by Tao Wong
“Okay, boy-o, I need you to keep calm when I report,” Ali states the moment he’s back in range.
I can see him flying back as fast as his little body will take him even as we converse mentally. “What?” I feel the anger I’ve been repressing surge and I have to fight it back by breathing slowly and deeply to regain control. “Just tell me. Please.”
“I found their bodies. They’re all dead, and the monsters, well, they’re doing what monsters do.”
“They’re eating the corpses,” I say out loud, alerting Jim to Ali’s information.
“Yes,” Ali sends to me, concern in his mental voice.
I freeze in place, not saying a thing, not moving as I process this information. I can’t move, because if I do, if I let my control go for even a second, I think I’ll charge the monsters. I see Haines Junction again, the bodies of the townsfolk, the children torn apart, cooked and eaten. Bones and bodies, so many of them. I shudder, my body shaking with repressed rage.
In.
Out
In.
Out.
Slowly, so slowly, my rage comes under control. I force it down, apply rigid control on myself. So many years of learning to accept that all I can control is myself. What is, is. I can’t make them live again. I can’t save them. They’re already dead.
All I can do is kill their murderers and build a pyre from their bodies.
“Talk to me, Ali. Tell me what I’m facing.”
Four Xu’dwg’hkkk Beasts left, including the Alpha. The Brothers left three of the Xuds as corpses. Unfortunately, each of these monsters has high 40s, low 50s levels and the Alpha is a mid-50 Alpha. The Yerick or my old team, we could have taken all four. I don’t trust my chances with Jim and his friends, not in a straight fight.
The Xuds are each around thirty feet long, clad in blue scales, with an extremely long neck, a stub of a tail, and a horn that rises from its head. The scales absorb energy beams, redirecting any electrical energy they receive to their horns, making the monsters nearly impervious to energy weaponry. Not a problem for Jim, since his team still sticks to slug throwers, but since I wield a beam rifle, I’ll either have to stick to magic or get in close. No puppies to aid me this time.
By the time Ali has finished explaining what we’re facing and described the Xuds to Jim, he and his friends are looking a little worried.
“Can we?” Jim asks.
“Not directly,” I answer, thinking furiously. I pull up the map, looking for an answer, but find no convenient gullies, caves, or terrain features to aid us. “Ali?”
“Nothing. Usual assortment of spike elms, sticky pine, and some new bladed asp leaves, but nothing that’ll kill the Xuds,” Ali answers, knowing what I want.
Jim looks grim for a moment before his gaze slips to his friends. At last, he shakes his head and I see his friends relax.
“You guys should get going,” I say.
“You’re not coming?”
“No. I’ve got a lesson to be teaching.”
“John, you can’t be serious,” Jim says gruffly. “That’s suicidal.”
“Maybe. Don’t worry about it. I’m not one of your charges, and this, this is what I do,” I say, a smile pulling on my face. Oh yes, this is what I do.
Jim hesitates, looking conflicted before he shakes his head finally. “No. I’m staying.”
“No. You’re not. You’ve got a grandchild and others waiting on you. Go home. Take care of them. Do the right thing. The smart thing.”
Jim’s face hardens, getting mulish until his friend puts a hand on his arm and whispers something. Since I don’t speak Southern Tutchone, I don’t know what is said, but it’s enough to make Jim relent.
“Don’t die,” he says.
“Not the plan.” I point at his rifle. “I do want to borrow that though. And any ammunition you have.”
Ali stays silent for a few minutes after Jim and the group depart, then he berates me. “Do we have to do this every Goblin’s vomit time? And what kind of insanity have you thought of this time? Going to call a dragon to eat them? Or maybe a Troll?”
“No. I’m going to do this myself.” I absently heft the weapon Jim has provided me. Nice little slug thrower, fully powered by a Mana engine with armor piercing rounds and a decent scope.
“Oooh, you going to stab them to death? Shoot them with your pea shooter?”
