by Wyatt Savage
“Thanks, but let’s get this done.”
“As intriguing as your proposed acquisition is, I am afraid you still have not acquired the requisite experience point threshold to purchase your first Ragetag. The Melee demands more of you. The requirement is not negotiable.”
Jackie’s stats blinked, reflecting the loss of health points for her hand wound and infection.
Species: Homo Sapiens (Leon, Jaqueline)
Chattel: 5.7 mm pistol; Roundworm Parasites; ANFO Salt; Spud Gun; Potato Launcher; Grenades
Health:8/10
Level:1
Class:Mage
Kills:33
Vitals:BP – 123/80; T – 97f; RR – 12bpm
XP:854
“I don’t care about the rules!” Jackie shouted, loud enough to draw Armando’s attention.
“I’m sorry, Jackie,” Simon said. “I regret to inform you that I am unable to fulfill your purchase request until you qualify to make the purchase.”
“I’m going to say something here that you’re probably not going to like, Simon.”
“What’s that, Jackie?”
“Go fuck yourself.”
“That is not anatomically possible, Jackie. Please make an alternate request.”
She swiped at her HUD, closing it out, and shuffled forward around a rocky outcropping, planning to advise Jorge and Armando on her thoughts concerning the dungeon. Her trek downhill halted abruptly when her HUD started blinking. There were red dots up ahead, off to the left.
Something stirred in the blackness and Jackie changed directions, clutching her pistol, creeping over near a rock formation. When she rounded the corner, she saw fourteen unarmed refugees, men and women in tattered clothing who were fleeing the Melee. They looked starved and were covered in dust.
“Shit,” Jackie whispered.
It was too late. Armando and his men had spotted the refugees as well. Jackie sidled up next to Armando, Jorge, and the others.
“I assume the voice in your head has informed you what I’ve been told, that we must be deemed worthy of entry, strong enough to be worth killing, and possess an offering,” Armando said.
Jackie nodded, immediately getting where he was going with this. The refugees were about to become tools in his obsession for revenge against the Melee. “There has to be another way,” she offered.
“There isn’t, Jackie. This must be done. These people are sacrifices that must be presented to whatever lives inside that godforsaken dungeon.”
Armando’s men readied their weapons. Jackie held up her hands to protest, but realized it had to happen. In order to move forward, they would have to dispatch the innocent. A thought crept into her mind, something she’d heard before: Blood will have blood.
“I’ll do it!” she suddenly shouted.
Armando was surprised by this. “You?”
She nodded. “I’ll do what has to be done.”
The refugees began crying out, begging for mercy, but as Armando had said before, mercy was not Jackie’s to give. Voices were whispering over her shoulder, in her ears, telling her, commanding her to become the person she was always meant to be. Find yourself, the chorus of voices said. Help them cross over and acquire the points you need to level up!
Jackie lowered her backpack and stared at her collection of weapons. She had the launcher, the spud gun, the pistol and everything else. None of it was appropriate. She used the barrel of her pistol to open the wound on her hand. Worms spilled to the ground. In the past she would have vomited from the sight of the tiny creatures mewling, wriggling around in the blood and viscera, but not now. She stared at the worms, wondering how it had come to this. A person who’d dedicated herself to saving lives, was taking them. But the voice that reminded Jackie of this was growing increasingly faint, replaced by the other voice, the ghostly alien one that continued to taunt her, to whisper terrible things and command her to spill blood.
She began flinging the worms at the refugees. The blood and worms splashed the men and women, who reacted by standing and running. Armando’s men took aim, but Jackie waved them off. The refugees didn’t get very far. Jackie watched them fall to the ground, some in midsprint, clawing at their flesh, tearing at it, the worms burrowing into their mouths, eyes, and any open wounds. Jackie and the others watched in stunned silence as the refuges wailed and screamed in agony, unable to claw out the worms, before finally falling silent. Jackie was shocked to find that she felt no sorrow, no guilt, no nothing about the deaths.
