by Wyatt Savage
Jorge rolled over, grimacing in pain. Jackie grabbed the edge of the bone and pulled it out of his thigh.
“Let’s go!”
Jorge stumbled to his feet, wheeled around and swept his rifle left to right, firing into the Flayers. His bullets struck the monster that had wounded him, splitting the thing’s skull in two. It collapsed to the ground, convulsing as Jackie fired a grenade that air-burst, keeping the demons at bay.
Jorge purchased a medpack, healing himself while on the run. Jackie led the way, the two retreating, the archway leading to a corridor, the pair running full-bore through the murkiness, headed into the unknown. The corridor terminated at what looked like a woodland tucked inside the sky dungeon. “How is this even possible?” Jackie gasped. “Simon!”
“Yes, Jackie.”
“Where are we?”
“Deep within the dungeon.”
“I know that. I mean, where specifically?”
“A place that some call the ‘Empty Quarter.’”
They approached a cluster of jagged protrusions jutting up out of the ground at knee level. There was little choice other than to hurtle the spikes and that’s what Jackie did, leaping over, urging Jorge to follow.
Jorge followed her without question or hesitation. He’d purchased a medpack and was healed, back up to full strength. He leaped several times, clearing the last spike, tucking into a barrel roll as he hit the ground and came up on the balls of his feet, sprinting after her.
Jackie continued rushing forward, fighting off the pain, knowing more dangers surely waited ahead. The pair passed through vines that seemed to tremble with anticipation, striking out at them like snakes. The prickly vines lassoed at the two, barely missing them as they edged forward, aware that the Flayers were following.
Ten paces later, they came upon a black marsh where up bubbled a thick black gruel that emitted a foul-smelling smoke. There were thickets of thorn-like vegetation in every direction that tore at their exposed flesh. Jackie examined her HUD, but still didn’t know which path to take to get to the primary monster that was causing all the problems in the sublevel, but she knew there was no turning back, and that they needed to put as much distance as they could between them and the Flayers.
Despite gashes from the thorns and stench of the smoke, they didn’t slow. Instead, they quickened their pace, cutting through the marsh, eyes everywhere, searching for any hint of trouble. Jorge leapfrogged Jackie, leading the way which made her smile at first, but then misfortune struck.
The toe of Jorge’s right boot grazed a partially hidden vine, and down he went, tumbling elbows over ass, coming to a rest on his back. The whispering Flayers drew closer, their hunting sounds growing louder, their hunger intensifying. Jackie helped Jorge up and they bolted forward down over a reef of gravel.
They turned a corner, gaining ground once again, but got hit with a flash of blinding light that caused them to slide to a stop. The light was coming from an area where the reef ended. The light changed colors to reveal a swirling violet vortex.
“That’s the way out!” Jackie shouted.
The bellowing of the Flayers boomed behind them. Jackie looked over her shoulder to see the monsters grinning at them, picking their way across the marsh, violently swinging their scythe-like arms back and forth, cutting down rows of the thorny vegetation.
She and Jorge made a motion to trek forward when the ground out in front of them began palpitating.
“What is this?” Jorge wondered. “What kind of devil is beneath us?”
The ground quivered and up popped yet another monster; this one was the size of a miniature terrier. Then another appeared, then ten more, then several dozen. The ground was teeming with the beasts, who reared back on their hind legs. Small, leathery wings unfolded from their sides as the fiends shook their triangular heads and long, razor-sharp snout-like mouths that they used to dip down into the ground in order to burrow. Jackie’s HUD reflected vital information on the things:
Species: Cuniculus Monstrum (96)
Level:1
Class:Insectoid Subterraneus
Health:6/10
Attributes:Possesses the ability to lay adhesive excretions for the purpose of entrapping victims; able to burrow underfoot; and has the ability to secrete a toxin that can, depending upon conditions, keep prey alive for days allowing extended consumption. May be vulnerable to biological attacks.
