Chapter 5: The Engulfment
"I'm sorry" Gwendolyn repeated. Aiden was completely stunned by this news. His eyes looked empty like he was having a seizure, just then Dustin came to the rescue of his friend,
"If what you're saying is true, why the hell did you bring him here? To taunt him, huh? To make fun of him and his father?"
"No, gosh no! I thought he deserved to know what happened and what better place to explain things than here? Besides, this thing's gonna wipe the whole nation any time soon" Gwendolyn said, pointing towards the now enlarged X portal.
"What about us?" Everyone turned towards the strange voice. Leon had spoken out for the first time. "What about us? I have no intention of spending my last minutes in this sick place" He spat, gesturing around. Leon started to walk, moving towards the nearest exit he could find.
"Hey! Leon. Trust me when I say this, either way, you're dying, you step out to those hallways, they'll chase you down" Gwendolyn tried explaining at the top of her voice.
Aiden was stiff. He could hear their voices, but it sounded distant and far off. His heart felt heavy, a bombshell had just been dropped. Is she telling the truth? Aiden had always suspected that his father could be dead but murdered. Who would've murdered his father and why? And what did she say about his father being the Chief of Prime Nation? What did she say about his real last name being 'Prime'? Was he the son of a prominent man and family? Why didn't his mother not tell him all this?
"So we should just wait here doing nothing until that thing eats us? You know what, I don't even believe you!" Leon's voice echoed through the large Portal room bringing Aiden back to reality.
"Every elite has a contingency plan. I'm sure you plan to use us for something-" A loud rumble erupted. There was a loud blast next to Leon that lifted him to his feet, throwing him across the huge room. The metal floors shook, the lights blinked, and some glass shattered from high above falling on them.
"What's happening?" Dustin yelled, using his arms to protect his head. They all scrambled looking for a shade from the falling glass. The trembling ground made it difficult to balance on their feet.
"Shit! It's about to happen." Gwendolyn cursed. She looked up at the portal, it was scary, it was bigger now. Its growth was now visible to the human eye.
"Right now?" Annie's little voice squeaked.
"I had no idea it would cause a commotion like this," Gwendolyn muttered to herself. A large metal rod fell from above landing right in front of them. Annie screamed in horror.
"Look if we don't find a shade, this falling debris is gonna kill us before that thing does. Gwendolyn, get us somewhere safe" Dustin looked at Aiden, he seemed okay, just as terrified as the rest of them.
Aiden noticed Dustin's concerned look,
"Dustin, I'm okay. Is everyone else alright?" Aiden asked. Leon and Annie nodded. "Alright, we'll make a run to that entrance over there, it has a metal shade above it" Gwendolyn announced.
"How do you think your event is going so far? The day of your event is the day the portal decided to go off. How ironic." General Danielle chuckled as Snape held open a door for her. "Everyone would be asking where's the President? What's he going to do about this earthquake?"
"If you find this funny, I'll order you to be killed even before the engulfment. You, take the left." President Snape said, ordering the officer to the second passageway. The grounds were still vibrating furiously, the ceilings seemed to be crashing down.
"Is it possible the boy must have jumped into the portal thinking his father was in there?" General Danielle asked as they kept on pushing. "Be quiet and pull out your blaster, we're here" President Snape said pulling out his.
"Talking about waiting for your death" Leon muttered out loud.
"Shhhh! Someone's coming" Gwendolyn cautioned towards the door. They waited in anticipation. The knob turned, and the door opened with a weapon pointing out.
Gwendolyn charged towards the body with surprising acrobatic skills. The officer was too huge for Gwendolyn, he tried fighting her off. Aiden joined in, throwing punches to his sides. Gwendolyn disarmed him of his phaser as he gave her a wicked blow to the head. Dustin aimed with his blaster, but everyone was too fast, coupled with the vibrating grounds, he didn't want to hit Aiden.
Aiden grew angry seeing what the officer did to Gwendolyn. He started punching him in the face, Aiden was exceptionally strong and the officer didn't stand a chance. Aiden didn't stop punching until the officer was unconscious. Dustin had to pull him off.
"Are you okay?" Aiden asked Gwendolyn. She nodded in agreement as she grabbed the phaser. The sound of two palms coming together echoed through the room. Dustin quickly turned, aiming his blaster towards the sound. Everyone turned to see the President and the General.
