《The Universe Games》 Prologue
>SYSTEM WARNING: Ship Damage: ~78% Systems Damaged 46% Hull Damage< >Life Support: Destroyed >Weapons: Destroyed >Engines: Minimal >Navigation: Damaged >Shields: 3.9% Remaining >Recommend Retreat/ Withdrawn from Battle
¡°Shut Up!!! I know!!!¡± the Commander of the ship roared. He was a tall dark man, with a tattered up uniform. ¡°Sir! Our Mass Fusion engines are inoperable! Our Shields will be down soon but the fleet has made it through, The Vikaldi won¡¯t be able to follow. Our species has survived, sir.¡± The first officer said with a sad smile. For the last thousand years, ever since they encountered that god forsaken race of insects all they¡¯ve done was kill each other. ¡°Well looks like our job is done, tell all crew to ¨C¡° The A.I warnings flared again
>Warning: Temporal Distortions detected. >Recommend immediate Evacuation. >Engines Status: Unresponsive >Shield Status: Unresponsive >Time until Temporal Distortion reached Ship: 132s >Escape unavailable switching to Safety Protocol B-4421 >Cryostasis status: VIP Secured, Prescious Cargo Secured, Crew Stations compromised. >Cryostation Deck lockdown complete. Cargo Deck Secured. Other Stations unresponsive. >Cryostation and Cargo Compartment prepped for release. >Released in 110s >ALL OTHER PERSONAL SEARCH FOR ESCAPE PODS
¡°What the hell? First what¡¯s the reading on that distortion?¡± ¡°No idea sir, but the cryo and cargo decks have been bolted together now sir, the survivors will make it through to the other side in one piece, I hope.¡± ¡°Good then no matter what the survival of our species is assured.¡± The captain prayed. Turning to face the captain as the other crew ran off the corridor to escape. The first officer placed his fist over his chest and saluted, ¡°Sir, I have to say it¡¯s been a ho-¡° Silence, the hull protecting the bridge gave way and the air was sucked into the vacuum of space. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. From outside the ship that was manned by over 150 souls was crumbling like a house of cards. The spacefaring insectoids had been attacking with bio-plasma which was shredding them like paper. Shot after shot landing on escape pods until none were left until finally they stopped shooting. With one final explosion the ship exploded leaving only a small shell of a compartment with another compartment attached onto the back. The insectoids seeing the last compartment began to target the last compartments for extermination. As they attacked the two compartments suddenly disappeared. Unsure of what had happened but no longer detecting the compartments they gave up and returned to the hive. That was the last thing anyone ever saw of the Starship Hope and of the Madol civilization. EARTH ¨CALASKA No stars to be seen as the clouds blocked the illuminating moon. Dulling the moon in her guiding light to pure darkness, where few people could appreciate the darkness for what it was. Peace. In the darkness was a place that nothing or no one could be remembered, because the darkness swallows up everything, even sin. This pure silk of darkness was interrupted by a falling star, which fell with a blaze of light and fire. The descent of this star was just one of the many stars that crossed the sky and was only one of many to make it to safety. Although these stars were not actually stars they did bring the power of stars with them, from the compartment bulkhead the doors slid open as some stumbled out. There were thirteen of them, all children trying to catch their legs. Around them they heard sounds, a foreign language to their ears. Noises of loud and strange things, primitive they thought, Slowly they fell to darkness, one by one. Until they came to sometime later, alive but in pain, cold, and alone. Isolated from each other. On the walls they could see a symbol, of a bird holding a set of arrows in one talon and some leaves in the other colored in red, white and blue. They didn¡¯t know where they were but they knew one thing. They were prisoners and they were not alone. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Edit: Now with sexy tables. Chapter One - The Escape. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A/N: Hi Everyone and thank you for reading my new fiction ''The universe Games. a few things to note yes i know the fic description isn''t very informative but its like that on purpose so as not to spoil too much for what i have planned. second i have to credit a lot of people for this fic since i drew on alot of ideas from others i will credit them when the chapter becomes appropriate. Thanks for reading =] ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 7 years later- Unknown Location ¡°NO!!!¡± the boy roared as he was held down and a needle penetrated his arm. Struggling to resist them was nearly impossible though as he was also feeling the effects of the latest of their cruel experiments. Pain before loss of consciousness was just another day for the young boy. The young boy was one of the many children being held prisoner, with his grey eyes and short black hair. Most would call him a cute child but this child was held in anything but a cute room. The room was cold and white, with the lighting coming from high above and guards at every corner. ¡°Good work Dr. Fredrick, Sarin Gas test successful. Tomorrow we will start testing or Napalm.¡± A a voice said cruelly from behind a speaker in the corner of the room. Walking away from the boy was a man who had been in charge of sedating the boy before any more annoying sounds could be heard. Dr. Fredrick, a man who had spent the last seven years with a team of scientists and doctors. All trying to discover their unique genetic factors and apply them to humanity. After all these children were anything but human considering how they arrived to this planet. The technology they had progressed America into the powerhouse of military it was today. All that was done from merely taking apart a destroyed ship which had entered the planet¡¯s atmosphere. Fredrick¡¯s method in the beginning was humane in a sort of way but over time with pressure from his superiors and in combination with the stress of dealing with the other research groups studying other subjects and lacking behind them. Slowly his methods turned cruel from using pain to trigger certain responses from them, cutting flesh from bone and studying their regenerative abilities. The only solace he gave them was ample time to rest. Inside the holding cell four boys huddled around the passed out Max. He was in bed while the others tended to him. Around the room all the boys had similar looks of grey eyes and short black hair. The eldest was a boy named Deirel, he was the eldest at eighteen years of age, then Vilhei at seventeen, and then there was Ashara and Takol, age sixteen. They all looked to be normal but were anything but. Takol was a gifted sleight of hander, Ashara was a genius physicist and engineer, Deirel was a calm analyst, Vilhei was a natural athlete and the last boy in the center was the talented one. (Max its safe now, they¡¯re gone but stay down cause they¡¯ll get suspicious if you get up to early), Deirel said to him telepathically. (Damn these people, they use us like animals!), Vilhei spoke angrily. (Vilhei, relax! The preparations are almost done. Ashara! Takol! What¡¯s the status?) Deirel asked. Takol checked over his shoulder and focused his psionic energy on the camera. Communicating to the others, (It¡¯s clear. I can maintain it for maybe ten minutes) Ashara nodded his head and pulled something from what seemed out of nowhere. (The teleporter is about seventy percent done Deirel. we can use it in about six to eight weeks. I should also let you guys know that my abilities are growing. Soon I will be able to design a tracker for all of us to use when were out.) (Good, once we escape we will need to at least know each other are at all times. Max remember your our power source, you still have untapped energy so you are going to be the most important key part. Once your abilities awaken we can leave, that should be within our time frame.) (You mean a few weeks?!) Vilhei exclaimed in frustration. (Yeah a few weeks, there¡¯s nothing we can do about it. Maybe if the others were here we could pool our energy but we don''t have such luck. I peeked into the mind of some of the doctors and found that others of our kind were still in cryostasis but I don¡¯t know where yet.) Deirel said. (Ok big brother, I hope my powers develop soon, I can¡¯t endure many more tests.) Max cried to the others. Together they all nodded and later finally max ¡°woke up¡± from the sedative. -----Four Months Later---- ¡°Argh!!!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!¡± Vilhei screamed in the torture / experimentation room. ¡°Hmmm, seems their pain tolerance has increased again. Do a spinal tap, I want to see what the fluids are like right after burning the skin." Dr Fredrick said to one of his assistants. ¡°No¡­.NO¡­.NOOOO.¡± Vilhei screamed as he felt the needle enter his spine. Spazing from the pain and enduring as best he could as the screams filled the facilities. The long corridors echoing with the sounds of a haunting pain. (Endure Vilhei, tonight is the night we escape.), the familiar sound of his brother Deirel entered his mind as he passed out. With little care the guards dragged Vilhei to their room and let the others take care of him. As the group carried him to bed Max started up a conversation with them. (What are we going to do after we leave?) Max asked them. Looking around Takol stunned the cameras and nodded. (The information I¡¯ve gathered from their minds is that the best place for us to go is a place called ¡®South America¡¯ the continent is mostly still underdeveloped. We can use the teleporter to get to a place called ¡®Peru¡¯ and from there we can figure out what to do.) Deirel said. (OK when do we leave?), Ashara asked. (After dark, Takol blinds their cameras and leave.) Looking to the others nod they began to prepare their clothes, seeing how it was the only thing they had. They couldn¡¯t contain the joy they had as they were finally leaving the prison that held them captive for so long. As night fell and the lights went out, security fell to its lowest. After seeing Ashara¡¯s signal Takol focused his powers and forced the time around the camera to come to a standstill so that all the camera could see was the five of them asleep. (Clear) Takol said In a rush the five ran to each other in the center of the room as Ashara pulled the teleporter out, it was a small pad about five feet by five feet, (1.5m x1.5m) they all knowing what to do stepped on it and focused on it. Max and everyone focus what was left of their psionic power on to the pad as Deirel focused the energy to get them to their destination. With a sickening lurch they were pulled through. Seeing how wormhole travel wasn¡¯t designed without some sort of shielding they were keeling over and throwing up. The five of them were on the ground trying to find their stomachs for almost five minutes until they were able to finally stood up. ¡°Ashara you bastard. You never warned us about this.