《Cyberpunk Dungeon Core》


 Ch 1

    The pounding of Elias¡¯ head was killing him. ¡°That''s the last time I mix¡­ wait what drinks did i mix together last night again? And was I even drinking last night? I don''t remember.¡± Opening my eyes, I am assaulted by an overwhelming palette of colors. Too much for my addled brain to process. To counter this I slam my eyes shut, or at least I try. For some reason my eyelids refused to listen to me and close.


    Slowly, as I try and figure out what is wrong with my eyelids, sight returns to me. As my vision was clearing I managed to make out some blurry details about my surroundings. I appeared to be just in the mouth of an alleyway, resting atop an open dumpster full of refuse. The many colors that previously blinded me were coming from colorful signs of women dancing through the air, positioned just outside the alleyway.


    Before I can examine my surroundings further, I am distracted by a noise. ¡°Come on Jackie, shits worthless. Just leave it.¡± A gruff falsetto voice says, drawing my attention. Shifting my attention to the right and farther down the alley, I spot two teens rummaging through the trash.


    The teens were the weirdest pair that I have ever laid eyes on. The two of them, a boy and a girl going by their figures, were covered head to toe in reflective silver clothes. Clothes that then also glow a bright blue at the seams and in lines tracing up and down their figures. A matching hoodie, pants, and boots for both of them.


    It was not just the teens'' clothes that stood out to me but also their hair. The assumed boy had his inch long, bleached hair gelled up into a dozen individual spikes. The girl, obvious from her ample chest, had her hair in a somewhat less bizarre style with the left half of her head shaved bald while letting the brown locks on the right hang down straight until they cut off at her chin. It was a hairstyle similar to those that I''d seen before.


    While I was observing the teens, they also noticed me. The boy''s eyes previously roaming around the alley settled as they landed on my location. ¡°Hey Sila, what about that?¡± the boy said  in a surprisingly high, almost childish pitch as he approached. ¡°Don''t know. Seems kinda like some of that crap you see in that expensive jewelry store over on 105th,¡± replied the girl as she reached out towards me.


    I was about to ask them what they were talking about when looking right at me but stopped when the girl picked me up. How could they pick me up? I''m a grown man for heaven sake and she is just a teen girl. A well muscled teen girl i note, but still, What the FUCK is going on? My downward spiral is interrupted when I notice the teens still in my vision. As in both teens still in my vision.


    Looking at them was weird; like looking through a camera with a super wide lens. No matter which one I looked at, I could still see both of them even though the girl, Sila, was holding me out between them. Before I could further dwell on how weird my vision was, I was distracted by a string of text forcing its way into my field of view.


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    Do you wish to initialize the System?


    Yes      /      No                          00:00</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


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    TIME LIMIT EXCEEDED


    AUTO INITIALIZATION OF SYSTEM BEGUN


    ¡­


    SYSTEM INITIALIZING


    Run bootStrap: [startup],


    Startup = %10,


    Startup = %23,


    Startup = %54.


    Startup = %76,


    Startup = %99,


    Startup = Complete,


    Run systemWelcome: [autoSelect]


    Initializing¡­,


    SAPIENCE DETECTED,


    Halting autoSelect,


    ADVANCED PROTOCOLS INITIATED,


    SYSTEM REBOOTING


    ¡­


    SYSTEM INITIALIZING,


    Run bootStrap: [startup],


    Startup = %10,


    Startup = %23,


    Startup = %54.


    Startup = %76,


    Startup = %99,


    Startup = Complete,


    Run systemWelcome: [Sapience],


    Initializing¡­,


    Initialized


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    <td style="width: 31.7785%">Name</td>


    <td style="width: 68.2215%">Elias</td>


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    <tr>


    <td style="width: 31.7785%">Race</td>


    <td style="width: 68.2215%">Dungeon Core</td>


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    <tr>


    <td style="width: 31.7785%">Level</td>


    <td style="width: 68.2215%">1</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 31.7785%">Tier</td>


    <td style="width: 68.2215%">Copper</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


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    <td style="width: 35.2692%">SP</td>


    <td style="width: 64.7308%">100</td>


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    <td style="width: 35.2692%">Companion</td>


    <td style="width: 64.7308%">+</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 35.2692%">Traits</td>


    <td style="width: 64.7308%">+</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 35.2692%">Features</td>


    <td style="width: 64.7308%">+</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    No matter where I attempted to shift my attention, the screen was there. Ever present like some kind of sticker placed directly on my retina. ¡°But wait. Why can my eyes see the ground under my feet? And why can''t I see my feet? Where are my feet? Where are MY FEET? WHEREAREMYFEET!¡±


    ????