Great, Jackie thought, not only did they have to escape the Flayers, but now they were pinned in between them and the ninety-six of what she deemed “Burrowers.” The one thing that brought her comfort was the note that the creatures were potentially vulnerable to a biological attack. One of the Burrowers appeared near the Flayers, who immediately set upon the smaller creature, ripping it in half.
Suddenly, it all became clear as Armando’s words echoed in her mind, almost as if he were with them in the moment. “It’s broken,” Armando had said. “We should strike while the thing is damaged. Listo para la batalla.” Ready for battle.
He’d been right. The dungeon was broken, which meant its traps, defensive measures, offensive measures, subservient monsters, and everything about its structure was damaged as well. Jackie had also noticed that the Flayers and Burrowers had diminished health. What had caused it? Were they rampaging, battling against each other? That’s what it seemed, which meant the monsters were no longer under Threshold’s control. Other intruders would have been neutralized by this point, and Threshold would never have offered the side quest to Jackie, had there been a different cause, which spawned a new and even more enticing question in her mind. What was the event or attack that could have caused a dungeon’s underlings, its monsters, to turn on each other? Whatever it was, that was the weapon that she needed to possess, at any cost.
“Something seriously wrong has taken place here,” Jackie said.
“No shit,” Jorge replied. “Everything here is wrong and horrible.”
“That’s not what I meant. Threshold’s monsters have turned on each other, something external must have caused it.”
“And?” Jorge asked.
“And that’s how we survive. We use their malfunction to fix them, and fulfill our quest.”
“I’m going to pretend I understand and know what you’re talking about,” Jorge replied.
“I’ll explain as we go.”
Jorge nodded wearily. “Fine, yes. You explain and I’ll follow. We are too far down this rabbit hole to turn back.”
Jackie knew what she had to do. There was no time to waste, especially since the monsters were distracted by attacking each other.
“Simon,” she called out.
“Yes, Jackie.”
“Enable the Metamaterial Shroud.”
“Are you sure that is a wise choice?” Simon asked. “Your adversaries know where you are. They have sought out and trapped you.”
“No offense, Simon, but I’m pretty sure I understand more about biology, anatomy, and nature than you do, so enable the goddamn shroud.”
“Very well, Jackie,” Simon replied.
The Ragetag engaged, enveloping Jackie and Jorge in a cone of angelic light. A kind of electricity gripped her body, followed by a wave of heat. This wasn’t the ordinary flush that came with a sunburn for instance; rather, Jackie felt as if she’d been dipped into a hot tub full of bubbling wax. The heat rolled over her and she was shocked to see wisps of grey smoke spiral out of the piping of her nostrils.
Her eyes rolled back and her arms trembled as if she was being shocked. The shiver-inducing rush faded and Jackie felt like she was on the outside of her body looking in. A sense of deja vu gripped her and she placed a finger to her lips to silence Jorge. The two stood silently, staring at the Flayers and Burrowers, who’d stopped attacking each other. The monsters were searching for Jackie and Jorge, panning their heads, lifting their noses to sniff the air, but they couldn’t see them. Jackie smiled. She and Jorge were effectively invisible.
The Flayers plod
ded forward, scythes cocked at questing angles, sweeping their heads, trying to locate Jackie and Jorge. When they couldn’t, the fiends recommenced their attack on the Burrowers. The monsters threw themselves at each other, hissing, snapping, biting, tearing each other to pieces. Jackie looked on with pleasure, realizing she’d used her Ragetag to turn the dungeon’s monsters against each other.
18
Becoming
Jackie and Jorge stared in awe as the two divergent species battled. The Flayers swung their bone scythes, hacking the Burrowers into pieces. The other miniature monsters disappeared underground, hollowing out the earth. The Flayers dropped down into the newly created pits and the Burrowers attacked. In seconds, it was impossible to distinguish the two species, they were so closely entangled in combat. Monstrous shrieks filled the air and yellow and green blood spurted in every direction.
