The Grind

by Dante Doom

  “Savannah, how many points would you spend on a hat?” Timon asked.

  Savannah held her hand up to silence the two behind her, and they all froze as they looked more closely at the shack in front of them. The shack was made of steel, and the entrance was open. It didn’t look particularly deep, but there was definitely someone inside.

  “Sounds like a clicking,” Fingers said as he held his revolver up and aimed it at the door. “Poke your head inside and see what’s making that noise. Maybe it’s a Viral.”

  Savannah nodded as she pulled out her Energy Shotgun. She aimed it at the entrance and slowly made her way to the side of the door, near enough so that she could see what was inside without being directly in front of Fingers’ line of fire.

  There was a woman lying on the ground inside the shack. Sparks were shooting out of the side of her head and her foot was twitching. She looked human, except for the fact that half of her head was metallic, like an android, and her eyes were red. Hovering above her head was the word Malfunctioning.

  “I think it’s a Machina,” Savannah said as she leaned her head closer in to inspect the machine. Indeed, it was a Machina, but it was in the shape of a regular human and dressed in what looked like some sort of leather armor. Savannah had never seen one like this before. It was powered on, but wasn’t doing anything other than twitching and sparking.

  “Huh, I’ve never seen a broken one before,” Fingers said as he stuck his head in. “I wonder if we can fix it up. Maybe this is one of those special events. I bet if we patch this thing back together we’ll get some kind of special quest, or maybe an Instance.”

  “How do we fix it?” Timon asked from the outside. The shack wasn’t nearly large enough to house all three people and the Machina, and he’d remained outside as Savannah and Fingers had stepped warily in.

  “I’m not a mechanic, I have no clue,” Fingers said as he grabbed the Machina’s ankles. He dragged the machine out into the open air.

  Savannah knelt down to examine the android more thoroughly. There was a piece of metal sticking out of the side of its head, and it looked like the metal didn’t belong there. “I think this is the problem,” Savannah said as she grabbed the metal piece and began to pull on it. Surges of electricity rushed forward from the metal, shocking her. “Ah!” she yelped as she let go of the metal. “That hurt!”

  “You didn’t take any real damage—you’re fine,” Fingers said. “Try using that glove that you’re wearing.”

  “Oh, my glove…” Savannah said, only now remembering that she was still wearing it. She reached out with her gloved hand and wrapped it around the metal rod once again. Electricity sparked towards her, but the glove easily soaked the power up. She gripped the rod hard and began to pull. There was a terrible grinding noise as the android’s limbs began to flail.

  “Hold it down!” Savannah grunted as she tried to avoid the swinging arms of the machine. Timon and Fingers both grabbed the machine’s limbs, keeping them still until Savannah was finally able to pull the rod free.

  “There!” Savannah said as she held the rod up triumphantly. There was a sharp point on the end of the thing, and it looked as if someone had stabbed it into the brain of the Machina.

  “Powering up!” the Machina said as it stopped twitching and sparking. “Loading, loading.”

  “Oh, man, we fixed it! This is gonna be great!” Timon said. “I hope it gives us a quest item or something.”

  “Maybe it’ll point us to another boss fight,” Fingers said. “I’m itching to get another win under my belt, especially after that last waste of time.” He narrowed his eyes at Savannah with the comment, seeming to dare her to disagree.

  “Online,” the Machina said as it stood to attention. “My name is Ten-Thirty.” The Machina swiveled its head back and forth, surveying the three who were surrounding it. It looked directly at Savannah then.

  “Thank you for fixing me,” Ten-Thirty said. “It is greatly appreciated.”

  “You’re welcome,” Savannah replied cautiously. She wasn’t sure what to say to the Machina. Normally, these things didn’t talk other than to give canned dialogue or shout warnings at players for getting too close.

  “Okay, Ten-Thirty, what do you have for us? A quest or something?” Fingers asked as he rubbed his hands together.

  Ten-Thirty looked at him blankly. “Negative.”

  “Ah, come on, can we at least get some kind of reward for helping?” Fingers asked.

