Chapter Seven

Everything was gone. 

Well, not all of it. There was something poking out of the now barren ground.

A dark red bump. 

"Please stay back everyo..."

{Number of participants have been confirmed}

Huh??

Participants?

Did it say participants?

What's going on?

Everyone was trying to understand the current situation.

Then...

There was a rumbling followed by clumps of rising rocks. They were surrounded.

{A trial is being generated}

{SUFF@#$RV#@%^IVE}

{10:00}

{9:59}

The timer began.

Did it say suffer?

"Everyone, prepare yourselves," Sheriff said.

"We might actually d..."

Sheriff was interrupted.

The ground broke as the red bump unraveled. Rock and debris flew everywhere. Dust clouded them. It obscured their vision.

But they could see it.

A thick shadow ever rising. It grew to an astonishing height.

Were they going to fight it? 

Could they really survive it?

{ENTERT@#$53AI#%&N T@$^&HE DAMN@34%^ED}

{SURVIV@#456E ---- ROOT}

Did it say roo...

Wood spikes shot out from the ground. 

20 Recruits.

Gone.

Everyone got into a panic. There was no reason at the moment. Just pure instinct. Everyone scattered in different directions. Even amidst Sheriff screams telling everyone to stick together. All fell on deaf ears.

{7:59}

Two minutes were up. The Numbers were reducing fast. They had to do something or else this would be their last day. 

SWALLOW THE ORBS!!!! 

A telepath?

How many were there?

And a voice we knew all too well.

SWALLOW THE ORBS NOWWW!!!!

At this point what's the worst that could happen.

Every recruit who was still sane reached into their pockets and pulled out the white orb that Yiggrath gave them.

There were those who panicked as they reached for their orbs. Others fumbled as they held their orbs.

Let's just say the latter two weren't so lucky. It was a gruesome sight. Some were beyond recognition.

The recruits altogether swallowed the orbs. 

Then something weird happened. Everyone started clutching at their hearts, writhing in pain. 

Then it hit him. Pain raced all over Park. 

[The worm is attempting a takeover]

Worm?

Park couldn't believe it.

Miiiinnneeee, Boooddyyyyy Miiiiinnnneeee.

There it was...

That raspy voice.

[The worm has been digested by the ink]

Booooooyyyyy Sleeeeeeeppppp.

Park slowly felt himself losing hold of his body.

[The ink is in temporary control of Park]

Then he blacked out.

Sometime later.

{0:00}

{Congratulations}

{You survived the trial}

{A gift has been provided to the participants}

{The D#$%am$#@ned have been satisfied}

{The D#$%am$#@ned have developed an interest in the @#$! user}

With this the interface disappeared.

Then there were approaching Footsteps.

"Where did the bodies go?"

Park could hear voices.

"What are they talking about?" Park asked as he drifted in and out of consciousness.

"We cannot tell anyone what happened here. Got it Jess?"

Was that Sheriff?

"But what do we say then?"

And Jess?

Where were they?

"I don't know just cook something up. Please?" 

"This is going to be tough. You owe me big time," Jessica concluded.

There was a short pause.

"They were beasts. All of them. Beasts." Sheriff concluded.

Then Park finally drifted out of consciousness.

...

Humming.

[Ink is happy]

[Ink has fully absorbed Park's allies]

[A corrupt fragment has been absorbed]

[Frequency Fragments have been acquired]

[Ink has absorbed the orbs]

[Ink has absorbed the worms]

[Park's Earth frequency has been drastically increased]

[Innate knowledge of the Earth frequency has been acquired]

[Ink is satisfied and has fallen asleep]

Sometime later.

"Urrrnghh."

Park woke up.

His whole body felt heavy. He tried to make out where he was.

"You looked pretty banged up back there."

Park slowly looked to the right and saw another person in the same situation as he was. But the person looked familiar. Without the glasses, it would be hard to recognize him at first. It was the kid who spoke up in Yiggrath's class.

"Name's Ash." 

"Park."

"Something they put in those orbs huh?" 

Right the orbs.

.....

And the wor...

"You know it felt like I was asleep." Ash intruded.

"And then I woke up here."

"Wheree?"

"Huh?" Ash asked.

"Wheree...are we?"

"You're in the infirmary." Ash answered.

It was a culling. 

A massacre. Most of the recruits were gone. Some of them, Park didn't even know their names.

And where were they? Only Park's resident would know.

Day passed. Night fell.

Everyone was fast asleep.

Then Park heard footsteps.

"You know there was a break in?" One voice began.

Huh? a break in?

"Where?" Curiously the other voice asked.

"Funny enough, in that Research building. It was in the wee hours."

"Did they know who did it?"

"Nope, they buried it up since nothing was declared stolen. But they said that the resource dungeon was left open, guess the person left in a hurry."

"Might have been the one who did something to the dungeon that these suckers stumbled into."

"When was this?"

"I just told you."

"Oh sorry, what I meant to say was what day was this?"

"I think the se..."

"Nurse Gemma is that you?" A third voice intruded.

"Shi..."

There was a small shuffle of footsteps and then silence.

"Might be the rats." The third voice concluded.

Park was clearly rattled. 

Wee hours...

Second day?...

Wasn't that when he fell into that illusi...?

"You liked our story buddy?"