Multiversal Primal Zerg (Semi-SI)

??? Universe, IKEA Store

Adrian walked away from Point Suitcase, his armored boots clicking against the linoleum floor. The emptiness in those people's eyes… disturbed him. He'd seen death before, and had caused plenty of it himself. But this was different. These weren't corpses walking around. They were something worse.

"I don't understand," he said quietly. "How does someone become... that?"

"Sometimes breaking isn't dramatic," Derflinger replied from his hip. "It's not always screaming or crying. Sometimes people just... fade away."

Adrian stopped walking and leaned against a shelf of kitchen utensils. He thought about the woman he'd seen eating. The lifeless way she'd lifted her fork. The absolute void where personality should have been. He clenched his fist, wanting to tear into something. To fight.

To prove he was still alive.

"Back on Zerus, everything made sense," Adrian said. "You hunt. You kill. You evolve. But this..." He gestured back toward the settlement. "What's the point of surviving if you lose yourself in the process?"

"That's the real challenge, isn't it?" Derflinger's voice was uncharacteristically gentle. "Keeping your mind intact when reality stops making sense."

A Staff member shuffled past their aisle, pushing an empty cart. Adrian watched it go, remembering how the defenders at Point Suitcase had fought without any real self-preservation.

Just going through the motions...

"Exchange might be weird with their... activities," Adrian said. "But at least they're still human. Still feeling something."

He pushed off from the shelf and started walking again, faster now. As if he could outpace the hollow feeling in his chest.

"You know what's strange?" he asked after several minutes of silence. "I killed the slaver girl without hesitation. Consumed her Essence like any other prey. But seeing those people back there..." He shook his head. "It feels wrong in a way that killing a weak human didn't."

"Because there's nothing natural about it," Derflinger said. "Death is part of life. But whatever happened to those people? That's something else entirely."

Adrian spotted another phone mounted on a wall ahead. But instead of rushing to claim it, he paused.

"What if that happens to us?" he asked quietly. "What if we stay here too long and end up like them?"

Would he notice it happening? Would he feel himself slipping away piece by piece until nothing remained but empty routines?

The thought made his skin crawl.

"Partner," Derflinger's voice cut through his spiraling thoughts. "We should keep moving. Find those phones and get out of here. And don't forget you can jump dimensions, we won't get stuck no matter what, right?"

Adrian nodded at Derflinger's words. "You're right. Let's keep moving."

Over the next several days, they traveled deeper into the store. Each community they found showed different ways humans coped with their imprisonment. Some settlements mirrored Point Suitcase, filled with empty shells going through daily routines. Others embraced pleasure like Exchange, turning their prison into an endless party.

The phones became harder to find. Adrian had collected five so far, each one bringing him closer to attuning to this dimension. But the cost of seeing humanity break in so many ways weighed on him.

"Another settlement ahead," Derflinger announced.

Adrian had already smelled them, but looked up from his thoughts. The fluorescent lights illuminated something different this time. Hundreds of office desks had been stacked and arranged into towering spires. Cubicle walls formed makeshift flying buttresses between the towers. The whole structure resembled a massive cathedral.

Signs covered every surface:

"PRAISE BE TO THE INFINITE"

"IKEA PROVIDES"

"ALL HAIL THE ENDLESS AISLES"

People in robes made from curtain fabric walked between the towers, heads bowed in prayer. Some carried clipboards, taking inventory of nearby shelves with religious dedication.

"Well, this is new," Adrian muttered.

A group of robed figures approached him. The leader, wearing a crown fashioned from coat hangers, spread his arms wide.

"Welcome, lost soul! Have you come to embrace the Truth of IKEA?"

Adrian stared at the man. The zealot's eyes burned with absolute conviction.

"I'm just passing through," Adrian replied carefully.

"Nonsense!" The crowned man stepped closer. "The Store has guided you here for a purpose. Come, let me show you the path to enlightenment!"

Adrian glanced at the zealots surrounding him. These humans posed no real threat, and he'd already seen two different ways communities survived here. Why not see a third?

"Sure," Adrian shrugged. "Show me your... enlightenment."

