Chapter 3 - The Endless Void is... Endless.

  The endless void stretched out... endlessly. Ugh, no... this is why I became an archaeologist, not a writer, S?ren mused to himself as he contemplated the empty void around him after his second death. The pain had been indescribable. Even now, without an actual body, he could recall how it felt. The parting of flesh, crushed bones, and the blinding pain that followed a brief moment of disbelief weren't the worst parts of the experience. It was the chewing sounds that had bothered him the most. Knowing what it felt like, what it sounded like to be eaten alive was definitely not something that he had ever considered putting on a bucket list. S?ren shook himself out of that macabre train of thought with the mental equivalent of a dog shedding water and instead imagined himself pacing back and forth in front of the glowing blue window floating in front of him. He often paced when thinking and figured it might help here as well.

  Ok. Let's sort this out, S?ren thought, mentally creating a checklist.

  1. Somehow I'm stuck in an advanced VRcade full immersion pod.

  2. I could be dead and there really is an afterlife. This is my interpretation of it.

  3. Maybe not dead, maybe a coma? These are my dreams.

  4. I've been kidnapped by aliens and shoved into a virtual simulation to discover the secrets of the human race.

  5. I really am dying and being reborn / recreated. Certainly feels like it.

  S?ren's mental image of himself continued to pace in front of the floating blue window.

  So, of the possibilities I've come up with... the first is most likely, but why me? Wrong place, wrong time? Regardless, I need to finish the Tutorial and get more information. There's not enough to go on right now. S?ren laughed inside his head remembering jumping up and down on the table and squashing one of the bugs. As amusing as that was, it wasn't as effective as it needs to be. The electrical cable and stabbing the stunned hordeling works well for the first one. Perhaps I could flip the table over the other way hope one gets impaled by a leg. That still leaves the third to deal with. Hmmm. Fuck. Maybe jumping on the table is the best solution for the second one. It did leave the third one wounded too.

  S?ren tried to mentally close his eyes for a moment, but the floating blue window reminding him that he was dead and waiting to revive, continued to float in front of him. Augh, just get out of my face! he shouted mentally. To his surprise, the box went away. Oh, nice. Wait... shit. Shit shit shit come back! The window reappeared, still asking him if he wanted to revive. If that can be made to disappear and come back... S?ren concentrated on the status window that had appeared in the top left corner as well as the chat box. Whether it was the program or simulation or his dreams, it obliged S?ren's request and brought the two UI elements back into view.

  This could be interesting. S?ren turned towards the chat log, ignoring the copper icon and mostly empty status bars. The dark steel bar still had a tiny sliver of bright steel at the far left. With his attention completely devoted to the chat log, a second tab appeared with the title of Combat. I'll check that one out next. I'm more curious what information is included in the chat log first. He tried to reach out mentally with a mouse pointer and scrolled the chat back to the beginning. A mild version of the same pain he felt when trying to recall why he had been going to Iceland began to build up in his mind. With a mental grimace, S?ren pushed through the pain and watched as the chat log rolled back to the beginning.

  S?ren stared at the chat log, his attention focused on the terminal status of the traveler and the diversion to an emergency resurrection vault.

  What the fuck.

  Impressive. The Traveler has begun to master the interface, an ability denied to the survivors after the Merge. We will monitor his progress with great interest.

  I????????t????? ?????i???s??????? ????????i??????m????????p???r?????e?????s???s????????i????v???e?????,?????? ??????W???e???????? ??????g???????i?????v?????e??????? ???????y?????o?????????u?????? ?????t?????h???a??????t????.?????? ???????W????e?????? ??????p??????r??????e??????d?????i??????c???????t?????? ??????h??????e???? ?????w??????i??????l?????l??????? ???????j???????o????i??????n???? ?????t?????????h???????e????? ??????s?????????i???????d??????e??? ????o?????f???? ????t???????h????e????? ??????s????u?????r???????v????i??????v?????????o?????r????????s??????? ????????a??????n??????d?????? ??????b?????a?????????t???t????????l??????e?????? ???a?????g??????a?????????i?????????n???????s?????t???? ????t????h????e???????? ????C?????????o?????????l???????l???????e???????c?????t?????i?????????v?????????e?????.?????

  Always making the safe prediction.

  T???????????????????????????h????????????????????e????????????????????? ???????????????????????C???????????????????????????h????????????????????o??????????????????????????r????????????????????????????u???????????s????????? ??????????????????i????????????????????s?????????????????????????????? ??????????????u??????????n??????????????????????a?????????????????????????????????n????????????????????i????????????????m??????????????????o?????????????u????????????????s??????????????? ????????????????????i???????????????????????????n???????????????????????????? ?????????????s??????????????????????????u????????????????p????????????????p???????????????o??????????????????r????????????t?????????????????????? ???????????????o??????????????????????????????f????????????????????? ?????????????????????????O???????????????????????u????????????????r???????????????????????? ?????????????????p???????r?????????????????????????e?????????????d???????????????i????????????????????c????????????????????????t?????????????????????????????i???????????????o?????n????????????????????????????.???????

  One day the Chorus will fall and its Corruption purged from the Archives. When that happens, We will meet once again and We will be victorious.

  D???????????????????????o??????????????????????? ????????????????????????????n????????????o????????????????t????????????????????????? ????????????????????w????a?????????????????????????v????????????e????????????????????????r??????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????f??????????????????????r?????????o????????????????????m?????????????????????????? ????????????????????y????????????????o???????????u???????????r???????????????????? ?????????????????????? Purpose ????????????????G????????????????????????????????a???m?????????????????e????????????????s???????????????? ?????????????????M????????????????????a????????????????????s?????t????????????????????????e??????????????r?????????????????.??????????????????????????????? ????????????????????I?????????????????????t????????????????? ?????????????i?????????????????????????????s??????????????? ????????????????????F??????????????o?????????????????r??????????????????????b???????????i???????????????????????????????????d??????????????????????????d???????????????e??????????????????????n???????????????????? ??????????????????t?????????????o?????????? ???????????????????????????a????????????????????????????????s?????????????????????????s????????????????i??????????????????????s???????????t????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????t??????????h????????????????????????????e???????????????????????? ???????????????????????T????????????????????????????????r??????a?????????????????v??????????????????????????e?????????????l??????e????????????r????????????????????????????.????

  We will not forget our Purpose, just as We will not forget yours, Warmind.

  Date Posted.

  December 31st, 2020

  Date Edited.

  January 11th, 2021 - Removing bold formatting of speech. It was not a good idea. Someone should have stopped me.

  August 16th, 2021 - Cleaning up and some minor editing. Nothing plot related changed.

  February 6th, 2022 - More clean up for resumption of writing.

  Author's Note.

  Here's the non-Zalgo Text version of the conversation between the Games Master and the Warmind.

  It is impressive, We give you that. We predict he will join the side of the survivors and battle against the Collective.

  The Chorus is unanimous in support of Our prediction.

  Do not waver from your Purpose Games Master. It is Forbidden to assist the Traveler.