The Excisionists: Book 1

by Rebecca Jensen

  I could feel my heart race as the music intensity increased. I switched to the gorilla-like anthropoid class and barreled toward the boss. The others shot their weapons and tossed bombs with the exception of Wes who joined me as I clawed and tore chunks off the beast with my vampiric teeth. I clung to its back and Wes sliced with his charcoal talons at the thighs and jumped up onto the shoulder of the Cimmerian to slice at arteries on the neck. The beast screamed and flipped around wildly trying to fling us off. Eventually, with the violent movements I couldn’t hold on and crashed to the ground landing square on my back. I could barely breathe when the wind was knocked out of me and I was dazed enough I couldn’t move. By the time I got my bearings, a massive splintered foot slammed my head into the ground and everything went black.

  I respawned a distance from the others and Wes rematerialized next to me only seconds later. We both ran back to the fight and tried again. This time just before I reached the enemy, I switched to Eva class and threw bombs and shocked it with my tesla glove. Suddenly, the Cimmerian jogged back to its pile of trees and lifted one high in the air with each hand. Thick trunks were hurtled in our direction and rolled rapidly into Opal and Mica, flattening them into nothingness. I watched the trajectory of the objects and ran closer to the Cimmerian to get under the arc and avoid the trees all together. Bomb after bomb exploded on the beast taking a tiny amount of health each time.

  I kept my eyes on the Cimmerian as I shouted to my compatriots. “We aren’t doing enough damage. What else do we have?”

  Edan’s voice was much calmer than mine. “You don’t have to yell, we can hear you just fine. Hey Mica, try tossing some potions in its mouth.”

  “Which ones?”

  “Anything to make it sleep. I’ve got some poisons too.”

  I looked back and could see the terror in Mica’s eyes. “I can’t get that close! Here, you do it.” He tossed several bottles at Edan who was only able to catch three. Two others smashed onto the ground and released a vapor that Edan had to run from. “Sorry.”

  Edan shot him a dirty look. “Stop being afraid of everything and just get up here and help.”

  He shook his head and then selected the runes on his bracelet. “Thrash and grip, slide and trip.” Plant vines twisted upwards and encircled the beast. Tree roots and branches burst upwards from the ground and shot through the strong legs of the Cimmerian. It cried out and slashed at them with its claws.

  I was impressed. “Wow. What else can you do?”

  “Crack and shift, earth move and lift.” Immediately the ground split open and engulfed the Cimmerian. It roared again as it dropped to the bottom of a deep pit lined with sharp glassy crystals.

  We all started cheering and slapping hands with Mica. The celebration was short lived when we saw the fingers emerge from the hole as the beast pulled itself back up onto the land. We all focused our weapons on the bleeding Cimmerian with the exception of Mica who used his magic to enforce other more effective attacks.

  “Shards of light, show yourself bright.” The crystals grew upwards and formed a cage that the Cimmerian couldn’t get away from. For every crystal the beast cracked a new crystal erupted and grew upwards in its place.

  Opal started dancing and pumping her fists. “Yeah! Go Mica!”

  This was the most animated I’d seen Opal which made me laugh.

  Jinx was irritated with our reactions and we could hear it in her voice. “Stay focused. Train your weapons on the Cimmerian while its unable to attack us.”

  Phineas sighed. “Lighten up. We’re going to win this thing.”

  Suddenly, bolts of lightning shot from the caged creature striking us to the ground. I was stunned and couldn’t hear anything. My vision was white-washed, and I couldn’t focus. Instinctively I drug myself toward Mica. Although he was still alive, he wasn’t moving. I called out to him despite hearing nothing more than loud ringing. It took time before my vision started to return to normal and my legs gained some strength. I jumped up and ran to protect him.

  When I reached his side, his eyes opened displaying total confusion. I grabbed his arms, pulled him up, and drug him as far as I could from the scene. Moments later, he finally realized what had happened.

  His voice was muffled but I was beginning to get my audio back and was able to make out what he said. “Dropos Heal.” He lifted a swirling periwinkle potion to his lips and immediately his health regenerated. He held it out to me. “Drink a few drops.”

  As soon as the liquid hit my tongue, everything returned to normal. “We’ve got to get this to the others.”

  He nodded and pulled out a second container that held floating herbs in clear liquid. “Floros Heal.” The plants inside became animated and grew arms, legs, and eyes. He handed it to me. “Take this to Wes, Phineas, and Opal. They can’t drink the potion that we can drink, oh, and give this to Jinx.” He dropped a glimmering gem into my hand. “Geolos Heal.” The white fire inside the gem ignited.

  “Mica, this is so cool. How did you figure this all out?”

  He frowned at me. “I’m not some little kid you can boss around all the time. You don’t even know what I can do ‘cause you’re always thinking I’m your little brother and nothing else. But let me tell you something, I’m smarter than you know.”

