Ada Kai had just turned 21 the day before the cataclysm. She woke up that morning like any other, brushed her teeth, and ran to class late for her morning Business Excel class. She knew that her professor would dock her the 15 attendance points she desperately needed if she were late; she needed them because she continuously turned in her projects two days after they were due. She didn't make it that morning.
Ada was struggling to balance class and the chemo treatment she had to take her mother to. She went to the University of South Dakota, a large college in a small town. She had loved the campus at first sight. The beauty of the somber coyote statue in the middle of the campus called to her, and she begged her mom to go. Her mother relented because the tuition was lower than anything in California. She followed her daughter, landing a remote job entering data so she wouldn't break up their small family. It was menial, thankless work, but paid more than enough for the cheap cost of living in the town of 10,000. Ada's first year was the year that her mother, Beatrice, was diagnosed with leukemia. Beatrice raised Ada alone and showed her what it meant to be strong. Ada was the product of a destination wedding; her mother fell for a handsome surfer from the island. It was a short and passionate, but they both knew it was a fling.
...
Ada went to a bar with her mother for her "first" shot. Growing up in Southern California made it hard not to at least dabble in alcohol or weed. Beatrice had lost her hair, but nothing could take away her smile. Most college kids would spend time with friends, but Ada wasn't like most.
"Ada, you need to spend more time with people your age," Beatrice said
"Mom, I can't even keep a 2.0," Ada said flatly
They sat silently for more time than was comfortable, but it was too late; they had to go home. Ada would talk to her mom in the morning.
"Welcome to the tutorial for the 7th Universe."
...
Ada's POV
I spent everyday for the last four years swinging a fucking pickaxe. I was a caster who reached level 23 before I left my tutorial. The system gave me plenty of training and warned me that I would be dropped in Oklahoma; I needed to return to South Dakota. It had been 3 years; I was promised to stay for five years and should have finished training, but I fucked up, apparently the Mercenary Healer class got you booted from the program. Something about mercenaries adding no value to armies.
The wild boars of Oklahoma had mutated into giant bipedal monsters. Pigs had always looked eerily similar to humans, especially in the eyes, but this was ridiculous. Discouraged, I stopped trying to go back home. There were too many destroyed towns along the way north. My mother was strong, but this was too much. Nothing was waiting for me back home.
The elves picked me up in the panhandle, and I was promised a leisure job behind a desk that would be clerical. They made me register for the draft, and then I would be an official citizen of the empire. These elves were strange; they called the system the emperor and worshipped it with a fervor reminiscent of cultists. I walked past the slug man to whom I had to turn in my paperwork, and I thought this was the oddest man I had ever seen. But I suppose it takes all types of people to run a community.
...
After a rough 2 weeks of orientation, I was fitted with a slave collar and put to work.
...
Today was like any other day, except that dumb kid from group B fell down a hole. We had to attend a mandatory safety class after the incident; they told us that we were property of the empire, and thus it was our job to stay safe under penalty of death. What a joke if we got ourselves killed, the penalty was death. I had been with the mining team the longest, so the slaves from his hut offered me the kids' gear first. I didn't want anything. He must have worked like a dog because his backup clothes were tattered, and his pick was the most banged-up thing I had ever seen. What an absolute idiot. There is no reason to work that hard. There was no bonus or special treatment for being a good little slave. Every day was the same, and they bled into each other; nothing changed. Just eat, work, sleep, and repeat. I had given up all hope of being free.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
...
The abyss wolf crept up on the warriors in black. They had not expected to be flanked by a monster. We had boarded up the hole from the tunnel collapse because monsters could find the path to our low-level floor. Our guardians fought bravely, but these dogs were powerful. I watched as the level 40 wolf tore apart the correctional officers. I had dreamed of these guys getting their throats ripped out. But now that I had seen it, I was utterly terrified. I slunk to the ground, awaiting my fate. There was no escape from the high-level monster. I lived a good life and was glad that I would be reunited with my mother.
A warm liquid splashed on my face when I finally gained the courage to open my eyes. I saw a soldier with a pickaxe sinking it into the wolf's head. This soldier fought wildly, swinging the mining tool with abandon. He moved like a comet, and I swore he was glowing as he killed wolves coming from the shadows. At the start, there was only one wolf, but as the man kept killing them, they multiplied like rabbits. I looked around, and all of the slaves that had fled were already puppy chow. The scene was carnage that I had never seen before—bodies mixed with wolves, looking like a cheap horror film.
"What's your name?" The strange man said, taking his helmet off. I lowered my head in the respectful bow that had saved me from lashings. The scar running down my back was a constant reminder. I dare not look him in the eye.
"My name is Ada Kai." I said with my meager voice.
Danes POV
"Lift your head, Ada," I told the timid slave. I looked her up and down. I wondered how she stayed so strong-looking, being a miner, she must have been a newly enlisted slave, because most people were skin and bones after about a year. Her deep hazel eyes met mine, and I recognised her as the slave queen. Everyone respected her as if she were royalty—a rumor about how she had already leveled kept us all from getting on her bad side. Amazingly, this small 5'2" woman could command such respect, but it must have been her stoic expression, familiar with islanders. I had received the system early, but didn't start getting experience until after Dia jailbroke me a glitch, I suppose, from her already having XP.
"Ada, I will give you two options: the first being that I will escort you back to camp, and you can explain how a collared slave was able to be the sole survivor of what happened here today. I killed all the off-duty guards and wouldn't want to be there when the dungeon team gets back to camp, but you will probably have a nice little break until they can reestablish it. Or you can join my party and we can try to escape this dungeon."
She sat there stunned by the new information. Maybe she didn't believe me. It was pretty ludicrous.
"Are you related to Daniel McAlister?" Ada asked
"That's my father," I was shocked, not expecting the name drop of my dear old dad.
"You look like him; I met him during the tutorial. He was the strongest of us; he was driven. We all had people back home, but we lost hope when the training bots told us what would happen to our planet. Dan never questioned whether his family was alive for a second. He always said, "Dane is strong, he wouldn't die to some overgrown animals.". I guess he was right. I always thought putting such faith in a ten-year-old was foolish, but here you are. I'll join you, but I'll be dead weight with this nice piece of jewelry around my neck." Ada said.
I had so many questions, but they would have to wait. She made her choice, and now I had to remove the slave collar. Grabbing Ada by the collar, she trembled at my touch. I had wondered how many people had done this to her. I activated Exodus, and the collar crumbled to iron sand in my sweaty palm. I had grown so used to mana eyes being on, I hadn't realized I was cycling mana through my eyes until I saw the most beautiful golden energy light up the bronze woman.
My stupefied expression was short-lived when I heard the familiar sound of combat boots marching in unison. The reinforcements would be on us soon, so I grabbed the petite woman in a princess carry and took off towards my escape hole. I looked down hesitantly into the pit, but I leaped into the darkness anyway, hearing Ada scream and cling tighter to my chest. I landed with both feet planted on the ground and felt the force reverberate up to my groin, losing half my HP in the process. We would be safe for now, but I knew that there would be more security the next time I returned to camp, and I would have to come with overwhelming force to leave the dungeon. I chose not to exit in the first place because I didn't know when I would have another chance at accessing the dungeon.
"I will be E rank before I leave here," I promised no one in particular since Ada had fainted during our fall, and Dia was still slumbering.