President Snape continued his clapping, "Very impressive, very impressive, right Danielle?" His voice resonated. They were completely across the room even shots fired from a blaster or phaser would hit none from either side.
"I don't know which is more surprising, the fact that a bunch of kids were able to bring down a trained officer or your niece Danielle, your niece ganging up with these little brats."
"Gwendolyn? Tell me what you're doing there with them?" Danielle asked her niece. The building still seemed to be tearing down.
"I should be asking you that question Aunt!" Gwendolyn snapped back at Danielle. "How can you betray my father by befriending his enemy?"
"How dare you!" Danielle bawled
"I know everything, every single thing. And I wouldn't mind saying it." Gwendolyn threatened, her crew behind her.
"Gwendolyn, don't you dare say another word!" Danielle warned angrily.
"Don't stress it, Danielle. She could say whatever she wanted to say. After all, this thing's gonna close in on us very soon." President Snape said casually, "I'm more concerned about someone else and I'd like to finish what I started" His eyes drifted to Aiden. "You remember me, boy?" President Snape asked loudly.
Hell yeah, Aiden remembered him. The cause of everything that's gone wrong today. If he had let him in with his ticket, he wouldn't be in this problem. President Snape started walking forward, his eyes still glued on Aiden.
"Don't take another step!" Dustin warned still pointing the blaster at the President. "I'll shoot you!"
Unknown to Dustin, the officer had regained consciousness and grabbed his leg, Dustin lost balance. Seeing the chance, President Snape and General Danielle started running forward shooting their blasters.
Gwendolyn replied by blasting the phaser she picked. Though none of the shots were reaching each other, it was all about whose shot was first to hit. Aiden and Dustin tried fighting the officer off, but Leon and Annie were cornered in shock.
The President and the General were already halfway through the room, still firing when they all heard a loud explosion like that of a pressure pump. No one had noticed how incredibly large the portal had become, it had started to surpass the building, bringing it down.
"Tsk! I hope Uncle is alright" Sven exclaimed. He and Stefan had taken up the power to clear the building after the earthquake started. He was hoping his uncle would be impressed with his discipline.
All the elite citizens were running for their lives, no one wanted to be crushed by a building. The earthquake seemed to be happening throughout the nation. He signaled to a trooper. "Ready the underground hatches, they're only a few, those who pay the highest get in, okay?" The trooper nodded "Save one for me and my Uncle"
Sven turned to the building, "Come on uncle" He squinted his eyes, "Wait, what the hell is that?!" A bright white light was emerging from inside the building, pulling everything into it. Sven started to run but the light was picking up a faster pace, within seconds the Parade Grounds were cleared, and the whole nation was pulled in.
Chapter 6: Welcome to CraftWorld
"Congratulations sir, the next stages of the project have commenced successfully. With almost all individuals now awake." The editor relayed to his master. This was the lead editor for the CraftWorld project. He was in charge of the project where Aiden was trapped.
"Ugh."
Aiden's eyes opened slowly, his head hurt. There was a resonant sound in his head, it was so loud. He turned in pain, he felt a grass brush against his forehead. Grass? There was no grass in the facility, nor the Parade Grounds. He forced his eyes open to see a red sky. Where the hell was he? Weird creatures were soaring in the sky like birds. Aiden tried to see clearly but there was an interface blocking his view. "What is this?" He asked himself. It looked like it was in front of him but it wasn't, it was in his head. The interface looked like it was loading some files, and then a complete sign was shown.
"Welcome to CraftWorld." The interface proclaimed in a feminine voice. Aiden was stunned, he quickly tried to get on his feet but landed almost immediately with his back on the ground. He still couldn't wrap his mind over what was happening. The interface kept on, "Kindly input your name"
"What?" Aiden asked in confusion. The interface repeats the question. "No, no, tell me what's happening," Aiden asked. He looked around him, but he couldn't see anyone in sight, the sky was red, and the ground looked unreal like it was made of jigsaw puzzle pieces. The grasses were purple, there were many plains and valleys in sight. He could tell it was a beauty.
"Welcome to CraftWorld." The interface repeated its first line. "Kindly input your name"
"Uhh... My name's Aiden." He replied.
"Welcome Aiden."
Aiden looked down at himself, he couldn't believe it. He never remembered changing into these clothes, he was in a casual long black coat. He looked different, he felt different. The interface said something again.
