Zaria paced in front of the sign, her boots scraping against the uneven metallic ground as she muttered to herself. Her brow furrowed, frustration bubbling just beneath the surface. “Okay… raw egg… falling… concrete…” Her hands gestured wildly as if the movement might pull the answer from the air. “What the hell is this even supposed to mean?”
She crouched, picking up a small shard of debris and tossing it absently, her thoughts circling the riddle like a predator stalking prey. Her mind felt like it was running in quicksand—every leap forward dragged her deeper into confusion.
“Eggs crack,” she muttered, holding her hands out as if weighing invisible scales. “That’s what they do. And concrete… I mean, it doesn’t crack because it’s freaking concrete…” Her voice trailed off as the pieces in her mind wobbled uncertainly, trying to fit together.
Her pacing slowed, her gaze drifting to the jagged horizon, where faint streaks of light illuminated the skeletal trees. The absurdity of the riddle gnawed at her. “Why would the concrete crack? That’s… stupid,” she said, half-laughing at the thought.
Then she froze mid-step. Her hand flew to her mouth as her eyes widened. Wait.
Her brain replayed the words of the riddle, each syllable falling into place like a long-lost puzzle piece. The egg wasn’t the focus—the concrete was.
She turned back to the sign, her heart pounding. “The concrete…” she whispered, her voice trembling with the thrill of discovery. The answer hit her like a shockwave, her confusion giving way to clarity so sharp it nearly made her laugh. “The concrete doesn’t crack!” she shouted, the words tumbling out before she could stop herself.
She straightened, a grin breaking across her face as her pulse quickened. “That’s it,” she murmured, almost giddy now. Her fingers hovered near the glowing riddle as if she could feel the warmth of her triumph radiating from it. “The concrete is too hard to crack!” she said again, this time with unshakable confidence.
The sign flickered in acknowledgment, and the sound of grinding metal echoed in the distance as the path ahead lit up with faint pulses of technomantic energy. Zaria clenched her fists, a triumphant laugh escaping her lips.
“Yes!” she exclaimed, spinning in place and throwing her arms in the air. “Take that, cryptic nonsense!” Her heart thumped with excitement, her earlier fear momentarily forgotten as the glow of progress lit her path forward. For the first time since she’d entered this twisted game, she felt like she was more than just surviving—she was winning.
The moment the words escaped her lips, the river stilled, its shimmering currents frozen mid-flow. Arcs of energy hung suspended in the air, crackling ominously like a storm paused in time. Zaria’s breath caught, her chest tightening as her TNC flashed an unwelcome update.
TNC: “Timer: 30 seconds.”
Her eyes widened, and a sharp laugh of disbelief slipped out. “Oh, come on! Seriously?”
The frozen river was her only chance. The glowing sphere, barely visible through the jagged landscape, pulsed faintly from the center of the riverbed. Her hesitation lasted a fraction of a second before she bolted, feet pounding against the ground, the mix of metal and dirt slipping underfoot as she raced forward.
TNC: “Timer: 25 seconds.”
“Don’t trip, Zaria,” she muttered through gritted teeth, her breath ragged. “You trip, you fry. Simple math.”
The current loomed before her, a landscape of sharp metallic edges and arcs of dormant energy. She leaped onto the riverbed, her boots landing with a hollow clang against the metallic surface. The sphere was closer now, its soft glow almost taunting her.
TNC: “Timer: 20 seconds.”
Her heart hammered, the countdown flashing in her vision as she lunged forward. With a grunt, she snatched the sphere, its warmth buzzing faintly in her hands. Relief surged through her—until the flicker of reawakening energy sent a jolt of panic coursing through her veins.
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TNC: “Timer: 10 seconds.”
“Not like this!” she yelled, spinning on her heel and sprinting toward the far bank. The hum of the river roared back to life behind her, arcs of technomantic energy crackling in her peripheral vision. Her legs burned as she pushed harder, the sound of the current growing louder, closer.
“Run now, complain later!” she gasped, her feet barely finding purchase on the slick metallic surface.
TNC: “Timer: 5 seconds.”
The far bank was so close. Her muscles screamed in protest, her lungs burning as she hurled herself forward. Just as the countdown hit zero, the river erupted in a blinding surge of energy, arcs snapping viciously through the air where she had been moments before.
