by Alan Bard
“Shit!” Rio said through gritted teeth.
“Yeah, shit!” I whispered and slapped him on the back. “I’m sorry, buddy... no hard feelings.”
“Yeah, no hard feelings.”
For the first time in my life, I didn’t know what to expect from my own body. My brain seemed to be working much better, but I wondered if it’d be the same with the body.
“Pretend that I’m her,” I said quietly, so that Victoria wouldn’t hear. “I’ll do the same. It’ll be easier that way.”
Rio nodded, clenching his fists. I tried to look relaxed, but I was tense and completely focused.
I tried to activate Battle Mode, only to discover that it was already on. It seemed to be enabled by default in the Arena. Rio and I took a step toward each other, and I struck with my right hand, pulling back at the last moment. Rio jumped back, confused.
No, that won’t do. This isn’t Rio, but that manipulative bitch. I should heed my own advice. What would I like to do with her? I’ll show her no mercy. I elbowed Rio in the face and then lunged forward, hitting him in the stomach.
The system highlighted his chin, then his chest, and I did a one-two punch. I could feel the heat in my hands. Rio staggered back, just in time to escape the descending blow, but the next one he received was sharp and painful. He was nearly off his feet, but he recovered with a violent effort, yelping in pain.
My wrist throbbed; the ball of heat echoed the rhythm. Rio ran back a little, unbuckling his belt. He was distracted; I had to use that to my advantage.
A step, a leap, a Stamp Kick. The General Combat Set skills could be used one at a time and couldn’t be chained into a combo attack. I couldn’t focus or follow the rhythm of the fight. It was as if my body stopped for half a second after each blow and Rio was taking advantage of this.
He blocked as much as he could, but I managed to knock him over. However, a second later, he pushed himself off the ground, belt in his hand.
The system highlighted it with purple pulsations. He was clearly going to use it as a whip, turning our fist fight into something more serious. I watched it like a caged lion watched the whip of its trainer.
Rio attacked. I didn’t duck quickly enough, so he hit me right in the face, sending a wave of sharp pain through my body. I screamed, staggered back, and felt blood running down my cheek.
I glared at him, full of rage. I wanted to lash out at him and beat him to a pulp. Suddenly, I realized that the rage was localized in an area at the back of my head. I thought that I maybe could channel it...
Generation of a unique skill...
It was funny that a hit to my face had triggered such an effect. I literally saw what I had to do, and did it instantly. The skill consisted of four moves: a short step forward, lean to the right, left punch to distract the opponent, and the final right hook. My knuckles dug into Rio’s ribs like a blunt blade. My fist caught fire, with a thin, red-hot thread stretching across my shoulder and neck to the Core at the back of my head.
Attention! You have created a unique skill!
The sequence of moves is listed in the database (Canon, Level 1) under the system name [Pistol Hook].
I waved the text aside. Rio had already gotten his shit together, and I was ready to test my new skill. I wasn’t sure that it was time for a leg sweep, but I did want to kick Rio’s ass.
I sprang at him, landed a jab, and kicked him in the gut. Despite that, his belt struck back. Without so much as a flinch, I performed the Stamp Kick, and the system suggested a rare attack, which had apparently been uploaded into my mind during the Rite of Passage. Low Spinning Sweep Kick...
Rio fell, jumped up, and backed away with a limp. One of his hands hung limply at his side. We stood opposite one another again, getting pumped up, ready to go again. We both landed a few blows, trying not to expose ourselves. The tip of his belt whipped past me; Rio now moved more slowly, wincing with each step. He attacked, but instead of dodging the blow, I stepped forward and raised my right hand. My vision darkened; his belt wrapped around my forearm, and I pulled it back. Through the haze of pain, I saw Rio fall. I threw myself at him and took hold of his neck.
Suffocation
Damage dealt is increased over time: 9%... 11%... 18%...
Before dealing fatal damage: 30 seconds... 25 seconds... 20 seconds...
