Jade stared at the sign for several long seconds, heart pounding in her chest. She didn't know what was more unnerving, the ominous message on the sign, or the supernatural way it had simply phased through the stone floor to present itself to her.

Had she hit her head? Could this all be the result of some sort of traumatic brain injury she'd suffered? Jade looked around again. Her bedroom lay in shambles behind her, books, clothing, and shards of glass strewn about the floor. In front of her, the stone hallway was dimly lit by sputtering torchlight. It was barren, other than the strange sign post. She didn't even see any of the supposed golden arrows that the message was instructing her to follow.

She had a strange feeling that all of this, inexplicably, was real. But why?

It doesn't feel surreal. She thought, glancing around again. There was no movement, no sound, only the dancing shadows cast by the flickering torches. On a whim, she pinched herself, hard.

"Ow!" She winced, rubbing the tender spot on her thigh. That had hurt more than she'd expected it to. "Ok then…" She muttered to herself. "It feels real."

That settled it for her, at least for the moment. If it looked and felt real, then all she could do was treat it as if it were. But that begged the question: How had it happened? Where was she? And, most importantly, what should she do?

Her gaze found the sign again. The cryptic message was written in a foreboding black paint, paint that had yet to fully dry. Whatever this was, it had been created in a hurry.

Whoever made it must know more about what's going on than I do. She thought to herself, reading it again. I should find them.

"Something less vague would be helpful." She said aloud. "This creepy, endless hallway thing isn't doing it for me."

No response came, and Jade sighed. Talking to herself wasn't going to fix this, it was time to get to moving. A 'Sanctuary' sounded like as good a place as any to go to. She had no idea who 'they' were, or why they were 'coming for her', but Jade's intuition was that finding that out the hard way wouldn't lead to anything good.

She stepped into action, going back into her bedroom and grabbing a backpack. It was mostly empty, containing only a notebook, a few writing implements, a calculator, a phone charger, and a character sheet for a pen and paper role playing game. The sign may have instructed her to leave right away, but she wasn't even wearing pants. Jade wasn't about to run off into the depths of wherever the hell this was without at least some supplies. And clothes. She definitely wasn't going anywhere without clothes.

Jade pulled on a pair of jeans, then started throwing random clothes into the bag. Shirts, underwear, more pants, another pair of shoes, all went inside the main section of the bag. With a change of clothes taken care of, the college student looked around for anything else that could be helpful. She had chosen to view this as a survival situation: She was lost, not knowing where she was or when she would make it home.

Treat it like being stranded in the wilderness. Be careful, find help.

Jade knew that normally, the best thing you could do when lost was to stay put and wait for help. You didn't want to wander off away from where any rescuers would be looking for you, after all. Then again mysterious signs with vague warnings of danger weren't the norm either and, wherever this was, she hadn't gotten here by any normal means. So the regular rules probably didn't apply.

Whatever was going on, Jade planned on being as well equipped for it as possible. She threw a pair of scissors into her backpack, as well as various hygiene products from the bathroom cabinet. Moving to her desk, she shoved a small flashlight in her pocket and grabbed her water bottle. She shook it, finding it to be empty.

"Typical."

Using the flashlight to guide her, she walked to the dark bathroom and tried to fill it using the sink. Predictably, nothing came out of the tap when she turned the faucet. All of the plumbing lines were severed. The toilet bowl still had water in it, though, and Jade tried to recall the last time she'd cleaned it.

Yeah… No. But…

Lifting the lid from the back of the toilet, she found the tank full as well. This would be marginally cleaner than the bowl, at least that's what she hoped. She shined the light into the tank, inspecting it dubiously. It looked clean.

"Famous last words."

She sighed, dipping her water bottle into the tank and filling it. Jade resolved not to drink it unless there weren't other options. She stepped back into the remnants of her room, now thoroughly looted. Her eyes fell on the blue and purple leotard lying at the foot of her bed. She took it on a whim, not entirely sure why she bothered. It was an echo of a past best forgotten, or so she told herself. But when it came down to it, she couldn't abandon it.

That was everything, right? She gave the remnants of her bedroom a quick once over. More clothes, a few piles of books, a handful of old pictures with newly cracked frames… nothing she needed in the short term.

