Know Thy Enemy

by Dawn Chapman

  The feeling of Pierce riding him took his breath away, left, right; the creature didn’t know what to do. It squealed and jumped. Chopper wasn’t scared, though. He was excited.

  When Chopper finally skidded to a stop, Pierce patted the back of his head. “That’s it. Calm down, boy.”

  Chopper’s back was slick with sweat, and he panted like crazy, but he did calm down. Pierce hopped off, offering him some water, then another piece of his ration bar.

  A ding alerted Pierce to something new in his stats. He let Chopper nose around the bushes, and he sat on the nearest rock to accept the message screen.

  MROVIAL GIANT—TAMED

  NEW SKILL—MROVIAL RIDER—BASIC

  XP + 280

  YOU ARE NOW RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS CREATURE OF NEW ARARAT. YOU MUST LOOK AFTER AND PROTECT HIM THROUGH YOUR JOURNEY. HE WILL, IN EXCHANGE, FIGHT FOR YOU AND BE LOYAL ONLY TO YOU.

  DO YOU ACCEPT THIS RESPONSIBILITY?

  YES/NO

  Pierce watched Chopper rummaging through the bushes. Be nice having a companion creature along for the ride. I’ll have to start hunting tomorrow. The ration bars wouldn’t feed the two of us.

  After accepting the request, Pierce checked both of their health stats.

  MROVIAL GIANT—2 DAYS OLD

  LEVEL 3—HEALTH 100/100

  STAMINA—40/100

  ARMOUR—SOFT—10/100

  He closed the screen, took a few minutes to check inside the ship. He found no weapons he could use, but there was a good amount of medical supplies, which Pierce added to his collection before whistling for his Mrovial Giant and going back to his quest.

  Observing the surrounding area, Pierce presumed the ship worked as a cable car without a cable, could only make the same trip backward and forward between two different points in a straight line. Very practical when you constantly have to send material between two labs. Pierce couldn’t work out if this one was coming or going to Mount 23. He’d soon find out.

  Riding Chopper was the most delicious sensation Pierce had ever had in his life. His rifle had a laser target on it, and Chopper followed the red dot wherever Pierce pointed it. The creature was fast, agitated, but at no point did Pierce feel the urge to grab the spikes on its back or make it slow down. For a man who had never ridden a horse in his life—most were extinct, anyway—and who had only played a few games where a beast was used for transportation, Pierce thought he was doing remarkably well.

  The more he rode Chopper, the more XP he gained.

  He loved this.

  Lost in the sensation, when Chopper lurched to the right, Pierce almost fell off. The dot of his master’s arm pointed left. Pierce had three seconds to think what it meant. Warrior instinct told him Chopper had seen another red dot, which could only belong to an enemy.

  Pierce didn’t see it himself, but he was quick enough to fire his gun in the other direction, blowing up a tree.

  Chopper stopped for a minute in confusion.

  Pierce spied another red dot, moving rapidly in his direction.

  Chapter Eleven

  Drayk

  Drayk turned around once inside the lift. It had started its descent. He finally got a look at the man. Not much larger than himself, the dark hood kept his main features from sight.

  The man removed his hood. His deep orange eyes stared straight back at Drayk. “Are you carrying any weapons?”

  Drayk shook his head. “Nothing.”

  Drayk noted a pale tinge to the man’s skin. Was he sick? “You’re Altus?”

  “I am Malru. Altus’ll see you soon enough.”

  The orange eyes didn’t blink. Drayk brimmed with questions. No sooner had he opened his mouth than Malru turned away.

  The lift stopped a moment later, and Drayk’s heart fluttered. This could end so badly. Malru stepped out, and Drayk followed him into a bright corridor. It wasn’t long before he was inside a small room with a desk and seating area. “Wait here.” Malru turned, leaving Drayk alone.

  Drayk heard the deadbolt click in place. Nice. He paced the room, then sat on the couch. Leaning back, he closed his eyes for a moment.

  “If Drei sent you, you must be something special,” a voice said.

  Drayk jumped, banging his knee against the desk. “Where are you?”

  “Not here right now, but I have a few questions.”

