The Cage
I awoke with a start, sweat pouring down my forehead and into my eyes with my hair plastered to my forehead. I quickly sat up while I looked around the room- wait… No, cage, I looked around the cage that I was in, it was dark, yet I could barely make out a few objects in the corner of the room, a few boxes maybe? I had no clue.
When I tried to stand up, I was met with horribly aching muscles, muscles that I didn't even know existed, so I just quickly sat back down. "Hello?... Is anyone th-".
SCCCRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEECCCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I caught movement outside of the cage that shook me to my core, it looked like a giant… Glob? I couldn't make it out because of the dark… But it just looked so… Horrifying. I noticed that as soon as the glob? Showed up it disappeared as soon as it came, it went down. Which then I realized that it wasn't going down, I was going up?
I layed back down as I brought my hand up to my face, wiping the back of it across my forehead, getting rid of the cold sweat and moving my drenched bangs to the side. Staring up into the darkness, I was still so confused as to who I was and where I am, what day was it and what time it was, why am I in a cage and where was the cage going, what was that thing and where did it go?
"Answer me… Whe-".
SSSCCCCCCCRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEECCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Even though I knew that it was to come, I expected it, but it still startled me, making a cold shiver head down my spine and to my toes. But it sounded more faint than the first time…? I think…
*System welcomes new user, would the user like to continue to the tutorial?*
I jumped in fright as I heard the femine voice. It was even creepier than the horrible screech earlier. I sat up sluggishly, as I was still aching, yet it wasn't as bad as earlier. I took a deep breath in and then let it go. "Did someone say something?", I said with an uncertain voice.
*System welcomes new user, would the user like to continue to the tutorial?*
I slowly turned my head to the sides trying to pinpoint where the feminine voice came from. After spotting nothing in the darkness I closed my eyes and brought my hand up to my face, pinching the bridge of my nose in annoyance. "You're hallucinating, yes, that's it… I'm hallucinating…".
*System welcomes new user, would the user like to continue to the tutorial?*
I shot to my feet, looking around the dark cage with a confused expression on my face. "Who's there, speak. I do not know who you are, but I am not afraid to get physical if it comes to it…", I said with an unwavering voice, but if I could see my own eyes, I am certain that they would've been clouded with doubt and uncertainty.
*System welcomes new user, would the user like to continue to the tutorial?*
I sighed as I realized that there was no one in the cage with me, and if the voice was coming from anywhere, it would've been out of my reach and outside of the cage. I plopped myself back down onto the floor of the cage and groaned in annoyance. "Just who is saying that?... What do they want? How do they expect me to respond?", I thought with a stoic expression.
"Hey, where am I, and why am I in this cage", I said with confidence. I knew that I was putting on a front that I couldn't back up if it was challenged, yet I thought that it would've been worth a try.
*System welcomes new user, would the user like to continue to the tutorial?*
I brought my hand up to my chin and lightly stroked the stubble there, wondering how long it has been since I've shaved. "Wait, no, stop, you are getting off track.", I thought, I lowered my hand and looked up at the ceiling of the cage, barely making out the ceiling of it.
"What if I said yes-", I didn't even get to finish my sentence before the feminine voice sounded again, interupring me mid-speech, this time sounding closer than last.
*Tutorial commencing, teleporting player to tutorial in 10…*
I looked around me in shock to see if anything weird was happening around me, any abnormalties, but nothing was happening, so I let myself relax a tad bit, only for it the tension to build back up again.
*9...*
*8...*
*7...*
-Time Skip 5 Seconds-
*2...*
I felt my body tense up a little more with every number it went down, I checked around me once again to make sure that nothing weird or unnatural was happening around me, and when I spotted nothing amiss, I frowned. "Something has to happen... Right?", I thought.
I frowned as the feminine voice said 1, and I held my breath as I felt the tension build back up inside of me yet again. A second after the voice said "1", it announced its presence again.
*Teleporting player to tutorial, please be ready for teleportation*
As soon as the voice spoke, a crack in the "ceiling" above the cage cracked open, revealing a bright light and fresh air that smelled of... Well, nothing really, it was just fresh rejovinating air.
I stood up, only to realise how small the cage really was now that there was light, I stood up and was shocked to see that the cage was WAY more smaller than it seemed in the dark, my head was only a foot away from the ceiling of it, and I could easily reach up and grab it.
I stared up through the gate in anticipation as the crack above the cage grew in size until it was a few times wider than it was before, continued to stare up as the light grew brighter and brighter. Eventually, when the gap was a few feet wide I was forced to look down back at the dark pit below me, for my eyes were not used to the light yet.
I continued to look down at the pit for a few more minutes until I heard a loud CLANG... I looked up again, forcing my eyes to get used to the light, I felt them start to water up, but I didn't care, as freedom was only a push away.
"Hello...?", I said, unsure of what I should do. I gritted my teeth together as I pushed up on the gate, expecting to be met with some sort of resistance, only to push it like it was a feather.
"Wow...", I thought, " That is... Very light." I gave it a hard shove as it flew up and hit the ground a second later. I took a deep breath as I stretched a little bit in the more opened area of the cage that I had.
"Is anyone up there...?", I said aloud, only to be met with no response. I frowned as I finished stretching and calmed my nerves with another deep breath in then out. I walked up to the edge of the cage and reached up, I laid my hands up on the ledge of the cage and jumped lightly, putting strength into my arms to lift myself out.
As soon as I was out of the cage I heard the feminine voice again.
*System advises user to follow the dot marked on their perspective*
I ignored the voice as I looked around again, just like I had in the cage. I took in my surrondings as calmly as possible only for my mind to be throttling it, thinking at a speed that should've been impossible for any living human being. "Where is this? Where am I? What/who is that voice? Where did the cage take me? Who is that voice? Where...?". The thoughts were going in and on, thought after thought entered my mind, until that feminine voice brought me out of it.
*System advices user to follow the dot marked on their persective*
I accepted the voice this time as I looked around for a dot, to find a black dot the size of my fist in the distance. Now that I noticed it, I finally noticed what there was around me, the area I was in was filled with trees, all building a circle around where I was, with random pathways between the trees, leading to...?
When I took a single step torwards one of the pathways that led into the woods, I heard the feminine voice again.
*System suggests that user follows the marker, if user is having trouble following the marker, System will guide user to the destination*
I sighed as I looked around for the dot again, to see that it was in the opposite direction that I was heading. I shoved my hands into my pants pockets, causing my shoulders to slump, I walked around the pit/cage in the ground as I made my way torwards the pathway that the black dot was leading to.
"Creepy...", I said as I stopped at the start of the path, the path was lightly lit with the sunlight shining through the tree, barely illuminating the pathway. I noticed that there were torches sticking out of the ground.
"I wonder what those are for?", I thought as I took my first step onto the pathway, leading torwards the black dot in the air.