How I got my arm
This is a little backstory piece I wrote for a d&d character of mine called Oryx. It didn't take me too long but I figured I'd upload it anyway and see how it does. I might get into uploading regularly if I can so this is a sort of test, to see if my writing is well-received. Hope you enjoy :3
I've always been the adventurous type. My parents died when I was young and I never really liked the various homes I was sent to. Not to say they were particularly bad places, just that I never really fit in. I spent my early days scavenging through centuries-old ruins looking for ancient tech. My home planet, Chernos, was littered with old wrecks and forgotten place and each new find was not only exciting but also highly profitable.
I got quite good at it after a while - made a fair amount of gold from selling old weapons on the various markets around my city. The Lumina that had lived on my planet for centuries were obsessed with the stuff and always paid well for it. All in all, life was good. Until I found the ship.
About three hours out of the city, surrounded by sheer cliffs and jagged rocks, I caught a glimpse of what must have been the largest wreck I'd ever seen. Its sheer scale was colossal, likely having created the valley it rested in when it crashed. The front section of the ship was buried but the rear thrusters and hangar bays were still exposed, surrounded by rows and rows of turrets.
The valley was eerily quiet as I made my approach. I should have been deterred by the lack of life growing around the vessel, but my foolish self pressed on, a mix of confidence and stupidity drawing me in. As I neared one of the rear hangers, I pulled out my trusty laser pistol and began searching for a way inside. Luckily for me, a rock column had collapsed and created a semi-safe bridge inside, which I adeptly climbed onto and followed into the large chamber. Looking around, I shuddered to think about how many crew members would have operated it, though seeing how all the landing platforms were empty, I was safe to hope most of them had escaped.
Approaching what appeared to be an access door, I set up my plasma cutter and began to cut through. A few moments later and I was in.
The ship was vast, it's corridors long and winding, like blood vessels in a great being. Many pathways were collapsed but I eventually found myself staring into a dark control room. The narrow cone of my shoulder-torch illuminated several consoles in front of me, and to my astonishment, a small blinking red light. 'The ship still had power?' I wondered in astonishment. None of the previous wrecks I'd discovered had been remotely operational, having sustained far too much damage. And yet, there it was in front of me, like the glint of a golden coin in the dirt. I approached, and though I couldn't read the language, it was clearly a warning of some kind. Underneath it lay a singular red button, which must have been linked to it.
To this day, I don't know what compelled me to press it, what must have been going through my head to the think it was a bright idea. Nevertheless, I reached out and pressed it, grimacing slightly as it clicked. Suddenly, the room was illuminated in a red glow as the room's lighting returned. Then, came the voice of a devil, distorted and alien as it raged through the speakers. It sounded robotic, emotionless, cold. Though I couldn't understand it, I knew one thing for certain.
It wasn't friendly.
And yet, I did not run. I didn't turn-tail and escape the belly of this beast I had awoken. I foolishly stood-fast and dashed round the console towards the now illuminated archway at the back of the room. It was some sort of portal, that much was clear, and as I approached it, the symbols around its edges began to glow an intense red hue. Suddenly the voice rang out again and a bright red grid filled the arch, quickly flooded with an opaque, flowing black... thing? It looked almost liquid as it shivered and twisted in its gate. From it came a low rumble, and unsure of how to react, I stepped backwards, almost tripping up over a cable on the floor behind me.
"Holy shit....!" I muttered to myself. 'This portal could lead anywhere. It could lead to the greatest treasure of my life for all I know. But it could also be suicide.' I stood there for a long time. My mind raced with possibilities as the 'door' in front of me shimmered.
I couldn't maintain it though. I think the decision had been made the moment I saw it. Hesitantly, I approached it, slowly lifting my right arm towards it. I pushed one digit through, then another, then my hand. It felt cold, but not painful; 'safe enough' I thought to myself as I continued with the rest of my arm.
The lights flickered. The rumble grew and the portal flashed red as the voice returned, louder than ever. Then... pain. So much pain I almost passed out. "Aaaargh!!!!" I screamed out, tears rushing down my face. Though it was hidden to me, I could feel my skin burned away as something was gripped the bone. Desperately I pulled on it, Squirming in agony as my arm remained locked in place.
The lights flickered more, the portal flashing even brighter as the entire ship began to shudder and then... black.
When I woke, the pain had gone, as had half the room I was in. The arch was gone and an almost perfect empty sphere had formed around it, exposing wiring and other rooms of the ship. My eyes flicked towards my arm, only to widen in shock as it had been replaced. Instead, there was a black, alien, prosthetic. It was made of some sort of smooth, eerily organic-looking metal and was connected to me at the shoulder.
Carefully, I tensed a finger, astonished to find that the hand was completely receptive. I reached over and touched it with my other hand, it's cold, solid form felt only through the left hand. It was a strange feeling and one that I knew I had to get used to.
Getting up, holding my new arm at my side, unsure of how to feel about it, I located my gun on the floor next to me and began to run back through the long corridors.
That day my life had changed. The arm wasn't just some expensive prosthetic replacement, it was the most dangerous piece of technology ever to be discovered. And now I was stuck with it.