  “You asked me to come, but you’re not even here?” Drayk’s anger bubbled. He’d risked a lot to cross to this side of town.

  “Correct. Why did Drei give you her card?”

  “Her card?” Drayk pulled it out of his pocket, turning it over in his hand. “I don’t understand?”

  “Move to the room’s left side. Hold it up to the camera in the corner for me. If it’s fake, you won’t get out.”

  Drayk didn’t want to follow the instructions, but it seemed like he had no choice. “There.” He turned the card over to show Altus. “It’s not fake. I promise you.”

  “Please, take a seat. Drei earned that card. It shouldn’t have been given away on a whim.”

  Drayk returned to the couch, sitting but not relaxing. He tapped a finger on the armrest. Had it been a whim? Drayk pushed the thought back. “Drei believed in me.” Even I don’t always believe in me.

  “Place your hand on the scanning pad to your left.”

  Drayk paused only a second, then turned; a wall panel slid back, allowing a sleek metal arm out. It stopped before him. He pushed his long sleeves back, wiped his hand on his trousers before placing it on the pad. A yellow light moved up and down. He felt a slight prick and almost pulled back.

  “DNA testing,” the disembodied voice explained. “Nothing to worry about.”

  Drayk bit his lip, “Don’t want much, do you?”

  “Verifying you’re who you say you are is the top priority. Not only do you have the most valuable card on the planet, but you told me you’re Teegan Vellis’s son.”

  The pad started to retract, Drayk lifted his hand. “You check out,” the voice said. “Use the card on the door, follow the corridor till you can’t go any farther. It’s the room at the end. There’s a bed. Use it. I’ll be with you in the morning, as soon as I can.”

  The staticky voice vanished.

  Following Altus’ orders, Drayk found the room. There was a place to rest his head, some food, water. There was even an en-suite shower room with fresh clothes.

  This is totally unreal. There was no hotel that would do this for someone, let alone a stranger. Drayk raised the card to look at it again. Was it really that important?

  Drayk sat. The mattress was soft, the blankets warm, inviting. He slipped off his shoes, took a drink.

  Cale should be dancing with the pretty girl from the café by now; he had no doubts. But, reaching over, he wanted to send him a message. Cale, I’m with a friend. Don’t worry about me. I’m doing what’s best for us. Always. I have three weeks. Give me that. I’ll get you out. Promise.

  Drayk hit SEND, but his heart sank. When he snuggled under the covers, his eyes closed but his mind remained active.

  He picked up the glass, sniffing the liquid this time. There was something different about it. He took a tentative sip. It didn’t taste right.

  By the time his focus started to fade, he didn’t care. The room’s darkness swallowed him, and thoughts of the game, as well as his brother, took precedent.

  What could I even do if I got in? Following the rules of any game is easy, right? His body was tired, but his mind wasn’t.

  Eventually, Drayk pushed the covers off. Wearing nothing but his briefs, he took a stance on the bare floor. He started with some basic Eeksah, the ancient two-dagger fighting technique he preferred above all else. The testament to his skill and family name was on the line. He wanted to be the best he could be, and that meant he had to retain this fighting skill now. He had to work harder for it. Practice, practice, practice.

  Drayk could only anticipate having an opponent, but he stumbled often. In the end, he fell to his
bed, not only more exhausted but mentally fatigued, too. This was a good thing. His head settled on the pillow. Within moments, darkness finally took him.

  The world around him smelled different. Tasted different. Drayk licked his dry lips and knew something was off. He tried to force his eyes awake, but they wouldn’t open.

  Panic seized his chest. Tightening every muscle he had at his disposal. His legs and arms wouldn’t work.

  He tried calling out, but only crackles echoed from his throat.

  A voice whispered, “You can do this. It’s uncomfortable, but you’ll get through it. Focus on my voice.”

  Altus? Drayk wasn’t sure. Pain exploded through every part of his body. It felt familiar. Yet it didn’t; then it felt as alien, as horrible, as his worst nightmare. His eyes blurred. Bright lights and sounds maxed out his extremities.