  Ten-Thirty looked back at Savannah. “This unit’s memory core is damaged. Function unknown. Internal repairs are beginning, but will take some time. This unit will assist you in your endeavors until function is restored.”

  “Cool!” Timon said. “A Machina ally? That’s gonna be great!”

  “They don’t get points, and can’t really die, either,” Fingers said. “That sounds like a deal. In all my years of playing this game, I’ve never seen something like this before.”

  “It is strange,” Savannah said as she looked over the machine. It was in the shape of a normal woman, but with clear cybernetic augmentations. It stared at her blankly. Ten-Thirty’s right arm was in the shape of a high-powered railgun, she noticed next. That would come in very handy in a fight. “Okay, Ten-Thirty, you’re part of the team until you can repair your internal systems and have other plans.”

  “Excellent,” Ten-Thirty replied, raising its arm in what looked like a salute.

  “I knew you were the right guide for me!” Timon said as he patted Savannah on the back. “I mean, come on! You legit found us a Machina teammate! How cool is that?”

  “Hey! I was the one who found the footprints,” Fingers said.

  “Yeah, but you didn’t even want to come this way,” Timon said. “From now on, I say we let Savannah call the shots.”

  Fingers shrugged. “Well, you had the guts to admit defeat back there, and your instincts were right on this. Fine, no more second guessing you. Where to next?”

  Savannah surveyed the area and sighed. There was still no sign of her father. Where could he be? The Grind was gigantic; the game world was four times the size of overpopulated Verre. Looking for a single person was akin to searching out a needle in a haystack. She had no idea where to go next.

  “I think we should follow Fingers’ original idea, and head northeast and get some fighting in. We have points to earn,” Savannah said. “We gotta put Ten-Thirty to good use now and take down some Virals.”

  “Perfection!” Fingers said with a grin. “Let’s get moving!”

  “Nearest appropriate encounter would be one-point-seven-five miles due west,” Ten-Thirty said as it pointed. “The Stargrounds are filled with medium-level Virals that would provide adequate points.”

  “Wait,” Fingers said. “You can figure out where Virals are?”

  “Correct,” Ten-Thirty said.

  “Interesting,” Savannah said. “This changes things a bit. Ten-Thirty, where can we find a boss fight?”

  “A boss fight of an appropriate level is nowhere in this vicinity. You would be required to go to the Krecius Caverns or to the north, where the Spiraling Mountains are.”

  “The Spiraling Mountains are rough territory,” Fingers warned. “The Virals over there are actual giants. That means they’re going to have a lot of hit points.”

  “Do you think it’s worth going, or should we skip it?” Savannah asked.

  “Well, they are worth quite a bit of points when you drop them,” Fingers said. “But… the rock throwing is the tough part. And when I say rocks, I mean boulders. They’re gonna throw boulders at us.”

  “Eh, gravity is low here, so I think we’ll be fine,” Savannah said. “Let’s go kill some giants.”

  Fingers nodded. “Yeah, alright—we should be okay, but it’s gonna be a rough one.”

  “Ten-Thirty,” Savannah said, “take us to the Spiraling Mountains.”

  “Affirmative,” Ten-Thirty said as it began to march toward the north. Savannah and the
rest of the team followed the Machina’s lead.

  As they climbed out of the crater, though, Savannah looked behind her one last time. Where was her father?

  Chapter Eight

  “Are you kidding me?” Savannah exclaimed as she watched the silver-haired woman run between two giants. She was blasting at them with her electric gloves, shocking them to death before they had a chance to pummel her.

  “She’s still alive?” Fingers shook his head, watching her run. “Man, that is one crazy woman. She ain’t a Grinder though, is she?”

  “No, she can’t be,” Savannah said. “She doesn’t have a client around. Maybe she’s a Wild Card?”

  “Man, I’ve never seen a Wild Card that skilled at this game,” Fingers replied.

  “She’s killing all of the giants!” Timon moaned. “Look at all of those orbs sailing right towards her! It’s crazy.”

