A ripple in blood
A ripple in blood, a boy in a puddle of it, in the dim glow of flickering red emergency lights, the air hung heavy with the acrid, unpleasant scent of burnt circuits and blood, the distant echoes of alarms singing throughout. The underground compound, nestled beneath the rust-colored surface, now revealed its vulnerabilities as a containment breach unleashed the horrors within its unsuspecting halls. Amongst the chaos, an unnaturally pale-skinned boy rose, hot blood that was both his and someone dripped from his head to his chin, his seemingly cold calm gaze, black hair, and eyes reflecting the eerie glow as if mirroring the disturbances around him it would have freaked anybody out.
The boy clung to whatever dark surface was around, making his way past office doors of researchers till he found the door of the head researcher's office, opening the door easily due to the base's containment breach emergency protocol, making it so humans can navigate easier in times when certain entities escaped. Inside, I rummaged through the office, checking the drawers and cabinets with haste, finally finding what looked to be transparent rectangle. The tablet of the base's head researcher. Waving his hand above it, the tablet came to life displaying words he struggled to put together "identification required."
Reaching into my pocket, he took out a keycard and a severed human thumb. Placing the tablet on the office desk, I placed the keycard flat on top of the tablet and then pressed the severed thumb next to it.
"Access granted, welcome Liam Pura."
"what's the status of EC-43."
"EC-43 status: secure, location: level 135"
Showing him a mapped visualization of where specifically on the level, he stuffed the finger and keycard back into his pocket and rushed out of the office and into the hallway, coming across bodies of site guard and researchers alike, along with the corpses of anomalies, creatures, and rift monsters. The site rumbled, and the discharging of coil guns and explosions could be heard, and it brought him no comfort to know that he was heading straight to the source of this level's conflict. Nearly slipping on some blood, he slowed down and stuck to the wall of the hallway, seeing a split at the end along with some signs for direction, attempting to read it and make his way to the nearest elevator.
"kafi- tier- ia, alright"
Remembering that one of the dual elevators was in the cafeteria section, he peeked around the corner to be met with the sight of corpses on the ground, along with four guards firing on a rift creature. The creature itself looked extremely injured and weakened, a dormant rank and a beast type on all fours it was the height of a normal human, its skin a greyish red and pierced by Endurim steel spears. Looking toward the ground I searched for something useful but only found some dead guards had coil guns. These men didn't have any serious fire power to work with.
Seeing this endeavor was useless, the boy considered looking for another elevator till the sight of a Sink gun caught his eye. But just then, the creature lunged at the firing guards, pinning one of them to the ground, but before it could bite down on the man's throat, it was tackled by two other guards in exo suits. After pushing it to the ground, they grabbed the ground guard and made distance.
"thanks"
"Focus fire on the underbelly."
After another command, the three fired on the underbelly, making the creature yelp and squirm, eventually dying.
"Good job boys, we may just survive today, Kim pass me that sink gun let's get ready to move top side."
After checking if the area is truly all clear, the pale boy decided to step out of hiding, but before he could even take a second step, the wall of the cafeteria ruptured and pushed 2 guards down and forcing the boy to go back to hiding.
From the breached wall came another rift creature, this one bigger than a human and stood up with animal hind-like legs and 2 arms that swung around like razor-sharp whips.
"Shit, another one"
"Damn it cover fire, back on your feet boys, Kim fire the spear if you can."
Nothing, absolutely no damage occurred as they fired their coil guns at the rift creature, the projectiles bounced off or just barely bit into the skin before falling out. To make matters worse the beast was fast, faster than the previous dormant beast. It lunged and pierced one of the guards with one of it whip-like arms killing them.
"Shit, it's an awakened."
"Firing spear!"
At those words, the guards cleared out for a path from the beast to the guard named Kim, as soon as he saw his fellow guards clear away, he fired the recoil, threw his aim up, and pushed him back a bit. The spear flew, but before it could hit it, the creature moved nearly dodge, but though missing the intended target, the spear lodged into its shoulder, restricting movement of its left arm whips.
"Damn! I need ammo."
"Search the body we'll try distracting it."
Seeing that the Awakened Beast didn't go down and barely got knocked back, they kept up their attack, only difference being that they started to move in different directions around the creature, trying to confuse it while giving Kim time to find another spear.
Seeing their struggle as a lost cause the hiding boy decided to go back and search for another elevator, yet before he could leave to search, the compound rumbled and the other hallways collapsed, locking the other options up all but one. There was still the cafeteria so he waited for an opportunity before picking up a spear that was near the corner he was peeking from and silently and slowly rolling a spear toward the guard Kim's direction.
