by J P Carver
He pushed on the doors and the hinges squeaked. The doors scraped rust onto the ground as the center opened to a bright orange light. He blinked it from his eyes as he gave the door one last shove and then stood in awe of what he saw.
The chamber was larger than any other he had been in, far larger than what should have been in the maintenance level. The place still had the same green water stained blocks, but there was plant life all over the place. Vines climbed the walls on either end of the room, blooming in grand purple flowers with blue centers. Grass grew from piles of dirt all along the floor, long and wispy with little plumes of fuzz on top that took to the air as he passed.
There were even trees, though they were short, stout things with bright red and orange leaves. They blended together close to the walls, making a barrier of color that had Geo wondering if he had somehow stepped into a forest. Even the smells were there, musty and wet like just after rain. He could hear the sounds of other animals and insects, but could see none of them.
It was almost tranquil in the twilight and it reminded him of autumn when he was a child and still living on Earth. That was so long ago that the nostalgia was surprisingly overwhelming.
It disappeared when his eyes found something at the back of the room. Inbetween half-circle trees of red was a chair of white stone and on that chair sat someone that watched him with an amused expression on her face.
He froze and then drew his sword, waiting for her attack. She stood slowly. A fluffy orange tail with a white tip swayed behind her as she reached for a spear that was beside her. It was made of red wood and the blade stood a few inches taller than her. She used it as a walking stick as she headed down the steps. It was Peyton.
The spacesuit was gone and in its place was light armor that looked much better than what he had. She had short pauldrons on her shoulders that were layered pieces of metal. A small silver gorget attached to both ends of the pauldrons.
One single piece of metal curved around her upper chest and was held in place by thick, dark brown straps. Her abdomen had smaller layers of metal plates against cloth of red, yellow, and white stripes. That cloth continued down to two long pieces on either side of her black pants. Her boots went to just below the knee and were covered in tiny metal plates that jingled a tiny bit when she walked.
The armor looked well made, but his attention was drawn to the tail that continued to sway as she came to the bottom of the steps. When she did so, the light hit her red hair at an angle that made it looked even more orange. In the light it showed what looked like two ears that turned toward him.
He relaxed his stance slightly as she was still pretty far way. “What’s with the tail?”
She grinned as she continued to close the distance. “What, don’t you like it? It's so fluffy and soft, I really love having it.”
“It’s weird.”
She chuckled and came to a stop a few yards from him. “Is it? That’s not what your scans said. You think it's cute.” She struck a pose, her tail curled around her waist, her free hand to her cheek and her ears straight up. She swayed her hips and batted her eyelashes. “Oh, Geo, do you want to cuddle with me? I’ll keep you nice and warm.”
“I think you got a few burnt circuits there,” he said, while telling himself that he didn’t think tails and ears on a woman were cute. He lost the battle before he started.
She stood straight, the seductive face gone in a moment as she shook her head. “Uh-uh, nice try, buddy, but we got you down to a science. Brain scans are a wonderful thing and it’s why we know you need us more than I need you.”
Geo furrowed his brow. “Need me?”
She smirked. “Sorry, but that kind of need is a discussion for another time. For now, we have a problem.”
“Yeah… we have a lot of them. Such as you creating this insane game and—”
“No, not that. We’ll discuss all that later, our problem is something you did.”
He racked his brain. “What I did? I didn’t do a damn thing but play your stupid game. Let me go, already. I don’t—”
“I mean you not being able to tell the difference between a frog and a toad,” she growled and took up the spear in both hands. He could hear the wood cracking under her grip even from a distance.
“I—what? You aren’t talking about—?”
She darted toward him, the air breaking in front of her with a crack as she closed the distance and grabbed him by the throat. Her nails were claw-like and dug painfully into his skin. “He was so upset when he came back. Practically in tears, you bastard.”
“Gah—are you talking about—that—that toad?”
Her nails dug in more, drawing blood. “His name is Kaeru, and he is the sweetest creature I have ever met. You had no right—” she growled again and tossed him toward the trees. He hit one of the trunks with enough force that his vision blurred and danced.
“My plan was to let you through without a fight, but that isn’t a possibility right now.”
Geo rubbed at the back of his head and blinked until she came into focus. She was stalking through the grass, white puffs dancing in the mild breeze that played in the room. The blade of her spear glinted in the light as she pointed it at him.
He coughed a few times and struggled to his feet. “W—we were fighting to the death. I didn’t want to fight the damn fr—toad. He made me.”
“He didn’t make you call him a frog from a puddle.”
“Are you kidding me? You cut into my damn head, you trapped me on my own station, took over my goddamn AI, and you’re going to lecture me?”
She stopped, her tail still and her ears flat on her head. She gnawed on her bottom lip and looked at the grass. A few seconds passed and she looked back up. “A point, but not one you have the power to back up. I will revenge Kaeru’s pain by killing you.”
“You do know Kaeru means frog, right?”
