“Is that how you could tell I was lying when we first met?” Moes asked. Joe tilted his head and looked up at Spooky.
“You did have a lot of those tells, but that's not how I knew. Spooky, how about you explain to us both how you knew he was lying,” Joe said.
“Though I will admit Joe is good at detecting microexpressions and reading gesture clusters, he has nothing on me. When someone is lying their irises contract in a very specific way. At the same time, the blood vessels on the tip of the nose tend to fill up slightly because of the aptly-named Pinocchio effect. I can even detect the small changes in pheromones being released when someone lies. With these factors, and many others, the possibility that you were lying approached certainty,” Spooky said.
Unconsciously crossing his arms, Moes hunched over slightly. As soon as he did this, awareness struck and immediately he uncrossed his arms and straightened his posture. Moes raised his chin and a look of defiance spread across his face. Joe smiled, remembering how this was his reaction after reading the literature.
“I'm sorry if this is making you feel uncomfortable. It's not my intention, Moes. If it makes you feel better, you should probably never cross your arms anyway. It raises the level of hormones in you that cause stress,” Joe said.
“So what?! I like crossing my arms. Maybe I want to communicate something by crossing my arms,” Moes said, then stood up, crossed his arms, and gave Joe his most intimidating stare.
“You don't know me, Joe. No matter what you read on the outside,” Moes said.
“I never claimed to know you. Who you are and what you’ve gone through is a story that I'm sure I’ll never truly know. Moes, I didn’t mean to offend you by talking about these things. You asked about strategic thinking, and this is the only way I know to begin talking about it,” Joe said. Moes uncrossed his arms and sat down once more.
A red light appeared on the edge of Joe’s vision. Before Joe could mind-click the light, Spooky said, “To the dome. An enemy is coming up the slope from the west.”
The three of them ran up the stairs and over to the windows. Before them, was a view of the slope that led toward the plane at the base of the high mountains. Still a few miles away, was a 20-foot tall beast. It had long white hair all over its body and large piercing white and red eyes. As it made the slow trek up the slope, even from miles away, you could see it retracting and extending one long sharp claw from one paw, then one longer sharp claw from the other paw. Joe attempted to mind-click the yeti, but it was apparently too far away.
“Joe, that thing is big enough to destroy this whole castle. Eventually I will have the castle defenses to stop it, but it's too early. I got nothing,” Spooky said.
“Okay, I get it. What is that, Moes?” Joe asked.
“Most likely our death, but if you mean the name of it, it's a yeti. The biggest yeti I have ever seen, or even heard of. We're going to die. We might as well already be dead. …You might smell better now, but you still stink,” Moes said, getting a whiff of Joe and once again losing the hope in his eyes.
“That is not helpful,” Joe said as he pulled out the Book of Useful Information and opened it. The text read, “Never too late to say you're sorry. Make peace before the end comes.”
“Also not helpful,” Joe said as he pulled out his compass and opened it. It only had one needle pointing directly toward the yeti. Joe bent closer and read the tiny writing. It read, “Danger- Huge Angry Yeti.”
“Zero for three. Not helpful. Moes, I am going out there to talk with that yeti. Tell me what you know about their species- now,” Joe said.
“I'm not going with you,” Moes said.
“That's fine. Now, give me the information I need. I have to get out there quickly,” Joe said with command in his voice.
“Okay, yeah. Yetis are a distant relative of giants, normally not much over 10-feet tall. They're not evil, but they're not good either. Most live as far from civilization as possible, because even though they are extremely powerful as adults, their young are very vulnerable. Their young are hunted because their bodies can be used to make valuable reagents. All adults have at least one retractable claw that is harder than black iron and incredibly sharp. Their skin is very thick and extremely hard to pierce. What else… I'm not sure. Wait, they don't have much mental resistance, or magical resistance in general, but they do have near immunity to cold, of course. Wait, how can you talk to him, do you speak yeti?” Moes asked.
“I don't think so. Wait, what are you speaking?” Joe asked.
