Lair

by Carl Stubblefield

  His TimeSight let him see the Mantid blocking the path was preparing to leap and attack. Mid-dash, Gus jumped and met the attack with a Parry and Counter-attack to the Mantid’s gut. Putting his weight into the attack as gravity carried them down, Gus shoved the glaive laterally and severed the Mantid’s spine. The Mantid hit the ground and began scrambling with its foreclaws like someone who had fallen through the ice on a lake, trying to pull itself to safety, entrails spilling as it crawled along.

  Spinning, Gus jabbed the polearm at the base of the skull and the Mantid sprawled out in death. Gus began dashing in earnest when another Mantid dropped right in front of him, tilting its head and letting a spine-chilling open mandible hiss inches from Gus’ face. Jumping backward, Gus saw the talon pass right in front of his eyes as he instinctually activated his Dodge skill. Momentarily startled, Gus almost missed the chance to counter-attack.

  Gus punched the Mantid on the forehead by reflex with one fist and activated Wreck-luse, then continued his flight. He scrambled to regain the proper grip, realizing letting go of his weapon was not the best idea during a battle, even if he was using an ability. He had wanted to save that skill for a clutch situation, but with the mob of zombies on his tail, he had no time to allow them to catch up with him and overwhelm him.

  Why didn’t I prepare some fight playlists in case this happened?! Gus thought in his frenzy. Gus scoured his memory with songs with fighting themes but his mind was unfocused from the stress of trying to escape. Finally, he had two songs and yelled, “Nick! Play Kung-Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas, then Fight for your Right by Beastie Boys.”

  You have created a song chain! (Barely)

  Success with activities related to musical themes increased by a factorial multiplier based on the quantity of songs in series.

  Kung-Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas. Success rates x 1. (Chain anchor, no bonus)

  Thanks to him dashing, TimeSight let Gus sense the next Mantid before it dropped onto the path and Gus attacked. While the Mantids were still fast, his recent boost to agility gave him just enough speed to keep up with the talon swipes and feints. Almost.

  The Mantid made a swipe with a talon, and Gus raised his weapon to block, when the Mantid pushed, knocking Gus onto his back. The rabid mob leaped on top of him, talons clacking. Gus held up the metal band on the shaft and caught both the clawed appendages as they pressed down, reaching for his throat. The Mantid clenched, locking the weapon in place as it pressed with more and more pressure.

  Gus was in an awkward position and it was difficult to bench press the monster up and away from him. Despite his efforts, the tips of the talons kept coming closer and closer. Gus shook sweat away as he fought, and could see the other Mantids approaching in his peripheral vision.

  Fight for your Right by Beastie Boys. Success rates x 2.

  With the opening ‘yeaaah!’ and guitar strum, Gus felt a surge of strength and the tug-of-war that he was losing shifted direction. Getting enough leverage after extending his arms a bit, he twisted and hit the Mantid with the butt of the shaft and knocked it off of him. He got to his feet and managed to parry one attack, then two, and finally landed the counter on the third parry, killing it as other Mantids kept attacking relentlessly, giving him no time to regroup or catch his breath, his stamina dropping precipitously, already sapped from the recent struggle.

  Wreck-tums! activated sometime in the flurry of attacks and Gus managed to kill one more Mantid, but there were just too many. They harried him, toying with him, secure in their superior numbers. Tiring him out, which was evident in the slowing and increasing inaccuracy of Gus’ parrys, none of them managing to trigger a counter.

  Exhausted, Gus stood over the dead Mantid and raised his eyes wearily as he saw at least a dozen forms converge on him from the forest path beyond. “That’s it…” Gus said. “So close, but like always, it’s never enough,” He had only managed to kill two. A chime notified him that Wreck-luse had leveled up, so Gus took one last peek at his logs.

  Skill upgraded: Wreck-luse (Level 2)

  Current level: +10% chance to trigger during a successful attack.

  You can now trigger Wreck-luse at a distance of 6 feet, not needing direct contact.

