NOVEL NEXT Chapter 35: The Campfire.
Chapter 35: The Campfire.
We tried burying what little remained of the recently deceased Mark and Tracy. However, that turned out to be far more difficult than I’d anticipated. The stone was hard and sturdy. Solid, even under the weight of the lobster-moles. Or Slab.
It shattered when struck and enough force could even tear lumps at a time away from the rest of the foundation. Underneath, we found the open air of an adjacent chamber. Silent to my senses due to the lack of living animals and robots.
Slab and Dusty suggested leaving the bloody bits here, so that they might return to the cycle of life and death, as was their custom. Borislav had said nothing, though I suspected he approved.
Ryan and his friends had protested vehemently however. They did not wish to see the remains of their friends eaten by an errant centipede or eel and would refuse any argument that the siblings threw at them. Not caring in the least about impracticality or the need to fulfil my wishes as soon as possible.
In the end, we went with Monique’s suggestion of cremation. Though we had nowhere to store the ashes. We burned the remains in an adjoining hallway that ended in a vertical shaft, leading upwards. That way, the fumes wouldn’t suffocate us.
In all honesty, we needn’t have bothered. There was so little left of the poor fellows, that the pyre barely produced any smoke.
After the hasty funeral, we moved to a more spacious chamber a kilometer west of our current position. We passed a stone archway, into a large field of glowing spotted grass, inlaid with gem-like pebbles every so often.
There was gently flowing stream cutting down the middle of the room and large orange and green fronds hanging from the ceiling. Their bioluminescence lighting up the area with colourful hues.
I made the decision to camp here for a time and get everyone washed and fed. Well, all the humans would be washed and fed. The rest would wait outside the perimeter and gorge on the weakest of my remaining tools. More were being added every minute from a stampeded descending from above, so that I was not at all worried about our numbers dwindling.
The incoming invaders resembled lemurs in my fog. Crossed with a crocodilian of some kind at the head and tail both. A few larger specimens had another pair of arms and a stinger in place of a second head.
It did not matter. Meat was meat and their kind would serve as fodder for my war machine. There was nothing else they were good for.
Charlie awoke some time later; in a fit of screaming. His hands were flailing as he stirred and his eyes fixated on his limbs, as if he wasn’t sure they were really there at all.
“I…am I dead?” He finally managed after some whimpering.
“No.” Slab responded dryly. “Though by all rights, we should have scalped you for a traitor to humanity. I’ve seen them before. Raiders and pillagers who’d rather destroy what little we had left, if it meant they got to rule the ruins.”
He turned his head, and spat.
“Putting your hands on the Shepherd like that, is the same as condemning my village to die. A quick death, is a far kinder fate than your sorry lot deserves. Be grateful that Solomon is merciful. You might still serve the cause.”
Charlie was only half-awake when those words fell on him. His eyes darted to the ogre in panic, going from his massive frame to the club in his hands. From there, his eyes tracked Dolce and the sole functioning robotic serpent, the bulls and the moles and the eels. The waves upon waves of centipedes, lighting rabbits, shrews and other things slithering, flying and crawling all around him.
The screams came so suddenly, that Ryan, Jane and Lousie found themselves screaming too.
“Please!” Jane cried. “Charlie saved us! More than once. Please have mercy! Don’t kill him!”
Ryan and Louise pulled her back forcefully and began whispering sweet assurances into her ears. I had known the trio for about an hour now, and she’d been weeping for well over half of that. It was the normal response, I supposed. She had just lost some friends. Yet it was problematic in this setting.
“Now now. We’re all friends here.” I said, standing slowly. “I know about Charlie’s troubles back home and I was offering help. As a hero should. My good friend was simply too, emotional about it. I’m sure we can have a nice, long conversation about our future from this point onwards. Isn’t that right Charlie?”
The man gaped at me for several seconds. Saying nothing. Then the memories returned all a once and he began to sweat nervously, saying nothing, but thinking quickly.
I stopped him with a hand.
“No need for thoughts of escape. You’re among friends, as I said. I will tell you everything you want to know. All I ask is that you join me in pacifying the gnomish population. You warned me about them before. On our first day here. Remember?”
