《Re:Labyrinth》 Prologue: Watch your step. (teaser) Re:Labyrinth Prologue I really cannot get enough of the out doors. When people ask me ¡°John, why do you go camping all the time?¡± I answer ¡°Because out there on the dark, starry nights you feel alive.¡± I could kick myself right now, if I could. I made the amateur mistake of wandering around in an out of the way place without telling anyone. I have all the night sky I could ask for. I have all the quiet and peace I could ever ask for. I have got to be one of the dumbest sons of bitches alive. Because I am a dead man. I went out into wilderness without watching where I stepped. Do you know what the worst sensation is? It isn''t the rumble as weight moves under your footsteps. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. It isn''t the loss of balance as the ground collapses. Or even the endless sensation of falling... No it is landing so very, very hard that you feel nothing, ever again. So now I''m trapped, with a broken neck. I fell down a mine shaft from the gold rush era. I guess all I can do is just stare up at the night sky through this tiny shaft and wait to die. ¡­ It sure is pretty. I guess there are worse ways to die. ¡­ Sorry Mom... I can''t bring you wild flowers this time... ... Day 1 Why do I smell rodents? Next chapter:Coming soon... Chapter 1: Death and Rebirth Chapter 1 Day 1 RATS! ¡­ Uh... UWAHHHH!!!! I can feel my body being tugged even though all that has feeling is my neck, face and scalp... I think they are biting me deeply and shifting me... I''m only barely able to breathe anyway... I think my spinal cord is partially severed. I still have autonomous abilities i.e. my heart still beats and my lungs expand and contract slightly. I just don''t feel anything or have the ability to move. I pray they cut my veins or an artery and kill me soon. I''m not a religious man but as the saying goes: ''There are no atheists in foxholes''. ¡­ Day 2 I''m so very tired... You can''t sleep in this situation. There are more rats now. Perhaps twenty or thirty. Eventually I feel the lethargic sensation I so desperately want. I''m bleeding out. As I start to lose my vision a great big rat crawls onto my chest. The size of a small cat the rat sits there grooming itself, because it is red with my blood. It stares me in the eye for a moment. Then my eye-sight fades to grey. As I watch the rat it sniffs at my clothes then carefully grasps a button from my shirt and bites off the connecting thread. It leaves with the button. Killing me wasn''t enough? You had to rob me as well? ¡­ Fine... take all I have, I don''t have a use... for it... any more. ... Day 1- Reincarnation~ I''m cold, wet and naked... Did I really just die?! I mean, I feel alive again. I can feel my arms and legs again. I can even move them slightly. Things are a little strange, as I can feel bodies nestled against me. ¡­ I''m blind. No... scratch that I can''t open my eyes. I''m so thirsty. I smell something nice and follow it... I taste milk... I think there is a nipple in my mouth. I drink until I am well fed. The feeling of satisfaction doesn''t last long... but I fall asleep quickly. This is how I spend my next six days. Day 6 My brothers and sisters... I still can''t see them. We are all a bit fuzzy now. Mother seems to come and go. I hear squeaks that seem to have meaning, but it is just outside my understanding. Day 9 We are very hairy now and we continue to grow. Day 13 Late in the day I manage to open my eyes. My death was caused by rats eating me alive... and now I can only assume I am one from the smell and fur. Quite a cruel turn of events. At least I have had a lot of time to get acquainted with the idea. Well after so much time sleeping on top of and beside my siblings I understood we were rats... but I am actually shocked by what little I can focus on. We aren''t rats. We are rat-people. We have hands and feet, even faces closer to human than rodent. Aside from the obvious rodent teeth and the scaly tail. All together there are four of us. As far as male and female goes... I haven''t the foggiest idea which is which by eye-sight but smell is a different story. I have only a single sister. ¡­ We are in some kind of nest made of fir tree branches. It sits on solid stone ground and I can even see shelves roughly made from wood. I think this is a house, as it isn''t a natural shape... it is rectangular and flat, like it was paved or chiseled. There are houses like this still used in many places on the world I came from, carved out of solid stone and used for centuries. Tools, odds and ends and junk covers the room. Here and there I see things that might be precious, a candle-holder plated in gold, a few colorful stones that might be gems. There are also things that might at one time have been useful, such as a heavy tome that has been torn to shreds. So this is what a rats nest looks like from the inside. It feels kind of cozy. I notice shadows moving at the entrance and see mother for the first time. She is simply a humanoid rat. She walks past on two legs. Delicate and careful. As she passes me she reaches out and scratches my head in a friendly manner. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°You''re a quick one.¡± [Mother] ¡°Most wouldn''t be able to see until tomorrow.¡± ¡°...w...wh...a...t... am...I?¡± My voice was hoarse and a different pitch from my human memories. I was only barely able to form the appropriate syllables... and I wasn''t talking in English either. Is this some kind of genetic memory? ¡°Now that is impressive, I haven''t heard a kitten speak a proper question in less than a month before.¡± She came closer and ruffled my furry noggin. ¡°You''re special.¡± She pondered my words for a while. ¡°We are what we are.¡± She concluded. ¡°Wha...t...do...o...th...ers...call...u...s?¡± ¡°Vermin, I suppose.¡± [Mother] I lay there quietly for a while. So even intelligent, talking rats were still considered pests? Better try to get my bearings. ¡°Wh...ere...am I?¡± [Formerly John] ¡°My, but you are full of curiosity.¡± [Mother] ¡°We are home.¡± I was about to reply to the simple answer when she continued her explanation. ¡°This is the house I was born in. For as long as you live it shall be your home, too.¡± [Mother] ¡°Likewise, out there is the village of our kind. It has been ours since before our grandfather''s grandfather was born. Beyond that... there is the maze.¡± Maze? We were literal rats in a maze? ¡°The maze is vast. You can walk for days and never see anything but the maze. There are paths and places in the maze, our village is one.¡± [Mother] ¡°Aside from that there are two nearby we frequent: the swamp to the east and the forest to the south. Anywhere else and you will be in great danger.¡± Huh... I guess that explains the tree branches. ¡°Where did the things around us come from?¡± I asked haltingly. I pointed at the book to clarify. ¡°Hmm... that one came from a looted caravan in one of the deep tunnels.¡± [Mother] ¡°We do not go there without caution and stealth. A beast slaughtered the creatures that owned it.¡± So... she couldn''t identify the killer or the slain. That sucks. ¡­ but perhaps she doesn''t need to. I waddle over to the book on all fours and take a deep breath. Yes... something like soot mixed with the smell of... (to my senses anyway...) death. Not rot or decay, but imminent and undeniable slaughter. Like a horrific monster from a movie, in scent form. I attribute the soot to the previous owners of the book, because there is no fire-place in this home of ours. ¡°You are clever, my son. I believe that is what I shall call you from now on... Chirrik (Sharp-minded one).¡± [Mother says proudly] We talk more, as the other children squirm looking for milk. Finally hunger gets the better of me and I fall asleep, feeling nourished and loved. Day 14 Well... when I woke up my sister and one of my brothers had their eyes open. I spend my time learning to walk and talk better. Mother seems to be out foraging, or whatever it is that she does. She didn''t understand the concept of a father... which is probably why she is the sole care-giver. Our species doesn''t have those kind of bonds. I sort through the odds and ends, the junk scattered around us, describing it verbally to speed up my control over my new mouth and vocal cords. Five gemstones of questionable worth. A kitchen knife a size too big and rusted solid. Torn clothes and pages from the book. An iron breastplate three times too big for a rat to use... I wonder how she got it in here... perhaps it was here before the rats, even? Funny, it isn''t rusty. A lone boot, which smelled like the book. A small pile of pine-nuts. I want to search more but my sister and both my brothers jump me. They can all see now and my movements had them curious. They try to pin me. I quickly turn the tables as the most experienced in walking, by simply sliding out from under them as they can''t clasp their fingers yet... which elicits squealing laughter from them. I spend the next few hours playing with them, until Mother returns. What we learned: The labyrinth is so vast it has villages/cities and traders. Rats = mess Kids will be kids. Chapter 2: Nothing but a rusty knife. Day 15 I look around the house some more, taking inventory of what little we have that can be of use. A cracked shield of some exotic wood is buried under our bedding. It is easily as hard as rock but light-weight. It is however too large for me to use until I''m as big as Mother, I can barely lift it. I think from the size differences of objects either some other species are giants or we are quite small. We could make a tent out of the breastplate. The massive shield is a buckler. Wandering around the room I get a feeling there is something I''m missing. The home is roomy for us, but I think it had a different purpose once, long ago. The shield and armor seem a lot older than anything else here and probably were just left where they were by the rats. Trying to get some perspective I climb onto the breastplate and look around. As I look at the angles, floor and walls for some kind of hint I hear a commotion outside. Squeaks of terror and running sounds. I hesitate to look out, if the older rats are running I''ll be killed. Unfortunately it passes by our door anyway, stooping to look under the lintel. Some kind of gigantic amphibian, like a salamander with the mouth of a shark. The mouth gapes as it hisses, seeing us. It crawls in slowly, boxing us in so it can eat us. It is as big as a sedan... It only barely squeezes in, one limb at a time and the tail is as long as the body. I glance at my siblings, bunched together petrified by fear. The monster drools as it slides in, black eyes twinkling with pleasure. Pushing them I make them shelter under the breastplate and trying to stall the creature I hurl things at it. The book binding, the boot. It barely notices. When my hand clasps the kitchen knife that is little more than a rusty spike I realize this is all I have as a weapon. Rushing to the shield I haul it toward the breastplate and use it to seal us in the chest cavity, trying to buy time. The adult rats however seem more concerned with personal safety and remain in hiding. The beast claws at the metal but finds it too hard to break. It scratches at the shield and with unimaginable strength tears it from my grasp, hurling it aside. I jump back, pushing the others to the far end. The beast hesitates to put it''s head in here, instead opting to climb up, onto the metal armor and bounce on it using it''s upper torso, trying to flush us out. Seeing what may very well be my only chance I rush out under the creature and stab. I don''t aim for the heart as that has ribs in the way and masses of muscle. I stab deeply in the belly, trying to cut through the diaphragm and pierce a lung or major blood vessel. The creature roars in fury and twists, facing me. I tear the kitchen knife free, only to discover it is half the blade it used to be. The slimy monster pounces at me and I leap back, now trapped against the rear wall. The salamander monster charges, trying to crush me against the cold stone. I side-step and leap as it collides with a rumble. Shaking off the impact against the floor I barely avoid a flick of the tail that would shatter my bones. Inwardly I growl, fur bristling. I look at the breastplate and dart under it again. The creature follows, colliding with the metal and making the armor slide as the beast forces it''s head inside, snapping at us. I push the others back hard enough to avoid most of the biting and jostling associated with the collision, but the tip of my tail is snapped off by fierce teeth. I run back out the neck-hole of the armor and clamber on top. Running I leap forward and stab what remains of the knife between the shoulder-blades and ribs of the monster as it is occupied. The beast twists and cries out in pain, more frantically. Hit you where it hurts? Good. I raise both hands and slam the palms down on the handle, forcing the blade deeper. The beast recoils in agony. As it does I twist the knife, pulling it free. Blood squirts out in pulses. Using my claws I dig into the slimy flesh for a firm grip. As the creature pulls its head out of the chest cavity I lunge, driving the last fraction of a knife into that beady left eye. It writhes and rolls, hurling me into the wall. Winded and bruised I look up, expecting to be eaten. The creature however is still trying to understand the injuries. The cascading blood is a favorable sign, but not an injury that will finish it off in a hurry. My best bet: I need to drive it off because no way in hell am I finishing off this monster with half a knife. I reach down and grab hold of some powdery dirt. Screaming I catch the monster''s attention. As it stares nonplussed I walk forward confidently, trying to bluff it. I slashes at me with the powerful, blunt claws on it''s right foreleg but it has lost depth perception with only one working eye, missing badly enough to scape the stone a few feet away. I come closer as it hisses furiously and point blank I hurl the dust into the only working eye as it snaps its jaws at me. Jumping back I watch as it claws at it''s face trying to get the filth out. If it were a reptile this wouldn''t have worked, but amphibians are fleshy and vulnerable to all kinds of things. I spread some fresh rat droppings on the knife while it is distracted, quietly sneak closer and drive the blade into the creature''s side. Hopefully I''ll still kill you through infection and tetanus, you bastard. I leave the knife behind and walk back a bit as it twirls at the pain. It is still partially blind and doesn''t notice me, instead inspecting the wound. I scream again and finally the beast takes the hint. It backs off and squirms backwards through the door, afraid to take it''s eye off me. I follow at a distance making sure it leaves. Then as it passes around a corner, running I looked for my siblings. They are beneath the breastplate still. However of the three only my sister survived. While I was stabbing the monster amphibian, it was crushing them against the metal. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! My sister is trembling. I hug her until she can calm down. I try to listen for more of the creatures, afraid there may be more but all I hear is other rats. A few peer in, looking shocked. I look them in the eye. ¡°Cowards.¡± I spit. They seem hurt by the assessment but simply can''t refute it. ¡­ It is an amphibian, it probably originates from either the swamp or the forest. They''re sensitive to contaminants and disease. If that thing is lucky it will die from infection. If it isn''t I''ll be cutting off an over-sized head soon. Either way... one day I''ll eat you, monster. Don''t you dare die until I''m through with you... this isn''t about the tail... it''s because you killed my brothers! They were just children. You don''t get to live after killing kids. Not in front of me. I spend the next hour carefully removing the bodies and placing them by the door, then mopping up the blood with rags. I''m surprised at myself for being so emotional about these animal-like children, having only spent a couple of weeks with them. Half of it was probably instinctive bonding; like chicks bond to the first thing they see, considering it a parent. This is also the second time I''ve seen children killed deliberately. I expect if it ever happens again I''ll lose my mind. That rage, the cold brutality... that is why I used to spend so much time alone. Here in this new body I had forgotten. The desire to hunt and kill. I was only barely able to stay out of prison. I killed a man, tracked him down and brutally murdered him. I broke his skull open with a rock. And I loved every moment of it. That animal is dead. This new one soon will be. This time I won''t bring a fucking rock or a broken knife, either. Prepare yourself you bastard, you haven''t seen the last of me. I eventually fall asleep hugging my sister. Day 16 Having an early meal with a few seeds added on, the beginning of the weaning process. I can feel the teeth in my jaw growing longer every day. I follow Mother out in the morning, noticing the bodies of my brothers are gone. My sister squeals noticing I''m leaving and chases after me, holding my tail. Ouch that hurts. It is still tender. I need to look into cleaning that wound. Outside the rats practically stop what they are doing as I emerge. I see a straight street. Looking up all I see is stone, with piles of moss glowing faintly. I stare shocked. Not even a crack? The roof is as smooth as the road. I don''t understand this place, that isn''t natural. This massive cavern which I''d estimate at over fifty foot high and twenty wide is entirely artificial looking, despite being too smooth for a race as poorly equipped as the rats, the soot-scented merchants or the unknown giants to make. To put it bluntly as someone who knows old mines far too well this is like watching at an alien space ship landing in the middle of a kite festival and being the only one to notice. Either there are ''ancients'' with extremely advanced technology (comparable to modern day Earth), a divinity with a twisted sense of humor (I have been dead already and the only sign of anything supernatural is myself) or that like some crystals, this rock was grown deliberately or perhaps molded. Whatever arcane technique they used I have no clue about, but it is every bit as good as modern production methods. Perhaps slowly by hand over centuries? There are ancient statues carved like that from boulders. At the far end of the street, close to four hundred