Ex-1 could feel the notifications building, and decided to add an icon to his interface in the bottom right corner of his view, always visible. He didn't want to go through the information at this point in time.

At least now there was a visual representation of his unread messages, a reminder lest he forget.

The mental manipulation is getting easier, it almost feels natural now. Let's add a button for the log of past messages too.

He might not trust this being, but he would not be cruel and dismiss the request out of hand for the off chance that it was being truthful.

Ex-1 knew what it felt like to have no choice other than following the rules set by a master. However, the core was probably aware of this by now, and might just be playing on his heartstrings.

He decided on a middle ground, ’I promise to read all that you have sent me, once I have sated my curiosity of this world; be it real or not.'

The desire to escape quickly grew into an incessant need. It even overshadowed his curiosity about the notifications from earlier, the ones he received before he bonded the core.

Maybe sensing that this would be the most reassurance it would get, it changed the topic, ’Do you wish to explore this city before you go? There aren't many places you will be able to visit - you are not strong enough... it would probably be safest to come back with help if you intend to clear the area of monsters.'

Ex-1 grunted an affirmative, then thought better of it and used words before his mind could drift to other matters. 'Unless you have weapons or armour for me, I think it best to just move on out.'

'Very well,' the floating ball responded, somewhat despondent. 'I am nearly out of power, I can move you to the teleportation pad, but you will need to activate it. I have taken the initiative to set the destination to the closest functioning gate in an inhabited city. I do not have any other information on the place, so be careful.'

Either it's still upset, or it's learnt from me and is communicating the 'no' to weapons silently by omission. We've spent enough time talking.

Ex-1 was amused to hear the core sigh, a far too human sound for a lump of sentient stone.

It offered one last piece of advice. ’You will need to move quickly and activate the teleportation pad as soon as you can. There are creatures in the area that will have you for a snack if you're too slow. Good luck.'

The young man got ready and waited with bated breath. The moment of truth.

His stomach lurched, and the next thing he knew, he was somewhere else. The change in lighting and temperature was rather jarring. The sun hung high in the sky, but it must have been sub zero temperatures.

A genuine smile spread across his face for the first time, a triumphant feeling warming his heart, leaving his head giddy. He barely resisted the temptation of closing his eyes and enjoying just standing there in the fresh air, with no objectives to fulfil.

Free.

Instead he stood with his senses spread out, ready to defend himself from any hostiles in the area.

He took a deep breath, before looking around. He found himself in the middle of the most beautiful ruins he'd ever seen. And he'd seen plenty of ruins. None of them matched this place though. Built into the side of a mountain was a mixture of crumbling stone buildings, greenery and wildlife. But what really took his breath away was the view out over the valley.

At this moment in time, he had to admit to himself that he wasn't on Earth. If the magical teleportation hadn't given it away, this would have. Earth had been devoid of most natural resources since before his birth. War, nuclear bombing, acid rain, and general mistreatment of the world made sure of that. It would seem that humanity had a tendency to be destructive.

To think I'd get more excited about some trees and animals than teleportation; enough to be distracted in what is clearly a dangerous environment.

He would have stood there longer, taking in this alien world, however the last warning he'd been given was still at the forefront of his mind.

He was already on the platform, the intricate stonework oddly similar to that of the core’s. The material matched the pedestal’s, whilst the engravings - though likely made of some sort of metal - carried a glow not dissimilar to that of the AI.

He deliberated upon how he was meant to activate it. Before he could take the thought further, he experienced a brief moment of pressure behind his eyes and sternum.

When the feeling receded, he realised that his instinctual command over the interface now also encompassed the management of the gate.

Maybe I should have taken the time to read all those notifications.

It is out of character for me to be this rash. A recurring theme, since waking in that room, it seems. Too late now. I need to move.

Just as he was about to feed Ether into one of the inscriptions, he had a premonition and stepped to the right.

Allowing his perception to guide him, he turned and faced the incoming threat.

He caught a whiff of a musky scent, as a beast, the size of his torso, narrowly missed his head. Sudden misgivings caused a rush of adrenaline and a spike in his heartbeat.

I’ve never fought anything non-human.

He barely had time to take in the creature’s short brown fur, fangs and claws before it adjusted its landing, changed course and jumped at him again.

The surprise attack having failed, the animal now screeched in apparent anger.

There was no time to worry about it alerting further predators.

The physiology of the creature was not human, though it shared some features - such as a vaguely humanoid body.

Ex-1 reacted by instinct. He evaded the next couple of attacks by weaving out of the way of teeth and claws. Without armour, every hit would directly impact his fighting ability.