“Giant, actually,” Moes said.
“Really? That’s cool, I speak giant. I will figure it out. Anyway, got anything else?” Joe asked.
“That is all I got,” Moes said.
“It will have to do. Spooky, can you make a strong rope I can hook this to?” Joe asked, holding up his MIL Bar.
“Yes, Joe. It will be waiting right before the door on the way out,” Spooky said and hurried down the stairs. Joe was right on her tail. Moes was left alone, looking out the window down at the approaching doom. He felt like a coward. He could have, at least, attempted to mind control the yeti, but with the yeti already in a rage, it seemed impossible. The sad thing was, spirit and mind magic worked much better on someone who trusted you, or who was, at the very least, unaware of the attack.
Chapter 4 - The First
Joe and Spooky reached the atrium where the door out toward the yeti was located. Joe picked up the rope which had a handy clip at the end that he quickly attached to one of the looped sides of the MIL Bar. Taking a deep breath to center himself, he accessed his HUD to remind himself where all his action keys were. Pressing one, he moved his right hand in a sign, drew power into it, and a silver aura gathered around it. He directed it at Spooky and cast Spirit Shield on her. Then, he repeated the action for himself. Spooky would be visible to the yeti, but be able to help. Every little bit counted. The double doors opened and Joe sprinted out, with Spooky flying by his side. The yeti had not yet reached the area where the conflux had melted the rock to make a flat stone surface surrounding the castle. Joe wanted to make it to the rocky area on the slope to intercept the yeti. There, at least, he might be able to find a little cover. Luckily for Joe, the conflux had restored him to beyond the point of his greatest health in life.
As they got closer, Spooky mind-clicked the yeti. In her HUD, the information she received was red. She wasn't sure how high the level had to be for her to be unable to read it, but it was high enough that this would be a problem.
Level- ???
Character- Chief Bridcha
Race- Yeti
Mana- ???
Hitpoints- 1553
Spooky felt her second real emotion. Fear. As Joe began to run, he seemed to sense Spooky’s worry and said, “Don’t worry Spook. It is just a game. But, what happened to a level one starting area? Never mind, I'll improvise.” His sprint took him well into the midst of several rocks and boulders by the time he stopped. He did not even feel winded. Standing still, in front of the yeti’s path, Joe was feeling pretty good in his Russian military garb. Holding his MIL Bar in his right hand, Joe raised his left hand in the universal sign for stop. “Stop, friend. Before you enter my dominion, we must discuss the rules of this land,” Joe said.
“Dominion?” Spooky whispered.
“Hey, I can role-play too. Fake it till you make it, and all that,” Joe whispered back. The yeti paused for a moment, and then yelled something back. Unfortunately, it was in language neither Joe nor Spooky understood. Ultimately, it did not matter because the yeti did not wait for an answer. He extended the claw from his right paw, and it was three and a half feet long. Then, a two foot claw extended from the other paw. Raising his claws, the yeti began sprinting toward Joe. Joe did not stand still. Doing what would appear to be the crazy thing, Joe sprinted toward the giant-like yeti. Joe had a plan, but it was dangerous because the yeti’s reach was great. As their speed brought them closer together, Joe threw his MIL Bar directly t
oward the knees of the yeti. Joe then veered as hard as he could toward the left, hoping the yeti’s claws would not reach him. The yeti almost ignored the bar coming at him, planning to run through it like the toothpick it was. Just before it reached the yeti, the bar stopped in mid-air. Joe had activated its ability to become immovable. Instead of the yeti running through the bar, the yeti tripped, at knee level, by a MIL Bar that had no give. The yeti fell flat on his face, hitting his head on a rock, stunning him for a short time.
As soon as the yeti tripped over the bar, Joe deactivated its immobility and pulled on the rope attached to it, bringing it back into his hands. As fast as he could, Joe ran and jumped on to the back of the sprawled out yeti. Placing the bar between the yeti’s shoulder blades, Joe activated its immobility. Leaving the bar where it was, Joe jumped away before the yeti awakened from his stupor.
