“So the authorities are about to roll out a new series of events,” Norma said. “They’re offering two free skill points, or an extra few commutation points, double what you’d normally get.”
Addie swore like it was her job. “Fuckin’ rusty cumbuckets and shanked shillelagh shit show.” She was about four events away from having her sentence down to a week. After the last one, where she’d conquered the REcurring ChaoTic Underground Maze (RECTUM) in record time, she’d earned a Gear credit on top of the two weeks. Boy had she really destroyed that RECTUM, blew it wide open.
With the Gear credit she could use it on this new thing… though the two skill points would definitely be useful. Maybe save the Gear. She didn’t know anything about this new thing, and those skill points would never go away. She could use them on future levels, if she didn’t die.
Yeah, it wouldn’t be long now. The skill points would serve her well, especially because she’d have to do even more dungeon runs to clear out her sentence time.
“Yeah,” she muttered. “No other reason. Definitely no other reason at all. No way no how.”
Norma smiled knowingly, again turning her from a repulsive mess into something truly horrifying to behold. The cracking caked makeup didn’t help. “You turned down the last gladiatorial showdown.”
“I’m not getting killed for ratings.”
“I’m sure that’s why,” Norma said. “It has nothing to do with the lower tier jobs being longer, easier, and has less of an impact on your sentence.”
Addie folded her arms over her chest, so that only the !™ was showing, She hated the top of that exclamation point, like a reminder of Dick that refused to go away. She tried burrowing into the shitty metal chair to get away from Norma and her smug bullshit, but it didn’t work. Norma just leaned over, which threw the light all across her face the wrong way.
“You haven’t been skimping out on the challenges because you want to stay, have you, dearie? Because you enjoy it here?”
“Fuck you,” she said, but she heard zero conviction in her own voice.
“You haven’t been trying to stretch your sentence out, have you?”
“Just give me the skill points.”
Norma jolted to her feet, which jerked the table at her and bashed against her elbow. She tried not to cry out, but she’d already gotten a good one in the funny bone just three days ago. Not funny at all.
Norma then slammed her hands on the table and shoved it even further in, pinning Addie’s elbow to her side and making several parts of her complain loudly. “I don’t presume to tell you to run faster or turn left in a video game maze,” Norma hissed. “Don’t tell me what to do, and maybe I won’t complain that you assaulted me.”
Coming Soon!
About the Authors
Damien is a writer, a gamer and an educator. He lives in Gimpo-Si, South Korea with his wife and son. He likes to meet up with friends and roll dice whenever the opportunity presents itself and has authored several stories, none of which you’ve read, including his best-selling (when it's free) novel, How to Be an Adventurer.
Nolan Locke has been rolling d20’s since about 1992 and despises them. D10’s are much more his thing. Basically he loves the D. He enjoys playing Arcane Tricksters because of the chance for Mage Hand to do the job. He loves any job with Mage Hand. Mage Hand job. All of this is incontrovertible evidence that he’s not a fictional being.
Like Damien, he also lives outside Seoul, Korea, with one real wife and one actual son. Unlike Damien Hanson, he’s actually cool.
He’s totally a different person from Damien, and exists for realz.
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