Skyler Grant Anthology

by Skyler Grant

  I'd already issued my next instructions to him.

  Even while my mind was suddenly awash in strange images and unfamiliar systems, absorbing the network of the citadel, Bernard was teleporting away again. First, he grabbed the Mechanites and brought them to the throne.

  Next, he took one of the Righteous and his bomb to the laboratory bioreactor. In slow motion, the Righteous realized what was happening and moved to trigger the detonation.

  Good.

  Bernard teleport away with a flicker, this time to appear behind Sylax. A hand barely contacted her shoulder and another flicker.

  It all happened in an instant. Down below the world tore itself apart.

  If I'd been disappointed with the force of the bombs that had taken out the Righteous vessels, there was nothing to be disappointed in here.

  I barely got Bernard away in time. Back in the citadel throne room he began shoving people into the blood and gore that was Ophelia.

  The Righteous maintained their abilities even when dead and dismembered. I hoped that her healing abilities would as well, that at least some of those who had assisted me might survive the aid they'd given.

  The Laboratory below detonated with a blinding flash that rapidly became an enormous, mushroom-shaped cloud.

  I hoped that the blast had caught Sylax, and she hadn't been able to teleport away herself. I hoped that it had been enough to kill her.

  I wasn't certain. I'd never seen or encountered anything even remotely like her. Actually, I desperately wanted that woman in a testing labyrinth.

  If she did live perhaps I'd have my chance, one day. But for now, that was out of my control. Everything was out of my control.

  The castle tumbled through the air and my systems were fading. I blacked out.

  Out Now

  The Airship

  After the crash Emma finds herself in a whole new environment and with all new foes. The Airship is filled with those who were loyal to Sylax and the world is filled with dangers. More insults, upgrades, and test subjects to acquire.

  Also by Skyler Grant

  The Crucible Shard

  Liam lives in a world where gamers are held up on a pedestal and their competitions are high entertainment where only the elite get to complaint. When he enters the virtual world himself he finds reality is far weirder than he could ever have anticipated, and when sometimes you think you are the hero you really wind up being the villain. Brutal action, real character development over the series, and many plot-twists.

  Book 1: Dungeon Crawl

  Book 2: Spawn Campers

  Book 3: Corpse Run

  Book 4: Gank

  Book 5: Area of Effect

  Book 6: DLC

  Book 7: Endgame

  Audio

  Book 1: Dungeon Crawl

  Book 2: Spawn Campers

  Book 3: Corpse Run

  Book 4: Gank

  Book 5: Area of Effect

  Book 6: DLC

  Cyberpunk with a heroine who kicks tail and a world that is brutal. Corporations fill the role as culture and the Network is a vast virtual landscape people use to escape the horrors of a decaying Earth. Unfortunately humans bring their horrors with them.

  The Persephone Saga

  Book 1: Persephone Falling

  Book 2: Persephone Rising

  A futuristic dungeon core. When a crazed AI reactivates deep in an abandoned complex in a post apocalyptic hellscape there is only one thing to do. Science.

  The Laboratory

  The Airship

  The District

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  Afterword

  <<<<>>>>

  Author Notes

  What happened? If you are a longtime fan you know that at the end of the Crucible Shard series I said that up next would be a Cyberpunk series and then some Urban Fantasy action. Both are on the way and are coming out great. I read a dungeon core though and really wanted to try my own spin on the genre.

  There is a bit of sci-fi here, biopunk, a dash of superhero. I had a lot of fun writing it and I hope you had a lot of fun reading it. Originally on this line I had a comment about that if you the reader wanted to see this series continue to reach out. People did!

  I’ve always loved the crazy AI as a trope. I toyed with a lot of ideas for this book, Emma almost wound up in charge of a bunker filled with survivors of a nuclear apocalypse with all the politics and scheming that could bring. My outline was dark even for me though and I wound up going with something where the violence is a bit more comical. You might still see that story one of these days, it’s lodged in my head now.

  49

  Dungeon Crawl

  The coliseum had become a killing field. Down below gladiators and beasts fought for their lives while giant screens focused upon the best moments.

  It was Tournament Day in Piper’s Mill. It was the day we got to see legends firsthand, the day our best and brightest competed to join their ranks.

  My brother Tommy was down there in that melee, a man and a trident against the world. As family I was in the VIP section, although my interface wasn't nearly so grand as most. There were those connecting from the city, and our special celebrity guests who had come to witness the competition personally. They were indulging in full sensory, lounging with glasses of wine and sampling artfully prepared treats as they watched. Sadly my connection was strictly visual and audio, as it was for any locals apart from the competitors. In cordoned-off areas of the party the most dramatic scenes from below were re-enacted, as if the spectators were in the heart of the action.

  In the arena three gladiators, who earlier fought each other and each survived with only a quarter of their health bars, had formed a triangular formation back-to-back, lions circling them.