"Nothing nothing nothing nothing, damn it! Come on give me something."
Kim searched the body's frantickly and as if his prayers were answered an endurim steel spears rolled to his feet, confused Kim spared a glance towards the corridor but found nothing. Deciding not to waste any more time he started reloading.
"Firing!"
Again, they guards moved, except for one who was caught by the neck. The beast caught one of the guards and put him between itself and the aimed weapon much to the horror of the other, but before it could take further action the held guard shouted.
"FIRE IT! DO IT!"
Kim heisted before firing at the beast leg, forcing its grip on the guard to let go and allowing the guard to dash away but it was all for naught as he got whipped in the back, face planting into the floor dead though the strike was weaker, he still died the spine of his exo-suit snaped in two. Fear enveloped Kim, with no more spears left he threw the Sink gun away having it slide to the corridor entrance and then he franticly picked up the coil gun off a fallen guard and started firing rapidly.
"Watch your aim damn it!"
Nearly hitting his remaining teammate he steadied himself and controlled his aim, continuing their assault from a distance making their way around the creature to the elevator, thinking themselves safe due to the beast's wounded leg and arm they took the opportunity to attempt an escape.
"Kim, use your card and get that elevator open."
A glimmer of hope? No, just delusion, for just as Kim turned around the beast lunged itself forward its maw open and bit into his remaining team member's arm, crushing and bending the arm piece of her exo suit, the metal only adding to the pain of the bite wound as it bent inwards with the its teeth.
"AHHHHH, you fucking NOUT!"
She screamed as she unloaded on the beast's head to no effect, her weapon clicking as she ran out of ammo. With a crunch and a cruel yank, the beast ripped her arm from its socket and took that piece of her exo suit with it.
"AHHHHHH"
"It open! it open!"
Kim pulled his last squad member inside as the elevator door opened, but the beast stopped it before the door could shut. Frantically, Kim glanced around and noticed a body, a corpse that was not what he was looking at, but rather the sword that was on its person. He quickly it from their hands, pressed the button, and swung down on the beast's head, watching as the blade vibrated and glowed a fiery red, only partially severing the beast's head before the pain from the wound was relieved and the beast was forced to retreat with a welp.
The elevator doors closed, and the beasts roared smacking the door and as it turned around it was met with a spear to the head, the shooter the pale boy, he watched as the beast fell with a hard thump. Pain coursing through the boys hands and arms from the recoil, he dropped the sink gun and stepped on the beast to make his way to the second elevator.
"Level 135"
"Apologies but due to emergency protocol all personal is t- protocol overwritten moving to level 135… and have nice day Liam Pura."
Taking the severed thumb and card off the scanner he couldn't help but ponder how he got into this mess, it was supposed to be a retrieval assignment, his third official assignment in the organization an assignment that went to shit quick. What he knew was that multiple rifts opened within the base, all second stage backup generators failed and third stage came on, the main armories are unavailable and the compounds emergency protocol was activated. He started to worry to himself but not of his own survival but the assignment that was given.
Did I waste too much time? I was informed via message recording that this retrieval job was classified as SAVIOR, the highest rank priority and so I had to depart quickly to the compound via organization driver.
The boy wasn't given much information and could only make assumptions about the mission like why was he chosen for such a highly ranked assignment it couldn't have been because of his skill or experience he had only been in the organization for about half a year and even less then that as a retrieval and delivery boy. Perhaps loyalty? But that couldn't be it ether though he passed the organization based requirements he only had one person in the organization who seemed to trust him while the most of the rest he came across just didn't care. A lack in personal is the only possible conclusion he came to, that and he was the nearest available retriever to the compound.
Reminiscing further back before his time in the organization but forcing him out of this thought he felt a brief sharp pain along his neck making him clasp it before running his finger gently along his the side of his neck where a scar resided.
The elevator doors slid open, and the boy was greeted by a scene that could only be described as a nightmare, the hallway stretched, covered in a grotesque mixture of meat and blood that seemed to be pulsating from time to time. Swallowing hard, the boy pushed forward each step he made making a distinct squishing noise, his senses assaulted by the putrid stench. It didn't help that the boys senses have always been so abnormally sensitive far more so then most normal humans.
Enduring the onslaught, he reached a split in the corridor. The lights on the left path flickered red, signaling the impending failure of the third-stage generator. On the right, the lights remained operational, aligning with the path indicated on the tablet before I left it. Despite the gruesome surroundings, I sprinted towards that direction, parts of the fleshy meaty walls around seem to pulsate and throb as if alive, eventually I located the door marked EC-43.
