Nav Station Algos- Floors 1-4

by J P Carver

  A part of him wanted to just turn and walk away. It told him it would better if he just ignored his fake sister and went back to the house. It told him to just walk away and leave it all behind the door. He couldn’t. A past him might have been able to trample down the feeling enough to walk away and pretend he had no part to play, but not any longer.

  The door opened, and he heard muffled pain as soon as a crack appeared into the next room. He froze until he heard a voice call out to him and then he wanted to run.

  “Come in, Geo. You’re late,” the owner of the voice called and the door handle was ripped from Geo’s hands as the door was flung open. Aya was leaning against the footboard of the bed, ankles crossed and arms straight, holding her up. She wore a hospital gown that laid lightly over her frame. She offered a smile to him, but it was different from the others he had received from her in the past. “I expected you here an hour ago, little brother. Mom and dad have been waiting too.” She gestured to the back wall and Geo turned to face them.

  He found the bloody faces of his parents in this world and while he held no love them, it still turned his stomach to see them in such a state. They weren't hanging from the wall, though that was his first thought. Instead, it was as if the wall had melted around them, trapping them beneath the beige paint. The pained noises were coming from them, their mouths covered by a protruding piece of of the wall. Their expression were dazed, almost if they weren’t seeing anything or feeling anything other than their pain.

  “Do you like my new decorations?” Aya asked, smiling.

  “Who are you?”

  She cocked her head and straightened. “Your big sister. You know that, don’t you? I was the one that was attacked so if anyone is having memory issues, it should be me, shouldn’t it?”

  “You’re not her,” he said with a glance back to the wall.

  “Oh, but I am. I’ll admit that I surprised myself in how well I acted the dutiful and loving big sister to a sleazy bastard. The way you leered at me and, oh, don’t even get my started on the looks you gave Peyton. Your lust was like some sickening fog in that house.”

  “I’m sorry, did you have a point or something?” Geo asked. She was trying to anger him, but for what reason he wasn’t sure of. Until he was, he decided it would be best to be careful

  Her smile opened to show teeth. “Oh, you think you’ve changed, do you? Maybe you have, but not as much as you hope. You’re still the same filth that your whole family threw on this space station.”

  Geo gritted his teeth. It was harder than he expected not to let her words eat away at him because on some level, he considered them true. But he had said far worse about himself in his mind and had overcome those thoughts. He wouldn’t let something from an NPC cause him that kind of harm. What it did was confirm who he was dealing with.

  “How about you, are you mad that I killed your worthless brother? Your real one, I mean. The one that lost to a piece of filth like me?”

  The smile faltered, but she recovered quickly. “He was an idiot, a lot like you in that respect. You know who I am, then?”

  “Luda.”

  “Bingo. I’m impressed, but then you do have that bitch with you and as much as most hate her, she was always very perceptive. Where is she then?”

  “Not here.”

  “No? So you didn’t figure it out?” She pouted and for a second she seemed like the sister he had met when he first came to this floor. “I knew I was giving you too much credit.” She sighed and walked to the windows and stared out. “My brother wanted to be the one to fight you first as he wanted to break you. He enjoyed the killing more than I ever did.”

  “He didn’t seem to when I killed him.”

  She snorted and turned to face him. “I don’t like to kill, there is no fun in it. I kill you and pain is over in an instant. With you I can have all my fun until you nothing but bloody putty. Then, I can kill you and have my fun all over again. You’re a wish come true for me, Geo.”

  “I’ve grown since I fought your brother, Luda. I won’t be as easy to kill as you think.”

  She shrugged. “Maybe and maybe not. We can’t find out here either way.” She rose a hand and snapped her fingers. The room shifted, as if each foot of space was on a slide and the other world lived underneath.

  Geo blinked a few times to get his vision stable again and was greeted with a rusted out view of the hospital room. Luda stood in the middle and looked appraisingly around. “This was my realm before we joined the worlds together. When we did that, the game made this the only place weapons can be used. It’s been really annoying.”

  “Then how—”

  “How did my brother do it? It was his world, he could bend the rules some. I sadly don’t have that power.”

  There were three flashes around Geo and he turned to see Peyton, Klara, and Mason standing beside him, wearing armor and their weapons.

  “What the hell—” Peyton began but broke off when her eyes found Luda. “No… really?”

  “I forgot, his party members get teleported with him to this world. Luda said.”

  “Hey, isn’t that your sister?” Klara asked.

  “That’s Aya, but Aya isn’t Aya,” Mason said.

  “Could you say that again with a few less Ayas?” Klara asked.

  Mason frowned and looked over. “She’s Luda. I knew she was around, but I never would have guessed she was Geo’s sister.”

  “I’m glad you all are so interested in me, but I’m afraid the business Geo and I have is best attended to alone,” she said and took a step toward Geo but was stopped by Peyton’s spear as she dashed between them.

  “No, you have business with us all. And that business is you dying so we can move up another floor.”

  “How the mighty have fallen,” Luda said and pushed the spear aside with a finger. “How does it feel to not have any real power anymore? Amber is a disaster, but knowing that you are slumming around with this group of idiots is well worth anything she destroys.”

