The green glow died, and everything went black. It wasn't like falling asleep. It was more like I couldn't feel anything, as if I'd been ripped away from everything real for a second. Then a bunch of stuff showed up in my head, not through my eyes or ears, but just... there.
[Vitals: HP 100%, MP 0%, Stamina 95%]
[Status: Unbound, Disoriented]
[Environment: Desert lands]
The words were plain and simple, floating in my mind like glowing writing in the dark. I gasped. What the heck was going on? Was I dead? Was this some weird dream after almost dying? My fingers twitched; I tried to grab something, anything, but there was only emptiness.
[Bio-signature scanned… Match: Aida] Welcome to guardian system . Bio-signature?
This had to be a dream, some crazy hallucination from the terror and adrenaline. I squeezed my eyes shut, wanting to wake up, to be back in my crummy apartment, even with Min Tiangchi still a threat. Anything beat this weird, floating feeling. Just as I thought that I got a hard hit to the ribs. I grunted as lancing pain shot through me.
The writing disappeared, and I felt a rough, dirty surface against my cheek. I scent damp earth and body odor and old sweat. I opened my eyes, blinking in the harsh, yellow light peeks through the cracks of what looked like a really rough wooden cage. I was totally confused and still felt like I was stuck in the system interface.
This wasn't a dream. I was on my side, tied up with scratchy rope around my wrists and ankles. My head was pounding, and my ribs ached where I'd been kicked. Panic bites into, followed by the freezing cold
A sharp pain clawed at my throat. Where the heck was I? This isn't Gaurab city. Strange noises filled the air – wood creaking, heavy footsteps, and rough voices speaking some language I didn't understand. It was a throaty language, full of hard sounds so different from what I was used to. I looked around like crazy, trying to take it all in.
I was stuffed in a cage made of thick branches tied together with twine. Four men carried the cage, and it swayed with every step they took. Looking through the cracks in the wood, I saw a strange place. Tall trees with thick, twisted trunks and weird leaves made a roof over my head, throwing spots of shade on the rough path. The air felt wet and heavy, filled with the smell of plants and animals I didn't know. The ground was bumpy, covered in rocks and tangled roots, making the ride rough and uncomfortable.
Everywhere I look is the slight dusting of snow.
My heart pounded in my chest. Bandits. That was the only thing I could think of. I'd been captured and taken to some wilderness I didn't recognize. My captors didn't look friendly. I could see their boots and patched-up pants as they walked. They moved like they knew what they were doing, and their faces were serious. Now and then, one would grunt or shout something in their weird language, and the others would answer in the same way. I was starting to get really anxious. I needed to get out of there. But my hands were tied, I hurt all over, and I had no clue where I was or who these guys were.
The memory of the silent bomb, Min's cold fury, hit me hard. I remembered how close I was to getting killed, and now I was in even worse trouble. I tried to move, hoping the ropes would loosen, but they were too tight. They dug into my skin whenever I moved. I whimpered, feeling totally helpless. One of the guys carrying my cage grunted and adjusted his grip, making the cage swing hard. My head smacked against the wood, and pain shot through me. My eyes watered with pain and fear. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath.
catching my breath, trying to calm down. This System… that weird thing… was that really a thing? Is it still on? I tried to remember what I saw, that strange writing and info that popped up in my head. [Vitals: HP 92%, MP 0%, Stamina 90%]
The words showed up again, barely there, but they were there. My heart jumped. It's real. This… system… is real. What does it all mean? HP? MP? Stamina? Sounds like some video game, but my ribs hurt, these ropes are rough, and my captors stink – this is all too real.
Could this system actually help me out? My MP was zero, whatever that meant. My stamina was dropping fast, and my HP was already low. I needed to figure out what all this stuff meant and how to use this weird System. I focused, trying to get the interface to pop up again, sort of willing it to happen. It said: [Status: Bound, Disoriented] [Skills: None] [Inventory: 1 x Jade Pendant (Slight Protection)].
More info showed up, the words glowing in my head. Skills? Inventory? I looked down at the jade pendant under my shirt, the one that had been glowing like crazy a minute ago. It had a slight protection thing going on.
Could that thing have brought me here, to this weird planet? Dimension? Plane? It suddenly hit me hard. Min's bomb didn't kill me. The necklace saved me, zapping me to this strange place, out of one mess and right into another. The heavy footsteps kept coming, the cage rocking with each step. I couldn't understand a word my captors were saying, just a bunch of growls. I felt a sharp, cold fear knotting up my stomach. I had no clue where they were taking me or what they planned to do.
I needed to get out of here, figure out this System, and use its power, whatever it was. My life was on the line. I took a breath, trying to stay calm. I'm Aida, and I've gotten through tough times. I always find a way to be strong, so I'll get through this too. I think of Yu, what will he think when he fins out I'm missing? I wonder what lies Min has in store for him about me. And Jinx, the betrayal. All this while I thought she was my friend, a hot tear trails down my cheek. I banished all the regret away and tried to think clearly, accessing the system and looking for anything that could help. Skills... how do you even get them? MP, how do I get more? Like it heard my thoughts, a new line showed up on the screen before my eyes. [Observe: Let's you check out targets and your surroundings.] Observe.
It felt like a skill. Was it something I had to turn on? How did I even use it? Suddenly hopeful, I stared hard at the dirty boot of the bandit lugging my cage. I really wanted the system to check him out, to give me the lowdown.
[Target: Bandit – Level 3]
[HP: 85%]
Skills: Basic hand-to-hand (Level 2),
Tracking -Level 1)
Info rushed into my head, fast and efficient. Level 3? Hand-to-hand? Tracking? I didn't know what that meant, but somehow, I got it. It was like the system was happening. Level 3. Is that good? My HP was at 92%. Was that a comparison? I looked at the other bandit holding the cage.
[Target: Bandit – Level 4]
[HP: 90%]
[Skills: Basic Melee Combat
(Level 3), Intimidation (Level 1)]
This one was a higher level. Intimidation - yeah, that fit their mean look. A tiny bit of hope showed through the fear. This system, it's giving me info, a way to understand why folks were hostile. This thing could be a weapon in this crazy new world. I kept watching the people who grabbed me, trying to figure out how things worked here. Level, HP, Skills. It was like being in a game, but with crazy real danger.
The trip went on, the cage rocked back and forth, the bandits kept grunting. Strange land was all around us, thick, green wild areas that looked good but felt scary. I was stuck, tied up and unable to move, but I started to feel like I could fight back. They might have grabbed me, but I wasn't done for. I had a secret, a weird system that showed me how this strange place really worked. And I was going to make use of it. I would live through this. I would get away somehow.
The green light from my jade necklace, the silent helper that got me into this weird place, comforting waves radiate out from, warming my chest, calming me down. I await for my chance for freedom.