    Sob.


    What is wrong with me. Why don''t I have feet? I''m a freak. An ugly freak that never has anything good happen. Everything always goes wrong. Why do I try? Why do I care? No one else cares.


    aaaahhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!


    ????


    Sob.


    Maybe i should just kill myself. But then dad, mom, my brother, and everyone else will be hurt. I cant hurt them any more. I can''t stand the thought of what it would do to them. I am a horrible person. I already hurt them too much.


    I''m sorry.


    I''m sorry.


    I''m sorry.


    I''m Sorry.


    ????


    Sob.


    Nothing matters anyway. Maybe i should just kill myself. I''m tired of always feeling like¡­  this. Dull. Angry. Sad. I    just    want    it    to    end. I JUST WANT MY SUFFERING TO END!


    I just want it to end.


    ????


    Sob.


    I mean, I could, it''s as simple as just reaching up with my hands and twisting my head reallllly fast... But where are my hands? Where are MY HANDS? WHEREAREMYHANDS!


    aaaahhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!


    ????


    After an indeterminate amount of time freaking out, I finally got ahold of my emotions and came back to myself. Looking around I realized I was laying on top of a pile of twisted metal so rusted it was impossible to determine what it used to be. That same wide lens effect from earlier was still present. It made determining my surroundings troublesome to say the least.


    Though that was one of many oddities I find myself facing. As during my long freakout I came to realize that I was without a body. Well not a body but a human body. You see, even through my whole ordeal, I still maintained awareness of my surroundings. Not being able to close your eyes while at the same time hearing everything within 10 yards would do that. But it was not just being able to see and hear everything, it was as if a part of my mind was always focused on my surroundings. Even weirder was the fact that I remember it all clearly. The stains on the ground of the alley I first woke up in. The bag I was unceremoniously stuffed in by those two teens. And even those teens'' names (Jackie and Sila), faces, voices, mannerisms, and more.


    I noticed way more than I ever realized in the moment, and I can remember every detail I noticed. Though for some reason, I could not for the life of me remember what led up to me being in that alley. Looking deeper, all memories from before that alley are hazy at best. While hazy memories are nothing new to me, it is normally only a certain few. Not all of them.


    But everything from after i woke up in that alley is saved in my mind in *Car salesman voice* stunning 4k HD. Even the glimpse of myself I got in a mirror in that store where those two tried to sell me. Looking back I think I would have been pissed at the blatant disregard for the sanctity of my being if I was not so distracted by my new body. A Perfect Sphere of opaque yellow. Almost appearing as made of stained glass except for the differing shades of yellow that made up my depths. And yes it is MY depths. After my little meltdown earlier I have come to terms¡­ maybe¡­ with my new body.


    Looking out beyond myself now that I am calm, well calmer, I slowly piece together my surroundings. Below me is the aforementioned metal, rusted  into obscurity. Looking towards what I believe to be my front is open space stretching to both sides. Beyond this space is a towering pile of what can only be described as trash. A refrigerator missing its door. Random furniture in various states of disrepair. Thousands of food wrappers.


    Behind me, the pile I am sitting on stretches towards the sky. Paying closer attention to it I manage to make out the forms of rusted cars, broken laptops, and what appears to be some kind of industrial machine. It appears I am in  the town dump.


    As fun as looking at my dismal surroundings is, it can''t distract me from the elephant in the room any longer. Those boxes of text. What the hell were those? Thinking back on them, they appeared to be a command console that ¡°initialized¡± something called ¡°The System¡±. Why did I have a command console? I mean, was it mine? I assume so. It did appear in my vision after all.


    Then there was that box at the end, after the system or whatever finished its initialization. The one that looked like a character screen from¡­ Before I could finish that thought, something appeared in  my vision. It was a black box with a green border. In Fact it was the same box from earlier. It was back.