The yeti put his hand on his head, feeling the pain and then began to lift himself from the ground. The problem was, there was something pressing between his shoulder blades. It was wedged firmly against him, and preventing him from even taking a full breath. He began yelling.
This time when the yeti began to yell, Joe understood. What's more, he knew he could now speak fluently in whatever language the yeti was speaking. So, he began to do so.
“Calm down and stop struggling. It's impossible for you to get free. You shouldn't have come here and attacked. That's not the way to treat a neighbor,” Joe said from a safe distance. In a gravelly, guttural voice, the yeti began to respond.
“Burning hair! Fire! I get free! Soon! Silly little spell. Weak! I strong! I press, press, press, BREAK free! Crush your bones! Eat your flesh! When done, clean teeth. Destroy power place. Right wrong. Place done!” the yeti screamed in rage.
Joe could feel his mana going up as the bar converted the yeti’s health. Ignoring Joe, the yeti continued to struggle, making no headway. Joe had time to stand there and think. What wrong had his place of power done?
“We should talk about this. I'm sure we could come to a compromise. I don't want my flesh eaten, and I'm sure you don't want me to have to kill you,” Joe said. In response, the yeti stopped struggling and raised his head enough to look at Joe. Then, he formed a sign with his right paw and a purple aura of force shot out. Joe, recognizing a threat, jumped hard to the right, missing almost all of the force’s power, save for the leaking edge. The remnant of the yeti’s spell was enough to send Joe flying back against a rock, cracking his ribs and helmet. If Joe hadn't been wearing his helmet, his skull would have been cracked instead. Even with the helmet, he thought he had a concussion. As quick as he could, Joe fell behind a large boulder. He pulled off his broken helmet and looked down at it in his hands. The impact should not have broken the helmet. Looking more closely, he noticed that it was not made from same the high quality material the motherland used for her helmets. Dropping the useless item on the ground, Joe turned toward the yeti.
“If that's how it's going to be, I understand. Let me know when you're ready to talk,” Joe said as he began to form a sign with his right hand and a blue aura glowed around it. Joe leaned around the boulder and let the spell fly. He hit the yeti with his Psi Blast and heard a grunt. Joe quickly hid behind the rock, just as another wave of force hit. This time, none of the force spilled onto Joe. Spooky flew in front of Joe’s face.
“Oh, look who decided to make an appearance,” Joe said through quick breaths. Joe was holding his ribs with both hands now, gathering himself to attempt another Psi Blast. Spooky took in his condition and frowned.
“Where did you expect me to be, Joe? You could have, at least, let me know what you were planning. Even if it was just charging straight at someone well over your weight bracket. It’s like a feather weight fighting a super heavy weight! You didn't see it, but I attempted to cause a distraction. Apparently to that oaf over there, I am as much of a distraction as a mosquito. Plus, I figured I could be useful later. You know, when I need to help him clean your flesh out of his teeth,” Spooky said.
“Everyone should have goals. Now, stop distracting me. I have to blast this guy,” Joe said, but Spooky did not move.
“Joe, wait! I didn't come down here just to talk with you about getting eaten. I came to check if you were using your items correctly. Specifically, your Efficient Brain Crown,” Spooky said.
Joe nodded. “I am. I'm using it to block most of the pain,” Joe said.
“That is what I thought. If you only use it to block pain, you're going to get yourself in more trouble than you can get yourself out of. You need to use it to set your cracked ribs and speed the healing process,” Spooky said.
“That sounds like a great idea, but how do I do that?” Joe asked, noticing how his thoughts were moving more slowly because of the debuff.
“Joe, remember that meditation class you took in college. Well, you need to focus on your internal self. I know that sounds a bit out there, but I mean, literally, your internal self. Visualize your bones, your muscles, your tendons, and the blood flowing to all those. Then, imagine your blood speeding up and providing nutrients and building blocks to quickly help your bones knit back together. You won't be able to completely heal, but you will start the process,” Spooky said.