¡± Vilhei said as he stared daggers at Ashara. ¡°Sorry guys, I didn¡¯t know.¡± Ashara said still looking nauseated. ¡°Leave him alone, he just got us out of hell.¡± Max said with a painful smile. Feeling the urge to throw up again Vilhei looked away. After a few more minutes of retching they finally stopped. ¡°Deirel, did we get to where we needed to go?¡± Takol asked as he kept an eye out for their surroundings. ¡°No, we didn¡¯t have enough power. We weren¡¯t even close but we are at least ten days journey from the facility. From the knowledge I pulled from their minds I think we¡¯re in a place called ¡®Pennsylvania¡¯. Luckily for us there are many mountains, forests, and hills around us so it won¡¯t be easy for them to track us.¡± Deirel said. ¡°Well it could be worse.¡± Ashara said. ¡°True¡± Max said. ¡°Now what?¡± Takol asked. ¡°Simple, we start by blending in. First is this thing they call ¡®EYEDEES¡¯. Apparently they¡¯re needed wherever we go. Ashara you have those trackers ready?¡± Deirel asked. ¡°Yeah. I upgraded them since I had extra time. They are also able to be used to communicate so we don''t have to waste our psionic energy. Also it will still scramble the trackers on us.¡± He said smugly. ¡°Why didn¡¯t we put these on before we left?¡± Vilhei complained. ¡°Because the trackers they have on us aren¡¯t that advanced, it only turns on when they ping our location and they only do that every two hours, so we have another ten mins before they ping us.¡± Ashara explained as everyone picked up a new tracker. The new tracker Ashara had designed was a simple flat plate the size of a playing card but thick with lines going around it. Inside was a quantum tracker, which when linked on a network allowed whoever used it to track the other plates universally. This sort of technology was foreign to earth as it was maybe a thousand years too advanced for the current level of this era. The tracking of single molecules weren¡¯t things easily done. ¡°Uhhh how do we use these??¡± Max asked. They all turned to Ashara waiting for an explanation. Looking around at the others in a depressed sigh like he couldn¡¯t believe they couldn''t figure it out. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Take your hand and break it in half, then take the crush it in your hands. Once the tracker recognizes you it will bind with you and you¡¯ll only then need to think it and you¡¯ll know where anyone else. It''s binding technology mixed with Psyology.¡± Ashara sigh as he demonstrated. In his right hand with the crushed soft metal it slowly turned to powder and was absorbed into his skin. ¡°From there the tracker takes on any image you want, wherever you want.¡± Ashara said. Slowly underneath his skin the powder underneath his skin moved underneath his skin. The image which would be the symbol of hope to humanity in the future, a sun with a dragon inside of it of a tribal design appeared on his upper shoulder. Following his example the others began to break and crush their metal cards. As the powder bonded to the, they all created a similar image to Ashara¡¯s. ¡°Ok, we¡¯re ready. Let¡¯s get out of here, remember the rules. Use your abilities to a minimum, gather Intel discreetly, and blend in. I can use my powers to bend their perception of us but only to a degree, try not to draw any attention. Everyone clear?¡± Deirel said as he gathered them together. From the looks on their faces Deirel could see that he was understood. Leading them out from the forest he discovered another new ability of his, he couldn''t get lost. Five years ago when recovering from another day of cruel experimentation Deirel discovered that he could learn information from the surface thoughts of their captors. His abilities signaled the beginning if his awakening giving him some hope since he wasn¡¯t sure if his abilities would work on a different humanoid species. However as far as awakenings go his was by far the most rare of abilities. Telepathy was common among his people but mind manipulation was by far one of the more rare abilities. Especially on a foreign world where they weren¡¯t sure where they were at. After Deirel¡¯s awakening was Takol, the silent one. Even after the others started using telepathy he always kept his responses short. He''d gained the basic telepathy but also had the ability to bend space and time to a degree. It was difficult for him to figure out his abilities but it was a god send when during one of the experiments he couldn¡¯t endure anymore pain. In the middle of exam he says his abilities awakened and he stopped time for a whole hour. Although ever since then he hasn¡¯t been able to push his powers to that extent. Vilhei and Ashara were the next to awaken. Vilhei¡¯s awakening was¡­ memorable. In the middle of night he set his bed on fire. Pyrokineis, the ability to move molecules until they heat up to cause combustion. The doctors and guards were super suspicious of them ever since then but luckily the boys were able to help hide his abilities with more than one close call. Ashara¡¯s was the very opposite, it was through telepathy that he announced his awakening, that and pulling out a blueprint out of thin air. Maximus was the last to awaken, although he was not one of the powerless he had the ability to store up energy. Thermal, psionic, radiation, or any other sort of energy and amplify others or himself when needed be. The only thing was it was only ¡®energy¡¯, it couldn¡¯t enhance his physical body or mental fortitude. However through their lives they would have their second and final awakening. Together they left the forest and began moving away towards the towns and suburbs and after a few weeks after they knew they were safe they moved around a lot for almost a year. While traveling they used Deirel¡¯s abilities to blend it and gather information. Many things happened as they all began to learn skills that would aid in their survival. Ashara discovered the internet and learned about hacking and security systems and from this he gathered a wealth of information. At the age of 16 he could hack into any ¡®secure¡¯ network and gather as much information they needed and was quickly bored with how easy systems were to infiltrate on the planet. Through his hacking though he was able to establish fake ID¡¯s for everyone and was now able to take advantage of their system. Tokol became involved in something called ¡®guns¡¯ and quickly became an adept shooter. Through his practices he also began to study all about designing and understanding guns as well. He could take apart any gun or weapon and put it back together. Deirel was a natural talker so before the others became confident in talking to others he was the somewhat speaker of the group. Charming his way through any crowd he could make any no into a yes. Vilhei was more of a rogue, he was getting involved with various¡­ dubious individuals. Through all this Max became the filter, he was young and curious. With his brothers doing all the work he became immersed with the human culture. Slang, celebrities, books, technology, law... he gained a general knowledge of it all and taught his brothers what he knew. Through their bond together they pooled around one person, Max. Three months later in the living room of a newly acquired residence Deirel, Vilhei, and Ashara asked Max something he wasn''t expecting. ¡°You want me to what?¡± Max asked them shocked. ¡°We need you to go to school.¡± Deirel said as he looked to the others for some sort of help. ¡°Why?¡± Max asked back angrily. After finally being free for the last three months he was hesitant to enroll at any human gathering. ¡°Simply put we need you to blend in and go through experiences so when were out in social situations we can have some understanding of what these humans are talking about. For instance some male yesterday asked me about what I thought about something called ¡®Kardashians¡¯ and all I could say was I didn¡¯t know what a ¡®Kardashian¡¯ was and it seemed to work out but we can¡¯t be put in situations like that all the time. We need someone to get us information about ¡®experiences¡¯. ¡°Deirel said. ¡°But can¡¯t we just use the internet to help us out? I¡¯m sure these vain humans would post something about their experiences.¡± Max rebuked. ¡°Of course it can, but it¡¯s different from a third party source. Writings can be fiction or exaggerated. No, we need you to get first hand experiences and tell us.¡± Ashara said. ¡°Why can¡¯t any of you go? Why¡¯s it have to be me? I don''t want to go to school with these humans!¡± Max yelled back. ¡°Max, we understand you don¡¯t want to but it''s a must. Do you really see Takol being social in a school environment? Or Vilhei not killing one of them the first day? Or Ashara NOT making everyone around him feel like an idiot?¡± Deirel asked as he looked Max into his eyes. Feeling defeated, he finally answered, ¡°No, You¡¯re right.¡± Deirel smiled as he ruffled Max¡¯s hair. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ve already prepared identification and all the records for you. This time you get to pick the name Max.¡± ¡°Yeah, well after Takol named everyone ¡®Joe¡¯ last time it was pretty clear you all suck at names.¡± Max said. ¡°I¡¯ll agree Takol isn¡¯t the best with earth names, but it wasn¡¯t as bad as Vilhei¡¯s ¡®Bob¡¯ incident.¡± Deirel joked as the two of them walked from the living room to the kitchen. ¡°Hey, I thought it was a name of honor! How was I supposed to know it was a stupid name?¡± Vilhei said from the other room. ¡°Ok, true but then you named me ¡®Maxi¡¯!¡± Max yelled back to him still unhappy about his previous name. ¡°Hey! I saw the name on a bag somewhere so I thought it was a famous name!¡± Vilhei still trying to defend his horrendous choice of names. ¡°Yeah, whatever!