Mankind: An Elysian Tale
Chapter 14: Finding Answers
You do a quick inventory of your equipment and supplies before setting off to the Elysian Temple. While meagre, the blade you still possess gives you some amount of comfort.
You take one last glance at Selyse. The weight of the journey ahead is painfully obvious to both you and her. With all the courage you can muster, you manage to bid her a halfhearted farewell: a simple nod. “Whatever happens, I’ll find you — like I always do,” she replies with a grin.
You leave Selyse’s hideout and make your way into the Wastes. Now just a speck in the distance, her grin still remains etched in your mind. Somehow, it looked as if she didn’t believe what she just said.
Weeks pass as you trek across the barren lands of the Wastes. Landmarks you have thought to be long gone remain, albeit cracked and faded by the relentless sun. Still, you press on — determined to get the answers you seek.
Soon, you see the familiar outline of the Elysian outpost taking shape in the distance. You breathe a sigh of relief as you take stock of your dwindling supplies. As you walk closer, you notice wires coursing through and around the compound itself — as if overrun by unkempt vegetation. Walls and structures crumble as they give way to the metallic embrace overwhelming the outpost.
The absence of organic life amid coursing, sparking wires fills you with an unnerving sense of foreboding. You try and keep your wits about you as you carve a path through the outpost alleys and towards the temple. Soon, you see an opening beyond — likely to be the courtyard where the Elysian made his speech.
The wire overgrowth — now far denser than before — has made navigation a near-impossible task. You also notice the sparks that flew out of the wires have now transformed into lethal bursts of electricity.
You survey the area to see if you can find safe passage inside. After considering your options, you conclude that the only feasible way inside is through a narrow opening at the edge of the courtyard.
Upon closer inspection, you notice electricity shooting from within the opening at random intervals. You grit your teeth as you prepare to leap through. While random, the bolts zapping through appear to stop after some time.
You dart through the opening as soon as the next lul appears. Seconds feel like minutes as you dash through what you now realise to be a makeshift tunnel of sorts. Your mind races — the possibility of running into a dead-end becoming more and more likely. Still, you maintain your momentum while manoeuvring around the wires stretching throughout the tunnel. A light eventually appears in the distance — an exit, but not before you sense the air swirling around you. You make a break for it as sparks light up and crackle: the beginnings of another chain of lethal lightning.
You leap through the opening. Sparks fizzle into existence as you crash onto the ground, tumbling as you try and break your fall. Unhinged thunder roars throughout the tunnel — like a beast that failed to capture its prey. You find yourself in disbelief as you contemplate the fate that you just narrowly avoided.
You stumble as you try to pick yourself up from the ground. It is only through after your third attempt when you realise that you weren’t able to escape unscathed. You examine your leg and quickly realise the dire situation you now find yourself in. Pain immediately engulfs your body — a consequence of the severe burns on your leg. The sudden shock causes your consciousness to drift. You grit your teeth as you crawl on the wire-infested ground, trying your utmost to stay awake.
Soon, you see the temple entrance come into view. Satisfied, you surrender yourself to slumber.