It was deceptively quick.

The animal’s lack of coordination and intelligence worked in Ex-1’s favour though.

Single-minded lunges for his head made evasion feasible, but he knew the standoff had to end soon. Creatures were already being drawn towards his position.

Animalistic cries echoed throughout the ruins. The pattering sound of heavy feet was quickly approaching from behind crumbling walls from all sides.

Whilst he was confident in his ability to dispatch this beast, he did not like his chances against multiple opponents with unknown skills.

Determined to end it, Ex-1 moved in on the next lunge. Fighting was something he excelled at, after all.

Grabbing the creature out of the air by its neck, he pulled it in close. Using both hands and all his strength, he strained to get a grip on the slippery fur.

The beast started violently thrashing around. It was stronger than he had expected.

Perspiration ran into his eyes, blurring his vision.

Ex-1 felt a sharp pain erupt on his left arm, as the beast caught him with its razor-sharp claws. Grunting through the sensation, he fought back the instinct to let go.

Finally, the resistance gave way, and the spine snapped with a sickening crunch.

A brief tingling sensation throughout his body diverted his thoughts from his victory.

And a quick assessment of the area showed that he was out of time.

The sound of approaching beasts was getting louder, so he started feeding the required Ether into the gate.

Simultaneously, he made a subconscious evaluation of the wound. The cut was clear. More akin to being sliced with a knife than a dirty claw. Already his blood was clotting, the bleeding slowing to a trickle. Risk of infection was low, with the way it was starting to heal already.

It was no worse than a superficial scratch - it would hinder his movements for the next day, but not by much, his fighting strength should not be impacted.

Besides, he could power through the pain and ignore the injury if necessary, he’d experienced much worse.

Before his brain could further categorise the situation, the gate activated, taking him away with a blue flash.

Instinctively falling into a defensive stance, he took in his new surroundings without exposing himself more than necessary. In an ideal world, he would have run to the nearest defensible location, before taking better stock of the environment.

Alas, that wasn’t an option this time, as a score of men encircled the platform he was on.

They've drawn their weapons - bows and arrows?! In fact, there were other archaic weapons in the mix as well.

Dismissing the distracting thought, he focused on the important details for survival.

They are well trained. They haven't shot me yet, and all eyes are on me, without anyone looking around or waiting for instructions. Though they are clearly unnerved, they are also well disciplined.

Hate to think what that will mean for me.

The obvious tension and the men's confusion made EX-1 reconsider his position. With his hands opened and to the side, he dropped his stance. Just enough to appear non threatening, but not so far as to leave himself exposed.

And so it seems that my short lived freedom is at an end. It was worth it... To think I'd get to see trees, mountains and rivers. Even the sun is smiling down on me.

There would be no fighting this lot. Besides, they appeared more wary of him than aggressive. No doubt that would change once they realised who, or rather what, he was.

It had been a quiet morning in Farstead, the early spring sun thawing the ground. One could hear easy laughter and warm greetings in the market place and on the streets.

The guards were relatively relaxed, the cheerful weather a welcome change after weeks of icy winds and stormy skies. Altogether a pleasant day to be on duty, patrolling the walls and streets. Or in the lieutenant's case, keeping an eye on the portal. He had an easy view on it through the office window, giving him privacy to work, without neglecting his guard duties.

He sat, in a comfortable chair behind a solid oak desk, soaking in the sun shining through the glass panes. The double doors were open, letting in a breeze of crisp air.

The office could barely be considered more than a simple room really. Apart from the two pieces of furnishings it was bereft of any adornments, leaving it cold and empty.

The little building was located on the inside of the enclosure surrounding the teleportation platform. Why the creators had decided to place such dangerous weak points in the middle of cities was anyone’s guess.

Maybe they considered themselves the apex predators. Pride before the fall.

Or they knew how to close them off.

No one in the current day and age knew how to build more of these wonders. The ancient technology was far too advanced, the knowledge long lost, together with the people that built them.

As the gates were too convenient to have around, and as such would not be destroyed, they had to be guarded.

Once, during his grandfather's generation, the neighbouring empire had tried to invade using the portal system. The emperor had sent teams out to a number of city states with functional gates in an attempt to assassinate the kings and annex their domains. Farstead had been too close to the wastelands to be an attractive target. Even so, their king had taken further precautions.

Surprisingly enough, the takeover of other cities hadn't worked out that well. Even an emperor couldn't pay for the Ether needed to keep the gateways open indefinitely. Specialised strike teams only got so far before the defenders’ numbers won out. Either way, lessons were learnt on both sides of that war.

