by Tao Wong
I grunt, stabbing my sword directly into the monster’s mouth. “Shadow-girl?”
“The assassin? No idea—I haven’t seen her.”
Shit, if she doesn’t find her way here herself, there’s no way Ali can find her and make it back in time. It’s a minor miracle he found Vir.
Too busy paying attention to my talk, I move just a little too slow and the damn Frakin chomps down on my arm. It compresses the armor around me, grinding away, and I snarl, summoning and casting Mana Darts directly down its guts. The Champion shudders, tossing me aside with a reflexive twitch that has me landing on my side and rolling for a few seconds.
I use a nearby stalagmite to pull myself up, grimacing as I flex my hand. Thankfully, the Boss, along with the majority of the surviving monsters, is busy making Vir’s life miserable. The smoke has dissipated enough that the creatures are finding me faster and faster now. On the other hand, at least the bugger who decided to try to eat me is dead. Mana Darts down its throat was enough to make it choke to death.
I blink, staring at the Boss. I have a way to finish this. It just requires I do something utterly insane. Well… that’s not new.
“Oy! Big boy!” I shout, using the mecha’s inbuilt speakers to make sure I’m heard. The Boss hesitates, so I use a few Blade Strikes to drag its attention to me again, targeting the open wound I was working on. “That’s right. Right here, stupid.”
The Boss finally turns to me, beam stinger swinging around to aim at me. A targeted blast by Vir catches it as it begins to charge up, forcing it to aim higher. I don’t waste any more time, dashing forward to the creature’s body. One thing about it being so big, there are dead zones where its own pincers can’t target—if you can get close enough.
I run ahead, letting loose with the last of my projectile ammo as I do so, and carefully watch for the attack I know will come. When the pincer swings, I Blink forward to where I should be safe. Then I open up with another Blade Strike, targeting the softer, less-armored underside.
Not good enough to kill it, but it certainly angers the monster. Anger is good—it lets you push through pain and obstacles that you couldn’t otherwise, but it also blinds you, clouds your judgment, and makes you take the easiest, most instinctive choice. I can’t be hit by the pincers, but I’m close enough to bite. So it does.
“Noooo!” Ali screams as I stand still, letting the mouth close in on me.
At the last minute, I kick off the ground and jump directly into its mouth, throwing myself as deep as I can get to bypass as much of the teeth as possible. I make it most of the way, my foot catching and ripping itself apart on the backrow of teeth.
It’s very dark in here—dark and squishy. I’m entirely grateful that I can neither smell nor truly feel what is happening to me, thanks to Sabre and the Soul Shield I’ve turned on. On the other hand, the Boss, having eaten me, has decided to swallow. I find myself thrown to the back of its throat, and only a hastily dug-in sword to its larynx stops me from sliding all the way in. It takes a little scrambling and a lot of hard pushing, but I find myself lodged just above the creature’s esophagus.
Still, can’t let it go hungry. I drop the first of the sticky grenades I have left down its throat, ignoring the screaming alarm bells and the increased pressure on me as the Boss swings its head around, trying to dislodge me. The grenade goes off, coating the insides of its throat. It explodes below where I wanted it to go off, but that’s okay, I’ve got more coming.
Before I started this insane plan, I spent a few moments running around the cavern, grabbing bodies and rocks and stuffing it all into my Altered Space. Now I let it loose, along with everything else I’ve got stored in there. My tent, drone pieces, armor replacements for Sabre, tent pegs and hammocks, my dinner, everything in my Altered Space gets dropped down its throat, interspersed with the occasional sticky grenade. The Boss keeps reflexively swallowing, attempting to dislodge me and get its breathing back, but I refuse, continually working on clogging up its throat and thus its airway.
My Soul Shield finally blinks out and I don’t have enough Mana to throw up another. The Boss swallows again and the muscles in its throat clench, sending pain through my body as Sabre compresses and begins to redline. That’s it then. That’s all I can do.
