by Atlas Kane
Poor Gemma, it turned out, had forgotten which hunter held the prize she’d meant to have cooked for Cade that night. Then she’d needed to beg one of the cooks who’d just called it a night to throw the apron back on and cook her special dish. By the time she’d found them, an hour had passed, and… well, the rest of their crew had been quite indisposed.
The gift she’d so thoughtfully given turned out to be a heart. The heart of an oversized crocodile, which to Gemma, was the most respectful and loving gift someone could give. To Cade, it amounted to eating over ten pounds of stringy meat, all by himself, and feeling a bit sick when he was done.
All the while, Gemma watched, reminding him of a grandmother who’d prepared her favorite spaghetti. There was just enough of the Chorba Beans after for Gemma to get her share, and everyone made sure she felt just as appreciated. It was well past midnight by the time they’d all passed out together, their normally organized furs tossed to every corner of their sleeping structure.
Ronden woke them in the late morning, evidently quite pleased by the state of their dishevelment. “Wake up! Town to run and things to kill!”
Satemi had refreshed his memory regarding her fine store of profanity, but they’d all dressed and rolled out of bed.
Breakfast was an awkward affair. Those who were still eating gave them looks that ranged from ostracized to amused. A few seemed downright jealous. When they were done, they took turns up at the waterfall, washing away the debauchery.
“What’s with you, Minda? First the nectar? Then this fruit? If I didn’t know you any better, I’d assume you were a druggie?” Cade teased, splashing her with a handful of water.
“You liked it. Don’t lie. And so what if I prefer the natural and enhancing effects of hallucinogens over the sleepy drunk everyone else prefers with alcohol. Besides, ale and mead will give you a belly, Cade,” Minda warned, giving his waist a pinch.
Thanks to the Last World regimen of non-stop work, battle, and… the distraction the girls provided, there was no risk of Cade gaining a pound of excess fat.
Instead of arguing as much, Cade pushed out his gut and bumped it into Minda, knocking her back. She tried to fight back, but after he pulled back and bumped her again, she retreated, laughing all the while.
Satemi pulled on her leather armor and then belted on her swords. Then she walked up and interrupted the horse play. “If you two are done, we are due for another happy talk with Cha. You ready?”
Cade groaned. Cha had become such a pain in such a short amount of time. The tasks for the day were important though, and he was excited to see them done.
The group met with the rest of the Council of Five in front of the large shared housing. Cha stood near Havasham, and Mole sat on a log nearby, awkwardly trying to ignore them. Arranged in a half circle nearby, Ronden stood speaking with another group of the town’s best fighters.
Holding his hands out to either side, Cade called out in what he hoped might be an obnoxious display of kindness. “Hey, everyone! Thank you so much for your time. Sorry we were a little bit late, but had to wash up!”
“Yes, after a night like you all had, I’m sure there was plenty to clean,” Ronden said, giving Satemi a punch to the shoulder.
Cha reacted as Cade thought she might. Her face twisted into a scowl, as if she’d bitten into a lemon. “Please, let’s just get this over with. Today we summon three new structures, and send two teams to the second floor of the dungeon. Do you still insist on going yourself, Cade?”
“I do. And I’m guessing you’d still prefer if none of the council members go?” he shot back.
She smiled, her handsome features stretched into something closer to a rictus. “It is only reasonable. Satemi is a fine warrior, but she has also become a leader. My compromise is reasonable though. Can we agree?”
“Yes, we agree, Cha. So Havasham has his team chosen?” Cade said, wanting to speed things along.
“Of course, I have chosen Pomre, Vrin, and two of his best men,” Havasham said, holding his hand out to those who’d been selected.
Cade was pleased with the selection. Though it was obvious Cha and Havasham were trying to pull Vrin’s loyalty toward their end of the camp, Cade knew the man was firmly on his side.
“Good, and in order to honor the compromise, Satemi and Ketzal will stay back this time around, and I’ll be heading in with Polde, Sholl, Ronden, and Dan. Agreeable?”