  He blacked out a couple of times. Tried to focus on something, even a pinprick on the inside of his eyes, but it wasn’t working. The voice faded in and out. Nothing stuck. Everything hurt.

  His heart pounding, Drayk tried sucking in air but failed.

  That voice again, I can almost hear it. Try making out the words. The longer he tried, the more sense some made.

  “Come back to us. Focus. We’re here.”

  Drayk’s eyes fluttered, letting in the room’s light. He blinked. He couldn’t help but close them again, quickly. It hurt.

  “Let them adjust. This is a totally different entrance from the one you experienced before. They have buffers. I don’t.”

  Drayk felt a hand on his temple, fingers pressed to each side. “Sorry to bring you in like this. I didn’t have a choice. Are you with me?”

  Trying hard to feel, Drayk’s senses started gradually improving. He could feel his toes, his feet. They’re planted on the ground, not tucked into bed.

  “It hurts,” he managed.

  “I know. You’re strong. You can deal with it.”

  Drayk let out a laugh. “Y—you don’t know me at all.”

  “You wouldn’t be here if Drei hadn’t seen something in you. It’s too valuable a gift to waste on someone weak or stupid.”

  Drayk felt the belly chuckle rising again. He laughed so hard it hurt. “Why the hell am I laughing so much?”

  “Side effect. It’ll settle down. Take some deep breaths. Ready to open your eyes?”

  Drayk wasn’t sure. Everything hurt, and all he wanted to do was laugh. He sucked in deep breaths, the urge to crack subsided. When he opened his eyes, the light didn’t sting as much. “Where are we?” he asked, looking into the bright green eyes staring into his.

  “We’re in a safe house in Eldham’s village, in Kyra’s Veil. You’ll get a good look at your stats and character development in a few moments.”

  “I’m really on New Ararat? How is this possible?”

  Altus almost seemed to smile. “Yes, you are. And if I told you, I’d have to kill you myself. I just need to make sure the transfer worked correctly.” Altus took his fingers away from Drayk’s temples, then he moved away from Drayk with a laugh.

  Drayk followed as Altus stepped to a desk and a computer system. “I got access for a few minutes on your first entry. Step closer, I’ll bring it up.”

  Drayk tried to work out how to do that. A hand movement? A thought? Nothing seemed to work.

  Altus glanced up. “What’s wrong?”

  Drayk could see the man before him now, the sunlit olive-green tones to his dark skin. When Altus crossed his arms, he noted the scales that graced up to his neck were thick. Intricate. He must come from a good family, Drayk thought but he couldn’t make out his intonations. Where is he from? Not a local surely?

  Altus pulled his uniform sleeves down, muttering, “My heritage isn’t important. Focus. This is a new system they’ve been running.” He took a step toward Drayk, raised a hand and flicked it to the right. “You don’t have to physically do this, but you need to think you’re doing it. Try it.”

  Drayk copied the motion, and his stats popped into view before him. He got a shock. Empathy sucked. And so did Stamina and Armour. The screen was nothing like the one in the guild systems.

  Character Name

  Drayk Vellis

  Age

  18

  Level

  1

  XP -

  2616 – XP to next level - 384

  Talents—Empathy

  4/20

  Talent—Eeksah Trained—

  Kildros Daggers

  25/100

  Health

  75/100

  Mana—detected; no spark

  0/0

  Focus

  75/100

  Stamina

  20/100

  Armour

  8/100

  Strength

  5/100

  Intelligence

  50/100

  Wisdom

  10/100

  Constitution

  10/100

  Agility

  5/100

  Luck

  15/100

  Charisma

  10/100

  Drayk wasn’t worried about adding to any of his low, somewhat pathetic, stat points yet. He’d wait till he knew what would be his best advantage. Agility or Strength?

  He read through them as quickly as he could. The thing that bothered him was his health stats, as they’d taken a big knock. “The system’s recognised at least some of my attributes.”

  Altus smiled, his eyes twinkling. “You have an upgrade that was supposed to be for Drei if she joined us.” Altus glanced back to the screen. “Come, I’ve a lot to show you. First, though, I’ll find you a uniform.”