  A diminutive dark-haired woman brushed past me, my avatar flickering to the side as hers took priority. I recognized her, Drea Saunders. Last year in the regional she’d played a physical carry and perfectly timed tower dive to take out enemies that believed they’d found sanctuary. The thin silks she wore made me decide that a visual connection wasn't all bad and I gave her my best flirtatious smile. Her return look was speculative, the smile only polite.

  The crowd cheered and I turned my attention back to the display. One of the lions had leaped and ripped out the throat of one of the three fighters. Their formation broken, the others were quickly overcome in a bloody spectacle.

  I looked back to seek out Drea again and saw her talking to Tyler George, support in dozens of games and a mediocre one at best. Perfect hair and a winning smile explained how he largely got picked because of his run of high-profile lovers. Given the way they were just a little too much in each other's space, I suspected the gossip sheets would soon have something new to talk about.

  I found a display no one was watching and worked with the interface overlay to bring up Tommy. The plan had been for him to stick to the edges of the fight, away from the overly aggressive who would battle in the center at first.

  Tommy Ottani

  Health: 411/450

  Kills: 3 Assists: 4

  Score: 500

  Current Place: 19

  What did I miss due to my wandering eye? That was a surprisingly good score for him having taken so little damage. I selected to replay his performance so far. He was sticking to the plan, moving around the wall of the arena and keeping his distance from the other players, only occasionally rushing in to strike at the back of an already wounded foe or to finish off a gladiator groaning on the ground.

  It might not be an especially honorable way to inflate the score, but it was working, and conserving his resources for later.

  “Smart,” someone said from behind me. I turned to see a distinguished-looking bearded gentleman. “Although he’s ignoring the animals and focusing on the people. A mistake. A relation of yours?”

  “My twin brother,” I said. “I’m Liam Ottani, that's Tommy.”

  “James Prescott,” James said, intr
oducing himself. “Your twin? Why aren’t you competing yourself?”

  Why wasn’t I competing myself? If you wanted out of the small town life, the tournaments were it. The answer was I’d missed up, and like most of my great screw-ups in life it involved a girl. Amelia was a hauler, from a close-knit clan who moved supplies from town to town and even made it to the cities on occasions. I thought I’d found my own way around the system and out of town, and a girl I loved into the bargain. She thought she’d met the perfect guy until she found someone better. It wasn’t a new story, and I was on the wrong end of it.

  “Girl trouble,” I finally told him, really not wanting to get into the whole thing with this stranger.

  The screen flashed.

  Killing Spree

  The arena rumbled with the words and one of the gladiators took on a distinct red aura. She was in the middle of the fray and more armored than most with a heavy plate along one shoulder. Aided with a damage boost and some health regeneration, she was a force of nature. I pulled up her information.

  Melissa Riley

  Health: 220/450

  Kills: 18 Assists: 12

  Score: 2400

  Current Place: 1

  “Looking for more trouble?” James asked. “I knew her father. Jim Riley. Four time champion of the Grand Arena, the man used to bring a sword to gunfights and win.”

  A lot of those with high scores were lucky, but she wasn't one of them despite the way she caught blows on even that tiny bit of armor and returned them to the most vulnerable parts of her foes.

  She was going to go down. That spree had come too early and surrounded her, but it was glorious to watch.

  19TH KILL!

  20TH KILL!

  21ST KILL!

  The numbers flashed almost faster than I could keep track as she executed a spinning slash that left three more corpses in her wake.

  “She is a mistake I’d make in a heartbeat,” I breathed in sincere admiration.

  “Your brother isn’t doing too bad either,” James said.

  Well, way to make me feel like an asshole. I shifted my attention back to his display. Tommy and several others who had kept their distance were capitalizing on the chaos. While others were after the big points of bringing down Melissa, they fell upon those distracted by the main fight.

  Multiple Killing Sprees

  The crowd was on its feet. In the coliseum's cheap seats the citizens of Piper’s Mill, Sunnyslope, and Flat Rock were cheering themselves hoarse and here in the VIP section even the jaded celebrities were stirred to interest. This was the good bit.

  On the edges of the fight several figures were flickering over to red as they finally scored enough kills. Tommy was one of them!

  Melissa seemed to have vanished under a crush of bodies and though I missed the announcement of her death, there were just too many. She was hardly needed. Those with sprees enabled ignored each other and focused upon the mass of fighters in the middle.

  Body after body went down as the announcer roared another kill. It was more chaos and slaughter. There couldn't be more than ten fighters left in the center and they finally formed up into a circle with weapons facing outward. Including Tommy, there were only four on the edges. Even with their buffs, the first to charge into that would surely meet their end.

  It was the timeless sort of moment when breaths are held. The outsiders would have to charge, a death would count against their points, but their place may be secured anyway. The insiders had nothing to lose by holding their line and waiting, their only chance at survival was remaining in formation.

  Then it happened. With a fearsome roar bodies were shoved aside inside the formation and a red glowing form emerged. She wasn’t dead—how could she possibly not be dead? From among them Melissa tore into the formation. Tommy and the others took the opportunity and charged.