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    <td style="width: 31.2071%">Name</td>


    <td style="width: 68.7929%">Elias</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 31.7785%">Race</td>


    <td style="width: 68.2215%">Dungeon Core</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 31.7785%">Level</td>


    <td style="width: 68.2215%">1</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 31.7785%">Tier</td>


    <td style="width: 68.2215%">Copper</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


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    <td style="width: 33.7811%">SP</td>


    <td style="width: 66.2189%">100</td>


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    <td style="width: 35.2692%">Companion</td>


    <td style="width: 64.7308%">+</td>


    </tr>


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    <td style="width: 35.2692%">Traits</td>


    <td style="width: 64.7308%">+</td>


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    <td style="width: 35.2692%">Features</td>


    <td style="width: 64.7308%">+</td>


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    Looking at the floating box of text hovering before me, I said the only words that could come to mind. ¡°WHAT THE FUCK.¡±

 Ch 2

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    <td style="width: 29.3801%">Name</td>


    <td style="width: 70.62%">Elias</td>


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    <td style="width: 29.3801%">Race</td>


    <td style="width: 70.62%">Dungeon Core</td>


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    <td style="width: 29.3801%">Level</td>


    <td style="width: 70.62%">1</td>


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    <td style="width: 29.3801%">Tier</td>


    <td style="width: 70.62%">Copper</td>


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    <td style="width: 29.3801%">Sp</td>


    <td style="width: 70.62%">100</td>


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    <td style="width: 29.3801%">Companion</td>


    <td style="width: 70.62%">+</td>


    </tr>


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    <td style="width: 29.3801%">Traits</td>


    <td style="width: 70.62%">+</td>


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    <td style="width: 29.3801%">Features</td>


    <td style="width: 70.62%">+</td>


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    Yep, I''m not crazy. It''s still there. No matter how many times I focus on something else, the screen, or whatever this is floating in my vision, remains. I think I''ll just stick with ¡°screen¡± for now. As I come to that decision, the system runs out of patience with my hemming and hawing and opens another window.


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    Inaction Detected


    Would you like to Initialize System Tutorial?


    Yes / No


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    Not really sure what is going on and too overwhelmed with new and unusual stimuli, I decide to stop thinking and just roll with everything going on. ¡°Um, Yes?¡±


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    User Command YES,


    INITIALIZING SYSTEM TUTORIAL,


    Run Directive: sapientTutorial,


    sapientTutorial = %10,


    sapientTutorial = %32,


    sapientTutorial = %54.


    sapientTutorial = %76,


    sapientTutorial = %98,


    sapientTutorial = Complete,


    TUTORIAL COMMENCING


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    Welcome, Elias, to the system.


    Are you ready to begin the tutorial?


    Yes / Yes


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    Well, it seems I have no choice but to click yes. I can''t think of any reason to wait so might as well get this show on the road. Speaking out ¡°Yes¡± seemed to work, just as it did last time, and I was met with a new screen replacing the previous one.


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    Tutorial Part 1:


    Please select your initial Trait. To do so, please select the + symbol under Trait in the Character Menu.


    Tip: To select a System Element, please place your focus on the desired System Element and the system will do the rest.


    Tip: For information on Traits, please use the command ¡°System Help: X¡± for the chosen Trait. For information on what Traits are, please use the command ¡°System Help Traits¡±.


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    Really, it''s as easy as just focusing on it? Why have I been saying everything out loud then? Well, can''t change the past, so concentrate on the future Elias. Focusing on the + next to Traits in the so-called Character Screen, a new window is opened just as the system said it would.


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    Trait Selection:


    Please select your initial Trait from the available selection below.


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Monster Creation(Recommended)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Trap and Puzzle Formation</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Loot Creation</li>


    </ul>


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    You know, I''m getting really tired of being confused. Every time this system throws something at me I have no clue what it is. I mean what am I supposed to do with Monster Creation or Trap and Puzzle formation? And it wants me to pick one? Why?! No, keep calm Elias. Just go with the flow, roll with the punches.


    Huh, for once self-talk actually worked. I actually calmed down from that. That''s another thing to add to the list of new and unusual things I am experiencing. For now though, I need to focus on what''s important: this screen the system placed in front of me and wants me to choose from. Although the system said I could get some help with this so lets try it: ¡°System Help: Monster Creation.¡±


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    System Help: Monster Creation


    Allows the Dungeon Core to create Monsters within the Dungeon. Upon initial creation of a Monster, a Respawn Node is created for that Monster at that location. Monsters respawn automatically at their Respawn Node upon completion of the Monsters Respawn Cooldown.


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    Great, so Monster Creation allows me, the Dungeon Core, to create monsters in a Dungeon ¡­ What''s a dungeon? I mean I can guess, but the system has never actually said what a Dungeon or a Dungeon Core is.


    You know, thinking about it, the system never said that the help command was exclusive to the few subjects it has provided so far. Maybe I can get it to answer some questions about other things it''s showing me. With that thought in mind, I state ¡°System Help: Dungeon Core¡± and am rewarded with a new panel opening.


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    System Help: Dungeon Core


    A sentient and sometimes sapient crystal that serves as the core of a Dungeon. Highly sought after by all sapient races for its extreme value.