  Peyton gritted her teeth and pushed the spear so that it was against Luda’s chest. “I’ll get everything back, Luda. You’ll see.”

  She shook her head. “No, I probably won’t just like any of the other AIs that have died. But if you want to kill me, you’ll have to come find us.” She rose a hand and snapped her fingers again.

  The walls fell away as if they were flat boards. Behind them was only a void of black that seemed to suck up any light that touched it. Geo looked around and realized with a slight jolt that it was only him and Luda that were standing on the floating floor. His party members were gone.

  The Rage Inside

  “That’s much better,” Luda said. The softness of Aya was gone, replaced by stern and angular features. Her hospital gown had changed and in its place she wore leather armor that clung to her like a second skin. Two handles protruded from her waist and she reached down to them. “We need some brother-sister time, don’t you think?”

  She pulled two long danger free from their sheaths, the metal glinting in the phantom light that washed over them and the floor. There was a distinct green hue to the edges of the blades that made Geo uneasy.

  “You’re not my sister,” Geo said, readying his blade. The coolness of the handle soothed his nerves.

  She shrugged and spun the blades once. “I could have been, but my brother was an idiot. My real brother I mean. He was supposed to play a game with you all, but got greedy. Little brothers are such a pain, but you still love the little dweebs. Your sister said such a lot, didn’t she?”

  It felt like a cube of ice had been dropped in his stomach at her words. Luda must’ve seen it on his face because the smile she gave was almost devilish.

  “Do you think she blames you?” she asked and disappeared in a haze. The next moment she was behind him and he felt a sharp pain run across the top of his right shoulder. “Or do big sister always forgive?”

  The pain subsided and was replaced by a singing electrical throb that s
tole his breath. It was like salt being poured in the wound. He jumped away from her and clutched at his shoulder. There was no blood in the cut and it looked almost like a large paper cut. It burned and made him drop his shield. His fingers wouldn’t work anymore and without his shield, many of his skills were useless.

  “What the hell was that?”

  “Just the beginning, my dear little brother.” She disappeared again, but he was ready. He ignored the pain and tried his best to listen. She wasn’t teleporting as he could hear the quick movement she was making. The problem was that he couldn’t pinpoint it. At the last second he felt the air move behind him again and turned to block her attack. But she wasn’t there.

  Another slice into this skin got a cry from him and he stumbled back while clutching the new gash on his arm. She had sliced through his armor as if it was nothing. Again, there was no blood, except for what was on her blade. She caught a drop on her finger and smirked at him.

  “I don’t want you to bleed out,” she said matter-of-factly and then licked her finger. “The poison won’t kill you either, so you don’t have to worry about any of that.”

  He called on . It hit her in a crackle of purple across her entire body. Her eyes went wide, but they weren’t fearful.

  Geo took the chance and rushed forward, his sword raised. He brought it down on her, but just before it would hit, he cleaved air. Another slice to his back sent him stumbling forward. He cursed and turned to face her.

  “Tut-tut, you shouldn’t be using those kinds of spells on your sister.” She said. Her left arm laid limp at her side. She followed his gaze and laughed. “Guess you have higher affinity, can’t use that arm for a bit. If it had been one of my legs, I might have been in trouble.”

  He used again, but she was ready and disappeared. He cursed. This was not going well, and he had to wonder how long she could keep going at such a speed. If Peyton was any indication, she could keep dodging and attack forever.

  There was no point in trying to attack her head on. He had to think, but every time he tried she attacked him again. He blocked two of her attacks, but it was becoming harder to move. Every cut sang and made it impossible to concentrate on anything. It aggravated him more that she wasn’t trying to kill him. He was a toy to her, he could tell that much just by the grin that played across her lips and the faint pink in her cheeks.

  She loved causing him pain and watching him struggle.

  Another cut and another thought lost. He couldn’t lift his shield anymore as he couldn't bend his fingers. His whole nervous system was nothing but the same song of pain and burning. He dropped to his knees, his sword clattering to the floor next to him.

  New Mental Status!

  Hopelessness (-10)

  Psyche is now 82

  New Mental Status!

  Blinding Pain (-10)

  Psyche is now 72

  Luda walked toward him, her footsteps like thunder in the void. There was a darkness that crept into his vision and the woman that walked toward him looked somehow demonic in the way she carried herself. She bent down, and he looked up to her. Her hand laid gently against his cheek and she wiped away the tears and snot from his lip.

  “Just kill me already…” he said, his voice horse and didn’t sound like his own. “But I’ll be back.”

  “That I know which is why I’m not trying to kill you. Look at your health bar. Only a sliver is gone, right?”

  He glanced at the bar in the corner of his vision. It was grey instead of green, but she was right. Only a bit was missing.

  “So you see, killing you would go against the very thing I’m trying to do.”

  “W—what are you trying to do?”

  “Torture you.” She grinned, and he was sure he saw fangs. “You’ve held up well to my poison, but now we’re getting to the part that I enjoy most. The careful removal of what’s attached to you. I think we can go pretty far. Will you show your big sister how strong you are?”

