Like every story, there is a beginning. The path you choose, the road you walk and the pain you suffer.
Each leading to a culmination of the powers you sought, the people you needed and the final goal.
Oh how final it was.
My pod around me sounds out a loud crack, before air rushes in loudly. I stagger forward before my eyes can adjust. A moment later after a break in my concentration I find myself sitting up, wrapped up on a tarp. A female elf stands nearby reading a book leaning against the ruined walls of the pod room.
A brief glance around reveals that many of the pods are shattered and cracked, dried blood discolouring some of the floor tiles and a few scratches here and there amongst the cracks from blades and blunt weapons having been swung around inside. The woman glances at me as she closes her book with a snap, taking it off to hang over her shoulder. "Finally up?" She questions lightly. Apparently my biochip had managed to learn their language while I was asleep.
"Where, what happened? How long has it been?" I ask in confusion.
She raises an eyebrow, "Which calendar do you want to know from? I don't think ours matches yours."
With a sudden confusion I call up my status.
-----
Meidu Alou mure-zü Sune (Female)
Age: 24 years (10386)
Race: Genetic Paragon Elf
Current conditions: Malnutrition, Exhaustion Grade 3.
Physical operational capacity : 47.75%
Bionics power storage: 14.7% (-0.5%/day - light activity, -2%/d = heavy. Passive sun recharge = +0.1%/2h)
Baseline stat: 10
─ Physical Strength: 66% (16/24)
─ Constitution: 55% (10/18)
─ Stamina: 20% (4/20)
─ Dexterity: 50% (10/20)
─ Willpower: 69% (18/26)
─ Mental Resistance: 69% (16/23)
Warning/Reminder: Users organs have been made bionic. Users heart depends on power storage, seek immediate power source.
Recommendation: Seek medical assistance to quickly recover peak physical condition.
-----
10,000 years in cryo? I blink twice out of shock while reading through my status. A glance at the woman shows that she doesn't really notice much is wrong. I suppose it helps that I've never shown my emotions on my face much in the past.
"Tell me in the current calendar." I glance at her face checking for any sign of lying.
She starts tucking away her book into her bag. "Well for this country now the calendar is the 32nd year of the reign of the 12th circle of wisdom. Since you might not know much about the recent circles, they tend to be elected when over a third the circle has died through their tests system. Smartest rules in a group of about 30 who take advance from experts of fields and when there is about 20 left, they end up holding a new selection."
"I see." keeping the information in mind I search for something nearby to wear, the coldness of the metal floor leeching my heat from me even through the tarp I've been left sitting on.
I throw on the clothes left folded near me, seems like they might have had someone check my rough measurements while I was out so they fit pretty well. I'll probably figure out how to make a better outfit later with whatever materials I can find but they should do for now.
"Good," her voice grabs my attention. "We can head out to meet the rest if you want, I'm sure you have some stories being trapped in that weird container for however long.
Nodding as I stand up she leads me out of the facility. The walls look damaged and rusted, many more scratched and some caved in. I ask her to stop by one of the rooms and she humours me. I manage to break through some of the rock, noting her surprise when I pull heavy rocks from the cave in with no tools. After making a crawling hole I manage to get inside the room. Fortunately due to the cave in this room was less affected by the elements so my item safe seems to be in pretty good condition, albeit rusted shut. Borrowing a knife to pry it open I manage to get in for some of my emergency gear.
My weapon of choice is an Aruval billhook, a machete with a sharp curve at the top pointing forward making it seem like an axe allowing for heavy slashing attacks while using the curved tip to tear at or into things. It is finely detailed and engraved with scriptures and a few magical enhancements to its durability, sharpness and a type of self repairing for some minor damage. Picking it up with the belt in my box and the ring I had in my box I drag myself back through the hole.
The woman looks surprised as I show her the blade, "That's a unique weapon. You must be rather wealthy."
"It's a gift from my church, the symbol of our goddess Sune. I was given it when I became the champion knight." I reply distantly.
She nods before walking on, the silence leaving me in my thoughts for a moment. The warning alarms for an attack while I was about to have some of my bionics updated. I was rushed in on the automated program while people ran to defend, hoping to buy me enough time but from looking around the years show on the surroundings, I lost friends in that attack and I wasn't even able to defend my people against the darkness.
"What does Sune represent?" She asks suddenly, turning to look at me.
"A goddess of hope. Our hope. She is our goddess of Youth, Desire, Hearth and Agriculture. She protected the weak and strove to advance our people. Many children loved her and as we were a more agrarian empire she was revered for assisting farmers directly. Our order always focused on defending the borders to protect the common folk. There were other gods in our pantheon but Sune was with our people for decades, teaching and assisting those she could. I'm proud to be her champion and carry on her will. I shall have to celebrate my friends and families lives and passing but they are with Sune and other gods now." I reply with a tinge of sadness in my voice.
"Your religion is very different to ours." Her words draw me out of my thoughts, "But if your gods help you live long lives then they must be gods worthy of worship. Not many gods walk among the people now." She replies.
"True enough. That's why we need to hurry, they're going to come back and try again if they know we survived." My words draw the woman into motion once again, leading us outside to the main courtyard of the compound where 9 people turn to face me.
"Now I suppose introductions are in order. First, I'm Neladrie I'm a wood elf as you have seen. The group figured as the only female elf I should keep an eye on you."
"Thank you." I say, feeling a little awkward.
"Going around in a circle you have Luvon who is a high elf and Turi who is his better half, she is a hill dwarf. Then you have the Drake twins, Fira and Hadrian, Fira is a bit more reserved than her brother." she continues gesturing at the circle making a point of the drake twins, both human in appearance.
"After that you have Gorvenal who is a half-orc, Bori the mountain dwarf and our main cleric healer, Carac our frontline fighter, despite being human he can take quite a lot of punishment when needed. The final two are Frederick who is also a human as you can see and Donald who is a half-elf."
I nod, barely able to take in all the different names while silently thanking my biochip for cataloguing each person.
"So, who is the leader? Why did you bring me out here and introduce yourselves?" I ask curiously.
"Hadrian." Neladrie says pointing at him, "He's been appointed the leader after we lost many of our members over the years. I'm sure he'd be happy to explain more once we've made some food, do you eat meat or just plants?" she looks at me from the corner of her eye, looking somewhat curiously for my reply.
I nod firmly, "Both, both is good."