“Congratulations,” Simon said. “You have killed fourteen Level 1 participants and gained an additional 350 experience points.”
The 350 points and additional XP for survival time were reflected on Jackie’s HUD which flashed her updated stats:
Species: Homo Sapiens (Leon, Jaqueline)
Chattel: 5.7 mm pistol; Roundworm Parasites; ANFO Salt; Spud Gun; Potato Launcher; Grenades
Health:8/10
Level:1
Class:Mage
Kills:47
Vitals:BP – 125/80; T – 97.08f; RR – 14bpm
XP:1208
Jackie realized that she’d done it. She now had enough XP to either acquire a Rejuv to completely heal herself from the infection, or acquire the Ragetags. She opened her backpack and removed one of the plastic containers of antibiotic cream. She emptied the cream and then squeezed a knot of parasitic worms free from her wound. She scooped up the worms into the container and sealed it shut, thinking the worms might be useful as a weapon after she healed herself and killed them off, even though the healing would have to wait.
“I’ll have those Ragetags now, Simon,” she said coolly.
“You have the ability to heal yourself,” Simon replied.
“Give me the Ragetags.”
“Are you certain? I ask only because I have assisted thousands of participants, and the odds of someone in your position choosing a Ragetag over an all-encompassing Rejuv are remarkably small.”
“I guess I’m not like other participants,” she mused.
Simon’s response came in the form of updated stats and a detailed HUD display concerning her progression.
Species:Homo Sapiens (Leon, Jaqueline)
Ragetags: Metamaterial Shroud; Metamaterial Disruptor (Stealth Defense and Navigation Enabled)
Chattel:5.7 mm pistol; Roundworm Parasites; ANFO Salt; Spud Gun; Potato Launcher; Grenades
Health:8/10
Level:1
Class:Mage
Kills:47
Vitals:BP – 112/80; T – 97.09f; RR – 11bpm
XP:245
“Congratulations!” Simon said. “Your newly acquired Shroud enables you to slip past through an opponent’s territory without detection for sixty seconds. Think of it as a temporary and fast-acting invisibility cloak. Unfortunately, your Health will drain at twice the normal rate for sixty seconds after usage.”
Before she had time to consider what she could do now that she’d acquired two Ragetags, Jackie knew there was no time to delay on her health. She quickly selected the option to purchase a magazine of ammunition for her pistol and a medpack, reducing her XP by 75 points, but momentarily pushing her health back up to 10/10.
She turned and was immediately engulfed in a tsunami of pure, white light that swept out from the dungeon in the sky.
15
Threshold
Jackie, Jorge, Armando, and the others were frozen in place by the retina-searing light, a blast that was so bright Jackie thought it resembled an atomic flash from one of those A-bomb tests out in the desert. She tried to close her eyes, but was incapable of even doing that. Instinctively, she knew that the killing of the refugees had triggered something deep inside the dungeon. She’d been granted—no, achieved—entry into the construct. She’d been deemed worthy by the Noctem, been found a worthy adversary and worth killing and, perhaps most importantly, had left an offering, the death of the fourteen refugees, at the foot of the dungeon.
“What’s happening, Simon?�
�� Jackie croaked.
“Based upon your actions, you have been invited inside the dungeon, which differs significantly from all other structures in the Melee, including the black spires. If you succeed you will reap greater rewards. Your destination awaits should you choose to quest inside the dungeon.”
“We’re going into the dungeon!” Jackie shouted to the others, who responded in the affirmative. They wanted to quest as well.
“I choose to quest,” Jackie said firmly.
“Excellent.”
Her HUD timer reflected that they had two hours and forty-two minutes to reach Level 2 of the Melee. The dust underfoot began stirring, turning into a whirlwind, and then a powerful funnel. The speed picked up, and gusts began picking up small rocks. Jackie and the others were lifted up, propelled into the swirling vortex.
With Armando, Jackie, and Jorge inside, the vortex picked up in speed even more. The wind gusts, combined with the swirling dust and rocks, formed a barrier that blocked their view of the outside world. The ground began thrumming, a loud torrential reverberation filled their ears, and a luminescent green light descended from above.
