“Hi there! My name is Gianna.” Gianna chirps cheerfully as she boldly approaches the guard who serves as a sort of gatekeeper and works to keep out dangerous people. I scan the man and get a sense of his heart, allowing me to realize that his loyalty to the city is sincere. 

 

“Hello Gianna, why do you want to enter New Benning?” The man politely asks. Gianna’s eyes widen when she learns the place’s name. 

 

“I’m a UNCB citizen and I want to learn about New Benning!” She almost barks, but she has a sweet and excited voice so it’s quite endearing. I can sense the subtle improvements to her native charisma, which is probably quite high innately, brought on by The Game of Life. The perk is one of my secret weapons and it is minorly contagious so long as my allies are using it either for our mutual benefit or in the name of my goals and objectives. 

 

“Hmm… Where do you come from?” The guard asks, and this elicits an immediate reaction from Gianna. 

 

“The Almond Fields! I’m from the settlement of Mrovhah-Kozudia.” Gianna tells the guard, repeating things she’s learned about herself from our interactions. A few weeks ago I began to share my book with her, having used “Transmogrification” on the book I own to make it reflect different pieces of the cover story I told her several months ago. The book is filled with information on the different levels throughout this bizarre multiverse of horrors, and one of the levels it has information on is the level known as The Almond Fields. She talks about her family and explains that she got separated from them one day and then ended up in The Halls shortly before encountering me. I nod at the man who nods back at me.

 

“And now we’re trying to get me back home. I’m hoping that we can learn the way back home and also make some friends who’ll come with us at least part of the way.” She tells the guard who pauses and considers what she has revealed. Eventually, he turns and looks at me before asking me what my deal is. I grin at him, something he can sense even beneath the mask I’m wearing.

 

“I’m Luciano and I’m a wanderer who showed up in The Halls a few months back. I survived because I came across some notes created by wanderers who had set up a small camp not super far from where I first arrived. I met Gianna and saved her from a bad end and we decided to explore together. I don’t really have any long-term goals or anything…” I remark, lying at the end. 

 

I don’t tell people about my final objective. The Ruined City is the level at the very end of the normal, somewhat easily comprehensible levels and it, as far as this version of The Backrooms goes, is a brutal gauntlet of a level. People would think I’m crazy if I said I wanted to go there. They’d think I was even crazier if I said why I wanted to go there since I don’t have one of those “People believe you when you tell the truth” perks. For now, one of my biggest reasons to protect Gianna, in addition to it being the right thing to do, is the fact that she provides me with a fantastic cover story for why I’d choose to leave the relative safety of a city like this one. 

 

The guard considers my explanation and I watch as he feels the effects of the social perks I am armed with. The effect doesn’t hit him like a truck, partially since I’m not super interested in using them to get this guy to abandon his home, but I watch him contemplate the tale Gianna and I have told. That’s not to say that we’re lying, especially since Gianna isn’t lying, but more to articulate what’s going on from her perspective. The man is quiet for several moments before he nods at us.

 

“Alright, so I’m gonna let you in. My advice is for you to go and see The Hatch and then head over to a pub or something. Inside you’ll find plenty of people who want to venture deeper into Limspace. If you really can fight then there’ll be plenty of people who want to go with you.” The man advises, and Gianna happily nods at him while I also nod respectfully. 

 

“If you’re really from The Almond Fields you’re very far from home. The fact that you even know about that level suggests you are, though, but I’ve never seen anyone from there this ‘close’ to Baseline…” The guard tells us, and though I don’t say anything internally his remarks worry me. 

 

I’ve also never heard of someone going from Gianna’s birthplace to The Halls either, it wasn’t listed as being possible in canon or even in my book. For a while now I’ve wondered if it was a manifestation of the same stuff that makes it possible for entities from other continuities to slip into this place. There’s no actual reason for me to believe that the partygoer and facelings I encountered earlier in my travels were somehow the first entities from an alternate reality to slip into this universe. 