Thus he quickly snapped to attention when a cry went up from the guard at the gate's control panel. 'The pad is activating, sir! Origin unknown! I am not familiar with this combination. What are your orders, sir?’

Brows creased in concern, the lieutenant got up and started moving to the door.

Whilst they had lost the ability to control most of the functions these gates might once have had, they had at least managed to map out which gems lit up for the locations known to them.

An unknown combination either meant a new, active, portal had been found and connected in the wastelands, or someone from another empire was trying to invade.

The other men on duty had also reacted to the startled shout, and were in the process of getting ready for action. Even though it was rarely used, there was always at least one squad stationed around the portal. It paid to be careful.

It was a sign of trust to be stationed here, an honoured position only given to competent men. On top of that, there was always a high ranking officer in charge; even the captain of the guard occasionally took these shifts.

Before the lieutenant could verbally respond, there was the customary blue flash. He sighed a breath of relief upon realising that there was only a single figure standing on the platform, unarmed.

The tension quickly rose again, as the young man looked ready to pounce. He may have stood alone, yet he let off the air of a dangerous animal, cornered and accustomed to fighting. Not someone to approach lightly, if one valued their life.

The dead beast at his feet was a clear indication of the man’s prowess.

To think he should walk away from an attack by an Ether-warped monkey - killing it, without weapons, no less. True, it appeared to be a young creature, but it was still a feat worth noting.

The stranger looked and acted as if he were accustomed to excessive violence. If the way the man positioned his body and let his eyes travel didn't give it away, the scars on his skin would have.

No wonder my soldiers have drawn their weapons. Better ease the tension before something happens.

Striding closer to the portal, he spoke up, 'Stand down, men. No need for violence just yet, I shall handle this personally.'

The stranger's gaze landed on him. A brief look of confusion, followed by a flash of understanding in his eyes.

I hope he's not as mentally unstable as he looks.

Ex-1 glanced at the man who had spoken.

He was surprised to hear a language similar to that of the core, yet different. Probably has roots in the same ancient tongue, similar to how Latin influenced German, French and all those other western languages I was forced to learn.

However what intrigued him more than the origin of the language, was that he could understand what was being said. I recall my profile saying something about a language skill having been mastered. Interesting!

He looked over the man in charge. Tall, probably late forties, dark haired with strikingly blue eyes sparkling in a leathery, tanned face.

Despite the implied threat, he appears more curious than anything else. Calculating look in his eye, no anger though. None of the soldiers hesitated to follow his commands, and yet there seems to be no fear of him. Well respected for the right reasons then.

Now that the weapons were lowered, he took the time to study the area properly. He stood in the centre of an open square, on a beautiful platform - similar to his own teleportation gate.

Surrounding him were the guards and a low, stone wall. Behind these security measures was total chaos. An open marketplace, unless I’m mistaken. Maybe I should thank the guards, for clearing the space.

The noise and colours were rather overwhelming and unexpected. He understood the concept of what he was seeing. Yet nothing could have prepared him for the reality of an open medieval esque city.

He was still trying to make peace with himself over the fact that this was either a simulation, or he had somehow managed to actually appear in another realm. There was no way that this was the Earth he'd lived on his whole life. Not his timeline or any other. As I have absolutely no way to determine if it's real, I may as well enjoy it and hope for the best.

Further back were houses, predominantly built with stones, not particularly tightly packed. A few trees were dotted around, but they looked mostly dead. Actually, I think some trees lose their leaves in winter? Never seen a real tree before, if I discount my brief experience a few seconds ago, so I'll reserve judgment for now.

The man, who appeared to be in charge, was speaking again, so Ex-1 turned back to face him.

'Stranger, Identify yourself and state your intentions, then follow me to the office! I am the commanding officer in charge of this area. Currently you present a risk in security.'

The officer made a few discrete signals with his fingers and two soldiers joined him, hands on their weapons without drawing them. They were weary of him and making no attempt at hiding the mistrust.

Now I know what the core felt like. Ha!

The officer spared a brief glance for the wound on his arm, but did not comment on it.

In a fight against one or two, Ex-1 could probably win. But unarmed, and at such a disadvantage, prudence seemed to be the best course of action. Better to go quietly and submit to the questioning - for now.

Not seeing another way of peacefully ending the awkward standoff, Ex-1 gave a curt nod.

‘My title is Experiment One, I am here to visit the city,’ having answered the question, he smoothly stepped off the platform, towards the waiting officer.

He felt bare without his armour, so he took extra care not to make any sudden movements or give anyone cause to act with violence.