“Enough!” Victoria shouted. I rolled away from Rio. Panting, I fell on my back, looking up at the sky. Messages were flashing in the background.
Path: Universal Soldier
Transformation Progress: +0.097%
Use of Common Skills: 9
Use of Rare Skills: 3
Use of Unique Skills: 1
Bonus for creating a unique skill at the Recruit rank.
Transformation Progress +1.2%
I arched as the pulsing Core filled my body with trails of fire. However, it didn’t hurt—it felt good. My body was flooded with adrenaline. Breathing deeply, I tried to think about what had happened.
How did I create a unique skill? I asked myself. Also, what made it so special? Was it that left punch?
What if the uniqueness is determined by the fact that no one has ever done this in the Arena before? a voice asked. The system records everything and evaluates it, that’s the interesting thing.
Through the haze, I saw the familiar silhouette. Either it was just my imagination, or the shell of the Core had become thicker. The number of ribbons in the body seemed to have changed as well; they seemed to have become branched, like the root system of a young tree...
As I looked around, I noticed that Victoria’s mood seemed to have gotten better after our fights.
“Lucky us!” she said. “We have a healer and a gunsmith, that’s good.”
I was glad that I wasn’t the one who had made her happy. The last thing I wanted to do was please her. Jelena leaned over me, and for the first time in a while there was some emotion in her eyes—sympathy. As if I wasn’t hit with a belt, but beaten up and stabbed with a knife. She didn’t know that I didn’t feel any pain at all.
“Nick? Let me take a look at your wound.”
I raised my scarlet hand, and Jelena touched it with her icy fingers. My eyes glimmered with pleasure. I closed them.
“No fractures, no torn ligaments. It’ll hurt a lot tomorrow.”
Victoria’s face was expressionless again.
“I gotta admit, you guys made me feel pretty good. That’s all for today. Rest for a few hours, and then we’ll go hunting. We need to get you all some food.”
Joseph trailed after Victoria, and the four of us were left in the middle of a half-ruined ancient fortress, near a stone bowl with filthy water at its bottom and a silent Totem pulsating with a dim light.
Chapter 15
THE OATH
I needed to eat. I was shaking either from the adrenaline rush or because my body was undergoing a change. My veins and nerves felt like they were humming; I felt like there was something ringing inside of me. The Cultivator would sometimes send waves of heat, outlining things around me for a second, as if it was trying to tell me something, but I understood nothing. I fell on one of the straw beds in our hut and immediately passed out, haunted by hunger even in my dreams.
I woke up to someone patting me on the head. Am I still dreaming? I opened my eyes and saw Jelena leaning over me.
“Nick, wake up.” She looked around and whispered, “She has summoned us.”
Cursing, I got up and followed her to the square. Victoria stood proudly with her back against the bowl, wind ruffling her hair and her emerald eyes burning with determination. Despite being one ugly bitch on the inside, she was beautiful; for some reason, girls like her were always tall and slim with a pretty face.
Ksandra was on her right and Joseph on her left. Eli and Rio stood opposite them, looking unhappy, if not sad. Jelena and I came up. Victoria looked pleased, the corners of her mouth turned up. Valkyries came to my mind again, but I pushed the thought away. She was no Norse deit
y, but a witch. A cutthroat bitch.
“You know,” she said, licking her lips, “I’m actually starting to like you. And I’d like it if we...” She grimaced, choosing her words carefully, “...we worked together. For the sake of a common goal, we’ll work out a compromise.”
I had no idea what she was counting on. I was wondering if she was really unaware of the fact that everyone hated her.
Keep your mouth shut. We’ve got enough problems as it is, Beta said.
We’re facing war and famine and you’re complaining because your feelings got hurt, Alpha’s voice was cold.
Eli’s nostrils flared; he clenched and unclenched his fists, but said nothing. Rio hesitated for a moment. Biting his thumb, he looked at me. Jelena turned toward me and raised her eyebrow. At this point, it dawned on me that these three were my team and that they had recognized me as their leader. They’ll follow me...
