Journal Entry 7
People who write about climbing into air vents for any length of time. Don't forget about the gathered dust and cramped spaces.
Thank God this place has running water and plumbing that still works. I once believed having to go outside was a slightly embarrassing thought. But going inside a building is utterly mortifying. I thought I had to find hidden nooks. Plumbing is a luxury!
Oh! Guess what I found today! The communications hub! And you would not belive who I just spoken with!
TT
It's been quite a productive week so far. The avatars left me a messenger bag, a pair of metallic gloves, a knife, a tablet, and a key. Most importantly, a change of sturdy clothing. Orange clothing. It looks like what one would wear in prison. Nectar was instantly tucked away into the bottom of the bag
How have I been living? Let's see. My cold is pretty much gone. There is around 50 floors to this place. Each floor is huge! It feels like you could fit a college worth of buildings on each level. Every five floors, there is a good sized garden. And each one has different crops.
My tablet had the English script along the Precursorian one. So I'm able to use it to translate wording along the way. It can also scan food and tells me what is safe for me. There's a surprising amount of Earthen food here. I never had to worry about food being dangerous for my health before. Now, I have 10 things not from Earth that I can't have if I want to keep my throat from swelling shut.
Remember the hot coils Jak has to avoid in the Lost Precursor City of the first game? Got those here too. I found a decent sized metal pole and managed to melt on a sharp bit to one end, gaining myself a spear.
I found the old kitchens in between the crop floors. Despite the old age, the stuff left behind were still in pretty good shape. Thanks to the tablet instructing me on how, I was able to power up some stoves using some powercells I dug out from some closet. Using those, I'm able to boil water and carry at least two bottles at all times. I boil moss to use as toilet paper and to use for my monthly cycle for when it hits. My bag always carries at least two days worth of food. Meager food. I don't know how to be a farmer or planter in here. No matter the abundance, I will never take more than my share.
And lastly, the key can open and lock any door.
That's how I've been living. How have I been surviving? It's chilly and damp in here all over the Temple. I've been sleeping on the metal floor, using my pajamas as a pillow. I stubbed my toes so many times now. I have gotten caffeine withdrawal and gotten sick multiple times for the past few days. It is finally going away.
I am too scared to stay out in the open for long. There is always something stalking the hallways or open rooms, either metalheads or creepy bots that are covered in rust and bearing weapons or oversized needles. I have been sleeping in the crawlspace as of late. Thankfully there isn't any small metalhead variety around here. I think the crawlspace is pest free due to pipes of white liquid running through like veins. Light eco perhaps?
Also, a good portion of the rooms are booby trapped. Spike floors, water, electrified water, shooting needle walls, floating eyeballs that flash so bright that I go temporarily blind and giant needles that inject eco. Worse of all, spiders. Crypt spiders. The biggest spiders Earth has to offer live in the hot, muggy Amazon. Big as dinner plates. The ones I see the most are that size. And they are hatchlings. Nasty. I don't want to see the parents. Wait, since there are freshly hatched spider egg sacks, there are adults that are actively breeding. Forget seeing the adults. I don't want to see a pair breeding. Ever! Wait, can the hatchlings go in the crawlspace? Eww, need to figure a way to keep them away from me.
Whenever I get injected with eco, I cut the spot open and squeeze it out before burning it shut. I may have done stupid stuff as a teen, but never have I done physical harm like this. Earth never had eco. I don't know what it could do to me if I left it inside me. There is plenty of aloe vera, so I have something for the burns.
'The tablet says there's precisely 300 objects that needs to be placed in a specific location. And 300 easy repairs, each needing to be done after I put an object where it belongs. Let's see. It's early March. If I do at least one each every day, I should finish by the time I turn 28.'
I keep looking up every few seconds whenever I have the tablet out. Only way to keep an eye out for any moving dangers. Seeing another moving dark mass in the distance, I turned into a different hallway. All clear.
'Tablet also says there's about . . . 3000 metalheads!? The fuck?! How have I not run into a swarm yet? Guess Lady Luck has been watching out for me on that bit. Let's see, if I kill on average 10 a day, I can finish alongside the other tasks GAH!'