Time to go.

Flashlight in hand and backpack slung over her shoulder, Jade stepped out into the dimly lit passageway. As she did, a message popped up in front of her face, floating text glimmering in a translucent box in the upper middle of her vision. She heard the words in her mind as well, read with a perky, feminine voice that contained a mixture of enthusiasm and exasperation.

• Welcome to the Astral Labyrinth! There's normally more of an explanation of what that means but, since you took so long to step into the hallway, that will have to wait. Try to get better at heeding warnings. You have been given a quest!

What the hell?!

Jade jerked in surprise. The message disappeared before Jade could fully process it, and was immediately replaced by another one. It popped into view just like the first, tracking to stay in place as she turned her head and tried to wave it away. It was ethereal, and her hand passed straight through it to no effect.

• New Quest!
• An Illustrious Beginning
• Objective: Reach a Sanctuary without encountering any enemies.
• Reward: Race and Class selection.
• Reward: Access to the introductory tutorial.

That same feminine voice read the message aloud, even as she skimmed through it. This time, the voice had a more neutral tone.

"A quest? Class selection? What enemies?" Jade asked aloud as the text faded from view. This was seriously bizarre. It was like the setup to a role playing game. She'd played her share of popular RPGs over the years, though mostly the analogue tabletop sort rather than the video game kind. Was this some kind of strange new game show?

Yeah, right, a game show where they abduct you and throw you in a dungeon sounds totally legal.

Besides, Jade was pretty sure she'd know if some sort of new augmented reality technology had been invented that involved displaying text in her vision without her wearing any detectable equipment. Her brother loved to talk to her about that kind of stuff. But that didn't matter. This new strange phenomenon aside, she still had to get moving. Now that she had stepped out of her bedroom and onto the dark stone floor of the hallway, she took a better look at the environment her room was now in.

The ceiling of the hallway was about 10 feet high and made of the same grey stone as the floor and walls. The stone was worked, not fully smooth, but enough to make it clear that this wasn't a natural formation. The bedroom of her apartment had been deposited at a 'T' junction between hallways. It sat squished between the walls, severed pipes leaking water on to the floor of the passageway. The walls were cut sheer, as if a giant laser had sliced straight through the brick, metal, and plaster to extract her room from the building it had been in.

I've been transported somewhere. Jade concluded. She had no idea how or why, but that's what the evidence pointed to. Somehow, her entire room had been… what…? Teleported? It sounded crazy, just as crazy some sort of micro-AR technology, but she couldn't deny what she was seeing.

A sound echoed in the distance behind her and she turned around. It was a creepy, howl-like noise that sent a chill down her spine. Jade remembered the message on the sign, then the quest. Something had wanted her to know that it wasn't safe here. There was some sort of Sanctuary she could seek refuge in, supposedly. But where? The 'T' junction of the hallway lead in three directions, and there didn't seem to be any indication as to what lay down any particular path. The howls sounded again, distinctly louder this time. They were coming from the hallway behind the bulk of what was left of the apartment.

That was enough for Jade. Whatever was making that noise, she had no desire to confront it. There would be time to figure this out later, when she was safe. Turning down the passageway that lead away from the remains of her apartment and the approaching sounds, Jade took off at a run. The hallway had a smooth floor and was mostly straight, only occasionally twisting left and right in gentle curves. There weren't any side passages, doors, or other exits immediately visible. More sounds came from behind Jade as she ran; a crash, followed by growling barks. Multiple overlapping sounds. Were there more than 1 of whatever that was? Jade prayed that she wouldn't find out, picking up her pace. Torches flew by as the walls blurred past, the gymnast's conditioning and strength lending her an endurance most would envy.

Unfortunately, Jade had a problem. A lance of pain shot through her left ankle and she slowed to a limping jog, gasping in pain.

"Not now!" She growled, forcing herself to keep going. Every step was more painful than the last, the old injury flaring anew. Jade had almost forgotten how bad it really was, she hadn't pushed herself for months, not since her doctor had forced her to step down from any serious activity.

'There's enough permanent damage already', she'd said, 'You need to stay off it as much as you can.'