"Printing companion Aiden." Aiden jumped in fear when a big grey wolf with four eyes materialized from the thin air next to him. The interface once again appeared in his view, "Listing accessories Aiden" One by one, it listed some accessories he never knew owning. The interface kept on and displayed the complete sign once again.
Aiden could see on the interface. Experience, zero. Level, zero. Weapons, two. Shards, zero. Extra, zero.
Was this some kind of game? The last thing he remembered was a big bright light blinding his eyes. Now he was in an alternate universe, he wasn't in his rag clothes anymore, and he looked sleek like a bounty hunter.
He took a step forward, and the interface appeared again. This time it displayed a map, and the map was huge. My God! He exclaimed this universe was way bigger than their nation as a whole.
He looked down at his wolf, it looked up at him too. "Hmm, what will I name you" He said. "How about... Digs?" The wolf barked, and Aiden bent over to pet it "Yeah, that's about right".
It seemed like he was spawned on a hill and according to the map, he was south of the universe. A green zone, the map was divided into five different colors spread across different locations. He was now in a green zone. Aiden took multiple steps forward, his wolf close behind him. He looked down from the hill, he couldn't believe what he saw. There were many humans down below, they didn't look confused, they looked like they were just carrying out their normal activities. He hurried down to meet them.
Aiden walked up to a man, who seemed to be clearing the purple grass in that area, "Hello Sir?" The man looked resentfully at Aiden.
"What is it?"
Aiden noticed he wasn't happy, why wouldn't anyone be happy in this place? He thought it was awesome.
"I woke up in this place and I was hoping you could tell me one or two about everything," Aiden said.
"Oh! You're one of the late spawners aren't you." The man said.
"Late spawners?" Aiden asked.
"Yeah, we all got pulled into this goddamn place and you are three years late," The man said swinging a machete at the grass.
"Three years!" Aiden blared.
"Yeah" The man looked at Aiden, then at his wolf "You look like you've got potential, you must've been given a good system. I'll advise you, don't waste your time here in the fields, just join the academy."
"Academy? What Academy?" Aiden asked.
"The President opened an Academy for anyone with good or promising systems" The man replied sadly.
President? What? The President's here. Rohan looked at the man and the others working in the fields. Malgrim Snape is at it again, he thought. Now it's no longer about wealth, it's about those with good systems. Those working in the fields must have been given unpromising systems and now they've been subjected to this.
"I say you get there as quick as you can, you wouldn't want to be out in the open here at night" The man advised
"Thank you, sir" Aiden greeted before he left. He opened his interface for the map, so he could find the academy. The interface spoke up, "You have two hours left to complete your daily mission"
"Daily Mission? What Daily Mission?" Aiden asked the interface as he searched for the mission.
"Mission one; Hunt and kill a boar; Rewards; five experience points, Unlock Technique; Time left two hours"
"Kill a boar!" Aiden exclaimed "You can't be serious. And if I refuse to accomplish this mission?"
"You can choose to abandon the mission. But it comes at a price. Experience: minus fifteen points, you wouldn't be able to unlock your technique" The interface spoke back.
Aiden chuckled, he was enjoying himself. He loved the way things were just as now, he wished his life was ever like this. He loved this universe, everywhere was beautiful, no officers were restricting him from entering several places, and no oppressing or bullying elites, hell, he even got cool clothes and a wolf.
Aiden smiled, he bent down to his wolf, rubbing its ears, "Let's find ourselves a boar." The wolf dashed immediately towards a forest area. Aiden ran right behind it.
Chapter 7: Annie
Aiden and his wolf lay on the ground next to a glittering pond staring at the dark red sky with a full stomach. Thanks to his survival instinct, he was able to catch the boar and make a fire. What did the man he met earlier say about being in the open at night? Aiden didn't seem to care, he loved this universe, it was so perfect for him.
"Digs? What do you say we test out this new power of mine?" Aiden asked his wolf as he got to his feet. The wolf barked. "Okay, how do we do this?" He asked himself. "Activate powers!" Aiden yelled. Nothing happened. "What?" He stretched his hands, "Activate powers" He yelled even louder. "Does this thing work at all?"
Digs began to bark at a bushy area. Rohan turned to see what he was barking at. "What's wrong boy? Is something there?" Aiden asked. The wolf continued barking.