I rip downward with my sword, opening up the wound in its mouth, then I trigger the QSM for one final shift, dropping myself out of this reality and consequently its mouth. I hit the ground hard, as gravity still works on me, and am treated to the final death throes of the Boss. It tosses and turns, slamming its head against the ground and the wall in an attempt to dislodge and clear its throat.
As I get up to run, the Mana battery in the QSM beeps empty and it automatically kicks me back into “normal” reality. Without any additional Mana, the changeover is harsh and pulls a scream from me as muscles, bones, and nerves are thrown across the dimensional barrier. I whimper, lying on the ground in pain, unable to move as the Boss lashes out in a frenzy around me. A glancing blow from one of its legs sends me flying into a wall, and I black out finally.
I come to in blessed peace. Outside of the hiss of cooling stone and the drip of water, there is silence. Awake and without Sabre, I’m assaulted by the stench in the cavern. In its dying moments, the Boss Frakin voided its bowels, leaving a yellow-pink mixture all around that smells worse than two-week-old rotting meat and baby diapers. I heave and throw up, only managing to roll far enough to the side that only half of my vomit hits me.
I whimper, the sudden movement setting off a pair of screaming toddlers in my head. Mana drained, physically wiped, and with only a touch of health left, I wonder where Sabre is and why I’m unarmored, but mostly, I wonder when the pain will stop.
“Awake finally, eh?” The voice cuts across my misery, gloating amusement in its tone. “Well, rest five minutes, then we should get going. The Frakin are still around and some are beginning to come back.”
I open my eyes, blurry spots slowly resolving into Shadow-girl. I’ve really got to remember her name sometime. Next to her, Ali floats, casually admiring her booty. I’d say something, but I’m pretty sure she knows—and has either given up on correcting the incorporeal Spirit or just doesn’t care. Next to the two is the split-open form of Sabre—the mecha must have ejected me after its Mana battery gave out.
“You are insane, boy-o. Effective but insane,” Ali says, and I force a grin.
“Had you worried.” I try to push myself up and find myself failing to do so. I just relax as my body, aided by the regeneration potions I downed earlier, works on putting me together. Already, my body is repairing the damage.
“I must concur with the Spirit,” Vir adds from where he is seated, head resting on his arms. There’s blood on his torso and one arm looks pretty shredded. He smiles at me though, probably to show he means no real disrespect. It looks creepy on the normally stern Guard, and I wish he’d stop. “That was not a tactic I would have considered.”
“No shit,” the woman says, eyes roving over the cavern.
I tilt my head upward, noting that her Status bar is still blank. Damn, but it’s annoying not being able to read System data on her.
“What exactly did you do anyway? Poison it?” she asks.
I blink, then realize they would have no way to see into the monster’s corpse. “Blocked its airway. Choked it to death.”
“Huh.” Shadow-girls frowns.
I see a slight shift in her body just before she disappears and closes in on the Frakin that wandered back into the cavern. A moment later, she walks back to us, cleaning her blade. Behind her, the Frakin screams and twitches, its legs on one side severed. It begins to froth from its mouth as the poison she used takes effect.
“You good yet?” she asks.
I glance at my bars and take stock of my own physical situation before I answer her. “Five minutes.”
“Fine.”
While I recover, Ali fills me in on what happened after I blacked out. Seems like Shadow-gi
rl popped over to my body and dragged me out of the way of the frenzied Boss, then she protected Vir and me from the remnants of the Frakin guard while the Boss died. It didn’t take long, and she mopped up the group soon after. Since then, they’ve been waiting for me to wake up. I guess I owe the lady one.
When they finish speaking, I read System notifications as a way to distract myself from the throbbing pain.
Congratulations! Dungeon Cleared
+10,000 XP
First Clear Bonus
Having cleared the dungeon for the first time, you have been rewarded an additional +5,000XP +1,000 Credits. Bonus for being the first explorer +5,000 XP +5,000 Credits.