He saw a distinct pink color cross her cheeks and her jaw tighten as she glared at him. He felt like his health points should have been dropping just from the fierceness in her eyes. “I was a young AI when I found Kaeru in one of my simulations. I didn’t understand the difference at the time. Kaeru taught me that difference.”
“I can’t believe you’re that upset over a fight that you set up!”
“You didn’t have to insult him!” She went to move, but Geo called on
“You believe you can control me?” she asked, one eyebrow raised as her lips thinned.
“It… it was worth a try.”
She shook her head. “No, Geo, it was not. No one was surprised about the spells you picked. It's obvious that you have to be in control of what happens to you. If given the option, you’d want to control others too so you can predict what they’ll do.” She walked to him slowly, and Geo backed up against the tree trunk again. “But that’s not how life works. You won’t ever be able to control others the way you want.”
“You’re talking out of your ass now,” he said as she came to a stop in front of him. She rose her hand, and he flinched away from it, eyes shut while he waited for the next attack.
“You don’t like to be touched, do you,” she said, her voice holding a sad note in it. “Sorry, but we’ll have to explore that all more next time.” She put her hand against his shoulder, holding him in place as she rose the spear and placed the tip to his Spider Weave armor. “Without this you never would have bested Kaeru. You rely on it too much.”
He opened his eyes wide and looked down at the blade. “What are you—”
She shoved the spear forward, it pierced the armor with a tiny crackling sound. He put his hands against the pauldrons on her shoulders and tried to push her off. She didn’t even seem to notice and continued to shove the spear forward until he felt the point stab his stomach. It moved slow and he felt every part of the blade.
She then shoved
it forward, forcing a gurgling gasp to bubble out of his throat. The pain shocked him to his core and he watched his health bar drop while her eyes were locked on his face. Before his health hit zero the armor shattered in a shower of sparkling purple dust. The blade had gone through him and he was now pinned to the tree.
A sad smile showed on her face. “Next time might be different. Don’t put down others just to get ahead, Geo. You don’t know who may come for you if you do.” She stepped up, and he felt her lips touch his forehead just before his world went black. “Hope to see you soon.”
Fell Too Far Into Fog
I still can’t believe you let her penetrate you and yet you got mad at me for tasing you once.
“She didn’t—never mind, it’s not worth arguing about it,” Geo said. He was sitting on a table and munching on what he saw as a bag of chips, but it could have been plant fertilizer for all he knew. It was the second bag he’d gone through.
He was hiding, he knew it and so did Cotora, but neither would mention it right then.
Peyton was far stronger than any other thing he fought. She basically toyed with him and then broke his armor. He touched his chest and missed the weight. It felt almost like he had lost an old friend that had been there for all the hard times.
He finished the bag of chips and went searching for something else. He was hungry like never before and he had access to a lot of food in the safe room as it was a kitchen and Peyton’s group seemed to have stocked it.
There were some snack cakes in a cabinet and he brought the whole box with him. When he was alone, he would forget to eat more often than not and Cotora only reminded him when he was falling into a dangerous zone, but now all he wanted to do was eat and try not to think about what he was going to do.
You’re stress eating, Cotora said as he tossed one more wrapper into the trash can.
“Am not,” he said over a mouthful of chocolate cake. “I’ve been running on fumes for a while now. Just let me eat.”
Normally, I wouldn’t care, but this is my butt on the line too. You’re stress eating because you don’t think you can beat Peyton.
“No,” he said, fumbling with another wrapper. It finally opened and he wolfed down the contents. “I know I can’t beat that asshole fox.”
Sorry, I was wrong, you’re mourning more than stressing. It was a piece of armor, Geo.
“I’m fine,” he said and then heard what sounded like a hundred clicks from around the room. “What was that?”
I’ve locked the cabinets.
“Don’t you play with me, Cotora. That better be a joke.” He got up off the table and tossed the half eaten snack cake at the glass camera where it splattered cream over it. “Tell me you didn’t.”
I did, now clean my lens.
“You goddamn monkey,” he said and tried the doors. They were all latched. “Open them, Cotora. I’m still the commander of this station and you have to answer to me.”
That’s just the problem, you aren’t running this station. Amber is and you can’t make me do anything.
Geo turned and picked up a chair. He walked over to the wall where Cotora’s glass eye was and hurled the chair with everything he had at it. It shattered in a tiny pop and a flare of sparks. Glass wind-chimed on its way to the ground in tiny shards. “Now open the damn cabinets!”
She didn’t answer. He took a few deep breaths and realized that he didn’t know what happened if her camera in a room died. Was she not able to talk anymore? “Cotora? You there still?” he asked, but she stayed quiet. “Cotora…? Shit.”
He tried to talk to her for ten minutes, but she never answered. When that didn't work, he placed his head down on the table and closed his eyes. He almost missed her annoying voice. Over eight years there were only two times where Cotora couldn’t talk to him and both were for only a few minutes.
You’ve gained a new status!
