NieR: Duplication

New Face, Same Mind

Alex's PoV

A soft groan escaped from my lips as my vision was filled with darkness. I felt my body in constant pain all over, with my stomach laying against something rough on the ground. The sound of water went into my ears as I laid there. I tried to move my arms and legs, but I didn't have much luck due to the pain. Having not many options, and wanting to see where the hell I ended up at, I decided to focus on regaining my vision. I force my eyes to open and over time it began to come back. Slowly, but surely. At first, it was blurry, which wasn't surprising. But it eventually cleared up.

From what I could see, I saw that I was
at a rocky shore. And from the corner of my eye, I could see a town far off in the distance. And, from what I could tell, there weren't any more of those machines in the area. Which was... relieving, to say the least. Wanting a better view of my surroundings, gritting my teeth as I endure the pain, I force myself up to my hands and knees and adjusted myself to lean back against one of the nearby rocks. There I saw the view of the ocean, its waves continuously crashing against the shore before retreating, along with the sun rising from the horizon. As I watch, I couldn't help but feel a calming aura build up around me. It was... peaceful. And given what I had just gone through, it was something that I needed. At least for a moment.

As I sat there, eyes never leaving from the ocean, I thought back to what had transpired recently. But as I did, I was left with a dissatisfied frown on my face. It didn't make sense. None of it made any sense. Not even in the slightest. How the hell could I have gone from being in Mr. Martin's workplace, in the middle of New York City, to being in some abandoned building filled with crazy machines and non-functioning humanoid robots in under a minute? Why were they even there in the first place? Who created them? And most importantly... what happened?

I tried my hardest to make sense out of it. But as I did, a headache began to form in my head. I clutch my head as I tried to make it go away, but I wasn't having much luck. Letting out a frustrated sigh, I shook my head as I move my hands away. I then look towards the town and pondered. 'Maybe there's someone in town that'll help me out. Or, at the very least, point me in the right direction.' I thought to myself. I began to carefully stand back up onto my feet, using the rock for support. Once I was back on my feet, I began making my way towards the town.

It took some time, but eventually, I found myself closing in on the town. However, much like the building I first found myself in, it was in a state of ruin, more than likely abandoned. It was... disappointing, to say the least. But what caught me by surprise was its architecture. "Hang on... how the hell did I end up in the UK?" I muttered out of shock. "Did I wake up here? Or did I somehow cross the entire ocean on my own?" I stood there for a few moments in silence, my brain comprehending what I had just said before I facepalmed. "Really, Alex? Crossing the entire ocean from the U.S. to the UK while unconscious? Honestly, how dumb do you have to be to unironically think that?" I muttered to myself in disbelief. Shaking my head and letting out a sigh, I move my hand away and focus my attention back on the town. "I'll worry about it later. Right now, I gotta see if this place has something that'll help me. Like a map, or something." New goal in mind, I pressed on towards the town.

When I arrived, I saw that many of its buildings were in a state of disrepair, overtaken by nature. The roads were filled with cars that have been long since abandoned, covered in rust. And every building that I've gone into was either left untouched or in a chaotic state. I entered into one of the buildings, an Inn if I were to guess, and saw that it was left in a chaotic state. Windows shattered, tables and chairs knocked over, the bar deprived of alcohol, honestly, the whole building was in poor shape. I then carefully make my way up to the second floor, the stairs creaking with every step, before making my way to the Inn's rooms. With any luck, someone could've left something behind that I could use. I search through every room, checking every nook and cranny for anything I can use. However, I wasn't fortunate enough to find anything useful.