In an instant, the wall of light teleported them upward, their bodies vibrating as they ascended. Despite the shocking and disruptive nature of their entry, they arrived unharmed and clear-headed inside a large octagonal foyer in the sky dungeon that contained a number of passageways that disappeared into the darkness. The same yellow light they’d seen outside partially illuminated the foyer.
Jackie spun, taking the interior in. It was beautiful and otherworldly, like being inside of a sculpture carved from ice. The upper portions of the construct were composed of immense panes of translucent material held in place by what she reckoned were invisible fasteners. The surface of the panes was smoked, preventing a clear image of what lay on the other side, but silhouettes could be seen. The outline of humanoids and what appeared to be monsters were visible, moving through the dungeon, fighting, dying, the sounds of battle echoing in the distance. Jackie’s HUD reflected the same, hundreds of red and yellow dots in every direction.
“How many participants are there, Simon?”
“Five thousand, two hundred and three,” Simon replied.
Her mouth dropped open. “Jesus. In the dungeon?”
“The space is much larger than you might think.”
“How many monsters?”
“One hundred and twelve.”
“There!” Jorge said.
Jackie looked up to see a pack of participants vanishing into an entranceway. One of them looked an awful lot like Doctor Guillermo from the city hospital. The woman next to him, a tall stunner in a red jacket who was holding two pistols, fixed a look on Jackie. The woman held up a hand in a kind of greeting, waved, then vanished from sight into a chamber within the dungeon with the rest of the people flanking her.
Jackie moved forward and was surprised to see other sections of the dungeon that looked to be in disrepair: what looked like shattered conduit, lengths of severed cable emitting showers of sparks, strange liquid puttering out of broken piping. Something wasn’t right, but before she had a chance to examine the problem, a loud, female voice boomed from every direction.
“The Melee strives to create an environment that is conducive to contemplation, as contemplation is vital to success in the game. As such, please be respectful. Using spaces within these walls for other-than-intended purposes is not permitted. No sleeping, smoking, consumption of alcohol, or improper use of space for frivolity or copulation will be permitted. Be considerate of other participants. Killing is acceptable, but unreasonable noise—noi—noise…is…noises are disturbing and disrespectful. Communicate with respect at all times. Obscene and abusive language will be penalized. Obscene gestures, however, are permitted and encouraged. Act responsibly and wisely. Violating Melee rules will result in you meeting your journey’s end. It is the goal of the Noctem to create spaces like this dungeon and the black spires that bring humans from all walks of life together so that they may connect and kill each other without disrupting civility and overall good manners. Good luck and may your journey…journey…journey come to a pleasant end!”
Jackie and the others traded a long look, surprised at the first awkward moment the Melee had thrust upon them. “Is that message normal, Simon?” Jackie asked.
“It is…not,” Simon replied. “The content is accurate, but the manner in which you received it is…different.”
“This place, it looks like…it’s broken,” Armando said, arching his shoulders, ready to fight. “Something has happened. We should buy as much weaponry as we can and strike while the thing is damaged. Listo para la batalla.” Ready for battle.
“Do we know that for sure?” Jorge asked. “What if, what if…” He couldn’t finish his thought. He seemed afraid, eyes darting, weapons out.
“I’ll bet it’s a trap,” Jackie offered. “Everything about this place is meant to deceive us. If we spend all that we have now on weapons, we’ll be left defenseless. Better to find out more first.”
“Are you suggesting we explore?” Armando asked, sniffing and spitting.
“Yes,” Jackie replied.
“She is right. Nothing is at it seems here,” Jorge added. “We do need to know more.”
Armando scoffed and cocked his rifle. “We should do what we came here to do and end the Melee.”
“How do you know that’s possible?” she asked.
“I don’t, but we won’t know until we try. I will select my Ragetag and lay waste to as much as possible.”