feet there is a ''T'' junction. Hmm. No wonder the monster came to us... all it did was follow the street to the end and then investigate the nearest. It must be slow on it''s feet, everything it did was to trap us in a confined space in a confined street. Actually it explains why everyone was running away if they know the creature''s habits... The old saying about tigers? You don''t have to run faster than the tiger, you just need to run faster than the guy next to you. Yes, I think that sums up rat society in a nutshell when it comes to dealing with threats. Mother who has been leading us down the passage finally tells us to go home. I don''t like going back to that trap but thinking about the situation, I''m still just a toddler in human terms. I''m being humored, but my playing at explorer is over for the day. Also... I think I see a tear on my Mother''s face. She is probably even more torn up over it than I am. She wasn''t there. All she got to see was a traumatized pair of her children and the corpses of her other children. I head back, leading my sister back. She''s still a little wobbly on her legs but quite able to walk, we rats sure do develop fast. I glance curiously into the homes of the neighbors as walk to our house. Plenty of junk and one interesting thing, they aren''t the same design as mine. They are deeper but narrower. Back home I groom my sister to help her calm down. As soon as she entered she started hyperventilating. PTSD perhaps? I put her to bed and glance about at the mess, checking to see if I missed anything interesting in the dirt, disturbed by claws. The claw mark from the strike that missed because of blindness was a deep one, as was the body slam against the wall. Looking carefully I found not one but two hidden surprises. The wall had cracked and beyond that gap that was a mechanism of thick chains and empty air. On the floor the claws had scratched the edge of something wooden flush with the stone. Now... how do I get inside? What we learned: Sister rat is deeply traumatized. Mother rat is hurt too. The room they live in is different from the others. Rats are typically cowardly. Chapter 3: The greatest treasure of all Day 16 I hate how exposed I am. I hate being unarmed. I want to get a weapon but I don''t have a clue where or how. All I can do is remain alert and try to solve the puzzle in front of me. I clear away the dirt from the wooden section of floor with my furry hands. Some kind of trapdoor only a few feet wide. Rectangular with a keyhole, hinges on one side and a thin gap near the lock. Hmmm, how to approach this... I look at my claws. I take my forefinger and try to find the mechanism. I am pleased it is made for the giants, I can fit a whole finger down the hole. I twist and push but the mechanism seems stiff. Perhaps it is rusty. I look around and find the book cover. If one method fails try another. I slide the leather binding down, trying to find the bolt and push it back. Again it is too stiff. With nothing better to try I use both methods, and with a dull click the door unlocks! I spit and rub on the hinges in the hope I can still open it. Pulling it I can barely lift it, injuring my finger slightly in the process. As the door opens the hinge creaks loudly. Inside I find a cavity roughly five feet deep. I can''t see the bottom as it has filled with dust over the years from the gap and keyhole. I filter through it... and find to my dismay a bone. A skull. As big as my own... there are more. Human-like with different features and no adult teeth... an infant giant perhaps stashed here for protection, only no one could come back. That''s a depressing reality. Aside from the bones I find a set of tools... a mallet, chisel and a rasp all sized for a giant. The rasp is as long as my fore-arm. I can''t even shift the mallet. Then in the corner of the safe I find a piece of cloth wrapped around something solid. Untangling the cloth I find I''m holding a handkerchief the size of a towel. Inside I find a ring the size of a wristwatch. A pinkie-ring? It has a seal on it inscribed in a pale metal. The seal is an image of a bird-thing (it has teeth) with letters of an unknown script circling the picture. I pause trying to identify the metal... but it doesn''t look right. I look at my fur and see the same washed out gray... I glance around and notice there are no light sources in the room. I''m using night-vision! No wonder everything is the same drab color. I retreat to the doorway and the dim light of phosphorescent moss. I think the metal is silver embossed with bronze for the seal. As for my fur I''m slate gray. Huh. Slightly disappointing since I went to the trouble to look. ¡­ I''m about to try on the ring when my sister notices I''m in the doorway again and rushes over, half-asleep. She collides with me in a bear-hug and in the process knocks the ring from my hand. I catch it gingerly. She likes the look of it... the hungry look in her eyes is palpable. So... I guess that means we''re pack rats. Not such a big surprise from the odds and ends around us... Regardless I try out the ring. Of course it sits there, dangling on my wrist inert. What? Did you think this was some kind of game? If magic items exist I''ll eat my tail. Rare. Well, as it serves no purpose and has no value... at least not a monetary one as far as I can tell... in rat society so I let my sister have it. She hugs it tight and wears it proudly, strutting like a fashion model... if only she actually looked like one, but all I see is a fuzzy rat-person. Still she has a calming influence on me, so what do looks matter? She''s cute. Next I try to figure out what is going on with the fake rear wall. I take the rasp, holding it like a broadsword and tap at the wall in various places, trying to probe the cavity and find any anomalies. I find the wall is completely fake, a divider. I look at the gap in the wall. It isn''t very big, about a foot wide and two long. Maybe I can grind a door with the rasp... ¡°Whatcha doin''?¡± [Sister] ¡°You talked!¡± [John] ¡°When did you learn how to do that?¡± ¡°Dunno. Just did.¡± [Sister] ¡°So... whatcha doin''?¡± I gesture at the wall. ¡°Trying to find a way past it.¡± ¡°Why''d you wanna do that?¡± [Sister] ¡°Because I want to find out what is on the other side.¡± [John] ¡°Nothin'' much back there but cold, hard stuff.¡± [Sister] I spun at the words. ¡°You''ve already been in there?!¡± [John] ¡°Sure, just squeezed through the hole, ''cause I was curious.¡± [Sister] ¡­ I forgot I''m a rat. Tight holes aren''t a problem. They''re a door. I immediately force my body through the hole and once my head is through the rest is easy. Cold, hard stuff indeed... Gold. Bars of gold as big as mattresses. At least I assume it is gold bullion, there isn''t any natural light in here and there is no way I''ll be carting it to the doorway. The weapons of giants... a mace three times my height. Beside that a dagger, still taller than me and far too heavy to lift. Gemstones the size of apples in a rotten bag about the size of a sack. Still nothing that really constitutes anything I can use. They might as well be rocks. I wander into the back, the area is so dark I''m barely able to see. Even night vision has limits, if there is no light at all. I walk into a slab of wood half my height. I feel out the dimensions and notice a crack a foot down from the top... it''s a box. I feel around some more and locate a hinge. I circle the box and find the other side, which has a clasp. A simple catch that flicks open... or would if I was a giant. I barely heave it open. Lifting the lid I find cold, hard objects that are smaller than the other stuff. I grab a few and move back to examine them. Broaches! This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. I found a jewelery box! I pull out things one after another, chains of gold like coils of rope, more rings. Earrings and hair pins. Feeling around I find a lot of miscellaneous jewelery which was probably some important lady''s heirlooms. I guess that makes this room a vault. A few pieces are cracked, probably by age. Amongst the collection I find the perfect thing... a tie pin of an anchor. What possible use could a tie pin be? Remove the cover and you have a needle an inch thick, as long as my arm. Add the anchor and you have a guard. It is basically an ¨¦p¨¦e. A stabbing sword. It is silver, I think. The smell is different from the ring from earlier but that may have been the bronze I smelled. Well I''ll find out in the light. Plus as it has a cover, it doesn''t look dangerous. More like a scepter with the needle guard on. I search a little more before taking one of the broken broaches and introducing it to the rasp. I manage to snap off the short needle. I recycle the ruined jewel bag into a rough grip for my new dagger. I stash my rough weapon behind and emerge with the ¨¦p¨¦e. My sister wants it as soon as she sets eyes on it. ¡°There are more rings back there.¡± [John] ¡°But the one you gave me is special...¡± [Sister pouting] Sigh. I have a glance at the weapon under the dim light... huh... it is almost white? Platinum?! I have no clue... I wonder which is harder, silver or platinum? Well, I''ll sleep better knowing I''ve got this little spike nearby and a safe room. I show it to her anyway, since she is so curious. Since she can talk, I ask a few questions. ¡°Did you see how Mother reacted when she came home after that monster attacked?¡± [John] ¡°She was sad. She cried.¡± [Sister] ¡°She took the other two with her and left. When are they coming back? I miss them. I liked playing with them.¡± ¡­ I forgot she is essentially a child. She doesn''t even know about death. ¡°The reason Mother cried is because they are dead. They are gone, I am sorry but I am now the only brother you have.¡± She seems to be about to break down again... uh, what should I say... ¡°But you shouldn''t be so sad, they moved on. They will be born again in a different body, one day you might even meet them again. Okay?¡± I assume this is how reincarnation works anyway... ¡°They''re alive?¡± [Sister] ¡°Yes. Whatever happens we live on, I know because it happened to me.¡± [John] ¡°I have died and been reborn. Most don''t remember, but I do.¡± Wait... does that mean there is no Heaven or Hell? That the bloody murderer I killed still lives?! Damn, damn, damn, damn... DAMMIT!!! ¡­if I meet that bastard again I''ll give him something his reincarnations will remember! ¡°So... that is why you are so different.¡± Mother says from the doorway, coldly. Uh... Bite the bullet and say it... ¡°It is true, but before that I am your son. I will always be your child.¡± [John] ¡°Liar! You left them to die!¡± [Mother] ¡°No...¡± [John] My sister stands up suddenly and walks over to Mother. Without a word she strikes Mother across the face. They are silent for a while. ¡°You would protect this monster?¡± [Mother hisses] ¡°He did all he could to protect us. If you cannot understand that, then you are not my Mother either.¡± [Sister] ¡°But then you were not here, at all.¡± The pained look on her face is even more horrible because I understood why she was so hurt over everything. ¡°No... you were here, weren''t you Mother? You ran like the rest. I can understand why you did, that thing was deadly. You gave up on us. Before we were dead.¡± [John] ¡°I understand because I would have run too, if I had a choice. But my brothers and sister were here as well and they just sat there, too scared to even run. So I had to do something, anything to protect them. I may have died once. I lost family to a monster in that life as well. I was here and able to do something this time. You are as much my family as the others were last time, the only difference? I knew them a little longer.¡± I looked her in the eye. ¡°The only reason I did what I did was in the end because I remember who I used to be. If I didn''t I would probably have been petrified by fear and eaten. I don''t fear death as much as I used to. We don''t end with our body. I know this now.¡± ¡­ I watch my Mother cry for the first time. My sister does as well. They hug each other and wail. As I turn to leave them Mother catches hold of my hand. ¡°...I''m sorry... please... I was just so scared.¡± She pulls me into a hug. Before I know it I''m bawling as well. What we learned: The giants were involved in some kind of devastation. The rats clearly had no clue about mechanics or lock-picking when they colonized. Treasure you can''t use is just pretty garbage. Chapter 4: Its off to work we go. Day 17 Mother finally gets around to naming Sister. She is now named Niala, which translates to: ''beloved girl''. I can''t really disagree with the name. She is completely unable to make herself obnoxious. I suppose I could just be biased. I spend the day practising fencing with the rasp, because my sword is very fragile. Also the rasp, being heavier is better for physical training. I also practice dagger use, empty-handed. During this my sister Niala mimics me the entire time, not quite understanding what I''m doing. She considers it a dance. I''ve decided to adopt my new name Chirrik as it is the only one I am known as. Besides ''John'' has unpleasant meanings in the rat language (death trap). Although calling myself ''clever one'' seems a bit egotistical, so I shortened it to Rick. Day 18 More training, some wrestling as well to help build up strength and Niala is overjoyed by the physical contact. I''ll add that I''m starting to grow a little bigger than her but despite that she''s still quite strong. My teeth are growing in and our food is only half milk, the other half being pine-nuts and grains. Also as a precaution I have used the rasp to grind off a moderate quantity of gold dust from one of the pieces of bullion and placed it in a purse made out of part of the jewel bag. It should be equivalent to coinage, I assume and safer to carry than one of the gigantic jewels... I think they are sapphires by the way. Day 19-23 Training, training and more training. I have a few spare daggers prepared now. Also I modified Niala''s ring, adding a short needle tied to it on the underside, with a cap to keep it from hurting her during normal activities. It should serve as a weapon of last resort as her fur hides it adequately. As for myself I turned the old handkerchief into a belt to hold my ¨¦p¨¦e. Day 24 Unpleasant. We are fully weaned... I miss my milk... I can''t get anything done, I''m surprised how addicted to it I am as I go through withdrawal. Nuts and grains just aren''t the same. Niala isn''t doing much better either. She''s cranky. Day 25 Still quite irritated over the milk thing... However Mother has announced that we will be following her as she goes ''out''. She then proceeds to tell us a fair bit about the forest ecosystem. Does that mean we are actually going outside the town?! Huzzah! I''ve been feeling so incredibly cramped in here, surrounded by walls and no sunlight. Niala is nervous, but happy to be spending more time with Mother. I pack all the equipment I think I''ll need... a dagger, the ¨¦p¨¦e on my belt and a small amount of gold dust as insurance. I also add a backup weapon like Niala''s made from a ring I found in the back room. Last thing I need is to be helpless. It is fairly heavy but I have been lifting weights and running for extended periods to improve stamina. I feel confident I can move around almost as agilely as normal. I intend to keep an eye out for useful materials for even better weaponry and equipment. The town itself is only five streets branching off a single main passage, filled with open-doored rooms. At one end is a makeshift barricade of junk blocking a passageway and in the other a river... I''m surprised. Why doesn''t this place flood? There is no evidence of water damage. The water flow is so stable... it seems artificial. The rats we pass gawk at me and Niala, admiring the rings and gaping at the weapons. Great... security is simply running while the attacker stumbles through garbage?! I''m surprised we don''t have more predators ambling through here day in and out. We are an easy meal. Most of the rats we pass are brown or gray. Niala is a little different, she''s hazel. There are a few darker and lighter shade rats, but they seem to be rare. I''d estimate there are a few thousand rats here and several hundred rooms. Our own home seems to be quite empty. Earlier depredation? The garbage pile itself has small grooves for travel and I notice several spikes pointing forward. Still it is very crude. The passage itself is straight and paved, the height being thirty foot and the width forty. It leads to a small room which branches off in three other directions aside from the one we just came from. Our town was to the South, to the East was the Forest, to the West the Swamp and North was a multitude of small and moderate rooms and snaking passages leading in all directions, including up and down. I noted the stink of the amphibian lead toward the swamp... I''ll be seeing you soon. The passage to the forest rapidly became alive with plant-life, the floor mossy. The forest itself was plants like pine trees and oak mixed with the bizarre: giant fungi. Huge pale blue mushrooms stood several feet high. ¡°Watch the blue mushrooms, they make you see things that aren''t there if you get too close.¡± [Mother] Psychotropic spores, gotcha. I look around, pleased to be out in the open... dammit, we''re in some kind of crystal bubble that lets sunlight in! Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. The room is massive, I can''t see the far side. There are tunnels branching off every so often. Mother points out several. ¡°Those tunnels are death. Don''t go down them.¡± ¡­ Okay then... For now we are foragers!
Chirrik has obtained Class Change!
Original Class: ChildCurrent Class: Forager
Skills Learned:
Gather (Lesser):
Info: The skill which allows the user to collect simple edible foodstuffs and low tier resources for constructive purposes. This skill can be improved.
Nourishment (lesser):
Info: The skill which improves the user''s ability to take in nutrients from unprepared or rancid food-stuff. This skill can be improved.
Piercing Weapon Use (simple):
Info: Due to image training and experience the user has gained the ability to use simple stabbing weapons with greater skill. It also automatically improves maintenance on these weapons, resulting in increased durability for all simple piercing weapons. This skill can be improved.
Detect Resources (Lesser):
Info: This skill enables the user to find any source of food or usable resource of lower tier. When activated detected resources will glow yellow.