  Drayk glanced down, suddenly feeling naked, stupid. Heat flushed his cheeks. He swore under his breath and looked for something to cover himself. He hadn’t even noticed; he’d walked around the room like nothing mattered.

  Altus returned with a dark uniform. He passed it to Drayk, who took it, muttering a soft apology.

  A popup appeared—

  YOU ACCEPTED A GIFT—MONARCH UNIFORM

  QUALITY—MEDIUM—PLUS 2 TO ARMOUR

  He read it, then brushed it away. “Don’t worry about it.” Altus grinned. “Not like I’ve never seen naked people. Think of me as your doctor.”

  Sharp-cut trousers, long-sleeved shirt. The sleeves covered almost the entirety of his arms, and hid his family name. There was also a decent hole, where he could flick out his tail if he needed to. Drayk curled it at the base of his spine instead, preferring not to wander around with his best feature on display. “What about the device in my chest?”

  “Let me show you around. I’ll explain how I’m going to neutralise it.”

  Altus opened the door again, and Drayk finally started to notice his surroundings. The room he’d been in was plain but contained the vast tech he’d seen back on his planet. The walls were some kind of netting. Drayk reached, touched it. “This is so weird.”

  “The players here like to build. It’s made a great safe house for us.”

  “Who’s us?” Drayk pointed to the uniform. “Monarch? Is it a guild, or a religion?”

  Altus’ pace didn’t alter as he made his way down the dim corridor. “No, that’s just the clothing designer. Sorry to disappoint.”

  Drayk sighed. He wanted the uniform to belong to someone special, not to be here, now, with almost nothing. He stopped when he heard himself saying, “This is a lot to take in.” He reached out toward the wall to steady his balance. The bar of his inner view dipped from green to red.

  HEALTH—50/100

  FOCUS— 50/100

  HEART RATE INCREASING

  Altus returned to his side, a light frown now on his lips. “Breathe in. It’ll be all right.”

  Drayk stared at the wall. The thick vines holding it together seemed intricate. He wanted to count them, to do something to ease the vomit rising up his throat.

  Altus placed a hand on his back, but Drayk pushed him off. Physical contact with any other bei
ng was something he’d never experienced. “Please, don’t.” With those words, the vomit choked him and bile erupted.

  Drayk wiped his mouth, hearing voices behind him. Altus was speaking to someone, and Drayk was ushered to a dark, inviting room. He closed his eyes. Tried focusing on anything but where he was. “This is the device’s doing,” Altus was saying. “I’m going to have to knock him out for a—”

  Drayk tried to speak, but couldn’t. The room spun. Eventually, he spluttered out, “Just fix this.” He tapped on his chest. “I can’t be here unless you do.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Pierce

  Pierce’s eyes tingled when he opened them, every cell of his body aching. It was like being back at that hospital, with those brackets keeping pieces of his body together, and with his jaw so swollen he could barely speak.

  But no, this wasn’t the hospital. It took some time for Pierce to realise where he really was. Pierce squinted at the strong light coming from the ceiling, picking at the pieces he recalled, trying to remember how he had gotten there. A cell. Am I a prisoner? Not for the Maxol, though. They wouldn’t take humans prisoner.

  The red dot. Shots fired.

  The last thing he remembered was taking cover behind a tree, trying to figure out where the enemy might have fired from. A strange voice came, seeming to get closer, but at the same time, staying put. Pierce didn’t know where he should point his gun. Is the enemy playing around with me? Am I more interesting as a prisoner than having my head blown off?

  A type of negotiation took place. The red dot on Chopper’s back he noticed too late. The stupid beast was paralyzed, his tongue hanging out of his open mouth, dripping green saliva. Pierce knew it was irrational to delay his mission for the sake of an animal, but he kept talking, trying to wake him up.

  Then, only darkness.

  As soon as his eyes grew accustomed to the light, Pierce found the strength to sit up and look around. The cell was small, three white walls. A fourth made of glass. He was alone in there. Pierce could see a portion of the corridor. Another cell in front of his. There, the walls were splattered with dry blood. The effects inside this game are brutal. Breathing in, the smells were rancid, horrid. Too real. Pierce gagged.