'Something is going to happen today. I can feel it.'
My stomach would always feel funny before important events happened. Good or bad. I never knew when something would happen, but it would always happen on the same day. I've learned to always move a little more carefully on days this happened.
'Now all I can do is wait and watch out. At this point nearly anything could happen. Hopefully nothing bad though. Given my circumstances though, my expectations are fairly low.'
Looking around the communal room, I realised I was the only one awake. I'd say it was the asscrack of dawn, but it's winter and it's still pitch black out. The overseers normally wake us up around 6 a.m, and by my guess, it's probably 5. That means I've got some time to think of an escape plan.
However that brings me back to the same problem I had yesterday, I'm still just a-
⌜Strength: Human child (weak)⌟
'I fucking know Spark, that's not something I can easily forget. It's hard to forget how weak and powerless you are.' It's not like I can enlist the others in my plan. Most of them have been indoctrinated into thinking we'll become "special beings", and considering we're in a supernatural world, the adults probably also have magic. The odds seem stacked against my favour.
Fuck.
"No, no, no" I mumbled. Shaking my head and slapping my cheeks to stop that train of thought. 'I can't keep thinking like this, and besides, didn't Ass say that I have some sort of child protective service in place. I should be fine cause I didn't do anything to incur this myself. That should mean that I'll survive this...hopefully.'
"But what about them?" No matter what I can't just leave them to suffer. They're the closest thing to family that I have right now. The closest I've had in years.
"Fuck, what am I to do?" I was practically clawing at my face. I said it before, but what kind of world did Ascension send me to? I've barely been here 6 hours and theres already a chance of my death.
For the next half an hour I sat on my bunk thinking about possible escape plans.
Through the windows?... No. They're barred and I'm not skinny enough to fit. Even if they weren't, it's a bit of a drop and I don't think I'd get away scot free.
Through the front door?... No. It's almost perpetually locked and I don't know where they keep the key. Busting it down is also a no. It would make too much noise, and i don't think we can.
What else?
How else can we escape?
Tunn– no that's just stupid. Only thing worse is just asking them to let us go.
Fuck!!
Is there nothing I can do? Worst of all, most of these kids have been indoctrinated–brainwashed- by these bastards. I don't think they'll easily follow me. They might even tell the overseers.
Shit.
*Bang*
As I was having a crisis, the doors flung open, smashing into the wall. From behind it came a somewhat rough looking man with an almost malicious scowl on his face.
"Get up you brats! The Archbishop's here and wants to talk to you. You've got 5 minutes!" He practically shouted, before turning around and slamming the door closed.
*Bang*
"Well that woke us up." I said amidst a cacophony of moan and groans. While it had been months of this routine, we normally get woken up slightly nicer than that. They had to keep up pretences for the best results I guess. Do you know how difficult it is to get something from an unwilling child?
Anyway, something about the look on his face bothers me. I mean, nobody's happy to be waking up before dawn, but the look in his eyes... I've never seen any of the overseers with one so negative. They always made sure to look at least somewhat nice, to make us more willing to go through with everything.
But that look?
The feeling in my stomach is getting worse. Shit.
"Morning Ash, *Yawn*...Did you sleep alright?" Isaiah asked. Still somewhat groggy from the abrupt wake up. I haven't really thought about it, but it's kinda weird suddenly being able to know and speak Italian.
"Yeah, I did, thanks for asking. Did you sleep well?" It's basic manners to ask how someone slept.
"Yes I did, thank you." He replied, taking a short to stretch. "I wonder what the Archbishop wants with us. It's been some time since we last saw him."
That's a question I don't think I want the answer to.
"Hmmm, maybe he wants to check how we're doing. It has been almost a month since he was last here." I hope that's all. It would give me more time to think of a way out. It's would be even better if he suddenly grew a conscious and let us go.
'As if.'
"Anyway, we've gotta get ready quick. We don't have much time." I continued. No matter how much I didn't want to go, I don't wan't to deal with the consequences of being late.
Climbing down from my bunk, me and Isaiah quickly changed our clothes before entering the shared bathroom to freshen up. It seems like the people running this have some sort of a conscious, or morality, as they split the boys and the girls.