“I'm in the middle of a battle, I don't have time to meditate,” Joe said.
“You don't have time not to meditate. If one of your ribs moves the wrong way, it could pierce your lung and then you're dead. And your MIL Bar is soulbound. Where you go, it goes. Do you think that yeti will just stay here and wait for you?” Spooky asked.
“Well, when you put it that way…” Joe said, as he closed his eyes and tried to think about his ribs. It was more difficult than he thought it would be. Time seemed to slow, and he felt like he was watching one of those old cheesy 1970’s videos. You're Special! A Look at the Inner Workings of Your Body. Hovering around the inside of his rib cage, he saw some of the cracks. One rib looked like it was cracked almost the whole way through. Outside of Joe’s meditation, the yeti took an opportunity to throw another spell of force at the rock Joe was leaning against. Inside Joe’s meditation, the cracked rib chose, at that moment, to become a full fracture. In slow motion, Joe saw the rib break and one shard move toward the lung. Remaining calm, Joe instinctively imagined his muscles move around the broken rib and force the shard away from the lung and toward the rib, to set properly. With the immediate danger taken care of, Joe imagined blood moving around his ribs, adding calcium and encouraging the bones to knit back together, stronger than they had been before. For some reason, Joe could hear the theme song from The Magic School Bus. As Spooky had said, this process would not be as fast as Joe wanted it to be. He had set his muscles to hold the bones in their best healing position. Joe could tell this would hamper his movement, but that was a sacrifice he was willing to make, especially if it meant not dying. Joe opened his eyes and thanked Spooky.
Repeating the process he had started earlier, Joe fired another Psi Blast. Hiding again, he prepared another Psi Blast and leaned over, letting the magic hit the yeti. Joe made sure to cast at randomly spaced intervals, so he did not become predictable enough to get hit by another force spell. Joe continued to hit with the Psi Blast, and then hide. Every other hit he would ask the yeti another question.
“You ready to talk yet? Death by a thousand cuts is still death. I don't want to kill you. I think I have demonstrated that I can, though,” Joe said. The yeti had a lot of hit points. It was going to take a take a long time to kill it with these small attacks, but each small drain of the yeti’s health gave Joe more mana. Without the mana he was getting from the yeti, he would have run out of spells already. An hour passed, with them firing at each other. The yeti’s spells had become few, but Joe kept slugging away.
“You, run out mana soon!” the yeti said.
“Oh, good! Does that mean you're ready to talk? Because, you will die before I run out of mana,” Joe said. The only response was another spell of force hitting the rock Joe was
hiding behind. Joe decided to try something different and cast Reveal True Intent. The spell hit and miraculously worked better then Joe anticipated, likely due to the enemy's weakened mental defenses. Suddenly, Joe knew the yeti in a way he had never known anyone. He knew the yeti’s true-self.
Memories.
The Wild Mountains.
High mountain cave.
Bridcha, head of his yeti clan, stood in the cave, shocked by the loss of yet another yeti child. How did these hunters sneak in their cave? What other precautions could they have taken? The children were watched round the clock. Their whole tribe had moved from cave, to cave, to cave, all in the hope of hiding their vulnerable children from the hunters. They had climbed higher in the mountains, where it was so cold, it was barely livable, even for the yetis. The ring of the Wild Mountains themselves blocking most teleportation spells. Still, the hunters came, traveling over weeks of barren frozen countryside, only to have to ascend the heights. Not even this challenge stopped them completely. But it was better than it had been. Only one child in five was taken now before reaching adulthood. It use to be three out of five. These high mountains were the safest place they had found. But they had lost a child, so it was time to move to a different cave, again. Time went by and Bridcha fought off monsters that dwelt in the high mountains, but still his tribe grew. One morning, things changed. Bridcha woke with a start. The cold had changed, and he called for his mate.
You're Not Allowed to Die (The Twenty-Sided Eye Series Book 1) Page 11