For some reason there are blue windows in front of my eyes! I try to sweep them away but they remain, my paw passing through them like they were holograms. Calm down... lets think logically. They are very computer game-like. I gesture, making a dismissing wave. It remains. I''m fairly sure I''m not mad, my sister is panicking at nothing as well. ¡°Status off.¡± [Rick] It vanishes, suddenly. ¡°Status on.¡± [Rick] The same windows reappear. Huh. Well, better read them just in case. ¡­ Wow... just wow. This world is incredibly game-like. Is something like this actually reality?! ¡°Detect resources.¡± [Rick] My vision subtly overlays with a glow several objects and plants in direct sight. ¡°You''d think this area would have been cleared out by the other rats...¡± [Rick] ¡°Stuff appears when anyone enters. There is always enough food for everyone.¡± [Mother] ¡­ A respawn setting on resources?! Wait... that probably means monsters too, if this is game-like. I pause to advise Niala on the status screen use before asking the pressing question. ¡°Do the monsters reappear when they die?¡± [Rick] ¡°Not immediately, they are replaced by new monsters which are usually the same as the old which travel to get here.¡± [Mother] ¡°''Usually''?¡± [Rick] ¡°Sometimes worse versions come that change how safe areas are. Right now the forest only has a small amount of dangerous animals. There is a big one that eats everything here once a month. The swamp doesn''t have one like that, but there are a few strong ones that eat anything that moves. The monster you met was weaker than those.¡± [Mother] ¡°So, there are still a ''few'' dangerous ones still in the forest?¡± [Rick] ¡°How many?¡± ¡°More than I have fingers.¡± [Mother] Rats can''t count? Damn. That means the day could be wrong too. ¡°How long until the ''big one'' hunts?¡± [Rick] ¡°A week?¡± [Mother] ¡­ ¡°You don''t know, do you?¡± [Rick] ¡°No, not really.¡± [Mother] ¡°I''m a Gatherer just like Mother!¡± [Niala] Gatherer? Not Forager? Different classes for different skill-sets and experiences? I wonder what the difference is. ¡°What skills did you get?¡± [Rick] ¡°Um... Gather Food, Detect Food, Appraise Jewelery, Hidden Weapon Proficiency and Healing Hug.¡± [Niala] ¡°''Healing Hug''? What does that do?¡± [Rick] As she tackled me I only had time to wonder... why did I ask? As she snuggles up on my chest I understand. This does feel nice. Have you already got me figured out, system? What we learned: Monsters and items respawn, sometimes with a difference. The Rats live by farming items not fields. Sometimes skills are silly. Chapter 5: Detailed and retailed Day 25 continued Seriously, there is a time and place for everything. In the middle of a forest with multiple predators and one really hungry boss monster is not the place for a random hug. Although it does have a calming effect too... Ugh. As much as I hate it, I untangle myself from my sister. Mother is just laughing softly at our antics. She does seem to be keeping an ear out for danger, so that is comforting. Niala tries to hug me again but I place a palm on her forehead and hold her at arms length until she calms down. My sister is really happy about her ability. When I asked her why, she just pointed at my tail. Huh?! The bitten off end has regrown! It has been a sore spot for me for a while, since I had to keep it clean without anything sterile to use. But holy hell, she just regrew part of me directly connected to my spine like it was nothing! These skills are damn close to being magic! Does everyone have these?! ¡­ Apparently they do... Mother just invoked her own Detect Food skill. She has the ''Superior'' version as opposed to the ''Lesser'' that Niala has. The difference was explained as simply: Mother''s version can automatically find all food items of ''Medium'' quality or less. However her ''Gather'' ability is also ''Superior'' and this allows Mother to harvest food items of ''High'' quality, if she can find them. To put this in perspective, my own skill ''Detect Resources'' is actually weaker than Niala''s specialized food detection skill. I can only detect food items that are ''rancid'', ''awful'', ''lower'' and ''lesser'' quality automatically. However my ''Gather Resources'' allows me to harvest ''low'' quality food items as well as the automatically detected ones. Niala''s skill being specialized like Mother''s allows her to find food of ''low'' quality or less automatically and harvest ''moderate'' quality food. The difference is I can also detect other resources. So far this has been limited to sticks, rocks, wood and bark. All of them ''lesser'' or lower quality. However, they are all things I have a feeling I can use. According to Mother, a healing skill is rare. The weapon skills, less so. Apparently everyone gets a skill or two that fits their personality or history. In fact when I mentioned that I was a Forager rather than the Gatherer class Mother was slightly surprised. She hadn''t heard of it before. Her lectures today had been part of the whole class learning system. As an experienced Gatherer Mother could train others to attain her class, so the fact I was something slightly different was quite odd. She laughed off the irregularity by assuming it was because I was too interested in all the shiny things. Niala actually got a Jewelery Appraisal skill and instead I got Nourishment, probably to supplement the poor detection skill I had gained. Ironic Mother thinks I''m the one obsessed with gems and metal. Niala first tested her Jewelery Appraisal skill on her ring (with attached hidden spike). She wasn''t able to identify the item. All she learned was that it was a ''higher'' tier ring. The ring I wore on the other hand was: A simple silver band, made with care and modified to conceal a weapon. Low tier. In other words my ring was a cheap thing, hers was something special, perhaps even unique. Aside from the seal, I wonder what makes it so different? They''re both silver. Mother managed to scrounge up a single blackberry of ''high'' quality and shared it with us. It was the size of my fist and otherworldly sweet. Compared to the ''lesser'' foods, which were tart, discolored fruits or partly eaten nuts the difference was heaven and earth. The seal ring was at least a tier better than this example... To specify the tier system for food quality apparently goes: Rancid Awful Lower Lesser Low Moderate Medium Good High ?Higher? (hypothesis) ?Highest? (assumption) Based on this Mother is highly skilled in this area, close to the highest possible level. I assume. I don''t have enough information yet to say this with certainty. As we head south we eventually meet the river that passes by Rat Town. I know this is certainly the same one because it is straight as a line and doesn''t seem to fluctuate in height either... very weird. I gather a bundle of reeds with an idea in mind for our next visit and observe with care everything around us, in the hopes of finding something useful. I''m startled by movement in the reeds. I jump to the assumption it is predators, but to my surprise a small herd of giant caterpillars race away, inching along in a desperate bid for escape. I''m kind of stunned by the creatures, how utterly bizarre to see insects nearly my own size. I take a deep breath, trying to gauge the oxygen content. It has to be high for an insect like that to survive, unless they only outwardly resemble insects. Is it the forest habitat? I don''t feel any different. I''ll avoid trying to light a fire, on the off chance it consumes us all in a flash. Mother confirms the caterpillars are edible, but says they are stringy. Ew. Later as the sky above us turns black we start to head home. As we do I notice a metallic sheen under a prickly bush. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. I approach slowly but Mother stops me, pointing out something I hadn''t expected. A thread of transparent material. A snare, like a trip-wire. I glance around and finally see the spider, a monstrous brute twice my size blending into the bark of a large tree, pretending to be a broken branch. Practically invisible, if not for the thread it held. It was watching, waiting for us to become entangled. Using the object as a lure. We turn back and circle around that area, although I am sad I couldn''t identify the item. I''d rather not cross that killer. It did serve to illustrate just how dangerous the forest is if you''re unwary. Anyway, I''m watching where I step now. We are about to leave when my nose catches a scent of metal. It isn''t what I''m used to; silver, platinum and gold. Iron perhaps? It is faint. I scrape off soil and find a buried leather bag about the right size for me, perhaps filled with belongings or treasures hidden from thieves by some stranger. Hmm. Whoever buried this was desperate at the time, there are ordinary provisions like food and a water-bottle in here, as well as clothes. The food is moldy. The water-bottle empty. The clothes musty and mildewed. At the bottom is a rusty compass, so rusty is doesn''t even work. I snatch the magnetic needle, as it can be reused. I empty the bag, clean the dirt off roughly, taking only the bottle and compass needle as they are useful. We head down the passageway, back toward home. There are several rats around, we could see them in the distance in the forest but at the end of the day they are congested here, at least fifty or sixty of us trying to leave. The walk is slow and we are quite congested and vulnerable in the tunnels, but thankfully nothing comes out to greet us. Once we get home, I start sorting through my collection of useful things. First of all I use the reeds, threading them together to create a bag. From now on, we will be stocking up on food to avoid the regular monster rampage. To do that we need to be able to carry it. After that I take a heavy stick and a giant needle binding them together using thread from the gem bag, creating a pick. I doubt it will do anything much to the rock around us, but as a weapon it should be decent. The rest I stash in the corner of the room, I have some ideas for the rocks and bark. I also have Niala examine every piece of treasure in our home, from the three tiny gems I found in the junk to the giant sized valuables in the safe. The results were: One red bead made of glass. Flawed quality. One blue bead made of turquoise. Lesser quality. One low quality yellow diamond. Twenty five unidentified pieces of gold bullion, good quality. One damaged piece of gold bullion, medium quality. (The one I used the rasp on.) Fifteen broaches, miscellaneous materials, good quality. Seven broaches, broken, moderate quality. (The ones I took needles from.) Four plain rings, two silver and two gold, all low quality. One ruby studded gold ring, good quality. Forty two giant sized star sapphires, high quality. Giant gold chain necklace, good quality. Miscellaneous jewelery X 20 Most of it was out of her league in terms of identification. We also learned that the item scale had one difference from the food scale: ''flawed'' quality instead of ''rancid''. Interestingly, the glass bead actually had some background information. Apparently it was part of a larger necklace, created for a lady of the Carmitan species. What a Carmitan actually is I have no clue, but they at least have forges and know how to make crude glass. That says they are at least as advanced as the classical period on Earth. So probably copper or bronze weaponry, at least. The bead is still opaque and has grit floating in it, so the technique used was crude. Perhaps they are the same species as those merchants who died nearby recently. Mother leaves, to attend some kind of regular meeting for adults. I assume this to be a governmental meeting, assuming this place is basically a community controlled town. Perhaps with information about recent events and threats thrown in. In the mean time Niala and I play with one of the sapphires, rolling it around like a ball to pass the time. Arbitrarily She declares herself the winner, despite the game having no rules. She then claims her prize as the winner, an extra long hug. This becomes a game of tag as I flee the hug. My training pays off, as she is forced to stop, panting and exhausted. She whines, disappointed as I take a victory lap. I make my way back to bed and try to sleep, triumphant. Until she glomps onto me, refusing to let go. There is no escape from the sister-magnet of love... as she calls it. So I''m stuck being a hug pillow for the night. P.S. She drools. What we learned this chapter: Rat society has some kind of loose structure. Item identification tables. There is no escape from hugs of love! Chapter 6: Sinister vs Sister Day 26 I wake up with a wet patch on my chest where Niala drooled on me. Eugh. She''s still sound asleep so I lie still and wait until she awakens. About half an hour later I realize her eyes are open and she''s been pretending to sleep for longer than I''ve been awake! She pokes out her tongue at me. ¡°I win!¡± She snuggles closer. Damn... I waited that long, with my left arm numb from her weight. I leap up, however she is dragged along, landing on her feet. She refuses to let me have my arm back for the rest of the morning, bouncing along at my side. One of these days... I take my pick, ¨¦p¨¦e and ring-dagger, loading the salvaged leather backpack with the reed bag I created. Niala doesn''t let her special ring-dagger off her arm. The trip to the forest is uneventful, we pass several rats we recognize. As Mother is about to wander around, grazing on everything she can find I pass the reed bag to her and tell her that if she fills it, she can carry it home and avoid going out for a day or two. I''ll be filling my bag as well. I also filled my water bottle at the river in town, so we don''t need to go near the river if we get thirsty. As a result we forage in an area that hasn''t been as extensively harvested. While items appear when people enter the room, the things they missed remain. In the areas rats don''t enter frequently there should be better quality items to harvest. I''m thrilled when Mother collects several ''high'' tier food items. I have Niala search out the food to go in my backpack, since her skill is better than mine. I stay alert, watching for threats. A huge scorpion emerges from the bushes. It is about three foot long. I''m about the strike out with the pick when I realize the scorpion is only fleeing in our direction. As we watch a large form grabs the arachnid by the tail and gnaws it off. It then stuffs the whole invertebrate into it''s maw and eats it in moments. The shocking thing is that this predator looks so much like a dark furred rat and is only a size larger. Until I notice the teeth. Fangs. That is not a rodent. A giant shrew. We''re next for the maw. The beady eyes are watching us. I intended to talk, but a look at Mother quickly silenced that idea. She''s terrified. I push Niala back and tell her to slowly back away. As she does I drop the pick and pull out the ¨¦p¨¦e. It is probably too fast to hit with a heavy weapon. I urge Mother back as well, keeping the weapon poised, ready to stab. I keep the ring-dagger loose, just in case. The shrew circles me, watching the weapon. It emits a scream like rusty nails on chalkboard, then lunges. I slash the point at it, but it hops neatly away to the side and then attacks again from the left. I have to swing around to keep it in view. The damn thing is trying to flank me. If this keeps up, it will succeed. It is more agile than anything I''ve seen. This is the peak of agility, beyond human. Just as I think the thing can''t get more ridiculous, it leaps into the trees and bounds from branch to branch watching me vainly try to follow its movements. All I know is... it is coming. I catch it in the corner of my eye. I flick the sword around and stab it under my left armpit with my right hand. The shrew catches the spike in the face, the point creating a gash on the beast''s cheek. Fangs tear at my left hand as the sword flies away at the impact. I spin, dropping the ring around my left arm by holding the arm straight, catching the ring in my fingers. I slam it into the side of the beast as it sweeps past, using my right palm to force the needle deep. It is torn from my grasp, stuck in the beast. Even so it bleeds now. It pauses to pull the needle free, making sounds like breaking glass. I take the pick from the ground and slowly retrieve the sword, holding it in my left hand. The ¨¦p¨¦e wavers in the air, was the injury that severe? Or is it adrenaline? The shrew is hesitating. It sniffles and turns to look at the other rats. I scream in fury. Damn beast! You want me don''t you?! Well come on! ¡°Come choke on me!¡± [Rick] I take a step forward. The shrew pauses and I now have it''s full attention... great. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. This thing is like a lion or a bear, with grossly over-developed reflexes. Only one way to take it down. Head on with one hit! Anything else and I''ll be the next meal. I drop the sword. I charge, with both hands on the pick. As I close in the beast squeals that chalkboard scream again, spinning around. Niala is tossed around, her needle deep in the monster''s ass. She''ll be dead in a moment as it catches up to her. It is flexible enough to bite her, clinging there. It stops as I ram the pick into it''s neck. It spins trying to face me, coughing blood in mouthfuls. Bright red blood. Arterial blood. Got you, bastard. I kick it, pulling the needle of my pick free. It limps back a few steps, hobbling as it chokes on it''s own blood. Moment of truth. It could still turn this around, it is strong enough. Wounded it is a greater threat. It can''t move so fast, it seems to be on the verge of fainting. The blood-loss must be affecting motor-control and consciousness, I cut off oxygen flow to the brain partially. I walk close and slam the pick down like an axe, driving the spike into the right eye-socket as it staggers. It shudders as I tear it''s brain apart with a metal spike. It quivers as I pant for breath. My hand is still shaking. I look at the wound, it doesn''t look too bad so why... I collapse. The wound pulses with agony. Sonofabitch... venom! Last thing I remember is being dragged across leaves. Day 27 ¡­ Day 28 ¡­ Day 29 Ugh... I feel awful. I glance at the roof and see I am home. I see Niala is hugging me again... She saved me twice, huh? I don''t know why but I feel okay with that. I leave her sleeping and wait for her to wake. A few hours later she does, jerking up suddenly as she sees I''m awake too. ¡°You''re better?! Thank goodness!¡± She hugs me again, tightly. ¡°I was so scared! You were shaking and foaming at the mouth! A few times I thought you stopped breathing like our other brothers, you were so cold!¡± I nod, unable to reply as I''m crushed by the grip. ¡°Can I get you anything?¡± [Niala] ¡°Water and food would be good.¡± I croak. She pulls out my water bottle and a raspberry impossible to eat in a single bite. ''High'' quality, no doubt. After a good swig of water I gnaw my way through the fruit. Heavenly. ¡°That''s better...¡± [Rick] ¡°So what happened? I was bitten and passed out from venom, I think.¡± ¡°Well, we grabbed your stuff, except the stick thing. It is still stuck in the monster. We pulled you back home. Since then I''ve been hugging you, trying to make you better.¡± [Niala] ¡°How long was I asleep?¡± [Rick] ¡°Three days?¡± [Niala] She hugged me non-stop for three days?! This sister of mine is an angel... ¡°You saved me. I would have died, if you hadn''t done that.¡± [Rick] ¡°I''m just so glad you''re all better!¡± [Niala] ¡°Besides, you saved me first.¡± ¡°How about this? We''re even.¡± [Rick] ¡°We make a great team, that monster didn''t know what hit it!¡± ¡°Sure didn''t! Right in the butt!¡± [Niala] We both laugh at that. Later Mother arrives, with my backpack and reed bag full of food. Seems she adopted them once she found how convenient they were. She seems in a jolly mood, seeing I''m back to form. We talk for a while and she praises my feat, then scolds me for being reckless. We go to bed, this time I''m hugged from both sides. I can understand Mother is relieved and wants contact, but Niala? She hugged me three days straight! Her hug lust has no bounds. What we learned this chapter: Sometimes one threat is merely the shadow of a greater one. Shrews are cute and deadly! Google them! A few really are venomous! Niala''s hug lust is insatiable! Also... the title is referencing the bite wound (sinister can mean left-handed! Psyche!) Chapter 7: Breakthrough Day 30 I''m feeling a little weak, not from the venom, hunger or thirst. No, both my arms are asleep because the two females in my life decided they wanted to borrow them for the night... now if they weren''t my mother and sister I''d be overjoyed. I make an evil smile as I manage to slide Mother onto Niala. Pleasant morning, sis. Hope you like your arm numb too! I set to work modifying my weapons, the ring-dagger thing just isn''t efficient. I take a long branch and make it a fork. Basically a twin pointed spear. Really though this is all too crude. As I despair over my abilities a window pops up.
Meld Weapon (Lesser):
Info: This skill enables the user to merge tools, weapons and resources to construct more advanced weapon designs. Greater versions of this skill offer reduced material cost and greater modification.
Did I just get a new skill because I was frustrated? No... it was stress? Perhaps this an advanced class ability? Lets try it! The wood flows under my control, stiffly merging with the silver spikes. I can feel the limitations, there is a limit to my ability to modify the item I''m trying to create. If I were to represent it numerically... the fork has ten points of modification free, merging the needles and the wood into a solid mass and smoothing and strengthening the shaft used up six points. I don''t think I could break it anymore with my own strength... What to do with the extra points... I can see a range of options, they require materials... hold up. A yellow diamond? I have one of those! I don''t quite see the point... haha... of adding the diamond to the fork, but the modification is simply too tempting. The resulting weapon shines brightly for a few seconds. I try to see the end result but my modification skill simply doesn''t have an identification component...
Weapon Identification (Lesser):
Info: This skill enables the user to learn information on the weapon focused upon, from history and quality, to effects and durability. This version of the skill allows identification of all self-made weapons and weapons of low tier or less.
¡­ I get it. The skills unlock when you meet the requirements. Trying to understand a weapon I made is one. Lets see if this skill works as advertised.
Battlefork of Thunder, 47/47 durability:
Info: A simple weapon formed in an atypical manner. It has been imbued with the ability to generate stunning impacts and loud noises from blunt strikes. The first weapon produced in this way by a young rat hominid known as Rick. Above average usability but crude. Moderate quality.
¡­ Holy shit, did I just make a magical weapon?! No beyond that... I''m getting some crazy ideas for how to use these skills! I wonder... Niala is a little surprised I''m not in the room when she wakes up and tries to push Mother away, but can''t move the larger rodent with only her left arm... heh heh. I pop my head out to mock her, from the hole in the wall. She puffs up her cheeks in annoyance at my declaration of victory. I leave Niala to her ironic suffering. Meanwhile I inspect the giant weaponry in the safe. I can use this. I can also use the wall. Using the modification ability I convert the broken wall into a trap. It rumbles, rising into the roof exposing the treasures. How is it a trap? It will now drop like a Rancor cage door. If that amphibian comes again I''ll decapitate the bastard with several dozen tons of steel reinforced stone. I made a winch system from the discarded shield and the gold chain, so it can be dropped and raised repeatedly. As for the mace, I get a smile just thinking about what I can do with it. Thirty points of modification free. Must be all the excess resources inside of it. So much steel was used in the construction it could serve as the central support for a building. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The giant dagger is less modifiable, with only seventeen points available. Seventeen! Almost twice the fork. I look through the specs of the enchantments possible. Most are simple tricks, sparks, flashes, loud noises. However the material costs of some of the higher end modifications are prohibitive. The really good ones are simply too big to fit on the seventeen points of modification. I''d need a spare five hundred to make a vorpal sword. I can make a vorpal sword! It can even be made to emit the noise snicker-snack! Sorry, drifting away to Never-never land... or was that Wonderland? These possibilities are making me drool. This is still the ''lesser'' version of the skill. The better forms come with increased modification space and reduced material costs. I pause as I see one truly awe-inspiring option possible... and the resources are acceptable! I laugh like a maniac at the idea! It''ll take all thirty! I grab a pair of star sapphires, the gold rings from the pile and fuse them into the massive slab of steel, merging a couple of slabs of gold bullion and several fist sized diamonds from broaches. Then I cut my hand open on a needle and spill several drops of blood. Payment complete! The mass of steel and gold merges into an alloy. It reforms and from the cold, liquid metal a shape forms. Sapphire eyes fix on me as my creation stands! ¡°Mwhahahahaha!!!!¡± I cackle as my very own gilded-steel golem arises! It''s not alive, but it''s damn close! The massive, amorphous shape looms over me, then smoothly kneels to look at me face to face.
Gilded-steel Golem, 45,500/45,500 durability:
Info: A masterful creation. Created from riches that would bankrupt a small nation this golem is a unique and powerful weapon. It has seven minor non-elemental cores and two major water based-cores, this golem is devoted to pure physical power, fluid movement and resistance to physical harm. It has only one registered owner: the genius inventor rat-hominid Rick. Grand quality.
¡­ I created a boss monster of my very own?! I notice my family are quite scared. Petrified even. I smile and urge them to come closer. ¡°I made this!¡± I gesture to the golem to stand. It does quietly. It really does follow orders! ¡°This golem is as much yours as mine!¡± [Rick]
Golem owner registry updated.