Placing the card flat on the scanner, the door opened, and inside the center of the rooms was a black ball the size of his fist. The lights dimmed momentarily, indicating the failure of the third-stage generators and the impending restoration of the forth-stage on this floor. Without wasting another moment, the bot stashed the ball in his lab coat and sprinted back the way he came. But halfway there, he froze, every hair in his body wanted to stand on end but could not, overcome by fear like that he had never felt in his life before. Something had me in its grip, and a deep humming sound filled the air.
The boy mustered up whatever strength he had, he turned to face the source, only to see a figure that he himself could barely give a description just a figure not humanoid but like a ball or a star that was only seen in light not the origin of it, like the darkness that came every time the emergency lights flickered off.
The star seemed to have started to make a humming noise again. Then all at once the boy's body convulsed in a violent pain, his mind gone blank, his vision blurry, every nerve in his body on fire as if every inch of my flesh was being ran through with a razor knife 1,000 time over, and then a light came an instant later, it blinded his vision as if it sought to burn his eyes away like the sun yet before he lost his sight completely he had gotten a final glimpse of the figure only this time it looked somewhat clearer as if the light that had stolen his sight had tried to unveil it, the imposing figure of a monster, a monster that was clashing with the another figure but this figure was of light and was radiating pure light and fire like that of the sun itself.
But that was it his vision, his feeling, his hearing, all taken from him the agony simmered away and all the boy could think was,
"Is this what being dead feels like? no sight, no smell, no touch, no pain, just emptiness. It almost gives me comfort, almost brings me relief, if it weren't for the fact I failed my mission, the mission isn't complete and so I must not die until I am sure the mission will be done.
"System obtained! Congratulations! you've been blessed by ^(*^ ^%$)(%^&$#$%. Warning you've been cursed by ^(*^ ^%$)(%^&$#$%. TITLE GIVEN!!! Great Corrupted Jester"
What this? A voice? I could hear it yet my sense of sound had already fled me, I could hear it in my head like a boy, giving a news report enthusiastically or like one of those sports announcers that enjoyed talking loudly and eccentrically.
"System given! Congratulations, you've been blessed by POWER. Warning you've been cursed by POWER. Title given, Umbral's Unseen Actor"
Another voice came this one sounded more like a girl, contrary to the first voice it sounded calmer and more professional like a secretary informing their boss of something.
What is this feeling? Everything feels so warm like if someone had rolled me up in a blanket and is carrying me. I could feel the pain coming back and disappearing just a quickly and little by little my senses were coming back to me, I felt the warm feeling leaving me as I was placed on a surface.
I don't know how much time had past but it felt like an eternity, I could hear again and I heard the catering of many peoples footsteps, I felt a pair of gloves touching me and then a voice.
"This one's alive, possible severe head injury, applying first aid"
The boy tried to force his eyes open only half succeeding. What he saw was the members of one of the most renowned task forces within the organization that he knew of their task force name engraved on their helmets, "P.H.A.N.T.O.M.". Collecting his senses he tried recalling, Paranormal Hazard Assessment and Neutralization Tactical Operator Meta's. They were the main scouting force as well as the first one's to go in whenever the organization had trouble within their own territory or they discovered another incalculable variable.
He felt a cold slime like substance spreading across his head and moving through his hair he looked at the visor of the one who was treating him and the helmeted person looked back at him, the blackened visor of helmet seemed to recede and become clearer, one of the feature of the helmet undoubtedly.
Her features were stranger then his own but that was because she was only part of a human, her height and face she looked like a giant from his perspective, she had amber eyes that shined with a sort of kindness, but strangest of all was that she had fur, brown fur instead of skin. She spoke softly to him.
"Hey there little guy, you mind releasing you grip on that thing?"
The words brought him confusion, then he tried looking at his hands and realized it, he had been holding on tightly to the black orb with both hands before offering it up to the women. Then another member came with a briefcase in hand this one from a different unit as per the different equipment and engraved name on the side of their helmet. Putting it in, the briefcase shut closed, and the member ran off with four others.
"ya did good kid, PIKE two lets get going"
Another member from P.H.A.N.T.O.M came, and the visor of the women darkened again, and they took off going further into the compound. He felt his vision flickering, blurring and clearing again, something materializing no sliding beneath him and then he was lifted up by a what he recognized as a stretcher one person pushing it as if he was hovering off the ground.
"Alright kid, this will help with the injury, what's your name?"
A hand held stick like object was pressed against his neck and he could feel a small almost unnoticeable sting. Next thing the boy knew hallway, broken doors, broken walls, elevator, open sky, rising to a ship, and a crater.
"Clip… my name is Clip"