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    Well, it''s an answer at least. But why did the system say I was extremely valuable? I mean those two teens THREW ME AWAY!!! I was a person god dammit, not some cheap toy they could just toss aside. But wait, I am a ball now. An opaque, yellow, glass ball.


    Why was this upsetting me so much?! Whoo, deep breaths Elias. Just, calm down. Anyway, now that that''s over, it¡¯s time to find out what a dungeon is, ¡°System Help: Dungeon.¡±


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    System Help: Dungeon


    A twisting labyrinth of Traps and Monsters built by a Dungeon Core to protect itself.


    </td>


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    So it was self-explanatory. Well, I needed to check anyway and now I know for certain. A picture of what is happening to me is finally starting to come together. Now I need to try and flush out some more details from the system. I think I start with what is a trait? ¡°System Help Traits.¡±


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


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    System Help: Traits


    A collection of skills the Dungeon Core uses to create its Dungeon.


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    Really informative there, system. I guess I shouldn¡¯t have expected anything more from this system. Outside of a few instances, it has been quite stingy with information so far. Oh well, while I''m at it I might as well just get the rest of the things on the Character Sheet out of the way. I think I''ll start with ¡°System Help: Level.¡±


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    System Help: Level


    The level of the Dungeon Core.


    </td>


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    Well no shit. Is the System intentionally being extremely vague on some things? Ehhhh, nothing I can do about it. Next up is ¡°System Help: Tier.¡±


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    System Help: Tier


    The tier of the Dungeon.


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    Another dud¡­ Great. No clue what to do with this lackluster information but any info I can get for now helps. Anyway, on to the next one. ¡°System Help: SP.¡±


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    System Help: SP


    A currency given to sapient races by the System for use with the System.


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    Sooooo, a Fiat currency. Great. What''s next, unpaid mandatory overtime? System, if you are trying to enslave me I swear to god I will find a way to kill myself again¡­ Why did I say again? Have I killed myself before? Is that how I got here?!!!


    No, bad brain. No more spiraling down any rabbit holes. Actually, I don''t have a brain, do I? Soooooo, how am I thinking right now?!... No, no, no, stay focused Elias. I have more important things to focus on for now and the next thing is ¡°System help ¡­¡± What was next again? Oh Yah, ¡°System Help: Companion.¡±


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    System Help: Companion


    A member of a magically-inclined race that answers questions the Dungeon Core might have about the System and helps to guide the Dungeon Core in the creation of its Dungeon.


    </td>


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    Hey, the system is back to giving details. I mean seriously system, would it kill you to be consistent? The information I¡¯ve been getting is aaalllll over the place. Although what I have so far at least paints a basic picture.


    In essence, I dig a hole in the ground, fill it with traps and monsters, and the bad guys can''t get me. What bad guys though? Come on system, would it really kill you to tell me what''s going on? Still no answers, huh? Not that I expected any.At least I''m getting¡­ somewhere.


    Now that I''m done with the Character Sheet, it¡¯s back to the Traits, ¡°System Help: Trap and Puzzle Formation.¡±


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    System Help: Trap and Puzzle Formation


    Allows the creation of autonomous Features that will perform a select action or actions upon the completion of a set trigger or triggers.


    </td>


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    </tbody>


    </table>


    For the whole build-a-dungeon thing, I can see some potential here. I just don''t have enough info as to whether it''s actually useful to me. Working off the assumption that I will be making a dungeon, do I need traps?


    Also, looking back at the Monster Creation Trait, I''m not sure I need it either. Just like traps, what am I going to do with a bunch of monsters? This world obviously has no clue what a dungeon core is. Extrapolating from there, this world probably has no clue what a dungeon is either. For argument''s sake, I built my dungeon, then what? If no one knows what a dungeon is, why would they delve into it, why would I even need to build it in the first place?


    Of course, what else am I going to do with my time? Even though there is a computer right next to me, I doubt I can use it to surf the web or anything. And that TV has definitely seen better days, so no 1000 channels of cable for me. I guess I''ll make a dungeon if for nothing more than to just pass the time. And hey, when I DM¡¯ed for DnD 5e, I always like making the dungeons more than watching my players stumble through them.


    So, I''m making a dungeon. The first step to do so is to finish off this Trait selection. ¡°System Help: Loot Creation.¡±


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    System Help: Loot Creation


    Allows the creation of custom loot options and the creation of the Feature ¡°Chests¡± that can contain loot.


