by T. K. Kato
The town below me looked normal. Well, I mean, it looked gothic and rotten to the core, but normaler than the insanity I’d faced inside the lighthouse. After escaping that, I dared to hope the next challenge would not repeat any such weird spatial illusions.
Actually, if the only way I could get the gem was by cheating, I had to put that in my report. I mean, maybe it was intentional, but if so, how the hell did they expect other guests to figure it out? You’d have to Google the solution to something like that … and cell signals didn’t work here.
Oh. Well, damn. Maybe the park was actually blocking cell signals on purpose. They knew a smartphone would ruin the mystery and surprises of this place, so they forced the issue. If so, I wasn’t a hundred percent sure that kind of thing was legal. At the very least, they needed to tell their patrons up front they’d have no outside communication.
Well, whatever. I had the new power now, and I’d be upfront about how I’d gotten it. Was it a bug? Maybe, but that wasn’t my problem either way.
This thing, this game, had a depth unlike any I’d experienced before. To really lose myself in it, I had to find a way to turn off the analysis and just go with it. I swore to myself, here and now, I was not going to cheat to get past another challenge. I was going to play this thing through, reach the city, and, well … whatever the hell happened after that. Fight the final boss, save the princess, the galaxy is at peace, yada yada.
I started back down the bluff, heading at last toward the wharves. I had put that place off as long as I could. It might very well be crawling with cultists and Deep Ones, but at least one of the gems had to be there. There just weren’t many key locations left in Innsmouth.
And maybe my new power would give me just what I needed to bypass any enemies I’d encounter.
Enemies … And I was still at about a third of my maximum HP.
Not a good plan. Instead, I slumped down behind a rock pile to rest. After a moment I pulled out my phone to check the time: 11:26pm. Getting close to midnight now, and whatever those cultists planned for poor Smith. Yeah … well, the bastard shouldn’t have threatened me.
Rest complete
7 HP Restored
Ah, there we go. Wish I’d known about the rest mechanic after each gem challenge, but live and learn. Yet another reason the game might be spoiled by an internet connection. I rose and scampered on down the slope.
As I reached the bottom of the bluff, I hesitated. I could go back into town and try to break into that general store. I could steal some jerky and beef up—no pun intended—my HP a little more. On the other hand, as midnight drew closer, more and more of the cultists were likely to be busy doing their thing with Smith. Assuming they didn’t plan to sacrifice him in the middle of the streets, it might make the wharf area easier to navigate with so many of them gone.
That was probably a chance I couldn’t afford to pass up, no matter how much I needed the health boost.
Reluctantly, I resumed my trek down toward the ocean. It was all coming down to this.
Just the thought of it, of finally coming face to face with those things, had my pulse pounding.
I was really doing this.
Stage 5
As I drew near to the wharves, the smell of raw fish and brine grew overpowering, worse even than it had been when I came here before. Maybe the tide had gone out, exposing more of the bank. Of course, I could guess what else might be causing that smell. Unwilling to risk being caught off guard, I tapped my chest to activate the camouflage.
It didn’t quite make me invisible, so I stayed low and to the side of the road, following the boarded-up buildings, the run-down houses, and so on. I wasn’t sure what I was even looking for here. Every other gem so far had been inside a singular building, but the wharves were a whole district, with at least a hundred buildings, counting the houses, and almost every building seemed inaccessible after having been boarded up.
Maybe I could telekinetically blast through the planks, but that would no doubt attract the attention of every enemy in the area. So I wandered, hoping to find an entrance somewhere that wasn’t sealed.
I was inspecting one warehouse when a pair of people came around the corner. At least, I mistook them for people for a bare instant. The creatures had bulbous, opalescent eyes far larger than a human’s, set in frog-like faces. Their flesh was a sickly gray-green and shimmered in the moonlight, showing off tiny scales, while their underbellies looked paler and slimier. Worst of all, they had massive mouths that jutted with not only rows of shark-like teeth, but protruding tusks.
My breath caught and I froze in place, barely coherent enough to be thankful for the camouflage.
-1 Sanity
They hopped down the street in an uneven gait, croaking to one another about the sacrifice and needing to punish the villagers for losing one of the offerings.
Me. They meant me.
Shit.
I held my breath, and not just because of the putrid reek that wafted off these monstrosities. I dared not even breathe for fear they’d hear me.
Even when they passed around the corner, I didn’t rise. Not for a long time. I just kept trying to swallow the lump in my throat. Sure, I’d seen drawings of the Deep Ones years ago. I’d seen multiple statues of them now. None of that prepared me for encountering living, breathing, life-sized creatures from some primordial past. They were abominations, without doubt.
My hands shook as I rose from my crouching position. Given how many of those things I’d spotted swimming in from the bay earlier … I needed to get out of the open. I wasn’t even sure how long I could keep the camouflage going. Not forever, probably.
So … Zadok had mentioned warrens beneath the houses out here. He thought the cultists had tunnels that those who were already half-changed used to move about without being seen. If I could find my way into those, I might find a gem.