Jackie’s HUD dinged. A prompt appeared that read: “Destroying a level one dungeon will cause severe damage to the Melee, but it will not end the Melee. The Melee is eternal and all-powerful. It is above all else.”
“I get that,” Jackie replied, not realizing at first that her words would be mistaken by Armando.
“We’re agreed then,” Armando said. “On three, we unleash everything we’ve got.”
“Wait,” Jackie said, putting her hands up and standing. “That’s not what I meant. I—we—aren’t attacking anything.”
Armando caught a look exchanged between Jackie and Jorge. His eyes daggered into Jorge. “Does she speak for you?”
After only a second of hesitation, Jorge nodded. “She does.”
“Then this is where we part,” Armando said. “The more damage the dungeon suffers, the better.”
Jackie’s eyebrows arched. “You’re leaving?”
“I’m questing in another direction,” he replied.
“I hope your vengeance is satisfied.”
Armando nodded. He moved forward and placed a hand on Jackie’s arm. “I will do as much damage as humanly possible.”
“Thanks for saving us.”
Another nod from Armando. “I pray you two will travel lightly and I will see you on the other side.” He lifted his weapon and then signaled for his men to follow him down into one of the darkened passageways. She pivoted to see Jorge staring at her.
Jorge was moving nervously from side to side. “I have hitched my wagon to you, Jackie. Please tell me I have chosen wisely.”
“You have.”
Jorge thumped a balled fist against his chest. “Because in my marrow I feel that siding with an angel of death is preferable to that of a mere killer of men.”
“I’m not an angel of death,” she replied.
He smirked. “No, you are the angel of death.”
She moved toward one of the other passageways, studying her HUD. She stopped and took up a defensive position before checking a prompt.
“What is it, Simon?”
“The dungeon has offered you a side quest,” Simon informed her. “Do you accept?”
“What’s the quest?”
“The objective is intentionally secret. If you choose to accept the quest, the details of it will become available.”
“What is it, Jackie?” Jorge asked.
“You haven’t seen it?”
/> “Seen what?”
“We’ve been offered a side quest.”
“To do what?”
“I don’t know,” she answered. “But it’s not like there’s much of an option at the moment.”
“Maybe it’s a shortcut,” Jorge said, trembling hands cradling his grenade launcher.
“We won’t know until we check it out,” she said.
Jorge nodded. “I go where you go now, Senora.”
Jackie smiled and accepted the quest via Mindspeak.
“Very well,” Simon replied. “Before the details of the quest are revealed, it is important to recognize that the dungeon has indeed suffered a kind of injury.”
Armando was right, Jackie thought. “How?” she asked Simon.
“I am not at liberty to disclose that, Jackie. But your quest involves identifying and defeating a rogue monster, as well as repairing the damage to the dungeon. If you defeat a monster no longer under the dungeon’s control and repair the damage, you will be granted safe passage via a teleportation shortcut to Level 3 of the Melee, and acquire ten thousand experience points, along with, potentially, additional treasures that will go unnamed until you have completed the quest.”
“We’re in,” Jackie said.
“Very well,” Simon replied. “The additional details of the quest are as follows. The dungeon core, which has been given the identifier ‘Threshold,’ had no choice but to carry out an Aggro attack against its last intruder. As a result, multiple controls and defensive measures were damaged, and several monsters have been unleashed. These monsters are presently wreaking unmeasured, unsanctioned, and unnecessary damage that has resulted in no progression or benefit to anyone. Your side quest, should you choose to accept it, requires venturing into a sublevel within the dungeon with the intended purpose of removing an infection and eliminating a rogue monster that is not reconcilable. Are the terms of the side quest acceptable to you?”
“Yes.”
“Are you aware of what an Aggro attack is?”
“I think so,” Jackie answered. “Will…my boyfriend, used to play games all the time.” The ghost of a smile creased her lips at the memory. “He made me play the games too. I remember that an Aggro attack is when someone in a game attacks one person, like an invader, which causes collateral damage to basically all the other parties, right?”