by Macronomicon
“Whoops!” Jeb turned and started stumping away at full speed, aiming for the covered pits, using his spear as a makeshift crutch.
Clomp, clomp.
“aaaAAAAAARGH!”
Clomp, clomp.
It was a close race between the seasoned warrior and the cripple. Jeb had to cover about ten feet, while redbeard had roughly two hundred to clear.
He almost got him, too.
The man’s Body must have been raised well into superhuman territory, because Jeb felt the axe whiff past his spine in less than three seconds as he pole-vaulted over the pit-trap, tumbling to the ground on the other side.
Redbeard’s next swing turned into confused flailing as the ground gave out from beneath him.
You have gained a level!
You have gained a level!
You have gained a level!
You have gained a level!
You have gained a level!
You have gained a level!
You are now level six!
Jeb pushed himself to his feet….foot, leaning on the spear as he hopped closer to the pit. Let’s see if you get levels for subduing people…but I doubt it.
“Redbeard? Buuuuddy? You okaaay?” Jeb said, peering over the edge of the pit before sucking in a breath through his teeth. “Ow, that looks like it hurt.”
Jeb had packed the spikes in there nice and tight, and redbeard had gotten one through the eye and neck.
And groin.
Yikes. Well, at least we’ve got a proof of concept with a charging boar. Pit still looks plenty usable…and I’m standing on the wrong side of it. Any minute now a stampede of Kruskers were gonna come through here, and Jeb needed to be inside the Safe Zone.
“Don’t move!” Came a woman’s shout.
Jeb’s attention was drawn up, making eye contact with the icy blue eyes of the woman with an arrow drawn, bead on his heart.
“Well, this is awkward.”
“Don’t move,” she said in a more subdued tone as she approached, shuffling toward the pit to glance over the edge.
Jeb didn’t really get a chance to inspect her the first time they met, other than her eyes. He’d thought she was older when they first met, but that seemed to be a result of the stress and the grime.
Mid-twenties, probably?
She had natural strawberry blonde hair and freckles under the dirt, soft cheeks and a slightly pointed chin.
Her figure was concealed behind a layer of padded armor, but judging by her forearms, it was…athletic.
Jeb wasn’t quite able to read her expression as she looked in the hole, arrow still aimed at his chest.
It seemed like a mixture of relief and hopelessness, Which Jeb found odd, until he considered the circumstances, breaking down the situation in his head.
Pretty girl in a group of guys, biggest meanest guy there lays a ‘claim’ on her. At the same time, biggest meanest guy is also the best shot at getting out of the impossible test alive. And now he’s dead.
Relief, and hopelessness.
“I really need to get on the other side –“
“Shut up.” She said, raising the bow again and glaring at him, eyes crazed. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
“Ummm…”
“I’ll tell you what you’ve done, you just killed our best shot at getting out of here! George was level thirty-five! He was the closest thing we had to someone who could kill the Boss!”
“He wasn’t my best shot of getting out of here,” Jeb said, waving his hand dismissively.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t shoot you right now!” She said, nostrils flaring as she tightened her grip on her bow.
Jeb breathed in, burned Myst, then siphoned energy out, forming a scissor-shape with the orange power and closing it around the bowstring.
The bow’s arms exploded outward, whipping the remaining string across her face and sending the arrow tumbling into the grass. She reeled backward, landing on her ass, hand clasped over a bloody nose.
“Your bow’s busted,” Jeb said, limping around the hole and back into the Safe Zone.
Chapter 3: Hunting is Supposed to be Unfair
***Jessica***
He’d done something.
She didn’t know what, but in that instant, she knew he’d done something.
George was scary, sure, but he was a definable threat. If he got mad, he’d cut you in half with his axes. It could be avoided by avoiding the axes… but what this man had just done…she couldn’t perceive it at all.
Myst. That trait no one focused on because those that did started seeing things, and no one wanted to be physically weaker than everyone else in exchange for going slightly crazy.
The man’s found some way to use it.
She held her hand over her bleeding nose. The string had put a gash up the middle of it, emerging above her right eyebrow.
She could probably still take him… She was level twenty-two with the Assassin class, with twenty-five Body and thirty Nerve, and he was a cripple with baseline physical stats.
By all accounts she should be able to walk over and snap his neck…but she didn’t know what he could do in response, and that made her hesitate.
“Let me ask you something, miss…” The green-eyed cripple asked, leaning on his spear and watching her with an exhausted gaze.
“Jessica.”
“Jessica?” I knew a Jessica in middle school once, we didn’t get along.” He paused, staring out into space, his jaw slack. “No, you can’t have one, you didn’t bring me anything! Fine, if you fix the trap you can have one. One!”
Jessica considered making a dash for it as the crazy man argued with the air, but a fraction of a second later, she heard a rustle behind her. When she peered over her shoulder, the sticks and leaves covering the pit trap were beginning to reassemble themselves, as if by magic.
No, it’s definitely magic. This guy can move shit with his mind.
Jessica began weighing her choices.
“You were going to ask me something?” She prompted, and the haunted looking man refocused on her.