The man blinked stupidly, but at least closed his mouth.
“I think he might have some brain damage.” Monique interrupted, unhelpfully. “That tends to happen when a couple of ogres jump you.”
“We’re human.” Dusty complained. “Me and my brother. We’re a little enhanced, yes. But still human.”
The woman looked unconvinced.
“Humans don’t typically outweigh Grizzly bears where I come from, but whatever. I guess you know best.”
“I do.” Dusty asserted. “and he won’t have anything. Even the worst slackers back home can heal from minor concussions. He’s refusing to speak.”
Borislav said nothing. Instead, he made sure to be as far away from Dusty and Slab as was physically possible, without touching any of my horde.
“That’s enough.” I said with finality. When no one else spoke, I turned to Charlie and explained everything that I’d seen in meticulous detail.
He was huffing with barely supressed fury by the end. As if he was some abused tiger, whose keeper had mistakenly released. His eyes promised violence and malice.
“So, there you have it. One more month, and we’ll be free. At least for a time. I’ve told you where Whitmer Senior will be, without asking for anything in return. Will you at least hear me out?”
“No need.” Charlie growled. “They have it coming. All of them. They’ve had it coming for a long time. I…” He stopped to look at my fans.
“I’m sorry for grabbing you. It won’t happen again. I promise. Lead on.”
“Not yet. First, I realized that, while we’re all heroes who want to do the right thing, not all of us are comfortable with strangers. I can read minds and know you all quite well, but this distrust you have for me and each other could be a problem in our quest to do justice! I think it’ll be good for all of us to relax and take a breather. Maybe for an hour or two, or ten, while my… our Psy recharges. I want all of us to be fresh when we begin implementing the great pacification plan. In the meantime, we could play games, talk about ourselves, share what we’ll be doing when we get out. That sort of stuff.”
“Yeah!” Slab responded.
“Woohoo!” Dusty cheered.
No one else said anything.
Borislav tried to edge a bit further back.
Jane, the crying woman that Ryan had been hugging, raised her hand meekly.
“A…are you sure we’ll get out?”
“Positive. I saw it in a vision I had while fighting a robot bull.”
She brought her hand back down and said no more, though her mind was a different story.
‘Oh my gosh, this guy’s nuts! He’s the strongest guy here and he’s off his rocker!’
She looked like she was seconds away from another long cry. Ryan edged closer to hug her again, much to Louise, the Shifter girl’s, evident displeasure.
‘That’s none of my business. My head needs to stay in the game.’
‘Oh! Are we playing a game Sully!?’
‘No Buddy. That was a metaphor.’
‘Oh, okay then. What are you going to do about the prizes then?’
‘Prizes?’
‘Yeah! What you got from the System after beating the beetle! You can use those tickets to improve me you know. The dagger too, but it’s a piece of metal. You wouldn’t pass me over for a boring piece of metal, would you?’
No. No I wouldn’t.
I brought up the status screen again and navigated to the notice about prizes.
Hidden Objective Completed:
The three highest contributors gain a choice between 1 Inferior Symbiote or 1 Equipment Upgrade Token.
I chose the upgrade token with a tap and flinched as a silver coin appeared in my hand.
Dusty and Slab made appropriate curious noises as soon as it happened. Monique, Louise, Jane, Ryan and Charlie kept watching, though with some wariness.
Borislav’s eyes bulged at appearance and grew incredibly still while his legs grew in size.
“I’m experimenting with the rewards from the boss.” I explained
“As expected of the holy one! Never wasting a second!”
“Me and my sister also got rewards, Shepherd. We humbly await your guidance.”
“Thank you. I’ll see what I can do.”
I sighed internally. Part of me was starting to really resent the two by that point, despite their eagerness. Every time they spoke, the others cringed away, with good reason I might add. I’d be weirded out too, if I hadn’t seen things from their point of view.
‘Okay Buddy. What now?’
‘I need permission from you to eat it.’
‘Fair enough. I give you permission.’
Buddy’s form quivered, the astronaut-like suit becoming semi-liquid and absorbing the coin.
Please Choose Upgrade Path.
Inferior Tough Symbiote.
Symbiote gains [Enhanced Toughness] 2 and shares its effects with its host.