  50 XP awarded

  100 FP awarded

  You have defeated a Mantid (Level 12) 1200 XP awarded, 600 FP awarded

  You have defeated a Mantid (Level 12) 1200 XP awarded, 600 FP awarded

  You have defeated a Mantid (Level 13) 1600 XP awarded, 800 FP awarded

  LEVEL UP! Congratulations, Level 10 reached!

  6000 XP to level 11

  500 FP awarded

  Know this: Functionality of your Song-chain subskill of Wreck-ord has been modified! For levels 10-19 multiplier has been reduced to a geometric progression. Each successive song will add 2x multiplier to effects. Cooldown extended to 12 hours. Keep on rockin’!

  What Gus had experienced when he was running at his fastest was nothing compared to what happened next. There was a bright flash and time stood still. He felt his body slowly float and his back arched as he was lifted a foot above the ground. His left arm jerked out to the side as a beam of light shone out of his watch, forming an oval window to the side of his body. A familiar voice he couldn’t quite place emanated from the watch:

  Requirements met…

  Dimensional unfolding progressing…

  Fractal unfolding level one…

  Gus felt an intense compression as if he were suddenly deep underwater. It was intensely uncomfortable, but when he couldn’t expand his lungs to catch a breath, he began to panic. He gasped and flailed his arms as he was suspended in the air, staring the whole time at the Mantids frozen around him.

  What is happening!? Suddenly the sensation reversed, and he felt stretched. No. Stretched was too mild a way to describe what Gus was feeling. Being rent asunder was too mild. Every layer of him felt like it was being ripped one from the other.

  It was an incredibly focused type of pain, like when a nose hair was pulled—only magnified to every part of his body, external and internal. Tears squeezed out of Gus’ eyes as he let out a guttural scream that he couldn’t stop. The pain went on and on, intensifying then waning slightly, only to increase with more fury.

  Time seemed to move even more slowly and Gus caught fleeting glimpses of the Mantids still frozen in place as he briefly stopped screaming to pull in a ragged breath.

  It feels like an eternity, how can they still be frozen? At long last, it was over, and Gus hung there in a daze, throat raw, staring in mute wonder at his changed body; his arms had become larger and more defined, his shoulders widened, and his chest expanded and became more solid. A glowing light enveloped him and suddenly he was… more.

  Simultaneously, Gus felt heat build up inside of him. He winced as the heat became acutely painful, then relaxed as it began to subside. Turning, he saw the Mantids frozen mid-step. No, not exactly frozen, but moving incredibly slowly.

  Nick’s voice spoke, “Assembling Nanobot Interface Construct.”

  “Reviewing a suitable framework based on scan history and personal preferences…” Nick continued. Gus felt a pang of loss, knowing this Nick would soon be gone.

  “Evaluation complete, assessing suitable mentor framework…” Nick said then hesitated, British accent melting away. “Secondary nanobot interface construct will be patterned after everyone’s favorite anti-hero!” a snarky voice exulted.

  “Next evolution set at level twenty, just in case you’re bad at math and couldn’t figure that out.”

  “Huh?!” Gus asked incredulously.

  “Hey, it’s weird for me too, ok?” Nick’s new voice said. “I’m used to having voices in my head, not being one. I like what you’re doing with the music, but you know you don’t have to use the word ‘fight’ in the song title to make that skill work, right? I added some songs to your playlist. Ready?” the new Nick quipped.

  “Ready for wha—” Gus started to ask as time snapped back
to normal.

  X Gonna Give it to Ya by DMX. Success rates x 6.

  “Now THAT’S a fight song,” Nick said, pleased with himself.

  Gus felt suffused with power from whatever happened at level ten. He knew he was outnumbered and outclassed, but if he was going to go out, he was doing this one solid. He spun his naginata around him in an impromptu kata and then attacked. He dashed forward, smashing the face of one of the Mantids with his shaft’s metal band, knocking it backward in surprise. A chime rang:

  Skill unlocked: Bash (Level 1)

  (5 x n)% chance of staggering and briefly stunning a foe.

