The Grind

by Dante Doom

“How did you do that?” Hem asked. “How did you stop the King’s men?”

  “They can do whatever they want,” Savannah said.

  “No, they can’t. Believe it or not, there are many laws that govern this city, and the King’s power isn’t absolute. I’d wager that’s why he’s so obsessed with getting absolute power in the game.”

  “I don’t understand what happened,” Hem said. “So, they need some kind document to arrest us?”

  “Well, yes—technically, the King can only arrest people if he has signed a letter of arrest, but he would have to do that by hand. Since he’s still in the game, Leopold won’t be able to sign it.”

  “So we’re safe?” Hem asked.

  “No, not at all,” Timon sighed, shaking his head. “Leopold is going to talk to my father about this, and my father will undoubtedly order his men to retrieve me at once from this premise, and by force, and then Reginald will come in and kill you three, or take you to the palace if that really was his plan. However, that will take a few hours. Let’s move.”

  “A few hours…” Savannah mumbled, coming around from behind the bar. “Time moves a lot slower in the Grind. If we went back in now, we would have enough time to figure out a way to take out Leopold and put Elanor in power. That would save our asses.”

  “That’s far too risky, dear,” Hem replied, putting the knives away. “If we fail, we will be killed. Let’s find somewhere to hide and figure out a strategy from there.”

  Savannah turned from the window she’d been peering out to look at her Dad. “I’d rather try to take him out in the game right now, than have to figure out how to start a rebellion in the real world.”

  “A rebellion?” Hem echoed with a scoff as he shook his head. “Savvy, you are dreaming, do you know that? That second wall isn’t meant to keep the nobility safe from invaders, it’s meant to keep them safe from us. If we rebel, the only thing we’re hurting is ourselves.”

  Savannah frowned. “Dad, we don’t have time to argue. I’m going back in there.”

  Hem shook his head again. “It will be suicide if you go in there. I can’t let you.”

  “Timon, back me up here,” Savannah said as she looked at her friend. “We’ve got to go in there, now.”

  Timon turned from where he’d been looking out the window at the guards. “I am inclined to agree with her, sir. Even if you were able to hide, the King would simply issue a high enough bounty to where you would be turned in. As long as he’s in charge, you won’t be safe.”

  Hem crossed his arms. “I see your point, but… I think we’d be better off if we ran.”

  “Dad, if we run, our lives will never get any better,” Savannah pleaded. “We’re always going to be on the run. If Leopold gets his way, no one will ever supplant him. We’ll be screwed.”

  Hem stared at her for a moment, and then shook his head at her. “Fine, if you want to go in there, be my guest,” Hem said as he waved a hand towards the house. “Don’t let me stop you, Savannah. You’re old enough to make your own decisions, but I’m taking my wife and we’re getting out of here. I hope this Silvarspoon can keep you safe.”

  “Dad… You’re an amazing Grinder,” Savannah replied softly. “I need your help.”

  “I need to make sure everyone in my family is safe,” Hem replied, shaking his head. “I’m going to burn the house and bar to the ground. The basement and pods will be safe from the fire, but everything will be covered in debris. That should prevent them from finding you two, but you will be trapped. Timon, you’ll have to call for your father when you’re ready to leave the basement, so they can dig you out.”

  “That… that’s a good plan,” Timon said. He stretched out his hand to Hem. “I wish you luck, sir.”

  “The only luck our people have ever known is bad luck,” Hem said, slapping Timon’s hand away. “And I don’t need any more of that. Savannah, I love you… but are you sure about this?”

  “I’ve got to go in there,” Savannah whispered. “For all of us.”

  They embraced for a moment, and then departed to head toward the house.

  Timon followed Savannah as they slipped out of the bar and went back to the house to enter the basement.

  “I have my life ticket with me,” Timon said as he pulled out a long card with numbers across it. “Do these machines work with them?”

  “Yeah,” Savannah said absentmindedly as she took the card from Timon’s hand. She walked over to her father’s pod and began to input data into the pod’s control system. The pod hissed a little as a slot opened up. She slid the card into the slot and felt a little bit of suction as the card was pulled inwards. A display showing Timon’s character popped up. Lives Remaining: 2 hovered on the display above his character profile. “At least with the life ticket, I’ll still be able to ghost you without you having to swallow another pill, since I don’t know where they are.”