“Victoria,” I said slowly, holding her gaze. “The main problem is that we’re being treated like shit. If you fill us in, give us some insight—”
“All right, listen up,” she said. “There were nine of us four days ago. We lived in a bunker with a lot of cocoa, berries, mushrooms, and grain growing around. There were deer, wild boars, hares... However, I was too easy on my men, and I was betrayed. Now we’re cornered here in the outskirts and we have nothing to eat. And now it looks like they’ll either find us, or we’ll starve to death. Four of my loyal men were killed. Had it not been for Joseph, those Alliance bastards would’ve slaughtered us all in our sleep. They took two girls with them, and we can’t do shit to help them. I’m not gonna expose my men to danger again. There’s no guarantee that you won’t betray us, so you’ll either voluntarily take the oath, or I’ll make you obey.”
“What’s the difference?” Rio asked curiously.
“Well, it’s either your decision, or mine. That’s all. Only after you take the oath will I tell you what you need to do and what’s going on.”
“You’ll give us a minute, then,” I said. Victoria nodded.
We walked away and just stood silent for a while.
Biting his nails, Rio shifted from one foot to the other, then looked at me and said, “What are we gonna do? I don’t want to swear anything to that bitch!”
“Don’t be a baby,” I said, tapping my temple with my index finger. “We’re just test subjects. If we make her angry, she’ll make our lives miserable! You don’t want that.”
“I don’t want to be a freaking puppet either.”
“She doesn’t turn people into puppets; she can only partially control them. I’m sure she doesn’t have the strength to fully control our minds.”
“You’re such a coward,” Eli said.
To my surprise, Rio just thought for a moment and then nodded, with a faint, bittersweet grin on his face.
“You’re right, I’m afraid. But I’m not suggesting this out of cowardice, but because I don’t want to act foolishly. Can we get out of this place? Yes. I’m sure that we can. But we have to be cunning and intelligent and stay out of trouble.”
Outraged and impatient, Eli waved his hand.
“We can’t get out of here. What’re you on about?”
“We’re stuck,” Jelena whispered. “We’re screwed. So, just relax and enjoy the ride.”
“We should kill that bitch,” Eli hissed through clenched teeth. “I. Hate. Her!”
“Strength reigns supreme here,” I said in a low voice. “Let’s not jump into a fight with someone stronger whilst on their turf.”
I remembered how my unique skill had worked, and how the Core had flared up, sending life-giving impulses through the ribbons. I had realized back then what I could get if I kept practicing and cultivating the power that I had within me.
“We’re still weak,” I continued. “Let’s become stronger first and then we’ll kick their asses. Try and direct your rage toward that, Eli. Let’s use the cutthroat bitch to better ourselves.”
He nodded and turned away.
Everyone seemed ready to swallow their pride and take the oath.
Taking a breath, I took a step toward Victoria and looked into her eyes.
“We agree to take the oath, but first we’d like to hear what we’re agreeing to,” I said in a cold voice.
She took a crumpled piece of thin leather from her pocket. I unfolded it and studied the oath. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be—for some reason, I expected it to be written in blood, but it wasn’t.
“So, what next?” I asked as I gave it a second thought.
“Just read, pronouncing each word clearly.”
“All right. ‘I, uh, Nick, will be loyal to my leader, Victoria. I swear not to harm her or the rest of the Dominant cohort, not to betray them by word or deed.’ That’s all?”
“Come closer.”
She could’ve demanded unquestioning obedience or something like that, so I felt like we got off easy. Wondering about what the other leaders were like, I took a step forward.
“Should I kneel down?”
“You ain’t a knight.” Victoria put her hand on my forehead and pressed her nails painfully into my skin. “Nick, I accept your vow.”
It was like a bubble burst in my head. A shudder went through my body, and my brain felt as if it was being squeezed by an invisible vise. The Сore and the Contour, as well as the Cultivator, responded to the alien force with shudders and waves of heat. It felt as if I had taken ill very suddenly and my temperature had spiked. However, after a while, the sensation was gone.