  100 XP awarded

  200 FP awarded

  5600 XP to level 11

  Gus spun, burying his blade in a Mantid’s neck, then activated Dodge and backflipped away before the Mantids closed in on his previous position. A neck slice hobbled three of the Mantids now facing away from him. By instinct, Gus stabbed one of the Mantids and stomped the other’s head simultaneously. Unlike the Shamblers, this one’s head popped quite easily. Possibly since these were agility based Dark Nth, instead of constitution-based. Getting back to business, a new song started. Gus continued to fight but found no openings and defended against the attacks as they came.

  Thunderstruck by AC/DC. Success rates x 24.

  Gus activated Bash and dashed toward another Mantid. This time the head popped from the impact and Gus dodged to the left, avoiding an attack from behind that he sensed from a TimeSight-assisted perception boost. “My own little spider-sense! That TimeSight is pretty versatile!” Gus cheered.

  Gus dashed back, picked a target, then alternated stabbing and using Bash as the skill refreshed. He was concerned that the weapon would break in two as the naginata cracked into their hard bodies, but Gus gained confidence as it held. The new skill’s only downfall was that he had to be so close to trigger the ability. Still, it stunned them enough to give him time to dance out of reach and attack unhindered.

  Grabbing the weapon from a fallen Mantid’s head, he launched it at another Mantid, burying it to the hilt in its neck. Gus grimaced. Stupid! Never throw your weapon away! The Mantids shook briefly and stood still. After five seconds, the remaining Mantids retreated to the trees and fled. Gus blinked as they disappeared back into the jungle. He quickly recovered the thrown weapon. He had gotten too much into the thrill of battle and reacted on impulse. He resumed a fighting pose while staring at the jungle. Is this some kind of a trap? It feels like these things are getting smarter, and I don’t like it!

  Turning, Gus noticed one of the blueish creatures placed within a recess of a dead tree. Gus hadn’t noticed it on his exploration into the jungle. He once again became transfixed, unable to turn away from the eye-studded blob.

  “And we didn’t even make it to ‘9 to 5’ in the playlist,” Nick whined.

  Gus was ready to chase the zombies into the forest, but thought better of it, not wanting to get caught in another ambush.

  But you chased them off this time, why not?

  “GUS!” Nick yelled.

  Gus shook his head, realizing he was standing a mere arm’s length from the blob. When did that happen? He quickly stabbed the blob, easily popping it, and he felt a dreamlike torpor evaporate.

  You have defeated an Observer (Level 12)

  300 XP awarded

  600 FP awarded

  “Hello, McFly? Are you back with us?”

  “Yeah, what was that?”

  “Look at your logs, dummy! That mob was influencing you the whole battle. You weren’t listening to any of my suggestions to make a hasty retreat. Let’s get back to the manor, that was too close,” Nick gasped in exasperation, “…kids these days…”

  Heading back down the path, Gus felt awkward and a little dazed from the mind control. To break the uncomfortable silence from Nick, he decided to get to know the new persona.

  “So why was this persona chosen, Nick?”

  “First of all, you’re welcome for the playlist suggestions, it’s kind of a thing when I fight too. Second of all, why am I here? You need to come into your own. You consider yourself an outcast, well welcome to the club, buddy! Most people do. So let’s put on our big girl panties and get to work. Sound good?”

  Gus decidedly did not like the tough love approach, because it reminded him a bit too much of his father. He remembered what the previous Nick had said about the persona giving him what he needed, he opted to hold judgment—and his tongue. At least for now.

  Gus headed back to the manor; he needed to shower and clean off the splattered remains of the battle. Checking his stats, he was surprised at how the format had changed.

  Gus Vannett

  Level 10

  Agility: 25

  Constitution: 26 (25+1)

  Charisma: 18

  Strength: 25

  Perception: 26

  Intelligence: 26

  Luck: 27

  Fractal core: Level 1

  Skills unlocked with Fractal Level 1:

  Master of Tasks (Level 1)

  Enhanced ability to mimic and adopt physical skills by observation.