“No.” I smile. “Relax. I have a plan.”
“I really, really am growing to hate those words,” Ali says out loud, and I grin at the little Spirit.
This is not a smart plan. This isn’t even a particularly creative plan. It takes hours of setup, hours of backbreaking labor, most of which Ali spends telling me how wasteful an activity all this is. I eventually threaten him with banishment to shut him up. Finally, I’m ready.
I sneak up on the monsters, getting close enough that I can eyeball them from a distance.
Xu’dwg’hkkk Beast (Level 48)
HP: 2880/2880
Xu’dwg’hkkk Beast - Alpha (Level 55)
HP: 3780/3780
Get close enough to see them. Aim and fire, targeting the eyes, and hope to blind them. At the end of the day, the goal is to get their attention and make them chase me. Run, spin, and shoot when they get bored. Dodge the blasts of electricity and be grateful for the stupid Lightning Squirrels upping my resistance when I do get hit.
Run, duck, dodge, and fight, keep moving to the target location. Thankfully, it’s not too far, and even more thankfully, unthinking aggression is something the System seems to favor in its monsters. X marks the spot and I’m finally here with a hundred-meter lead. Simple.
X is a steep cliff, about five meters above a small forested clearing. The cliff’s not high enough for it to hurt if they fell off the edge normally, but it’s high enough for my purpose. I leap off the cliff, slam into the ground, and spin, calling forth my sword and a Blade Strike at the same time. The Xuds follow, getting ready to jump, the Alpha already charging up another shot.
I’m not targeting them though—I’m targeting the cliff face. Or more specifically, I’m targeting the remaining columns of stone and earth that hold up the cliff. I hit them, one after the other, with my Blade Strikes as the creatures get ready to jump, their weight and the weakened structures giving way into a mini landslide.
That’s when they get to learn about my second surprise underneath the ground of the clearing. I’d considered leaving the ground as an open pit, but I wasn’t entirely sure the landslide would work. If it didn’t, at least if the pit was covered, they might still jump. As it stands, the monsters, the remains of the cliff, and the light covering I placed over the pit all crash into the deep, deep hole I’ve dug.
I hate manual labor. I really do. I had to cut down a tree to make an improvised shovel just so that I could dig into the ground and the cliff before I could take the clumps of dirt into my Altered Space. Once that was filled, I had to dump the accumulated dirt a distance away and repeat the process. The good news is that my altered attributes made the manual labor tedious, not impossible. The bad news is that even with never-ending Stamina, just to make this happen before the end of the day, I had to add another point to my Altered Space. That gave me a much larger dimensional space and gave Ali a higher degree of control over it too. It made the work much easier, especially since I needed a pit big enough to fit four thirty-foot-long monsters.
The dust-filled air when the landslide eventually stops is enough to make me cough. When I peer inside, the Xuds are still moving, attempting to climb up. I decide to put a stop to that.
“Ali?”
The Spirit flies up high into the air and concentrates, pulling open my Altered Space right next to himself and dropping its contents inside. Stone and chopped trees rain down, smashing into the monsters. The moment the space is empty, Ali flits off to collect more while I cast my Fireball Spell inside to distract the monsters.
We bury the Xuds alive, their bodies pounded under tons of earth
and rock, unable to get enough of a purchase to climb out. When we finally get the last notification of their deaths, all that can be seen is a small depression filled with churned earth and stone. I mentally message Ali then turn back to collect the remains of the Brotherhood.
This wasn’t a fight. This was an execution. I wish I could say that I’m happier, that I’m less angry, but all I feel is a caustic, churning sea of rage in my stomach. I almost wish I had fought them straight on—at least I’d have felt a little better.
Chapter 13
By the time I get back, its mid-afternoon of the next day. The guards at the wall nod at me, only one of them looking slightly startled. Halfway down the stretch of road to the city, I’m met by a hunter who drives me the rest of the way and drops me off at the reclaimed Kwanlin Dun Cultural Center. I leave the bodies to their people before I walk to the City Center and the Shop.