"Excellent!" The crowned man beamed. "I am High Priest Marcus. Welcome to The Cathedral of Infinite Wisdom."

"Partner..." Derflinger whispered. "Something feels off about these people."

Adrian ignored the sword's warning and followed Marcus through the desk-structures. Robed humans bowed as they passed, muttering prayers about "blessed inventory" and "sacred stock numbers."

Marcus led them to a raised platform made from stacked coffee tables. "This is where we conduct our daily readings from the Sacred Catalog!"

A plastic IKEA catalog sat on a pillow, pages yellowed with age. People gathered around it, writing down product codes like they were ancient scriptures.

"The Store provides everything we need," Marcus explained, eyes shining with fervor. "Food, shelter, purpose! We simply must understand what it wants from us."

"And what does it want?" Adrian asked.

Marcus smiled. "Order! Organization! Perfect inventory management!" He gestured at the clipboard-carrying 'priests'. "We count every item, track every shelf. The Store rewards those who maintain proper stock levels."

"Rewards how?"

"By keeping the Staff at bay, of course! They only attack those who displease the Store." Marcus lowered his voice. "But sometimes sacrifices must be made to maintain balance..."

"What kind of sacrifices?" Adrian asked, already suspecting the answer.

Marcus gestured for Adrian to follow him deeper into the cathedral. They walked through layers of desks and shelving until reaching a basement level lit by strings of Christmas lights.

The smell hit Adrian first. Blood. Fear. Death.

Three Staff members stood chained to support pillars. Metal collars around their necks connected to thick chains bolted into the concrete floor. Unlike the mindless ones wandering the store, these Staff members writhed and pulled at their restraints.

"The Store demands order," Marcus explained, walking between the captive Staff. "When someone disrupts that order - stealing, breaking merchandise, refusing to help with inventory..." He smiled. "Well, the Store must be appeased."

Adrian noticed dark stains on the floor. Drag marks led to a metal door.

"You feed people to them."

"We give the unworthy to the Store's servants!" Marcus spread his arms wide. "It's beautiful, really. The Staff take the chaos-bringers, and in return they leave our community in peace."

There was a loud scream from behind the metal door. Marcus didn't even flinch.

"That would be tonight's offering. A new woman we caught trying to take more than the allowed amount of meatballs from the shelves. Such selfish behavior cannot be tolerated."

Adrian watched the High Priest's face. No guilt. No hesitation. Just absolute conviction that he was doing the right thing.

"Would you like to watch the ceremony?" Marcus asked. "It's quite inspiring. The way the Store's servants cleanse the impure..."

"Partner," Derflinger whispered. "These people are completely insane."

Adrian nodded slightly. The Exchange residents might have embraced hedonism, but at least they helped each other survive. And the empty shells at Point Suitcase had simply given up.

But this...

This was active evil masquerading as faith.

"Actually," Adrian replied. "I think I'll pass on the ceremony."

"Oh?" Marcus frowned. "But surely you want to witness the Store's divine justice? Unless..." His eyes narrowed. "You question the Store's wisdom?"

Robed figures walked out from the shadows, holding makeshift weapons. Adrian noticed they all wore pendants made from price tags.

"The Store guided you here for a reason," Marcus declared. "If you reject its teachings, then perhaps you too need cleansing."

Adrian looked at the cultists with a raised eyebrow. "Do you really think you can hurt me? I'm wearing full plate armor."

Marcus raised a kitchen knife. "The Store will protect us! Get him!"

Adrian shoved the High Priest aside, sending him sprawling into a desk. A red Strength Potion appeared in Adrian's hand, and it disappeared when he held it to his mouth. His muscles immediately began to squirm and twist as the amount of power he could exert was greatly enhanced.

The metal door didn't stand a chance. Adrian slammed into it shoulder-first, ripping it clean off its hinges. Inside, a cultist held a terrified woman over a pit. Injured Staff members reached up from below, long arms reaching for her dangling feet.

"The Store demands-" the cultist started.

Derflinger cut him in half mid-sentence.

Adrian grabbed the woman before she could fall, pulling her away from the edge. She shook like a leaf as she clung to his armored arm.

