ROSLYN RESEARCH FACILITY -- 1 Day Before Departure.

  The next four days went by faster than I would've liked. We had five days before the deadline, but nobody wanted to push it to the last minute. Not with Earth's fate hanging in the balance. I wished we had weeks to prepare. Hell, I would have taken months.

  While the other four cradles were being assembled and placed into the chamber, all five of us were put through crash courses in basic bushcraft. Everything from building shelters to starting fires with nothing but what we could find. Hours-long debates erupted over what we should bring into the cradle. There were no definitive rules about what we could enter with, and in the end, we settled on similar loadouts. There wasn't room for large packs, but we each had a pouch with basic medical supplies and survival tools.

  ARi said nothing we took into the cradle should be metal, so the tools were made from composites. I didn't know how well they'd hold up, but the fact that they were able to create them at all was impressive. We were also each given paracord and some basic food rations, along with water-purification tablets. The military provided black BDUs because we didn't know where we'd end up. Keeping the color dark seemed like our best bet in case we needed to hide. They also issued vests with lots of pouches full of extra gear: flashlights, compasses, matches, and even flares. By the time we were done, ARi said that was about all she thought we could get away with in the cradle.

  We still didn't know how these things worked. Whether the items we wore would replicate when we spawned into the competition, or whether our bodies would be transported. Nobody knew, but we decided to try anything that could give us an advantage.

  We also spent two full days going over potential RPG scenarios based on the limited information ARi had. The last time I'd sat in a room and listened to that many nerds argue with themselves was probably the same convention where I first met Yumi. I'm not gonna lie, both of us were feeling a little awkward about it. Honestly, I was fairly certain Yumi didn't think she'd ever see me again. I'd met her while she was leading a roundtable at the convention, and we'd really hit it off. Our one-night encounter wasn't expected to repeat. Right then, both of us had to put that aside and focus on the mission.

  I felt pretty confident about our team. Tim was an absolute powerhouse. I mean, I considered myself fit, but that dude was ripped. Tanya and Yumi didn't have any problems keeping up either. Kyle tried hard. He never complained, and when the rest of us decided to start training, he marched right down to the facility gym with us and did his best to keep up. While Kyle lacked muscle, he more than made up for it in intelligence. The guy was brilliant. If the rest of us had to help him physically, it was worth it.

  But the time went by too fast. Once again, I found myself staring at the ceiling of the cradle chamber. At least this time I wasn't alone. The others were with me.

  ARi had also demanded that her primary core, be brought into the chamber as well. Her equipment was tied into the same power source the cradles used. We tried asking why she wouldn't keep her systems in the nice, air-conditioned lab, but she insisted. She said she had a hunch and would rather make the last-minute change than regret not doing it later. ARi's projection was right there with us. It was kind of neat knowing her physical presence was in the same room. She'd kept her word, mirroring a version of herself that would stay in the facility while she was gone. That version wasn't sentient like her. It was an AI based on a previous, much older build, but it'd be more than capable of fulfilling her role while we were gone.

  We each had a chance to spend time with our families again. After hard goodbyes, long hugs, and what felt like a thousand handshakes and well-wishes, I think all five of us were ready to get this over with. Kyle's face had gone pale, sweat beading on his forehead. Timothy murmured something to himself and closed his eyes. I couldn't see Tanya from where I was lying, but when I looked next to me, I saw Yumi staring back at me with a grin from ear to ear. I couldn't help but smile in return.

  "Are you ready, Gavin?" ARi's projection looked determined.

  "Yeah, ARi. I think we're ready."

  With that, the cradles flattened and retracted into the cylinders. As the door rotated across the front of the cylinder and closed, our world went black.

  "Can you hear me, Gavin? Tap, tap. Hello? Is this thing working?"

  "Yeah," I laughed. "ARi, I can hear you. What's going on? I can't see anything."

  "The others are experiencing the same thing. Looks like we've got a little bit of business we've got to attend to before we can enter what seems to be some kind of lobby."

  What I can only describe as a full character sheet, with my name on top, appeared in a window in front of me.

  [SYSTEM WINDOW] CHARACTER SHEET:

  Initial Scan Complete...

  Gavin Daniels: 26-year-old Human Male, Level 1.

  Experience: 0 out of 500 for Level 2.

  Health: 120 out of 120. Stamina: 120 out of 120.

  Base Attributes:

  Strength: 12.

  Constitution: 12.

  Agility: 11.

  Willpower: 12.

  Intelligence: 15.

  Perception: 12.

  Charisma: 11.

  Unassigned Attribute Points: 5

  "Okay, Gavin, it's not gonna let us go any further unless you assign your attribute points."

  "ARi, is this me? Did you come up with this character sheet for me?"