  Savannah and her team were standing at the base of the Spiraling Mountains, watching as the stranger easily obliterated the giants trying to destroy her. At their lumbering speed, they didn’t stand a chance against her swift moves and powerful blasts of energy.

  Savannah flexed her right hand as she watched. Memories of Kireen’s telepathic blast of energy came back to her. Something in Savannah’s core knew that this woman was important, but why? Why would she possibly be of any interest to her or her group?

  “Well, that plan was ruined,” Fingers said. “At the rate she’s killing those giants, I doubt there will be any left.”

  “Let’s go fight the boss,” Timon said. “Move past all of them.”

  “If she accuses us of kill-stealing, we’re going to have our collective asses handed to us—by her,” Fingers said. “What do you think, Savannah?”

  “Well, she might be interested in teaming up. After all, there’s safety in numbers, and we could take down larger raids.”

  “I’m willing to bet that she actually killed that raid boss earlier,” Timon said. “I don’t think she’d be interested in taking us along for the ride. I mean, it would practically be charity because she clearly doesn’t need our help.”

  “We meet again!” the woman said as she slid underneath the final giant’s legs. She dodged its large energy club and leapt through the air. Her hands released another bolt of energy as she moved, and the giant was annihilated.

  “Uh, hi,” Savannah blurted out. There was a knot in her stomach now, and she wasn’t sure what to do about it.

  “If you’re wondering about that last raid boss,” the woman said as she flipped her silver hair back and turned to face the group. “I defeated it without a problem.”

  “Oh, I hope she ain’t gonna kill us,” Fingers muttered as he placed his hands on his holsters. “Cause this isn’t looking good.”

  “My name’s Savannah, and we’re out here looking to fight the boss of the mountains.”

  The woman laughed at that as she drew closer. Savannah glanced at Timon, who looked in awe of her. “You may call me Elanor,” she said. “And you two are…”

  “My name’s Fingers, the Wildcard, of the Ace Gang… well, formerly of the Ace Gang,” Fingers stammered.

  “I’m Timon,” Timon said.

  “Well, the pleasure is all mine,” Elanor said as she bowed low, making a circular motion with her right hand.

  “Did you see that?” Timon hissed. “That’s a gesture of the High Court.”

  “What, the hand motion?” Savannah asked.

  “Yes, it represents superiority,” Timon whispered. “You bow and make that circle motion to show that you’re friendly, but rank above the persons you’re addressing.”

  “Interesting…” Savannah said. What would a Noble be doing inside the Grind?

  “You all look a little concerned,” Elanor said as she glanced at the Machina for a moment. “But, rest assured, I’m no player killer. I do so enjoy playing this game.”

  “I find that doubtful, ma’am. Why are you here?” Timon asked her, crossing his arms.

  “Well, aren’t you direct!” Elanor laughed. “I like that about you. If you must know, I’m actually looking for a special area—one not readily available to the normal population.”

  “What area is that?” Timon demanded. Savannah glanced over at her companion to see that his face was firm and hardened. His smiling, gentle demeanor had vanished.

  “It’s a special place known as the King-Maker Zone,” Elanor replied. “Very few know about it.”

  “The King-Maker Zone?” Fingers repeated with a chuckle. “Ma’am, don’t believe everything you hear, because that’s a myth. There’s no place like that in this game.”

  “Tell me more,” Savannah requested quietly.

  Elanor’s eyes grew wide, but she nodded. “It, my friend, is where Kings and Queens are born. It’s a realm full of high-point monsters and quests that will ascend players to the status of ruler of Verre. I wish to find it… for my own personal reasons.”

  “You want to become the Queen?” Timon asked.

  “Maybe,” Elanor replied with a chuckle. “Of course, big bad King Leopold doesn’t like it when people talk about finding the King-Maker Zone, so he hires players to discourage people from finding it.”

  “What?” Savannah asked as she shook her head. “He can’t do that. Verre functions because it’s a meritocracy. You advance based on your skills in the Grind.”

  “Oh, it’s very illegal, but he does it anyway,” Elanor said with a smile. She leaned close to Savannah and whispered in her ear. “And since when does anyone follow the rules, little Grinder?”