  I was surprised at the force of his words. “You’re right. I’m sorry you feel that way, it’s just that I’m trying to make sure you’re not left alone when you need help from me, and–”

  “Forget it. Just stop treating me like a baby all the time.”

  I nodded. “I–”

  “Help me!” Opal was still laying prone on the lightning charred grass.

  I ran to her without a second thought and opened the bottle to have her drink, but instead the herbs pulled themselves out of the bottle and hopped onto her back. They swirled around her as her body lifted from the ground, healing her wounds and restoring her health. The little living plants hopped back into the bottle and waited for me to reach the others. Mica dropped the liquid onto the lips of the others who immediately revived and focused their strength back on the flailing screaming Cimmerian.

  It had broken out of the crystalline cage and the ground shook as the ghastly creature bounded toward our group.

  Mica cast another set of spells. “Beasts rush, my enemies crush.” The leaves rustled around us and animals of all shapes and sizes stormed the field. They struck, bit, and tore at the Cimmerian. “Shield and guard, leave all unmarred.” Vines and leaves knit together and shielded us from the attack of the beast as it tried to cast more lightning bolts in our direction. “Flower and bloom, dispel the gloom.” Dozens of leaves opened to reveal brightly colored flowers.

  I continued tossing bombs over the plant shield onto the Cimmerian. “What was that supposed to do?”

  “I need it for a potion.” He ran up and plucked the flowers from the wall of greenery then ran back behind us to mix up something potent.

  We continued to retreat while attacking at the same time when the giant broke through the plant shield. “Mica you better hurry up.”

  “I’m trying! I’ve got to do it just like the scroll said from the Antediluvian Forest. I can’t rush it.”

  Minutes ticked by and the Cimmerian continued to attack. “When are you going to be done?” I dodged and narrowly avoided another tree that had been launched directly at me.

  “Almost finished.”

  Opal and Wes were forced to respawn leaving us two fewer to fight with. I was relieved when they got back to the battlefield and helped continue the fighting.

  Finally, Mica’s potion was finished. He handed a small round glass bottle filled with fuchsia liquid that sparkled with gold specks. “Get that in its mouth.”

  I blasted out another shock from my tesla glove. “Why don’t you do it?”

  “I’m not getting that close to that thing.”

  I tossed a few more bombs. “I thought you were done being treated like a little kid. Oh well. Guess I’ll do
it for you, again.” I took a step forward, but he stopped me.

  He furrowed his brows and hastily grabbed the potion back from me. “Give me that.”

  He picked up a small rock, selected the rune from his bracelet, and forced the crystals to make a staircase spiraling around the Cimmerian. I watched as he ran toward the enemy and up the stairs without hesitation. We all kept the beast distracted by rushing toward it and continuing our attack. When Mica reached the top of the stairs, he dropped the rock on its head causing it to look up with a gaping mouth. He threw the glass orb with all his might and we watched breathless as it traveled downward in slow motion and smashed open inside the dark orifice. Immediately, the beast shattered the crystalline stairs and howled as Mica dropped toward the thrashing creature. I cried out and ran forward but before I could get to Mica, a blanket of vines cushioned his descent and brought him safely to the ground. Behind him, the Cimmerian swayed back and forth like a drunken sailor. We lifted our alien bracelets simultaneously engaging in a single unified shot. The crackling amethyst spheres hit the black skin and the entire beast vaporized before our eyes leaving behind horns, coins, and a metal chest.

  We were elated and cheered and slapped hands for finally defeating this beast. When everyone was finished celebrating, we gathered around the chest peering inside as Jinx lifted the lid. At the bottom of the chest was a collection of shields the size of my fist. I reached down and lifted one out. It liquified and traveled up to the center of my right shoulder then solidified and became a permanent part of my armor. The others picked up a shield and they all reacted the same way. When everyone had one, I felt a brief piercing pain in my shoulder and then I somehow felt stronger.

  I looked over at Jinx. “What’s this for?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Edan offered a suggestion. “Maybe it’s a tracking device.”

  Jinx was frustrated. “Stop being so paranoid. Well, whatever it is, we shouldn’t waste time trying to find out. If it’s some kind of weapon or useful item, it’ll activate at some point when we need it. Let’s get to Yargkee.”

  We chattered amongst ourselves as we boarded the ship and while we traveled to Yargkee. I was proud of Mica and enjoyed watching him make friends with the others. He recounted his thought process when he defeated the Cimmerian to those who sat mesmerized as they listened to him while he acted out his final moment of triumph. Jinx had left the cockpit to spend time sampling food and beverages from the onboard bar. Amber and Crispin sat at the controls and exchanged stories. I sat near the viewing area and watched the stars as they flew by.

  Edan sat in a chair close by and put his feet up on another. “Glad the travel doesn’t take as long as it did before.”

  “Yep.”

  “You know, it’s probably a good thing we came together as a group because of all of the things we have in common.”