¡± Max joked. ¡°Ok enough you two, im making dinner, someone call Takol from guard duty. Vilhei call one of your contacts to be on lookout.¡± Deirel said. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll get him¡± Vilhei responded. For dinner that night Deirel made some thing they hadn¡¯t had before, something called ¡®pasta¡¯. One of the interesting thing they all found enjoyable was earth¡¯s food, it was much better than that was provided by their former prison. At the table sat the five brothers, enjoying their food when Ashara pulled out a yellow folder, in it was Max¡¯s new identification for the school. ¡°Maximus Smith? I thought I was picking my name?¡± Max asked as he looked around to Deirel. ¡°Well what¡¯s wrong with Smith?¡± Ashara asked. ¡°Well considering it might be the most used name in fake identities I thought we would want to stay away from that.¡± Deirel said. ¡°True... fine what do you want as a name?¡±, he asked. ¡°I want my last name to be ¡®Chrone¡¯. Sounds pretty cool.¡± Max told them. The others looked around to each other and had a look of agreement with the name. ¡°Ok, ¡®Chrone¡¯ it is. Maximus Chrone¡± Ashara said to him. They all nodded and finished their meal. The next day Deirel and Ashara went to the local high school to enroll Max. Three weeks later, Maximus Chrone enrolled at Central High, Philadelphia. ------------------------ A/N: Sarin Gas. some of the worse humanity has to offer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarin Also i self proofread any mistakes please let me know. TY <3 ------------------------- Chapter Two - Blending in Sorry for such a long wait, Fallout 4 ruined me and then Finals came by to kick me in the ass as well. so please enjoy this as it was written while in pain and suffering. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- At home Max groaned as he walked to the kitchen. Today was the first day of school and he was unhappily getting ready for it. The dining table was set with his favorite mean, eggs with a side of wheat bread and a side of steamed carrots. Max thought it was weird how even though they were from a different planet that they could still eat the food here. Deirel walked into the room with a book in his hand¡¯s titled ¡®Art of Influence¡¯. ¡°Don¡¯t you have enough sway already with your abilities? Why read these books on manipulating these humans?¡± Max asked. Looking up Deirel smiled, ¡°Simple, if I can get someone to change their mind without using my powers then there¡¯s less chance of them rebounding when my abilities wear off, such making our lives easier.¡± Max sighed as he ate his food still not fully understanding why. ¡°Hurry up, we need to get there early to find parking.¡± Deirel said. ¡°OK. Let me get my bag.¡± Max said as he ran upstairs. After grabbing his bag he turned around to see Vilhei at the door with a small brown wallet and a phone. ¡°Here this has your ID and cash. The phone isn¡¯t a burner so keep it safe for non-important stuff. Any real emergencies then use the tracker on you to contact us and we¡¯ll get you ASAP. Got it?¡± he checked. ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡± Max said as he walked past him. Seeing Max go downstairs Vilhei sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we have a lock on his position at all times. There¡¯s no place in the world he can go to without us knowing.¡± Ashara said from behind him. Turning to face him Vilhei frowned, ¡°I know, but it doesn¡¯t mean I like it. If any of those humans mess with Max I¡¯m gonna set their innards on fire.¡± ¡°I know, and relax Takol will be watching out for him, if we need to bug out then we will.¡± Ashara said trying to calm his brother down. While downstairs they heard Max and Deirel leave the house and get on Deirel¡¯s motorcycle and took off towards school. Central High was a typical high school in America but with a few kinks, underneath the top high school there was a seedy underbelly of sex, drugs and alcohol. The school was a haven for the best of the city to do whatever they wants but seeing some of the students as Max walked in with his brother Deirel. Max thought that the bar wasn¡¯t very high. They parked the motorcycle in the school parking lot and walked inside. (Do you remember the cover story?), Deirel quizzed him. (Kind of hard to forget, the basics are my parents died in an accident, being I had older brothers you took care of me and we moved here from the west coast.) Max replied as they got through the doors. (What State?), Deirel continued. (Washington), Max sighed. (Ok Good, Make sure to stay out of trouble.) Deirel said as he led Max into the administration office. Behind the counter was a woman in her later years of life sorting papers as she noticed the two walk in. ¡°Hi there, my name is Deirel Chrone, im here to register my little brother today.¡± Deirel greeted her. ¡°Ok sure one moment. What year is he in?¡± She asked back. ¡°He¡¯s a sophomore, Ma¡¯am¡± Deirel smiled. ¡°Ok, well let¡¯s see Maximus Chrone?¡± She confirmed as Deirel nodded. ¡°His homeroom is in 703. He should go up to that room and his Advisor will have his schedule ready.¡± She told them as she gave Deirel an emergency contact form to fill out. ¡°Ok, Thanks.¡± Deirel said as he finished the paper and walked away. Towards the elevator where there were about ten other students waiting. He pointed Max at the metal doors waiting for students, gave him a hug and wished him luck. ¡°Good luck remember what I said, Humans aren¡¯t all evil. Give a few a chance ok?¡± Deirel said. ¡°Yeah¡­. I¡¯ll try.¡± Max said as he turned away to the elevator and waved away to his brother. Standing in line for the elevator waiting for the doors to open was starting to make him feel a bit nervous. Until he heard a few girls giggling behind him. Turning around to see who had such a cute laugh he feasted his eyes on two blondes and a redhead. Huddled together whispering at each other they looked at him in fascination. Turning around at the sound of the elevator opening he tried to enter when the other students rushed past him before he could get in and before he knew it, the elevator had left. Being left behind, he checked his watch and saw that he was going to be late if he didn¡¯t make haste. Turning to his left he decided to run up the stairs but by the time he reached the fifth floor he was already tired and when he reached the seventh he was sweating profusely. Walking through the doors of room 703 he immediately felt like an outsider. Nobody paid any attention to him so he just walked in and grabbed a seat near the window and stared outside until the bell rang. The only reason he knew about a bell being rung was due to some tv shows he had to watch as ¡®research¡¯ designated by his brother Ashara. With a startle the bell rang and he flinched slightly as he wasn¡¯t prepared for it. Through the doors walked a male teacher into the room and introduced himself. ¡°Hello class 412, I am your advisor Mr. Reynolds. If you guys and gals have any issues please don''t hesitate to ask me. I know there are a few new students here so please don''t be shy and try to make some friends. Now when I call your name please come up and pick up your class schedule.¡± He said as he started to list off names. One by one students went up from what seemed to be in alphabetical order. ¡°Chrone, Maximus!¡± his teacher called as he heard some heads turn from the unusual name. Walking up and grabbing his schedule, his teacher quietly said to him, ¡°Stay a bit and talk to me after the bell rings ok?¡± ¡°Sure thing.¡± Max responded confused. It was the first ten minutes, was he in trouble already? His teacher continued to list names off one by one but Max didn¡¯t care. All he did was continue staring out the window as the bell rang again and everyone continued to their classes. Getting up he walked over to his teacher and waited for him to say something. Looking up at Max the teacher looked a little unsure before he spoke. ¡°Uhh Maximus, I was told about your situation and im sorry for you loss. If you need to talk to someone I¡¯m always available. I¡¯m also sorry to tell you this but I know you were born with those eye and I know there¡¯s nothing u can do but if I may offer you some advice. Get some contacts, you¡¯ll want to them so it doesn''t make you a target.¡± Confused Max responded with, ¡°Thanks Mr. Reynolds but I don¡¯t understand why my eyes would make me a target?¡± Sighing Mr. Reynolds said, ¡°It shouldn¡¯t but as you know people are very critical and then there are those who don¡¯t care at all. All im saying is your new here so I would say don¡¯t give people a reason to start a fight with you.¡± ¡°Uhh ok sir.¡± Max said as he turned around and left the room to begin his day. Dashing through the halls he ran to his first class AP Physics, luckily it was on the same floor as his homeroom so he didn¡¯t have to travel far. Entering in his class he noticed that there were only about twenty kids in the room. The desks were arranged into a group of four desks in little islands. The moment he sat down and put his bag on the table the bell rang and he teacher got up. ¡°Welcome to Chemistry, My name is Mr. Crane I recommend that you all don¡¯t get too comfortable. First off we¡¯ll start by arranging seats. When I call you name you will be part of a specific table, remember that you will sit there until I rearrange them later ok? Good¡± He said quickly. After arranging the class seats which took only a minute. The teacher continued by passing out textbooks. ¡®Now this is your copy of the textbook you will be using. I will only say this once. Take it home and DO NOT LOSE THIS BOOK! We will not issue another and we won¡¯t let you graduate unless you hand in this book along with all other school property. Understood¡± He asked. Murmurs of yes and head nods went around the room as he finally started class and after five minutes of it Max was bored beyond his wildest imagination. Living with Ashara wasn¡¯t easy when he was constantly rambling. After eight years together Max was as good at the sciences as any earth professor and had nothing to gain from this class. Max slowly began to nod off when he felt a poke from his right. On his right he found a folded piece of paper from the girl sitting on his right. He didn¡¯t know her name but she was by earth standards ¡®cute¡¯. She was a redhead who was giggling at him by the elevator. He took the note and opened it up.