  “Are you ready?” Timon asked as he climbed into his pod.

  “This is the last time,” Savannah said as she opened up her own pod, grimacing when she saw the wicked implant spikes hanging against the back. “This is the last time I’m going into the Grind. We’re going to go in, defeat Leopold, and change Verre, and I will never go back to that wretched place again.”

  The pod closed and sealed itself shut, and Savannah jerked as the cords plugged themselves into the top of her spine. In an instant, she was back in the game.

  “We’re right back where we logged out from,” Timon mumbled as he glanced around the dense jungle.

  “Yeah,” Savannah replied as she checked her character sheet.

  Everything was perfectly preserved from before, and her points were heavier than normal since she had killed Timon’s character.

  “All of my gear is gone,” Timon replied, looking at his own character sheet. He shook his head. “I liked my items.”

  “Don’t sweat it,” Savannah said with a chuckle. “I have plenty of points thanks to killing you the first time, so let’s hit the shops and spare no expense. After all, we aren’t going to need points in the future.”

  “No, we won’t,” Timon agreed. “Wait, is that Ten-Thirty?” He pointed to a Machina who was standing by a large boulder opposite them. It was staring straight forward, motionless.

  “Hey!” Savannah cried as she rushed up to the android. “Are you okay?”

  “Savannah?” it said with a tinge of surprise in its voice. “I thought you had murdered Timon and left the game for good.”

  “No, we had to log out because of an emergency and that was the quickest way,” Savannah replied. “But we’re back.”

  “That is good—I was sad when you left. I found that silence isn’t nearly as preferable as the company of friends,” Ten-Thirty said. “Leopold went to the portal over that way.” It pointed further down the slope.

  “Good, that’s probably where the Kingmaker Realm are,” Savannah whispered. “Where’s the nearest Med Center?”

  “The nearest Med Center is located through a portal on this level,” Ten-Thirty replied as it pointed to the east. “But you must travel through the Hurst Jungles. Such a journey is dangerous. I would not recommend it with an ally who has nothing of value.”

  Savannah gritted her teeth. “We don’t have a lot of options, Ten, and we’ve got to move quickly. The faster we can gear up, the faster we can find Elanor and find some way to take down Leopold.”

  “Understood, and I can guide you quickly, but the fastest route will take us through a boss fight,” Ten-Thirty replied. “The boss must be defeated before we can enter through the necessary passage.”

  “How bad is it?” Timon asked.

  “Uncertain, but it will be a difficult fight.”

  “Well, I’ve still got the Arc Rifle and the Shield,” Savannah said. “I think we’ll be able to make it.”

  “I trust your judgment,” Timon replied. “Give me one of your guns and we’ll go.”

  “Lock and load,” Savannah replied as she threw her Rocke
t Launcher to him. “Stay at a distance and make sure that you don’t draw any Aggro.”

  “Got it!” Timon replied as he caught the gun and slung it over his shoulder. He oozed confidence, despite the fact that they were about to run recklessly into a boss fight. Seeing it, Savannah grinned as she followed the Machina, who said nothing else. Timon was turning out to be quite the friend. He had been willing to risk his life to save her back in the real world, and had stuck around despite the dangers and personal risks. He was a true friend, and a good man. She never would have expected a noble to be the kind of person he’d proved himself to be—at least, not around a Serf like her.

  The Hurst Jungles weren’t particularly nice to look at. The trees were shriveled up and brown, with dense, prickly foliage to block most of the routes. The overgrowth was uncomfortable to push past, but without any kind of bladed weapons at their disposal, they would have to just shove through. While there was no damage to be had from the thorns on the bushes, it was still uncomfortable.

  “We are nearing the encounter,” Ten-Thirty reported after twenty minutes of them making their way through the unpleasant jungle. “Prepare for the worst.”