Gods, but I’m tired. I don’t bother with haggling or arguing, instead sending the Spirit, who never seems tired, to deal with it. I crash on the lounge chair, eyes half closed, but soon enough I get bored. I pull out another of my books, happy enough to catch up on my “light” reading. Others might find window shopping in the Shop interesting, but I’ve never liked it. Tempting myself with what I can’t afford just seems like a waste of time. Picking up Adventuring equipment, the Credits for fixing up Sabre and the Skills that I could use in the future, Ali and I have this mapped out. The rest—well, the rest is teasing.
“‘Mana Allocation and the Development of Monsters in Dungeons.’” The voice is relaxed, cultured, and familiar.
As I look up, I see a pair of shapely legs in tight black pants with silver piping and a vest-and-tunic ensemble in the same design encasing a well-muscled, toned body. Dark skin, tipped ears, and silver hair complete the portrait of a very handsome Tuinnar noble.
“Not your regular reading,” he says.
“Lord Roxley.” My lips twist in a light smile, a part of me happy to see him. The last time we met, he was lecturing me on my many mistakes. Since then, he’s been a no-show in the city. “Where have you been?”
“Away. I have had to deal with some of the issues from the Yerick’s arrival in person,” Roxley says, and I frown. “Our first major batch of colonists having their buildings destroyed has not been particularly good for my recruitment efforts. I have been attempting to attract others.”
“Others…” I frown. “You’re trying to bring in more people?”
“Of course. The City is not sustaining itself currently. Cannot sustain itself. Certainly not before the deadline. When the System is fully online, when the Dungeon World is created, we must be ready.”
“You’re talking in riddles again,” I grumble as I stand, dropping the book back into my inventory.
“Perhaps if your reading was a little more practical,” Roxley says, shaking his head. “Not so esoteric…”
“I like what I’m reading.” My eyes narrow. “Anyway, I used to have someone who was willing to explain the more mundane.”
“Used to.” Roxley tilts his head and sighs, stepping forward to close the distance. “I was not the one who left first.”
“I…” I open my mouth, suddenly finding it dry as he closes on me. I stare at his shoulders then upward, shaking my head. “Roxley... what’s ready?”
A corner of his lips tug up in a well-remembered movement. Still, he answers me. “Whitehorse must have, at the very least, a stable safe zone. Without it, none but the desperate will visit us.”
“Is that so bad? Seems like it’s not a bad idea to have the tourists ignore us.”
“You’re so ignorant, John,” Roxley says, heat rising in his voice. “Already Boss monsters and dungeons appear around the city constantly. My guards have had to deal with one swarm. Soon, the monster population will grow too great and the city will be overrun. Without a steady stream of Adventurers, the city will fall.
“Your people have been unable to stabilize the Mana flows through your own efforts. I have attempted, I am attempting, to draw others to us. But we are not the only city in need of immigrants, and the actions of your Council do not aid me in this.”
“You’re saying things are going to get worse,” I murmur, and he nods.
“Have you not seen it already?”
“Yes,” I sigh.
“We have an opportunity. The city has an opportunity. We have a large population and the most proximate locations to a series of high level zones. However, none of that will matter if we do not stabilize the city and upgrade the city itself.” Roxley’s voice softens as he continues. “If there is no improvement my efforts, my methods will be considered a failure.”
“Then what?” I frown, hearing the thread of worry in his voice.
“Then others of my kind, or worse, will take over. Their methods will be harsher, more inclined to use the Galactic population than mine.”
I blink at Roxley, my mind racing with the implications of his words. Hints from conversations with the Yerick and Ali give me a bleak picture of what “harsher” methods might be in store. Still… “Why tell me? Why now? Why here for that matter?”
