Post by Lone Dancer on Jan 29, 2022 0:38:25 GMT
There was a very noticeable silence after Warden started doing their thing; Ant found out. Even when with the clunk and whir of unknown machinery, it was the absence of another dragon that caused for this sense of silence. But what held the most disturbance, was Ant felt like there wasn’t quite an absence. There was something else. He just couldn’t see it.
A chill ran down his spine with spiky fingers, the feeling of being watched.
“Warden? Can you check if anyone is there?” There was a pause, which stretched. Either the Warden didn’t hear him, or decided to ignore his request. He didn’t know which option was worse. As he sat there, he waited for something to happen. For something to jump out at him. But nothing did.
Sitting in the kitchen of this cafeteria made Ant realize just how much of a crypt this place became. The skeletons out in the main dining area only reinforced that realization. He wondered how old the bones were. He didn’t have anything better to do, so he just wondered. And wondered. Five thousand years was a very long time; at least to him, it was. The wondering also distracted him partially from the feeling of being stared at.
He shook his head. It was likely his mind playing tricks upon him. The Facility was old and decrepit enough to fuel the imagination of horrors. And the monsters that called this place home.
Still, even now, he found himself shaking at the flash of a memory. Just how deeply has he been scarred? He slapped himself, to get out of it. It was best to leave some memories shoved into the deep dredges of his mind, to be forgotten.
The sound of his slap echoed across the cafeteria, disturbing the silence. However the skeletons, like all dead dragons, didn’t react. What were their lives like? Ant questioned himself; before they all died?
To keep himself distracted, he continued down this line of thought. Well, obviously, they worked or lived here. But they were doing what? Make the machinery? Or merely studied it. These past dragons were obviously advanced, more so than todays. The variations in skeletal structures among the cafeteria told of different tribes coexisting
His stomach growled at him, interrupting his line of thinking and scattering it. He thought he had already eaten a substantial meal, but it wasn’t enough to satiate him, apparently. As he turned around to head back into the kitchen, he paused.
Something wasn’t right. He got the overwhelming feeling that the kitchen wasn’t safe right now. Slowly, he backed away from the door, doing his best to remain quiet. He heard something crash and metal screech as it was torn apart. He decided to pick up his pace.
Tucking in his wings close, he huddled underneath a table. It was a tight fit, but he found it better than being out in the open. He muffled his breathing with his claws, hoping to whatever higher beings there may be that whatever was in that kitchen didn’t hear his earlier slap.
His heart was thundering in his chest. His pulse he could feel with his head. Still, he forced himself to take slow, silent breathes. The noises were getting closer to the cafeteria door, more intense, and in focus. Something large and angry was making its way through.
Ant could hear something burst the door down, and he closed his eyes and froze in place, underneath that table. Something hissed maliciously. He could feel each footstep as it thumped its way through the cafeteria.
Towards him.
He was dead, he was dead, he was dead, he was dea-; everything stopped. No noises, no movement. Still he kept in place, convinced that whatever it was just tricking him. Something crackled in his right ear. The Warden.
“Sorry for the wait, Ant. Due to some other systems not being online, I had to create workarounds. All is well now.
Ant didn’t dare speak.
“During my scans, I noticed a strange entity. It is in fact, in the room you’re in. The cafeteria. It, however, is harmless. It’s an illusion, which is the best way to describe it. It cannot harm you beyond the corners of your mind.”
Ant was stuck in a dilemma now. Did he trust the Warden, or was this a mere trick? He decided to take the plunge, and peek out from under the table. He felt like a young dragonet hiding from the dark. And if Warden is correct, he basically is being a grown dragon hiding from the dark.
Whispers crawled up his neck and ears, but he couldn’t actually see anything. He heard the screech of torn metal behind him, and he whipped around, tail accidentally slamming into one of the skeletons, turning it to chalky dust that coated his tail.
But despite the sounds, he could see nothing beyond a distorted area in the air. His eyes just wanted to roll off it, and look at something else, but he kept his gaze on it. His eyes felt increasingly strained, until the thing shrieked and dashed off. The headache Ant felt coming along disappeared as well.