 

The guard in front of Gianna and I speaks, seemingly directing the sentence towards no one. He says “Let them in”, and then gestures for us to walk past him, which we do after Gianna thanks him for his time. We step past the guard and no one tries to stop us. 

 

We walk at a brisk pace as we step into the city, and I’m quite glad that I’m wearing a mask as it allows me to hide the goofy smile on my face. Ahead of us, we can see wide streets and countless people wandering the popular roads in the distance. 

 

I guard and guide Gianna as we step onto a sort of handmade sidewalk. The roughly hewn sidewalk feels a touch uncomfortable but at this point, I’ve built up a somewhat staggering amount of endurance seeing as I’ve walked for hours every day for well and truly hundreds of days in a row at this point. 

 

I tap the wolf-girl’s shoulder and point in the direction we’re heading, which is presumably the direction of the hatch that will lead us to The Sub-Basement. I am guiding Gianna in the direction of the Quest Marker’s glowing line, and we take several minutes and march past countless people and small, simple vehicles.

 

The city is a bizarre set of structures, large and impressive buildings made from concrete and other materials present on the level. I study and occasionally scan the various buildings around me, just in case I can get a perk that allows me to create generic versions of the stuff in my internal database from nothing but mental energy. Such an ability would be handy if I ever get to visit Minecraft. 

 

The skies above us gleam with the flicking lights of the structure known as The Cogwell Matrix, the bizarre maze of catwalks and pathways that are infested with monsters. Some of the buildings in the city are tall enough that their tops are not a world away from the lowest-hanging rows of catwalks and for a second I wonder if the roofs of those buildings are patrolled by guards... They’d have to be, for the buildings themselves to be habitable, right? 

 

Gianna and I continue our journey deeper into the city, walking past restaurants filled with people who scream the names of orders at customers and at the chefs. The distinctive scent of some gross mushrooms, presumably harvested from The Halls, fills the space around several of the buildings. 

 

Gianna and I get to walk for a decent bit of time before we reach the outside of a large circular building and I note how the Quest Marker trail leads into it. The inside is obscured somehow, but my companion and I are able to step inside the building with no real difficulties and when we step inside of it we find ourselves in an intimate chamber where a small hatch is covered by a strange manhole cover. We look at it and then at each other before nodding. 

 

“Okay so here’s the way out. Cool.” Gianna says as she approaches the manhole. I smirk at her and chuckle as she studies it. The wolf girl seems impatient, and to be fair I get it. This is the first time in a good long while that we’ve made progress that actually feels like progress and we both know that we need to take a minute and catch our breath before we dive into a whole new Limspace. I allow her to study the hatch, memorize every detail of it, and finally come to grips with the fact that for a short while, maybe a few days maybe a bit longer, we’re gonna be here. Eventually, I walk up to her and place a hand on her shoulder. 

 

“Come on, let’s head to a pub.” I tell her. She stiffens for a second before taking a deep breath, relaxing, and turning around to face me. We march out of the space and step past people who head into it. As we walk away from the building I hear the sound of the manhole cover being lifted and then the soft sounds of someone bravely beginning to walk down it. I silently offer them a word of luck as my companion and I head back into the city. 

 

Before long we find ourselves inside of a seedy pub somewhere in the city. The atmosphere is tense, and I can spot numerous people peering at us with leery looks. I study them in turn as Gianna and I step toward a large bar at the back of the establishment. When we reach the space a man smoking a cigarette, something I never thought I’d see in The Backrooms is idly cleaning a glass. I decide to take the lead this time. 

 

“Hello, my name is Luciano and my friend and I,” I gesture to Gianna who waves brightly. “Are looking to recruit a party to head deeper down. Mind if we… just let you know what’s up with the two of us?” I ask and the man grins. He kneels and grabs something from the other side of the bar before placing it on the barrier between us. I glance at it and am surprised to see that it’s an old-fashioned piece of paper, a contract. 

 

“I take it you’re new here?” The man asks, a glint in his eyes. I nod at him and he lets out a dark laugh.