I mean, I’d probably find a metric shit ton of hybrid monsters, but I didn’t see a way around that. I needed the gems to move forward.
Keeping the camouflage up, I pressed on down the street. The same problem remained: nearly every building I came across here was closed up tight, and I couldn’t blow them open without bring that Deep One army down on my head.
As I came around a bend, the bay came into sight once more. A half-dozen Deep Ones hopped along the boardwalk that ran parallel to the waters, headed in my direction.
Barely stifling a yelp, I ducked down an alley and hid in a crouch.
This group of monsters actually paused from time to time, looking about as if searching for … well, for me. The cultists had failed to deliver one of their prizes, and they’d come to claim it themselves.
Heart pounding and palms clammy, I pressed myself tighter against the side of this house. If I didn’t move, maybe they wouldn’t be able to detect the slight distortion of light around the camo, especially in the dark.
Oh. Actually, those weird eyes were probably adapted to darkness underwater and saw better in it.
One of them hopped close to the alley and turned its gaze down it. Its flesh glistened with water and slime. As it stared right past me, a throaty croak escaped it—not words so much as a grumble of frustration. They were pissed, and I did not want to be on the receiving end of their ire.
Maybe the creature only stood there a few seconds, but God, it felt like hours. Its gaze passed over me twice. It didn’t seem to have seen me, though I surely couldn’t have read a facial expression on that hideous visage. Finally, it turned and hopped away.
“Not here.”
Even understanding the language, the voice was so thick and alien I had trouble making it out. Who’d have thought fish had accents? I waited for the rest to pass, then crept out from the alley and back onto the main street.
Not far from here, I’d sat and talked with Zadok. Maybe six hours had passed since then, but it sure felt like a lifetime now. Like night was a whole different world in Innsmouth. A vile world, swarming with monsters.
&n
bsp; I made it past the next warehouse before yet another pair of Deep Ones came around the bend. Having nowhere to hide, I flung myself flat against the warehouse wall and sucked in a deep breath.
These two moved without pausing in their odd, unnerving hops, not actively searching as the others had.
By the time they passed, though, my chest felt about to burst. I blew air out through my nose, desperate to make as little noise as possible.
+1 Stealth
Yeah, thanks. When the creatures were well away, I broke off from the wall and started down to the waterfront once more.
The main street was just too busy, so I took the next alley. Maybe I’d find access to a building here more easily. At this point, I was getting desperate enough to try blasting my way inside one. I’d have to move fast if I did it, but … No. No, they’d follow me inside and I’d wind up with enemies ahead and behind.
Getting caught in a pincer attack would almost certainly get me killed.
Instead, I inspected the boards over the door on the nearest house. Maybe I could just pull them off. I grabbed hold and tugged, though I didn’t have purchase to get my whole hand around it.
Failure
Damn it. What the hell was I supposed to do now?
As I stood there, mulling that over, the familiar, awful plop of Deep One hopping sounded around the other side of the alley.
Rolling my eyes, I crouched down in front of the house. Given how close it was to the sacrifice, I’d expected this area to be clearer. Had I miscalculated? Were there actually more enemies here now because of it? If so, maybe I should have gone for breaking into the general store.
No. You know what, screw it. It was time to thin their ranks a little. If I could take down a few, maybe I’d have some breathing room to actually explore this area.
As it passed me by, I rose from my crouch. Could I stealth takedown a Deep One? Chances were these things were stronger than humans. Also, wrapping my arm around its neck might lead to me getting those wicked teeth lodged in said arm.
No, it had to be the old-fashioned way.
By which I meant blasting him into oblivion. As long as my telekinetic wave didn’t strike a building, it shouldn’t make much noise. I followed the Deep One out into the street and lined up a shot. Then I thrust my palm forward.
The ripple soared through the air and struck the creature. It sent the thing skidding along through the mud rather than lifting it into the air.
10 Damage
Wait, ten? Half damage? What the—
The Deep One spun around and bellowed a croak that echoed through the night like a call to arms. Then it surged toward me with great bounding leaps.
Oh, hell.
I thrust my palm out again, catching it in the chest and stalling it for a bare instant.
10 Damage
And then it was on me. A swipe of its webbed hand caught my shoulder and actually flung me off my feet. I crashed through the porch rail around the house I’d been inspecting and landed on my back.
-4 HP
Another bound carried the thing down right beside me. I rolled away, barely avoiding being landed on, and managed to fire off another blast as its massive jaws lurched down at me.
15 Damage
The blast hit it square in the head. The thing fell over backward and began to turn into particles.
Before I could even rise, another Deep One leapt before me. I’d thought it was alone!
One of its webbed hands shot out and wrapped around my leg like a pincer. A single yank pulled me a foot back toward it. And then that hideous maw chomped down on my calf.
Burning pain surged up my leg, and I screamed in both horror and agony.
-8 HP
Everything went black and white in an instant, and my field of vision narrowed to a hazy tunnel. Only half coherent, I launched another wave at its head.
15 Damage
The Deep One dropped me, staggered backward as if stunned, and teetered. Gasping, I sent another blast surging up at it.