¡®You must be pretty brave or stupid to fall asleep on the first day of school and also inside the most butt tight teacher in the school¡¯
Max read the note over and finally understood what she was talking about. Taking his pen he wrote back. As he passed it back he heard Mr. Crane¡¯s throat clear. Looking up he could see a slightly more apparent vein running across his forehead. ¡°Mister Chrone, seeing how this is your first day and I would like us to get along.¡± He said slightly irritated. ¡°Sorry, sir. I¡¯d like us to get along as well.¡± Max said as he forced a tight lip smile. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Oh do you now? Well maybe you can answer this question.¡± Mr Crane asked as he pointed to the board. Looking at the board and answering the question on the board got him a smile from the girl and a less aggressive attitude from the teacher as he looked away and continued class. Seeing how easy the class was Max and the girl just kept passing notes back and forth all day. As luck would have it after class they had the same class together again in the next period and the period after that. After their set of morning classes though it ended at lunch where she had first lunch and he had second. Saying their good-byes he realized he didn¡¯t even ask her name. ¡®Well I can always ask her later.¡¯ Max thought. Walking down to the first floor he found the directions to the gymnasium. Today was the first day so he wasn¡¯t sure what he¡¯d be doing but he figured any exercise here would pale in comparison to what Vilhei was training him to do. The coach of the gymnasium came through and told everyone where to get the gym uniforms which were basically shorts and a jersey. As Max went up to get one he was told by the desk manager that he had to pay to get the set. Pulling out his wallet and paying in cash was normal but what Max didn¡¯t know was paying with a hundred in an inner city high school was a bad idea. After buying the uniforms the coach led all the boys to the locker room and meet outside in five minutes. Quickly taking off his shirt and pants to change, he stuffed his clothes into his bag and then putting it into a locker. Max felt something was off as he turned around to see a few of the other guys giving him weird looks. Brushing it off as first day jitters he left the locker room and waited in the gym. Slowly the other male students came out one by one talking and chatting to each other. Staying at the edge of the room. The gym he was standing it was the best of the best in the city, it was equipped with the newest facilities. The coached stepped into the room and called both the boys and girls to stand together. ¡°Today is the first day of Gym and all of you should know me but some of you don''t so I¡¯ll introduce myself to those of you who are new. I am Coach Wilburn of the track and football team, anyone who wished to join we will have tryouts next week. Track and field is for both you young men and young women, so please do your best.¡± He said to them. ¡°Now then for this class, in order to pass you have to actively participate in; the weight room, the basketball court, the P.A.D which stands for physical activity of the day, or whatever I decide we need to do for the day.¡± Coach Wilburn explained. After his short explanation it became obvious that it was going to be a relatively easy class to pass. Sitting alone on the bleachers however wasn¡¯t a good way to pass a class so Max decided to go to the weight room and lift. There was only one other student there, he was almost 5¡¯9 although being in the sophomore class. He had short brown hair and a thin muscular build. Looking around to see Max he asked him. ¡°Can you spot me?¡± Max looking at the bench the boy was sitting on and saw him benching two forty-five pounds on his bar. ¡°Sure, how many reps you doing?¡± Max said as he walked around to the other side to help the guy out. Max helped the boy for a few minutes as he finished another two sets. Finishing his workout the boy finally introduced himself. ¡°Thanks for that. My name¡¯s Brian. Your new here right?¡± he asked. ¡°Yeah just moved here from Washington. I¡¯m Max.¡± ¡°Nice to meet ya, if you need help just let me know.¡± Brian told him. ¡°Sure¡± Max said as he got on the treadmill to start running. Recalling the last few hours as he ran Max made mental notes on the humans so far. Some were pretty good while others were either naive, misguided or troubled. ¡°Hey man you getting ready for the track team or what?¡± Brian asked as he started his leg workouts. ¡°Nah, just trying to stay in shape. What about you?¡± Max asked. ¡°Football man. I¡¯m trying to make varsity this year.¡± He grunted as he pushed out his last squat. ¡°Oh, alright.¡± Max said. ¡°Yeah, trying to get a scholarship for college.¡± Brian said as he drank from his water bottle. ¡°Wow college? Isn¡¯t that a bit early?¡± Max asked. ¡°No such thing as too early man. Why wait when you can start preparing now?¡± Brian asked Smiling Max agreed and they continued to chat and by the time the class ended, Max has made a new friend. Walking with Brian into the changing room Max immediately noticed something was off. His bag and clothes were on the floor and his wallet was next to it, empty. Someone had taken all the money he had inside, almost eighty dollars. Looking through his things Max cursed when he saw that his phone was gone as well. Brian looked at his things and told him, ¡°Shit man sorry. Look meet me after school in the parking lot. Ok?¡± ¡°Yeah whatever.¡± Max said pissed off, not that the money was stolen but because he know how annoying it was to print fake documents and to always wait in line at the DMV to issue new ID¡¯s. Outside Brian had reported his stolen things to the teacher and was told that from now on he should use a lock on his locker. Writing a note for his lateness Max left and headed off for his next class. The rest of the day went off without incident although Max was still a little pissed off there wasn¡¯t anything he could do about it. After his last class as he was heading down stairs he ran into two girls. The blondes who were hanging out with the redhead girl from his chemistry class at the start of the day. They looked at him and squealed as he walked by. The sudden noise combined with their reaction to seeing him sparked the age old question. ¡°Did I miss something?¡± he asked them They just stared at him like he was a piece of chocolate before saying, ¡°Oh nothing just Esme¡¯s been talking about you all day. She¡¯s been texting us about you and how cool you were and how you two talked for about three hours. How you walked her to each class, how your handwriting was so pretty for a guy. All the little things, that''s all.¡± Replied the blonde on the left. She was about 5¡¯3 and average body type. ¡°So her name is Esme? Why¡¯s she telling you two things between the two of us?¡± he asked feeling like his privacy was being invaded. ¡°Oh between the two of you? I have to text her this!¡± The blonde on the right said as she whipped out her phone and started texting away. Reaching the bottom of the stairs he heard a telepathic message. (Parking lot, waiting) Takol said. Sighing Max just responded ok, knowing it was time for him to go home. Heading through the hallways he aimed for the front doors of the school to make his way to the parking lot. Along the way he heard his name yelled out. Snapping his head around he saw Brian running up to catch up to him but having difficulty with the thickness of the crowd being a problem. Max yelled back, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you at the door!¡± Brian nodded his head and stopped rushing. Outside the main entrance Max waited a minute for his classmate. ¡°Max! Thanks for waiting. I¡¯m glad I got a chance to grab you before you went home. I have something for you.¡± He said as he pulled his backpack in front of him and handed it to Max. ¡°I found this. Don¡¯t ask where but next time carry a lock for gym. This isn¡¯t the first time this has happened here.¡± Brian said with a smile. ¡°Wow, thank you Brian. I went around the whole time after really pissed off.¡± Max said. ¡°Hey no worries, what are friends for?¡± Brian said as he wacked Max in the arm. ¡°Hey man don¡¯t look so stiff¡­ also since were friends I could use a favor.¡± He said with a smile. ¡°A favor?¡± Max asked. ¡°Yeah, you see I need someone who can keep up with me for training. You¡¯re the first one who¡¯s ever come to the weight room and kept up with me in training or helped me out. Granted you only ran but you ran five miles today in a fifty minute class and that¡¯s impressive.¡± Brian said. Letting this question sink in Max decided it was better to consult his brothers at home first. ¡°I¡¯ll get back to you and let you know tomorrow.