“Right.” He wiggled a finger at some of the bandages on the supply pile, and they shot through the air, landing in his hand. If she had any doubt about what he could do, they were assuaged. “Is there anyone else left?”
“Everyone else is dead.” Jessica said.
“So if you killed me, it would just be you,” he said, offering her the bandage with an outstretched hand.
“Yeah, I guess.” She took it and quickly wrapped some around the cut over her nose. She’d long since gotten over giving two shits about petty flesh wounds.
“So, wanna work together?” He asked, hope written plainly across his face, along with an undercurrent of desire. She’d been around long enough to spot it, even when men tried to act nonchalant. At this point it just meant they weren’t gay.
Still, after George…
“How do I know I can trust you?” she demanded.
The emaciated man frowned.
“Well, I suppose if at any point you’re not happy working together, you can just…” He tapped his gimp leg. “Walk away. A brisk walk would probably be enough.”
Despite all the horror she’d seen over the last week, that still managed to wring a laugh out of her. It was so funny she cried.
***Jeb***
Jeb knew he had her when she started laughing.
Get ‘em laughing, as grandpappy used to say.
Then she started sobbing, and Jeb wasn’t so sure.
Then she started laughing again, and Jeb was pretty sure she wasn’t laughing at his joke, but rather the sheer horror and futility of it all. What else could they do but laugh when the world was going crazy?
That got a chuckle out of Jeb, and pretty soon he was cry-laughing too.
I haven’t spoken to anyone except Redbeard in a week and half. God, this is exactly what I needed.
In the blink of an eye – literal fucking blink of
an eye – Jessica was on top of him, with a knife pressing into his throat. She moved many times faster than he could react.
“I’m not having sex with you.” she said, brilliant blue eyes narrowed.
“Unless I miss my guess,” Jeb said, looking down at the knife that had disappeared under his chin. He could still feel it, though. “You could probably rip me in half. So…coercing you seems like a bad idea.” Lots of squishy parts in tearing range.
Her eyes narrowed, and she held up her other hand.
“Twist my hand, hard as you can.”
Jeb did so, but it felt like trying to arm wrestle a bear made out of solid marble.
“Guess you’re right. You don’t have any freaky mind-powers, do you?”
“No ma’am. Your leg armor is pinching my skin, though, so if you could-“
“EEEEEE!” the sound of dozens of angry kruskers stampeding through the underbrush grabbed their attention.
“Shit,” Jeb cursed, scurrying to his feet – foot – as she stepped off of him, scanning the woods.
“What level did you say you were?” she asked with a frown.
“Including the six I got from that guy?” Jeb asked, pointing at the now-covered pit-trap.
“Yeah.”
Status
Jebediah Trapper
Unclassed, Level 6
Body 5 +
Myst 15 +
Nerve 8 +
6 Ability Points remaining.
“Six,” Jeb said with a shrug, hesitating a moment before dropping all six points into Myst
Jebediah Trapper
Unclassed, Level 6
Body 5 +
Myst - 21 +
Nerve 8 +
Confirm?
“Oh god, we’re gonna die.” Jessica said.
“Oh god, I hope this doesn’t hurt as much as the first time,” Jeb whispered before poking the Confirm button hanging in the air in front of him.
The good news was that it didn’t, in fact, hurt as much the second time around.
The bad news was that meant he didn’t pass out, instead having to sit through what amounted to an ice pick headache worth writing home about.
It wasn’t helped by the squealing cries of dozens of kruskers falling into pit traps along the edges of the Safe Zone, filling the pits up in a matter of seconds.
You have gained a level!
You have gained a level!
You have gained a level!
You have gained a level!
“look at that, level ten already..” Jeb said between grunts as he jabbed The Finisher down into the pit, stabbing the writhing boars about the neck and face as best he could.
It was tough work, but it was netting him levels at a tremendous pace by weaponizing the Safe Zone. Even after the kruskers had filled up the pits, they were unable to push through the invisible barrier just on the other side, squealing like mad and pushing mindlessly forward in a berserker rage.
“You’re out of breath, and sweating like a pig.” Jessica noted.
“Well, excuse me for having a normal Body,” Jeb said, leaning on his spear and plunking the four points straight into Myst. He was starting to be able to read the mood of the weather itself, which was cool. It was happy now, but it was going to rain sometime in the evening.
Jebediah Trapper
Unclassed, Level 10
Body 5
Myst 25
Nerve 8
The amount of discomfort seemed to be relative. Going from zero to fifteen had knocked him out, fifteen to twenty one was a major headache, while twenty one to twenty five was just uncomfortable.
The star burning inside him had grown larger as he had focused on breathing Myst in and burning it, circling the star’s corona of gas back into the ball of energy instead of siphoning it, growing its size as quickly as possible.
“You’re going to need to get physically stronger, too, what’s the point if you get tired before you finish all of them off?” Jess said.
In response, Jeb siphoned out a bit of energy and infused the spear with it, similar to the way he moved dirt. He’d realized that telekinesis was more effective on a given object if the Myst was penetrating through it, rather than wrapped around it like a human hand.
Jeb let go of the spear, directing it to continue stabbing kruskers.
“Look ma, no hands.”