  The words Your Running Skill has Increased by 1 hovered above Timon’s head. “Hey, look, my running skill has leveled up again. Yay for me.” Timon’s tone had been heavily sarcastic, and Savannah snorted in amusement—they were both anxious for him to get his stats back.

  “No one attacks yet,” Savannah told her companions as she stopped in front of a large, leafy plant with leaves that were near half her size. Standing beside it, she pushed a leaf down and looked ahead. There was a cavern a few hundred feet away, but standing in front of it was a large, hulking monster. It had a crocodile for a head and four arms. It was squat and bulky, and towered up twelve feet in height. Hovering above it was the word Crocbeast in purple.

  “A purple boss…” Timon mumbled. “That won’t be a walk in the part.”

  “Yeah, but at least it looks like a melee creature,” Savannah said as she looked at the greenish-purple monster. She didn’t see any weapons on the creature other than its razor sharp claws. “The cave is wide enough for it to fit through, too, so we can’t just sneak our way past it. Fighting is our only option.”

  “Can’t we make a mad dash for the portal?” Timon asked.

  “The portal will only open up when the boss is defeated,” Ten-Thirty replied. “Also, be aware that the Crocbeast is a fierce Viral that focuses on paralyzing its foes and ripping them in half with its four arms.”

  “Wow, that sounds pleasant,” Savannah groaned. Fingers would have been helpful in this kind of fight, as he was deft enough to avoid being grappled. She was starting to miss his banter, as well, although she wondered what he would think about the Grind being shut down.

  “Well, the clock is ticking,” Timon said. The words Loading 1/30 hovered above his head as the Rocket Launcher in his hand began to load up. “Move it or lose it.”

  Savannah nodded and pulled out the Arc Rifle. The creature in front of them was standing perfectly still, paying no attention to its surroundings. She moved forward, enough to be in its line of sight. Activating her Overdrive+ power-up, she aimed the gun at the monster and pulled the trigger. The Arc Rifle let loose a burst of lightning that crashed into the scaly skull of the beast. It roared with anger as the words Critical Hit 900 damage hovered above it. Its health bar dropped from 8,000 to 7,100.

  “Nice shot!” Timon yelled.

  “Yeah, this shouldn’t be—” Savannah’s words were interrupted as the Crocbeast charged forward with surprising speed and agility. She tried to roll out of the way, but its four arms were long enough to catch hold of her legs and pull her into a grapple. You are Being Pinned hovered above her head and a grapple bar appeared. She wriggled, trying to fight back against the creature, but she remained held up in the air, two arms holding her hands and two arms holding her legs.

  “Ahhhhh!” Savannah shouted. “A little help!”

  A swarm of rockets answered her pleas, but even as they crashed into the Crocbeast, the monster simply ignored the attack. The Viral’s health dropped down to 6,800, but it still focused on trying to pull Savannah apart. Charging 11% hovered above the monster’s head as its muscles bulged.

  “I don’t want to see what happens when it gets to one hundred percent!” Savannah cried out. “Ten-Thirty, get in here!”

  Ten-Thirty was standing on the edge of the jungle, hesitating. It was holding its Rail Gun up, but wasn’t firing.

  “Come on!” Timon yelled at the android as he waited for his Rocket Launcher to re-charge. “You gotta go save her—you can pry her loose.”

  “My calculations indicate that my strength is evenly matched by this boss,” Ten-Thirty replied. “I could be severely damaged by it.”

  “If you don’t help her, she’s going to be killed, and we really need her to have all of her weapons and skills if we’re going to fight Leopold!” Timon shouted back. “Get in there and help!” He fired another salvo of rockets without waiting any longer, dealing a measly 60 damage. It was hard getting used to a gun like this.

  Ten-Thirty continued to hesitate.

  “Friends protect each other no matter what!” Savannah shouted out as she desperately tried to break free of the grapple. The beast’s arms were like steel, though, and there seemed to be no hope of her getting free on her own. “No matter what, Ten-Thirty! You missed us earlier because you like us and we like you! You’ve got to help me!”