Loneliness (-5)
Psyche is now 86
Despair is now -26
Psyche is now 73
He sat up as a sound reached him. It was a mumble of words, but they were near. It almost sounded like it came from the walls. He stood and went to one and he noticed that the world seemed to be darker. He placed an ear to the wall. The voices were still a jumble of words, but he could make out some of them. He heard his name. He heard talk of something that he had done his best to push out of his mind. They were talking about him and his past.
“Hey!” he called as he pounded on the wall. “That isn’t true, it was an accident!”
The voices grew in volume, but that didn’t help him understand anymore. He went to the door, anger bubbling in him worse than ever before. If he left, he wouldn’t be able to return until he died or killed a monster, but dammit, he wasn’t going to let them lie about him anymore. He had traveled so far to forget, and yet it just followed him and followed him. He touched the door.
Motherfucker, will you answer me!?
He pulled his hand from the door as if he’d been burned and looked around the room. “Cotora?”
Christ on a fucking unicycle, took you long enough to answer. What is going on with you?
“I hear people,” he said as he stared wide eyes at the door. “They… they were talking about me.”
No one would waste time talking about you. You’re hearing shit because—what the hell, Geo? How is your Psyche stat so damn low?
“What?” he turned to look at the broken glass. “If you’ve been here the entire time, why didn’t you answer me?”
You’re the one that destroyed my camera. It took time to get it powered on again, you jackass. Don’t try to turn this around me, it’s your damn fault.
He looked back at the door. The voices were just as loud. “Sounds about right… it’s always my fault.”
What? Cotora asked, her voice clipping. Don’t you dare try that bullshit. We don’t got time to play therapist here. She paused and then let out an electronic sounding breath. Will you just drink a few Achelois’ Elixirs already? You’ll feel better.
“The voices… they’re not real?”
No, you idiot. Other than Peyton there are no other people on this floor that can talk. Now drink them already, she said and his inventory screen appeared in front of him.
He stared at it as if he had never seen anything like it before. His mind felt like it was in a fog and doing anything was a chore. He finally found the elixir bottles and he downed three of them. He had two left.
Psyche is now 82.
It was like a hood had been had been taken off, the entire world grew in color and light. He turned around, admiring the clarity of his sight, but best of all, the voices were gone.
Is that better?
“Yeah,” he said and wiped at his face. “Yeah… I’m sorry.”
What? Did you just… you are not okay.
“Shut up,” he said and made his way back to the chair. “I need to be a lot more careful. This psyche stat is not something to screw with.”
Told you from the beginning. Are you done acting like a child?
“Somewhat. I still don’t know what I’m going to do against Peyton. I think this is as far as I go.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes.
So you’re giving up? You fixed the station’s reactor with some duct tape and a can-do attitude. You really aren’t going to look for a solution here?
He shrugged. “What solution is there? I lost my best defense. She easily beat the ever-loving crap out of me and then stabbed me. I didn’t hit her once, so unless I have some way to damage her that I don’t know about—” he trailed off as he looked at his inventory again. “Huh…”
What? Why d'you say, huh?
“Hold on,” he said. It was the bottle from his first Achelois’ Elixir, except, it wasn’t empty. In it was what looked like some kind of purple slime. He tapped on it for its description.
Toad Poison (Orange)
Poison comes in all types of forms, but the greatest poison is given
to someone the day their heart beats for the first time. Life slowly kills all.
Poison is a status effect that causes damage over time. Toad Poison is one of the most potent, causing %75 damage to health over twenty seconds. Toad Poison does not notify that the poison has taken effect until the damage is fully applied. Can be thrown (45% chance of failure), applied to a blade (2% chance of failure), or put into food and drink.
“Where the hell did this come from?” he asked as he brought it out of his inventory and held it up to the light. It was purple and translucent. The light filtered through, painting part of his hand purple.
Is that…? Did the toad drop it? You shouldn't be able to get that here.
Geo turned the bottle upside down and watched the sludge like substance crawl to the bottom. “Yeah, it had to be from the drop, I guess. It filled my empty bottle.”
Why the hell did you keep an empty bottle?
“I didn’t know what else to do with it, thought it might come in handy for potions or water. Didn’t really consider it.” He put the bottle away and then leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hand. “I just have to hit her once and she’ll be poisoned.”
It won’t kill her. You can’t die from poison, it’ll just take you down to a quarter of your health. You can’t reapply it either. The status doesn’t go away until cured or death.
“I can work with her being down to a quarter of health. Maybe. What other choice do I have?”
So are you going to try?
He nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”
Cotora gave a little laugh that sounded so unlike her that Geo jumped. Knew you’d pull through. Go kick that bitch’s ass so we can get our station back.
The Fox and Her Problems
The fire spiders gave him a lot more trouble without the spider weaver armor. It didn’t take as long as his first trek through them as he learned their movements well enough to rush past them entirely, but sometimes they moved differently and caught him off guard.