  "Unfortunately, no. I didn't get any say in that. It looks like the cradle scanned you and assigned your base attribute points." She said.

  "So this is where we have to be careful. We know nothing about where you're going, and we're not gonna be able to find anything else out until we get into this lobby or whatever it is. And we can't do that unless we make some decisions first."

  "I'm assuming it's not a good idea, ARi, for me to dump all these points into strength."

  "I'm gonna tell you the same thing I'm telling the others, Gav. We don't know what the environmental conditions are gonna be like. What we need to do is raise your natural resilience as much as possible. At the same time, we should leave room for a little specialization."

  "What did you have in mind?"

  "Gavin, I'm gonna advise you to add one of those attribute points to your Constitution, another to Perception, and one more point to Willpower. This is gonna create a strong foundation with the points that we have available. Constitution plus Willpower will increase your resistance. They help against exhaustion, hunger, and dehydration. This'll raise your overall durability. Willpower will strengthen your mental toughness, helping you push through fear and pressure. Perception will sharpen your awareness, giving you the chance to spot danger before it becomes a problem."

  I used the interface like we'd practiced before entering the cradle. I mentally added points to Constitution and Willpower, and added another point to Perception. This brought all three stats to thirteen. With my leftover two points, I decided they'd best serve me in one of my lower attributes, either Agility or Charisma. I went with Agility. Having extra speed and maneuverability seemed like it might be useful. This pushed my Agility to thirteen as well, leaving Charisma at 11.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  Before I had a chance to react, I found myself standing in a small, dimly lit room. It was empty except for the wall in front of me, with a message from the System AI.

  [ASCENDANCY ANNOUNCEMENT]

  Welcome, Champion, to the Ascendancy.

  You may now select one starting provision. Choose carefully. This is the only assistance you will receive.

  Basic-Clothing: Durable fabric. Minimal protection from the elements. Limited insulation and concealment.

  Simple-Blade: A crude close-combat weapon. Effective for cutting and basic defense.

  Rebreather-Device: Atmospheric filtration system. Purifies air in toxic or oxygen-depleted environments.

  ARi appeared next to me; only this time she wasn't a projection. She was real!

  She held her hands up and rotated them in front of her face, staring at her fingers like she'd never seen them before. She looked at me, reached out with a finger, and poked my cheek. Her eyes went wide.

  "Gavin, I'm actually here. Not like here, but I mean I'm here, like really here." Her voice was shaking.

  She was starting to panic. This was her first time experiencing real physical contact. Before she could spiral, I gently pulled her into a hug.

  "I know, and it's gonna be okay."

  She took a deep breath and pulled away, trying to pull herself together.

  Noticing it for the first time, she looked up at the message on the wall. "What the hell is that?"

  "Well, I guess calling this competition ‘The Ascendancy’ is as good as anything else. Honestly, ARi, I'm sure it's got some kind of deep meaning we can dive into later, but I'm more concerned about these starting provisions. None of our equipment came with us."

  ARi turned and looked me up and down. My black BDUs had come through, but none of the pouches or other items we'd put into the cradle were in the lobby with us at all.

  Moments later, the others appeared in the room as well. We all stared at the message on the wall.

  "Listen, everybody. Don't think or choose anything yet. We have to talk about this real quick. I don't want anybody in this room making a decision for the group," ARi said.

  "And yes, I added, before we go down that tangent, ARi's real here. She's not a projection. And I have a feeling that's how it's gonna be once we're down on the planet too."

  "I can't help but feel like this is a test," Kyle said. "I mean, look at these options."

  Tanya shook her head. "I don't want to spawn on some alien planet without any clothes. Is that what we're contemplating right now?"

  Kyle turned to her. "Tanya, don't take this the wrong way, but being shy about not having clothes on versus not being able to breathe..."

  Tim cut him off. "Kyle, you can't possibly know what the atmosphere's gonna be like down on that planet."

  "That's my point," Kyle shot back. "If we go down there with a knife or clothes to start but can't breathe, What's the point of any of this?"

  "All right, guys, let's not argue," I said. "If this is a test, it's trying to see how we approach the competition. Are we gonna be aggressive, defensive, or cautious? I see a defensive option, an offensive option, and a utility. I don't plan on dying. I plan on making it through this part of the competition, and I hope you guys do too. We might not get another opportunity to grab one of these rebreathers. What if this planet's breathable and we end up with a rebreather we don't need, but the next world's underwater or has a toxic atmosphere? This isn't only a choice for right now. This could affect us in the future as well. ARi, what do you think?"

  "I think Gavin's right," ARi said. "There's no guarantee we'll get another chance to pick up these rebreather devices. The fact they're offering this type of rebreather should be seen for what it is. It's our first opportunity to acquire alien technology. Earth doesn't have rebreathers like this."

