Chapter 1-13
The majority of scholars agree that the System took action to prevent the atomic weapons from unleashing the full scale of destruction for which they were designed. The results of this action are believed to have reshaped Earth in ways just as thorough, if less inimical to life, as if the weapons’ devastation had been unchecked.
The very scale of the world we live in today is vastly different than pre-System Earth. Though many of the originals have been lost, scholars throughout the years have consistently found that the relationship between pre-System maps and the Lost Angels area we now live in is distorted at best. Distances between landmarks have significantly increased in most cases, yet not consistently by the same amount.
Did the entire world expand, or were there localized disruptions where space was warped differently? As best as we can determine, the answer is yes on both counts.
- Rufus Veres, Level 37 Verbose Historian, A Brief History of the System
The room I found myself in was similar to the last in shape, and even had the same grass. What was different was the large boulders strewn about, some about waist high and others taller than I was. And it was even bigger than the last room. I was moving towards the nearest rock, gun at the ready, when I heard a buzzing sound coming from ahead.
Two flying monsters whirred up from behind one of the farthest rocks. They looked like enormous insects, with translucent wings moving so fast they blurred, and bright green and black carapaces. They darted towards me as I snapped off my first shot towards the one on my right. At least some of my pellets caught it and it was smashed back, tumbling out of the air.
Thank the Angels they don’t have barriers!
I shifted my gun towards the second, trying to aim ahead of it, but before I could pull the trigger it suddenly flared its wings. The monster rose straight up, and then its lower body jerked forward and a black spike flashed out towards me. Caught by surprise, the thing smashed into my gut, bouncing off of my barrier with that strange sense of impact.
I sprinted towards the cover of the nearest rock, cursing. Shit, I’m supposed to be the one shooting from a safe distance, not the monsters! I ducked behind the rock just in time as another projectile skipped off the top of the boulder. Quickly checking my resources, I saw that the first hit had taken more than a third of my barrier out.
OK Az, you can do this, there’s only one left now. Just don’t get shot again and you’ll be fine.
My little pep talk came to a halt as the huge bug came screeching overhead. I clipped it with a shot, taking out one of its wings, and it smashed into the wall, splattering itself on the rock. Before its body even hit the ground, I heard the buzz of more wings approaching.
Oh Wastes, this is going to suck!
I don’t know how much later it was when I dragged my battered body into the next elevator. The battle was a giant blur in my mind. I’d been forced to continually move from rock to rock as the bugs came at me from different directions, their numbers slowly increasing no matter how many I’d shot. I’d thought the end was near, my health slowly whittled down and my mana running low. Even though I’d dodged most of their shots, I’d still gotten tagged more than a few times. My body armor had saved my life at least twice and my helmet had a nice gouge along the top where I’d almost ducked in time.
Suddenly, all the monsters flew off and PAST ordered me to move on. Now I was in what I desperately hoped was the last elevator, my resources seriously depleted.
