Chapter 2: Bargains

His boots crunched on gravel as Keiran pressed deeper into the ruin. Breath caught and puffed out raggedly but resolutely.

There was an eerie dead silence around the place that sent his nerves jingling, but his concentration remained unwaveringly sharp. Each step weighted heavier was a point past which retreat would no longer be an option.

Before him floated the glowing interface of the Zenith System-a ghostly shadow that had grown one with his movements. The cool blue light cast patterns against the broken walls.

"Alright," Keiran muttered under his breath, stopping to catch it. "You got my attention, System. What's next?"

The interface shimmered, and once more came the cold, mechanical voice:

[Next quest unlocked. Prepare for briefing.]

Keiran folded his arms, waiting. All this efficiency of the thing was something he either really hated or loved; it was confusing. There was another change in the interface, showing him some other tasks that needed to be done.

[Quest Directive]

[Quest: System Calibration]

[Objective: Find the Calibration Node in the ruin.

[Reward: Unlock Base Stats and Skill Tree.]

Keiran frowned. "Calibration Node? What does that even mean?

[Hint: Calibration Node must be activated in order to access the complete functionality of the system. Location marked-approach and activate.]

A small map flickered into his peripheral vision, showing a blinking dot about a mile away. Keiran let out a deep sigh and shook his head.

"Of course. It's never close, is it?"

[Additional Hint: The Calibration Node is shielded. Approach with caution.

Keiran glared at the floor. "Thanks for the warning. Real helpful."

As he walked, he remembered his sister, two nights before this day, sitting by the fire, teasing him about his gruffness.

"You're such a grouch," Ella would say with a smirk. "Lighten up, Keiran. You'll scare all the wastelanders away."

He smirked at the memory, but the thought of her frail body, her labored breathing, replaced the warmth with a pang of guilt. He had to save her.

Keiran jerked to a stop; the blinking dot on the map brightened, telling him he was close to the Calibration Node. He looked around. A huge structure loomed ahead: a fallen skyscraper, its jagged top half buried in the ground as if it had been struck like a spear.

Or so she had, as it dawned on them that beneath the structure lay the bright smudge-the Calibration Node, its inorganic crystal an aurora washing over the site. Yet there seemed an underlying hint of something otherly.

A big figure loomed between him and the node. Humanoid, he guessed from the shape-twisted through its body melding with metals into long spiky limbs. Its head fluttered as if something was doing with a reaction regarding his presence.

"Great," Keiran muttered, clenching his rod tighter.

The voice returned:

[Inimical entity detected. Class: Ruin Sentinel. Threat level: Moderate.]

"Moderate?" Keiran scoffed. "You and I have very different definitions of that word.

It didn't faze him one whit as the voice continued in that same cold, no-nonsense fashion:

[Combat Strategy: Observe patterns. Exploit weaknesses. Use environment.]

Keiran rolled his eyes. "Yeah, no pressure or anything."

Creaks groaned, loud and sharp, as the Ruin Sentinel swung to Keiran, red-hot gaze locking onto him. A guttural roar shook out as it charged forward with heavy arms swinging.

Keiran barely avoided him, diving for cover behind a pile of rubble as the sentinel's fist came down and crushed the ground he had stood on, sending another shockwave through the debris.

"Alright, think, Keiran. Think!" he muttered, his mind racing.

The system chimed again

[Hint: Core of the entity is in his chest. Expose and strike to neutralize.]

"Easier said than done," Keiran grumbled, peeking out from behind cover.

The sentinel swung again, this time its arm striking the wall beside it and sending chunks of concrete falling down. Keiran made the most of the moment and sprinted around the creature to get a better angle on it.

He spotted a jagged metal beam sticking out of the rubble and a plan came to him. He sprinted for it, ducking as the sentinel's arm whirled over his head. Grabbing the beam in both hands, he jammed it into the creature's path and shouted, "Come on, you overgrown scrap pile!

The sentinel charged, and a beam lanced into its torso, hobbling it backward with a mechanical screech; sparks flew as the creature writhed, its chest open to show a glowing core within.

"There it is," Keiran muttered, his adrenaline.

Seizing his chance, he leaped onto the sentinel's back, using the rod to pry open the armor over the core. The beast roared, twisting wildly in efforts to shake him off, but Keiran held fast.

With a final swing of his rod, he struck the core, shattering it. The sentinel let out a deafening roar before collapsing in a heap of metal and flesh.

Keiran fell to his knees, breathing heavily as dirt smeared his face. His hands shook from residual adrenaline as the system chimed once more:

[Quest Complete: System Calibration.]

The Node flashed brighter, and Keiran slowly went closer to it. He reached and pressed it. Energy zapped him. A newer interface flashed in:

[Base Stats Unlocked]

Strength: 5

Agility: 6

Endurance: 7

Intelligence: 4

Luck: 3

[Skill Tree Access Unlocked]

Keiran stared at those stats with his head in overdrive, "This is. Something, I suppose."

System's voice returned, more jolly than before:

[Congratulations, User. The Zenith System is fully operational now. Future Quests and Upgrades await.]

Keiran sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I'll bet. This better be worth it."

As the interface flickered, a new quest appeared;

[Quest: The First Step]

[Objective: Go back to base and prepare for a surprise]

[Reward: Beginner's Combat Skill.]

Keiran stared at the screen after, then looked to the ruins. The fight with the sentinel sapped him, but thinking of Ella gave him the strength to stand.

"Alright, Zenith," he said, cracking his neck. "Let's see where this goes."