She saw Flayers swinging their scythes, bisecting some Burrowers, stomping on others. Meanwhile, pods of Burrowers sprayed a milky fluid, an adhesive that snared the Flayers. One of the big monsters was stuck, unable to move as a swarm of Burrowers rolled right over it. Wings flapping, the Burrowers covered the Flayer, the beasts plunging their snouts in the Flayer’s flesh until all that was left of the monster was a glistening heap of gore.
Jackie gasped, not only from the terrible sight unfolding before her, but because her health was down to 2 points. She could barely breathe and was finding it difficult to stay standing. Luckily, it was all over in moments, the Flayers and Burrowers having either devoured or killed each other. Jackie smiled, taking it all in, recognizing how clever it had been to use the Ragetag. She’d been able to turn the battlefield to her favor through knowledge and reason, using her opponents’ instincts, natures, and need to survive against them. She’d essentially defeated them by making them think they had to act in their own worst interests to survive. The monsters lacked her insight and foresight, and she had taken advantage of what she saw as a weak spot waiting for her to exploit.
Her HUD dinged and Simon announced: “Congratulations, your actions have resulted in the deaths of sixty-five Level 1 monsters and ten Level 2 monsters. You have gained an additional two thousand one-hundred twenty-five experience points. Additionally, you have cleared a path and are well on your way to safe passage into the sublevel’s central domain. Your side-quest contractual obligations will be fulfilled and completed upon the elimination and eradication of the infected subservient monster that Threshold has commanded you destroy. You now possess the necessary class level and experience points to acquire a substantial Rejuv to completely heal yourself.”
Jackie’s HUD beamed her reordered stats:
Species:Homo Sapiens (Leon, Jaqueline)
Ragetags: Metamaterial Shroud; Metamaterial Disruptor (Stealth Defense and Navigation Enabled; Temporarily Unavailable Due To Recent Deployment)
Chattel:5.7 mm pistol; Roundworm Parasites; ANFO Salt; Spud Gun; Potato Launcher; Grenades
Health:10/10
Level:1
Class:Mage
Kills:122
Vitals:BP – 109/80; T – 97.08f; RR – 14bpm
XP:2509
Jackie quickly selected the option to heal herself completely, spending 1000 points on the super-Rejuv, eradicating the infection, boosting herself back up to a full ten health points. She turned around and caught Jorge staring at her.
“Are you not troubled by what you’re becoming?” Jorge asked, awestruck and beginning to show true fear of his partner-in-crime, by way of pallid skin, blinking eyelids, and a lowered gaze.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“I think you do,” he replied.
She held his look. “I’m not going to apologize for surviving. If anything, I’m grateful.”
Jorge barked a laugh. “Grateful?”
She nodded. “You should be grateful too. We’re still alive and you’re with me.”
A message sent via Mindspeak from Jorge popped up Jackie’s HUD. A popup with dozens of names like Ram-Jam, Hotshot, Jetstream, Turbo Jones, Windchill, DC Slayer, Santa Muerte, and The Death Defier, Oathkeeper and Enigma. Next to the names were a variety of numbers that stretched from 1876 up to 5205.
“What are these?” she asked.
“Names and numbers.”
“I can see that, Jorge.”
“They are other players, Jackie. I’ve been doing a little research and these are other players.”
Jackie’s mouth grew dry. “You mean—”
“Yes, it is like a video game and these are the high-scorers.”
A video sent by Jorge appeared on Jackie’s HUD. Footage of downtown city streets. A souped-up SUV covered in spikes and metal plate was driving at high speeds, running people over, smashing into other cars.
“The driver’s name is Road Rage,” Jorge said. “He is scoring many points.”
Recognition gripped Jackie’s face. “We’ll probably need names,” she said. “You know…game handles.”
“What happened to not wanting to play the game?”
Jackie’s gaze narrowed. “That was before.”
“And now?”