Inferior Elemental Resistance Symbiote.
Symbiote gains [Heat Resistance] 1 / [Cold Resistance] 1 / [Electric Resistance] 1 and shares their effects with their host.
Inferior Physical Resistance Symbiote.
Symbiote gains [Slashing Resistance] 1 / [Piercing Resistance] 1 / [Blunt Resistance] 1 and shares their effects with their host.
“Holy poo! That’s awesome!”
“What!? What is it!?”
“Please tell us Shepherd!”
“The tokens let me get Enhancer abilities. Some of them at least.”
I listed them out while the siblings listened attentively.
“Do you think there’s a way to get other abilities? For example, if I took a symbiote as an Enhancer, would I be offered abilities similar to yours?”
‘What do you think Buddy?’
‘I doubt it. I feel like a very physical being, if that makes sense. Doing what you do doesn’t feel right for me. I don’t know about other symbiotes though.’
I nodded and relayed the message to Slab. In response, he looked at his sister and they both nodded, selecting their own prompts. I had expected other suits to appear and immediately begin complaining about all the furs they were wearing. Instead, a coin showed up on their right hands and they offered them up to me without saying a word.
It had happened so quickly that I hadn’t had time to read their minds.
“Why?”
“For your protection. Obviously.” Dusty said with a smile.
“Your safety is our highest priority. You living means a chance that our village survives the doom you foretold. A chance that our island might be free. That all the children still growing have something to look forward to.” Slab added.
“We would never be able to face our father if we didn’t do this much.”
I closed my mouth, taking in their reasons. Then I took their coins as well.
I upgraded Buddy three times, choosing all the available abilities. Or at least, I tried to. Once I picked the first option, the other two vanished and I could only raise the toughness bonus with additional coins.
Using [Psychometry] confirmed the changes.
Inferior Tough Symbiote.
(Symbiote) (Common)
(Psy:100 / 100)
An upgraded artificial lifeform found in all sections of the labyrinth, as well as all system stores.
This specimen is part of the lowest Tier of symbiotes.
This specimen has access to [Enhanced Toughness] 4 and shares its effects with its host.
Can replicate the shape and properties of most non-imbued equipment.
Can absorb damage as long as Psy is provided.
Can regulate temperature and air supply as long as Psy is provided.
Can administer basic wound care as long as Psy is provided.
Can administer nutrients from its own meals directly to host as long as Psy is provided.
Can be upgraded by User using specialized materials.
Buddy purred in delight as he quivered. While I stewed in shame.
‘This whole time, I’ve been focused on the chance to get a new Type. On my revenge. I need to remember who I am. What heroes should stand for. These two might be violent maniacs, but they need me and they trust me. I shouldn’t let them down.’
Monique coughed loudly into her hand after some time, getting everyone’s attention. The awkward silence didn’t bother her in the slightest. In fact, she preferred it.
Her mind was abuzz, however. Dying to know what each of us were capable off, now that she’d decided to stick around.
“I got a whole five levels from that fight. I think that was pretty good, considering I did almost nothing. How many levels did you get?”
“I got nothing.” I answered truthfully. “I’ve been levelling through training and hunting doesn’t yield the same results.”
“Huh. What level are you then?”
“107.”
‘Liar.’
‘Of course he wouldn’t tell us.’
‘There’s no way.’
‘Liar.’
‘Yeah. That makes sense. Bloody monster.’
‘As expected! We’re going to kill the queen!’
‘Praise be! We’re saved!’
Borislav let nothing slip, as usual. Well, nothing aside from a very pitiful whimper.
“Right. Good for you. How about the rest?” Monique inquired.
“I got to level 41 after that fight!” Dusty proclaimed proudly. “I got seven levels! In an instant! There’s no way we could have won by ourselves.”
“I’m more or less as strong as my sister and I agree with her. We stand far taller together than we do alone. The signs so far are auspicious.’
“Riiiiiiiiight. Yeah. Sure.”
The two of them raised their eyebrows expectantly. Monique knew they were waiting for her to share but refused to even consider the notion.
“What about you three?” She gestured to the weaker members of our posse.
“None of your damn business.” Lousie answered frostily. Not bothering to mask her irritation.
