fucking wild..." I muttered while glancing around at the scenery.
"You get used to it."
We were currently on the move, well, more specifically Decker was on the move, I was riding on his shoulder and surprisingly wasn't sinking into his liquid like body. I honestly found the whole situation a bit uncomfortable to be completely fair, however the big guy didn't seem fazed at all, in fact he seemed like the blunt yet somewhat stoic type from what I could tell.
The environment around us was chaotic to say the very least. Alternatives of various shapes, sizes and races were walking with surprising purpose while also completely ignoring the shifting and warping landscape around them. Additionally there was a lot of fighting going on seemingly all over the damn place, fights that involved all kinds of things like guns, mechs, magic and from what I could tell, there were even some giant kaiju sized monsters going at it off in the distance.
As for Decker himself, well, I was a bit nervous about him to be completely honest, I mean who wouldn't be at least a little nervous about being dumped in some strangers lap and told to listen to them without any real idea as to who exactly they really are. And yet despite this...I found myself rather distracted at the moment. I kept rubbing my wrist while glancing around unable to shake away this little voice wedged in the far corner of my mind. It was subtle at first, however that little voice kept getting louder and louder as time passed, a voice that was constantly whispering in my ears, telling me to hide, to find a hidden place far away from anything that could be a potential threat, somewhere no one would ever find me.
I knew what it was of course, it was my xeno side, the instincts that came with being a Xenomorphs Queen. I should have been happy to finally be free from that bloody Trial, to move and to look around with my own body instead of having to possess someone every five minutes, but I wasn't, not even close. I was anxious and nervous, in fact I felt somewhat suffocated by the number of people walking around me. I was more on edge then I had been for quite awhile, I was constantly looking around as if someone would attack me at any moment. And considering what I had seen up until this point, well, that might not be a complete impossibility.
I tried to hide it, however it was clear Decker had caught on that I was having a mini panic attack at that moment. Surprisingly though, he actually seemed as if he was about to say something to try and calm me down but I beat him to it. Taking a second to just breathe, I decided to try and take my mind off of it, hoping that a little conversation might help calm me down a bit.
"So...erm...you mind answering some questions that I have?" I hummed trying not to sound too awkward.
"Sure but before I do, let me give you a warning." He hummed in a calm yet stern voice. "Don't go around asking about the past lives of your fellow Alternatives, most people here don't exactly like talking about that kind of thing."
(Makes sense I guess, I don't really want to talk about my old life either.) I thought with a sigh.
"First of all, where exactly are we going?" That was the first thing I wanted to know, not knowing was only adding to my still growing anxiety to be honest.
"A Landmark." He responded without looking over at me.
"A what?"
"I'm sure you've noticed by now but most of the Nexus is constantly in a state of shifting, moving and changing without end." Yeah, I mean what kind of idiot wouldn't have noticed that by now. "Well, Landmarks are one of the few places that don't actually move around at all, they will always be in the same place no matter how much time may have passed."
"The reason why they don't move is rather simple, each Landmark has a different purpose, there are also multiple of the same kind that are scattered all over the place." He said while gesturing back the way we had come from. "In fact the place you appeared was also a Landmark, a Landmark called a "Manifestation Point" where new Alternatives arrive at the Nexus."
"So Landmarks are places that help us Alternatives in some way?" I asked and he nodded.
"We wouldn't be able to do our job without them."
(I guess I should learn all I can about them then.) I thought before turning my attention back to Decker who was still speaking.
"For example, one set of Landmarks, which most call the "Hubs", are the only places in which Alternatives can travel to other worlds."
"Even so, how do you know where they are? This place isn't exactly orderly after all." He didn't answer, instead he just pointed down causing me to realize almost immediately what he was getting at. "Oh...I'm guessing that this doesn't move either?"
"Correct, the Highway goes all throughout the Nexus and connects everything together to some extent." He hummed as I glanced around at the overly large and wide pathway that we were currently walking down. "The Landmarks are also rather massive in comparison to everything else within the Nexus, so it is rather easy to spot them at a distance."
I had to admit that last part was true, I mean the structure that I had appeared on top of had to have been several miles tall at the very least. (Looks like getting around won't be as hard as I thoug-)
Before I could finish that thought, or ask anymore questions for that matter, a building not far from where we were suddenly and abruptly exploded out of nowhere. A moment later a bunch of cultist looking guys in yellow and black robes flew out of it while screaming and cursing about something I couldn't hear let alone understand. Before they could finish or do much of anything however, they were suddenly shredded to pieces by what looked to be glowing green lasers coming from a man in futuristic power armour. He just hovered in the air above their falling bodies before turning and leaving in a flash of green light a second before they splattered into the ground.
Much to my confusion barely anyone reacted at all, in fact the now mangle corpses were ignored by almost everyone that walked past them. "Is...is murder just...just allowed here or what?" I was a little taken off guard by the whole event.
