by Wolfe Locke
“My bad,” I said, backing away as the monster lunged forward to try and bite me “Didn’t mean to do that!”
It came toward me, looking furious, and I kept moving away from it. Does it have some kind of cold resistance?
The Balverine came within range again, and I lashed out at its face. The same thing happened as before. Frost, but no fireworks. It lost some of its health but remained at around half.
That’s unfortunate. I was in deep trouble. This thing was going to eat me alive, and I did not look forward to having to start this journey all over again. I also didn’t want to have to explain to Edgar why I was back so soon. I was already the worst recruit in everyone’s mind. I didn’t need to prove it.
“Napoleon?” I shouted, only throwing a cursory glance around for the mimic. “A little help? Buddy?”
My guy came toddling over to the rescue on his little meat legs. The Balverine was so fixated on me that it didn’t even see the mimic coming. Though I did, and I still shudder about it.
Napoleon opened his mouth wider than I've ever seen before; his maw stretched several feet, revealing thousands of jagged, shark-like teeth. With the Balverine unaware, he clamped his jaws shut around the creature's midsection, rows upon rows of miniature daggers slicing into its flesh.
The Balverine screamed, and its health bar dipped into the red as it tried to shake Napoleon off. It was frantic, but the mimic held on tight and swallowed hard. The Balverine’s entire midsection vanished down the mimic’s throat. The process must have hurt a lot, because the Balverine started howling and tried to call for aid. It did its best to escape, shrieking all the while.
I’ll admit it, I felt a little bad. I remembered my first experience with the mimic when I’d tried to pick him up in his package form and ended up having to kill myself. Just a little bit of sympathy, but not a lot.
“Alright!” I said, watching the Balverine scream as the Mimic started to digest the monster before my eyes. “Great job, Napoleon!”
The thing had just tried to bite my head off, and now my pet mimic was taking care of it. I was proud. In the apocalypse, it’s kill or be killed. And my goal was to be killed as few times as possible.
Notification: Experience Gained - +9 experience, next level in 48 experience. +12 Sol.
Current experience: 42/100.
Sol: 9014.
No items have been dropped.
But the battle wasn’t over yet. There were still two more of the creatures trying to eat us, or rather me, and after feasting, Napoleon was out of commission. The mimic was leaning up against a wall in his teddy bear form with a grossly distended stomach. Alright then, guess the rest of the fight is on me.
Chapter Eleven: This One’s on Me
* * *
I went for the other small one first, thinking it was better to save the leader for last. Maybe by then I’d have Napoleon back, and we could take it on together.
The Balverine and I circled each other, each trying to find an opening to attack. I watched its movements closely. It was strong and more agile than I was. I wasn’t the most graceful guy either, so I had to be careful of my steps. It didn’t help that the Balverine was a lot faster than me.
Actually, this is pretty bad for me. I couldn’t keep up with the monster, so I did the next best thing. I took it head on. I darted toward it and struck out with my bat. This time, I felt the weapon’s frost power finally, finally start to work. The Balverine’s right arm froze solid, and the monster roared at me, opening its mouth wide to reveal a double-row of sharp yellow fangs. This creature’s breath was even worse than the first one, and I flinched back from the smell.
What have these things been eating? I shuddered. Well, it didn’t matter. I was just glad my bat was working again. My blow had taken the Balverine’s health from green to yellow. I glanced over at Napoleon to see how he was doing. His belly was still distended, but it wasn’t quite as noticeable as it had been before. He raised a weak hand in acknowledgement and went back to what he was doing. It wouldn’t be long before the mimic was back in the fight.
Good work, buddy, just keep that up.
I shrugged. I knew he’d be done soon, and we could take on the leader together.
I turned all my attention back to my Balverine. The monster was wounded but not destroyed, and sensing my momentary distraction, it leaped toward me, snapping its powerful jaws. I swung my bat around and hit the creature full on the left collarbone. The enchantment of the steel core bat activated in a frosty haze, and the Balverine’s arm froze solid. It stumbled, knocked off balance, before crashing to the ground.
I moved quickly, bringing my weapon down over and over again on the Balverine’s head, wild with bloodlust. I might have laughed a few times in a manic haze. I’m not quite sure. The frost didn’t engage this time, but it was all right. I could use brute strength to finish it up. After all, what else were all those strength upgrades for?
Finally, the creature lay still, its head a bloody, pulpy mess. It was gruesome but oddly satisfying. I felt meaty little arms wrap around my leg, and I smiled.
Notification: Experience Gained - +9 experience, next level in 48 experience. +12 Sol.
Current experience: 51/100.
Sol: 9026.
Bloody Pulp has been acquired.
Use, UNK
“Hey, Napoleon,” I said, an idea forming. It had everything to do with the new item I’d acquired. “I think I’ve found a snack for you for later.”
