Nav Station Algos- Floors 1-4

by J P Carver

She looked back at it and shrugged. “I assume until it dies. Another thirty minutes and I can summon another.”

  “It’s stronger than either of us,” Peyton said. “We could really use two of them.”

  “What we really need is to level up,” Geo said as he poked his head out into the hall. The place had the same layout as the normal school, but everything looked like it had been coated in a layer of rust and sick. The lights that worked were flickering and making it hard to focus on anything near them.

  Nothing moved in the shadows or in the light and he stepped out. They walked along the hall for a few minutes, running only into stragglers and finding more potions and little experience from the girl puppets they killed.

  Klara finished searching another body and stood beside Geo. “Might be a good idea to farm here… as soon as we figure out where here is and how we came to this place.”

  “It’s probably Geo’s fault,” Peyton said.

  “How so?” Geo asked.

  “Because it’s usually your fault,” she said and then paused. As they talked things had filtered into the hallway.

  There were the girls they had faced before, but there was something else cloaked in the flickering darkness at the end of the hall. The creature stood, draped in the same red cloth that hung from the ceiling and laid across the floor.

  The creature moved forward, the flickering light throwing strange shadows across the large, distorted body. It looked like a man that had been crossed with an ape. Geo also noticed that the cloth wrapped around its body was actually different. The strips were drenched in some red substance that dripped from the cloth with every step.

  “I hope that’s the boss or something,” Geo said with a glance at the two women beside him. They had already taken up their stances and Klara’s demon seemed to be gleefully smiling at the creature before him, as if they were old friends.

  The girls attacked first, darting at the group with nails glinting in the faint orange light. Geo hopped forward and called for on the one at the head. It stumbled and would have fell over if not for Peyton’s spear finding a place in its chest. The girl slumped to the ground and Peyton dodged back just as one of the other girls went to strike.

  Klara’s demon walked forward and the two girls that were left parted around him with only a fearful glance before turning their attention back to Geo and the others.

  “You two can handle this, right?” Klara asked as she focused on her demon and the creature at the end of the hall. She drew a blade from her belt, it was long and curved, the handle intricately carved. She ran it along her hand as she went and Geo had to rush forward to block an attack aimed for her. “I don’t think one demon will work for this."

  “What is she doing,” Geo asked as he shoved back at the puppet girl. Peyton was dealing with her own but spared him a glance.

  “Probably gonna summon another demon,” she said as her spear went through the girl again.

  Geo was able to shove his blade into the chest of the girl he was fighting and took a breath as she dropped dead to the ground. He shook blood from his sword and they both went after Klara, but only made it a few steps.

  The doors on either side of the hall slammed open and from them poured a crowd of puppet girls and boys. They staggered out into the hall, cutting off Klara from Geo and Peyton.

  “Shit,” Geo said and backed away. They were a flood in the hall, filling in every gap. They wasted no time in turning their attack on them and Geo dashed back, catching Peyton with his arm.

  With the distance he could call on his skill. The puppets slammed into it and he heard the magical shields groan under the impact.

  “This is real bad,” Geo said. “It’s not gonna hold for long.”

  “I can kill a few of them, but we’re going to be overrun,” Peyton said as she looked around the hall hoping to find something while stabbing into the group with her spear.

  Geo cursed and shoved against the wave. He was watching the shield’s hit points tick down and felt his stomach sink. There had to be a way to not get overrun, but it felt like he was holding back a sea.

  “Like water…” Geo mumbled and looked to the ceiling. It took a second, but he found what he was looking for: a little nub along a pipe. There were six or seven all along it. “Peyton, that spear attack you did back on the last level, it was a lightning attack, wasn’t it?”

  “Yeah?” she said and he could see she didn't get why he was asking.

  “You can aim each strike of your skill, too?” He said as he gestured toward the pipe in the ceiling. She followed with her eyes and smiled.

  “I can, try not to get wet,” she said. The next second her spear was a blur as it punctured holes into the pipes in the ceiling. He had consider that this world was too different for anything to be in them, but it was worth the chance. Brown water sprang from each puncture, showering the puppets and creating a river across his shield wall.

  He backed away, bringing the crowd in front of him into the slowly forming puddles of water. With ten points of shield health left he called to her to attack.

  The lightning crackled along her spear and the air took on the smell of burnt ozone. He watched her shove the spear through the shields and connect with the first few puppets. It was a light show, purple and blue light arced between them causing them to jerk and shiver until they started to smoke.

  One after another they dropped, smoking and sizzling in the water that still danced with electricity.

  “Wow…” Peyton said as she looked out across the carnage and the fading clouds of smoke. “That was a hell of an idea.”

  “Just lucky it worked,” Geo said as he rotated his shoulders. They ached from holding back against the horde.

  “Take the compliment, it was a good idea,” she said and stepped on the closest puppet. “And we got a lot of good experience. That’s a level for both of us.”

  “I think Klara is too far away to gain the party experience, though,” Geo said as he looked for her and her demons, but the hall was empty. “You think she’s all right?”

  “Nothing about her is all right,” Peyton said and then sighed. “Let’s go find her, we can come back and loot these corpses afterwards.”

