The bell kept ringing. Each ring was a strike on Riku's already messed up nerves. He set the clay cup down, the contents untouched. His stomach churned.
He stood up, his legs shaky. The rough-spun trousers and tunic he wore felt alien against his skin. He took a step, then another, moving toward the shack's open door like he was carefully approaching the edge of a cliff.
The world outside was all trees, identical shacks, mud and gloom. A narrow track ran between a row of similar shacks. The air was filled with the smell of woodsmoke, waste, and that underlying scent of something damp rotting. People - dressed in the same boring-looking, homespun fabrics - moved with their heads down, casting nervous glances toward the sound of the bell.
No neon signs. No floating holograms. No sound of traffic. Just the squelch of mud under boots and the low murmur of anxious voices.
"Move along, then. Don't dawdle." The old man - Borin - gave him a slight shove from behind. "Patrol doesn't like waiting."
They joined a number of people heading toward a slightly larger building at the end of the track, a structure that might have been a town hall if the town wasn't in such a bad state. A crowd was gathering, a tense silence hanging over them.
Riku's game designer mind automatically started cataloging the scene. Low-poly environment. Textures are low resolution. NPC pathfinding seems basic, driven by a single stimulus - the bell. Ambient fear level also seems to be high.
He shook his head, trying to clear it off. This wasn't a game. The mud soaking through his leather shoes felt real. The cold dread in the pit of his stomach was real.
Two figures emerged from the hall, escorted by a small group, causing the crowd instinctively take a step back. They were different. They wore fitted, dark grey uniforms, clean amidst the surrounding mess. A simple, fancy emblem - a tower ascending into a jagged peak - was stitched on their chests. The Ascendancy.
One, a woman with a severe bun and eyes that scanned the crowd like a predator, held a slate. The other, a broad-shouldered man, stood with his arms crossed, his gaze sending a clear message: Don't cause trouble.
"The tithe has been collected," the woman announced, her voice cutting through the air without needing to shout. "The haunt last night yielded sufficient energy. No further incidents are expected in this sector this week."
A collective, barely audible sigh of relief passed through the crowd.
"However," she continued, her eyes sweeping over them. "Some people were caught up in the haunt and lost their lives. But we we had a survivor." Her eyes landed on Borin who yanked his head at Riku. Her gaze on him felt intimidating.
All eyes, including the patrol's, followed hers landing on Riku. Borin gave him another nudge forward.
The woman checked her slate as if trying to confirm something. "You. Found in the eastern grove. No identification. Explain."
Riku's mouth went dry. Explain what? That he'd died debugging a boss monster? "I... I don't remember," he said, the words feeling heavy on his tongue. "I just woke up."
The woman's expression didn't change. The man beside her grunted, unimpressed.
"A likely story," the man said. "Or a convenient one."
The woman held up a hand, silencing him. She approached Riku, peering at him. "The spirit touched you. Yet you live. Hold out your hand."
Hesitantly, Riku obeyed.
She raised her hand slightly and one of the patrol officers rushed to her with something that looked like dark stone, placing it in her hands. She passed the smooth, dark stone over his palm. The stone flickered with a faint, eerie yellow light.
The woman's eyebrows lifted a fraction. "A spark. Faint, but present. Good spectral resonance." She looked from the stone to his face. "You have the makings of a Spirit Hunter. A potent vessel for negative energy. You say you don't remember anything?"
Riku stared at the stone. Spectral resonance? Vessel? It sounded like techno crap from a bad sci-fi game. "Uhhh, not at all."
"The Ascendancy tests all awakened," she said, her tone now carrying a hint of necessary duty. "Report to the garrison in the Lowtown district in three days' time for evaluation." She made a note on her slate. "Do not be late. Unregistered talents are considered a public hazard. Trust me, you don't want Sir Molen on your neck."
With that, she turned away, dismissing him and the entire crowd. The show was over. The patrol walked off, their boots making no sound in the mud.
The crowd began to disperse, people now looking at Riku with a mixture of pity, curiosity, and fear.
Borin walked up to him. "See? Told you. Spirit Hunter material." He clapped Riku on the back, a gesture that was probably meant to be encouraging but just made him stumble. "Your luck's turning, boy."
Riku looked down at his hand, where the stone had glowed. He flexed his fingers. He didn't feel powerful. He felt kinda lost. "What's this negative energy you're all talking about again?"
"Emotions, boy. When someone cries, fidgets, gets angry, frustrated, scared or nervous, you can feed on the feel of that emotion and get stronger. That is one thing you Spirit Hunters have in common with the spirits themselves. But you protect the normal folks from the spirits." Borin explained. "Boy, you need to read books again, since you forgot everything."
"It's Riku,"
"Alright, boy," Borin waved off, turning to leave. "You probably don't remember your home too. You can stay with me."
Riku wasn't listening though - his mind reeling with what he was just told. A vessel for negative energy? He thought about the terror of his final moments in the VR rig. The crushing helplessness.
He had plenty of negative energy if that was the case. The question was, what the hell was he supposed to do with it?
He had three days to find out.