Been looking down too long, nearly got swiped. Correction, I did get swiped.
Ignoring the stinging on my legs, I turned with my spear and by sheer luck, managed to ram it into the eye. The lizard gave a guttural sound and I pushed with my body. The tip went further in with a loud squelch. The lizard is no more.
'Kill Count: 1'
Okay. I can do this. They are not sentient beings. They are an invasive species. I will have to kill a certain amount every day to make this WAK!
Bashing my foot made me jerk to the side, saving me from the shot of a spyder gunner. Seeing a door with a familiar symbol, I shut my eyes tight, grabbed the handle and yanked. The spyder roared as the blinding trap went off. Thankfully I already saw the nearest vents, so I wasn't truly running blind. Going to have to rig something up, can't depend on just a spear or switchblade.
Quickly making my way to the air vents, I made my up. I am so close to the top floor. The tablet says there are a few objects that need moving around up there alongside the repairs. I'll just start from the top and work my way down.
Down. To where the smell of rotten meat is the strongest. I'm going to have to eliminate the metalheads.
Pausing by an open vent, I waited. Smelled the air, listened, felt for vibrations. Everything seems okay.
It's like what you would expect from a Sci-fi communications room. Consoles, panels, different leveled platforms. Hmm, no chairs or blinking lights. Light, sun. Oh dear sweet sunlight. I miss you so much.
Pulling the tablet out again, "Gonna call you Tabby," I followed the instructions. An odd cube and sphere placed in two different areas were simply swapped and I had to plug a few wires together. Tabby is suppose to go an outlet specifically meant for itself.
Just as I put Tabby in, a force slammed me into the control panel, mashing a bunch of buttons. It was one of the more annoying ones, with a shield. Oooh, could I get myself a shield?
"Who is this! Where did you get this frequency?"
"This is the Lost Temple. Can I take a message?" A week of staying silent and the first thing to come out is sass. Just as I was wondering why this one was taking so long to fire, I heard the weapon fire. Dropping to the floor, the plasma bolts barely missed the screen that showed a person.
Now, my eyesight isn't perfect, but I can still pick up certain details. Male, balding with white dreadlocks, orange spikes resembling a crown. With very long, pointy ears. And he didn't look too happy being on call.
"So sorry. This thing just threw me into the console. Didn't think this would work at all, much less a video CALLOOPH!"
I pretty much yelled at the last bit when I got body slammed in the gut. My character Jen, I put you through this and so much more. I am so sorry. Wait, no shield! My spear is just right . . . Got it! A good thrust had the throat impaled. I simply used my body weight to hold the spear in place while the metal head choked to death. "Can I get a name?"
Long Ears didn't respond for a moment, probably studying the background, trying to figure out where I was calling from.
"I go by Dune Wolf. Who are you?"
"Dune Wolf huh? Then call me Rift." I mean, I got dragged here through a rift in reality, right?
Dune didn't look amused. "Oh, don't gimmie that look. If you're going to use a nickname, then I might as well do the same."
"Rift." Sounds like he's testing my name and reaction. "Where are you calling from?"
"In a temple, under the sea." Oh, I think the beast is dead. The squelch from pulling the spear out is just nasty.
"I see. How did you get down there?"
"I went to bed in the safety of my home and woke up here. The ones responsible told me bring this place above water will be my basic training before falling back into hibernation."
Dune was rubbing thr bridge if his nose as I kept talking, could swear I heard something akin to 'bloody cursors'. Swearing out the gods. I wanted to do the same, but with the literal gods in the same building with me, I didn't dare mutter a word.
"Are you able to keep this line open?"
"What, you want me to call you everyday?" I have plenty of trouble keeping in contact with my own family. I hate using phones.
"You are an unexpected element. And this Temple could be of use. You will . . ."
"Fine. Not like I have anyone else to talk to. I'll call around this time tomorrow." And with that, I hung up. Might have been a bit rude, but I don't care. I just spoke to my top favorite character and fictional crush. Damas, the King of Spargus. And he wants me to call. Everyday. I hate phone calls. Calling immediate family was never a problem. New people however, eurgh.
Whatever, I'm going to poke around with the shielding unit now.