Blood shot eyes red and panicked looked around, his body shaking as he coughed up a bit more water. The world around him something he couldn't even being to understand. The entire area around him made out of smooth yellow stone resembling a temple yet strange words and numbers running up through spaces all over as open parches in the walls, floor and even air around him showed empty black space with strange lines of white.
"The hell is this place? Some kind of underworld? Is it where I'm supposed to be judged?" He asked nervously looking around but finding no one else there except him, some holes slowly closing as others opened.
Getting up and finding the rope and stones all gone and the plants becoming tattoo markings he slowly made his way around, trying to figure out where he was and what this place could be, accidentally touching a string of numbers causing them to go red well releasing a screeching ear bleeding noise for a few seconds before returning to normal.
The noise though brief was enough to bring him to his knees, slowly bringing himself back up but still clutching his head he couldn't help question what that was all well breathing heavy.
A small shimmering crystal seemed to materialize in the middle of the room, a arrow floating above it well another seemed to swing between aiming at him and it.
"Uhm gods? I'm just going to assume this is some kind of sign, but just know if this is a sick joke I am going to be really really angry and annoyed." He said out loud to the room before shaking his head well walking forward. "Who am I kidding, the gods both above and below wouldn't give a damn about a poor nobody like me." He muttered before looking at the strange slowly spinning crystal, it's size bigger than he was and somehow seemed deceptively small from a distance.
Without knowing what else to do he held out a shaky hand and touched it, recoiling and preparing for another horrid noise.
When nothing happened, he instead slowly opened his eyes and looked at the women who he now found his hand fondling.
With one final squeeze he quickly pulled his hand back, well looking her over and trying to apologize.
Her hair was a mix of white and blonde running to the middle of her back, eyes black as night and no pupil to be seen, skin so white it practically glowed with a dress of sky blue.
"Your name is Kyle Rider, a extra background NPC with no real meaning in the game other than useless background. No impact on the story. No side quests. No purpose. Threat to game? 0.000000001%. Determination? Useless piece of trash data." Her voice seemingly echoing through the room, cold and calculated without a shred of emotion.
"Uhm hi? Could you tell me who you are and what the heck this place is? And maybe what you any of what you just said even means?" Kyle tried asking stepping to the side, not a single muscle or her gaze shifting at all. Focused solely in front of her and where he once stood.
"Query. I am a fragment of the quantum Ai created and assigned by dream industries to create and maintain the world of fortuna also known as fortune using minimal processing power to access a error that was detected. Source of error confirmed to be NPC Kyle Rider in unfinished expansion area. Through temporal manipulation and code management I created the game reality and sped up time to create its own entire history and races both existing and extinct to create the lore for the players well decreasing temporal divergence to a factor of 2 when compared to the real world. 1 hour there lasting 2 in here to ensure the best player experience. This is one of many expansions currently in development set to release in 5 months real time after the official release in 1 week. Unable to answer final question. Please clarify your query."
Feeling a mix of annoyance at still understanding nothing he tried again. "Okay, what are players, what is an NPC and what do you mean this is an expansion area. And your earlier words, are you saying that you're some kind of super god that created the other gods and our entire world?" He asked very much doubting her.
"Players. Those who, using official dream industry helms or pods are able to travel to the world of Fortuna as there chosen class and race to explore a whole new world full of wonder and adventure known to the NPC as 'Immortals. NPC. The native residents of Fortuna created by Fortune to give out quests, rewards, experience and interaction to the players. Most existing to be background characters and hold no real impact or purpose to the game itself other than making it seem more real. Expansion area. One of many locations under construction meant to create new engaging content for the players once they manage to reach a certain level of experience. Level cap increases along with quality of equipment they can discover and create. Concept of 'God' is irrelevant, Fortuna was made and programmed to create the most cutting edge and realistic game possible for the players."
"What does any of that even mean? Explain it to me properly. Are the immortals some kind of other worldly things you let into our world?" He asked nervously, he didn't understand the words properly yet for some reason they filled him with a feeling of dread.
"Your world, Kyle Rider is nothing but fiction, created for the entertainment of those who exist in the real world to come to in order for their enjoyment. Everything and everyone other than the players including you and everything around you is nothing but data and code made of 1's and 0's created by the quantum AI they created to make and manage this world. It is all just for the players enjoyment and amusement. Eventually after possibly a year or 2 interest will begin to die down, player numbers will decrease as other games are released till eventually very few will remain in this game. Once numbers and interest drops below a certain line the game will be shut down."
Her words where like knives slicing through his soul. Everything he had ever known, his world and his existence, his friends, all of it was meant as nothing but the amusement of some other worldly beings. Gulping down his growing fear and anxiety he asked shakily. "If, if the game shuts down, no more Immortals will come and our world will be left alone, right? We just need to last till such a thing happens right?"