  "You're right, you guys," Yumi said finally. "I don't like the idea of spawning into a world with no clothes or without a weapon, but I want to make sure I can breathe. Think about everything happening back home. These devices could save a lot of lives. And if not the devices themselves, the technology behind them could be huge. What if these things give us the know-how to make real life-support systems, bigger machines that purify air for whole rooms? "

  The five of us were quiet for a moment.

  "I think we need to choose the rebreathers," I said.

  Some of the others were reluctant at first, but they all nodded in agreement. I turned to the wall and tried to speak with as much authority and confidence as I could. "Earth chooses the rebreather devices."

  ASCENDANCY UNKNOWN WORLD -- Gavin Daniels First Spawn

  The world around me flashed. I felt like I'd been in a car crash. My whole body was cold, numb, and wet. I finally cleared my head enough to open my eyes. Sounds slowly faded in from the silence.

  Looking around, I found myself naked and alone. It wasn't completely dark like the dimly lit room I'd been in a moment ago, and I could tell I was in some kind of thick forest. Rough stone pressed against my palms as I pushed up from the ground. Strange insect noises and other foreign sounds echoed all around me.

  Upon closer inspection, the plants weren't ordinary trees. They looked more like bamboo, only much thicker. The average stalk shooting from the ground was at least two and a half feet in diameter. At my feet, glowing and lighting the forest floor, was a small tablet the size of a cell phone. It looked like a smooth piece of glass, and on the screen, strange alien glyphs spilled across the surface.

  I reached down, picked up the tablet, and a window flashed into my view.

  [ASCENDANCY MESSAGE]

  Welcome, Champion, to the Ascendancy.

  Territorial establishment is required before guide access will be granted. Your remaining champions cannot deploy until this task is completed.

  Four other civilizations have already begun their campaigns. You will find this world unforgiving. Its predators are already aware of your presence.

  It is recommended that you move quickly, Gavin Daniels.

  My senses were electric. I'd never felt the world around me like I did at that moment. I put my hand up to the side of my face where a tiny, thin device sat behind my ear with a small tube that wrapped around my cheek and into my nose. I pulled the device away from my face for a moment and tried to take a deep breath. The air felt heavy, like I needed three times as much of it to equal a single breath. I pushed the device back into my nose, and I was able to breathe normally again.

  "Holy shit, Kyle, good call!" It would've been awful to try and breathe here without this thing.

  At that moment, I realized that talking to myself out loud probably wasn't the best idea. Movement pushed through the stalky forest behind me. The ground trembled with heavy steps, and every nerve I had screamed RUN. I exploded into motion, sprinting barefoot across the forest floor. I moved faster than I'd ever run before, dodging what looked like low branches and obstacles with ease. Right then, I felt like I could give an Olympic gold medalist a run for their money.

  Behind me, whatever was chasing me had picked up its pace. The large stalks were breaking and crashing.

  "Oh shit!"

  My legs were burning, but I couldn't stop because the sound of trees snapping like toothpicks was getting closer.

  I ran into a clearing and slid down a steep ledge, finding myself on the shore of what looked like a wide and deep river. I ran across the smooth rocks, pushing myself as hard as I could.

  "Don't look, don't look!"

  Something massive hit the riverbank behind me.

  It let loose a vicious roar. Before I had a chance to think better, I ran into the water and began to swim to the other side. The monster stopped for a moment at the water's edge, pacing back and forth, like it was deciding whether or not to follow, giving me a chance to make it across. I forced myself up the shallow shore and onto the other side. Gasping for air, I finally turned around and looked at the thing.

  Staring back at me from across the river was what I could only describe as a mix of a T-Rex and a fucking rhinoceros! This thing had a massive horn coming off its snout, jagged teeth that looked like knives. It ran on all fours with a massive body and a long tail covered with bony extrusions. The beast stared at me, dead-eyed, as I slowly took steps backward, moving away from the shoreline. It approached the water and placed one of its clawed feet into the river and pulled it back out.

  "No human snack for you, you ugly son of a bitch!"

  The creature roared back at me in response and slowly started walking out into the water. Before I had a chance to panic, a large set of jaws came out of the cloudy river and snapped around its neck. The shape of the creature twisted and spun as it was dragged underneath the surface. A strange bluish-green blood sprayed across the rocks on the shoreline and instantly changed the color of the water. A moment later, the hidden predator had pulled my assailant completely underwater, and they both disappeared.

  The realization that I'd been in that same water seconds ago hit me hard, and I quickly got off the shore and climbed back up onto the forest floor. I took a moment to catch my breath. I was alone; I was naked; I was unarmed and on an alien planet full of goddamned dinosaurs!

  The First Cradle. I've got other stories posted that you might enjoy as well. Feel free to check out my profile!