 

“So there’s a way to do things in this city, my new friend. We don’t have anything resembling a standard economy, everyone here offers services in exchange for access to a basic suite of rights.” The barkeep tells me, his eyes glowing with sinister delight. 

 

“Those who work have access to a basic set of rights, such as the right to a meal, the right to water, and the right to a place to sleep. Others who come here have to trade to get such things and are usually not going to get lucky.” The slimy man tells me. Gianna looks at the man and glares in annoyance. 

 

“Alright, let me read the contract.” I remark, causing the man’s eyes to widen in surprise. He slides me the paper and I begin to scan it. 

 

I actually don’t mind the prospect of staying here a beat and catching my breath. This is a normal ass city, in The Backrooms, I have no clue whether or not I’ll find many more of these during my journey throughout this place, and very importantly, I have enough social perks between Social Butterfly from Chronicle and Generic Worldwalker’s whole deal that I can definitely deal with the ramifications of this when the time comes for Gianna and I to bounce. I also have other perks that can help here, especially Railroaded which is a Generic First Person Shooter perk that allows me to draw all the action and plot to me, which basically guarantees that when I want to leave I can force circumstances and stuff to bend so that I can get out of the contract and leave. And that’s assuming I don’t decide to use my social perks to slip out of here. 

 

Gianna looks at the contract, studying it intently, but her gaze eventually becomes unfocused as she gets bogged down in the thing’s legal jargon. The contract, to my surprise, is pretty boilerplate. If I sign it I will be promising that I will work for forty hours a week, doing various tasks throughout the pub, and in exchange I get a small bed to myself in a communal space and a meal and some water every day. The contract stipulates a term of a month but also says that it automatically renews unless either party, the bartender or myself, say otherwise in a period up to a week before the renewal would take effect. 

 

I sigh and sign the contract, aware that it’s not some nefarious thing meant to try and legally entrap somebody but is just a reasonable list of expectations and an outline of just compensation in this new society. Gianna gets annoyed and huffs at me when I sign the thing. 

 

The bartender is surprised by this and seems to be impressed by my initiative as he quickly reaches down to the underside of the bar and pulls out another piece of paper. I quietly wonder if this is the result of a specific perk, Charming Action Hero, a perk that allows me to show my best qualities to those I meet and make excellent first impressions. It seems to be, but regardless of whether or not it’s a perk or just me having an instinctual affinity for the bartender, he is quick to grab some more paper. 

 

“I like your decisiveness! Seeing as you’ve been bold, I’ll go ahead and be bold as well. Each day some tavern worker goes from place to place collecting a list of all of the people who want to go on adventures. Just write your name, where you work, what skills you have, and what level you want to try and get to, or if you don’t have a destination in mind write that down, and then I’ll show you the ropes of your new job. Starting tomorrow you’ll be working in the mornings and early afternoons.” The bartender, who then tells me that his name is Jonathan, explains. I do as he says, writing down my name and Gianna’s name, and explaining that we’re both seasoned travelers who know The Backrooms well as well as outlining our intended destination: The Almond Fields. 

 

The rest of the day passes in a blur. I get to training, a sort of brief orientation for what to expect in the days to come. I get told about how the city allocates several examples of Limspace minerals to each restaurant and business to use and to power assorted electronics and to do things like cooking and cleaning. I even get to try my hand at making a simple recipe using a small Backrooms mushroom. I don’t do well, my I Get Knocked Down perk activates almost immediately but the end result isn’t inedible so that’s good. Plus I know I can get the hang of it, between I Get Knocked Down and a new Generic Worldwalker perk named Accelerated Learning which amplifies how fast I learn stuff by a significant margin. It’ll just take some time. 

 

When the day comes to an end I get told about the nearest communal space: a place not far from the tavern where some of the city’s workers rest after and between shifts. Gianna and I quickly get going, minutes after leaving the two of us are in a large shared living space, and Gianna is sitting on the bed looking at me expectantly. We don’t have much space or any privacy, and I chuckle as I look at her. 

