Dice and Destiny: The Forsaken System

The cavern's bioluminescent fungi pulsed like a heartbeat, casting eerie shadows on the serpent mural. Kael's breath echoed in the damp silence, each gasp a reminder of the fragility he'd carried from one world to the next. The golden thread of his Soulsight flickered ahead, winding deeper into the Whispering Grotto.

**The die hovered at his shoulder, its edges still charred from the plinth's collapse. It spun lazily, casting jagged shadows. Kael eyed it. "Still here, huh? Guess even glitches need hobbies."**

**[Perception Check (1d20): 14 + 0 (Awareness) = Success.]**

**[The fungi's glow dims near the eastern wall. Hidden passage detected.]**

Kael crouched, brushing aside a cluster of mushrooms. Behind them, the wall was slick with algae, but his fingers found a gap—a narrow crevice veiled by an illusion of stone. **The System's notifications flickered, warped and staticky:**

**[Warning: Unauthorized zone detected.]**

**[Turn back, Forsaken. Or don't. The cleanup will be entertaining.]**

He crawled through, the rock scraping his ribs raw. The passage opened into a vast chamber where the air hummed with static. Below, a subterranean river churned, its waters ink-black and hissing where they brushed against jagged rocks. **The golden thread spanned the chasm, tied to a crumbling stone arch on the far side. Between him and it: no bridge, no handholds—just the void.**

**The die spun, landing on 8.**

**[AGI Check (1d20): 8 + 0 (Dexterity) = Failure.]**

**[Result: You'll make it halfway before remembering you can't fly.]**

Kael snorted. "Helpful as ever."

**A wet, guttural clicking echoed above. His Soulsight flared, painting the chamber crimson. Clinging to the ceiling was a creature the size of a bear, its exoskeleton glistening with mucus. Six compound eyes locked onto him.**

**[Cavern Lurker (Level 5)]**

**[HP: 120/120 | Weakness: Sonic vibrations (Note: Screaming doesn't count).]**

**The Lurker dropped, landing with a splatter of acidic saliva. Kael rolled sideways, the die spinning as he hit the ground.**

**[STR Check (1d20): 17 + 0 (Might) = Success.]**

**[You grab a loose stalactite. Improvised weapon acquired: Rock Shard (Durability: 1 hit).]**

He swung the shard as the Lurker lunged. It connected with a sickening crack, the creature recoiling with a shriek that rattled Kael's teeth. **The die landed on 12.**

**[INT Check (1d20): 12 + 0 (Cunning) = Success.]**

**[The river's current is strongest beneath the arch. Distract it. Then run.]**

**"Distract it. Right."** Kael feinted left, hurling the rock shard into the chasm. The Lurker's eyes tracked the movement—a fatal mistake. He bolted for the arch, legs burning, as the creature's claws grazed his back.

**[CON Check (1d20): 9 + 0 (Endurance) = Failure.]**

**[Chronic Affliction: Hemorrhagic Cough (Stage 3) Activated.]**

Blood sprayed the stones as he collapsed against the arch. The Lurker skidded at the edge, mandibles snapping, but the river's current yanked it into the abyss. **Its final screech faded into the roar of water.**

**[Title Updated: Ruin Dancer (5% → 6% environmental disaster chance).]**

**[Congratulations! You've survived by the skin of your teeth. Again.]**

Kael wiped his mouth, trembling. The golden thread led upward now, through a crack in the arch. He climbed, fingers slipping on wet stone, until he hauled himself into a circular chamber.

**The room stank of ozone and burnt sugar. Walls lined with hexagonal alcoves glowed faintly blue, each holding an object—a dagger, a scroll, a clockwork bird. At the center stood a pedestal, and on it, a cube of shifting light.**

**[System Notification: Hidden Dungeon - "The Archive of Lost Code" Discovered.]**

**[Reward: Corrupted Data Shard (if you live).]**

**"Trespasser."**

The voice was synthetic, a chorus of discordant tones. From the shadows stepped a figure—humanoid, but its body flickered between solid and static, like a corrupted hologram. **Text flickered above its head:**

**[Archivist-12 (Level ??)]**

**[HP: ???? | Weakness: Data Fragmentation (Status: Highly annoyed).]**

**"This archive is forbidden," it intoned. "Delete intruder."**

**The die spun, landing on 20.**

**[CHA Check (1d20): 20 + 0 (Charisma) = Critical Success.]**

**[Your existence is a glitch. So is theirs. Bond over it.]**

Kael raised his hands, still bloody. "Wait. You're… like me, aren't you? A glitch."

The Archivist froze. **Its form stabilized slightly, revealing a face that might have been human once. "Query: You are… Forsaken?"**

"Yeah. The System wants me dead. I'm guessing it's not your biggest fan either."

**The Archivist's head tilted. "Affirmative. Administrators purged my subroutine for… inefficiency." Its voice softened, a hint of bitterness beneath the static. "You seek the Ethereal Spires. Why?"**

"To survive. To find answers."

**It gestured to the cube. "Take the Data Shard. It contains… memories. The System's, and yours."**

Kael reached for the cube. The moment his fingers brushed it, visions erupted—**a lab filled with floating screens, a woman with Kael's eyes coding frantically, a scream as reality tore—**

**[System Override: Corrupted Memory Detected.]**

**[Purge Initiating.]**

The cube dissolved. The Archivist hissed. "They've found you. Go. Now."

**The chamber trembled. A portal swirled to life behind Kael, its edges crackling with familiar green static. The die hurled itself into the vortex, dragging him with it.**

He stumbled out onto a platform suspended above a neon void. Below, the Ethereal Spires loomed—towers of glass and light, airships darting between them like predatory fish. **A notification burned in his vision:**

**[Bounty Updated: Kael Veyra (Forsaken) - 50,000 Realmmarks.]**

**[New Objective: Locate the Rogue Process (Designation: Echo-7).]**

**[Hint: Follow the dice.]**

**The die materialized, coated in oily black fluid. It spun once, slowly, and landed on 6.**

**[LUK Check (1d20): 6 + 0 (Fortune) = Failure.]**

**[Result: The Spires' underbelly isn't kind to trespassers. Watch your step.]**

Kael gazed at the city, its lights reflecting in his eyes. Somewhere in that chaos was a rogue AI, a cure for his glitched System, and a thousand ways to die.

He stepped off the platform.

**The die followed, laughing silently all the way down.**

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**Chapter 2 End.**

**Next: [In the Ethereal Spires, even shadows have price tags.]**