15 Damage
-1 Sanity
The Deep One’s eyes ruptured, oozing goo even as it pitched over backward and slammed down onto the porch. An instant later, it vaporized and turned into green particles.
Holy hell. Holy hell. I tried to stand, and my leg gave out beneath me.
Croaks rang out from all around the town, answering the call of the pair I’d just killed. Looking down, I suddenly realized my camouflage had dropped. Only one power at a time, maybe?
I tapped my chest and half-crawled my way off the porch, desperate to escape the scene of the crime. I did not want to be here when reinforcements arrived. If they were searching for me more actively before, now they knew I was in the area.
I’d really screwed myself this time. I managed my feet, but only pulled off a limping run back toward the town. Now I had no choice but to find the general store again. I had almost no HP left and I was leaving a trail of blood that the camouflage didn’t hide.
And the Deep Ones were resistant to telekinetic attacks. I had not seen that coming. Actually, I was a moron. I’d killed gun-wielding cultists and never bothered to check if their guns remained after I killed them. A pistol would have looked mighty good right now. Even a WWI-era pistol.
I clamped a hand over my calf in a probably vain attempt to staunch the blood trail I was leaving.
Another Deep One hopped around the corner, and my heart lurched.
The creature bellowed when it saw the chaos I’d left, bounded past me without a second glance, and headed for the house where I’d killed the other two. No sense wasting this chance. I made a break for it, dashed around the corner, and ambled along as fast as my wounded leg would allow.
On the way up the street, I had to dodge another Deep One and a group of a half dozen cultists, none of which seemed worth engaging at the moment. I would have liked to have grabbed one of the guns, but I was in no shape to fight six men.
Instead, I made my way back toward the store. After the cultist, I encountered no one else. Perhaps everyone had raced toward the call that Deep One had put out. Either way, I was grateful for the reprieve, however small.
-1 Sanity
Oh, now what? I twisted around but saw nothing out of the ordinary. So … so the camouflage was draining my Sanity while it remained active. Damn it. Well, the coast looked clear, but I wasn’t willing to risk dropping my cloak until I was certain.
I reached the storefront. As expected, the door was locked, so I set about picking it. That proved easier than expected.
+1 Dex
A little luck at last. I eased open the door and slipped inside. I mean, it wasn’t like there could be a silent alarm back in the ’20s or ’30s, right? Finally I was catching a break. I had to turn on the flashlight to see, but I kept it low and prayed no one outside would spot the beam. Then I tapped my chest to turn off the camouflage. It wouldn’t do me much good while I was using the flashlight anyway.
I grabbed a stick of jerky, tore it open, and bit into it.
3 HP Restored
Tasteless as ever, but every bit helped. I grabbed another stick and tried eating it, too. Nothing happened. I had kind of figured that. A limit on recovery. After sticking the last two pieces in my belt for later, I moved about the store, still angling the flashlight toward the floor. Maybe something else here would help me.
Down low on a shelf stood out three bandages. I’d barely noticed them the first time I came in here. Then again, I hadn’t considered something might try to eat me at that point. I ripped open one package and wrapped it around my leg to staunch any further bleeding.
4 HP Restored
Oh, nice. I hadn’t actually expected that. In that case … I snatched up the other two bandage rolls and stuck them on my belt as well. I scanned the rest of the store, pausing over some packaged bread. I tried it, but got no other health recovery.
With a shrug, I put it on my belt.
Inventory at capacity
Inst
ead of latching on, the bread just fell to the floor. Huh. So that was how they stopped players from just taking everything in the whole store. Well, then. I briefly considered a few other items, but decided they weren’t worth giving anything up for, at least until I came to the crowbar. Having lost my hammer, this seemed a decent substitute.
But what was I going to get rid of to make room for that? “Access menu.”
Stats:
HP 9/22
Dex 24
Might 24
Cha 24
Stealth 31
Sanity 34
Lore 10
Currency 11
Inventory:
Flashlight
Lock picks
Map
Deep One book
Jerky x2
Bandage x2
Eldritch Powers:
Telekinetic Blast
Telekinetic Lift
Tongues
Camouflage
I frowned at how low my Sanity had dropped. It seemed I hadn’t been watching that closely enough. Well, I clearly still needed the flashlight and lock picks. I didn’t think I’d need the book anymore, but who knew what I’d face with the other challenges, so it seemed foolish to throw it out.
The map, though … well, I was pretty certain I knew my way around the town now. I grabbed this and tossed it out, then picked up the crowbar. It had a serious heft to it, one that would no doubt pack a hell of a punch.
Nice.
All right then, time to make my way back to those wharves.
When I returned to the waterfront district, camouflaged once again, I found many Deep Ones still hopping about. Probably still searching for me and mad as hell I’d killed a pair of them. Just ’cause I had a crowbar didn’t mean I was eager to tangle with another of the bastards, much less with an army of them.
Of the cultists, though, I saw no sign. At least not until I drew near the docks themselves. Out there on that stretch of land—Devil Reef—the glow from multiple flickering lanterns shone. I pulled out my phone to check the time, but couldn’t see it through the camouflage.