¡± Max said. Slightly disheartened just nodded his head and said, ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± As he turned away to walk down the main path. Max watched his new ¡®friend¡¯ walk away and he felt for the first time that he wanted to help someone other than his brothers. Eager to get their approval and return with good news tomorrow he hurried to the parking lot to see Takol waiting next to his motorcycle with a helmet in his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± Max said as he grabbed an extra helmet from him. Takol nodded and took them home, there Max went through the events of the day as he was telling his point of views on little things. How he met a girl who made him smile, how he made a friend who helped him out and wanted a friend to train with, and how he learned what friendship meant to humans. On the other hand he hadn¡¯t forgotten what had also been said to him about how some would pick on others for being different or how his things were stolen during one of his classes. All in all Max was starting to learn what humanity was all about. The brothers looked to each other and agreed to Max¡¯s request to help his friend. Everyday Max would spend extra time with Brian to help him train and push him to improve. With him he also was able to learn more and more what it meant to become human. Chapter Three - Life Goes On --Three years later--- The Graduating class was in the auditorium lining up, waiting to walk up to the podium to collect their diplomas. Among them however was a particular student and star, Brian Russel the Valedictorian. Standing there in front of his classmates he was giving his speech written for him by the school. In his mind though, he was remembering a friend who went missing. The brother he never had and the best friend he had throughout the last three years. Maximus Chrone was nowhere to be seen among these graduates. Three days ago his home had caught fire and he had been reported missing along with his brothers. One of his brothers was a member of an infamous gang, while another had been some sort of paramilitary specialist. It was a shock to all of his friends and to his teachers who only had nice things to say. The loss of this key person for the class made this a sad day as well, seeing how he deserved to be part of the graduation, but the ceremony went on. From the distance, in the audience five individuals were watching among the crowd, Max was sitting in the middle of them watching his best friend¡¯s speech. (Sorry, Max) his brother echoed in his mind. (It¡¯s not your fault Vilhei. We had no choice. It was time to go anyway.) Deirel told him as Max let a tear out. Over the last three years Max had learned what it meant to have friends, to enjoy life, and to feel the sparks of love. Although it wasn¡¯t a life he would ever have he enjoyed what he felt with them and would never forget something from all of this. Earth was his home and whether he saved his people or not it wouldn¡¯t change that fact. As Max watched the ceremony from a distance holding his sadness in when they all had to leave. On the way out Deirel took Max somewhere towards the back, where everyone had placed backpacks and coats. ¡°Here Max, this is for you. Give it to whoever you want.¡± Deirel said. In his hand out to Max was a small card which he had gained the agility was a sort of reverse psychometry, the ability to implant memories into specific objects. Inside the card Deirel had implanted all of their past, their situation, and a way to contact Max whenever they needed him, on the condition that whoever got the knowledge wouldn¡¯t be able to tell anyone without losing memory of how to find him. In short it was a programmed psychic message. Taking it into his hands Max thanked Deirel and found Brian¡¯s backpack and put the card in the bag waiting for him to find it later. ¡°Until we meet again.¡± He said as he walked outside with his brothers. --Five Years Later¡ª ¡°The First Pick of the 2019 NFL Draft is under way, with Brian Russel as the first pick to kick things off!!¡± the announcer said. Max sat down in his most recent apartment with the tv on. On the table he had several guns, knives, and boxes of ammunition. He smiled as he yelled out, ¡°Hah I told you Brian would get drafted! You owe me twenty bucks, Vilhei.¡± ¡°Yeah Yeah, whatever little brother.¡± Vilhei said as he smiled with the twenty in his hand. It had been several years since Brian had a chance to meet Max but they communicated frequently through their secure methods. Max had gone through various military training from all over the world along with his brothers. Max had taken the mantle of being able to do everything while his brothers always had a sort of specialization. In the room with him Deirel was on the phone with another connection he had built up over the years. He was a natural leader with his various psychometric and telepathic abilities mixing in the combat training all the brothers went through as well and he was almost untouchable as a boxer. He had become the one in charge of getting them to new cities and placed when there was a possible threat. Over the recent years Vilhei had become obsessed with mixed martial arts as well as a shooting and became an amazing fighter and shooter. He had one time secretly challenged the Olympic shooting team and almost won as well but his greatest passion was for architecture and had designed various bunkers that could be made in times of dire and serious need. Behind him was Ashara who was on a computer following the stock market. Ashara with his great intelligence had gotten into securing money through stocks, bonds, and hacking into various accounts, siphoning funds from CEOs, drug traffickers, and corrupt politicians. The only place that gave him only a sort of challenge was the stock market, the unpredictable nature of the market gave him some sense of enjoyment. The last several years of moving money around had spiraled from a few thousand dollars to a few millions. Enough money for them to establish a community for when they broke their people out, problem was that they didn¡¯t know how many home to build. Only that they would always need more money. It was a good thing that Ashara enjoyed making money and was good at it. Takol was nowhere to be seen in the apartment, he was on the roof keeping watch like always. Over the years of gunsmithing and shooting had made him an expert in both. Any gun he could disassemble and reassemble as well as shoot. Recently with their funds he was able to begin producing his own types of guns himself. Like his other brothers he also went through training of various militaries, but was the best at recon and sniping. The last eight years had been a hell of a roller coaster of emotions, with them finding their people several times before their locations were moved. Each time becoming more and more frustrating with each success met with failure. Though it wasn''t a great feeling they knew they were getting close and that alone kept them motivated. Ashara had gained Intel to the pentagon¡¯s intelligence without triggering any alarms and each time would discover code upon code for locations. One day though they would set their people free. --Two Years Later, December¡ª It was a beautiful day outside but for Esmerelda Alexanders it was anything but. Bawling her sorrows out in bed with a yellow envelope in her hands written on the papers in big letters ¡®Death Certificate¡¯. The names of ¡®David Alexander¡¯, ¡®Maria Alexander¡¯, and ¡®Andrew Alexander¡¯ could be seen. Today feeling alone couldn¡¯t even describe how empty her life had become. The family she¡¯d known her whole life had been ripped from her life weeks before. A series of airplane crashes around the world had taken her family from her since she convinced them to go on vacation to her new city. Two years ago she graduated from university and moved to a new city away from her family. The job she had was a thing that was already lucky considering the economy but today she felt like the job was a curse. She blamed the job that she got and herself for the death of her family. As she managed to get a hold of herself to stop crying for a while she got up to her table and dropped off the papers on her desk, right next to her resignation papers. The stress in her heart and the cries of the sorrow was just a drop in the sea of sorrow around the world. Accidents, earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes had been rampaging around the world. Some speculated that it was global warming, some thought aliens, and everyone else just didn¡¯t care. Without anyone noticing the world¡¯s population had for the first time¡­.stagnated, as if some cosmic force had stopped the population of humanity. Esmerelda in her sadness wanted it all to wash away so she walked into her shower, to muffle the sounds of tears as she showered. Inside her shower the thoughts of old memories came and peered through the veil of despair. The thoughts of old lovers, friends, and home came up in her mind and for a moment her sadness was alleviated. Then the sadness came rushing back to steal what little joy she had, she thought of all the friends who had left her, the home she had inherited and would have to deal with, and lastly of lovers who had left her in her career driven path of happiness. If was as she got out the shower that she decided to try and contact some old friends, she was in dire need of a friend. As she got to her room and got dressed she placed a call to one of her oldest friends, Brian Russel the pro NFL running back. Making a phone call to her old friend as she got ready the phone disconnected. Confused at the disconnection she decided to turn on her tv and see what the news was. On the news there was a ¡®breaking news¡¯ headline, ¡®Earthquake destroys over twenty cell towers across the east coast¡¯. ¡°Wow, that''s crazy. What is happening out there? First there¡¯s fucking plane crashes and now there¡¯s crazy earthquakes¡± she spat. Before she could even change the channel for more information however the station displayed a new message. Her phone also received a new message as well, only it was the same as the tv.
Hello Humanity, The 2,397,136,732nd Universe Game is about to begin. Your planet has been designated as the next staging ground for our amusement. We the Planar High Gods welcome you into becoming the honorary entertainment for us. As a consolation all those who have died in the last year will be resurrected on another planet for the continuation of your species. Please try to survive. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.Sincerely The Planar Over Gods.
¡°What in the hell?¡± She said.
