Ascension Protocol: Rouge System

The Wastelander's Desperation

A chill wind whistled across the barren wasteland, kicking up trails of dust and ash. The sky was gray all the time, it seemed, and the horizon stretched out forever, broken only by the skeletal remains of a once-thriving civilization.

Keiran pulled his patched coat tighter around himself as he trudged forward, his boots crunching against the cracked earth.

The image of his sister pale, weak, and sick, confined within their ramshackle shelter they called a home, flashed within his mind. Her coughs had grown weaker and high in frequency; the collected herbs barely eased the hurt anymore, and she would shortly be out of this earthly realm.

"This had to work," Keiran croaked under his breath, low.

Lying before them was their destination: the ruins of Eron City-a forbidden place, a trap promising death for those daring to enter.

Tales of the scavengers who never returned, or returned crazed by terror, kept most folks away, but Keiran didn't have a choice. Rumors had it that ancient artifacts lay amongst the ruins, relics of the old world worth a king's ransom, or valuable to the Citadelians Enough to buy real medicine-something which would save Ella.

After the great apocalypse the world was divided in too two the Citadelians: Those living in the heavily guarded, advanced citadels, hoarding resources and technology.

And the Wastelanders: The majority of the population, struggling to survive in the barren, irradiated wastelands. Where Keiran also belongs.

As Keiran neared the outskirts of the ruins, he spotted a figure slumped against a crumbled wall. A ragged old man with a gaunt face and eyes that gleamed with madness.

The man's bony fingers clutched a rusted knife, but he made no move to attack. Instead, he laughed a dry, rasping sound that sent chills down Keiran's spine.

"You'll die in there," the old man croaked.

Keiran faltered, then shook his head. "I have no choice."

"No one ever does," the man said in response; the laughter dissolved into a wheezing cough. "The ruins take what they want. You think you find salvation? Ha! You'll find only despair."

He paid no attention to the warning but pressed on-he didn't have time for madmen.

Cold air greeted Keiran as he entered the ruin. Towers of broken concrete and twisted metal thrust to the sky like the bones of some giants that had fallen to the ground.

Shadows danced in the corners of his vision as an eerie silence fell over the place. It seemed even the wind was too afraid to go further.

Keiran gripped the iron rod, which served as protection, or a makeshift weapon, clutched tightly in his hands, and looked around.

With every step, there was a gamble; with each groan of rubble, the promise of yet another hazard. He ran his heart, navigating through the maze of destroyed buildings, scanning the litter for anything of value.

He did not need to search for very long before his first clue appeared: some kind of weird crystal protruding from the wall of a fallen skyscraper, luminous with some sort of faint light. He reached his hand out in caution, with pale blue light reflecting back into his eyes.

"Is this?," Keiran's words trailed off as his fingers brushed the crystal.

In a split second, his arm electrified and his vision blurred; he let go of his grip, tumbled backward, and gave in to an overwhelming feeling sweeping through him, an awful mixture of pain, fear, and something else.

Keiran went to his knees, clutching at his head. A voice resounded within his brain-a cold, mechanical one:

[System initializing… Synchronization in progress…]

"What the-?," Keiran gasped, his vision swimming with flashes of data. An interface glowed in mid-air before him, full of lines of text and symbols he didn't understand.

[Welcome, User. You have been selected for integration with the Zenith System.]

"What… what is this?" Keiran stammered.

The voice ignored his question, continuing in its detached tone:

[Zenith System online. Scanning environment. Scanning user parameters. Assigning initial quests.]

Keiran struggled to his feet, his body shaking. The glowing interface ran up, presenting a list of quests:

[Quest: Survive the Ruins]

[Objective: Find an exit without dying to external threats.]

[Reward: System Calibration.]

[Quest: Prove Your Worth]

[Objective: Kill an enemy]

[Reward: Basic Combat Protocols.]

Keiran's breath caught. This had to be a dream-a trap. Yet, that voice continued, serene and unyielding.

[Failure to complete quests will result in termination. Good luck.]

Before Keiran could fathom what was happening, a low growl rumbled from the ruin.

He whirled around as his heartbeat quickened. From out of the shadows, unlike anything he had ever seen, a twisted amalgamation of flesh and metal emerged, eyes glowing red, fixed on him.

"Of course," Keiran muttered wryly, grasping his iron rod. "Why wouldn't there be monsters?"

The creature lunged, unnatural speed in his movements. Keiran barely dodged and swung his weapon with all the strength he had. The rod connected with a sickening crunch, but the creature hardly flinched.

The system's voice cut through his panic:

[Hint: Use environmental hazards to weaken the target.]

Keiran's eyes flashed to find a precarious pile of rubble above the creature. He ran, baiting the monster to follow, then struck a weakened support beam. The rubble collapsed, burying the creature in a cloud of dust and debris.

A notification popped up before him:

[Quest Complete: Prove Your Worth.]

Keiran doubled over, panting, as the system chimed again:

[Combat Protocols unlocked. Accessing Skill Tree…]

"Either this is my salvation… or my doom," he grumbled, but one thing became clear: If the Zenith System could add anything to saving Ella, even just in a small degree, he was to take that no matter the cost.