He blinked. Everything, beyond the smashed skeleton of his own causing, appeared fine. There were no upturned tables, no broken doors, no long clawing scratch marks engraved into the floor. Nothing.
He couldn’t help but feel a burning sense of shame and embarrassment. He consoled himself with the fact he didn’t know. But the thoughts rang hollow. In the end, he was driven to the status of a terrified dragonet by some wobbly air.
It made him feel angry for whatever reason. He wanted to punch or claw something. Sure he’s seen some things here he’d rather forget forever, but he was a grown dragon, moons damn it! He took some seething breaths, trying to calm down.
“Let’s be rational about this. You won’t live if you can’t get a grip,” Ant whispered to himself. He pushed himself out of the table entirely, doing his best not to scrape his scales against the edges of the metal. He stalked off towards the kitchen before pausing, and then walking with a more subdued pace.
He was going to see if he could make something else to eat. The moons above knew more food would help with his soured mood. The Warden seemed to pick up on his intentions, and the familiar panel connected to a metal arm descended from the ceiling, displaying the same options as before.
This time, being full, he was able to make more of a choice now. He decided to go simple and got what appeared to be a large slab of cooked cow atop some white. The panel beeped, and the arm retracted back after telling Warden his choice.
While not quite mere moments this time, the second meal arrived with a similar ding. As he dug in, not caring about manners, he did feel moderately better. It seemed that the Warden was waiting for him since as soon as he finished, their face flashed onto one of the black panels.
The Warden’s neon green eyes stared through him as the Warden spoke.
“Well, now that you’re done with that meal, we need to move on to the next point. Power. I, and everything else, am running on reserves, and they are very, very low right now. If it goes out, I go poof. While I doubt you’ll be able to bring back full functionality, there is a basic backup generator that will do for our needs that should still be functional.”
Some words flew over his head, but he got the gist of it. The Warden began to give directions as he strode out of the cafeteria, feeling much more confident this time. He gave the place one final look back, almost saying goodbye to all the skeletons that kept him company during his hour stay.
But they were just skeletons, so he simply closed the door, and began on his given path, tracing his claws against the frigid walls. It was time to bring the power back.
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A chill ran down his spine with spiky fingers, the feeling of being watched.
“Warden? Can you check if anyone is there?” There was a pause, which stretched. Either the Warden didn’t hear him, or decided to ignore his request. He didn’t know which option was worse. As he sat there, he waited for something to happen. For something to jump out at him. But nothing did.
Sitting in the kitchen of this cafeteria made Ant realize just how much of a crypt this place became. The skeletons out in the main dining area only reinforced that realization. He wondered how old the bones were. He didn’t have anything better to do, so he just wondered. And wondered. Five thousand years was a very long time; at least to him, it was. The wondering also distracted him partially from the feeling of being stared at.
He shook his head. It was likely his mind playing tricks upon him. The Facility was old and decrepit enough to fuel the imagination of horrors. And the monsters that called this place home.
Still, even now, he found himself shaking at the flash of a memory. Just how deeply has he been scarred? He slapped himself, to get out of it. It was best to leave some memories shoved into the deep dredges of his mind, to be forgotten.
The sound of his slap echoed across the cafeteria, disturbing the silence. However the skeletons, like all dead dragons, didn’t react. What were their lives like? Ant questioned himself; before they all died?
To keep himself distracted, he continued down this line of thought. Well, obviously, they worked or lived here. But they were doing what? Make the machinery? Or merely studied it. These past dragons were obviously advanced, more so than todays. The variations in skeletal structures among the cafeteria told of different tribes coexisting
His stomach growled at him, interrupting his line of thinking and scattering it. He thought he had already eaten a substantial meal, but it wasn’t enough to satiate him, apparently. As he turned around to head back into the kitchen, he paused.
Something wasn’t right. He got the overwhelming feeling that the kitchen wasn’t safe right now. Slowly, he backed away from the door, doing his best to remain quiet. He heard something crash and metal screech as it was torn apart. He decided to pick up his pace.