"Stay behind me," Adrian told her.

The cultists poured through the doorway, screaming about heretics and divine punishment. They waved chair legs and kitchen tools like holy weapons.

"You dare interfere with the Store's justice?" Marcus appeared at the front of the mob. "Kill them both! Feed them to the blessed Staff!"

"Ready for some practice, partner?" Derflinger asked.

Adrian stepped forward, sword raised in a proper guard stance. "Just remember what you taught me about control."

The first cultist swung a metal rod. Adrian deflected it and countered with a clean slash across the chest.

Two more rushed him from different angles. He spun between them, Derflinger's enchanted blade leaving trails of red from flying heads.

"Your form still needs work," Derflinger commented as Adrian blocked another attack. "But you're passable for a novice."

"The Store will punish you!" Marcus screamed from the back of the crowd. "You cannot stop divine will!"

"Watch me," Adrian growled.

Adrian cut through them like paper. The Strength Potion combined with his Netherite armor and sword made him unstoppable. Weapons bounced harmlessly off his plate mail while Derflinger carved bloody paths through flesh and bone.

"FOR IKEA!" A cultist rushed forward with a chair leg.

Adrian separated his head from his shoulders.

"CLEANSE THE HERETIC!" Three more charged.

Three more bodies hit the floor.

The cultists kept coming, climbing over their dead companions in a religious frenzy.

Adrian just kept slashing his sword.

These weren't even real prey, just insane humans who'd forgotten their humanity.

Ten minutes later, Adrian walked out of the cathedral. Behind him lay piles of cultist bodies, men and women who'd chosen false faith over sanity. The final count was around two hundred.

The woman he'd saved followed quietly.

"IKEA will punish you for this sacrilege!" Marcus screamed from where he was bleeding out on the ground. "You cannot escape divine judgment!"

Adrian turned back to look at the self-proclaimed High Priest. "Your 'Store' isn't divine. It's just a prison that broke your mind."

He walked away from the cathedral, the woman following close behind. She kept glancing back, as if expecting the cultists to rise up and chase them.

"T-thank you," she whispered. "I was just looking for a new coffee table, and then... everything changed. The exits disappeared, and those people grabbed me..."

Adrian noticed she wore clean clothes, jeans and a sweater. No signs of wear or dirt. She must have arrived very recently.

"What's your name?"

"Emma. Emma Mitchell." She wiped tears from her face. "I don't understand what's happening. One minute I was shopping, the next these crazy people in robes were dragging me away, talking about sacrifices and some divine store..."

She stumbled, and Adrian caught her arm before she fell.

"Sorry, I just..." Emma started shaking again. "Those things in the pit. The faceless ones. They were going to..." She broke down completely, wrapping her arms around herself.

"You're safe now," Adrian said.

Emma stared at Adrian with wide eyes, blood splattered across her face and clothes. Her hands shook as she tried to wipe it away, only managing to smear it more.

"I... I was shopping for a coffee table." She started laughing, a high-pitched hysterical sound. "Just a coffee table! And now..." She looked down at her bloody hands. "Oh god. Oh god, there's so much blood."

She fell to her knees and vomited.

Adrian stood awkwardly nearby as she emptied her stomach. The woman alternated between dry heaving and sobbing.

"You killed them all," Emma whispered. "Just... cut through them like they were nothing. Heads and arms flying everywhere..." She retched again. "But they were going to feed me to those things. Those monsters in the pit..."

She looked up at Adrian, tears streaming down her face. "What kind of place is this? What happened to those people to make them so... wrong?"

"The Store breaks people in different ways," Derflinger spoke up.

Emma screamed and scrambled backward. "The sword talks! Why does the sword talk?!"

"My name is Derflinger," the sword said gently. "And yes, I talk."

Emma pressed her hands against her head. "This isn't real. None of this is real. I'm having a mental breakdown in IKEA. That's all this is."

"Emma." Adrian crouched down to her level. "How long have you been here?"

"Two hours?" She wiped her mouth. "I got lost looking for the exit. Then those robed freaks grabbed me, started talking about divine punishment and proper inventory management." Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. "They killed three other people while I watched. Had those... those things tear them apart."