“There’s no going back. This is our new reality and the faster both of us accept that the better things will be.” She waved a hand. “All the old things have passed away. Our friends, our family, even our countries. They’re all gone.”
“I had a family too, senora. A mother, a father, back in Mexico City.”
“I didn’t know that…”
“Because you never asked. I saved your life and not one time did you ask about what I gave up to do it. This is a trait that is unique to you Americans, I think. A desire, no, a biological need to lecture other people about how things need to be. I don’t need to hear that. I don’t need to be told about accepting a new reality. The moment you got in my taxi, my reality changed. I sacrificed everything to help you.”
A few seconds of silence stretched between them.
“What do you want me to say, Jorge? You want me to apologize?”
“I don’t want your sympathy, but a little understanding would be much appreciated. I will go with you, but I do not want to kill for the sake of killing, okay? I don’t want to spill the blood of innocents.”
“There are no innocents in the Melee.”
Jorge sighed, resigned. “Senora, I recognize that you possess knowledge that is different, perhaps superior in some ways to mine. I have witnessed this and have been your disciple, sometimes against my better judgment, but you keep surviving, and I as well, only because I have been, in some twisted way, fortunate to have been paired with you. I understand the point that you are making, even if I do not accept it, but I will not murder innocent people.”
Jackie lowered her chin. “I don’t need you to accept anything, I just need you to do your job. The most important thing right now is survival. That’s the only option we have.”
“What about choice?” Jorge asked. “Even if the outcome is better or worse, are we not better for having chosen to do right no matter the outcome?”
“The outcome,” Jackie spat, laughing. “Yeah, sure, why not. I can stop a heart attack from killing someone, but not heart disease, which proves my point. Stave it all off for a bit, no problem, but in the end…” She let her voice drift off, allowing the dreadful silence to fill Jorge’s imagination. “Go home, Jorge. Eat well, lots of vegetables. Drink juice for breakfast and dinner. Good luck with that. Guess what. You’ll fucking die anyway. It will be less painful, but you will still meet your journey’s end.”
“You are talking madness,” Jorge replied.
“I speak the truth.”
“You speak the language of death. You have become her. You are death incarnate…Santa Muerte. That should be your Melee game handle.”
Jackie tried to suppress it, but a smile blossomed on her face, an ear-to-ear grin. She liked the idea.
“Our time’s up,” she said. “What do you want to do?”
Jorge wiped a rope of
sweat from his forehead. “What choice do I have? I have come this far with you. I will go a little farther.”
She smiled again. No more words with Jorge were necessary. It was time to get Simon on the same page as Jackie and Jorge began the final leg of their trek in the sublevel.
“Simon?”
“Yes, Jackie.”
“Guess what time it is.”
“I imagine you will be seeking to acquire new weapons and gear.”
“Absolutely.”
“Ragetags, reserve medpacks, additional weaponry and shielding. Choose wisely.”
“I’d like to know more,” Jackie replied.
“No further information of value is available at this time. Your agreed-upon side quest is not complete.”
“I know,” she replied. “I’m simply stating the obvious, that I wish to complete the mission before I decide.”
“Do you not wish to acquire more upgrades before facing the end of the quest?”
“I’ll decide once I know whether it’s necessary,” she replied, her rational side taking priority over the instinctive impulse to buttress her chances out of fear. “Let’s go and meet this infectious level one monster before we finish the quest on behalf of Threshold. It’s possible I may change my mind and go against our host’s wishes.”
“If I may speak freely, I would like to advise against such action,” Simon warned.
“I don’t care what you’d advise, Simon,” she replied. “Your job is to assist, not advise, not manipulate, and definitely not to steer me in a direction that I haven’t fully considered. Like I said, let’s go and meet our opponent before we decide whether or not he, she, or it even needs to be eliminated. Who’s to say the damaged underling can’t be of value? I, for one, am not ready to make that determination until I know more. Any further questions, Simon?”