“12.” Answered Ryan. “We were level 12. All five of us. My own level tripled after the fight. I feel invincible.”
He said the lie so casually that I almost choked. Nothing showed on his face and I would have believed him right away if I hadn’t been reading them like book.
These three had been level 8 at the start of the fight, which was amazing by itself. I would have died a thousand deaths by now if I hadn’t been constantly levelling. Being under level 10 after a month…
Meaning they hadn’t been hunting with my level of enthusiasm.
Meaning they were on the bottom rung of F-rank when they faced a steroid infused crime against nature.
Meaning they were pretty much doomed from the outset.
Someone like that still held a decisive advantage compared to regular people, but that was it. An advantage that could be overcome. Some rando with a shotgun was just as dangerous as a super person at that stage.
I couldn’t see how it was possible. Maybe if they hunkered down in a watering hole and happened to have access to edible mushrooms nearby? Even then, any wandering mole or snail or puma or even a large enough group of centipedes would have wiped the floor with them.
Regardless, there was no way the System would give away 24 levels so easily. Not unless they were…special. Like me.
They obviously weren’t, or that fight would have gone much differently.
Monique smiled at his answer, in way that almost called him out for his bull(Gnome). She needn’t have bothered. Jane was gaping like a fish, giving the lie away with her incredulity.
“I see. So? Don’t leave me hanging. What are you going to do with your points.”
To her credit, Jane did get a hold of herself once prompted.
“I’m saving those last points for another upgrade to my Bubble. Its…”
“I know what it is. I’m a Projector too. A little extra defense never hurt anybody. You should keep to that.”
“Very smart move.” I retorted. Lying through my teeth.
Well, that wasn’t really fair. It was indeed a very smart decision.
For Jane and Jane alone. A wall was all well and good when dealing with small critters, but a flamethrower sure would have come in handy back there.
The rest of us could have used some of the utility that Projectors could bring.
That is to say, more means of attacking.
A fact that Monique knew very well if her own status screen was anything to go by. Telling Jane this, knowing full well that she was inexperienced in fighting was…
A bit cutthroat.
Was Monique afraid of being replaced?
That was… so stupid. Should I say something? Would Monique get upset if I did?
I took a deep breath. Then another. Reminding myself to think positively. Pushing out all distractions.
“Hey man. You good? I’m talking to you.”
“Sorry, what?” I answered on reflex after being dragged back into the conversation.
“I was asking you about villains.” Ryan explained. “You said earlier that your world had supervillains. Is there anyone you think might have done this whole thing? Bringing people into a cave to give them powers? Do you know anyone with teleportation powers?”
“Okay, I get it. Slow down. I don’t think I’ve heard of any Projector doing this sort of thing. No one famous enough to be on the news anyway. They’re rare to begin with, and space bending isn’t a common power. If it is someone from my world, chances are its either a newly emerged Esper, or someone that’s been laying low for the last two decades.”
“If?”
“If. I don’t know what to think anymore. I’ve…seen things down here. Horrible things. I’m not sure any human being could have created the labyrinth. I also met an alien that suggested this was a ritualistic test or game tutorial so who knows.”
“Right. Makes sense.” He lied. “Which one’s better?”
“What?”
“Which option is better. For us I mean. I get that whoever did this, if it was a human being, is messed up in the head, but what would change between them and an alien? Is there some evil organization we need to know about? Did we get kidnapped for an experiment?”
I remained silent for a few seconds as I pondered the question. Randall would have taken this opportunity to rant about the Australians and the wasps again, but I wanted to look at the more realistic possibilities.
“Now that I think of it, an Esper doesn’t really make sense. They would be pre-teens, or I’d have heard of them. Maybe someone that young could find it in themselves to do this, maybe not. However, I know for a fact that most of these traps have been put together by someone way more sophisticated. Following that logic, your idea of an organization also makes sense. Its possible Granny was pulling a fast one.”
“Granny?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Nice, okay. What are the chances of a rescue? From a superhero team I mean?”
“At this point? After a month? Negligible. Teleportation is one of those annoying things that investigative technology can’t match. If whomever did this isn’t known to the public already, people would just assume we either left of our own accord, or were kidnapped the usual way. Without a trace, police wouldn’t go very far.”