Tucking in his wings close, he huddled underneath a table. It was a tight fit, but he found it better than being out in the open. He muffled his breathing with his claws, hoping to whatever higher beings there may be that whatever was in that kitchen didn’t hear his earlier slap.
His heart was thundering in his chest. His pulse he could feel with his head. Still, he forced himself to take slow, silent breathes. The noises were getting closer to the cafeteria door, more intense, and in focus. Something large and angry was making its way through.
Ant could hear something burst the door down, and he closed his eyes and froze in place, underneath that table. Something hissed maliciously. He could feel each footstep as it thumped its way through the cafeteria.
Towards him.
He was dead, he was dead, he was dead, he was dea-; everything stopped. No noises, no movement. Still he kept in place, convinced that whatever it was just tricking him. Something crackled in his right ear. The Warden.
“Sorry for the wait, Ant. Due to some other systems not being online, I had to create workarounds. All is well now.
Ant didn’t dare speak.
“During my scans, I noticed a strange entity. It is in fact, in the room you’re in. The cafeteria. It, however, is harmless. It’s an illusion, which is the best way to describe it. It cannot harm you beyond the corners of your mind.”
Ant was stuck in a dilemma now. Did he trust the Warden, or was this a mere trick? He decided to take the plunge, and peek out from under the table. He felt like a young dragonet hiding from the dark. And if Warden is correct, he basically is being a grown dragon hiding from the dark.
Whispers crawled up his neck and ears, but he couldn’t actually see anything. He heard the screech of torn metal behind him, and he whipped around, tail accidentally slamming into one of the skeletons, turning it to chalky dust that coated his tail.
But despite the sounds, he could see nothing beyond a distorted area in the air. His eyes just wanted to roll off it, and look at something else, but he kept his gaze on it. His eyes felt increasingly strained, until the thing shrieked and dashed off. The headache Ant felt coming along disappeared as well.
He blinked. Everything, beyond the smashed skeleton of his own causing, appeared fine. There were no upturned tables, no broken doors, no long clawing scratch marks engraved into the floor. Nothing.
He couldn’t help but feel a burning sense of shame and embarrassment. He consoled himself with the fact he didn’t know. But the thoughts rang hollow. In the end, he was driven to the status of a terrified dragonet by some wobbly air.
It made him feel angry for whatever reason. He wanted to punch or claw something. Sure he’s seen some things here he’d rather forget forever, but he was a grown dragon, moons damn it! He took some seething breaths, trying to calm down.
“Let’s be rational about this. You won’t live if you can’t get a grip,” Ant whispered to himself. He pushed himself out of the table entirely, doing his best not to scrape his scales against the edges of the metal. He stalked off towards the kitchen before pausing, and then walking with a more subdued pace.
He was going to see if he could make something else to eat. The moons above knew more food would help with his soured mood. The Warden seemed to pick up on his intentions, and the familiar panel connected to a metal arm descended from the ceiling, displaying the same options as before.
This time, being full, he was able to make more of a choice now. He decided to go simple and got what appeared to be a large slab of cooked cow atop some white. The panel beeped, and the arm retracted back after telling Warden his choice.
While not quite mere moments this time, the second meal arrived with a similar ding. As he dug in, not caring about manners, he did feel moderately better. It seemed that the Warden was waiting for him since as soon as he finished, their face flashed onto one of the black panels.
The Warden’s neon green eyes stared through him as the Warden spoke.
“Well, now that you’re done with that meal, we need to move on to the next point. Power. I, and everything else, am running on reserves, and they are very, very low right now. If it goes out, I go poof. While I doubt you’ll be able to bring back full functionality, there is a basic backup generator that will do for our needs that should still be functional.”
Some words flew over his head, but he got the gist of it. The Warden began to give directions as he strode out of the cafeteria, feeling much more confident this time. He gave the place one final look back, almost saying goodbye to all the skeletons that kept him company during his hour stay.
But they were just skeletons, so he simply closed the door, and began on his given path, tracing his claws against the frigid walls. It was time to bring the power back.
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