"There are only a few rules that everyone in the Nexus must abide by, one such rule is "don't fight within the vicinity of the Landmarks" other than that, well, you are pretty much free to do whatever you so desire." He mused with a shrug. "I mean sure, there are some powerful groups or individuals that enforce various rules within their territories to some extent but even in such places things still slip through the cracks every now and then. Anyway, besides those few select places I just mentioned however, most of the Nexus is a nearly endless shifting space with no governmental structure to speak of."
(This...this place might be even worse then that fucking prison planet...) I groaned, knowing full well that life probably wasn't going to get any easier.
Sighing to myself I decided to pick up where we left off. "You still haven't told me where exactly we are going."
"It's one of the Lounges, it is a place where we Alternatives can meet up and relax. Actually, the one that we are currently going to is a favourite of mine for personal reasons."
"And why exactly are we going there?" I asked while resting my head on my right hand.
"Were getting together with some people that I know, in fact they should have picked up their own brats as well and are probably already there by now." He explained without much care.
Hearing that left me with another question. "Does every Alternative have to take care of a newcomer?" I really hoped not, after all I barely understood what was going on currently, so having to explain all of this to someone else would be problematic to say the least.
"You can volunteer for it, however you are obligated to become a Mentor at least once sometime down the road. Fortunately however, you won't have to worry about all of that, at least not until your time with me is over and done with." I sighed in annoyance at that, however the last part gave me some solace in the matter.
"And before you ask, yes, I volunteered for this." He suddenly said when he noticed that I was about to ask about just that.
"Why? No offense but you don't exactly seem like the type that would enjoy this kind of thing."
"Personal reasons for one." He shrugged. "And secondly, well, because this little job actually comes with some pretty good benefits, all things considered anyway."
"Like what?" I asked, now somewhat more interested in the topic.
"A monthly salary, increased possibilities to earn more RP, chances to relieve boredom and so on..." He yawned nonchalantly.
"I see..."
We continued to make small talk after that, all the while I observed my current environment with vague fascination. Thankfully the mayhem around us didn't seem to spill over onto the Highway, in fact I was actually starting to suspect that the Highway was also a "no fighting zone" or whatever you wanted to call it.
"By the way, a certain asshole told me that the stuff I got from the Trial would be stored in a place called the Sanctuary." I mused as we continued onwards.
Decker looked at me confused for a second before seemingly realizing something. "You had to deal with HIM during your Trial?"
"You mean Goldy?" That caused him to pause momentarily as he looked at me with genuine pity in his eyes.
"God, you poor fucking thing."
"So...I'm guessing I'm not the only one who had to deal with that dickhead?"
"You see, normally the Administrators create simplified copies of themselves when they need to interact with us Alternatives, kind of like that Helper you were with before." He explained, still with some pity clear in his tone of voice. "Every year, when new Alternatives are selected to begin the Trial, most of them are helped along by these clones. Despite this however, every now and then Goldy gets rather bored and decides to pick someone to fuck with personally, not to say that having to deal with his damn clones is much better but you get my point."
(At least I'm not the only one who had to deal with that douchebag...) I sighed with a shake of my head.
"Of course however, having to deal with that asshole in person does, sometimes, come with some minor benefits. Although, despite this little fact however, having to spend possible weeks, if not months with that bloody prick yapping away in your head is definitely not what I would consider as one of said benefits."
(I guess that's true, I mean I did get a few extra Gifts and Reward points for my struggles, things that I probably wouldn't have gotten otherwise.) I thought to myself.
Shaking my head slightly I continued. "I'm guessing that he isn't very popular then?"
"That is the biggest bloody under statement of the century, talking to the Administrators is always somewhat risky considering how volatile some of them can be...but him..." He growled as he seemed to remember several rather unpleasant memories. "Let's just say he can be very...creative with how he finds "entertainment" for himself and leave it at that."
"And if he likes you." I asked curiously.
"Him "liking" you is the equivalent to a child liking a toy, at least until said toy starts to either bore them or just straight up breaks. In the end he is physically incapable of seeing living things as anything other than tools for his own personal enjoyment."
(Yep, that sounds like him alright.)
"As for your question, I'll take you to where you can find your Sanctuary later." He hummed as he began to walk forward once more. "As for whatever you have there, well, it will be kept in a kind of stasis until you arrive."
"Got it."
With that said and out of the way things went relatively quickly overall, in fact we reached our supposed destination not long after. Actually I saw the place we were heading towards some time before we even reached it, after all it was fucking huge to say the least. The damn thing in question looked to be some kind of futuristic mall mixed with a truly gigantic floating medieval fortress.
"We're here."
"I can see that..." I muttered while craning my head to look up at it as the bloody thing hovered above us. "How are we supposed to get up there?"
"You can fly up or you can take the teleporter, unfortunately for you it's actually tradition that newcomers take the teleporter their first time visiting here."
"What do you mean by "unfortunately"?" He chuckled at that, it was a low guttural yet amused sounding thing that vibrated the air around him menacingly.
To put it simply, I suddenly felt a growing dread at what was soon to come. "Let's just hope you haven't eaten recently."
"Great..."