P.S Your prayers don''t mean much.
Confused at what had just happened she for a moment entertained the thought that her family would be alive. The thought brought her joy until she thought about what would happen to her. Thinking about what was going to happen if this was real she decided to go stock up on food. Something inside her told her it wasn¡¯t a joke and she had to act quickly, as crazy as it sounded. Grabbing her car keys she left her apartment to see that everything was still happening normally outside. Driving to the nearest grocery shop she spent the most money she¡¯d ever spent on just food. As she left she heard it, the sounds of screams coming out from the main street. Little green men carrying rusty blades, broken pipes, and wooden clubs started attacking people. They were climbing out of the sewers and began causing panic. Rushing into her car with the food stuffed into the back seat, not even caring about spilling some food. Placing her car into drive and then rushing off home one of the little green men jumped at her car only to land on the front hood of the car. In her panic she slammed her brakes hard only for the little green man to fly about fifty feet ahead (15 meters). The little green man landing that far away slowly got up in the middle of the street and grabbed its little broken pipe and charged alone at the car. With purpose Esme slammed her foot on the gas and ran the little bastard over. Seeing the little green thing¡¯s brain plastered all over her windshield she flipped her window wipers to get it off from hampering her vision. Falling off her car she heard a little ding going off in the back of her mind. She swerved traffic as best she could as she could see men and women attacking the little green men back from inside her car. There were men shooting the green men and police doing their best to save some people but from one of the sewers she saw more and more little green men showing up. All of them just blindly charging the people with guns without a care. Reaching home she ran for the front door of her apartment when she heard someone yell her name. ¡°ESMERELDA!¡± She heard a familiar voice. Looking around she saw a neighbor of hers coming home as well. ¡°Michael!¡± she yelled as he got closer she saw him bleeding from his side. ¡°Oh my god Michael, we have to get you inside.¡± She said as she opened the door. Helping him in and slamming the door shut she pulled up his shirt to see a large six inch gash running along from his belly button to his lower ribs. ¡°I have bandages in my apartment but I don''t know if I can walk up the stairs.¡± He said weakly ¡°Don¡¯t worry I can grab some from my place. I will be right back don''t worry.¡± She said as she got up to hurry up, before she could go thought he stopped her. ¡°No wait. In my. Apartment. Shotgun. In my. Bedroom.¡± He said as he was struggling with his breath. He reached up and put his keys in her hands then let go. Esme ran upstairs as fast as she could to reach her neighbor¡¯s apartment. Fumbling for the keys for a moment until she got it open to look for his bed room. Finding the shotgun didn¡¯t take long as she ran to his kitchen to find his bandages on the table next to the sink. Getting what she needed she ran back downstairs as fast as she could to a horror she couldn¡¯t believe. On top of Michael were three ugly little green men poking Michael over and over. Laughing as they poked his now open chest with rusty knives. They were harvesting the bones from his corpse and were biting into his intestines as if it were a treat. Laughing and grunting to each other they didn¡¯t even notice Esme seething with rage. In that rage she unleashed the shotgun on them. Boom. Boom. Boom. Three blasts and three little ugly dead green men. From these shots echoing inside the apartment people started finally looked outside. Not caring after seeing a neighbor and friend treated like this she sat down on the stairs in a daze. Sitting like this she couldn¡¯t help but think how did they get in? Looking up at the door she saw it still closed when it suddenly flung open. Standing there was her longtime friend and superstar, Brian Russel. Looking around from the dead bodies to Esme with the shotgun in her hands to the dead little green men he pieced what had happened together. Walking up to her he gave her a hug and said to her, ¡°We have to go, I know somewhere safe.¡± Not feeling in the mood to argue she just followed him outside into his car. Outside now the sounds of gunshots and screams started to fill the city¡¯s streets. Getting into the car Brian peeled off in his Lexus LFA. Whiping out his phone he dialed in a phone number and spoke something that took Esme off guard. ¡°Brian to Maximus code demon, code demon, access code central high.¡± Brian said into the phone and hung up. ¡°Who¡¯s Maximus?¡± Esme asked. ¡°Sorry Esme but I think you already know, sorry.¡± Brian said to her as they reached the highway and the sports car let itself loose. Ten seconds later Brian got a phone call and the car¡¯s Bluetooth picked it up. ¡°Brian get out of the city and head to Johnson¡¯s township, it should be 10 miles away. I¡¯m on my way. Your family is on the way to a safe zone my brothers are taking care of.¡± Max said through the car¡¯s speakers. ¡°Who is that?¡± Esme asked. ¡°Esme say hello to your old friend Maximus Chrone, Max sorry buddy but Esme is with me. You know I couldn¡¯t leave her alone.¡± Brian said. ¡°Wait the Maximus Chrone from high school??¡± Esme asked even more confused and stunned than she was a moment ago. ¡°It¡¯s okay I understand. Esme sorry about this but I¡¯ll explain things to you later. Things internationally have just gotten really fucking weird. Rendezvous in 15 mins.¡± Max said as he hung up. Driving along the highway for the next few minutes was a bit of a challenge though seeing how there were cars now trying to get out of the city in a panic. Swerving onto a side road and using his GPS to plan a route for him. ¡°How are you in contact with Maximus Chrone? I thought he went missing?¡± Esme asked. Sighing at her question, Brian just focused on the road. Pissed that he wasn''t answering her she grunted in frustration before asking again. ¡°Brian Russel, I have been your friend for the last ten years and I am asking you to please tell me. How are you in contact with Maximus Chrone?¡± she spat. ¡°Fine I¡¯ll tell you but do not hit me okay? Cause whenever you hear something you don''t like you get really violent.¡± He said as if slightly afraid. Frowning at this request was not a pleasant thing because she knew for sure she wasn¡¯t going to like his answer. ¡°No promises¡±, she said. ¡°Then I¡¯m not telling you. I¡¯d rather he tell you when we get there.¡± He said. Grumbling at their impasse she just kept her eyes outside of the window. After another few minutes they finally stopped at their destination. Outside was a farm with a large red barn house in the back. Getting out of the car Brian walked up to the farmhouse to grab a key from under a potted plant. Using the key he opened the door and looked back to the car where Esme still hadn¡¯t gotten out. Waving his hand for her to join her she was still unhappy about her high school sweetheart. Sighing at the craziness of the day she finally got out the car to walk over to him. Together they entered the house to see it was devoid of any sort of life. The room was thick with a layer of dust on the floors as well. Outside there was still sun out but it was slowly starting to set, the slow dark sky encroaching upon the sky. ¡°Where is he?¡± She asked as she walked around the room. ¡°Here¡± a voice said from around the corner. Startled by the voice, she unknowingly knocked a chair down. From the shadows came a familiar but foreign face. Standing in front of her was a six foot man, dressed in a black t-shirt, dark jeans and boots. Strapped across his body were three guns, two across his hips, and one under his left armpit. The thing that caught her eye the most was Max¡¯s figure, a slim muscular frame. Another thing was how after eight years of not seeing each other she felt something even after how he had left things between them. Walking up to him slowly as if he wasn¡¯t there, as if he were a ghost that hadn¡¯t existed she moved until her face was almost an inch from his. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Hey Guys So thanks for all of you who have read but please Click this to support me on wattpad as well!! Thanks Chapter Four - Assistance Chapter Four *SLAP* Max stood there stunned at Esmeralda Alexander, his first kiss, love, and someone he shed a tear for the last ten years, had just slapped him across the face. ¡°That was for not calling me you bastard!¡± she spat angrily with tears streaming down her eyes. Still stunned from this Max just stood there confused. He was a 200 pound walking wall of muscles and military training, yet in front of this little five foot six girl he was powerless. Rubbing his cheek still not sure how to proceed she then embraced him with a tight hug around his neck and entire body. Max wrapped his arms around her and looked at Brian with a confused look upon his face and mouthed to him ¡®What do I do?¡¯ Brian just looked at his hopeless friend and shrugged, even throughout high school he had to push Max into Esmeralda¡¯s path. ¡°Max what is going on out there?¡± Brian asked as he sat down exhausted. Looking up from Esmeralda to look at Brian, Max just shook his head and said, ¡°I have no idea, my contacts from around the world are all reporting strange things. In some cities its little green ugly men, while others its dog-men, little creatures that throw fire, giant wolves, and even what some people are calling ghosts. What the case your family is safe along with your wife Brian. Don¡¯t worry Vilhei is guarding them personally.¡± Sighing in relief Brian¡¯s face just seemed much more relaxed. Max just walked over to him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, were going to be fine, that¡¯s the good news.