After everyone was done, Victoria handed us over to Joseph.
“Show them the map and fill them in.”
The hippie led us to another hut, next to the one where we slept. Inside the room, a flat, rounded slab of black stone rested on three stone pillars that protruded from the floor. Strange symbols were drawn on them with colored crayons. We went to the cardboard boxes stacked on top of each other. Joseph started looking for something.
“You know, things are not that bad,” he said. “I mean, it could be worse. Take me, for example. I didn’t want to be a part of this, and now I’m under both mental control and an oath.” He scratched his chin and continued, “The funny thing is that when they attacked us, she managed to get us, those under control, out of there. However, the betrayal has changed her, turned her into an iron lady.”
“She was different?” Jelena asked, running her hand over the smooth stone slab.
“She used to be a spoiled rich girl, always yelling and stomping her feet. Now, it’s like she’s changed. Like she had grown up in a few days... but also became mean and vicious... She’s always angry.”
I was surprised to learn that Victoria wasn’t born a bitch. But betrayal or not, I still had no sympathy for her. Everyone had problems, but most people dealt with them without turning into selfish bastards.
And what about me? said a voice in the back of my head, making me freeze. My own mother had betrayed me when she let her boyfriend kick me out of my own home. And then there was Archie... What kind of person was I becoming? I knew that I was changing, and I couldn’t help but wonder if this whole thing was breaking or hardening me.
Remember that, Nick. Don’t ever forget it, so that one awful morning you won’t find out that you’ve become like her.
I went over to Jelena and put my hand on the slab—the symbols gave off a tingling warmth.
“What was this place? Before the military came? This thing doesn’t look that old.”
“No clue.” Joseph shook his head. “Not that I want to think about it. Ah, there it is!”
He took out a large scroll, unfolded it, and laid it on the slab, revealing a wrinkled, hand-drawn map.
“What’s the scale?” Rio asked curiously.
“It was drawn by An, one of the girls who was taken away.” His faint, sad voice sounded even fainter and sadder. “No scale. She’s an artist, not a cartographer. We estimate that the Arena,” he pointed his finger at the valley, �
��is about thirty miles in diameter, maybe a little less.”
“How high are the rocks surrounding us?” Rio asked.
“Ha, do you want to try to get out of here?”
“Nah, just asking. There’s an ocean over there. But what if there’s something valuable on the beach?”
“It’s not worth it, man. We don’t have time to go that far, although... I’d try and go.” He grinned and pointed at the plateau near the rocks. “We’re here. This place is called Wolf Moor. Only briar and wolfs bane grow here. There’s almost no water, but there is a chance of small artifacts appearing in this zone. And that’s what important.”
“Where do they come from?” Eli interrupted him.
“No idea. I think no one has. But the thing is that there are items that enhance your blows tenfold, or make you sort of invisible, or heal your wounds. There are different kinds of them.”
“Sounds pretty cool,” Eli said with a grin.
“Yeah.” A thin smile touched Jelena’s lips.
“But if there are artifacts, then there are other cohorts looking for them,” Joseph continued. “That’s why those Alliance bastards are hanging around and why we keep a low profile. They don’t know we’re here. Oh, and here, at the very bottom of this mountain called Rocket, there’s a rift.”
“Rift? Does it lead to some other dimension or something?” Eli asked. “What the hell is that?”
“Things come out of there. Creatures like ghosts that get into your head. But the rifts are also very different. You enter one and go bald. You enter another and grow old. You enter some, and you’re fucked. Whatever the result, you can’t miss them, as the system warns you about them.”
“Shit...” Jelena sighed heavily.
“Don’t worry, our goal is here, far from those creatures, in a relatively safe valley. If you don’t take into account the Alliance base, that is. But I don’t think they’ll be waiting for us, we’re supposed to be hiding and licking our wounds. A word of caution, though. If you see someone, don’t attract their attention. We have a couple of artifacts that’ll help you with that.”
“Where’s their base?” Rio asked, looking carefully at the map.