Two-Horn Mountain Dungeon classified as Level 50+ and above.
System Quest Complete (Onlivik Spores)
Destroy the Onlivik Spores that have infected the Frakin in the Two-Horn Mountain Dungeon.
Rewards (shared): 50,000 Credits, 20,000 XP
Level Up! * 4
You have reached Level 34 as an Erethran Honor Guard. Stat Points automatically distributed. You have 12 Free Attribute Points and 3 Class Skills to distribute.
I blink, staring at the huge level gains. Between the completion bonuses and the kill bonuses, I jumped up a heck of a lot of Levels in one fight. I wish it’d been earlier, but beggars and choosers and all that.
“Next time you’re on one of these jaunts, call me,” Shadow-girl says as I look up. “The experience was pretty damn good.”
I snort and glance at Vir, who is looking significantly better now.
He straightens, standing up and pulling a rifle from his inventory. “Shall we?”
The journey back is a slow one, only manageable because the Frakin are disorganized, damaged, and confused. The loss of the Boss must have wiped out their central intelligence, removing any last remnants of organization. Shadow-girl—whose name I finally learn is Ingrid Starling—makes sure to kill any Frakin we run into. Vir and I mostly offer verbal and moral encouragement.
Two thirds of the way back, we finally run into our first rescue party. They have been setting up signal boosters along the way, which lets us contact everyone else and confirm that we’re alive. The news on their end is less than stellar and I find myself dragging my feet more than I need to as we return. Call me a coward, but I’d rather face another Boss than what is coming.
The air in the cavern is somber when we arrive, individuals clustered in silent groups around fallen comrades. Low sobbing and grunting can be heard, while others carry their loss with fixed expressions, unable or unwilling to grieve yet. We won, but we didn’t get out of this unscathed. The Hakarta lost a third of their people, having borne the brunt of the attacks, while the Yerick lost another pair. On our side, Jim’s lost half of those he brought in. However, to me, all that pales beside the drawn, haggard face that is swarmed by huskies in an attempt at comfort.
I walk over to Lana, gently pushing at the puppies to move them aside. My gut clenches and I feel tears threaten to take over, but I push them aside, walling away my feelings. Not now, not me. Lana is sobbing, clutching the unmoving body with a death grip, blood staining her clothing from the open wounds on his corpse. Rachel grips Jason’s arm as they watch over the redhead, at a loss of words. Squatting beside her, I place a hand on her shoulder. Lana flinches slightly but doesn’t pull away. I feel a lump in my throat, blocking any words I could say. In the end, I just squat next to her, a hand on her shoulder, and wait.
Damn it, Richard.
Chapter 23
It takes a day more to completely clear the dungeon. With Mana pools and beam weapons recharged and the Frakin no longer bunching up and coordinated, it’s a simple matter for the teams to spread out and finish off the monsters. I stay behind, keeping watch over the camp and Lana, who has taken control of her brother’s pets, replacing those she lost. The only pet of Richard’s that survived but she doesn’t manage to get is Orel, who is long gone when we exit. Their job done, the Hakarta take off immediately with promises to get paid. Labashi shoots me a look when he leaves which reminds me that I’m still indebted and under contract with him.
In typical post-System fashion, the moment we get back to Whitehorse, we end up having to man the walls and fight off a monster swarm. Thankfully, it hits us from the airport side of town, so all we have to do is hunker down and kill. A few monsters try going down the cliffs, but they’re simple enough to kill that it’s more of a bother than a serious threat. We’ll never know if a party was planned because after the swarm, everyone pitches in on the cleanup. Even Bill, though I notice he spends about as much time looting as he does hauling.
The fallout from the delve comes in small portions. Rachel left Whitehorse permanently, joining Jason in Carcross. Aiden has vowed to never leave the classroom again. There’re even rumors that we might get another batch of immigrants soon from the System.
