CREWSADERS - THE NOVELIZATION OF A GAME THAT DOESN'T EXIST

The Village of Winter

Spike took a step back, carefully getting ready to act.

"Are you sure this isn't what you were sensing?"
"It wasn't", The Forgotten One assured with his usual distorted voice. "I don't think we can get out of here without a fight, however."
Spike took a deep breath, regretting it as he gagged at the smell, "Very well. We need to keep the damage at a minimum, though. I don't want this place caving in on us."

The Forgotten One retracted back into Spike's collar and reappeared through his sleeve, merging with his hand to create a katana.

"Let's make this quick."

Spike covered himself with an electrical aura before running off with the expertise he had gathered over his years under the orders of the secret foundation that had raised him. He dashed through the sewers, covered in electricity as the creatures seemed to only be getting larger and larger, clinging onto him for seconds until he slashed them away. Still, they didn't stop, bulldozing like a tidal wave of sticky pests that just kept going the more Spike ran..

So he stopped running.

Turned around..

And his blade danced into a flurry of slashes that turned the mass of mutated creatures into dust. Swiftly, the goop and the stench vanished, leaving the Sewers much more pleasant to walk on as its tiled walls sparkled and clear waters flowed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwKfzm6o8aI

Spike signed as The Forgotten One poked his head out once more.

"Something is taking over this village," he concluded. "F.O., you still sense what you had detected?"
"We're close", his voice confirmed, echoing through the now vacant sewers.

Forgotten One retracted into Spike's body once more and covered his face to make an infrared bvisor. Spike gasped quietly upon noticing an extremely cold heat signature -- a patch of black amongst the sea of blues and reds.

"I see, though it's particularly cold.. must be some sort of machine."
"There's a chance that someone is running it. We must investigate."

Spike pressed on through, his footsteps now more than audible as they echoed through the blatantly cleaner tunnels. Eventually, he came across the source of the cold: a massive metal door.
It stood larger than the tunnel itself, as they seemed to have considerably descended since they entered. It possessed a massive crank in the middle and two smaller ones underneath it. Whatever was hidden inside certainly didn't want to be found.

"It must be some kind of code..." Spike pondered aloud. "Should we crank that?"
"Bust it down."
"I.." Spike looked at The Forgotten One, "I'm sorry?"
"Bust down the door. It will take far too much time to decipher the code."
"Ah, so you didn't want me to dan.." He shook his head, "nevermind that. You're right. It will be much faster if we break it."

The pair formed a Katana once more and sliced through the barrier with ease. Beyond it laid nothing but a deep ladder that led to another closed room...

Spike wondered if the rats hadn't been a purposeful move to hide whatever hid behind it.

In seconds, the atmosphere of the tunnels vanished as fresh, clean air flooded Spikes's senses. For its location, the underground station was definitely well-ventilated.

Spike examined the surroundings, taking note of the massive wall of screens to his left. At first the footage was unclear, but soon he noticed the dozens of individuals of all shapes and species in all kinds of biomes.. some traveling, others unconscious.

"Security footage."
"So there must have been people here," The Forgotten One pointed out. "Do you think it's anyone on those screens?"

Spike stared at the footage, everyone looked as lost as he did, if not more.