Not to mention the obvious fact that hundreds of people are dead and we’re still here.
Slab laughed.
“You’re being silly, little one. Why would anyone want to leave this place? Its heaven! We can feast as much as we want, fight as much as we want and grow stronger on top of that! My own father would kill for the chance you’ve been given.”
“So would anyone else back home.” Dusty agreed.
Charlie grumbled a bit, but assented nonetheless.
Monique cringed, before admitting that she would have been in a rough spot back home.
Ryan’s face fell as our words sunk in and I realized I might have been a bit too candid with my answers. It was the truth, but maybe it could have used some polish before I let it fly.
“Okay then. What do they do about construction?” Ryan asked out of nowhere.
“Construction?” I respond, not getting what he meant.
“Yeah, like, if a superhero or a villain goes around a city and starts tearing it up. You know, bringing down buildings, throwing cars around, destroying bridges. That kind of thing.”
“Right. That kind of thing doesn’t happen often. Not anymore. Any Esper that steps out of line can expect a heavy-handed response from local authorities. Same as a Rift opening.”
“What’s a Rift?”
“Interdimensional tear. Opens the way for monsters to get in.”
“Wait, isn’t that what happened to us then? Did we get sucked in?”
“Nah. There’s no way.” I said out of hand.
Borislav nodded and actually spoke up for once.
“Rifts are places without physical laws. Up is down. Left is right. Gravity ceases to function, only to increase a thousandfold the next instant. Nothing can exist in the other side for long. The air itself gains sentience and murders anyone who explores its depths.”
Ryan furrowed his brow as if he was trying to picture how one of those encounters would play out. It was a bit hard to judge what he was thinking based on his expression, but my ability let me know he was being entirely sincere.
“Man, I’m only level… 36 and I still feel like a demigod. I think regular cops aren’t going to do much if, say, someone twice as strong as me goes berserk.”
“Who said anything about regular cops?”
“I did. That’s what happens when crimes are committed. Who else would show up?”
“The military at first, with an escort of Esper guards. You have to be C-rank or higher to be called a hero and they come by themselves, or with the United Militaries if things escalate.”
“Really? The army is going to show up full force to any random city when a fight breaks out?”
“Of course.” I answered.
I was having a really hard time explaining just how ingrained these exercises have been on my world ever since the emergence. No one ever questioned the fact that a flight of helicopters could start bombing the neighbourhood within minutes of a Rift opening or some Shifter losing their marbles.
That was the way of things.
How things had to be.
I tried to picture the kind of world Ryan was living in. One where armored vehicles didn’t patrol the streets and without cameras every few steps.
“Okay. I think I see the problem with my explanation. You’re still thinking with that pre-Emergence mentality. That whole, the military only deals with other countries when they go to war mindset. Things have changed.”
Ryan looked at me.
Really looked at me.
There was a hint of worry in his thoughts.
Like he had just begun to realize the image he had of my world was fundamentally flawed.
“Most governments aren’t fully democratic in my world. There are defence councils that can declare martial law at the drop of a hat. Some countries, like the Western Federation States, operate under martial law all the time. What that means is that the military is either in charge most of the time, or that they hold so much power they might as well be in charge. Elections still happen for this post or that, but final say always goes to the military.”
I felt a strange panic start to take hold over Ryan, Louise, Jane and Monique.
Like they’d just heard me reveal some deep and terrible secret.
Charlie barked a laugh.
“Yep, same everywhere.”
I stopped explaining how my own government worked to focus on their thoughts.
Overall, Ryan was thinking some very rude things about me. He seemed to be of the opinion that someone like him was perfectly sane in thinking the government had nefarious intentions. In other words, he was divorced from reality.
“Okay Ryan. I know its hard to grasp from your perspective, but put yourself in my shoes. Sorry, not in my shoes specifically. Put yourself in the context of a regular person in my world. Just your average Joe with no powers and a life to live. How would you feel knowing that anyone in the crowd could be an Esper? That something big and nasty with acid for breath could crawl out of an alley at any given time? That they could easily rip you to pieces if they wanted to. Do they still have zoos in your world? Think of that. How would regular Ryan feel if he were to find himself trapped in a subway car with a tiger?”