Cha eyed Cade’s choices who’d come to at his sides. Rather than give any verbal consent, she merely nodded.
Satemi coughed in a fist, and approached Cha. She walked so close that the other council woman took a step back. “And let me be clear, Cha. The whole you versus us system isn’t going to last. We are all on the same side. We all want to survive. So the next dungeon run, I will not be sitting on the sidelines. Understood?”
Cha adjusted the hem of her shirt, fidgeting a few moments, but finally mumbling out an agreement.
Cade spoke up once more, hoping to bridge the gap that continued to form between the divided parties. “Also, your reasoning is sound in many ways, Cha. But we should remember that the dungeon is about to reset again in less than a week. I say we have a large group of lower-level fighters head through to clear the first floor again. That will ensure that many of us gain power, and not just a few. I’m sure that is your intention, yes?”
“Precisely,” Cha said, snatching at the chance to regain footing. “Now, I hope you are all quite careful. We don’t want to lose any of our prime fighters. Good day.”
The woman turned on her heel and strode away. Havasham glowered at Satemi, but remained quiet. He was a tall man and could look down on Satemi if he wanted. Whether or not he could defeat her in a duel though, was not at all decided. Besides, with Ronden, the biggest thing in camp, and Dan, very much the tallest, he wasn’t likely to try anything.
To avoid any further squabbles, Cade clapped his hands and announced, “Okay, gang! Let’s get on down to that dungeon. This should be a lot of fun.”
Satemi chuckled at his false levity, then walked away with Ketzal at her side.
The two groups walked side by side, keeping a comfortable distance between one another, of course, and were in the Town Interface room in no time.
Cade made sure to distribute Healing Tinctures, Scorching Poultices, Blast Sticks, and even an Acid Bomb to both parties. “I’m guessing that you all brought miscellaneous equipment? Food stores, plenty of water, rope, and torches?” he asked Havasham.
To his relief, the tall councilman nodded solemnly. His beef with Cade had been pushed away for the time being. And just in time. There was little room for such nonsense when they were all about to enter an unknown dungeon floor. The first floor had been very challenging as well. If this one was even slightly more challenging, they were all in for a treat.
“That’s good to hear,” Cade said, then asked them all to spare him a few moments alone with the Town Interface.
He strode over to the elaborate machine and rested a hand on one of the columns. He’d activated the Auditory Communications setting previously, so it wasn’t strictly necessary, but Cade wanted the demon AI to feel his presence.
“Good morning, Micah!” Cade said in a cheerful voice. “How you been, buddy?”
Micah replied immediately in his usual monotone. “Good day, Interface Controller Caderick Shelby Clarke.”
“Please, just call me Cade. I’ve come to make another few upgrades to the town.”
“Excellent. What would you like to select?”
Cade repeated what the town had voted on. A long list of specific choices had been made previously, which had been argued over by the Council of Five at length, and then the town meeting had been the best way any of them could think of breaking up the dissent. So when the townsfolk asked for a Forge, Cade knew the Council had agreed upon which type of forge would be best for their society.
“The first structure we want to erect is the Arcane Forge. Then I want the Intermedia
te Domed Greenhouse and the Primitive Clothier’s Hut. That’s all for today, thanks!”
Micah processed the request instantly, and asked, “Would you like to confirm and summon these buildings now, Interface Controller… Cade?”
Did Micah just hesitate? I think my insistence on informality is irking the poor guy.
Ignoring the sentiments, Cade pressed on. “No, I’d like confirmation that the allocated areas are cleared. I’ll be summoning Pablo to do so. For now though, can I confirm how much of our Mana Shard Reserves will be left after the purchase?”
“After allocated funds are deposited, Camp Casmeer will have approximately 33% remaining in Mana Shard Reserves.”
That seemed a bit lower than expected. Shaking his head, he pried. “Why so low? The council was estimating somewhere between 45 and 50%.”