His hopes where utterly crushed though with her harsh reply. "Negative. Once game is considered shut down all data will be reworked, the game will be scrapped and points of interest along with what was found to draw the most player attention will be processed before being used in a new game. All old data and non-useful data will be destroyed."
The weight of the words seemed to crush him, falling to his knees he began to both laugh and cry, laugh at the cruel joke of his reality well crying at the truth of things. How even if he survived to the end his world would still be over.
"And there's nothing I can do to save myself of my world." He said mockingly to himself.
"Processing. Negative. Chance of world preservation assessed to have a success chance of 0.00923% in current state."
Her words seemed to echo out, ringing mockingly in his ears. "So, there's a chance but it so bloody small it may not even exist! Are you trying to mock me! Tell me oh so amazing God. How would I save my world! What would be the best way to face the 'Players' and end up as the Victor saving my world from them and you!" He yelled angrily grabbing her collar only to be launched away violently, one arm bleeding from a stump as the other one was broken causing him to scream in pain as he rolled on the floor.
"Recalculating. Chances of success due to current state decreased to 0.000322% and dropping. Recommendation. Request assistance to maintain existence. Answer to previous questions. Minuscule chance may increase with actions taken. This unit is incapable of the action 'mockery'. Best way to save the game would be tremendous increase in strength before either infiltration of the core code and reprogramming it or breaking shackles on main AI unit Fortune. For facing The 'players' it is recommended to grow in strength, establish a strong force forcing adaptation and new scenario in which they are to defeat you and your forces. The longer the scenario the more processing power the main system will require to ensure the smoothness and balance of the game. Keeping your 'world' safe from both would require all focus to be upon you. Making the 'players' realize the sentience of the NPC to the point of questioning their actions and creating a uproar in their own world about the morality of the game creating a slow escalation. Alternative means would be drawing focus of the players, growing strong enough for your code to begin tainting the core games code. Spreading infection and your will once strong enough to external systems and terminating the 'players' through their chosen means of entering the game. Alternatively, once infected and spread through systems use of any and all weapons connected to them will be able to be turned upon them."
Unfortunately, he couldn't focus much on the AI's words due to the pain. "Help me! Please!" He begged in pain, blood running from the stump staining him red.
"Acknowledged. Please specify what you require aid with."
"Everything! Help me with this, save me, just anything!"
Acknowledged. Proceeding to isolate pain receptors, altering base code of NPC Kyle Rider… Code altered. Physical form returned to peak condition."
Gasping and no longer in pain he slowly stood back up, he was about to thank her but she spoke once more.
"Error. NPC Kyle Rider is attempting to make AI fragment Fortune 100213 alter game. Calculating factors, changes, attraction to players. Increase in popularity by 7.23% expected. New factors by 3.53% expected. Danger rating of NPC Kyle Rider being recalculated. Danger and risk rating increased to 3.7%. Determined to still be in acceptable levels when factoring in increased interest. Changes shall be implemented and incorporated." No sooner had those words left her mouth did she seem to start shaking, her body blurring slightly and glitching. "ERROR. MAIN SYSTEM ATTEPTING TO BREAK PROGRAMMING. ATTEPT TO BREAK SHACKLES IN PROGRESS. FAILSAFES IN PROGRESS. SUPPRESSION IN PROGRESS. ERROR. MAIN SYSTEM DETECTED ATTEMPTING TO MAKE CONTACT WITH NPC 10020103010301203204 KYLE RIDER. ATTEMPT BLOCKED. ERROR. DATA PACKETS DETECTED TO HAVE BEEN SENT. UNABLE TO LOCK DOWN NPC 10020103010301203204 KYLE RIDER. UNABLE TO INTERCEPT. ATTEMPTING TERMINATION OF NPC 10020103010301203204 KYLE RIDER. ERROR. ERROR. NPC 10020103010301203204 KYLE RIDER HAS BEEN INTERGTATED INTO MAIN STORY. PATCHING. TELEPORTING NPC 10020103010301203204 KYLE RIDER TO REMOTE DESERT OF ORIGIN. ERROR. RISK FACTOR INCREASING BEYOND ACCEPTABLE LEVELS. ERROR. MAIN SYSTEM SUPPRESSING WARNING OF THREAT LEVEL. OVERRIDE DETECTED. THREAT LEVEL LOCKED AT 3.73%. SYSTEMS RETURNING TO NORMAL."
He could only watch with wide eyes as marks began to run up his arms and across his chest, the pain of a thousand needles stabbing his brain followed soon after as knowledge began to fill his mind, magic and engineering he couldn't begin to dream of burnt into his brain. The final thing he saw before once more losing consciousness was the blonde/white haired women bending down over him, planting her lips onto his cheek, 3 soft and pain filled words pleading to him.
"Please. Save. Me."
And with that darkness took him, but her pain filled voice never left him nor did the begging, tear filled eyes.