“I am currently not on Earth. Accessing this particular Shop version allowed me to speak with you directly, now, here.” Roxley sighs. “As for why you... perhaps I believe that you may affect some change in this city of yours. Mostly, I do not wish you to misunderstand my actions in the future.”
I grunt, staring at him. “Why? What does it matter what I think?”
“You know why,” Roxley says. His hand twitches at his side, almost as if he meant to do something with it then decided against it. Considering his control, I wonder what it was. “It has been good speaking with you, John. However, I have other things to attend to.”
“That’s it? Drop some information and go?”
“Yes. I am pressed for time now. I but grasped the opportunity that was presented to me.” Roxley’s voice is laced with meaning, one that I choose to ignore.
Damn pretty Elf. I will make up my own mind at my own pace. With one last mocking bow, Roxley turns and walks away. He isn’t even two steps away before he fades, leaving me with new knowledge and an ache of loneliness.
Gods, but I’m tired.
It’s easy to tell when Lana is back. The fox—Anna—always appears first, gliding into the backyard and its den. With Richard, it’s Orel who makes his appearance first. Anna never pays any attention to me, always sliding into her den without a single sound. I would almost think that she dislikes me except that I haven’t been burnt or bitten yet.
Lana follows with the puppies, finding me sprawled under a tree in the back of our house, staring at the dark, fluffy clouds. They suit my mood, cold and gloomy with a temperature probably hovering around zero.
“John?”
“Here.” I move a hand to dump scattered candy wrappers into my inventory. No need for her to see me being a slob, not when it requires so little effort.
She comes around the corner, red hair bouncing on her shoulders and purple eyes tight with concern. I blink, tilting my head as I check my memory and realize, yes, she did get a haircut.
“John!” Lana’s voice sharpens for a moment, and I blink, staring at her.
“Yes?”
“You weren’t answering.”
“Oh… just thinking. Did you get a haircut?”
The moment I say it, she preens slightly, puffing out her generous chest and smiling. “Yes, do you like it? No, wait. Are you okay?”
“I do, and I’m fine. All in one piece.” I wave down at my body, smiling. “Didn’t even need to get regenerated to make that true.”
She frowns, squatting next to me. One of her puppies—Lexi—slides in underneath her hand to steady her while she speaks. “Jim told me about the Brothers. About Rachel. And you.”
“Easy-peasy,” I answer her unasked question, my eyes absently tracking down her figure before resting on her jeans-clad knees. There’s a tear in one of them, showing off pal
e, smooth skin. I blink when her hand comes down on my arm, making me look up.
“Flattering as it might be another time, that’s just creepy right now. Zombie eyes aren’t sexy,” Lana says, and I flush slightly. “You should go rest.”
“I’m fine. Stamina’s full.”
Lana snorts, not at all feminine like, before sitting fully. “You know that isn’t what I meant.” Lana picks up a candy wrapper I missed, raising one graceful eyebrow.
“I’m just a little tired. Only so much the System can do,” I finally relent, leaning back against the tree and staring at the sky.
Lana falls silent, waiting patiently.
“We keep dying. All the time. Melissa. Nicodemus. The Brothers. We keep dying.”
“I know.” There’s sympathy in Lana’s voice, in her eyes as she squeezes my arm.
I stare into her eyes and drown in them and realize how stupid I’m being. Stupid. I was the one doing the comforting a short time ago, and now here I am. I close my eyes, drawing a breath as I work on pushing it down, putting the emotions away. No. I’m not doing this. I can’t do this…
“Owwww!” I glare at Lexi, who has nipped my hand. She must have put quite some force into it to get through my health points.
“Stop that.” Lana waves a finger at my face before pointing at the sword I have in my hand without realizing it. “I told her to bite you.”
“Why?” I huff, putting the sword away.
“Pinching you doesn’t work. And you’re being an idiot again. I can literally see you repressing your emotions.”
This time I don’t run or fight her. Maybe because I’m too tired, or maybe because I’ve gotten closer to accepting that repression all the damn time is a bad idea.