Micah’s response was chilling. “Normally, the net percentage of Mana Shard Reserves continues to build over time. However, the connection to the main power source below Tanrial remains severed. Each building you have summoned has a Mana Upkeep. The Shield that protects Camp Casmeer is the most costly, but even the housing structures will continue to drain your Reserves.”
Glancing over his shoulder at Havasham, he saw the councilman looked as harried as he felt. There was little use in coming to rely on structures that would eventually become obsolete. Shrugging, Cade asked again, hoping for a bit more information. “After our most recent purchases, and assuming we keep all structures in place, how long do we have until we run out of Mana?”
“A total of 23 days.”
Havasham gasped behind Cade and stepped closer. “Ask it what percentage the Shield Barrier is consuming on its own.”
Cade sighed, knowing exactly where this was headed. Instead of arguing though, he looked to the councilman and nodded. “Micah, please tell us the relative percentages of each of the allocated structures.”
“The Shield Barrier consumes a total of 38%. The Gathering Stoves and the Arcane Forge each equally consume a total of 15 %. The other structures each equally consume a total of 8%.”
“38%! Cha will hear of this. We have known the barrier was a vanity all along. And now we know it is also bleeding us dry,” Havasham spat out and walked back to his group of fighters.
Shit. That is just what I need, Cade thought.
In an attempt to salvage the moment, Cade turned back to both parties. “We will have an emergency council meeting as soon as this run is over with. For now, we will make the purchases and hope that more resources, more Mana Shards, can be found in the dungeon.”
Then, not wanting to waste any more of the day, he called out, “Pablo! I need you, little man.”
“Little demon to you, Caderick. What is it?” the purple dragon replied, appearing on Cade’s shoulder.
“We are purchasing new structures. Can you head to town and make sure nobody is present?”
The demon sighed, purple smoke trailing out of his scaled snout. “Sure. No problem. That’s all I’m assuming?”
Cade thought a moment and decided it was worth a shot. “Actually, do you know if Mana Shards can be found in the dungeon? Can we harvest them somehow? We might be running low soon.”
“It’s been a long time since anyone has harvested this dungeon. However, if you clear it completely, you can reset many of the dungeon’s settings. The difficulty levels, types of monster present, and of course the loot rewards. Just need to get down to the bottom and kill that final boss!” Pablo said cheerfully, launching himself in the air and hovering before Cade.
“Great. So, we can change it all, but only after we clear it? How does that make any sense?”
“Precisely! And, it does make sense in a way. The previous Interface Controller apparently didn’t want their settings messed with, so they moved the Dungeon Interface to the bottom floor. Sorry!”
By the way he answered, Cade doubted the demon was sorry. Still, if Pablo could change it, he would. “Can you scout ahead? Tell us what we’ll be facing and the loot. Or is that forbidden too?”
Pablo shook his head regretfully. “Caderick, this isn’t what you want to hear, but this training facility is cloaked. I can’t even go inside let alone scout it out for you.”
“Fine,” Cade said, throwing his hands in the air. “Just tell me when the town is clear, please. We’ll find out on our own.”
In a blink, Pablo had teleported away. A few moments later, he reappeared and gave Cade a nod.
“Micah, finalize and summon the structures, please!” Cade commanded at last.
Assuming the act was done, Cade turned to the group of villagers and smiled. “Who wants to take a look at the second level of the dungeon?”
Ronden slipped his war hammer from its sheath on his back and pointed it to the sky. “About damn time! I was about to take a bleeding nap. Let’s kill some monsters!”
A cheer rose from the other warriors, and Cade felt a momentary thrill run through his body as well. But when his eyes met with Havasham’s, he knew there was a different sort of fight brewing when they returned.
“Micah!” Cade hollered aloud. “Unlock the second floor of the dungeon!”
The fighters all parted as he strode toward the descending stairwell. He didn’t feel like screwing around any longer, and he’d been dancing on egg shells too often lately. It was about time he had a good fight.
“Second Floor engaged, Interface Controller Cade,” Micah intoned, and the group jogged down the steps.