 

“No. Come on, the bed is yours.” I remark, and the wolf-girl glares at me with an annoyed look. 

 

“You’re the person working and you want to sleep on the floor? Nope.” She exclaims. Around us, various people are milling about, some of whom are eating a small meal. A few of them watch us enviously, some women jealous of Gianna, and some men jealous of me, some women jealous of me, and some men jealous of Gianna, while others chuckle as they watch us, under the mistaken impression that we’re in a relationship. It’s a sensible view to have, all things considered… Two attractive young people in a space like this, bickering like this, especially in a world as messed up as this one. 

 

We bicker, playfully, for a short while before I talk Gianna into accepting the bed for tonight. I get comfortable, to the best of my abilities at least, on the cool stone floor and shut my eyes. In seconds I hear Gianna pass out, and I don’t blame her. We’ve gotten used to a certain routine and this disruption to that routine is exhausting in its own right. I watch her for a short while before I feel myself drifting off to sleep as a strange notification appears in my mind’s eye. I don’t get a chance to read it as my eyes shut and exhaustion overtakes me.

 

I feel… strange as I come to. I instinctively realize that something is off when I see normal electric lights over me and a bizarre white ceiling of some sort. A fan whirs overhead and I feel oddly weak as I begin to get up. 

 

I lift myself, enough to sit up straight at least, and realize that I’m on the floor of some positively out-of-place convenience store. The shelves are all empty, and not far from me is a strange cashier or employee of some sort who is frantically studying something in front of her, but her back is turned to me. 

 

She is a short woman with black hair in pigtails, and I watch her as I get up. As I do something I do must alert her to my presence because she quickly turns around and smiles at me. Her eyes are obsidian orbs, and I quickly look away from them, thoroughly unnerved.

 

“Hi, Luciano! I’m glad you’re finally awake.” She tells me cheerily. She beckons me to walk towards her, and, seeing little other choice I do as she motions for me to do. All the while I study the store, and I note that the windows and the doors leading outside are all covered in mist. I look inward and find that the only perks I can feel within me are my Body Mod perks, and I dislike that. When I reach her she smiles at me.

 

“I have some stuff I want to tell you, but out of curiosity can you speculate as to where you are right now?” She asks quizzically. I look at the place and glance back at her. There is a strange familiarity to this place that resonates within me for reasons I can’t articulate but I also can’t quite figure it out. After a while, I begin to comment on my surroundings. 

 

“So this is a store of some sort but it’s bizarrely empty. There seems to be no way out, or at least no clear way out, suggesting it is something akin to a personal pocket dimension. You have a human-like appearance but your eyes…” I remark, as I suddenly realize what this might be. My eyes widen as I look at the stranger in front of me.

 

“Is this some sort of Essence Shop?” I ask, and this causes the woman to squeal in delight and grin mischievously at me. 

 

Essence Shops are a slight variation on the setup of the Essence Meta CYOA, a real-world, collaborative Choose Your Own Adventure I was fond of before I embarked on my chain. They are a spin on the basic narrative setup that enables someone, in-universe, to get their hands on Essences similar to the Essence of the Assassin which is my base Essential Body Mod essence. In an Essence Shop someone can find an essence and buy it and them embark on the adventures the person actually doing the choose your own adventure in real-life has planned for their characters. 

 

“Kind of! I’m impressed you got that. Was it the empty shelves?” She asks, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. I chuckle awkwardly at her attempt at a joke, still powerfully confused as to what is going on. She notices this and sighs, but I can hear the humor in her exhalation. A bit later she looks at me with a mildly more serious look in her eyes. 

 

“So I am in a bit of a bind. I’m something a touch above your pay grade, as you are little more than a slightly anomalous jumper but I made a slight mistake and I need your help to fix it.” She tells me, cryptically. 