  They both jogged down the hall and pushed opened the two white doors. On the other side they found the large open area that was in the middle of the school. Klara was on the ground, her demons in bloody pieces around her and the creature from the hall towered over her, drips of red from its rags streaked her face.

  A great sword was in its hands and it had raised it strike. Geo cursed and took off running, but he could tell he wouldn’t reach her in time. He would watch her die again.

  In the Blood

  Peyton made it before him, as a blur of white, she slid to a stop in front of the falling sword and blocked it with her spear. The force behind the hit sent her back, and the blade clipped her bad enough that there was a spurt of blood from the wound that lingered as she fell back. Geo watched as the blade sucked in the blood from the air like a vacuum.

  The blade glowed orange as the creature brought it back up for another swing, but Geo was there in time and caught the blade with his shield. It brought him to his knees and it was a struggle to stand straight while the blade scraped against his shield.

  “You two all right?”

  “Minor damage,” Peyton said and moved in beside him, pushing against the shield.

  “Klara?”

  “She’s still alive, I used my comfort spell on her,” Peyton said. They shoved again and this time the creature staggered back, its sword slipping from the shield and embedding itself into a stone pillar.

  The creature struggled for a few seconds before the sword glowed red and red vines crawled over the pale surface of the pillar. The pillar exploded in fine dust that fogged the entire area. Peyton and Geo covered their faces as they backed away to where Klara laid.

  The dust drifted to the floor and the creature
stood before them, sword in hand. The glow of the sword had faded to nothing. Geo stared at it and then at Klara and felt his chest tighten. “It gains power from blood,” he said to Peyton.

  “What?”

  “The sword, it gains power when it draws blood. It used the blood from Klara and you to destroy the pillar. We get hit by that damn thing and it gets stronger.”

  “That’s a boss power,” Peyton said and frowned.

  “You’re saying he’s a boss?”

  “No, I mean, it doesn’t seem like it. This isn’t a boss room. He might be a mini-boss like Kaeru, but usually they’re very different from everything else in the area.”

  “Well, he’s strong as hell. We can’t let him hit any of us with that damn sword. I’ll tank him, you take Klara into the next room and recover as much as you can.”

  “You? What are you going to tank him with? Other than your , you’re in the same boat as the rest of us waiting for our cool downs.”

  “But I have a shield.”

  “And I have a spear. You’re not fighting that thing alone, Geo.”

  He looked back to the creature, its rags were caked with dust which shook loose with every step it took toward them. Geo got to his feet and readied his shield. “This isn’t an argument, you said I lead so follow my orders.”

  “Goddamnit. Of course it’s now that you grow a spine. Fine, I’ll take her, but I’m not leaving you to fight alone. Kaeru! Keep him alive, all right?”

  Geo looked back to find the toad materializing next to Peyton. He was no longer a tiny toad, nor was he his imposing form from the sewer. He was a few feet taller than Geo, but with how he hunched forward his head came to almost the same height. His pipe hung from the corner of his mouth.

  “As you wish, mistress, but I have no desire to save this waste,” he said.

  “Kaeru. Be nice and don’t get hit by the sword otherwise you’ll have a tougher time. We’ll be back once Klara is able.”

  “You could summon the damn f—toad this entire time?” Geo called as Kaeru moved past him and engaged the creature.

  “No… well sort of. Look, it’s complicated, all right?”

  “How is it complicated?”

  She sighed as she picked up Klara who groaned in pain at the sudden movement. “I can only summon him in some situations. Consider it a boon for taking charge for once.”

  “That doesn’t—” The sword slammed down next to Geo and he rolled to the side as Kaeru appeared and gave the creature a swift kick to the chest which sent it skidding across the room and into the wall.

  When Geo was back on his feet, Peyton had already taken off for the door. Curing under his breath, Geo turned to face the creature.

  “He is tough, Geo-kun,” Kaeru said. He had lost his pipe and his robe had been torn, but it didn’t look like the blade drew blood.

  “I noticed… thanks for helping,” Geo said and Kaeru looked over, eyes wide. “I mean it.”

  “It was an order from the mistress… but you are welcome. Come, let’s destroy this blight before mistress has to get involved again. Show her you are one worthy of her companionship. Show me, as well.”

  Geo chuckled as the creature came back into the light and readied his sword. “I’ll be the anvil, you be the hammer.”

  “We’ll strike him down before he swings again,” Kaeru said and they both took off to greet the creature.

  Geo’s was up and he used it as he slammed into the creature, pinning the sword against its chest. He could feel the creature pushing back, and it was taking all his strength to keep it from moving.

  “Hurry up, Kaeru!” he called as he watched the blade cut into the shields, taking their health down by a quarter.

  The creature suddenly stopped struggling and arched back, using a free hand to grope behind.

  “The blade is being blunted by the rags, Geo-kun,” Kaeru yelled and Geo saw him dodging the creature’s hand.

  “Set your feet,” Geo called as an idea came to him. If Kaeru couldn’t push the sword through, maybe he could push the creature on it. “Tell me when you’re ready!”

  “Set!”