The mimic burped, and I looked over at the patch of asphalt where his Balverine had been. A large, oversized tongue came out of the mimic and licked up the last little bits. I cringed but tried not to focus too much on it. Within seconds, Napoleon was back to normal.
Together, we turned to face the last and largest Balverine. Its health bar was larger than the others, and its fur was a mottled gray and white where the smaller ones had been black. It reared back on its ugly-looking legs and roared. I wrapped my hands tight around the handle of my bat.
Then, unexpectedly, the Alpha sniffed the air, turned tail and ran away, whimpering. I watched in surprise as it lurched awkwardly around the corner of Kiku Sushi and out of sight with a quickness that surprised me.
“That was weird,” I said, mostly to myself. “I was sure he was going to try to kill us. He looked pretty big too. He might have been able to.”
Napoleon waddled over and grumbled. I got the distinct sense that he was still hungry.
If I knew anything about this brave new world at all, it was that the large Balverine’s sudden disappearance just meant we’d have to face it later. But there was nothing I could do about that now. I also need to think about why that Alpha took off. Always a bigger fish, right?
“Don’t worry, buddy,” I said to Napoleon, setting him back on my shoulder. “We’ll get you something else to eat. Soon.”
Chapter Twelve: A Boy and His Dog
* * *
I kept an eye out for that last Balverine as we kept traveling, just in case it was laying in wait somewhere, but I didn’t see it. Disappointing but expected. It would probably come back when we were the least prepared to fight it.
“You like shopping, Napoleon?” I asked the mimic as we walked. “We’re going to the mall!”
Napoleon just ignored me. But I did think there was kind of a twinkle in its walk, like it was excited to eat something else. I’d never met another mimic, but I guessed this was just what mimics were like.
Springfield Mall was at the end of one of the ugliest roads on Earth. We passed a whole row of decrepit one-story buildings. All of them looked the same, and to be honest, they all kind of blended together after a while. I almost wished for a fight just to break the monotony of travel and search. Just a little though. Nearly dying, or in my case, actually dying, regularly is said to be bad for one’s health. It was an almost endless row of trashy mobile homes and double wide constructions.
But then I remembered how many times I’d died screaming in agony,
quickly deciding that I didn’t want a fight after all.
Weirdly, and contrary to the norm, nothing tried to kill us. We didn’t see any monsters at all. I wondered what was going on with that. Were they all gathering in one convenient location, waiting to jump us all at once? Or had somebody else come through already and taken them all out for us? Somebody is out here just grinding levels, I’m sure. I grimaced. If that was the case, I wasn’t sure I wanted to meet whoever, or whatever, it was.
The two of us walked in silence down the road. I didn’t want to attract attention, and Napoleon thankfully seemed to follow me in that regard. Finally, I saw the big rooftop sign that marked the mall in the distance. It was classic Seventies style with faded red letters in oversized block font on a dingy white background. For whatever reason, I assumed money had something to do with it since they’d never changed it. Now it just made the mall look dated and sad, like it was stuck in a perma-time warp.
Parked cars packed the huge parking lot to the brim. Some sat in impossible angles, as if their drivers had been forewarned of the apocalypse and felt the urge to go on a last-minute shopping spree. The end of the world didn't matter if you could get great deals on the leftover pickings at Circuit Shack. As if any of that matters now. I’ll just never understand what motivates some people. And really, why Circuit Shack of all places? Totally overrated.
Only one thing worried me, and I begged and prayed silently to whoever might be listening. I really, really hoped all those people weren’t still in the mall, locked inside as the meatier undead that like to munch on flesh. Please, no zombies. Not now. Not today.
I clung to that thought for a moment and let it linger before shaking my head. Who was I kidding? I knew they would be because that’s just how things worked around here now. There were probably thousands of undead inside, awaiting my arrival so they could get first munch on my meaty bits. So, I better avoid it.
Rowe’s took up an entire side of the mall, and it had its own parking section. From the looks of it, Rowe’s had been incredibly popular as a final destination of the doomed. The mini parking lot was full of pickup trucks loaded up with warped building materials.
The building supply store had a rooftop sign all its own in the same sad Seventies style as the rest of the mall. Something about it didn’t look quite right to me. It wasn’t even in the normal Rowe’s font. I didn’t dwell on it.
“You ready?” I asked, turning to my mimic. “We’re going in. Might be pretty ugly in there. Try to avoid eating anything right away, I might need you.”
Napoleon sulked and shifted on my shoulder and growled in the direction of the Mall. I knew he’d be ready. He was a bold little guy, always down for a fight then a nice big feast afterwards.
We weaved our way through the cars in the lot, half-expecting something to come crawling out of one of them. Surprisingly, nothing jumped out at us yet. Whatever was waiting for us at the mall, it was all inside.
There was a mountain of shopping carts in front of the door that acted as a sort of barricade. I groaned when I saw them, but I didn’t have much choice. I knew what to do.
