《Seekers》 Prologue: Getting out of this dump For as long as I can remember, I have lived on the farm, the complex which nurters young orphens and runaway''s dreams, gives them hope, love, and kindness, and then tears it all away. As it was explained to me by an old man who used to live in the cell next door, they build up your confidence, your soul. For years, they give you a false sense of hope that you can escape this evil compound, when your hope is at its peak, they crush it, either through actions or words, then, when you are wallowing in despair, they suck away your soul with a powerful artifact. They use it as a battery for other artifacts, selling them for millions to the highest bidder. To politicians to be more charismatic, to athletes to be stronger and faster, or even scientists to be smarter. Everybody wants something, but very few have the soul strength to handle the crushing weight of depression that comes with using powerful artifacts. The batteries help with that. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.That''s what I am. Nothing more than a battery to these people. I am their prized star. I have been here for a decade and yet my hope is still building. Still growing. From what I have overheard, they are excited for the day I break, because the battery I create could be worth billions. I guess I''m just an idiot then. Somebody who wont give up, won''t give in. But I have a reason for that. And that''s because I have a plan for getting out of this dump. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Authors corner Hey guys! Fairsky here. This is my first post to RR and I hope that I''ll be continuing to make more! I hope you had as much fun reading the story as much as I had writing it. Chapter One: The Wardens Wager IPrevious ChapterIFiction PageINext ChapterI ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` I know that it''s a trap, they know I know it''s a trap, I know they know I know they know-wait... I lost track. Whatever, the point is, a couple of weeks ago they brought an old man into the cell next to mine, and they even let him talk to me. After years or living in this torturous compound, I know a trap when I see one, they probably weren''t even trying. They know I''m too smart to fall for obvious traps. That''s why they told the truth. I''m sure of it this time, I''ve always had a knack at telling when people were lying. I had to develop this ability if I wanted to survive in here. Everybody else just goes crazy. There are microphones and hidden cameras everywhere, making you paranoid. Is this person also a captive? Or just an actor that the Directors brought in to lift us higher before crashing us down. There are hundreds of psychologists and behavioral scientists working for the Directors, mapping out our reactions, our decisions, bringing everything down to the fine science of probability. Only problem? They cheat, and today was the day I was gonna be harvested. I know it. They know it. During my entire life I have never felt such nerve racking anxiety as this, I can''t do this, I can''t. I''m gonna fail and turn into a soulless husk and I''ll soon wither away into nothing, killing myself I have played plenty of games before, but no Games, and certainly none with my life on the line. No. I have to do this. If I don''t do this now then I''ll never be able to convince myself. It has to be now. Steeling my nerve, I looked up to see a guard opening the door to my cell It''s now or never "Get up, It''s your turn to see the warden." I''m trembling, what is this? I''m grinning, what''s going on? I should be terrified. I am terrified, but there''s something else, excitement. I''m going to fight for my life. For my freedom. No more dull droll of the cells, this is going to be exciting, it''s going to be primal. Fighting for my right to survive, to live, it feels... right. Natural, even Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.The guard finally brings me to the Warden''s office. A large pot bellied man with pale skin and bulging arm muscles greets me. "Ah! Kayla, what a pleasure to see you today." He motions me to sit down, which I oblige cautiously. "In fact, I have a little game right here i''d like to play with you," Here it is. The challenge. "And while we''re at it, why not put a little wager on the table as well!" Here it comes. "If you win, you can go free. No more compound, no more guards, no more Warden." There goes the bait "But! If I win, we''ll get to keep a little tiny bit of your ki. How does that sound?" And there''s the switch. If I lose, they''ll rip the ki from my body to become a battery. These kinds of things can only be done willingly and even then only if you lose it in a Game. Otherwise it would be impossible to create batteries. "What are the rules for this Game?" I asked, my throat course gravelly for a girl. He smirks "Chess" Chess? I''m great at chess! They should have enough information on me that they should know I haven''t lost a game in eight years! What kind of trick did he have up his sleeve? "Of course this wouldn''t be a game without a little twist" he grinned ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Author''s corner Hey guys! Fairsky here! Just finished up another one of these, I''m probably gonna try and go for 1-2 small chapters a day because of my short attention span. Like a squirrel!!! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading and I''ll probably have some more chapters out tomorrow. Any and all criticism is needed and welcomed. What am I doing wrong, what am I doing right, what am I doing disgustingly wrong that makes your eyes bleed just trying to read this... that kind of thing. Thanks for reading. Please note that English is my first language. Any and all spelling/grammatical errors are entirely the fault of the united states public school system, and definitely not my inability to focus during class. IPrevious ChapterIFiction PageINext ChapterI Chapter Two: The Mark IPrevious ChapterIFiction PageINext ChapterI ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Last Time, Kayla is challenged by the Warden, If she wins the game, she wins her freedom, if she loses, she loses her life. ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` "Of course, this wouldn''t be a Game without a twist." "I need an artifact to participate in the game." I remind him "Of course, of course." He picks a briefcase up from off the floor and lays it on the table, opening it. Inside are two rings. "The silver ring with the eye on it is the Ring of Wisdom, while the golden one with the coin on it is the Ring of Luck. Choose one." He tells me. I start to reach for the Ring of Wisdom recognizing it as the eye of Horus, but I pull my hand back at the last second What if this is a trap, he said it was chess, where Wisdom would be better, but if the twist adds a random element to the game, perhaps... No! A Ring of Wisdom will be good no matter what kind of game it is, but the Ring of Luck will only be good in specific circumstances. I am sure that he thought I would pick luck thinking its some sort of trap, and then he would pick wisdom and it would be just like normal chess. I pick up the Ring of Wisdom. "Claim, Ring of Wisdom!" I shout The unclaimed ring begins to glow as its ownership is sent to me. My right forearm also begins to glow, and as soon as it fades, I see the Seekers mark, a tattoo that aids seekers in gathering artifacts, it''s one of the the laws, along with the Game, that the artifacts create. As long as somebody has at least one artifact, they become a Seeker and get the Seekers mark. The tattoo shows three symbols, a sword, a scroll, and a partially shaded fist. The sword stands for my artifact collection, which I only have one of at the moment, which is why the sword has a little one next to it. The scroll stands for my challenges, which also has a one next to it, representing the challenge from the Warden. the Fist represents my ki, which had an 80% next to it. Humans are never at their full potential, my anxiety and uncertainty has subconsciously lowered my ki. Ki can only be restored through rest, meditation, or being happy. All of these ways take hours, if not days to replenish you completely, hence the popularity of batteries, which can act as an external ki storage, letting you last longer in Games, or being able to use low leveled artifacts continuously. I focused on the sword, my artifacts. Soon, the tattoo started swirling, until the original three symbols disappeared, replaced by two new ones. One was an arrow, representing a kind of "back button" to go to the main three symbols, the second symbol is a ring, my Ring of Wisdom. I focused on my real ring and soon the tattoo swirled again, replacing the ring symbol with a description in English. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Ring of Wisdom: A basic ring that grants it''s Seeker wisdom beyond their years. A single activation lasts for ten minutes. Currently in the ownership of the beginner Seeker Kayla. I relax my concentration on the tattoo and it begins to fade back into my skin. The Seekers mark can only be seen by its owner, which is good in most cases, but useless to me right now. The Warden already knows everything about me. I put the Ring of Wisdom onto my right index finger. "Activate, Ring of Wisdom." My mind races, everything becomes much clearer, the fog in my mind lifts and I can feel myself becoming smarter. No, wiser. I take another glance at my mark and see that I''m at 79% ki. Either this is a really weak artifact, or I have a large amount of Ki. Probably a mixture of both. I look up at the warden, who has been patiently waiting for me to get oriented with my new status as a Seeker. "Check your challenges." He tells me. I focus on the scroll and a small amount of text pops up. You have been challenged by Seeker David Yorshine AKA the Warden. The Game is Electric Chess. Just like normal chess, except whenever one of your pieces gets captured, you get a small jolt of electricity. No violence between Seekers. Seems reasonable enough, I think. "I accept the challenge from Seeker David Yorkshine''s Game of Electric Chess. The Warden chuckles and holds out his left arm "Idiot. I summon!" He shouted Fuck! I had assumed that he would use the artifact I hadn''t, the Ring of Luck! Instead, he''s bringing his own! Why aren''t you helping me, Ring of Wisdom! "Lightning Lance!" A large golden knights lance appeared in his left hand I immediately focus on it and get a description on my mark. Lightning Lance: A greater tier lance that gives its Seeker the ability to absorb electricity, or shoot it. absorption field lasts for one minute. Shooting electricity costs less ki the more you have absorbed. Currently in the ownership of the Expert Seeker David Yorkshine. "Oh, for fuck''s sake." ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Welp, I screwed up and now I have to rewrite the chapter... I guess I have to start ctrl+a, ctrl+c ing now... I feel so stupid D: Anyway, here is what I was originally going to say here Fairsky here! Thanks so much for reading, and I''d love to hear some feedback from you so I know how to improve my writing! MRW I saw four followers ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` IPrevious ChapterIFiction PageINext ChapterI New Story! Hello, that one guy who actually reads my story, I''ve decided to give up Seekers for the time being, but I might go back to it after a while, anyways, I posted the first chapter of my new story here, and it should come up as soon as it''s approved.