  Geo used his skill and shoved against the creature with everything he had. They both started to move back and a guttural cry came from the creature as a bulge appeared in its chest. The rags strained against it until they tore and Kaeru’s spear came out in a spray of black blood, nearly clipping Geo’s head as it passed through the shield wall.

  The creature made a gurgling sound that took Geo off guard and he could hear it speak as if its lungs were full of water. “They… will… still… die…”

  Geo took a step back, letting the creature thud to the ground. The handle of Kaeru’s spear stuck straight in the air and the toad pulled it free.

  “We kept our word,” Kaeru said as he wiped the blood from the spear on the creature’s back. “Quick thinking Geo-kun. It seems you have grown since our last encounter.”

  “Your mistress isn’t giving me much choice,” Geo said and sat down, exhaustion running through him. “Thanks for your help, Kaeru-san.”

  A chuckle escaped the toad and Geo looked up to see him standing over him, his long beard nearly touching his nose. Kaeru held out his hand. “Guess even you can learn to respect others.”

  Geo sighed and let the toad lift him to his feet. “Thanks.”

  “You should loot the corpse. I must go check on the mistress,” Kaeru said and padded off toward the hallway.

  Geo went over to the creature that laid face down and kicked it over. He opened up his inventory to see what he could get and was surprised at one item. The sword was lootable. He took it and equipped it.

  Sanguine’s Bane (Orange)

  Attack (Two Handed): 430

  Attack (One Handed): 380

  Required Strength for one-handed: 11

  The want to harm others is a desire that lies in all. Curb the desire and find power in the control when you harm those that have wronged others rather than yourself.

  A blade empowered by the blood of the user’s enemies. While equipped, it grants Blood Vision: the ability to see weaknesses in defense. When a strike draws blood, it will be siphon off into the blade and grant +50 to attack and speed up stamina regeneration for five seconds.

  At one-handed strength, it takes 15 stamina per swing.

  It was too heavy to use with one hand at his current strength and so he put his shield away and used two hands. He swung it right and left, getting a feel for its balance, but something felt strange. It was a tingling sensation down his arms and then it traveled up into his chest. He could feel his blood traveling through his veins, the heat and pressure in it. He wanted to attack something, to kill it and feast on the power of the blood he could rip from the living. It wasn’t overwhelming, but it was enough that it scared him.

  “Geo?”

  He turned to see Peyton standing a few feet from him, observing him. He quickly unequipped the sword and gave her a faint smile. “Hey, Klara okay?”

  “She’s doing fine. You found a new weapon?”

  “Yeah, but can’t use it yet.”

  “Was it the same weapon that thing had?” she asked as she came to stand beside the creature. “Does it have the same power?”

  Geo shrugged and flexed his fingers, he swore he could see the blood pumping throughout her body, but it was like an after-image. He shook his head, she wasn’t real so there wasn’t blood, he told himself and it calmed him some. “Doesn’t seem like. I can’t one-hand it yet so that makes it useless. My shield is too important to unequip.”

  “I agree with that assessment. Kaeru told me how you two took this thing down. You’re on the ball today, dude. I’m proud of you.”

  The last of the desire to kill left with those words. It had been a long time since someone actually said they were proud of anything he did and it made his body a little lighter. If only it didn’t come from some robot.

  “Come on, we still
need to find a way out of here,” she said and placed a hand to his shoulder and squeezed it before leaving. Geo followed after one last glance at the creature.

  Back to School

  They looted all the dead puppets that Geo and Peyton had killed. There were a few new pieces of armor and a bunch of potions. Nothing above green level, but Geo was able to upgrade his armor with small pauldrons and gloves.

  He still missed his spider weave that Peyton had destroyed, but the new pieces at least bumped his defense rating up around 40 points to a rating for 260. It wasn’t great, but he couldn’t complain much.

  What he could complain about was they kept hitting dead ends. Every hall they entered had a few puppets, and a blocked off walls. They were gaining experience at least, but it was frustrating as they found themselves back in the gym, unsure of where to go.

  “We had to have miss something,” Klara said as she sat on the bleachers and rubbed dried blood from her arm. The cuts healed with no signs of being there, but the blood dried and stuck to the small hairs on her arm. She grimaced as she rubbed at the red streaks. “We can’t be stuck here, can we?”

  “No,” Peyton said. She was running her hand over one of the hanging red cloths. “You’re right, we’re missing something. There is always a way out.”

  “When I am unsure of where to go, I backtrack,” Kaeru said. He sat on his haunches beside Klara and puffed on his pipe. Where he had found, Geo had no idea.

  “That’s what we’re doing,” Geo said and held his hands out to the gym. “This is where we started.”

  “Is it?” Peyton said after a moment. She turned to look at the closet doors. “We didn’t start here.”

  They all looked toward the doors and it looked like they were glitching.

  “They weren’t like that before, were they?” Klara asked and Geo shook his head.

  “No, guess killing that creature opened up a safe room,” he said as he tried the handle. The door opened and the cool blue and grey of the normal nav-station greeted him.

  The room was a closet and filled with equipment that would have been used in the school, shelves were stocked with electronics and even some paper and other grade school items. Geo stepped in and a voice he hadn’t heard in a while greeted him.