¡± Looking up and into Max¡¯s eyes he asked, ¡°What¡¯s the bad news?¡± ¡°Bad news is that we have to stay in this area to help provide a shelter. The last year has changed a few things. The goals have changed and we are now trying to save this planet, not leave it. Only thing is that with these gods now changing literally everything we have to re-plan everything. So until Ashara plans something else we will have to hunker down and save as many people as we can.¡± Max said to him. ¡°Wait why were you trying to leave the planet? Sounds a little crazy to me but the way you said it makes you seem like you¡¯re an alien or something haha¡±, Esme asked from across the room chuckling nervously. Max and Brian just looked to each other and just realized they had forgotten she was there. Looking at them cooked eyes she just had a look like she was waiting for a real answer. Off the top of his head. Max said, ¡°I wanted a way off the planet because my parents were killed by aliens.¡± Brian snapped his head around with a look of disbelief. Not at Max but at the sheer audacity of his bullshit. In Esme¡¯s eyes though, she looked as if Max was crazy but with everything that had happened in the world today she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. ¡°What do you mean ¡®Aliens killed your parents¡¯?¡± She asked. Going with his little lie he made a whole story about how his parents were scientists studying for NASA and how their research got them killed by the aliens. It was a faulty story with so many holes in it but for some unknown godforsaken reason, she believed it. At least she said she did to them. ¡°WOW, so that''s why you disappeared? To find a way to get revenge all this time?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sorry about all keeping this a secret from you but if i had told you about this then you¡¯d probably call me crazy.¡± Max said while doing his best puppy dog guilty face. ¡°Yeah I would have called you crazy.¡± Esme said as she felt sorry for Max now. Letting out a breath of relief Max visibly relaxed a bit. ¡°Okay, so now I need you guys to do me a favor.¡± Max said. ¡°What do you need?¡± Brian asked. ¡°Clean.¡± Max said. ` The next few hours the three of them cleaned the farmhouse to prep it for what was to come. They dusted, mopped, and ran rats out the kitchen. Max and Brian also went around installing extra barbwire to make the area a little more secure and by ten o¡¯clock everything was secure. When they got back Esme was cooking some of the food she found in the supplies Max had with him. Coming home to some warm cooked food was a wondrous feeling that Max hadn¡¯t had in a long time. Inside the house looked much better than before. The dust was no were to be seen while the air was warm with the fireplace now burning. The food was a simple chicken noodle soup but it touched the part of you that always made you feel like home. Together they ate and caught Esme up on their situation, how Brian hadn¡¯t known until they had graduated about Max¡¯s survival, how max had been surviving these last ten years, and finally what they were going to do now. ¡°Well the first thing is this, we need to establish a safe place for our future guests, my brothers might move here since we have the most space here and it is an easy place for expansion. So starting tomorrow, Brian and I will start gathering supplies.¡± Max said. ¡°What about me?¡± Esme asked, slightly concerned with being left home alone. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s a town not three miles from here. If we take the pickup truck in the barn house then there¡¯ll be more we can salvage and people to save. Also there¡¯s this.¡± Max said as he walked to the sofa and pulled out a black suitcase. Inside the suitcase was an assortment of firearms and holsters, on the left were three Glock 17¡¯s with two magazines each with a holster next to them, in the center was a dismantled shotgun with a box of shells to the right of it, after that was another little black box. Taking the Glock 17 out along with the two of the Mags, Max put them on the table as he put the suitcase back on the floor. ¡°These are normal everyday Glock 17¡¯s, but the magazines are the magical thing here. These are explosive tipped bullets with a secondary round inside. One of these babies can put a hole through a brick and still kill a man. I guess you know how to load and shoot a gun?¡± Max said. Esme just nodded her head she took them into her hands. While shooting guns wasn¡¯t a thing she would have done a few years ago, Brian over the years had managed to convince her to learn and enjoy shooting. Thought she didn¡¯t know it, it was Max¡¯s idea for Brian to learn and in turn teach Esme. Her turning into a gun nut though was a bit far out of the original plan. Knowing that she¡¯d be safe tomorrow Max told them it was time for bed. They would all be sleeping upstairs and Max would rig the doors for an alarm to ring if anything happened at their front door. Heading upstairs there were four rooms available, one master and three normal sized rooms. They all had picked rooms earlier when they were cleaning but only Brian and Max had clothes to change into. Max took out some of his clothes and handed them to Esme so that she could sleep in something more comfortable. Smiling at the clothes she just took them and went to bed. ¡°She missed you a lot you know.¡± Brian said behind him. ¡°Shut up, I know man. It wasn¡¯t easy for me you know.¡± Max grumbled. ¡°Yeah I know but that was the past. You have a chance now with all this craziness.¡± Brian said as he entered his room. ¡°Think about it.¡± He whispered comically as he shut his door. Chuckling as he decided to go and call it a night as well as he went into his room to change and fall asleep. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Falling asleep is normally just that, sleep. Sometimes you get the occasional dream and forget it, or it would be a reoccurring nightmare, or some traumatic memory replaying over and over again. Tonight as none of that, tonight Max found himself sleeping but having the most vivid dream ever. Here he was in a with a man, if you could call him that. This man was similar to any human you would find on earth but there was one major difference, his eyes. This man¡¯s eye were different and alien, where the whites in his eyes were all black. His irises were a dazzling white, shining in them was a feeling of power, unimaginable power. The room itself too was impressive, shaped and molded to be something from the past yet the future as well. The walls looked to be hardwood, the shelves of high quality wood, and chairs of expensive leathers. On the desk was clean of any dust or paper. In front of the man were a series of holo-screens and 3D scenes. ¡°Welcome to my office.¡± Said the man in his black suit and tie. ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ an intelligent one, you¡¯re not like the rest of the others in this game.¡± The Man said as he observed Max. ¡°I am one of the assisters. We are here to help you in doing your best on survive the games as well as giving you contracts to fulfill if you choose to take them on. We are your connection to the game and your only chance at surviving it. Trust me on this.¡± The man said with a snap of his fingers. In front of him the desk became blank, all the displays and images vanished. ¡°Okay, but aren¡¯t we in just a dream?¡± Max asked. ¡°Yes we are in the depths of your subconscious but we are also not there. You wouldn¡¯t understand but rest assured you are perfectly fine on earth as you are here.¡± Nodding his head in confirmation that there was some sort of psychic field pulling his consciousness from his sleeping body. ¡°You said you were here to help me. How?¡± ¡°Simply by providing you with information, supplies, improvements, contracts, and even help you survive the game.¡± He said. With a wave of his hand multiple holo-screens appeared in front of Max. ¡°What is all this?¡± ¡°The directory or ¡®The List¡¯ as we call it. This is the compendium of every improvement, supply, technology, ability and everything in between, available for purchase.¡± The man said as he walked around from behind the table. Max looked at the list and saw things that made his jaw drop. The List had little things like bullets and guns to huge things like tanks and missile launchers. There were even things that were a dream come true for him like the location of his people, his brothers, and leaders of different nations and even places of safety. What was truly surprising was the advanced technology where personal shields, hover craft, and even lightsabers were available as well. The only confusing thing was that each and everything had a cost in points. ¡°So what are these points? And how do I get them?¡± Max asked hurriedly. ¡°Ohhh? I take it you¡¯ve seen something you like?¡± He smiled as he brought his hand to his chin. ¡°Maybe, I¡¯ll tell you if you tell me how these points are gained.¡± Max said. Laughing the man just smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s my job to tell you. To gain points you just have to play the game, kill the creatures that have been brought to your world, take contracts to push your limits. They have been taken from this planet¡¯s fantasy and horrors. I recommend that you take these three improvements first.¡± As he waved his hands. In front of Max the screens all went away and what remained were three little tabs.
(Level One Knowledge) - 100p + 3 to Intelligence, Grants the owner the knowledge of the functions and rules of the game.
(Telekinesis 1/10) ¨C 500p Ability to move objects with your mind. How much you can move is determined by how much psychic force you have.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
(Identifier ¨C 1/10) ¨C 1000p Allows you Information on the creature you are focused on. Range of 30 feet
(UI Ver. 1) ¨C 250p Displays Information on the Game.