I cleared the carts out, one by one. Contrary to my expectations, I actually enjoyed that part a lot. Every time I freed a new cart, I pushed it into the parking lot with all the strength I could muster. Watching them roll around wildly and crash into cars all over the place was therapeutic. Quality fun. At least, it was for me and Napoleon.
“Lirai, anything we should know about this place?” I asked, figuring the AI might finally clue me before I got in trouble.
Notification – Query – Information About Location
Details: Rowe’s Building Supplies is a source of raw materials that can be used in building projects back at the player’s base. Come here for Wood, Stone, and Concrete. It is a popular location and tends to draw enemies and rival factions.
I frowned. The prompt had clued me in on some things I hadn’t really been aware of. Now that it had, I need to know more. “Enemies? Other factions?”
Lirai didn’t clarify. Dang thing never answers when I’m curious. My mimic pal and I could find out the answer for ourselves.
Even after I’d moved the rest of the carts, there were still a few broken boards blocking the front door, and I ripped them off one by one. It was great having augmented strength after spending so long... well, not quite so strong. I smiled. It was a good feeling. I might have decided then and there to put more points into strength. Napoleon made a triumphant noise as I pulled the last board off, and I grinned.
“Thanks for cheering me on, buddy,” I said. “It means a lot.”
We pushed our way through and carefully stepped over some broken glass. It wasn’t my fault. Inside, the store was a mess. The shelves had all been ransacked. There were building supplies and tools all over the floor as well as torn open cardboard boxes. I wondered if there were other people that had been here since the apocalypse. You know, people trying to build walls around their kingdoms too. Given the information Lirai had provided, I was pretty confident that was the case.
Napoleon jumped to the ground and started to half run, half waddle away. I looked in the direction he was going. A trio of giant spiders was rushing toward us, clacking their mandibles with venom dripping to the ground. Obviously, I stood my ground and didn’t panic.
Excellent. You see, I ended up liking it when I got to fight spiders. They were easier to kill, deserved to die, and the crunch of their exoskeletons was very satisfying. Napoleon seemed excited too. A win-win for everyone.
The first spider reached me, and I bashed it in the abdomen with my bat, eliciting a sick crack from its fractured carapace. The monster shrieked and fell over, drawing its legs in on itself. I wasn’t sure if it was dying or doing that for protection, so I beat it over and over again until it stopped moving, green goo pouring out of its body. I took a moment to do a victory roar before I felt a searing pain in my ankle.
Another one of the spiders had closed its jaws around my calf and was trying to drag me away toward its web. I freaked out. I had lied to myself previously. I was not even slightly okay with spiders. Nope, no, not at all. I know I screamed, my voice almost instantly going hoarse, but it was drowned out by the immense panic in my head. My mind was going nope, nope. nope.
This! Is not! Happening!
There was no way I was going to let this thing turn me into a desiccated corpse. Even if I did reincarnate, I wasn’t going out that way. Not again. I’d already learned that lesson the hard way.
I smashed the spider in the face with the butt of my metal bat, forcing it to release my leg. It didn’t go away without causing a whole lot of pain. Immediately, it tried to back away out of range. It was too slow though. I chased after it, and with a scream of rage, I unleashed myself on the monster. I beat it over the head until it dropped to the ground. Like I said, very satisfying. I hated spiders.
Notification: Experience Gained - +30experience, next level in 18 experience. +21 Sol.
Current experience: 82/100.
Sol: 9047.
Broken Watch
Napoleon waddled up next to me and burped. I looked down. He’d already eaten the other two spiders, and he was looking hungrily at the one I’d just killed. He wasn’t distended like he’d been with the Balverines either, so I didn’t feel like I needed to hold him back.
“Go ahead, pal,” I said, pointing at the crushed and still oozing spider. “Have your snack. You earned it.”
He opened his mouth wide, so wide it was unsettling, and swallowed the third spider down. Its spindly legs were the last thing to vanish down his throat.
I looked for a second to make sure the mimic was okay to keep moving. It raised its arm, and I was almost positive Napoleon tried to give me the thumbs up. “Okay! Time for what we came for.”
He waddled along behind me as we approached the counter. No one was there. Not even a zombie, I wasn’t quite sure what to do though.
“Lirai,” I practically shouted,
“How do I work this thing?”
Notification – Query – “How do I work this thing?”
Details: To acquire building materials, player must touch the cash register. This will trigger the process “Seizing Resources”. The process may take some time. Player may need to defend the cash register from enemies while the seizing process is underway.
“How much time?” I asked, not really liking the AI omitting any specifics.
Notification – Query – “How much time?”
Details: Anywhere from fifteen minutes to four hours. The process wildly varies.
The lack of an answer killed me a little bit. “Four hours? Seriously?”
Lirai didn’t respond. It seemed she didn’t like it when I was rude to her.
Without any other cues, there was nothing else to do but touch the cash register. As soon as I put a hand on it, it started glowing a violently bright white. It was so bright, I worried for a second that it had scorched the retinas off my eyes.