Vision filled with Cyan text.

The familiar style of a browser met her eyes, but with no logo nor any search option.

It was blank except for words showing up near the top of her vision-

Her fixed vision.

Trying to look around and failing Shadow realised she had no control of this… thing.

It must be some kind of golem-like the ones near the dungeon, Shadow theorised as she began examining the bright text glaring at her.

Waiting.

>WARNING: POWER SUPPLY AT EMERGENCY LEVELS

>SOURCE CRYSTALS, TYPE C REQUIRED

>USER CONNECTION REESTABLISHED

>SYNC USER OR POWER DOWN?

Reading the text a few times over, Shadow couldn’t help but facepalm at the absurdity of it.

“Perhaps… this isn’t real? Did Waynev die and now I’m trapped here?”

Looking at the text closely Shadow tried interacting with the console.

“Alien, strange. It feels like a gradient of change, but also-” As she was testing out the functions, Shadow felt something fall.

“Wait, is that seriously?” Feeling the appendage hit the ground she left the console alone.

Was it even needed in the first place?

She felt like she had her hand over a keyboard but didn’t know what each letter meant, pushing and pulling on each key Shadow saw a new line of text appear.

>ARM CANNON UNABLE TO FIRE AT SELF.

>WARNING POWER CRITICAL ARM CANNON POWERING DOWN.

“Arm cannon? Hmm, if that was the arm…” Clicking on the button again the same line of text came again, but this time Shadow tried controlling the surrounding keys and finally felt something.

“Metal. Fingertips are touching metal… Hmm, my brain has to process it one at a time, let’s try the arm next…”Shadow began slowly experimenting with her new body.

Slowly moving her arm she realised why it fell.

“Before I facepalmed… I imagined myself doing it and the body acted, I’m overthinking this aren’t I.” Stopping her monologue she cleared her mind, not before reminding herself to hurry up.

Closing her eyes to even the console, Shadow imagined the experience of opening her eyes.

Remembering the first time she had the pleasure of having a body, Shadow channelled the feelings and actions she took.

The beautiful black sky with stars glowing and the solemn sounds of a sleeping forest.

Then, she opened the body’s eyes-

And the world was cracked.

Splintering her vision of the red tinted forest were cracks within her eyes, bringing her hands up she realised that the ‘hands’ weren’t hands at all.

Not like the golem’s hands she had seen, which were more of a clay looking substance.

These were… mechanical.

Almost skeletal looking hands, with wires and metal bonding and moving each part.

She brought it to her eyes, the hands rested on both her eyes and slowly moved on them.

A slight creaking noise was made but Shadow could feel nothing.

“The skeleton race… this must be one of them.” Examining her body she first noticed each of her hands had a circular indent.

“Arm cannons… but with ‘emergency power’ I doubt I can use them.” Shadow let her hands fall limp as she examined her legs, they didn’t hand an indent but seemed to be badly scratched.

“Walking but definitely no running,” Letting them extend infront of her Shadow got to her knees before standing at full height.

“Shorter than Waynev but this size will do fine, now to find Blake and get back into the city.” Turning her body slowly, the parts whizzed as Shadow began taking slow steps forward.

Trying to ignore what would come after finding Blake, the explaining, the sneaking back into Aestern and trying to find her group before… Wait, was it her group?

Maybe finding the assassins would be be-

Taking a short step forward Shadow saw a red outline blur between the trees.

“Shit, concentrate.” Scolding herself Shadow tried to move her legs fast but instead the leg limped further.

Three outlines came out from the trees directly ahead.

Near the ground the translucent figures growled.

Normally grey or white the forms now looked devilish, trances of red danced through their bodies Shadow stared as her mind whirled.

‘Same as the Barghests fought in the dungeon-fight in packs, they use tactics to ambush-wait ambush-’ Her body whirled as it spun around but too sluggishly to avoid the attack.

She could see the leaping form too late as it tackled her to the ground.

Aggressively biting into her arm alarms began going off in her head-

Literally.

>WARNING ARM DURABILITY LOW.

>DEFENSIVE MEASURE RECOMMENDED.

>EMERGENCY POWER LOW.

>ACTIVATE ARM CANNON?

Feeling her body crunching as the Barghests began swarming her.

Claws but mostly jaws filled her visions as Shadow watched almost helpless.

Trying to resist her left arm was completely immobilised by two sets of teeth while her right was already previously mangled her punches had no effect.

“ACTIVATE-” Screaming at the console to activate the cannon her left arm lit up before the cannon blasted the dogs to obli-

Hearing a sapping noise the expected exploding was nowhere to be seen instead-

A loud snap resounded as the ambusher ripped her hand clean off, oil and fluids began rushing out as new sirens began resounding-

>ARM CANNON FAILED.

>ARM DURABILITY AT EMERGE-

>LEFT ARM DESTROYED.

>WARNING BODY WILL SHUT DOWN IN 200 BEATS.

>RIGHT ARM CANNON CHARGED.

>EMERGENCY POWER AT CRIT-

“SHOOT IT,” Dodging the dog’s lunge, Shadow finally shot the cannon.

Blasting through two of the Barghests their forms already began disipiating as the third one launched backwards, ripping the entire left arm off.

Her body was pulled forward put Shadow caught herself with her right arm.

Throwing the arm aside the monster growled as it tried circling her but Shadow was done.

Calling the command again and ignoring the fact that her hand was pointed at the ground she stood still as she waited for the Barghest to attack.

Running around her twice, it lunged at Shadow only to pull back at the last second.

Then launched around and attacked at the opposite angle, her bac-

“You’re done.”

Pushing her body with her right hand she put it under where the skeletons armpit would be and fired.

Seeing the laser barely hit the side of it’s body, by the time Shadow’s head moved to see the sight there was only dust.

But the warnings didn’t stop.

>WARNING EMERGENCY POWER CRITICAL.

>30 BEATS UNTIL MELTDOWN.

>WARNING LIQUIDS CRITICAL.

>15 BEATS UNTIL MELTDOWN.

>WARNI-

Quickly remembering the command to preserve her power Shadow shouted it before her body went limp, she didn’t have any hope but she wouldn’t die without a fight.

“Sleep.”