The only thing I can describe it as is akin to a coffin. Stone surrounds me on all side. Moisture dabs each surface I touch as I attempt to pull myself to my feet.
This must be an underground compartment of god-knows where. The amount of moisture dripping off this place must mean we're under a lake or at least a natural water deposit. Somehow my location is the least of my concerns as the tubes inside my ears compress further to allow me to hear whatever was approaching more accurately.
I take a few impatient steps in front of me in order to avoid whatever thing awaited me, my feet adjusting to the uneven stone floor as I walk.
Shit! My nose slams into a wall, I backpedal multiple steps before covering my mouth to stop me from shouting out in pain. My vision is now being impaired in darkness? I blink repeatedly to reset my retina. No avail. My entire body is damaged and low on energy after my bout with that monster of a man it seems.
My vision in the pitch black comes and goes in waves as my implants attempt to compensate for damage, allowing me to semi-accurately navigate myself into a room right next to where I had landed.
I feel around as my sight goes once more, my hand brushes against a shelf of some sort, it spans quite the surface area, and my fingers greet something very odd, it's sharp metal. I carefully manoeuvre my hand around in order to not get cut. Weapons?
There were even more scattered to the side of the first one, as my sight restored itself for a split second I could make out swords, daggers, spears and shields at the very least, all stacked on top of each other.
Just where the hell did I land? My original objective was to shift to the date of 2032. If I am to entertain the wild theory forming in my head due to the discovery of these things, I'm finished.
My life's work was a failure. I believe I've just shot myself at least 1000 years awry of my goal. With my machine nowhere in immediate sight, grim possibilities all flood me at once. I am overwhelmed with pure emotion.
Images of Io flash before me, they will reman dead because of my mistake. If I was left any longer I'd sob, but this place obviously has other plans for me. My sombre spell is broken by the presence of high pitched sneering emanating from just outside the room. They've caught up with me.
My instincts force me to approach the shelf, quickly taking a sword from it, making some of the weapons topple loudly under it. I'm sure this prompts whatever the source of the noise was to enter the room.
All I see are white pupils burst into the deep black of the room. My fists clench down, putting pressure on the sword in my grasp. My enhancements look as though they're about to break the handle in two, so I lighten my grip slightly. It's hard not to overdue it when under stress.
My eyes were not helping me at this moment, I was stood still, in silence. Alone. Multiple blurs of colour swept around me as jitters and laughs came at me from all sides.
I sighed in relief as the familiar widening of my retina which returned sight to me and bathed the former darkness into something recognizable. Though what I see coming in through the entrance is absolutely astonishing.
My cybernetic pupils gaze in wonder at the pale green creatures at the other end of the room. Their long ears and tusked teeth.
I blink. Rubbing my eyes ferociously as if I was hallucinating, they were still there when I opened them again. They then spoke up in whatever god-forsaken tongue they had I seemed to be dreaming up.
"Aresh-ak-al-natara!" One of the biological impossibilities scowl and spit.
"I come... in peace?" I wager to diplomatically approach the situation, most likely with stupidity.
I was speaking to goblins. Ones out of fairy-tale and myth as far as I was concerned.
My assumption of this all being a dream was very clearly trampled as the nearest goblin to me came charging, snarling as he snapped his teeth. The most concerning part was their weapons, daggers and chipped swords ground out of stone as far as I could tell.
The reality of it all sunk in as I was forced to raise the sword, my cybernetics within my brain working double time to dig out any memories of medieval martial arts, ones with the sword specifically, that I could use.
My brain half concocts an incomplete fencing technique from the 16th century, I had no rapier but this sword had to do. Just in the nick of time. The goblin is already upon me and brings down a serrated stone sword towards my neck. It has to jump up to reach me, as they must only be about 4 feet tall.
My sword is longer by a hair, and so gives me the advantage, I thrust it at a downwards angle towards the goblin as it leaps towards me. I pierce through its throat rather easily, and it falls at my feet with a gargle. Looks like otherworldly beings aren't a match for the Architect.
I exhale, still in a state of perpetual disbelief and rather unprepared for the coming horde of 8 other goblins who all eyed me with an animal like fury that chilled me to the bone.
My mind coursed through the ridiculousness of it all, and found comfort in the strange scenario of the budding scientist having to fight off goblins with a sword in a damp and dark basement in whatever place I've been plunged into.
I hold the sword in my right hand, my eyes dart around to observe the group of creatures. 6 of them are currently rushing towards me. However, two are staying behind? They seem to be protecting a bag, the beige of the woven string is stained a deep crimson red, one can only imagine what horrors lurk in it.
I ought to get behind them, strike at the two left open by the rushing goblins. I can do it, after all. I have cybernetic enhancements and they don't, science overcomes all.
The limited bioelectricity housed in my body redirects to my calves as I push off of the ground, leaving behind a small crater as I launch towards them with little hesitation. The remains of a hyper focused brain directing me as calmly forward as possible.
My body in it's weakened state barely pivots around a goblins slash as I reach behind the group in seconds. The two goblins at the back are surprised by my speed and raise their weapons in an attempt to strike at me, but I am already within their space. My arm whirrs as it extends forward, spearing one through the chest and dropping it like a fly.
I continue onto the next one with little effort, and after two slashes to it's throat and chest it is also sent to the ground, my energy substitutions were being handled efficiently so far. If I could keep up like this, the phenomenal situation in front of me is winnable.
I had to win. Though I had never directly murdered before, the sake of humanity pushes against my morals to allow for such a situation to be brushed off, at least for now. Perhaps I would grow sympathetic of the corpses I leave laying on the ground after the adrenaline and hyper focus wears off.
My feet drive me forwards into a wall of three goblins who had doubled back to attempt to defend the twin corpses I had made which formerly defended the bag. Concern rose within me as I notice my legs begin to ache and creak. Bio-electricity was running deathly low, I would probably be reduced to the capacity of a bog-standard male in around 3 minutes.
I still find the motivation within my heart to hack and slash with as much effort as I could muster, working to my advantage as pieces of goblin pile onto the cold stone floor. 3 more down.
No! The unthinkable happens. I've overestimated the bio-electricity readings, internal terror screams through my body as my retina compress, their bluish hue fading and my vision returning to normal, bathing everything in a non visible abyss. I stared in horror at a darkness in which 3 goblins still occupied.
I stand still, imagining their crooked teeth and hungry gazes, their weapons could spear through the void that surrounds me at any time, and I'd likely be dead before I knew it.
These stone confines may be my grave. I am scared.