  T-Wrecks (Level 1)

  Summon a dinosaur familiar with (100 x summoner level) HP

  MP: 100 MP

  Cooldown: 8 hours

  Wrecks and Parks

  Deals (100 x skill level) HP worth of damage on a target up to 20 feet away, then freezes the target in place for (20 x skill level) seconds

  Gus was stunned at the massive increase in his stats as well as impressive new skills that would really make a difference in future conflicts. Finally, he had some options for ranged attacks! Wreck-luse was ranged now too, but six feet wasn’t much.

  “B-T-dubbs, you probably want to evolve those Nth sometime soon. Just so you don’t die and all,” Nick said, interrupting Gus’ train of thought.

  He opened the interface and saw a number of options and skills that evolved Nth could provide. Reluctantly, Gus skipped over numerous incredible options until he ended up on Energy Absorption. He made the selection, expecting a jolt of pain or some dramatic change. He opened his eyes that he had inadvertently closed in anticipation of some punishment. “Well, that was anticlimactic.”

  Gus waited another minute for the bomb to fall, but nothing happened. “Nick, did it work?”

  “Yeah, boss, Nth are upgrading right now as planned. You’re golden.” Gus was wiped for the day. Whatever happened with the dimensional folding or whatever had wrung him out of the usual buzz he normally felt after leveling.

  Glancing up to his display, he saw that he had seven days and eighteen minutes remaining. It ticked off a couple more seconds, then winked out. Gus’ knees became loose, and he sunk to one knee, relieved of the psychological weight. I’m going to live! He smiled inwardly to be free of the burden of the oppressive timer.

  Then it winked back into existence.

  “Nick…” Gus drawled. “What is that doing here again?”

  “The countdown timer has been recalibrated for the imminent volcanic eruption, of course.”

  A litany of curses flew out of Gus’ mouth in response.

  “Tsk, tsk, Gus, that’s not very PG-13. What would your mother say?” Nick said in a saccharine tone. Gus glared upward, pinching his mouth shut. His nostrils flared as he tried to calm himself down. When he trusted himself not to go off the handle again, he changed the subject.

  “Nick, what happened out there with the watch? What did you do? Why didn’t you tell me about the dimensional folding that triggered when I hit level ten? You have got to stop keeping things from me!” Gus managed to say, punctuating each word of his last sentence in a staccato rhythm.

  “That had nothing to do with Nth, buddy. I was surprised as you because that dimensional folding stuff is some far out sh—”

  “Let’s keep it PG-13, alright?” he quipped, taking advantage of his turn to be smarmy.

  “Oh, I see, you prefer my comic-book persona versus my movie persona? I wouldn’t
have guessed. Fine. Remember that talk you had with the old me about fractals? Yeah, I don’t either. I think it was edited out. BOOOring! I’m not going to go into all of that, but the TL;DR version is that high, I mean HIGH-level supers can gain the ability to fold dimensions in relation to themselves.

  “They can change their appearance and smuggle weapons past all kinds of security checks. Very handy. Pocket dimensions are great, but they don’t work with biological matter very well, as they are entropy-filled vacuums. It takes someone with mad skillz manipulating ether and folding it around to hide mass, especially organic mass that is part of a living being.

  “That’s why they use fractals, because they maintain potentially infinite surface area but don’t close off the fold into a pocket dimension completely. A closed pocket dimension usually results in a pretty quick death of any living tissue. Try it on some fruit. You’ll find it tastes off, kind of like when you freeze something then thaw it and try to eat it. Something changes when life is cut off from a connection to our universe. Anyway, bro, you’re more than meets the eye.” Nick finished the last sentence in a robotic autotune-voice.

  “So the watch and all the dimensional folding had nothing to do with you?”

  “No, but I need one of those watches. At least when I become corporeal. The old gent didn’t talk about that, did he?”

  “You can get a body?”

  “Well, not until you have leveled enough. Since your Nth evolved—options are open now. I’ll need your help though. I’m sure the manor provides the materials for your Nth to synthesize polymorphic dupes. Not many places can synthesize Nth, but I know this one can! Make enough, and I can get out of your head! Well, I’ll still be in your head, but it’ll be good. I’ll even assist in fights. You can be like my Robin!”