Within 5 minutes, all of us were in the main hall of the Church?... Facility?... whatever we were in, standing in rank and file before the overseers. Isaiah was standing to my right.
There were 17 of us, 8 boys and 9 girls. There used to be 20. We got told the ones missing had completed their training and sent to do the lords work.
'What a load of bullshit!' It pissed me off just thinking about it.
*Creak*
A door to the side, leading to the head overseers room, opened. Out walking two people, a man and a woman.
The woman was the head overseer. Normally she would have a kind, caring smile on her face, lulling you into thinking that everything would be ok, but today? The mask she wore was off, and her smile was anything but kind. It was vindictive, malicious, and her eyes seemed resentful. She was dragging along a cart behind her, though I couldn't tell what was in it.
She had long black hair reaching all the way down her back, and a fringe swept to the left of her face. Her eyes were dark brown, looking at us like we're wastes of time. She was wearing a green turtle neck, a dark red mini-skirt, and dark leggings underneath a white lab coat. Despite her clothes, I could tell her figure was very curvy and... full.
Shame she's a bitch. Anyone who experiments on children is a bitch in my eyes.
I remember her name being Namie Yu...Ya?-something. If I remember properly it sounded Japanese, which is weird considering we're in Italy... I presume.[1]
The man trailing her was quite short. Maybe about 5'2 or 3. He was a bespectacled old man with quite the stomach on him. His hair was gray, and he had a weird moustache growing at the corners of his mouth. He was wearing what I can only assume to be typical priest clothes due to the prominent cross sitting front and center.
He had a genial smile on his face, looking nice and amiable, but I could tell he was anything but that. His eyes, squinted as they were, betrayed a certain hostility towards us. Like we were the reason he failed at life.
He walked towards the front of the staff, hands clasped behind his back, before talking to us.
"Hello children, I hope you've been well." He started with a lie. Most of us just nodded, knowing that speaking won't do us any good.
"Good." He continued. "I heard from Namie over there that your trainings been going well, and you're ready to start the next stage." With that, most of the kids around me visibly perked up, some releasing quiet, but audible, gasps of elation.
What got me though, was that the staff behind him shuffled slightly backwards before putting on what I can only guess to be gas masks.
'Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! Are they going to fucking gas us?!' Even Namie had put one on. She also started reaching into the cart behind her.
"Unfortunately, there's just one more test we must do before we can continue." His eyes were more hateful, his smile twisted nefariously, and his voice gained a malicious edge.
The others were starting to realise that something is wrong. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Namie passing along suspiciously gun shaped objects.
Bringing his arms up to his face, the Archbishop continued.
"All you have to do is..." He spoke, pausing to clasp his own gas mask to his face.
*Ding*
⌜Emergency Quest Generated⌟
⌜Quest: Survive
Description:
-The oh so great Archbishop Valper Galilei has deemed you useless to his plans and wishes to dispose of you. Survive.
Rewards:
-Random Physique Awakening⌟
I got the quest just as he finished his sentence.
Raising his arm up, he gestured to the staff behind him, all holding some type of gun shaped weapon, but instead of a standard muzzle, they looked like they came from watering cans. Wide with holes dotted around.
"Do it." He said, dropping his arm.
And with that, they started blasting.
_________ End of chapter _________
Ash here,
Another chapter, this one at exactly 1600 words, excluding EoC onwards.
Those who know the plot probably expected this development, but don't worry, he'll survive. I quite literally gave him minor plot armour for the next 7 years.
I don't know if it's gonna show up in the comments, but the only reason I out Namie in this was because I needed an evil female scientist, that was also not too strong. She fits the bill, and Durarara isn't strong enough for me to exclude from this fic.
For those Durarara fans, I won't be delving into it's plot. I just don't feel like it.
For those that haven't caught on, this is a multicross. I'll only be putting in verses that I can make narratively consistent with the rest of the verse. Especially when it comes to powerscaling, and how it would mesh with my rules.
I feel bad not giving a little secret again, so... um... I can be bribed? If this starts doing well enough, bribes may be possible.
Ash out.
[1] I didn't specifically choose her, I just needed an evil female scientist. I will not be getting into the plot of Durarara. At least it won't have any bearing on this story.