    </td>


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    </table>


    Another dud. Well, they can''t all be good options. I was hoping for at least one good option though. Are any of these useful? Monster Creation, Trap and Puzzle Formation, and Loot Creation. I don''t think I need any of these. Is there any detail I missed that can swing my decision?


    Looking back at the Trait selection screen, I do see a detail I missed before. A detail that ultimately decides which trait I am choosing: the recommended tag next to the Monster Creation. For a system that has been quite stingy with any help or advice, to go out of its way to recommend something to me, there must be a pretty good reason. So I''m picking ¡°Monster Creation¡±.


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    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0986%">Monster Creation Trait Selected</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 30%; background-color: rgba(52, 73, 94, 1); border-color: rgba(45, 194, 107, 1); border-style: solid" border="1">


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    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0986%">


    Tutorial Part 2:


    Please select your two initial Features. To do so, please select the + symbol under Feature in the Character Menu.


    Tip: To select a System Element, please place your focus on the desired System Element and the system will do the rest.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Navigating back to the character screen, I do just as the System recommends and select the Plus sign next to Features.


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    <td style="width: 99.0986%">


    Feature Selection:


    Please select your initial two Features.


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Scrap Heap(3)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Fallen City(3)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Machine Monsters(Recommended)(2)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Cyber(1,2)</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Before I can even begin to try and understand anything of this new selection, I am interuppted by a great crashing noise coming from the pile above me. Turning my attention to the pile, I am surprised to see metal raining from the sky. Why is metal falling from the sky? What kind of hellish place is this?


    No¡­ The metal is not raining from the sky, it''s falling from some flat, round disc of metal. This strange disc sways with each piece that falls from it, and as the last bit of metal is cast off the begins to move away. Now that i can get a better look at it, I realise that it is in fact a crane with a magnetic plate. A crane that appears again shortly to dump more metal upon my pile.


    Was that crane always on the other side of the pile? How did I never notice it? It¡®s  making enough noise that it''s impossible to miss. Have I been so caught up in my head that I''ve been oblivious to my surroundings? Looking back through my crystal clear memories I immediately realize that, no, I was not oblivious, as every sight and sound was perfectly captured. Just not focused on at the moment.


    So what changed? In fact, now that I''m looking, a lot has changed. For one, long shadows now stretch from everywhere towards my right. Shadows that weren''t there just a little while ago. Where did these shadows come from? It''s not like it suddenly got brighter out? Or did it? My memories seem to paint a startling picture.


    A sense that I didn''t even know I had has just shown itself. Looking back, I realise that my sight¡¯s sensitivity to light has changed. For some reason though, I can still see perfectly fine no matter how bright or dark. Looking at the shadows confirms it for me as my new sense is telling me that some of those shadowed areas should be too dark to see. Yet I can see into them just fine. What''s going on?


    Putting all the pieces together it suddenly clicks for me. The new light, the long shadows, the sudden activity. It is all because it is morning. People have come to work, sorting the trash. Then, almost as if to verify that, a truck pulls into view, passing between my pile and the one in front of me.


    The ¡°truck,¡± for I''m not sure I should call it that, is weird. Theeeee, I''ll call it a vehicle for now, is a boxy, square thing made up of hard angles and smooth white panels. What makes it weird though, is the lack of any noticeable cab. Instead, its front is just a flat surface angled back at a shallow angle. No doors or windows noticeable anywhere.


    Honestly, it looks like a long rectangular box on wheels. The wheels are another thing weird about the vehicle, it has eight of them. Four in the front and four in the back. Also, all the wheels turn simultaneously to maneuver the machine through the trash.


    While I have been observing the vehicle, it has come to a stop just past my resting spot on the pile. Before I can wonder what it is up to though, it begins to back up towards my pile. As it comes to a stop just short of my pile, two panels on its back swing open to the sides revealing an interior not unlike that of a semi-trailer, but absolutely full of trash. Trash that was summarily shoved out the back of the truck by an unseen force, right onto the base of my pile.


    Once all the trash was out of the back of the truck, for now I know it is a truck, a trash truck, the truck pulls forward out of sight. I assume it''s off to pick up another load of trash somewhere. Well, that was enlightening, I guess?


    Now that the distractions are out of the way, I should focus back on this Feature choice. Looking at the options I begin to parse through them when my attention is once again grabbed by a sudden noise. My focus turning to the noise, I merely see the pile I am currently inhabiting. I assume that the noise came from the other side of the pile, so I once again turn my attention back to my pending choice only for my attention to once again  be stolen away by another random noise. This continues on for the rest of the day.