Zaria hit the ground hard, rolling onto the safety of the bank with the sphere clutched to her chest. Her breaths came in shallow, panicked gasps as she stared at the now-violent river, its electric current tearing through the air in unpredictable bursts.
She managed a shaky laugh, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “If this is just the first sphere, what’s next? Dodging lava? A swarm of Scraplings riding fire-breathing drones?” She paused, sitting up slightly to glare at the sky. “Don’t you dare take that as a suggestion.”
The sphere hummed faintly in her hands, its glow steady and reassuring. Zaria smirked through the exhaustion, wiping sweat from her brow. “One down,” she muttered. “And only a bazillion more to go.”
Zaria’s TNC flared to life, confirming her victory as the notification scrolled across her vision:
Achievement Unlocked: First Sphere Acquired – Intelligence +10 Skill Points. +5 increase to Technomancy Potential (TNP).
Her lips quirked into a smirk despite the exhaustion weighing down her limbs. “Oh, great. Ten points for my personal trauma fund. I’ll be sure to spend that wisely.”
She swayed slightly as she stood, the ache in her legs reminding her of the full sprint that nearly cost her a crispy end. But before she could revel in her success—or collapse—a new notification blinked into view.
Reward Unlocked: Technomantic Tool – Unusable Until Accessed by Mentor.
Her shoulders slumped as she jabbed at the TNC with her finger. “Seriously? Another useless reward? Can’t I just get one thing that doesn’t require a user manual or some omniscient handholding?” She put the sphere that she picked up from the river and the orb with her ‘prize’ in her lab coat. At the rate she was going she was going to run out of pockets long before she found all of the other spheres.
A familiar ding rang in her ears, and the System AI chimed in, dripping with sarcastic cheer.
New Achievement: Shocking Revelation
“Congratulations, TechNav! You’ve managed not to electrocute yourself. Truly, an accomplishment for the ages. +1 Agility, +1 Problem Solving.”
Zaria let out a short, tired laugh, rolling her eyes. “Oh, thanks. I’ll be sure to add ‘survived not getting fried’ to my resume. That’s a real game-changer.”
The voice wasn’t done. Its tone dropped to mock-seriousness, carrying an edge that grated on her already-frayed nerves.
“But don’t get too comfortable. You’ve got… let’s see…” A pause, as if the AI were flipping through non-existent files. “…just over 340 hours left in this dimension of the Nexus Arena, give or take a few minutes. And trust me, it only gets worse from here. Tick-tock, TechNav, tick-tock.”
The countdown timer appeared in the corner of her TNC:
339 hours, 32 seconds remaining.
Zaria’s breath hitched, her exhaustion morphing into a cocktail of unease and defiance. She cast one last look at the river behind her, its crackling arcs of energy almost mocking her as they danced along the surface once more. The oppressive quiet of the arena returned, the air charged as if holding its breath, waiting for her next move.
The sky above darkened, the warm hues of twilight bleeding into deeper shades of red and violet. The chill of nightfall crept in, raising goosebumps on her arms. Xyros’s warning echoed through her mind like a drumbeat: “When the sun sets, the Nexus Arena changes.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she muttered, steeling herself as she trudged forward. Her eyes darted to the landscape ahead, scanning for any sign of shelter. “One down, three to go. And if I’m lucky, I’ll get a bonus level of pain and suffering with that mysterious fifth sphere.”
She rubbed at her temple, feeling the pull of exhaustion tightening every muscle in her body. “But first, shelter. Food. Sleep. Preferably in that order. It’s been so long since I’ve eaten anything that didn’t taste like emergency rations, and we won’t even talk about how long it’s been since I’ve had proper sleep that didn’t involve getting knocked out cold.”
The terrain ahead loomed in shadows, twisted remnants of metallic debris jutting up like skeletal fingers reaching for the dimming sky. With a flicker of humor breaking through her exhaustion, Zaria tightened her grip on the sphere and squared her shoulders.
“Alright, Nexus Arena. Let’s see what fresh hell you’ve got waiting for me next. But if you’re planning another high-voltage welcome, at least let me know so I can book my therapist in advance.”