¡­ I wonder... was that a bad idea? ¡°Jump on one leg, big monster!¡± [Niala]
Golem name updated: Now named Gilded-steel Golem (Big Monster)
It hops, the cavern shaking as the golem hits the ground with a hundred tons of metal. ¡°That was fun! Headbutt the wall Big Monster!¡± [Niala giggling] The slam of steel and gold on solid rock vibrates the cavern again. The head seems a bit flat now... Huh, the durability dropped ten points. Talk about OP. My smile is diabolical. Yes. I believe some reintroductions are in order. "A hunting we shall go~" I sing happily. What we learned: Pushing abilities to the limit of resources and imagination is a powerful mix! Big Monster is a natural disaster in motion. Hopscotch with a golem is liable to end in property damage. A little sillier than normal, because the MC is giddy with delight. He''ll be brought back down to the ground soon. Chapter 8: Ominous signs Day 30 continued The footsteps of the golem shake the town. This is not an understatement, I see junk vibrating across the floor as it walks past. The other rats are hiding in fear of their lives. As we emerge beside the giant, fluid, gold coated, steel monstrosity they peer out with paranoia. I ignore the fearful, it isn''t an immediate problem. I find an issue at the town entrance. The barricades that are there to discourage monster attacks get in the way of my golem''s passing. I use my ability weapon meld on the mass of dirt, rock and wood. Shaping the mass I construct a portcullis with the ability to drop suddenly, to meet the requirements of a ''weapon'' it becomes a useful trap. I reinforce the sturdiness and operation of the mechanism to make it efficient. It only had fifteen points of modification available, despite the mass. That just shows the shoddiness of the materials. As I do this Niala plays fetch with the golem using a stick. The rats are peering out... with the same fearful looks, only now they have associated us as well with that terror. I send Mother to fetch a few of the older, more authoritative rats so I can explain the portcullis mechanism, since I don''t want rats to be locked in or out unintentionally. Note to self: see to upgrading the river access in town. The oldest rat I''ve ever seen is very cautiously walking this way, lead by Mother. His fur is streaked with gray and he doesn''t walk upright very well. ¡°You did this to our barricade and made that monster?¡± [Old Rat disapprovingly] ¡°The thing is a golem, it isn''t alive just a tool or a weapon. It only does what it is told by its owners. As for the ''barricade'' I improved it. All it needs is one good, strong rat on this side to turn that wheel and it will open the door. If you flick the switch, the gate will drop immediately. You can use this to seal off that entrance so monsters can''t get in, easily. You could even drop the gate on the monster and hope to kill it. But I''d avoid doing that with anything fast.¡± [Rick] ¡°I''ll add our defenses are piss poor. You have no sentries, no defenders and no weapons at all. I''m surprised we haven''t all been eaten.¡± ¡°If you mean that monster you allegedly defeated, we wouldn''t stand a chance fighting back.¡± [Old Stubborn Rat] ¡°You think fifty rats attacking from all sides wouldn''t make the creature retreat? Better to be killed fighting than hiding and cowering.¡± [Rick] ¡°If you fight, you also have options. Traps, poison, defenses, tactics and yes if all else fails you can still run.¡± ¡°You aim to make us warriors and hunters? Make us warlike and cruel?¡± [Elder Rat] ¡°No, just to make eating us so troublesome nothing bothers to try.¡± [Rick] ¡°But even then it is only a matter of time before we meet a hostile group of people who aren''t rats and want either to kill us or to take away all that we have. Or some combination of the two.¡± ¡°Preposterous, why in a hundred generations we have never been invaded...¡± [Old Rat] ¡°So how did the giants who lived here before us die then?¡± [Rick] ¡°They must have decided to leave. Perhaps there was disease.¡± [Old Rat] ¡°They locked a baby in a tool storage area and left all their possessions and treasures behind. You really think they then left without looking back? They were killed, most of their belongings stolen. What remains is either the stuff that couldn''t be carried away or the treasures the attackers didn''t find. Who knows when they''ll be back. Or the giants.¡± [Rick] ¡°Do you really think either group will let us live here?¡± While we were talking the game of golem fetch behind us had evolved into golem soccer, featuring a giant metal goalie, a goal made from a blocked doorway, a ball made from rubber (where did she find that?) and Niala. I call a halt before she accidentally hurts herself. Incidentally I have the golem open up the blocked off room, curious. The rubble is quite hefty and tight fitting. It takes the golem tremendous effort to clear away. The scene inside is quite appalling. This room appears to have been a major area, the main point being it was still inhabited at the time of it''s collapse. An unnatural collapse, at that. I can see the scorch marks from some kind of explosion. All told there are twenty three corpses of giants. Two seem to have been clawing at the rubble. Some are on beds of straw. A few lie piled one on top of the other. A morgue. I can only assume this was a hospital. They must have been smothered by smoke from the explosion or lack of air from the subsequent collapse. I point out one giant to the elder rat. ¡°Does that look like a death from disease?¡± [Rick] He has a set of four arrows buried in the mummified flesh of his head and torso. An axe-head is buried in his shin bone. All of them notably small-sized weaponry. Niala is now playing catch with the golem and some more adventurous young rats. ¡°They were huge and had weapons and it still ended up like this against smaller, more numerous enemies.¡± I point out. ¡°It could even be our ancestors who did this.¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°The Originals may have fought, but they died! How is your idea better?! We''ll just end up eradicated like them.¡± [Elder Rat] ¡°They ended up like this because they planned solely to fight. They didn''t plan for anything less than victory. So they were taken apart one by one, slowly until they couldn''t fight any more.¡± [Rick] ¡°Then how do we survive?¡± [Old Rat] ¡°By preparing to flee. If we have contingency plans for everything we will be able to react appropriately. Firstly, do we have any place to run to if we are attacked here? A second safe area? A food source? Water?¡± I point out harshly. ¡°Because running may work in theory, running in every direction and not regrouping is liable to make us all prey for monsters when we are too exhausted and hungry to run any further.¡± I leave the old fool to stew on his mistakes and head outside. Niala and the golem follow me but Mother lags behind to talk with the elder. As we wait in the passage the gate slams down, locking us out. Testing it? I move to the bars and see Mother being restrained and the old rat looking out at us. ¡°You''re banished, abomination. Yes, I heard what you really are. It disgusts me you pretend to be one of us.¡± [Spiteful Old Rat] Damn. Should I have the golem rip down the door? No. Lets leave the fool stew on his ''victory''. I just shrug and lead Niala and the golem down toward the forest room. As a detour we search out lunch. The thunder of the golem footsteps frightens off all the smaller threats. I head toward the river, as an after thought sending the golem to squash the giant spider hiding in wait for prey. The spider is as expected a dumb beast and reacts like it would toward anything stumbling into it''s web. It pounces, trying to envenom the completely artificial, metal giant. Needless to say, the golem wins the struggle. Crushing the spider in mitten-like hands the golem looks every bit as fearsome as the weapon it really is. The treasure that the spider uses as bait for its trap is unexpectedly useful, a steel bracer. It is a nice fit, just a little dusty. Unfortunately as it isn''t a weapon I have no clue what the quality is, however I note twenty points of modification available. It must be high class. With a full belly, a new toy and a slightly miffed sister (She has been concerned about Mother for a while) I set out, to return home. I decide to use the river since there are no defenses from that side. I have the golem wade into the water. It is quite deep, upto the golem''s waist. Niala and I clamber onto the open hands and ride it as if walks down to the next junction. As we are about to leave I spot to my dismay several humanoids. They are staring at us. I can almost hear the whisper as they realize my golem is almost half gold. Shit. That is the worst kind of situation! Treasure will bring doom on us faster than a rat matures. I order the golem to attack, to wipe them out before they pose a threat but Niala stops me by countering my orders with her own. I argue with her but she won''t hear it, not understanding the true threat. Greed can rip apart nations. She''s never experienced anything like that. I curse myself for being such a fool, traipsing through the local area with a walking heap of money. Those were quite human-like creatures. I''d estimate they were slightly smaller than us? They were a fair distance away, I can''t be very certain exactly what they were. However they had pole-arms and clothing, armor too I think. There was some kind of animal in their ranks hauling a cart, a caravan? Explorers? All of that is bad news. If they value gold at all... this is a disaster. Wading down the river we actually encounter a new area, a small cave branching off in the opposite direction from the rat town. It seems dusty and untouched. Are there more hidden areas like this? I can understand why no one found it, the water seems to be inhabited by large carnivorous fish of many different species. They''re visible from our perch high over the water. In fact there are so many I''m surprised. I wonder what the food source is? Each other? Monsters? Finally we reach home. I have the golem wait as we go on ahead. I spy the old rat at the gate staring out. Must have heard the golem footsteps and misunderstood my direction. I tap him on the shoulder and punch him cleanly as he turns to look. ¡°Next time I''ll just rip open the door, asshole.¡± [Rick] I return home, giving my crying Mother a hug from behind. Niala joins in, because if there is anything she does well, it is hugs. Big Monster golem thuds its way in, following Niala. Uncomfortably the golem hugs us all at once. ¡°Who told it to hug us?¡± [Rick] ¡°Sorry...¡± [Niala] What we learned this chapter: Grave danger incoming! Lots of hidden secrets in the Labyrinth, even in inhabited areas. Golems need hugs too! Chapter 9: Preparations... Day 31 Things are bad. On one hand we have hostile rats and the other an unknown threat. Added to this I can''t countermand the settings of the golem. Niala has as much control over it as I do. Worse she treats my attempts to talk her into giving up that control as a jealous outburst, she seems to think I''m trying to hog it for myself. I want to face-palm every time I think about how I blundered saying she was joint owner. It was a figure of speech and a token gesture, not a declaration! Best I can hope for is to talk her into sharing it for part of the time. She loves it, treating it like a remote controlled toy of some kind. Mother simply has no use for it, preferring to leave it behind. In the mean time I''m forging as many weapons as I can. No telling how dangerous the other group of people is, but they''re better armed, that''s certain. I expect their scouts soon. They''ll be searching for our settlement. Up until now I can only assume rats have been treated as animal-like primitives with nothing to take or not posing the kind of threat that would justify the effort required to eradicate them. The golem registers heavily on both those scales. We are now very obviously wealthy and dangerous. As a weapon it is probably something like a battleship (heavy armor and tremendous fire-power). As a treasure it is an equivalent to a walking national budget. It''s dangerous, but there are sure to be ways to put it down, it can''t be the first seen in this fantastic maze world, even if the flavor text claimed it was unique, that was probably referring to the specific kind of golem. I can expect that if they can capture it or put it down they won''t hesitate to do so for tactical reasons. The golem is the only real threat we have and likely to fall if committed recklessly. They know it is there and if the enemy comes, they will be equipped to take it on in some way. So I''ll be improvising. I wish I knew the finer details of mechanics, electronics or firearms. At best my skill gives me the knowledge to craft supernatural weapons and simple mechanical ones. I''d happily build artillery and explosives if I could. Magic doesn''t necessarily translate to power. Just like how simple mechanisms can be deadly. Simple doesn''t mean small. Day 32 I''m scouting with golem backup. I''m checking the river, the disused side-tunnel we discovered. Niala''s with Mother foraging, but at least they''re armed with some new, specially designed weapons and aware we could have strangers approaching. Anything that tries to hurt them is going to be sorry: I gave them magical taser-like stilettos made from needles. The shock is only barely a lethal weapon, but combined with the sharp point it makes for an effective combo; stun and then stab. I have my trusty fork, but really the golem is over-kill for anything ordinary. Down here the labyrinth changes material and the tunnels narrow. Interesting. It''s volcanic glass walls, obsidian. I have the golem test the give of the wall and the brute cracks it easily. Fragile. The floor is marble, polished smooth and luxurious seeming. It would be even better if it weren''t covered in an age''s worth of dust. I''m not prepared for what I meet on the path. The passage opens into a moderate room with multiple small buildings and stone markers. A burial chamber. With that I realize that if this fantastic world is similar to a game; there will be something down here. Treasure, secrets and enemies. Spawning as I enter or already here. As if on cue a shambling figure appears. Dust seems to be falling off the creature as it shuffles forward slowly, dressed in rags. As I get a few yards away I can clearly see the skull poking out of dry skin and bandages. The dust is actually disintegrating dried flesh. Its a real mummy! Well I''m pretty calm facing my first undead. Mostly because... ¡°Crush it, golem.¡± [Rick] The golem pounds the mummified corpse into powder. Didn''t they used to make a paint out of that stuff? Well regardless, it is too clean and easy. Either the mummies aren''t up to snuff or the golem is just that overpowered. I''ll go with the latter. The golem can rip stone apart in it''s fingers. Anyway more corpses appear one after another and the golem relentlessly destroys them just as quickly. Golems... they''re astonishingly good at Whack-a-mole. As it does I investigate the crypts. Lots of old, rusty junk. Dark-ages era weapons and the like. I take the better stuff. I notice the golem sounds like it is starting to slow down. I pop my head out and notice it isn''t fighting mummies. Larger skeletons armed with appropriate weapons are slowing the golem with numbers. They''re using sledge-hammers and axes. I note the golem has lost a few durability points. Well, enough of this. ¡°Destroy them all fast, golem.¡± [Rick] The golem explodes into movement. Up until now it has only been swatting them. Now it bull-rushes them. It leaps and crashes into the group, smashing dozens into shattered bones. It cracks the stone floor too. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. With wide arm sweeps it mows the attackers down, several at a time with each swing. I lean against a crypt and watch as it annihilates them in moments. That kind of mass, strength and size combine into a truly fearsome opponent. Add on the solid metal instead of muscle and bone and you can understand. It is an almost-living siege-weapon and castle combined. It''d be able to wipe out a division of soldiers with minimal damage. It practically just did with the undead. As the mausoleum room grows quiet I get the feeling that that wasn''t the end of the enemies. Oh. There''s a boss, isn''t there? What could it be? What could it be? I''m excited. What is my golem to be pitted against this time? Hopefully Liches, Vampires and other supernatural monsters aren''t real in this world, but with golems and undead corpses around who can say... I can hear footsteps clattering on marble. ¡­ No way! That''s... just unfair. It''s a real giant skeleton! I never realized before just how big these people were! It''s as tall as a telephone pole! The golem is only half as tall. To put it in scale the golem is more than twice my height and very broad. I only reach the shin of the giant. Worse the giant has an equally large weapon: a cleaver-like sword. This could go badly... I can''t really see the golem losing the battle, but I can''t see it surviving without considerable damage either. I don''t have a way to repair it. I have the golem retreat with me to the entrance. What I do from here on depends on one factor: will it leave the mausoleum and chase us? It does. Damn. Mother did say monsters travel to repopulate areas... I suppose they can travel to kill prey as well, like the amphibian. I have the golem smash the obsidian walls as it retreats, collapsing the walls on the giant. It is a close thing as we are nearly swallowed in the cave-in, splashing down in the river a step ahead of the fractures. Hmm. A wicked idea hits me. The attackers will check the river route first, as it is where the golem was seen. As the collapse slows I come close and convert the buried undead monster into the core of a trap... I set the trigger at the mouth of the tunnel, a tiny spiderweb trip-wire, spread across the mouth of the cave once I am outside. At the far end, the giant stands, bound in manacles of obsidian waiting for release. A simple catch holding the shackles closed. Anyone that sets foot in this tunnel without care lets the giant out. Lets hope they''re moving as a group. It''s only got one direction to go: toward the river and the one that freed it. They may come equipped for a golem; no one expects the Spanish Inquisition! No, wait... I mean no one can expect a giant, angry undead boss-monster on a rampage! Same effect really. Day 33-35 I spend my time alternating between building simple defensive weapons and complicated traps. The river access has a similar sectioning off system as the main gate. The difference is that I designed the thing to stand up to the golem''s strength with reinforcement, so the giant skeleton isn''t going to pay a visit if it gets loose. I added on a bridge system that can be raised and dropped in sections for quick escape and as a trap. After all anything that falls into the water is going to become fish food in moments. Secret escape route: complete Worst comes to worst, I might be forced to construct a vessel and sail us away on the river. It is a risky idea, not least of all because we don''t know where the river goes. I''m already envisaging the vessel, sturdy pine with a ram and oars, should we need to reverse or slow on the current. The ram exists because the river may contain blockages of fallen trees or monsters. No mast, the river tunnel is narrower than normal. Niala is amusing herself with the golem again, while I''m busy. It has become an amusement park ride for all the young rats in town. Seriously, she has a lot of charisma to have close to half the total population eating out of her hand. The Elder rat now considers himself my nemesis. Yeah, you keep thinking that, small fry. He''s a blow-hard without any real power, beyond what he dreams he has. My sister has more influence, simply by having so many owe her a favor. I''m more concerned that in the long run he''ll try to sell me out to avert danger. It won''t work, obviously, but he''s too pig-headed to realize. However, I have a contingency in place. I''ve got a big surprise in the wings for my enemies, whoever they are. Heh heh. Yes, let them come. I''m almost ready. Muahahahahaha... Golem covered in children runs past, their squeals drowning out my evil laughter... ...hahahaha! What we learned today: Don''t piss off a mad rat inventor! Golems are like roller-coaster rides... Coming soon to a passageway near you... death! Chapter 10: The real threat... Day 36 It seemed like another normal day, at first. Until a loose skeleton giant banged on the sealed off river entrance. It didn''t get through, the barrier was solid stone. So instead it headed back toward the forest room, the only exit not sealed off. However it had gotten free, the end result was still that it couldn''t enter. So we have a marauding undead monster out there, as well as whatever let it out. From the echoing crashes, the two groups are not playing nice with each other. I am surprised when the giant reappears at the front entrance to town, with a bloodied weapon. The massive cleaver-like sword must have been used very liberally. Did they herd it here? Trying to send back an unwanted gift? Or was it that the monster was smart enough to follow the right tunnels, back to us? I wonder... was this place once the giant''s home? Or was this town unrelated to the graveyard? No matter, he isn''t getting in. It hammers on the bars, but I''ve heavily reinforced them. The Elder rat is quite terrified by the monster, even if it is locked out. I don''t think undead are common around here. He''s hiding and glaring at me at the same time. Sure, I inadvertently brought it here... I also made sure it can''t reach us. Well, leave it there. It is after all, just guarding the entrance. I exit out the rear entrance and enter the swamp room via the bridge/secret exit. I want to blind-side the enemy, sneak up on them; all to find out their plans. I keep the battle-fork, a stun-dagger and the bracer handy as I enter this unfamiliar area. I leave the golem behind, under Mother''s care as I''m sure Niala will only do something silly with free control. I am so glad someone-else has veto control besides my bleeding-heart, trouble-maker sister. I love her to bits, but she is a headache at times. The smell of fetid water and the feel of deep mud between my toe-pads aren''t pleasant. It isn''t quite as bad as it could be; I''m glad I haven''t entered a quagmire. I don''t relish the idea of drowning in mud. There are scattered trees here, but unlike the forest it''ll be hard if I try to make a ship here. A raft, perhaps. I''ll have to roam quite far for materials and since most of the creatures around here reside in the deep water marshes and bogs I''ll be walking into a lot of different attacks. There are large rocks scattered about too, possibly hiding predators. This place is easily the least pleasant place I''ve visited, the Mausoleum at least had dry ground and solid floors. I wonder about what the greater monsters here are, all I know is that they lurk in the deep water. Well, I''m not here to sight-see. I head toward where the well-used rat tunnel enters, knowing it by scent and footprints. As I pass one particularly large rock I see movement and turn just in time to spot my old nemesis, the amphibian monster, circling around the outcrop to meet me. It looks quite rough, with only a single eye and some nasty scars from our last encounter. Oh, he''s limping and a bit thinner too. Aw, did poor little monster get sick from my dirty knife? Come on over here, I''ll fix that problem right up for you. I''ll put a stop to that pain. ¡­ Maybe I should think this through a bit more... oh, what the hell. Life''s too short. Come on, you ugly bastard, let''s see you bleed! The roaring, rasping cry of the beast displays just how much he hates me. Sure he he weighs a few tons and has the approximate strength of a bulldozer... Sure he has a mouth that would make a barracuda jealous. He''s so slow, so clumsy and currently so ill he isn''t a major threat. The Elder rat is worse in some ways. He can''t even focus his eyes on me properly. Compared to the shrew-monster or the spider he''s pathetic. The golem or the undead giant would finish him in one blow. I''m about to strike out when the roar changes into an equally loud cry of agony. I notice the rock beside me shudder. Oh crap! I back off several dozen yards as I watch a massive head shear through the torso of the amphibian. That whole thing was a monster?! It must be even bigger than the giant! It''s a living hill. I see the creature turn around, tiny, angry eyes piercing me. That set of jaws... yikes. It''s a snapping turtle. Almost. It seems off somehow... ah. I see, it has a shell made of real, mossy rock. Interesting. It really is a monster. It has one massive beak, with a thick, cutting edge. It blends into the environment and ambushes prey. So that is what Mother meant. It doesn''t do anything but complete the meal. I guess I''m just not big enough to be more than a morsel. I can probably outrun the beast anyway. Even so, I''m sprinting away. Discretion being the better part of valor and all that jazz. I don''t fancy a hill chasing after me as well. I have one too many stalkers as is. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. I follow the muddy paths to the main entrance, bypassing all the big rocks by a large margin. As I do I come face to face with the enemy. A scout. He really is smaller than me. I''m head and shoulders over him. His face and body shape is obscured somewhat by armor. He has a helmet on. He''s armed and covered in hard leather armor and plate bronze. He has a small bow and a spear. The bow is raised. Ranged weapons are annoying, especially with the thick mud underfoot. I won''t be able to close fast enough to force him to switch weapons to avoid getting a fork in the gut. Lets try reason first. I''m probably the first rat he''s encountered in the tunnels. Certainly the first he''s met armed. ¡°Can you understand me?¡± [Rick] ¡°Ghalem ba mora?¡± [Stranger] I see his eyes, they''re red. Night-vision adaptation? How long has this maze existed?! Is it even shaping the evolution of the people living in it?! I shrug. I toss over a small bag of gold dust, the emergency supply. I try to ask in gestures ''Is that why you are here?'' He almost drops the bag, like it stung him. He looks at the gold closely and seems surprised. He looks up with questions burning he can''t ask with words. He tries to explain he isn''t here about the gold. Ah, it is like that. It is a military thing. They feel threatened. I imitate the golem and ask again if this what they want. He nods. Knew it. I ask if they''re here to kill the golem. He sort of shrugs. Huh. I''ll have to think that through. In the mean time I decide to leave. The man looks at me leaving and calls out, I think he''s asking if I want the gold back. Nice guy. I wave him off, gesturing for him to keep it. The information was worth it. As I take a few more steps I hear the creak of the bow being stretched taut. Shit! I stop dead still. He yells something at me. I don''t move. Is he going to kill me? Probably. Or capture me. Yeah, that seems likely. I''m a good source of information after all, a weird, armed rat among primitives. He yells again, forcefully. I hear the strain of the bow. Damn, he''s really going to kill me! My ears twitch as I focus on the sound of the bow. If I turn around I''m probably dead. I hear the bow twang faintly and the swish of the arrow. I throw myself into a spin, dropping to avoid the arrow. As I do I engage the mechanism in my bracer. Yes, I modified the piece of armor. I installed a simple one-shot dart launcher into it. Naturally it isn''t an ordinary dart. I dipped it in spider venom. I tested the venom on a fish in the river, I think it has paralytic components. Faster acting than the shrew venom, but less deadly. Spiders like to keep prey stored alive for later use. The dart hit the man in the right arm-pit. Nice! Between the leather plates. His arrow whistled over-head. Hah! Missed me! He abruptly collapses, clawing at the dart. Gotcha! You''re mine! I stalk forward, pondering whether I should finish the job or take him home for interrogation. As I look for the arrow I notice it isn''t in the ground, it hit something near me... a large banded snake. Hmm. Looks venomous. Damn. He was trying to help me?! Aren''t we enemies? Could it be? They''re here to absorb or recruit us into their military? They want the golem, of course. Enough to ignore who made it. They could also be under the impression we found or looted it. Double damn. If he dies I''ll provoke a response. The giant skeleton is subtle enough to be overlooked as a trap, the death of one of their scouts by my hand however could be bad news indeed. Well, no way around it. I can''t talk to ''em, so if I walk into their camp and deposit a half-dead soldier I''ll be captured and probably tortured or killed. I''ll take him home. The venom is nothing a few hugs can''t cure. He is quite heavy in all of his gear. I remove the dart and reload the bracer. It has an ammo container and venom bottle built in. Enough for five shots, if I have the time to reload. I also have to reset the mechanism. I might need it out here, since I can''t use a bow at all and my battle-fork is currently being used as a cane to hold some of the weight so I don''t sink in the mud. Finally I reach the bridge and return back home via the river. Or I would if the Elder rat wasn''t there at the entrance grinning with his hand on the mechanism I used to raise the bridge... bastard. ¡°Die, abomination.¡± [Elder rat cries as he hits the switch] What we learned this chapter: Enemies aren''t always the ones who seek you out. Treachery is always the worst threat. Hugs are the cure for most of the world''s ills! Chapter 11: Contingencies Day 36 continued I''m standing here on my submersible bridge, carrying a wounded foreign scout (who is surprisingly heavy for such a small guy) as the Elder rat tries to back-stab me (figuratively) by triggering the mechanism of the bridge. Trying to drop me in with the fish, to have me eaten alive. Not nice at all. Really I can''t help but laugh. Old fool, did you seriously think there was going to be a second time for that trick? You tried to lock me out once already. Now you''re trying to murder me? Contingencies are already in place. I only ever opened the door and raised the bridge. Do you know what happens if you hit the same switches when the door is open and the bridge raised? I may have left a booby-trap for the ignorant, since I figured this would happen. ¡°Why won''t this work?! Die you monster!¡± [Elder rat] He''s still just staring at my smile, pressing the trigger of his own execution. ¡°Ahahahahaha!¡± [Rick] ¡°Moron! Go die, yourself!¡± A rope coil, made from woven reeds, whips closed around his feet and the mechanism pulls tight. A few of his followers try to grab his arms but he slips out of reach as it hauls him into the air. Then a series of pulleys activate and a crane arm turns, positioning him over the water. He barely has time to open his mouth to beg before he drops into the middle of the river. He thrashes the water for several moments with his arms, surprising me. I figured it would already be over... Then a massive eel takes his left arm off in one bite. His howling is quite shrill. I didn''t get it at first, but it seems the smaller fish are shredding him under the surface of the water. He dips under as larger fish bite. Eventually going under and never returning. Thus the old rat ends up fish food instead of me. Do unto others... Panting, exhausted from carrying a heavy load on thick mud and then trying to catch my breath from the laughter I haul the scout to shore, dump him there and then toggle the gears appropriately, lowering the bridge and door. Really only an idiot would leave a design flaw already identified in a new construction. It didn''t even take a modification point to add, that was after all the main weapon of the gate system on the river entrance. I fetch the golem and have it carry the scout home. I feel much better, so many little annoyances dealt with. The bigger headaches are still hovering. Huh. The undead giant has wandered off again. I wasn''t that concerned it''d get in because I''d have seen it coming if it tried to use the swamp to enter via the river. It must have gone somewhere else. Perhaps it is trying to find a suitable route back to the Mausoleum room. There is probably some side tunnel leading there. A less direct path. Hopefully it is gone. With the Elder now in pieces in several hundred different fish I have less issues in general with the rat population. He was the main problem. I''ll still be adding safeties and non-lethal discouragements for those that meddle with my toys in future. If I can find them, perhaps train a few loyal members in their proper use. Not Niala though. Definitely not. She objects to my ''hug the stranger'' request, stating her hugs are ''expressions of love''. I manage to talk her into it, although she claims she is only hugging me by proxy. I''ll feel bad and uncomfortable if Stranger has to return them to me... For safety''s sake I relieve the scout of anything sharp and dangerous, putting them aside. I don''t want the scout to think he''s a captive, so much as a guest. Niala should, once the initial shock wears off help smooth things over. Her innocence should be good for that. I keep the bracer loaded and a knife handy, just in case the awakening soldier jumps to the wrong conclusions and rashly gets violent. I''ll have to dispose of the body somewhere in the town, as I can''t let the others know the scout was ever here, if I do. I rushed out briefly to the swamp to cover my tracks. I used mats of swamp grass to remove the majority of my footprints. I also retrieved the rest of the scout''s weapons. Hopefully it won''t come to body dumping... the fish for example make a convenient garbage disposal. Anyhow, to be on the safe side, now that I know their armor I can build weapons that can pierce it. Bronze and leather aren''t the epitome of hardness. I can even boost the damage potential of my weapons, if I focus on weapons that I have the talents to use. To pass the time I make some unusual weapons. Lately I''ve been using the discarded giant dagger in the vault for materials for my best devices. It is a slab of solid steel after all. The best material I might ever have, if these fellows are an indication. The best part about having steel? My main threat is still stuck in the bronze period. I craft two very different weapons, a sword-breaker and a scissors-katar. I figure they''ll be useful if it comes down to hand to hand against a bronze sword or bladed spear. If I can''t break the weapon I can at least trap it and defend against a strike. An eclectic mix, the former originating from China and the later India. The sword-breaker is basically a square shaped bar with a sharp point and a sword handle. It is incredibly sturdy, enough to at least block a heavy weapon, if not completely bend or shatter it. It won''t bend under my full weight. When I jump on it. All the weight makes it a nasty stabbing weapon too. The scissors-katar is a type of punch-dagger: the triangular blade projects out from the knuckles. Included is a mechanism that activates when the handle is squeezed, causing a pair of blades to jump out the inside of the main blade (the scissors!). It looks bad-ass and it is very useful for trapping weapons and surprising enemies. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Following those unique weapons I produce a pair of tiger-claws, a different kind of fist weapon. A bit like brass knuckles, only with vicious claw-like blades in a row of five. I figure if I am forced to kill someone troublesome I can at least disguise the cause of death. India again. Seriously, India used to be damn scary if the weapons are any indication. What can I say? I''m a weapon aficionado. Quite a desirable knowledge to have given my current talents and circumstances. Day 37~ barely. The scout woke up around... midnight? I suppose. He shrieked when he found Niala on him. She wisely backed off. He has night-vision equivalent or superior to my own, so I ignore the issue of darkness. I calmly try to converse with him with gestures. I give him his weapons. Then I offer him a high quality blackberry from storage and my water bottle. He seems a bit calmer. At least until he notices the golem. He spins, shocked by the giant weapon, trying to see if it was moving; trying to judge if it was a threat. I tell the golem to sit. He realizes I have control and I''m not threatening him, when the golem moves into a less mobile position. Well, maybe I am threatening him just a little with that kind of control. He glances around and notices all the weapons I''ve crafted. He points them out and naturally I indicate I made them. Then I indicate I made the golem too. He looks pop-eyed for a few moments, through the helmet. He takes a bite of the fruit, as he tries to wrap his head around everything. As he does he notices the taste. Smiling in rapture he quickly gulps down the fruit in moments. He nods in appreciation. I shrug and indicate Mother as the provider. She seems quite on edge. Xenophobic rats. Of course. They don''t have anything to do with other intelligent species (that aren''t trying to eat them). Naturally she is very nervous. Niala being Niala decides to surprise attack me while I''m chatting, with her now overused hugs. The scout takes it well, now that he''s calmed down. Laughing. I shrug and pet her, rubbing her head and stroking her ears as she leans over my shoulder, hugging me from behind. Her pupils narrow with pleasure and she nuzzles my hand like a spoilt cat, wanting more. So I continue to pet her as I struggle to communicate with the scout. We don''t have much beyond drawings and gestures. I don''t think he realizes quite what happened, perhaps assuming my dart was a knock-out drug or that there was a second threat he didn''t realize. Thankfully. I doubt anyone would react well to knowing they were deliberately attacked with paralysis inducing spider venom. Niala''s hugs are incredible enough he might have no clue he was even near death, I can feel some of my muscle aches from the over-exertion of carrying the scout melting away as she squeezes me tight. I''m glad the dose I used seems to be correct for humanoids about my size, since I thoroughly tested the dose on fish. I took a fish more than half my size, caught by the golem and gave it a large dose, it died fairly quickly. Then I scaled back and diluted until I got it just right. I have a full strength dart marked differently from the others in the bracer''s ammo reservoir. Just in case I need to use it against a big enemy or certainly kill a humanoid. Anyway, from the fragmented dialogue it seems to be that the strangers are here to purchase the golem if they can, destroy it if they can''t. Annoying. Well, the obvious solution is to give them the golem and extort them for raw materials. Build myself an inferior replacement. While this guy seems trustworthy I do not know any of the others, or their leader. I''ll give them a chance, because I owe this guy a little. After a while we settle on some terms that seem useful, I get all the iron ore I can carry on a wagon train and they get my golem. Iron ore is actually fairly common around here, it is just that these guys don''t know the process to make steel or correctly produce iron weapons. They keep refining iron until it is too pure (and thus soft) according to the scout''s gestures. They use molten iron to make things which is a blunder, if you want a hard iron weapon you hammer it into shape. No wonder they aren''t using iron tools. They are under the idea iron is brittle and soft. Well I can use that misconception. After a great deal of deliberation I deliver a set of my demands, written on an empty page from the torn book with a piece of charcoal from the Giant''s hospital room explosion. The scout nods at this. I let him out the front gate and wait for his reply. As I do I teach Mother how to open both entrances and how to use the emergency exit without risk. I suspect I''ll have to attend to any meetings in person. I tell her to retreat if it becomes too dangerous. When the reply comes it is two men who want me to go out with the golem. Carrying a few token weapons I lead the golem out, to face my fate. What we learned this chapter: Things are at a tipping point. Hugs... is there anything they can''t do? Never play around with devices you don''t understand. Chapter 12: The exchange Day 37 continued So I''m taking my golem under escort for a trade: resources I can use to make a golem of equivalent strength for my Gilded-Steel Golem ''Big Monster''. I''m a little miffed about losing my best toy and more than a little paranoid. Hmm. Well, even I can smell a rat here, so I made certain to have a few words with Mother and Niala about the golem and had them let me amend a few things. So taking a cue from Asimov''s laws of robotics I added hard coded guidelines of conduct into the golem which cannot be repealed or removed. They are simply: the golem cannot attack an owner or the creator. If ordered to do so the current owner in question is struck from the owner registry and ownership reverts back to the creator. This also includes defense protocols and an automatic return function. So even if they order it to attack us from a distance or hold me hostage, they''ll get stomped. Their camp is precisely where I expected, a small defensible area surrounded by large trees and a wall. I cleared it out, for them. Heheheh. I proceed to stand between two large mounds and wait for their leader. I ignore any threat they offer and they do offer several. A few of the soldiers look disgusted and clearly are talking about doing away with me, from the attitude and gestures. I currently have Big Monster on auto-guard so, it is not a concern. All they''ll do is bleed all over me if they try. I note the chips in the trees where I suspect a giant skeleton swung a cleaver around. So it held them trapped in here for a while? My golem only barely fits through the gap in the trees. My two guides are flanking me. My friendly scout offers a quirky smile. The other, a stoic older man watches me warily. Smart man. I am armed, after all. Although I''m more dangerous than I appear, obviously. My sword-breaker and katar are sitting on my belt. I added some enhancements to their designs, using my crafting. The sword-breaker has a swift-swing enhancement and the scissors-katar has a cutting enhancement. Both of them are small things, but the results are pleasantly synergistic with the weapon purpose. A man approaches dressed in a fancier set of armor with a breastplate, bracers and greaves all of them made of bronze with silver inscription. Crude stuff by my standards now, but not without a hint of elegance of design. He is flanked by a woman of the same race. Both lack helmets. I can only see one difference that identifies them as being a species other than human, besides the red eyes. They have heavy hair around the sides of the face, a bit like an ape. Perhaps they are that hairy all over? Huh, first time seeing a human-like woman since I''ve been here. It seems my urges and tastes are still based on my human ones. She has a slightly severe, cold look, but that might just be from time in the military. She seems to be a clerk or aide. Not bad looking over all with long dark brown hair in a bun, but she would probably be the kind you''d see in a dominatrix role with a riding crop or being a strict teacher to a naughty student... Ugh... hormone overload. I''m still a damn teenager in rat terms. Keep it in your pants... er... fur, rat boy. They seem to have a set of my demands prepared. She''s efficient, of course. I look them over and try to guesstimate the amounts I''ll receive based upon the weights. Since I can do complex mathematics I can easily extrapolate the amount they are trying to push onto me. I get an idea of what they are actually offering by inquiring about the weight measurement they use and then using the score system until I have the correct number (since they use the archaic method of counting with words for every number instead of the classic Arabic method used in the Modern world). It seems I''ll be getting five tons. I haggle it to ten. Pretty cheap price for a weapon that could potentially wipe out armies. I playfully suggest they add on the female aide. Accepted! ¡­Uh... I notice she isn''t in military gear. She''s a slave?! That seems very likely. I doubt a nation as archaic as this would have much in the way of women''s rights and equality or ''human'' rights either... so she''s a personal slave of the commander? I just bought her... The price settled I add the officer to the owner registry of the golem. He nods and shakes my hand. He notices my weapons and asks about them. Well, I''m quite happy now that he seems far less treacherous than expected. I show them to him. The Scout replies to a few questions and the officer''s eyes widen. Ah, realized that I made all of it, huh? I feel like showing off. I call one of the soldiers who showed me a very unpleasant expression earlier. I wave the swordbreaker and offer to show the officer what it can do. He nods and the soldier raises his spear, rather than his sword. Bastard. Trying to embarrass or kill me, huh? He tries to stab me but the swordbreaker diverts the point away. I draw the katar. He stupidly sweeps at me, I block with both weapons. The scissors snap open and then as suddenly close on the bronze and wood. With a twist I lop off the point. They really are scissors now with the sharpness enhanced. He draws his sword angrily, tossing the useless spear aside. A single-edged curving blade. Smiling I swing at the weapon with the swordbreaker. He tries to block. Hah. Stupid. The metal bar ploughs through the blade and snaps the spine of the weapon near the middle of the curve. It emerges from the weapon, the top edge of the sword falling to the dirt. I grin at the shocked look of the idiot that threatened me. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I toss the swordbreaker point first at the tree beside the officer where it buries in solid wood a good inch. He pulls it loose and marvels at the lack of damage from such a hard blow. Barely scratched. Actually that''s just bronze residue clinging to the weapon. I made it to survive blows from monsters. A bronze sword may as well be tinfoil. He proposes buying the weapon. Hu hu hu! I stroke my furry chin chuckling. We already have one deal, now they want to start a long term business arrangement... Well, I do have a decent stockpile at hand. I can always make another swordbreaker. I hash out the details for our new arrangement. I draw a few examples of my more unusual weapons and give various prices, based on the resource cost. It seems they will be sending a convoy through here to purchase weapons, an amount of several hundred. They''ll be bringing my payment as well. Good. I have five hundred plus already prepared. Pleased I turn to leave. The woman looks scared. Oh, right. Well... I suppose I can use a language teacher and cleaner. I live in a rats nest, after all. I urge her to collect her belongings and hurry up. She bites her lower lip but obeys. I suppose out here there is no survival if you try to escape from slavery. She actually has a small bag with a few sets of clothes and some simple toiletries. A purse with several silver coins too... oh. Roman slaves used to legally own their money, which they could use to purchase their own goods or even freedom. Saving up for a rainy day or a major purchase? As we leave I whistle. A rumble shakes the area and the twin mounds of earth shift suddenly and with great force. The strangers are all preparing for some kind of attack. From the ground two tall forms rise from where I buried them. Golems. Giant-Bone Golems. Three skeletons combined into one heavy humanoid form, fused together. The only other plentiful resource in my town. Not as effective as Big Monster, but plenty strong and disposable. I have enough for three spares back home. The other reason I had no worries about our undead pest. A pair of these would put the annoyance down. I smirk and order them to follow me. The commander stares at me for a while as the golems follow, before bursting into laughter. It must have been bugging him, why I gave up the steel golem so cheaply and acted so boldly. I have replacements, which pose no threat to the steel one. I surrendered my battleship but built a couple of makeshift destroyers to take up the slack. I bet the commander is already plotting to purchase these too. They''re only bonded to my orders too, so no silly stuff with Niala. The woman is staring at me with a mix of horror and awe. Well, it could be worse. It could be revulsion. I shrug, then offer to carry her baggage, via golem. She may consider herself a slave but a golem is just a convenient machine-like thing. They are built for nothing but manual labor and destruction. I consider her role to be as my new cultural adviser and teacher. However I''ll be keeping all rulers and riding-crops/whips out of her hands. I''m not going to take advantage of the situation, but if she ever asks... in a way I understand... I''ll happily take her up on the offer. She is by no means hard on the eyes. She even seems to be a little busty... Oh! Bad rat! No wonder we breed so quickly. Our sex drives are in locked in ''hyper-active''. Why do I suddenly feel scared for my chastity around Niala? I mean, she''s just a sister. She wouldn''t be feeling like this toward me, right? She only really spends time with me and Mother. Perhaps she''s a late bloomer? For a rat... Yeah, right. ¡­ We reach the gate, only to be greeted by a crowd of very angry rats. Oh. They''re hungry. They''ve been locked in for two days now. Well, no harm in letting them out. I leave a bone golem to guard the gate. I designated them Boney and Skully. Skully is the gate guard. I guide my new servant to my home. She takes in the mess and the piles of weapons fairly well after meeting the horde of annoyed rodents. Niala sniffs the girl from behind, startling the poor woman. Uh oh. She''s pouting! Niala''s annoyed I brought back another girl? One more nail in the coffin of my sister''s normal love life... I think we should be using separate beds... I know we''ve been close for a while, but when did she get green-eyed monster close? That aside I spend a while trying to get the new girl settled in, with a proper bed (of soft pine needles). I give her some of our dwindling food stores and my water bottle. There is no one who can''t enjoy ''high'' quality food. She is immensely surprised by her raspberry, making appreciative sounds as she eats with delicate but fast bites. What we learned this chapter: Unintentional slaves are now a thing. Busy rat will be making many blades. Niala secretly plans to jump her brother and tie him up. Until she realizes there isn''t any more rope. She settles for crawling into bed with him again. Chapter 13: The trouble with bone golems is... Sorry for the delay. Motivation and inspiration dwindled for a little bit. But they are back now and raging! Day 38 Well... that is interesting... I woke up at just the right time to watch the new resident changing her clothes. She wears a corset; her assets are even more bountiful than I realized. I was thinking a perky C cup on the smaller end of the scale... she''s a solid, saucy D cup, with a soul easing jiggle. I grin wickedly, thinking about how to free her suffering bounty from the cage... a quick snip of a set of scissors-katar... perhaps borrow the leather straps for crafting? Heheh. Lecherous thoughts in the morning, is there a better time? Watching a half-naked woman. The best part, she isn''t as furry as I expected from her head. It only covers her back a little, blending enough with her scalp to resemble a human girl with long hair. Well I''m not going to treat her like a slave, at the same time, she is the only thing thing I have any sexual attraction to out here. It is damn hard not to take advantage of my position. Rats simply don''t do it for me. I look at the teeth and the row upon row of nipples... egh. They''re cute enough in a ''they are family'' kind of way. But here I have an attractive young woman completely under my thumb. My instincts are getting quite insistent. I''d better build up some kind of relationship, so my urges don''t get out of hand... As a side note, Niala''s sleeping on me, again. It is kind of sad. Is she trying to provoke my lust? She''s still na?ve enough to fail to realize the point of intimacy isn''t the ''sleeping'' part. Still I guess that means my little guy is safe from her, for a while. She is probably getting quite desperate. We are both young adults now. At least by rat development. The other rats our age are already paired up. Some probably have the next generation under development. We breed, develop and live fast. I wonder. How long do I have? I regret not asking that old bastard his age before I made him fish food. Twelve years? Twenty? Thirty? Hmm. Scientists say that the average speed of the heartbeat of a species (at rest) is directly related to longevity... this heart of mine is fluttering along at quite a pace. So my life span is far shorter than human. Well, no surprise there. Human life-span is exceptional on Earth, only a few mammals and reptiles exceed it. This woman will probably out-live me greatly. Depressing. Shifting Niala away I call out to the girl softly. I want to check her pulse. She startles and tries to cover up. She seems worried, probably because of how delicate her situation is. It seems she does realize just how aroused I am, which is making her cautious. I indicate I''m not going to hurt her. She relents and stretches out her arm at my insistence, unintentionally flashing me a second time with a view of soft, perky heaven. I realize this is exactly why she was personal slave to a high ranking officer. I suppose he took advantage of her as often as he could, not that I blame him. It is almost painful resisting. I do eventually check her heartbeat, it is of course faster than my own; because she is terrified of me. God, sometimes I''m such a dumb-ass. Worse Niala is watching the whole farce. Dammit. With my sister involved things will probably self-destruct. I call her over and try to explain what is happening. Instead I end up having to explain why the woman is here at all. Niala calls me stupid. She has a point too. I mean I could have just released her and sent her home with the soldiers. I suspect they would have honored that deal, but we are in a treacherous world; she might have just returned to being slave to the officer once again. The foreign girl is still very anxious, now that we are clearly arguing over her presence, although I have no clue how much she understands. Probably just enough to make it very uncomfortable. I settle for appeasing Niala by spending the day foraging with her and mother, leaving our new housekeeper to clean. The haul of high quality food is good, our encounters with monsters, not so much. I dragged Boney the giant bone golem along as bodyguard and left Skully guarding the gate as usual. We were in a particularly dense area of the forest when we ran into the undead giant''s corpse. Not the aggressive undead monster, his shattered remnants. I only knew it was him because his cleaver was there. Now this has me quite spooked, since my own golems are probably only a little tougher than that undead monster. If I had my gold and steel golem I''d be far less worried. That unfortunately is en route to who knows where. I can only assume this is the work of the Forest room''s boss monster. That is bad news, if it is waking up. It means very soon it will start roaming and killing. I have no clue what did this, except for one gigantic feather, half my height and a trail of massive clawed footprints leading deeper into the forest. Footprints wider than I am tall. I tell you, I practically shat bricks. The golem became our emergency escape device, carrying us away at a sprint. Looking back I swear I saw the thing glaring at us, partially hidden in the tree branches. At least I had the presence of mind to have the golem swipe the cleaver first. I''m certainly going to need it in the face of whatever the hell that was. I''m guesstimating the thing was bigger than the Tyranosaurus Rex in Jurassic Park, half again as tall as the giants. Whatever defenses and golems I can currently muster mean jack shit in front of a monster like that. Not even my old steel golem would be a match. Time to get serious. Forget people being a threat when there are worse things lurking with a mind to eat you. At this point all thoughts of my slave were out the window. So I was mildly surprised to find her at home. She was waiting, having cleaned the room quite well considering the substantial mess. She had converted a sturdy branch and a bundle of reeds into a crude broom. The place was nearly spotless, aside from the massive hunk of armor in the rear and the piles of weapons I had scattered about. Most of the useful materials were still here but really, reeds, twigs and sticks aren''t going to cut it. I need proper supplies and the iron was still a long way off. I can really only think of two places I can get materials that will be of any use. It is risky though. I have Mother close the main gate and head out with both golems, Skully with the cleaver in hand. Entering the swamp room I look around carefully, observing the giant turtles. I find a moderate sized one, a little taller than my golems and circle around. When we find the head I have Boney walk up to it slowly as Skully circles around from the left with the cleaver. I''m trying to get a clean shot at the neck as it attacks Boney. I was taken by surprise by the sheer ferocity and power of the bite. It took off Boney''s arm in one snap of it''s beaked jaws. The slash from Skully was right on the mark however and the massive heavy sword smashed through the spine of the beast. The creature thrashed as it died, slamming into Skully hard enough to knock it down causing a small decrease in durability. I had no way of repairing Boney either, who was far worse off with durability cut to sixty percent. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. However my salvage run was just what I needed. The shell of this massive turtle had an equally massive thirty four points of modification available. That was only the start of my harvesting. The bones were decent as well and beyond that the tendons and fat had uses as well. Using the golems I was able to dismantle the beast quickly with the cleaver. I set aside the choice cuts of meat, the skin, fat and tendons and had the golems dump the shell into the river. The plan to use the fish to clean the shell was quite effective, as in less than an hour I had a massive pile of bones and a high quality shell, picked clean. The skull of the turtle met the same fate. Hmm. Like this I could replenish my stock of bone golem components. I have almost enough to make a second spare golem although it certainly won''t be like these two giant based ones. After all I''m taking the shell off it and that includes the spine of the turtle which is fused with the armor. I''ll need to think of replacement components. Using the empty shell like a shopping trolley to hold the other materials and Boney''s severed arm I return. I immediately begin setting up my new defenses because time is not on my side at the moment. I split the shell of the turtle into three pieces and using bones and tendons construct a pair of heavy ballistas, one facing the river entrance one the main gate. The arms of the bow are composite turtle-shell and bone fused together and strengthened by the turtle leather as a binding, the string of the weapon naturally tendon. I understand some early siege weapons were made from the knotted sinews of cattle, so this should give it quite a punch, using one whole monster tendon. The quarrels for this mighty crossbow are made from the femurs of the tortoise with a triangular shard of the shell as the head. I make a second set of quarrels from the humerus bones of the turtle, however I don''t see this weapon as being anything more than a single-shot win/lose scenario. If I miss there is no time to reload. That is why there are two of them side by side. They are on a swivel. Using the golems I can aim them both in the correct direction and take a shot in moments. If the monster is faster than I can run, I probably won''t get to the second ballista in time. However I don''t intend for the beast to get a clean run at me. First of all I have the golems as meat shields (ironic). As a second line of defense I start crafting pitfall traps with thin spikes of leftover turtle shell. The pitfalls are wide and the covers strong. Anything rat sized isn''t going to trigger them. I figure the beast (probably a bird) is at least as heavy as my golems, so I used their weight to calibrate the allowances. I marked the traps with the scent of turtle blood so the rats know they are dangerous. I yell out to the staring rats, that line the doorways watching that the forest monster is awake and how to spot my traps. The few older rats that recognize what I''m talking about look visibly stunned. A few inspect the traps and ballistas. None of them dare to touch them though, thanks to my scapegoat, Old Rat (deceased). My devices are currently taboo, which suits me just fine. Less risk of them wasting our ballista ammo or stupidly opening the gates. I station Skully at the ballistas, just to be sure they aren''t tampered with. Boney follows me with the remnants of my hunting trip, including the massive turtle skull. Sister tries to greet me but I blow her off, settling in to craft myself some better weapons for this kind of fight. I don''t know IF the bird monster is going to kick in our gate, nor do I want to be unprepared IF it does. Since the ballista seems to be handy I knock together an arbalest. A double sided, four armed variant to allow me to immediately fire again after firing, without the need to reload. Essentially it is just a heavier, high powered version of a crossbow. I test fire it, using a steel bolt I crafted from the dwindling remains of the giant dagger. My target is the iron breastplate. Not only does the bolt fly straight, which was the first modification I added to the weapon; the result of the strike was that the head and shaft of the bolt is embedded in the metal, by two inches. I nearly choked when I saw that. The reason I was so surprised is the crossbow I made has the added effect of having ''reduced recoil''. It barely jerked when I fired. Usually there would be a considerable kick to the weapon. With the lack of any grief I half-expected there was little power behind it, but to drill that deep in solid iron... it is going to cause one bird quite a headache. I make half a dozen bolts and prep the weapon for immediate use. I look at the girl who seems fascinated by my work. I wink at her before supplying her with dinner in the form of fresh water and an apple-sized strawberry. She looks hungry still, after that. Well I can''t blame her. One meal a day is harsh. I bring her attention to my fresh meat. She looks ravenous. Using a set of twigs and a simple bow I manage after an effort to make a small fire. It worries Mother and Niala significantly. Animal instincts, no doubt. The smell of grilling meat quickly overcomes their apprehensions. I form a set of plates from turtle-shell (I imagined them as blunt chakrams) and simple knives and forks (since they technically count as weapons I was able to form them from some of the silver in the back room). From the iron breastplate I formed a frying-pan which funnily enough counted as a weapon. Thus we all sat down and ate a civilized meal of (turtle) steak. The meat was tough, as I expected but the flavor was not unpleasant; added to that it was the first time either Niala or I had eaten meat and the first time Mother had eaten cooked meat. As a result there were happy faces all around, not least of all the slave girl, who seemed rapt by the food. Her smile as she savored it was wide and she seemed to have forgotten we were in the room. Niala and Mother gave up on the knife and only used the fork and their fingers, while I and the slave girl casually used our implements. She seemed impressed I was using them skillfully. Her own movements as she used the knife were elegant. I guess table manners aren''t expected of rats. I add the finishing touches to one more fearsome new weapon before I start nodding off. I set the golem as an alarm, to warn us of danger by stomping. Later we settled in for the night. For some reason the girl offered me her wrist... it took me a while to realize she wanted me to take her pulse again. It is still strangely high. Her species must live like and die like mayflies... What we learned: Big Bird of doom incoming! (He''s second highest tier!) The only reason Niala and Mother rat even use the fork is because they envy the table manners of the other two... Turtles really aren''t that dangerous. Provided you don''t get close. Chapter 14: The name of the boss monster Day 39 Quiet. Far too quiet. Haven''t heard a peep from the monster bird. It is already midday according to my internal clock, I''m making a few toys from the remnants of the turtle, I''ve used practically everything but I''m concerned about getting more. It took most of the morning to cobble together a third bone golem. I have no materials for more golems, if I don''t get that iron. I call golem number three ''Moulder'' since it is guarding with ''Skully''. Moulder is at the river entrance, Skully the gate. While I''ve been building I''ve been learning the language of the ape-like humanoids. So far I have been holding out various weapons that are generic and getting the name for the type; axe, sword, spear, etc. I also used that to learn a few numbers, so I can now count to ten. I have been writing the words down on the wall using charcoal from the fire from last night, so that I can learn them repeatedly to make it stick. Fortunately as it seems like I''m still developing, my brain is still able to absorb languages at an accelerated rate. I''m fairly sure rat language is genetic, perhaps there are a few Rosetta stone-like genetic memories buried as well. Either way I''m catching on fairly quickly which has the girl clapping her hands every time I have a recap over the earlier words. I''m only a bit clumsy with the pronunciation. I was innocently minding my own business crafting yet another knife when a shadow loomed at the doorway. At first I thought it was Niala but for some reason it just hovered there instead of aiming to kill through cuddles. Turns out I had a gawker. A young male rat who seemed fascinated by my weapon. ¡°Well? What do you want? I''m busy, if you can''t tell.