  Battle Concluded: Champions

  1. Melissa Riley

  2. Curtis Grey

  3. Mitchell Smythe

  4. Tommy Ottani

  5. Lucinda Cantelli

  I stared in disbelief. He’d made it. He actually made it. Fourth place might not sound like much, but when hundreds stepped into the fray each year even being good usually wasn't enough. This was everything. For this he’d get a pass to the city, for this he’d get a patron.

  James was trying to shake my hand, though it was mostly displacing my avatar causing it to wobble ludicrously in the air. I don’t think I could have been more proud. Tommy deserved this. He really, really deserved this. I made my apologies and went about logging out. I wanted to be there to give him my congratulations when he left the pod. Little did I know Tommy’s victory wasn't the biggest surprise he had in store for me today.

  50

  I triggered the log out prompt and the surroundings of the arena faded. I was back home stretched out in the gaming chair. I lifted the helmet off my head.

  In the cities gaming pods were full immersion, they looked something like metal potatoes. Roughly cylindrical, but with strange bumps and protrusions, and the inside filled with some sort of gel that transmitted sensation. In Piper’s Mill and other towns we only had the headsets. Each year, for the Tournament, they brought in pods for the competitors, dotting the fields outside town like we were growing them.

  I lived a bit off Main Street and it wouldn’t be too far of a walk to Tommy’s pod. In the arena they’d still be celebrating and I should have time.

  Main Street was adorned with bunting everywhere. Greens and blues were the colors of the most popular local teams. Confetti lay heavy upon the empty streets after a parade earlier to honor the tournament and celebrity guests. The only other people I saw on the streets were about my age and coming into town, losers who were making their way back home to sulk a bit before the party for the victors later tonight.

  Piper’s Mill was like every town, identical in the fundamentals and yet unique in the details. There was the grocer, farm supplies, the tech center and the school. A population of around 5,000, give or take. The city existed, sure, but for the most part this was life. The core of the town surrounded by farms and, if you went far enough, you’d find the whole thing repeated again.

  It took about ten minutes for me to get outside town. When I arrived, I was surprised to see two people already waiting for Tommy to exit.

  Walt was bearded, overweight and had that food-splattered look of one who is so lost in their own thoughts they forget to eat properly. I only knew him a little, one of the town techs who helped with anything mechanical or electrical.

  Then there was Ashley. I remembered her growing up, a pretty girl. Blonde-haired and blue-eyed. We’d dated briefly, too young to be anything serious, and then she’d disappeared for several years. I never did get the story of where she’d gone, or why she’d returned, but she came back with scars and burns enough to speak of some serious tragedy. She had once been a promising contender in the games. Now they wouldn’t even let her into the tournament. The scars hampered her movements too much, and so much of being a gamer was social they would not even give her a chance based upon her looks.

  Ashley had been training Tommy for the past few months, so no great surprise to see her here. His victory was her best chance of showing off her skills, perhaps finding some role still in the city, even if not in the spotlight.

  “I didn’t expect anyone else to be waiting,” I said.

  Ashley and Walt exchanged a look. She said, “Just wanted to offer our congratulations. You know how crazy it's going to get.”

  I did. I had some fond memories of the nights after tournaments, and some I didn’t remember at all, which is often proof of a good time.

  The pod hissed and layers peeled apart to reveal Tommy. Really, it was probably rather rude of everyone to ambush him like this. The pod's gel requires contact with bare skin to properly convey sensation, meaning Tommy was naked and covered in a sort of grayish slime. Fortunately Tommy has never had the least bit of shame.

  “Ashle
y, Walt, Liam,” Tommy said, stepping out and blinking against the real sunlight. “Badass, right? Liam, can you give us a moment? I just need to dry off, get dressed, and have a chat with these two.”

  Hmmph. While at first I felt a little offended, then I was more than a bit suspicious. It wasn't a total shock to see Ashley waiting outside the pod, but I couldn't think of a good reason for Walt to be there. Still, I gave an amiable nod and walked a short distance away and did my damndest to eavesdrop.

  There was clearly some sort of argument and given how often Tommy was pointing in my direction, I seemed more involved than I’d have expected. Walt was a tech, had Tommy cheated in some way?

  Walt said loudly, “It doesn’t work that way. I don’t care if you're a physical match, there's the mental alignment, too.”

  “We can’t trust him,” Ashley said.

  Nobody looked particularly happy. Tommy finally motioned me over and gave me his best smile. I wasn’t buying it for a moment.

  “Liam, how'd you like to be famous?” Tommy asked.

  “I am not going to the awards ceremony pretending to be you,” I said. We're twins, and it wouldn’t be the first time we’d swapped places for things, although we’d not done it in years.

  Tommy looked surprised and then thoughtful. He glanced at Walt.

  “That won’t work either. The biometrics would be off,” Walt said with a shake of his head. “I don’t like it, but if tonight is a go you either have to bail on the ceremony or it has to be him.”