  Ten-Thirty finally nodded at Savannah’s logic. “Copy.” It leapt into the battle suddenly, and fired a few shots from the Rail Gun as it ran. The bolts of sharp steel crashed into the back of the Crocbeast and it roared in agony as 400 damage hovered above its head, dropping it down to 6,140 hit points.

  Once Ten-Thirty reached the Viral, it reached its arms out and grabbed onto the two that were holding Savannah’s arms. The Charging status had reached nearly 85%, but once Ten-Thirty latched onto the monster’s arms, the Charging bar vanished entirely.

  The Crocbeast swung around and released one hand from Savannah’s leg to grab Ten-Thirty by the android’s head, squeezing its hand hard. The words Crushing Damage: 200 points hovered above the Machina as its health dropped to 900.

  Savannah took the opportunity to start kicking at the knuckle of the other hand that was firmly wrapped around her right leg. Each kick caused the grapple bar above her head to shift some, changing from all red to showing a tiny bit of blue on the bar. This meant that she was starting to win against the grapple.

  As Savannah worked to free herself, more rockets came crashing in from Timon, dealing negligible damage but slightly distracting the monster. As a result, Ten-Thirty was able to reach both arms up and pry itself free from the Crocbeast. As they struggled, Savannah felt her left hand go free as the Viral began to focus on grappling both her and the android at the same time. This split in attention caused even more blue to appear on the grapple bar, and Savannah knew that she was only seconds away from total freedom.

  “This is going poorly,” Ten-Thirty stated as the Croc began to overpower it. The android was being forced onto the ground now, with their hands were locked together in a titanic struggle, but it was a struggle that the Machina was clearly losing.

  “Timon, get in here!” Savannah shouted as she managed to kick the Crocbeast’s other hand off of her leg. The third hand immediately reached up and grabbed her by the throat, though. The alert You are Being Strangled hovered in front of her.

  “I thought I needed to stay clear?” Timon replied.

  “N-Not… time. For… that,” Savannah gasped as she tried to force the words out of her mouth. This boss was a hell of a fight, and she wished that Timon still had access to all of his ability cards. His Freedom power would have solved all of this immediately, but when he died, the cards had been dropped too.

  “I’m coming!” Timon yelled as he ran up and leapt onto the third arm of the Crocbeast. His weight began t
o drag the arm down immediately, pulling it from Savannah’s windpipe.

  “Guhhhhhh!” Savannah gasped, choking for air. Never in all of her life had virtual breathing felt so great.

  A loud eiiirrrrng noise caught both Savannah and Timon’s attention. They looked up just in time to see that Ten-Thirty’s right arm had been torn off and sparks were flying everywhere. Its health had dropped down to 600.

  “This is less than ideal,” Ten-Thirty shouted out as the Crocbeast threw the arm with the Rail Gun to the side and grabbed the Machina with both hands, lifting it high into the air.

  Savannah had managed to slip out of the creature’s grasp, and she landed on the ground. She pulled out her Arc Rifle and fired it point blank at the monster, dealing 300 damage. The beast ignored the attack, however, and the word Charging hovered above its head once again. The two free arms went upwards and grabbed on to the android’s limbs.

  “He’s gonna pull Ten apart!” Timon shouted out as he tried in vain to wrestle one of its arms down.

  “Crap, we gotta do something,” Savannah screamed back as she fired another shot, dropping the beast’s health down to 5,400.

  “My systems cannot handle this kind of joint stress,” Ten-Thirty warned them.

  Savannah opened up her inventory and looked at her last sticky grenade. Maybe it would be strong enough to restrain the Crocbeast’s limbs, even if only for a few seconds.

  “Timon, move back!” Savannah yelled as she scrambled away from the blast radius, grenade in hand. She pulled the pin and spun around, hoping that Timon had cleared the area. He was far enough away for her to risk throwing the web grenade. As she threw it, it exploded in mid-air, causing a thin film of webbing to spread like a net and encase the Crocbeast in its entirety. The word Restrained hovered above the monster’s head.

  The beast began to thrash about and Savannah could see that the webbing was quickly breaking loose from the tremendous strength of the monster.

  “That bought us time, but Ten-Thirty’s tangled up, too!” Timon shouted. “What do we do?”