¡°OK how do I purchase them? Do I even have enough points?¡± Max asked, ¡°Well you see, normally we calculate the wealth of an individual and divide that by a number based on their physical ranking and other things. You are a special case seeing how you have much more than normal but not a crazy amount. Now enough with the chit chat, your total amount of points is 5,083.¡± ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll take them now.¡± Max said. ¡°Very Good, also I must warn you. This will hurt.¡± He said as a light flashed around Max and he felt his mind melt. The pain wasn¡¯t as bad as the feeling of information being forced into his brain. ¡°Well that''s enough for tonight. See ya.¡± The man said as we snapped his fingers and Max woke up to see the light of dawn appear. -Esmeralda?- Falling asleep was easy as her tears of exhaustion carried her off to the world of dreams. Only these dreams weren¡¯t dreams, she found herself in the woods and in front of her stood the largest tree she¡¯d ever laid eyes on. In front of her was a woman with beautiful cream skin and in front of a large pond with her hands twirling in the water. The woman was wearing only but a green silk-like dress with open arms peering over the pond. Looking up and into the woman¡¯s eyes were a pair of lush emerald eyes peering back at her. ¡°Hello there young one.¡± The woman said to her. ¡°Hi. Who are you?¡± Esme smiled. ¡°I am an assister, one of many. Welcome to the system.¡± The woman said as she raised her hand from the pool. ¡°Assister? Assister of what?¡± ¡°Why ¡®The Game¡¯ of course.¡± The woman smiled. At the very mention of the game Esme remembered the events of today and felt sadness at the lives lost today. ¡°Relax little one, I know you are upset but that will pass. I am here to provide you with information, supplies, improvements, and contracts to help you survive the game. Without us you wouldn''t make it a week in the game. So take a breath as I explain what is going to happen.¡± Taking a deep breath, Esme cleared her mind before asking. ¡°Where am I?¡± Answering with a smile, ¡°You are in the System, a place where when you sleep, if you wish will come to. Here you may use points to enhance yourself, get supplies and information, and with these things survive and maybe win the game.¡± ¡°Why are you assisting me?¡± she asked with a curiosity. The woman just laughed and said, ¡°Simply put, it is our purpose.¡± With a wave of her hand small lights began floating from the pond. Little wisps of light began to float around Esme. The lights danced around her forming words and numbers, more and more things came into being. In front of her were a list of things that said they were available to purchase. ¡°You are very lucky, any kills you made today were counted as worth ten times as many points for the first day and you made some nice kills. Currently you have 1200 points and I recommend you get these things first.¡± As she waved her hands.
(Nimble 1/1 ¨C 320) Grants a bonus to physical attributes of agility, reflex, quickness and vitality.
(Level One Knowledge) - 100p + 3 to Intelligence, Grants the owner the knowledge of the functions and rules of the game.
(UI Ver. 1) ¨C 250p Displays Information on the Game.
(Phasic Shield Mk.1) ¨C 400 A personal shield that when worn can protects the wearer. Sustained duration 1 hour, recharge duration of four hour.
Esme was unsure as to the nature of points and whatnot but she felt that she could trust this woman. She felt and undeniable urge to just say yes but had so many questions to what to do. ¡°Why are¡ª¡° Before Esme could say another word the woman put her hand up, ¡°I will answer any of your questions but only after you at least get the ¡®Level One knowledge¡¯ enhancement. That is key for your own survival and how to use it to your advantage. Please understand Esme, my job is to assist you, help you, and guide you.¡± Walking around from the pool she took Esme¡¯s hand to plead with her. ¡°What must I do to make you believe me?¡± Esme looking the same as ever just asked, ¡°Can I use points on fresh food? I saw a part in the cornet that said that ¡®one day worth of food for 5 points¡¯ and my group need lots of food.¡± Half stunned and puzzled at the same time the woman just giggled and said, ¡°Of course you can but still please wait until after you attain Level one Knowledge.¡± ¡°Fine then, I¡¯ll take those first recommendations.¡± With a half-smile and frown she then said, ¡°I forgot to mention it might hurt the first time around.¡± As the little lights wrapped themselves around her as massive amounts of pain swarmed through her. After several seconds of screaming in pain she collapsed to the ground panting with exhaustion. ¡°Sorry about that dear, we¡¯ll talk more tomorrow as you digest the info.¡± As the lights swarmed around her they wrapped her up and created a warm blanket as she awoke from the dream. -Brian- Falling asleep for Brian had always been easy, after practice he¡¯d always be so tired he could lay down anywhere and sleep. Normally he was a light dreamer as well but tonight wasn¡¯t going so well. Feeling himself fall though a somewhat mystical curtain of sorts as he opened his eyes to what appeared to be a colosseum. He appeared at what appeared to be the entrance of it and was looking at gatekeeper. ¡°Hmph, so you are my charge hmm? Well you can¡¯t be as bad as the last one, you actually seem like you can actually handle yourself in a fight. Follow me and welcome to ¡®The System¡¯.¡± The man said. Brian looked at the man but call it a man didn¡¯t seem right, by appearance he seemed like an orc but his body was not large enough. As the orc walked down the tunnel to the inner parts of the colosseum Brian following it from behind asked, ¡°Hey where am I? I don¡¯t remember falling asleep near a colosseum.¡± The Creature just sighed and said, ¡°Everyone always asks the same thing, ¡®Where am I? How¡¯d I get here? Why am I here? Where did you come from?¡¯, so which do you prefer short version or long, boring, and detailed version?¡± ¡°Short version.¡± Grunting in approval the creature explained, ¡°I¡¯m an ¡®Assister¡¯, you¡¯re a ¡®Player¡¯. I help you survive and give you tips on how to better improve yourself from ¡®the directory¡¯ which is a list of all the possible improvements, abilities, and equipment you can get from us through using points.¡± Brian looked at him and just said, ¡°That¡¯s not the first time you¡¯ve explained this is it?¡± ¡°Nope, and normally I tell everyone the same on what to get but you ¡®re an interesting one. Made it the whole first day without killing a thing which really sucks for you but you are in luck kid.¡± The orc said, leading Brian into the center of the arena. ¡®Kid?¡¯ In the arena were podiums of various sizes and shapes surrounded by sand similar to ancient Rome. Walking to the center the orc just turned around and had his eyes burn with a green flame. The sand around the arena began to form and create letters in midair for him to see. ¡°You Brian Russel, have zero points, which is a bit unfortunate for you seeing how you have absolutely no choice for improvements though. However you aren¡¯t the only one seeing how many people there are on your planet. So you can choose between one of two options, first is you take out one of the contracts in front of you. Second is to take a loan out but failure to repay the loan is a very unpleasant thing.¡± Brian knew immediately that he should take a contract after all his mother had always told him to avoid any sort of debt. Scanning the various contracts he saw two that peeked his interest.
Kill 10 Goblins, Reward ¨C 300 points
Kill Andre Portsmith, 2000 points + players current points, Vikatho¡¯s Blessing
Brian had recognized the name, looking up to the assister and pointing at the kill contract Brian asked, ¡°Why does this guy have a contract on him?¡± With a devious smile the orc waved his hand and a magical sphere appeared over them showing a grisly scene. ¡°This player had already pissed off a god you see. The Goddess of Vikatho is the patron of war and love, she witnessed this player killing a young couple that her blessings. Unfortunately they came across Andre who stole their supplies and did horrible things to them. Here¡¯s where the war aspect comes in, she was looking forward to them fighting for their love and making her proud but he pissed her off he killed them. So yeah kill the bastard for her and you got massive points and into her good book.¡± He explained. ¡°How long do you have to complete contacts?¡± ¡°This one is as long as it takes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take this one then.¡± Brian said. ¡°Oh? That¡¯s a first. I was sure you¡¯d go for the goblin contract. Well whatever, take the contract in your hand and poke yourself in the finger with this.¡± As he held out a small pin. Brian grabbed the contract of sand and poked his finger until some blood trickled out over the contact. Coming into contact with the blood the sand contract turned into black ink and traveled into his arm from where he poked his finger. Writhing in pain as the ink traveled up his arm made him fall to the ground as he held his hand trying to comfort it. As the pain died away Brian looked up to see on his arm a black tattoo of tribal design. ¡°That is the mark of a contract, when you complete your contract it will fade away. If turns red it means you have failed your contract but it¡¯s easier when you only have creatures to kill than a single target. If you press the mark it will let you know which direction to find them but won¡¯t give you an exact location until you rank up.¡± ¡°Can I take on another contact?¡± Brian asked. ¡°Yes but not until you get your first improvements. Those are the rules.¡± Sighing at the lack of things he could do Brian decided to ask, ¡°Now what?¡± ¡°Now you wake up.¡± The orc said as Brian saw the sand begin to wrap around him as he fell back into his subconscious. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= WOW that was a long chapter almost 4000 words. sad to say though starting next week my chapters will be a shorter. Happy? Sad? want me to stop writing? want me to keep writing? Comment and let me know. Thanks again and have a wonderful day!