Aiden assumed a defensive pose, "I have two weapons don't I?" He asked the interface. The interface popped up on the screen. It displayed two weapons, one looked like a mallet, the other, a glove. Aiden directed the mallet to be printed. "Successfully printed, Sonora Mallet, Level one." The interface declared. Right away, the huge mallet materialized in his hands.
"Okay, come out whatever you are." He waited with the mallet in his hand.
Digs kept on barking. Suddenly large creatures jumped out at him. "What the hell?" Aiden hollered as the creatures grabbed him. They looked like hounds standing on their hind limbs, with wild smiles displaying dangerous sets of canines. Digs tried attacking the creatures but was easily knocked down. Aiden reached for his mallet and swung it right to the face of one. Though his weapon was at level one, it still caused some damage. The other creature scratched Aiden on the face with long claws. It pinned him on the floor, he couldn't move. Its long tongue dripped saliva on Aiden's face.
"You all have a reputation for picking on newbies?" A voice broke in from a distance. Aiden watched as a female figure appeared from the dark. She was wearing tight grey clothes like she was a spy or something. As soon as the creatures saw her, they scrambled off Aiden and stared at the young lady in disbelief.
The other creature tried attacking her from behind, but she displayed a wonderful back flip, as she was still in the air, she gave a snap of her fingers and with the blink of an eye, the creature exploded into many pieces. The other seeing what unfolded, fled.
"Hey, are you OK?" She asked Aiden. Aiden couldn't believe what she had done, she did it so professionally. She offered Aiden a hand and helped him get up.
"Thank you for saving my life, those things could've killed me," Aiden said as he went to check on his beaten wolf. "No problem, it's what I do anyway." She paused, "You are a noob aren't you?"
"Yeah. I spawned today" Aiden said, petting his wolf as it started to respond. "Crazy right?"
"Go find a shelter, it's not safe in this universe at night. Unless that is, you have a good system and you are well aware of your powers and techniques." She said as she started to leave
"Wait! Can't I come with you? I have nowhere to go now!" Aiden asked at the top of his voice as she was leaving.
"Can't, I'm busy on patrol. There's a camp nearby, go find it"
Aiden didn't want her to leave, the way she handled his attack got his interest. "Can I at least know your name?"
She hesitated. "Name's Annie"
"Annie!"
"You know it's been three years already?" General Danielle asked.
"For crying out loud Danielle, I know the goddamn rules of this place!" President Snape roared as he hit his fist on the table next to him. He stood up with his hands crossed behind his back. He stared blankly out of the window. No one understood what it meant to be him. He thought. He had to make sacrifices. It's always for the greater good. He came to this nothing of land, now he has established an Academy, there are buildings, there are chairs to sit on, beds to lay on. It's a fantastic feat. President Snape chuckled. Now, he looked more domineering and frightening. All he had to do was to keep up the consistency, building an organized strict society was everything he ever dreamt of and he wouldn't let a wildling mob ruin his accomplishments so far.
"Give a last stern search for promising systems, it's not by choice. Gather all. We'll drop the veil with a few workers in when the mob is about to begin." President Snape ordered looking at his rings, they were of his system.
"Okay... anything else?" General Danielle asked. When he didn't reply, she made to leave.
"Danielle... any news from the Nile kid?" The General shook her head, surprised at the change of course, "Nope, not that I've heard of. He must be looking different now, so he'll be difficult to spot." President Snape chuckled again. "That's the point. It's not about us finding him Danielle, I'm afraid he's the one going to find us."
"Seriously, I didn't recognize you," Aiden said as Annie laughed out loud. They were walking down a forest slope, and Aiden noticed a lot of creatures lurking around. He guessed they were all scared of Annie's presence.
"The last time I remember, I was about one foot taller than you, now, we're roughly the same height." Aiden taunted as Annie continued her laughter.
"I guess it's the universe, I didn't recognize you too but now I can see the details if I look closely, you're you," Annie said with a smile. Aiden noticed her beauty and the smile warmed his heart. She looked happy and bold, unlike before in the Project X facility. Is this what this universe could make someone be? The best version of yourself?
Aiden asked her about her spawn. As it turns out she was one of the first in the universe. "I don't have any tools, but my technique is very deadly even at level three. So my system must be very promising." She said after he ask