Earthwreck

Prologue

The steam hisses through the air as a piston driven fist slammed into my shoulder. The shockwave and pain that passed through my body snatched my breath away as my body flew backwards through the air. Using the momentum I flipped my body and landed, sliding backwards and using the friction between my boots and the floor to bleed off the extra momentum. My shoulder throbbed from the hit, a dull ache that went all the way to the bone, but I grimaced and shrugged my shoulder, the pain easing away. In reality, the hit should have dislocated my shoulder, but here, in this world, my body was an avatar, a digital creation of polygons and data created to look however I wanted it to look.

I stood and stared at the machine that stood in front of me, floating above its head was a name GD400 Behemoth. While not a boss, the machine was an elite class monster and had higher stats than most enemies in the area. But what I was really focused on was the figure lying on the floor not moving. The fact her avatar hadn't collapsed into polygons meant she was still alive, but unconscious. I could see her health bar floating next to her name and it was in the red. Mine floated to the top left of my vision, no matter where I looked and it was in the yellow. Just one hit and I was down to 60% health… or more appropriately I was 40% closer to dying. Normally that wouldn't bother me in a game like this. But this wasn't an ordinary game. Not anymore.

"Switch 3" I muttered to myself, feeling the weight of the rifle on my back vanish and a device assemble itself on my arm. Below my health bar appeared another bar, my energy levels for the device. I aimed my hand towards Behemoth and initiated a code word. There was a blinding flash of light and the machine staggered back, a giant crack running along its armour plating.

"Switch 2" I muttered again, switching my equipment into its second configuration and launched myself straight at Behemoth, which was still staggered from my last attack. Using my AGI (agility) stat I forced myself to move as fast as possible and swung the sword in my right hand forward, holding it straight like a lance. The momentum of my movement plunged the sword deep into Behemoth's chest piercing its power core and shutting it down. This gave me a brief respite from its attacks and maintaining my momentum, I flipped over the machine, pulling the sword free and gasped the unconscious avatar from the floor before fleeing the room. The damage to the power core would only keep Behemoth down for another sixty seconds before it initiated its back-up power core. I needed to get her out of the facility before it re-awoke.

"Just hold on, Alyssa," I whispered as I ran, "I'll get you out safely."

With that I pushed to the limits of my stats and ran. Not even I wanted to face Behemoth on its second core. That machine could become crazy scary and I didn't fancy dying. Not in the game; not after the proclamation he made.

But of course you don't understand what I'm talking about; not yet. I better start at the beginning.

Welcome to Earthwreck Player. Are you ready?