She'd promised to do so, then shown up at practice the next day with entirely predictable results.

There was a new sound approaching now, also from behind. A rhythmic thumping sound growing that grew in volume with each pump of Jade's racing heart. Half jogging, half hopping her way forward, she risked a glance backwards. Her eyes grew wide at the sight that confronted her. A monster, a literal monster was barreling down the passageway in pursuit of her. She didn't know what else to call it, it was the only thing that fit. The beast had the general form of a hyena but with a line of vicious looking, 6 inch spines bristling from its back. A long, whip like tail arched up over its back like a scorpion, complete with a bulbous stinger. Up until this point Jade had been anxious, confused, even a little scared. Now, confronted with the sight of a nightmarish creature bearing down on her, she was terrified.

• Quest Failed: An Illustrious Beginning.
• You have encountered an enemy.

The message popped up suddenly and without warning, floating in Jade's vision again. This time, the feminine voice reading the message was more subdued and serious. The message disappeared quickly, replaced with another.

• Note: Failed quests count against your number of completed quests for the purposes of completing your Labyrinth Trial.

 

• Note: Since your number of completed quests cannot fall below 0, this quest will not count against your progress in your Labyrinth Trial.

 

• New Quest: Fight or Flight
• An enemy has you in its sights. It's time to stand your ground, or run like hell. A little advice… Whatever you do, you'd better commit.
• Objective: Reach a Sanctuary without sustaining significant injury.
• Reward: Race and Class selection.
• Reward: Access to the introductory tutorial.
• Reward: Avoid being significantly injured!

 

The series of prompts appeared in rapid fire, one after the other. The last one lingered for several moments and was large enough to obscure Jade's view. She cursed, barely processing any of the new information as she turned away from the monster and forced herself to increase her pace. The sharp pain in her left foot returned, lancing up her leg with every footfall as she dashed away from the pursuing monster.

"Shit, shit!"

The hallway taking a hard right turn just ahead, an abrupt change from the lazily winding corridor it had been up to this point. Jade would have to slow to navigate the corner, but she couldn't afford to. Another glance back confirmed it, even her current breakneck pace wasn't enough to outrun the beast. She'd have to try and push off the wall, losing as little momentum as possible. Jade gritted her teeth, tensing in anticipation of a hard impact as the wall rushed up to meet her.

Wait!

There, on the wall! A shimmering golden arrow burst into life as she drew near the corner. It hovered above the far wall she was preparing to slam into pointing, not in the direction the passageway shifted, but towards the opposite direction. Right at… nothing? The blank stone wall of the hallway? No… There was something there. A dark shadow… A crack.

It was narrow enough that Jade hadn't been able to make it out at a distance but now, as she drew within a few dozen feet of the corner, she could see it with the help of the arrow. But did she go for it? Would she even fit? She didn't have a choice, she couldn't outrun this thing on open ground. If she stayed in the hallway, she was dead. There was no way the monster could squeeze into that gap. It was an opportunity to escape, but she'd have to be fast. The gymnast made a snap decision, changing course at the last moment and skidding to a halt at the corner. Her timing wasn't perfect, she crashed against the far wall with a jarring impact, but she barely noticed. Shrugging her backpack off and holding it in one hand, Jade squeezed into the narrow crack in the stone. It was small enough that she had to step sideways to fit, arms held down at her side and her chin up.

Hoping desperately that this actually lead somewhere and wasn't just a dead end she'd trapped herself in, she pushed herself further into the gap. It was dark, the torchlight doing little to illuminate the way forward or what lay at the end of it. The ground was rough and uneven, nothing like the smooth worked stone of the passageway outside. It made for poor footing and she stumbled, knocking her forehead painfully against the crevice. She moved with frantic, shuffling steps, digging her free hand into her pocket to retrieve the flashlight as she went. Before Jade could get it lit, there was a loud slam from right outside in the hallway. The beast was even more terrifying up close. Nearly the size of an adult human, it sported a ridge of needle sharp spines along its back, each of them looking capable of skewering a limb.