  Savannah stiffened. If this woman was a Noble of the High Court, like Timon suggested, then Savannah could end up in real trouble. Her breath immediately grew shallow.

  “I, er,” she stammered.

  “Oh, relax,” Elanor said as she stepped away from her. “I wouldn’t tell on you. But tell me, why do you have a Machina following you around?”

  “Oh, her?” Fingers asked as he clapped Ten-Thirty on the back of its head, making a metallic pinging sound with each strike. “We found her damaged and, once we fixed her up, she was interested in joining us.”

  “That is rather interesting,” Elanor said as she inspected the machine. “That’s not something you see every day, is it?”

  “Look, we better get going,” Timon said. He glanced at Savannah and wordlessly indicated that he wanted to hurry up and leave.

  “Yeah,” Savannah said, following his cue. “We were going to head northeast.”

  “Northeast?” Elanor said with a chuckle as she reached out her hand to touch Fingers on the shoulder. She ran her hand down the side of his arm. “There’s nothing interesting over there. Why don’t we all head up the mountain to find that boss? He’s gotta be worth a lot of points, and I don’t mind splitting with Timon.”

  “With the way you fight?” Fingers asked with a stupid grin on his face. “Lady, I’d follow you anywhere.”

  Savannah glanced at Timon, who was fervently shaking his head at her.

  “Let’s go then!” Elanor said as she looked back at the Machina. “What are we waiting for?”

  Savannah was torn. Elanor would be a powerful ally to have, but Timon seemed to dislike her. There would be a lot of points waiting for her on the mountaintop, though, and since only two players were technically splitting the points, it would get them both to their goal faster.

  “Timon, a word?” Savannah asked as she rushed past Elanor and grabbed her client by the arm, pulling him away from the group.

  “I don’t like her, Savannah; I don’t like her one bit,” Timon said, shaking his head as he spoke.

  “Why? What’s got you so angsty?”

  Timon hesitated. “People in the High Court aren’t all… kind. You see how well she fights? She clearly doesn’t need our help, so why would she possibly want us around her? She’s up to something, and trust me, she’s going to be using us.”

  “So?” Savannah asked. “We’ll use her, too. With her on our side
, we can get loads more points and rank up even faster.”

  “It’s too risky to work with her,” Timon said. “Simply because we can get more points faster doesn’t mean we should. We’ve got a good thing going without her.”

  “Think about it, Timon,” Savannah replied. “We’ve got a powerful warrior who’s willing to get up close and personal with our enemies. She’s practically giving points away by making us this offer.”

  “And you think that isn’t suspicious? Savannah, you can’t be that dense!” Timon hissed. “You’re letting your greed control your logic.”

  Savannah bristled at the comment, but took a deep breath before responding. “I’m not dense and I am thinking logically. Look, everyone has an angle, okay? No matter what, in this world, people use each other. It doesn’t matter what we do, someone is going to exploit us for something. And so, we… we figure out how to exploit them, too. It’s called mutualism.”

  “Mutualism?” Timon shook his head. “It sounds like you’re too greedy for your own good.”

  “It’s not greedy to want more!” Savannah replied.

  “Greed isn’t wanting more, Savannah; it’s wanting more at any cost. If you put getting points first, that means you’re putting everything else second. That includes your common sense. This woman is trouble, I’m telling you, and we should go.”

  Savannah gritted her teeth. The points would be good, but more than that, she knew on some level that Elanor could be her ticket to learning more secrets about the Grind. Something big was happening, and the Aspect’s telepathic urgings had led her to believe that Elanor was important.

  “Look, Timon, I’m sorry, but you hired me to be your guide, you said me trusted me, and I say this is the way to go. We’re going to get a lot of points this way.”

  “Really? You’re going to ignore my advice? Just like that?” Timon asked as he threw his hands up in the air.

  “I’m not ignoring you, Timon!” Savannah replied. “I’m trying to tell you what is best! You hired me to get you to the second highest rank in the game and this is how you do it.”