She grabbed Adrian's armored hand. "Please. You have to help me get out of here. I can't... I can't end up like them. Like those empty-eyed people I saw, or those insane cultists, or..." She shuddered. "Those faceless monsters."

Adrian looked at the terrified woman. She was already cracking, the horror of what she'd witnessed fighting with her desperate need to believe in her savior.

Even if that savior had just butchered two hundred people in front of her.

"The exits are gone," Adrian explained. "But I might be able to help you-"

Emma screamed. Adrian spun around, Derflinger ready.

A Staff member stood not far away, staring at them. Someone seemed to have embedded a price tag scanner in its head.

Emma let out a small whimper and pressed against Adrian's back. "Please don't let it take me. Please don't let it take me..."

Adrian hesitated, not entirely sure what to do. The woman behind him shook uncontrollably, and the remnant memories gave him the impression that human women could be very… fragile, and needed protection and comfort. He turned around slowly and wrapped his arms around Emma, patting her back awkwardly.

"Shh..." Adrian spoke softly. "The Staff won't attack while the lights are on. As long as we don't provoke them, they'll leave us alone."

Emma buried her face in his armored chest, sobbing her eyes out. "I want to go home. I just wanted a coffee table..."

The Staff member shuffled past them, pushing an empty cart. The price tag scanner in its head beeped occasionally as it moved.

"See?" Adrian kept patting her back. "It's ignoring us."

Emma peeked out from his chest, watching the creature disappear around a corner. She pulled back slightly, wiping her eyes.

"I don't understand any of this." She looked up at Adrian. "First those cultists, then you killing everyone, and now..." She gestured at his armor. "Where did you even get that? The medieval section?"

"It's... complicated." Adrian released her gently. "But right now we need to move. The lights won't stay on forever."

Emma grabbed his arm. "What happens when they go out?"

"The Staff become aggressive," Adrian explained. "We should find shelter before that happens."

"There's no way out?" Emma asked in a small voice. "No emergency exits or staff doors or..."

Adrian shook his head. "The Store goes on forever. But I might be able to help you leave another way."

"How?"

"First we need somewhere safe." Adrian looked around. "Somewhere defensible where we can talk properly."

Emma nodded, still holding his arm. "Okay. Okay... lead the way."

They walked through the endless aisles. Emma flinched every time they passed a Staff member, pressing closer to Adrian.

"Why do you think this happened?" she asked quietly. "Why trap people in a furniture store?"

"I don't know," Adrian replied. "But I've seen what it does to people who stay too long."

Emma shuddered. "Those cultists... they seemed so convinced. Like they actually believed this place was divine."

"The Store breaks minds in different ways," Adrian said. "Some become empty shells. Some embrace madness. Some create new beliefs to cope."

"And some become monsters," Emma whispered, remembering the faceless Staff in the pit.

Adrian stopped walking. "We can rest here."

They'd reached a display of bedroom furniture. He moved some tall wardrobes to create natural walls around a collection of beds and nightstands.

"The wardrobes will slow down any Staff that try to get in," Adrian explained. "And there are multiple escape routes if needed."

Emma sat on one of the beds, hands clasped tightly in her lap. "Now what?"

Adrian sat down on a nearby bed, looking at Emma. He understood her fear, remembered how lost he'd felt when first arriving in the Minecraft world. At least he'd had the advantage of being a predator.

"The Store pulls people from different versions of Earth," Adrian explained. "Some come from worlds where small things changed. Others from worlds with major differences."

Emma frowned. "Different versions?"

"In one world, the International Space Station was never built. In another, the Soviet Union still exists." Adrian pulled off his helmet and rested it next to him. "What year was it in your world?"

"2025," Emma replied while staring at his exposed face.

"And I assume you came from America, so who was the president?"

"Donald Trump. He won the recent election." Emma rubbed her arms. "Why?"

"I've met people from 2007 who only arrived here last year. Some from 2020, 2022..." Adrian shook his head. "You're actually the most recent arrival I've seen. Everyone else came from 2024 at most."

Emma wrapped her arms around herself. "This is insane. Parallel worlds? Time differences?"