  I rolled my eyes at him. “Yeah, we have a ton in common.”

  “We do. Just think about it. We all came here to have a better life. None of us fit in with our families or friends and we all got to be part of this experimental game. Each of us has something unique we’re contributing and that makes us stronger together.”

  I exhaled. “You have no idea what it’s like to be me, or to have a brother that’s disabled. We came from nothing to be here and you came from privilege. Oh, and your mom is experimenting on us. It’s a pretty safe bet that we’re not even close to being the same.”

  He folded his hands together. “Even if you think we’re different, I’d like to be friends after we get out.”

  “I’m sure you would, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

  “Why not?”

  I sneered at him. “Let’s say we all get out of this without any real damage to our bodies or brains. Do you really believe the elite Excisionist novitiates would spend time with the outcasts? Well, maybe to cut us open like lab rats and do some more experiments on us but that would be it.”

  He reached over and put his hand on my arm. “I’m not like that. And besides, you can be an Excisionist too. We could change things together.”

  I balked at his suggestion and then stood up and walked out of the cockpit without another word to Edan. I was incensed by his suggestion I’d joined the very group that was causing us to suffer. The long chrome corridors in the ship had blinking lights running in strips along the walls and formed patterns on the floors. I entered the bar and sat down several seats away from Jinx.

  I glanced over at her. “What’s good here?”

  She didn’t look up from her cup. “Too bad we can’t get something stronger than water in here.”

  I looked at the A.I. and around at the bottles. “I like citrus fruits and coconut. Make something for me along those lines.”

  The robotic face smiled and nodded. “No problem. It’ll be done in a jiffy.”

  I turned back to Jinx. “Why are you so distant from everyone? You can’t possibly be shocked that someone else had a hidden agenda. After all, you had one too.”

  Her eyes were filled with hurt. “Everything I thought I knew was a lie. What if my father put me in this game because he doesn’t want me?”

  I wasn’t expecting this outpour of emotion and didn’t know what to say, so I just listened.

  She looked down into her cup again. “He told me I was special and that I’d be the first in the game. Do you think this is a punishment for hacking his game earlier just so I could see my brother?”

  I accepted my drink and took a long drink to stall as I tried to come up with something comforting to say. “It can’t be that bad. And you’ve got some friends now. I wouldn’t waste your time worrying about something you have no control over.”

  She nodded. “I can’t wait to get out of this game. I just want for things to go back to the way they were before.”

  I tried to change the subject in a subtle way hoping she wouldn’t notice. “Let me ask you a question. Did you know Edan or Opal before you got in here?”

  She shook her head and drained her cup. “No. I don’t know many people that aren’t adults. I don’t even get to pick who I marry.”

  “Really? That’s crazy. Why can’t you be with whoever you want?”

  Her back stiffened and she held her head high in a gesture of mocking. “Because my father has things planned out for me already. I’m supposed to marry Alchemist’s oldest son, become coordinator over the psychology and game development departments, and eventually move to another facility in Russia.”

  “Russia? Why there?”

  She sniffed. “They’re the target for the next cooperative movement of the Excisionists. They believe that if we can get Russia, we can then sweep across the other continents and create a better life for the people by changing who’s in power.”

  I grimaced. “Sounds awful to not have any kind of freedom of choice.”

  She shrugged. “It’s not all bad. We get to try out all of the newest inventions and the parties are pretty good.”

  I sipped my cocktail. “I’ve never been to a party. At least not what you’d call a party.”

  Amber’s voice came across the communicators interrupting our conversation. “We’re at Yargkee. Let’s go.”

  I jumped up and jogged to the cockpit. I pointed to the brick structure coated in ice. “Land as close to that as you can.”

  She touched down near the stairs and we all went outside. Thankfully, my armor and upgrades kept me at the right temperature, but some of the others weren’t so lucky.

  I watched them shiver in the glaciated atmosphere. “Wes, you’re not going to be able to survive on this planet. All of you need to get inside that building as quick as you can.”

  They looked up at the large spires pointing upwards with archways covered in ice. Spiraling staircases reached upward to the large double radius topped doors made from gritty red stone. They climbed the stairs with care and relaxed when a blast of heat rush toward us as the doors opened. At that moment it hit me that th
e heat wasn’t for the Evas, it was for their visitors. The warmth came from glowing cherry red tubes protruding from the walls and ceiling. Teardrops of light hung from the ceiling and were clustered in a spiral reaching almost to the surface of the placid pool of water in the center of the first room. Throughout the edifice, the walls and floors were built from the same red stone. The stairs off to one side of the room were neatly arranged slabs of stone stacked on top of other pieces of the gritty ruddy stone tightly cobbled together.

  I pointed to large white furs lined up near glassy cylinders that reached from the floor to ceiling. “Grab one and when you get back, take off the fur, and get inside one of the cylinders. They’re for those of you that can’t handle the cold well.”