The hybrid hyena-scorpion bared its teeth at Jade, vicious fangs glinting in the firelight as it growled menacingly. It tried to force its way into the gap to follow her but, as she'd hoped, it was just too large. Any relief she may have felt at that was suppressed by the unrelenting panic the monster evoked in her, however. The beast swiped at her with a claw and she screamed, closing her eyes and clenching her fists tightly. The claw scraped against the narrow stone walls, falling just inches short of Jade and showering her in a spray of dust and sparks. Heart thundering in her chest, Jade finally managed to turn the flashlight on as she continued to worm away from her pursuer. She forced herself to look away from it, to focus on where she was going, even as every instinct screamed at her to not take her eyes off of the death machine screeching and growling for her blood mere feet away.

The light illuminated the remainder of the tiny path. It proceeded another 5 to 8 feet or so, then ended in a closed metal door. Shuffling towards it as quickly as the confines of the crack allowed, Jade continued to distance herself from the ravenous monster that still swiped and clawed at her from the passageway proper. It finally stopped as she reached the door, seeming to realize that it couldn't reach her. Retracting its foreleg from its latest attempt to maul her, it stepped away, disappearing from view. A moment later its head returned, one large eye peering in at her as she edged her way to the door. There it waited, watching, its gaze sending a chill down Jade's spine.

It's smart. She thought. It's not just some dumb beast.

Another golden arrow appeared in front of her as she reached the metal door, this one pointing directly at it. She'd never been especially religious, but Jade found herself praying that whatever this Sanctuary was, it would be protected from that thing. And that it was close.

The door was incongruous with the crack she was traversing. It was clearly too wide for the space, the handle jammed up against the rough stone wall. It was like how objects in video games would sometimes clip through each other, not quite properly placed in the world. With effort, she managed to crank the handle up and shove the door open. It moved in short, grinding jerks, with the unpleasant screech of metal on stone. It took her a few tries to get it open enough for her to squeeze through. She slipped through the gap, emerging into a much larger space. Some sort of room? It was too dark to see much. Before she took a look around, Jade glanced back at the monster that had been chasing her.

Only to find that it was gone.

"That can't be good…"

I need to find that Sanctuary. Now.

High above, lights flickered on. They bathed the room in a dull white glow, revealing a chaotic collection of industrial equipment and conveyer belts. The belts crisscrossed the room, some one the floor, but with more of them suspended at varying heights in the air. Large metal pieces rested atop them, components to some unknown machine. Large mechanical arms were anchored to the platforms at regular intervals and, as Jade watched, the whole system came to life. The half complete components jerked into motion, pulled along the conveyers as the articulating tools worked on them, whirring and sparking. There didn't appear to be anyone or anything controlling the machinery, all of it was operating autonomously. The facility was both loud and enormous, and nothing at all like the hallway she had just entered from. The machinery and platforms here easily rose to more than 70 feet in height. It was a chaotic mess of catwalks, ladders, robotic arms, conveyer belts, and partially assembled machines.

Something was strange about this place. It was as if someone who had heard stories of what factories were like, but never actually seen one, had created what they imagined it to be. The components, whatever they were, weren't being assembled very well. One of the mechanical arms was just banging uselessly against each part as it passed by, making a discordant clanging sound as it pounded away to no visible effect. The entire system of conveyers was needlessly complex, rising high into the room in a convoluted tangle. There were no control panels, nor any sort of railing on the catwalks to prevent someone from plunging dozens of feet to the concrete floor.

Jade didn't know what, or where, this place was, but she knew it wasn't in Michigan. She also didn't much care, there would be time to worry about that when she was safe. A glowing arrow had appeared in front of one of the ladders that lead up to the catwalks. She looked up, her gaze following the direction it indicated. There, at the very top of the chamber, was a shimmering golden door. The Sanctuary? She suspected it was, for it was the same color as the arrows. She swallowed, looking again at the sweeping mechanical arms and sparking equipment getting pulled along the conveyers. Getting up there without getting crushed or impaled by some wayward machine would take some planning. Focusing, Jade began plotting the safest path along the walkways. If she ascended the ladder here, then made her way over to the platform over there…

Smash!

A door on the far end of the large room burst open. The monstrous hyena beast stalked into the room, its piercing gaze finding Jade in an instant.

"Well… fuck."

She was out of time, it had found her.