Jess watched the spear finish off a few squealers by itself, her eyebrows raised, objectively impressed, but then her brows lowered, and she looked back at Jeb.
“But can you outrun them?”
“Ummm..I could probably ride the spear like a broom?” Jeb said, holding onto the spear and lifting himself off the ground.
Physics be damned.
It wasn’t the fastest mode of transport. Lifting Jeb’s hundred and seventy pounds off the ground was a strain, and he lost a lot of speed as a result.
They both knew that it wasn’t a viable mode of transport, yet.
“If you’re going to keep dumping everything into Myst, you’re going to need Accolades and Rewards.”
“What?”
“Didn’t you hear the announcement when we started? Higher difficulty, higher rewards? George killed a miniboss in the north woods and he got a fruit that gave him a permanent plus ten to his Nerve.”
“That’s like ten levels!”
“Exactly. You’re way too physically weak to survive even a few seconds without your magic. The raptors to the west took people’s heads off without them even noticing. If you’re gonna survive for any length of time, I’ll have to…
Jess sighed and put a hand over her face.
“Power-level me?”
“Yeah, basically.”
“Acorn!” Jeb shouted, making Jess jump in place before scowling at him.
“You wish to barter, M&M-Lord?” Acorn said, flitting up to him.
“Yeah, why didn’t anyone tell me about accolades and rewards and such and stuff?”
“You didn’t ask, M&M-lord.”
“Who are you talking to? What are you talking to?” Jess asked with a frown.
“Shh.” Jeb said, not looking away from Acorn. He couldn’t afford to show weakness here. “I’ll give you twenty M&M’s to map out all the minibosses and rewards and such.” Jeb rattled his bag of candy.
“What?” Jess said, her eyes wide.
“We don’t like M&M’s any more,” Acorn said, crossing his arms. “Our pupae have already hatched, and we have no more need for your devilish sweets.”
“Oh really?” Jeb asked, pulling out an M&M and eating it in front of the fairy leader.
The little person stuck his nose up, seemingly uninterested.
“So, it’s come to this. Fine. I guess I’ll have to enjoy this Baby Ruth all to myself,” Jeb said, opening the wrapper on the candy-bar.
“Try all you like, tempter, we are no longer controlled by our sugar-lust. We must build nests and clothing for our young.” As he spoke, Acorn became gradually more and more fixated on Jessica’s brilliant orange-blonde hair.
He landed on her shoulder, unbeknownst to the assassin, fixated on the individual strands and running his tiny finger through them.
Hmmm….
“Two inches,” Jeb said.
“All of it.” Acorn fired back.
“Is there something on my shoulder?” Jessica asked.
“Not a chance. You wouldn’t get any without my help, two inches is plenty for you.”
“Not true,” Acorn said, bracing himself and yanking on a single strand.
“Ow!” Jess swatted her side, but Acorn was already out of the way, holding up an orange-gold strand in the air and cackling as he buzzed above them.
“We can get plenty without you, M&M-lord, but if we give you these secrets, you will no longer need us.
“Hey Jess,” Jeb said, glancing back down at the assassin. “What’s your rock bottom for the shortest hairstyle you’d be willing to have? In exchange for a map of the forest with notes on w
here to find rewards and minibosses?”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Jessica asked with a tone that seriously questioned Jeb’s priorities. “I don’t care about my hair. I’d go bald if it gave us a map with every possible way to boost our stats.”
“HAH! The pathetic female herself has agreed to the deal! We have an accord!” Acorn crowed victoriously.
“Map first.” Jeb said, eyeing him. “Every possible way to boost stats.”
“Shit.” Acorn cursed, deflating.
“I think I saw a razor in the supply cache,” Jeb said, glancing back to Jessica.
***
Naturally, the fairies didn’t know every possible way to raise stats, but they did their best, and the map was pretty darn comprehensive.
With Jessica clearing the path of monsters in front of him, they were able to find their first quarry: The Krusker Lord. The minibosses in the other cardinal directions were a bad fit for Jeb, so they’d decided to push for the Krusker Lord.
Stupid, slow and heavy was Jeb’s ideal target.
“There it is,” Jessica said, consulting the map, her newly shaved head pale white against her freckled face. In the distance, a massive Krusker was snuffling through a big green glowing bush, crunching on the roots. Crackling electricity flowed up it’s back as it ate.
If the other kruskers looked like pygmy rhinos, this thing looked like a rhino-rhino.
Like, walking tank that could flip a truck on its side, kind of rhino. The only difference was the shape of the face around the horn was flatter, wider, and more evil looking.
“Hey, is that bush glowing for you?” Jeb whispered, pointing at the object of the krusker’s desire.
Jess glanced back at him with a frown.
“No.”
Huh. Maybe there’s something Myst-y about that plant.
“Alright, begin operation Silent But Deadly,” Jeb whispered, using Myst to pull himself up into the branches of the nearby tree without making a sound. He crouched in the crook of the branch and got himself comfortable.
The assassin climbed up beside him, equally silently, and swift as a spider.
“You’re not naming any more operations,” She whispered, before leaping to the next branch.
We’ll see about that, Jeb thought, pulling his first spear out while they surrounded the hapless animal.