  She put the blades away at her back and pulled a longer, more flexible blade from her hip. It was serrated with saw-like teeth. It had the same green glow. “Where would you like me to start? How about your pinky? You don’t really need that, do you?” she asked as she dropped to her knees beside him and grabbed his wrist.

  The blade pressed against the little finger on his left hand. He tried to pull away, but the hand that held his wrist felt like iron. He screamed as the blade started to move back and forth. His skin moving along with the blade like a tough steak. Only a small amount of blood leaked out when she hit the bone. The pain was brilliant and he threw up as she continued to saw.

  “Your bones are so strong. You must have drank your milk,” she said as he heard the bone snap. His little finger rolled away a little before she picked it up and examined it. “I like it, nice and strong looking. Not sure what I’ll make of it, maybe a wind chime. Would you like that?”

  Everything hurt, but there was pain inside that didn’t come from the poison. He could feel it bubbling up from his core, the heat of it was overwhelming. He felt his heart thud in his chest and throughout his body. The heat built and with it came an emotion he hadn’t felt in days. Desire for blood.

  Blinding Pain (-15)

  Psyche is now 67

  “Do you know what I love best about this kind of work? That I’m helping people,” she grinned, the smile curving far too high. His vision was darkening, focusing on her. He could see her blood, how it slowly moved through her body. “Think about it, without me you would think the pain you have suffered is the worst you could ever feel. Tell me, does it compare at all to the pain you’ve felt today? I bet it doesn’t.”

  He inched his good hand toward his sword as she continued to look at his finger. He’d cause her the same pain, no... worse. He’d suck her blood from her veins until she was a husk. He’d watch the light leave her eyes.

  You have unlocked a new Psyche Skill!

  BloodRage

  Adapted from Sanguine Blade Weapon Skill: BloodLust

  Psyche Required: less than 70

  The rage in the blood causes the user’s strength to double. Vision is narrowed and pain response is turned off for 1 minute. Once 1 minute is up all pain is doubled and strength is cut in half for 1 minute.

  For a few seconds, he stared at the text, at the negative aspect and decided that it was more than worth it. If he could kill this woman, anything would be worth it.

  He gripped his sword and felt the metal give. He pushed himself to his feet.

  She noticed him getting up and turned with that same sickening smile. “You can stand? Oh, Geo, you are so full of surprises.”

  He rushed her which surprised her. She darted away, but this time he could follow her, or more accurately, he could follow the ghost image of her veins. When she appeared beside him, he was ready and her knife clinked off his sword, knocking her off balance. He took the opening and swung his sword down, connecting with her side and sending her tumbling end over end across the floor.

  Blue blood streaked the wood and Luda struggled to get to her feet, her hand clamped over her side. He had put all his rage into that hit and it looked like it only cut her slightly. She stumbled a few steps as she pulled one of her daggers out from it sheath and to his surprise, she drew it across the wound he had made. It stopped bleeding at once, but her face was still drawn up in pain.

  “I don’t know what you’re doing,” she growled, ”but you’re my plaything. You aren’t going anywhere.”

  Geo was breathing heavily and after one last deep breath he answered the best way he could think of: with another attack. She deflected and danced out of his reach, but the toll of it and the wound were showing. She didn’t move nearly as fast and each swing of his sword sent her flailing from the impact. It wouldn’t be long before he broke through her defense.

  But his own time had hit its limit. The pain came back like a wave, washing over his whole body and dropping him to his knees. “No…” he m
umbled as his arms shook just trying to keep him up. “No… just a bit more…”

  Luda relaxed slowly, her chest heaving. She was covered in hundreds of nicks and cuts, all near misses that would have ended the battle had they actually connected. “All that just to fall flat at the last second. I guess that’s what impotent rage means. You couldn’t complete your revenge and now look at you. A last gasp was all you had left.”

  She came to him again and placed her foot on his back. It took little to shove him to the ground, and she dug the heel of his boot into his back, twisting it back and forth. “This is where you belong, little brother. Right here, suffering for your sins.”

  He couldn’t find words as the pain was so intense. His mind was liquid, every thought entered and disappeared before he could understand it. All except one. Peyton’s face kept appearing in his mind’s eye, just flashes, but they were something to focus on. He wished she was there with him. He wished his entire party was there. With them this woman wouldn’t have stood a chance, but they weren’t and in a way, he was glad.

  Why?

  The voice came out of the white noise of the pain, cut through it like sunlight through a darkroom.

  Why are you glad?

  It took a few seconds to form a response, but it was a simple one. He didn’t want them to suffer like he was. Better they were safe than beside him.

  Do you think they would agree?

  No, he didn’t think they would. They would want to be there to help him. He didn’t understand why, but he knew that… that his friends would help him if they could.

  Do you believe in them? Trust them?

  He did, but he couldn’t say when that happened. He trusted all of them more than any human in his life. It felt strange, but in some ways, they were more real than the people that had shunned him and caused him so much pain.

  Friendship is a worthy bulwark to build. With more hands the weight of the world can be a little easier to carry. You are worthy of those friends and in turn, worth of my guidance.