 

“I’m more than willing to compensate you for your time and troubles,” She says, as a small bottle suddenly appears on the countertop that separates her from any customers she may someday, sometimes, have. “But you see I am the reason why some things from the self-contained Backrooms multiverse encompassing the collective realities described in Backroom continuities are… glitching. There is a way to fix it, but I can’t do it.” She tells me, frowning. 

 

“At the moment you and your benefactors are the sole figures who understand what is occurring, to the limited extent that anyone does. Your benefactors would struggle to intervene directly, and if I do then I make things worse. My very nature is corrosive to this kind of fractured reality, and your benefactors interfering would be… weird. You, on the other hand, have developed a very slight resistance to the sort of energies you’ll be exposed to if I have you act on my behalf.” She states, cryptically. 

 

“In exchange, I wish to give you three boons. The first boon is one I will offer you regardless of your choice, the Essence of Afarkaup Avarkostir,” She says and I feel my heart skip a beat when she says this. 

 

What she has just offered me is something I created. A real-world version of an invention of my own design, an essence I made which gave those who selected it as part of the Essence Meta CYOA the effects of a popular, well-known perk from a specific jump document. The perk is an incredible game-changer for almost any jumper in the way that it modifies our ability to train and even just exist, tripling any positive outcome from our actions while deeply mitigating the negative consequences of our actions. I desire it, very deeply, and I feel my heart pound as I look at it.

 

“I will give you the effects of the cause of all of this trouble and chaos, the Essence of the Commanding General, and I will teleport you to the Almond Fields. In exchange I need you to go and collect, and drink, three potions scattered throughout here, throughout The Sub-Basement, and The Electrical Station. Each potion contains a fragment of The Essence of the Commanding General, which itself confers upon its imbiber the powers of two combat and conflict-based jump documents. I was in the process of preparing to Inspire someone with it when I lost it and it blinked through realities until it crashed here, sending local multiversal energies through this continuity.” The creature states. 

 

I pause and consider the offer on the table. I eventually look at her and ask a question. 

 

“If I take you up on your offer will this fix the damages caused by the essence ripping through reality?” I ask, and this causes her to beam at me and nod excitedly. 

 

“Yes! If you can get rid of the potion, or rather the potions, then yes the barriers between realities will have a chance to heal. You are a multiversal being so your body can naturally weather multiversal energies but this reality is not so shielded so the energies are corroding and breaking down the natural walls that keep each reality in this multiverse apart.” She states, and this makes me nod. I put my hand on the bottle she put between the two of us. 

 

“I’ll do it. Partygoers being able to wander around here sounds like it might just be the start of the dangers to this reality if I don’t act.” I state, pragmatically. The entity, something I’ve dubbed an Essence Entity in some of my pre-jumpchain stories, grins brightly at me. I sense my hand suddenly phase through the bottle and I touch the liquid within, which causes me to gasp as I feel it suddenly seep into my skin. The power of Afarkaup Avakostir suddenly infuses me and I feel its power coursing into my cells and suffusing them with powerful creative energy. The entity smiles at me darkly. 

 

“Excellent! The first of the potions you need to down is one of the objects located in the middle of the level, in the supposed treasure trove some people believe exists there.” The entity tells me, even as I see my surroundings begin to blur. 

 

“Okay… You’re waking up. You’ll remember this dream. Thank you. And good luck. If you complete your task I’ll keep my end of the bargain.” She tells me with a cheery look. I grin back as I watch my surroundings fade into nothingness and then suddenly wake up in the room I was just in. The notification appears again, and warns me of a “Strange, outside reality being” drawing near. I check my internal stores of energy and my perks and I notice a new one: Afarkaup Avakostir in my possession. I glance at my internal inventory and am delighted to see that a part of the essence and perk are working already: I now have three of every item I had before I fell asleep. 

 

The perk and the essence are real… How remarkable. 

 

In the distance, I hear someone approaching Gianna and I and waking people up so we can get ready for work. I mentally check in on my clones and I am unsurprised to see all of them diligently doing the tasks they were told to do. I grin as I get up and awaken my companion.