She took a deep breath. "But you said you might be able to help me leave?"

"Yes. I can travel between dimensions," Adrian explained. "In a few days when my power recharges, I'll be able to leave this place. But..." He paused. "I can't reach your original world."

Emma stared at him for a long moment. Then she started laughing, a broken sound that echoed through the makeshift shelter.

"Dimensional travel. Of course." She wiped tears from her eyes. "Why not? I just watched you kill two hundred people like they were nothing. Your sword talks. There are faceless monsters wearing blank name tags pushing shopping carts through an endless furniture store..."

Her laughter died. "But you can't get me home?"

Adrian shook his head. "The only world I have access to that humans can survive in is... well, it's medieval. Only nobles can use magic there, and I'm wanted for killing a noble who tried to enslave me. Not exactly safe."

Emma's shoulders slumped. "So I'm trapped here? Going to end up like those cultists or those empty shells walking around?"

"No," Adrian leaned against a cabinet. "We can find you a safe community here in the Store. One of the… normal ones. Then when I find a better world, I'll come back for you."

"You'd do that?" Emma looked up. "Come back for me?"

"Yes."

"Why?" She gestured at the blood still covering her clothes. "You don't know me. And after what I saw you do to those cultists..." She shuddered. "What are you? Really?"

Adrian considered how to answer. The woman was already traumatized. Telling her he was an alien predator who consumed Essence might push her over the edge.

"I'm someone who can help," he said finally. "That's all you need to know for now."

Emma nodded slowly. "I guess after everything I've seen today, I shouldn't question help when it's offered." She rubbed her arms. "Even if that help comes from someone who can cut through crowds of people like a hot knife through butter."

"One of the communities like the Exchange is probably your best option," Adrian muttered. "They're... unusual, but they look after each other. No cultists or empty shells there."

"Unusual how?"

"You'll see." Adrian stood up. "We should rest here until the next light cycle starts. Then I'll take you there."

Emma grabbed his arm. "Don't leave me alone. Please."

"I won't," Adrian promised. "Get some sleep. I'll keep watch."

She laid down on the bed, still fully clothed and covered in blood. Within minutes exhaustion overtook her and she fell into an uneasy sleep.

"That was almost gentle of you, partner," Derflinger whispered. "Not telling her what you really are."

Adrian watched Emma toss and turn. "She's seen enough horror for one day."

"Those hedonistic communities might not be the best place for her," Derflinger noted. "You know how they get."

"She doesn't have to participate in it." Adrian sat on the edge of the bed. "And I meant what I said. When we find a better world, I'll come back for her."

"Why? You've not really cared about humans before, have you?"

Adrian frowned. "I don't know. Maybe because she reminds me of how lost I felt when first arriving in Minecraft."

The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Why shouldn't he help these trapped humans? The ones who hadn't gone utterly insane deserved a chance at a real life.

"You know," Adrian spoke quietly. "I could probably save most of the sane ones. Get them all to hold hands or grab onto each other, and I could transport dozens, maybe even hundreds at once."

"That's... surprisingly compassionate of you," Derflinger whispered.

Adrian watched Emma sleep. "I've been thinking about what I saw in these communities. The cultists, the empty shells at Point Suitcase... that's what happens when hope dies." He clenched his fist. "But I could give them hope. A real chance at survival."

"The Exchange has about fifty people," Derflinger mused. "Most of them are still... relatively normal, despite their quirks."

"And there are many other communities like them scattered throughout the Store." Adrian smiled slightly. "Once I find a safe world, I could come back. Gather all the survivors who want to leave. Give them a fresh start."

"You're changing, partner," Derflinger said softly. "You didn't seem the type to have cared about saving anyone."

"Maybe that's not such a bad thing." Adrian glanced at his armored hands. "I'm still a Primal Zerg. Still who I was in Zerus. But I can be something more than just a predator."

Emma whimpered in her sleep, caught in what was likely a nightmare about cultists and faceless monsters.

Adrian awkwardly patted her shoulder until she calmed down.

"Get some rest yourself," Derflinger suggested. "I'll wake you if anything approaches."