Passing the first floor, Cade recalled the dryads and the crazy boss fights they’d encountered there, the golden minotaur and angel making a strong impression on his mind.
What sort of grab assery do I have to look forward to this time? he wondered, his brain skimming through the many fantasy monsters he could recall. Goblins, werewolves, creepy vampires? Or something less cliche?
The stairs ended, and they walked out into a wide antechamber. As before, a door stood at one end of a long hall and the same low benches lined the sides. This place was designed for a good many people to run through, and he wondered, when he gained access to the Dungeon Interface, what he might be able to achieve.
Playing dungeon master would be pretty damn epic. I can’t say I’d pass up on the opportunity if one was given to me, he mused.
He stopped before the doors, two plain steel slabs with a simple latch handle to either side, and faced Havasham. “You’re in charge of your group, and I won’t interfere, I promise. But if shit goes sideways, follow my lead. Understood?”
After a few moments of glowering, the tall councilman bowed his head in a formal acknowledgement of Cade’s authority that was surprising. “You are the Archon.”
“Thank you, Havasham. Again, I won’t give any commands to your men unless I think we’re all in serious danger. Last time, things got intense very quickly. I have no idea what to expect, so let’s just go slow. We can remain as one large group if the layout allows, split up if needed, or leap frog when possible. That way, both groups will get plenty of experience.” Cade paused his pump-up speech and locked eyes with each of the villagers who’d come with them. One by one, he confirmed they were all on the same page, the same team.
Nothing like combat to shove the pettiness of politics aside!
Without further delay, he pulled open one of the doors, and moved aside as Ronden and Dan charged inside.
It made sense to have the tanks roll in first. They’d be able to stand against a wave of enemies if push came to shove. Yet, after they moved in, and Cade followed behind beside Sholl, no sound of struggle or combat filled the air.
They all stumbled into a large spherical chamber, big enough to play a legit game of baseball in, and blinked around at the metallic walls.
Like the doors, every inch of the walls looked like classic stainless steel. Only a subtle pattern could be discerned, mimicking the wires running across their reflective surfaces. The floor felt like it was made of rubber. It was spongy and easy to keep your footing on. And
in the very center of the room, illuminated by the single, vibrant source of light, sat a three-foot toggle jutting up from the floor.
Pure white light fell onto the switch, making it the obvious focal point.
Scanning the room thoroughly, Cade saw no doors, no alcoves, nothing further to move on to. Havasham’s group jogged up and stood opposite his own, and looked equally non-plussed.
Then, turning back to the less-than-subtle trigger, Cade laughed.
Havasham and a few of the others looked alarmed. “What is it?” the councilman asked incredulously.
“Sorry, it’s just kinda cheesy. Everyone get ready. The mother fucking hammer is about to fall,” he answered, walking over to the toggle and placing a hand on it.
The room suddenly filled with more light as hidden lamps came to life.
With a crazed grin on his face, Cade pushed the lever to the side. The geometric lines along the walls lit up ether blue, and doors opened up all around them.
As the group waited for whatever beasts would be thrown their way, the heavy silence was broken at last by a high-pitched buzzing that sounded like the pure and unfiltered essence of anxiety, if it were given a voice.
Their foes shot out and swarmed around them, in no way falling short of expectations.
5
Less than Human
Cade’s mind flicked between a mindless minion’s battle screech and a swarm of massive insects. What emerged from the tunnels was unlike any threat he’d faced since coming to Antinium.
They were the size of basketballs. And they were made of steel.
Color-coordinated steel apparently.
Dozens of buzzing machines rolled out, spheroids hell bent on destroying them all. Some were red, others blue, and the final few rolled out glinted a metallic green.
The red ones were the most numerous, and their attacks immediately became a nuisance. Bullet-sized lasers flew out of tiny barrels in bursts of three. Their accuracy was somewhat lacking, but considering that hundreds of the projectiles were littering the air, the rounds began finding their targets.