“Are you saying superheroes are like tigers?”
“No. I’m not saying that. People only get to call themselves superheroes if they work for the military and have several major achievements under their belt. It’s a point of pride. Something that the strongest aspire to. The chances of someone like that going feral is…”
“Going feral?”
“Yeah, like Shif…”
I stopped myself before I could finish the word. Louise was sitting to the side alongside Jane. Borislav had also edged closer at some point.
“Like wild criminals.” I corrected.
“All right, let me change my approach. Let’s imagine how a Projector might make others feel. Imagine you’re a regular person. Right? Totally normal human. Then imagine there’s someone next to you with a dozen grenades strapped to their belt and an anti-material rifle slung on their back. Now, they’re not being aggressive so you don’t feel threatened. Just because they could kill you a dozen different ways, doesn’t mean they will. Most days, that’s all that happens. Both of you get to live your regular boring lives.”
“Right. With you so far.”
“Great, now imagine someone else having all that firepower. Someone that wasn’t content with living their regular lives. F-ranks and E-ranks have roughly the same amount of destructive potential as that guy with the grenades. Cops might be able to take care of it by themselves, though there will be casualties. Does that make sense?”
“Somewhat.”
“Fantastic. Now imagine what a D-rank might be capable of. Imagine some idiot having the power of a tank at their disposal all the time. Imagine them just deciding to backhand you at a bar because you bumped into them and they’re too drunk to control themselves. Imagine the cops trying to bring them in as they shrugged off small arms fire or threw lighting from their fingers. Messed up right? That’s why the military has to keep tabs on all the supers. That’s why they need to have cameras watching everyone all the time. That’s why people have to serve time in the military when they grow up.”
“Wait, everyone is in the military?”
“Oh no, forced conscription doesn’t apply for university students or trade apprentices. Everyone else spends 2 years doing basic training and patrolling.”
“What if you don’t want to?” Louise piped in.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly what I said. What happens to people that don’t want to serve in the military?”
I stopped to consider her question.
I knew it was possible to say no, but I wasn’t familiar with the process.
After all, I didn’t know anyone that refused to sign up. Both my parents had grown up before the Emergence and didn’t really talk about how they felt in that regard. I had just graduated from Uni, so I didn’t have any experience. All my friends had either gone for degrees or enlisted as required.
“I don’t know how those cases are handled.” I answered honestly. “There should be some penalty in place, but everyone pretty much goes with the flow.”
“Just like that? Years of your life gone for no reason. No one complains?”
“Of course, people grumble about it. That’s how people work. Everyone goes along because it’s a good system given the situation. What if World War 4 breaks out and civilians aren’t properly trained?”
Silence descended upon the cave. I stopped to read their thoughts. Wondering if I’ve made some social grievance by talking about current events. Only then did I realize those three didn’t know anything about the Third War. It didn’t happen in their world. Monique and the siblings had own opinions, though they too grew quiet.
Actually, that makes sense. France wouldn’t have launched nukes without Blackjack pulling the strings. Their world should still be mostly peaceful. Ryan and Jane start to think of possible scenarios; of things that might have happened. None of their hypotheticals would have led to a proper world war in my opinion, but I remain silent all the same.
“What kind of food do you guys eat?”
“I’m sorry?” I answered, turning around to look at Jane.
“Well, there are all these differences, right? Your world sounds like it went through some rough times. Do you eat bugs or something?”
“Bugs?” I ask, trying desperately to hold my disgust. Memories of ichor bubbling on cavern floors resurfacing.
“Why would we eat bugs?” I ask, banishing those thoughts for another time.
“I heard somewhere that they’re a good source of protein. I figured with a major war going on, food production might have taken a hit.”
“No. Not anymore at least. There are Projectors that can absorb radiation. I’m pretty sure all of the affected farmland has been wiped clean by now.”
“Still. Feeding billions worldwide has got to be difficult.”
“Nah. Its actually easier now. 2 billion is way more manageable than 7 you know?”
Another round of silence descends.
“Anyway. Let’s get some sleep everyone. Tomorrow will be a very busy day.”