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“What do you think? Too pink?”
Eden wanted to yell at him, but she arrived at her destination too fast. She landed on all fours, not elegantly at all. She grimaced and struggled to get back up. Where was she...? She had landed on some dark gray asphalt, a bit humid too. If it wasn’t for the horrible furry paws at the end of her arms, she would have thought she was back in the real world.
However, it was nighttime where she was... and at a deserted location. Eden glanced over her shoulder. As she had suspected, she had come out from a toboggan slide. The previous programmer was a damned childish one. It was common for programmers to let their tastes shape their security borders or use their favorite games or movies for reference. However, the more she looked around, the less Eden felt okay about this new one... She was in what looked like a deserted amusement park. It was out in the open. There were sounds of leaves from the trees and sounds of screeching metal from nearby attractions. A flat ride was the closest one to her but she could see a rollercoaster from afar. There were probably more if she continued down the various paths ahead of her...
“I like that pink better too,” chuckled Loir.
Eden rolled her eyes.
“I don’t give a shit about my fur, Loir!”
“Oh, I’m not talking to you, Kitty! I’m talking to Big Kitty!”
Eden went completely red in a split second. No way. Dante was watching this...?
“Nice pink, Eden. It suits you...”
If Eden could find a small hole and hide there for the next few weeks or months, she would jump at the opportunity without any hesitation. However, right now, she was Diving into a digital world while Dante De Luca was watching her from behind a screen. Eden was as red as a tomato and completely ashamed. She felt like she was naked in the middle of a crowd or on a large movie screen for everyone to see.
Of all people, why did he have to be watching her? Why now? Had he seen her inelegantly land on all fours just a minute ago too? Eden had to take deep breaths to calm herself down. Once she got out of there, Loir was really going to–
“Easy, Kitty, your heartbeat is going cray-cray.”
“Fuck you, Loir,” she hissed.
“See? She can even hiss!”
“Really cute, indeed...”
Eden rolled her eyes. Dante was enjoying this way too much and he wasn’t bothering to hide it. She crossed her arms, upset, and imagined that she was only showing them her back. It was probably more like Loir had some external view gravitating around her as if he was remotely controlling her character. Most of the Diving systems had been created using remnants of old role-playing games, except that now, the character was also a player, with a teammate on the other side of the screen.
“Loir, when you’re done playing, would you mind telling me where the hell I’m supposed to go?”
“Mm... I don’t know, Kitty. That’s an interesting one... Ugh, what a lazy job. This one is definitely copied straight out of some horror game, no doubt. Oh, my Kitty, I hope it’s just you in there... Maybe a couple booby traps but I think you should be fine if we don’t trigger more security. I don’t think you’ve been noticed yet, so time to explore.”
Eden nodded. At least she had something that would keep her busy, rather than thinking about her shameful appearance. She looked around. Loir was right about the horror game concept; this place was definitely creepy. It was night time and there was no light except from the moon. She walked in a bit farther. The paths confirmed her idea that this was some sort of amusement park. There were a lot of rides she had never seen before which she made sure to stay away from. They were definitely the kind that a good programmer could have placed a trap or two on...
“What is she looking for?” suddenly asked Dante’s voice.
“Anything,” answered Loir. “There are usually some sorts of clues about how to get through. Because it is too complicated for programmers of the Core to do a complete check of anyone who comes in, they create these kinds of funny little levels that all visitors of the server have to go through. If you are supposed to be there, you know exactly what to do. If you’re not supposed to, like our Kitty Cat Eden, you have to find out how authorized visitors get in and do it too, and before it kicks you out...”
“How do they know whether she’s supposed to be there or not?”
“Well, the Core is a bit vicious. Best case scenario, there is some sort of time countdown and once it’s up, she gets kicked out. However, if the Core is in a nasty mood, then it may try to keep our Kitty Eden and play with her...”
The latter was the worst scenario. Eden had almost been caught by the Core more than once, and she had no intention to risk it again. There were too many stories of Dive Hackers who had gone absolutely insane because of the mental torture the Core had inflicted on them. Many were trapped in their worst fears that played on a loop, while others had to experience a completely different life, inside the Core, unaware that they were actually unconscious and in a deep coma somewhere in the real world. As she wasn’t sure what her fears or phobias could be, Eden feared the latter the most. Either way, she just didn’t want to risk her mental health. She had to be quick and efficient.
She followed the paths inside the park, quickly realizing there wasn’t a living soul anywhere. They hadn’t tried to mimic animals or even other park visitors. There wasn’t even a bird. This only made the world much creepier than it already was.
Eden walked silently thanks to her cat paws, careful to not make any noise. There was the wind, slithering through the tree branches and its leaves, leaving some howling whispers behind her. She knew this level was made to scare people away; hence, she wasn’t surprised to hear many of the rides making some rattling and creaking sounds. The one thing that worried her the most was the darkness. She felt like there were things lurking in the shadows. Eden glanced over her shoulder many times as she progressed through. Like the second room, she thought maybe this one could change at any moment as well, and she wanted to be prepared.
“That’s a really interesting one,” whispered Loir. “The code seems to be evolving according to Eden’s stats...”
“What does that mean?”
“Uh... Kitty, could you act more scared?”
“More scared?” frowned Eden, approaching one of the rides. “Why?”