When I find time to visit the Shop, I sell the System-generated loot from my inventory. The central-Spore mass and the Frakin plasma generators both bring in significant Credits. I don’t have the heart to go shopping right then though.
Once she calms down, Lana has me take Richard’s body into my Altered Space to preserve it. A week after he died, we finally manage to make the trip to their old farm to bury him, his body set to rest beneath the remnants of their old house. Lana says little during the entire process, though I think, I believe, she finds comfort in Mikito’s and my presence.
I watch her stand with her menagerie of pets, staring at her brother’s grave, and my mind returns to the first night we got back to Whitehorse after the dungeon. She entered my room, distraught, and pushed me down, straddling me and laying fevered kisses on my face. I have to admit, I returned them for a time before good sense came back to me and I pushed her away.
“Why? Am I not good enough for you?” She was crying, clutching her open blouse closed. I recall the flash of pale, smooth flesh and the intoxicating scent of her.
“No, but you’re grieving. This… you aren’t thinking right.”
She slapped me then and left. Since then, there’s been a wall between us. I don’t know if I did the right thing, if I made the right choice. I want her, I care for her—but not like that. What she wanted and what she needed weren’t the same thing—and if I took advantage of her at that time, perhaps it would have wrecked our relationship. Or at least changed it in a way that I don’t want. Or maybe not. Maybe I was an idiot.
I don’t know if I did the right thing for her, for us, for our future. All I know is that it was the right choice for me at that time. Whatever happens, happens.
Lana slowly steps away from the grave, which has already received a light dusting of snow. She turns toward us, nodding just once before she walks to the truck. Something in the way she moves, the way she looks at us keeps us from bothering her.
I stare one last time at the grave, just a plot of earth and a basic stone cross. My lips twist as I realize that this, a simple ceremony and a grave, is more than most on this planet have been offered. More than the majority of humanity has to indicate their passing.
I close my eyes and whisper to Ali, “How many?”
“Eleven point four percent,” Ali answers, his voice as soft as mine.
I nod dumbly. Nearly ninety percent of humanity, countless millions, are dead. I can’t do anything for them. I can’t even stop the ones who are still alive from dying, can’t stop the mass murder of millions by the System. We’re not the only ones either. On all the planets of the System, more die every day.
Our heroes are dead. The smart, the brave, and the good lie in countless graves all over the world. I keep trying to be something I’m not, and I keep failing. I’m no hero, no Lancelot or Superman. I don’t do this because it’s the right thing to do or because I think there’s an intrinsic value to human life. I do it because I can’t let go, because I can’t seem to choose anything else. I do it because I have a sea of rage that never ends and I need an outlet, a place to point it.
What is, is.
No more walking away, no more hiding. The dead howl and cry; the lost and forgotten souls of the world weep. I’ll light a pyre for them—for the ones who have died, for the ones who will die, and for the ones who will come into this blasted world. I’ll light a fire so bright that they’ll see it all the way in their damn Council. And then, when I’m done, I’ll burn their damn System to the ground.
Ali floats back to me, staring at my face, and he inclines his head slightly. Yes, it’s time to get back to work.
***
Glossary
Erethran Honor Guard Skill Tree
Mana Imbue
Two are One
Thousand Steps
Blade Strike
The Body’s Resolve
Greater Detection
Altered Space
A Thousand Blades
Shield Transference
Soul Shield
Blink Step
Army of One
Sanctum
Body Swap
Portal
John’s Skills
Mana Imbue (Level 1)
Soulbound weapon now permanently imbued with Mana to deal more damage on each hit. +10 Base Damage (Mana). Will ignore armor and resistances. Mana regeneration reduced by 5 Mana per minute permanently.
Blade Strike (Level 2)
By projecting additional Mana and stamina into a strike, the Erethran Honor Guard’s Soulbound weapon may project a strike up to twenty feet away.
Cost: 35 Stamina + 35 Mana