¡± [Rick] ¡°Uhh... can I watch some more?¡± [boy Rat] ¡°You mean you want to watch me making weapons like this knife?¡± [Rick] ¡°Uh huh.¡± [boy Rat] ¡°Too bad, I''m done with that for now.¡± I glanced through my collection, only a few dozen to go and I can make the quota. ¡°Why do you do it?¡± [boy Rat] ¡°The weapons? Because they are useful, they may keep me alive. They certainly have helped hurt anything that I don''t like.¡± I sigh. ¡°Or if you mean all the gates and stuff... I do that keep alive. If it can''t get in it can''t eat me.¡± ¡°Um...¡± [boy Rat] ¡°What do you want now? I''m not planning to make anything else, God knows I don''t have the resources left for much.¡± [Rick] ¡°What was that thing you just made?¡± [boy Rat] ¡°Huh? You mean the knife? This?¡± I held it up and he nodded. So naturally I explained the uses and purpose of a knife, from weapon to tool. He then began to query every different weapon I had at hand. After that I explain the reasons and uses of the traps around town. He seems quite animated and looks at me differently. I eventually get around to the golems which really I can''t explain fully. I mean how do they actually work? Magic I suppose, but that isn''t very logical. Same with the healing hugs and the other things we do. How does that really work? I can''t really test it. All I can do is simple things like forage without the skills active. The results are what you''d expect though. I have searched an area repeatedly with my eyes only to see Mother fetch some high quality food item from that same place. So either the skills mess with our perception or the universe actually creates these things so that they are imperceptible to those with lacking skills. Is it the maze itself or the world? I can''t really test that one either, without escaping the maze. However there does seem to be an outside judging from the forest room''s roof. I saw a few shacks up on top of the crystal roof, on the outside. The question is, why live down here with the risks posed by the monsters? I suppose it is the food supplies respawning? Possibly the respawning resources and monsters too. I could see a nation farming a region for rarities and magic, especially if it is a unique feature of the labyrinth itself rather than the world at large. Food is probably the reason the rats are here, since they don''t use anything more complex than a rock as a tool. Well perhaps not, because my mysterious gawker seems to want to borrow a knife. Maybe the constant danger around here whittled away anyone with a backbone? To the point where using weapons means that you will die? I can see a kind of sense there, challenging a turtle or the spider would kill most people. Monsters around here are just too deadly without something as potent as a golem backing a person up. I assume hat that isn''t a constant, that there are places in the maze that have weaker monsters. I think the crypt was one. Shame it''s cut off. The real problem that has killed off all the armed rats is most likely lack of coordination. They move in small groups, they die when they run into something they can''t handle, like that giant shrew. I''m sure that killed plenty of rats. For now, lets just try to keep the family alive and together. Regional conquest and harvesting isn''t something that will be available in a hurry. I need to turn the mentality of the rats on it''s ear. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. This little fellow with an interest in my gear, he might just be the pebble that starts the landslide. I include him in my language training. The slave girl is actually quite charmed by the little guy, since he''s still being weaned he''s a ball of fluff. A living stuffed animal basically. I''m getting a little jealous of her obvious favoritism. Day 40 The big four zero. I open the gates but no one is willing to go out, now that the big bird is moving. That isn''t encouraging. At least unlike the rest, my family has food supplies. I do pity the others but I can''t really go foraging for food at this time. Sigh. I take Moulder and make him catch fish by hand in the river. The fish are quite bluntly: mutants. I have no idea what even half of those things were, but all of them went into hungry bellies quickly enough. I''m actually repulsed the rats could even stomach them. They were abominably ugly. A few even had human faces... I suppose the nourishment skill is a common one for rats. I''m not sure if Niala''s lucky or unlucky she didn''t get it. The language of the apelike humanoids is quickly becoming much easier to understand. I have maybe forty words of it clarified, I''m almost able to talk to the girl. I managed to finish the weapon consignment, using the remnants of the iron armor. My new little shadow seems to have watched my work again, the small rat lingering to learn how to speak a second language. Niala is quite surprised to find the fur-ball present, alternating between teasing him and pampering him. I think she''s reminded of our brothers. Around dinner time we hear crashes in the distance; the bird is on the move. However it doesn''t come here. Day 41 Ominous rumbling every few hours. It really must be voracious it eats monsters at that pace. Unable to sit still I try to teach the little rat how to use a spear. I think he said his name is ''Foolhardy'' which is pronounced as Tirmin. I can certainly see how he got that name, but I''d say it isn''t a correct one. He''s just clever enough to realize how great the danger is. I also learn that the slave girl thinks I''m Tirmin''s father and Niala''s husband which is quite untrue, but I simply can''t explain how yet. I do seem to understand the language better than I can speak it now. We share a meal of berries. Even the little guy. The slave girl seems to be losing her cool a little though. The stomping is getting to her. I almost don''t recognize her sometimes. Then she smiles again and has me take her pulse. I don''t get why she does this, I guess she thought it was some kind of custom? Damn, it is faster than ever. Day 42 I wake up to the sounds of stomping golem feet and the crashing of the main gate. Bone pieces spray down the passage as I race toward the ballistas, signaling Moulder to turn the one facing the wrong direction. Behind me Boney follows. I send both golems at the bird as the siege weapon is aimed. The massive bird is a sight of terror. Broad hooked beak and powerful legs. It has clawed wings, stubby and strong. It is a ruddy red, with yellow highlights on a long crest. It is even bigger than I guessed, tall and slender but massive. Twice my golems. It is four stories tall. It has to duck in the passageway and barely slips under the metal bars of twisted gate. As Moulder tries to grab the bird, avoiding the traps by my programming; the golem shatters, blown away by a killer beak. Damn. Down to one. The slave girl followed us out and stares terrified at the bird. She screams only one thing as she scrambles back into our house. A single, frightful word. Butcher. I don''t know how I know that word in her language but the undertones of instinctive understanding send chills down my spine. The bird chortles a cry and strides toward us as I launch the massive bone bolt. At the last second the bird stumbles and the bolt misses, clattering off the walls to one side as the bird regains it''s balance. It almost fell into one of the pitfalls but managed to avoid that. Dammit. This is really bad. It looks at me. I get the feeling it understood I nearly hurt it. Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT! It''s smart too! With a second chortle the bird leaps over the passageway, into the town. The only thing between it and us, Boney. My new upgraded Boney, complete with turtle skull arm and the cleaver, taken from Skully''s remains. I may not be able to repair weapons, what I can do is merge them and add materials for additional modification. Boney is twice the golem he used to be. What we learned: Damn bird puts a T-rex to shame. Boney mark II, Activate! (Is that you Shenlong Gundam?!) Things are about to get a whole lot worse. Chapter 15: Butcher Bird Prepare yourselves the climax of Act 1 is here! Death is certain... Day 42 continued It is a showdown. The bird watches us, bobbing it''s head incrementally closer as it keeps a single wary eye on us. It isn''t so much a single bird as traits of a dozen all rolled together. The kicks of a cassowary, the surgical precision of a heron''s beak, the intelligence of a parrot and the aggression of a bird of prey. It is watching me as much as the golem, it knows about the bolts now. It will evade. These heavy duty ballistas just aren''t made for tracking a fast moving target. The bird may be big, but I still have to get a bead on it. The worst problem is: the bird is so agile and quick. Facing something with the striking power of a wrecking-ball and the reflexes of a peregrine falcon? I''m probably about to die. I don''t know how long my enhanced golem is going to last under that monstrosity''s attacks; I do know the lone ballista isn''t going to be enough. I start to reload the first in a hurry. Two shots at once down the tunnel at the same distance apart should help. After all I can''t miss that way. I''m not sure if that will be enough though. But I can only try. I have Mother aim the other ballista as I wind the handle, stretching the tendon tight as the golem and the bird begin their death match. I can only hope the golem delays long enough to be useful. Niala appears with the arbalest, barely able to hold the weapon steady. Behind us a flood of rats claw at the mechanism to open the rear gate and run down the escape path. So many they are knocking each other into the water in their hurry, dozens being eaten alive or trampled. This may seem illogical, it is not. The Butcher is coming. So as rats naturally do; they flee the doomed town. They have no direction, they have no hope. They will die out there, if they do not crawl back when the killing is done. When the bird sleeps. The little rat cowers but remains behind us, trusting in my weapons. Ah, how na?ve. I don''t rate our chances highly at all. But I suppose some kind of chance is better than none. So I crank the shaft, every moment numbered. Whether I arm the weapon before the golem falls or after may be the deciding factor of my life. The golem is defensive, as I made it so. It lingers back trying to stall for time. The Butcher however has no patience. It knows no fear. It sweeps into the attack, striking with the deadly beak. The turtle head however is heavily armored. The golem blocks the blow with one arm, the other holding the cleaver scrapes against the beak, chipping the hard calcium. Precious seconds saved. The bird shakes it''s head, showing it hasn''t suffered any real damage. It lunges again, kicking out with the right leg. The golem blocks again, turtle head low absorbing the blow. The golem is still blown off it''s feet and crashes into the wall. I see cracked bones and see a few secondary components snapped as it struggles to stand. The bird however follows with a brutal aggression, kicking again as it is backed against the wall. The turtle head blocks, snapping a brutal beak of it''s own and cutting off the left talon of the claw. In response however the bird''s beak descends and closing on the weaker arm, shears off the bones at the shoulder and the cleaver with it. Dammit! I''m winding fast, getting close to readiness. Hold out just a little more! The bird hops back, expecting the golem to lash out. If the loss of a talon hurt it, it doesn''t show. The golem stumbles forward, swaying unsteadily. Only a few support bones remain in the golem''s chest, it was almost smashed against the wall by that last kick. The ballista clicks into place as the bow is ready. I reach down and grasp the third bolt, placing it in the recess. Done! Then looking up everything goes black. Bones clatter around me as I hit the ground. It takes several moments to realize what happened. Feeling blood flowing over my face and hearing white noise. Until reality comes crashing back hard at the thrumming cry of a ballista. SHIT! I was hit by shrapnel as the golem was demolished. I try to stand. I look up and see the bird looming over me. NO DAMMIT! Then a silhouette blocks my view of the lunging predator. At first I think it is Niala... I was wrong. Mother stands there facing me arms out wide as the bird''s beak sweeps down. However even as she tries to save me, she fails. It takes us both, crushing and squeezing our torsos. I feel ribs cracking and see the light fade in my Mother''s eyes as she dies. Then I learn how it earned the name Butcher. As it carries us over to the twisted spike from the gate and threads us onto it. Like fucking bugs being pinned to a display. I am first, I feel the spike tear through my shoulder-blade and out my chest. It pushes me down to the base. Then just as carefully it does the same to Mother. It presses us together and turns, looking for more prey. Niala races up and from point blank fires the arbalest straight into the behemoth from between it''s feet. It screeches, the bolt piercing into hip bones. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I''m feeling very light headed at the moment, probably because I''m about to die again from the blood loss if nothing else. Or the massive spike through my ribcage. Whichever. The bird twirls, stomping as she scrambles around barely avoiding being pulverized. She fires into a knee, again at extreme close range. The beast shrieks as it collapses. She stumbles as it falls. It falls into a pitfall trap sideways. Damn bird, die already! The cries are bubbling and frenzied as it comes out, bearing massive wounds to the chest and neck. As it struggles to stand and avenge itself on Niala I hear a sound of beauty. The sound of a Ballista. Little rat, having seen the operation of the weapon twice took a shot at the bird. It wasn''t a clean one, striking the breastbone of the bird it spun the creature. Then it fell once more into the pit, heavily on the spikes. This time there was no second coming. Not that Niala cared. She rushed over to me grabbing hold and trying her best to heal me. However she couldn''t extract me from the spike. All ten feet of it. My body was trying to recover, regenerate much like my tail did, but the metal bar stopped that. Even with her healing all she was doing was extending what little life I had left. There was no golem to lift me free. I would remain here forever at this rate and she would starve to death trying to keep me alive. At best she could only keep me lingering a cruel, painful existence. So I begged her to let me die. She refused to hear me. I reminded her of the fact that death wasn''t the end. Her response was simply ¡°Without you life isn''t worth living.¡± So she stubbornly kept me alive. As she did she cried, seeing Mother dead in such a brutal manner only a few feet away. The little rat came closer. ¡°Hey, you did great. You killed the Butcher. Bravo.¡± [Rick coughing] Yet all he could do was cry. Yes he definitely has the wrong name. It should be ''Bold One''. The slave girl came out and slowly examined what had happened, shocked immensely by the fact we had defeated the beast. Niala being her usual stubborn self refused to let go of me. We spent half a day like that. Until a caravan entered the broken town. The merchants and their guards came up and queried the slave girl, who pointed them to the dead bird. They immediately started to harvest the corpse, which set off alarm bells in my head. They were opportunistic. Very. Then the girl surprised me. She talked to the merchants, offering them treasure in return for a fair share. The treasure from our vault. As if that wasn''t enough she then pointed out Niala and the little rat, explaining just how useful they would be: Niala''s healing gift and the cute little fur-ball. Both of them would make decent slaves. However she explained it was such a shame I was too far gone. Because I was worth ten of them. Then she lead the way for them, so they could retrieve my weapons; take our riches. They didn''t even drop the load of iron, keeping it. At least I used up all the gold bullion on the golems. The worst of it was when they grabbed hold of the little rat and Niala. They both fought back. The little guy with teeth and claws, Niala a silver needle I made into a dagger for her so long ago appeared, surprising the guards that caught her. However they were many, armored and fit, she was exhausted. They tore her from my grasp. As they dragged her away I cursed at them, spitting blood as I did so. I was dying again and this time there would be no miraculous cure. As they left, Niala''s cries echoed. Until they faded into the distance. I wanted so much to get her back. I only noticed then I had her ring in my hand. The ring I gave her so long ago, that she treasured. I hugged it to me. I want to get her back. I want to save the little squirt too. I want to live. I want to kill that treacherous bitch and those merchants. But I''m dying. This can''t be the end! I won''t let it be! Then the answer comes. I gaze at the ring and hug it tight. Then I do what I do well. I make a weapon. However this time is very different. The materials are coarse and broken, with the exception of the ring. But that can be changed, improved upon. Much like the golem was upgraded so can this weapon change to suit my needs. I make myself into a weapon. The pain is exquisite, like molten steel pouring through my veins as I modify myself. I pause, to bury Mother. As I do the survivors come out of hiding. The rats see me. They flee from my gaze. The ring used to be my compass and guide. Now it is literally my heart. Thus ends Act 1: Storming the Castle. Coming soon Act 2: Rat in a Maze. What we learned: Treachery! It comes in many forms. Chicken skewers for everybody! Introducing Robo-rat. Chapter 16: Frenzy Day 43 I run down the tunnel, entering the forest room. It still hurts, as my body assimilates the transformation. The ring is the sole reason I still live, it is the only ''higher'' quality item I have ever seen, one step lower than the gilded-steel golem. I don''t know the specifics of the ring, only that it had a massive twenty points of modification. Merged with a ton of scrap metal spike and one impaled rat. Twenty-five points of modification available, total. I only count as a pitiful three, broken as I was. I can see my own stats, but really they don''t tell me much. Durability a solid five thousand. Look at the bone golems, they had twenty thousand. They were blown away in singular attacks from the Butcher... lets not try to pick fights with boss monsters again in a hurry. The flavor text mocks me by hinting my transformation is unique, but that means little, just that I''m the only one reckless enough to use my method. It was an insane move after all. I''m sure I''ll suffer for it in the long run. I mean am I even still alive? I don''t have a heart or lungs. Just a spiraling ring. It grinds in my chest, like some kind of dynamo. It is my power source. What powers the ring is a question I don''t have an answer to. All I know is the ring was a vital ingredient for this kind of metamorphosis. So I''m not sure where to begin describing how different I am now... my chest is scrap iron, with a grill. I look like a cut-rate cyborg. Iron components spread throughout my body reinforcing my limbs, providing additional bone support and strength. However it was not a complete upgrade, rather a stop-gap thing. My left arm and my right hip are less efficient than the rest of me. I seem to have run out of valid ingredients before I could finish. My claws and teeth are iron, and I heavily reinforced my skull and spine. Last thing I need is to be hurt there. As for my heart-ring... I welcome attempts to attack me there. As an interesting note, I can FEEL with the metal body parts. I don''t quite know what I did to myself in that irrational state, but it was clearly a directed insanity. I was practically delirious as I did it. All I know, I forged a body with a goal: I made myself for assault. This might explain why I''m so flimsy, in terms of durability. I would like to spend a few weeks carefully testing and upgrading this... prototype. However I have a delay of four hours to catch up on. That is just how long it took to modify my body from the ground up. The caravan is trundling away, with my treasures and more importantly people I need to rescue, alongside others I deeply, desperately need to rip to shreds. They have already left the Forest room. Following the scents and the tracks I approach. I enter a side-tunnel and follow it for several minutes, reaching a new area. A Forest room of a sort. A forest of amethyst crystals, the lavender spikes of gemstone as tall as men. Some kind of swirling, energy being composed of crystal shards springs out of the forest sending spikes spraying at me. I block with my arms and run up close. With an underhand, open palm blow from my right hand I shatter the creature''s core crystal. The being collapses, tinkling as it hits the ground. I don''t even bother plucking the shards from my body, nothing critical hit. I barely lost thirty durability. Although I did break my ring finger. Eh, later. I run. My stamina is excellent, but it isn''t unlimited. The ring seems to have limits. A second passage, which leads into an even more improbable room. A room of crevices. Massive gaps seem to lead into empty darkness. There! Five carts hauled by bull-things with a single horn, forty soldiers, several merchants, fifteen slaves and one traitor bitch. I have faith in my design, even if I don''t understand it. I can''t see many short cuts, but my body makes some of the more unlikely ones possible. I leap the gaps as I sprint, circling them. I may be flawed but I''m operating beyond Olympic records for the long jump and marathon. They are slow, over-encumbered by the iron they owed me. The iron they stole. Yes, it will be a nice repayment for my difficulties. A full upgrade. As the first cart and three advance guards approach the exit I drop the modified floor, watching them plummet. Five down, literally. The others panic, thinking this is some kind of natural disaster. Until I rip out the throats of a pair of guards with their backs to a pillar on the roadside with my claws. That pillar made a nice, hollow hideaway. I take a bronze shortsword from one in my left hand and advance, hacking the reins on the bull creature. As the guard driving the cart shouts the alarm I already have the sword through him. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Damn I''m fast now. They saw me but couldn''t react quick enough. They form ranks and prepare to face me as a group, really a smart move on their part. But I''m not using a shortsword now. The cart is strewn with my weapons. I know them all. I take a handle in each hand. Swordbreakers. The only thing I know I''m not going to snap with brute strength. Snarling I leap down from the cart and come at them. The fifteen of them. I see Niala at the back of the caravan. She sees me and gives a strangled cry. They chained and gagged her! UNFORGIVABLE! Baring my teeth I utter a war-cry. ¡°YOU WILL DIE!!!!!!!!¡± [Rick, furious] ¡°You will all die screaming!¡± A man runs at me, with a shield blocking. Huh. Stupid. The swordbreaker alone would fold that like tinfoil. With my current strength I cut him in half, through it. No, I overdid it a hair. I broke something. A support in my right arm. Ten durability down. Hah! Like I care! I charge the massed men, sweeping both weapons out wide for maximum damage. Three crippled and one dead in that one blow. I block a sword, and push it back using my weapon, hurling the man off the edge of the ravine. I take a slash to the back but that just dulls the blade, even scrap iron is harder than bronze. My skin and muscles take a bit of damage from it but it isn''t more than a flesh wound. Forty durability down! Pitiful! Two men attack my front, I block two swords high then slam down my weapons on their leading feet. As they scream the metal bars shatter their ribs. Pfft. Leather armor, no defense against a good knock. I could be pissed and still make better equipment than these fools carry. The remaining men grab at me, trying to loop chains around me. Shit! It is thick! Come on ring! Full throttle! Let''s show these bastards who they''re really up against! The ring shrieks as it goes into over-drive. I strain and tear the chains apart. I pick up a loop. I modify my swordbreakers. The resulting weapon is a fearsome pair of morningstars with chain. Whirling these bad-boys I smash through the rest of the soldiers, ignoring the slashes of swords unable to cleave my bones. Two of those men are very dead, shattered skulls. An arrow appears in my neck, I just laugh and snap it. I don''t breathe or bleed, fools. I''m only a few yards from Niala! Then I know enough to snarl long before I see her. Because I can smell bitch. I grind my teeth in fury. She has a knife at my sister''s throat. ¡°Well... I suppose I can''t win this one.¡± I drop the weapons. ¡°But this isn''t a loss yet either.¡± I smile. ¡°I have to retreat for now. Remember this though, scummy little bitch. You hurt my sister and I will be back and I won''t stop until I have your black heart for my dinner! But don''t worry, you''ll eat your share too. Rest easy, I will be back... soon.¡± I run and jump off the ravine edge. With iron claws I catch hold of the far side, some thirty yards away. Clambering onto an isolated area I leap onto the next, just like I did to flank them the first time. I''m not worried. They aren''t going to escape. They have to turn around and take a different, riskier path, since I completely cut off the main road. It is going to be a much riskier path with me here. Huhuhu... Or they can return my friends and goods and survive, whatever works... Later I take measure of my injuries. It was all minor stuff, small cracks and shallow cuts. It adds up to quite a bit, with so much of it. Grand total: I''m down to four thousand two hundred and ten points of durability. Still as far as attrition goes I crushed fifteen guards and crippled six more. They only have nineteen healthy men to stop me. The merchants aren''t fighters. The bitch will go down harder, but she will go down. I''m currently sitting in wait, getting ready for them in the Amethyst room. It isn''t very big, a mile squared. It should be a nice kill zone. Welcome to my own little patch of Hell, bitch and co. You barely got a taste of what is to come! What we learned: You do NOT mess with someone''s sister and expect to walk away. The slave girl is just digging herself deeper... The ring has more secrets than Rick realized. Roborat is either going to breakdown or destroy his enemy! Chapter 17: Off the beaten track Day 44 I''m still waiting. I guess they must be taking stock of the losses and providing medical care to the injured. It sure is taking them a while. I must have scared the bejezzus out of them. They''ll no doubt be using Niala and little rat as hostages at all times, but that has solutions. They''re so few they can''t do that well and protect the caravan from regular monster attacks. With so much crystal around I have plenty of material, just nothing that would do me any good to use as an upgrade personally. I settle in to wait, having turned my jungle of violet crystal into a death-trap. The crystal monster from earlier was the only one here, the room''s boss seems to have been cleared out. My steel golem, perhaps? The other group came through here. I don''t really sleep, but I do lose track of time. Huh. I guess I can''t even sleep any more. I don''t know if that is a good thing yet or not. I won''t get caught unawares, but how do I unwind? Oh, haha. It''s because I''m clockwork, isn''t it? Also I''m starting to feel hungry and thirsty... how odd. My stomach is still there but it is blocked off by the ring. Is this going to end with me starving or dehydrating to death? ¡­ time passes. This is taking entirely too long. I venture back into the room of ravines. I can''t believe it! I fooled myself! They circumvented my plans. Using ropes and the slaves they managed to haul the people and carts over to the other side that I cut off. Their bulls aren''t here but their blood is. I think they rigged up a pulley system, used the bulls to haul the carts to safety and then killed and dumped the bodies of the bulls over the edge. Shit. They cut the ropes too. But one is just long enough to use. I make a pick out of stone and use it as a grapnel. It catches on a rocky outcrop after a few tries. I leap off, taking the slam into the stone wall fairly well. Minimal damage. As I start to crawl up... Son of a bitch! They played me! A set of ten spearmen appear at the edge, stabbing down at me. The slave girl is with them, one of my knives in hand as she cuts at the rope. I can''t get close, they''re using the spears to push me down with their leverage! I manage to get a hand on one spear and pull the owner over. He collides with me, clinging to my shoulder. Then it is all over as I enter free fall, the slave girl''s smirk the last thing I see. The soldier claws at me as we plummet. Well... not much I can do either way; he''s a dead man. I use him as a shock absorber, landing on him. It is quite a collision. I feel things break all over. But I''m alive. Having reinforced bones and muscles has perks. The bad news, I''m down to just four hundred and twelve points of durability. My left arm snapped completely in the fall, both the elbow and the wrist shattered. My right hip is cracked, I can''t walk without limping. Half my face was ground off in the impact with the rock floor. I think on top of that I have a concussion. Still the torso''s share was absorbed by the soldier. It is why I''m still alive. I glance around at this new place. It isn''t quite what I hoped; I was expecting the fallen cart to be here. However this room seems to be a honeycomb of smaller rooms. There are paths, but it is an absolute maze. I have no clue which direction is which. Even looking up, all I see is sheer rock walls. Shit. I''m lost. That is infinitely worse than being trapped. Any direction I go could be certain death and I may not realize. ¡­ Well the cart can''t have ended up very far from here. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. I also have what I can take from the pulverized man. Damn, I may even have to eat him if it comes to that... if I can figure out how to eat. I strip him of his leather armor, wearing it loosely is about all I can do with it. The cap doesn''t fit nor do the boots. The blood stains aren''t pleasant either. Not to mention the need to tear the rear of the pants to let my tail out. At the bare minimum it obscures my chest a little. The spear fell with us, but it broke. I salvage the head and fashion it into a knife. Double damn, back to knives again. Hell, my claws are better as a weapon than this bronze age garbage. Still as a tool it may be useful. I leave the corpse as a baited trap, with a set of jaw traps made of stone and powered by the dead man''s tendons littering the area. Hopefully I catch something I have less scruples about eating. There are three paths. One smells like water, one like death and one like dust. I take the water path, since it is a necessity. There are three more honeycomb rooms, connected to a passage. Nothing that dropped from above but I have two other chances with that. I reach... a river. Again? Are they spaced at regular intervals? Is it the same one?! Something to explore if I have to, but with no materials I''ll be fish food in no time. I circle back to Corpsey McSplatter. Path 2: Dusty Trail. I find the cart. Hallelujah! Oh, wait. It is just the cart, shattered. No weapons, no corpses, no iron ore. Just broken wood. Shit... that means there is someone else out here salvaging. There are two new paths, from here. One is hot the other is strangely sterile. I don''t smell the culprit of the theft, which is troubling. They lack a scent and didn''t leave a trail. The scentless path is likely the one the scavengers use, but I can''t be certain. I follow it but find something frustrating. The mouth of the room is cut off. A massive vortex of sand blocking my entry. It is very suspicious, but I don''t have the means to penetrate it without being sandblasted into dust... oh. That explains the smell. The hot room is also difficult in it''s own way, a vast volcanic vent. I''m not going out there in a hurry either. Gusts of steam threaten to broil me. I retreat back to the pancake man. Bingo! I caught an animal. A big crab, it must be from the river. It is two foot wide across the shell. Uh... okay not a crab. It''s a giant bug. (Pseudo-scorpion) A giant mite? Weird looking. But still, I prefer this to eating a person. At least cooking isn''t hard, I just push it a few feet into the Volcanic room with a plank and it is instantly steamed. ¡­ So how do I eat? Well I guess I''ll try the usual way... I don''t see how that will work but it can''t be worse than nothing. My taste buds still exist and they''re crying... Tastes like it was marinated in drain cleaner. Well I still have the nourishment skill. It is probably edible. The food drops onto the ring... Grinding sounds echo as my heart spins frantically, tearing the material apart at the sub-atomic level. Of course I don''t know how it works, only that it does. It''s a goddamn nuclear powered reactor and not a typical fission one either. Antimatter perhaps? One thing is certain... I''m not feeling hungry any more. Also my durability rose ten points... now that is welcome news. Now to find a way back to were I used to be. What we learned: Intelligent locals... Only two ways to go: River or Death. The lower levels are stranger. Slave girl so needs to die. Chapter 18: Bowled over Day 45 I haven''t got a clue what time it is down here without sunlight. I do know I haven''t felt exhausted or mentally drained in the last day or so I''ve been a bio-mechanical weapon. Perk? I''m also at the limit of learning more about how my new digestion works. I''m not a physicist and the basic laws that are observable on Earth around here are gibberish. I just ran into proof of just how ridiculous some of these rooms really are; I found a room of reversed gravity. Following the ''death'' scented path I found a side tunnel branching away into a ''mushroom'' scented path. From that path I found two additional offshoots, a ''moist'' path and the path that lead toward this strangest of rooms. Sure is seems normal walking around on the roof, since gravity is holding you there, but enter or exit and you fall on your head. Every. Single. Time. The reason I have to come back and suffer this abuse, over and over? The scent of this room was MINERALS. Crystals, ores and sulfur. The walls are a patchwork of rock types, bands of several different minerals. There are also limestone bands packed with fossilized creatures and marble. It is bizarre; this isn''t natural. I''d almost think it was some kind of trick. The ores are primarily copper. Disappointing. I did find a shelf of coal, however. Without proper tools all I could do was claw at it. But the fist sized chunks were very useful. I ate them. Not only were they converted into nourishment, they were very ''nutritious''. I gained a few hundred durability points by consuming all I could pull out with my hands. Not only that, my hip and arm are feeling a touch less painful. This leads to the understanding: the better suited materials significantly improve my recovery. The bug I caught and ate yesterday was inappropriate, coal however seems to have a distinct boost. I intend to try water next, to see the result. I have assumptions that this method of healing responds better to the base elements of life. I need replacement materials to repair. I don''t have the ability to digest, so I need the raw elements. Coal is pure carbon. Anyway, the room itself had only plant monsters. They tried to grapple me with vines and thorns. Pfft. A set of claws to the stem rips that idea to pieces. They are numerous and troublesome, enough that if three of four were to attack I''d be forced to retreat but they seem to be solitary and the vines are quite slow. So they''re little more than a nuisance really. So to sum up there are now four new rooms I know about since yesterday, bringing the Underground to a total of seven. I''m willing to bet one of the lethal caves has the path back up. With the way things work around here; there is probably a major boss monster guarding it. Which is why I''m not going to waltz into the ''death'' room until I am thoroughly prepared. Preferably with knowledge of what the monster is and a healthy body. It is still a fair way off: my current durability is seven hundred and ninety three. So first things first. I build a pick, from the bronze dagger and a tree branch. It won''t last long but then I can simply create more from other sources. The point is my precious food/fuel source. Soon enough I have fully excavated the shelf, eaten the twenty pounds of coal. Durability now equals two thousand three hundred. Then I recall the words Mother used about collecting food and resources. Every time you enter a room new resources spawn. So I am abusing the hell out of that mechanic! Which is why I have a sore head from repeated face plants due to gravity. The end result: full durability. Minus exit face-plant of two points. Next I enter the ''mushroom room''. The name seems superfluous. Naturally there are mushrooms. In fact it is ALL mushroom. The walls, the roof, the floor, all of it pulsating with glowing, throbbing mushrooms. Ugh. They look like mutant penises... I am getting out of here in a hurry. It looks like the setup for one seriously deranged hentai scene. Then it quickly becomes weirder as I meet two armed figures. They burble at me in a language I don''t understand through hare-lips. Not that they are cute like a rabbit. They are slugmen. Just when I thought the creep factor was bad the maze dials it up to eleven. Great, so boneless, hideous freaks stole my iron ore and weapons. As they get an eye-stalk full of me they turn and run for it down an adjacent tunnel. Run? Yes they have legs... well technically they skate on slime. Well there can''t be too many of ''em, right? Famous last words. The cavern that is their home is a fortified city. A quick guess at their numbers: three hundred? But they aren''t prepared for me. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. They barely have a moment or two before I arrive, claws scraping against the floor for traction. I get a good look at a cliff-side rising in a spiral. Homes dot the path and at the top a mansion. Even if it is a mansion of hardened slime, a vivid snot green. Anyway, they started to get impertinent. Waving crystal edged glaives and spears they threatened me. Enough of that. I came closer to the nearest, who was using a glaive. I caught the handle as he swung. The strength was not unimpressive, it was certainly on par for a humanoid. I''m just not that fair, now that I''m a cheat character. A kick to the torso sends the slimy guy sliding back quite far. Almost no friction with all the slime. I manage a nice spin kick. Huh. My balance is pretty good now, too. The glaive is left in my hand, since my hand isn''t slimy. They certainly are easily disarmed. Normally I''d use my own weapons but I figure that the slugs make weapons as useful against their own kind as they are against others. Unrest and intrigue seems like a norm for intelligent species. Although the crystal looks kinda blunt. I''m not sure what it is made of. I slash at the nearest slug humanoid... I technically can''t call them slug men; they''re hermaphrodites. As much men as women. The weapon itself breaks under the hard blow, the crystal shattering and spraying. Pathetic. ¡­ Okay that''s new. The guy is clawing at the wound and foaming all over. The crystals are apparently whole blocks of salt. The slugs probably use them like tasers on their own kind. Does that mean the only threat down here to them is OTHER slugs? Huh. Well then I have to say, they aren''t any kind of threat to me. They can''t even kill me through blood pressure from excess salt. I don''t have ventricles to burst. Time-wise however I''m in a bit of a fix. I''d probably just settle in and try to come to a peaceful solution; however the clock is ticking and Niala''s probably sick with worry. Right. Conquest it is. It is actually quite fun to get around here, once you get used to it. It is like a giant slide from all the slime. I can''t say I have much experience at skating or ice hockey. Still the slugs aren''t very agile, far too slow moving in general. Using my decent grip due to my claws I already have a massive leverage advantage. Under the mucus, it is rough rock. I can utterly ignore the gentle slope, while the slugs need a running start to hurdle it. On the slope they are a little annoying, they come sliding down from high above with spears, trying to lance me. It was so pathetic I had a good laugh as I clothes-lined the first. Sent him tumbling head over heels twice before he reached the bottom, mid-air. The spear snapped as it hit me. The idiots were aiming dead center: ie. My armored chest. Salt doesn''t pierce copper, much less iron. Second slid straight into my fist. Didn''t even punch, just held the arm rigid aiming for face. The slug in question deformed beautifully, like you see in slow motion. Ripples formed and the entire head bent. No bones, so I doubt it was fatal but it was impressive as hell. Last I simply stuck a foot out. Super effective! Not only did it clean the ''knight'' slug''s clock as face met floor it turned him into a bowling ball that toppled the ''pursuers'' from the entrance. Strike. A few more knights gave me a seven/ten split, a spare and a gutterball. Literally one unlucky slug ended up on the edge of a lower house''s roof near the bottom of the slope. I proceeded unimpeded into the largest structure of the city, the mansion. I''ve been looking, house by house for my stuff but so far nothing. Inside isn''t quite what I expected, I was thinking thrones and treasures... it is an senate hall. They''re a republic. How about that. No ruler, just a few charismatic elders. No treasures, no throne. Damn disappointing. As I enter they bow low, obvious fear on their alien features. They retract their eye stalks. Shit, not only did I gain nothing from this but a few Funniest Home Video moments, they didn''t even take my iron?! They misinterpret my annoyance as reason to flee. I grab one by an eye-stalk and drag it back, as I try to find somewhere dry to sit so I can work out what is wrong with this corner of the Maze. Unless the boss monster is the culprit of the theft I''m stumped. What we learned: Civil unrest even occurs to slugs?! Rick briefly did the Moonwalk in reverse gravity. The Secret Boss Monster Penis Eruptus of Mushroom Cavern only awakes near women. (Tier 1!) Side Story 1: Slave to fate. Side Story: Slave to fate. For now, lets put aside the poor Rick in the depths. (This chapter will finish at the point that Rick and Slave Girl meet as I am feeling unwell, originally intended to leave off shortly after Rick''s ''demise'' down the ravine.) Because this is the story you long needed to hear... The reason Slave Girl is the way she is. 25 years prior to reincarnation. I was born on the first day of the month of Takir on the coldest day of the year. Thus I was named after the snow flakes that fell as I took my first breath. Chanti is my name, daughter of the leader of our community. As so many of the Tarami people do; I spent my early years farming. Nothing pleased me more than basking in the sun during my free time. I was also taught letters, a rarity for women and those of low birth. That was because my Mother was a noble in hiding, her family was exterminated as rebel sympathizers. So I have a touch of noble blood, but I can''t tell anyone. It is a small pride I must keep quietly. When I turned twelve I had a stroke of bad fortune. I was called for service in the Endless Twilight Realm. Mother wanted me to refuse and hide, but I knew this would bring scrutiny upon us all and make us fugitives if the secret came out. So I went with my captors willingly, to keep us all safe. We walked a great distance. From the town of Yarne to the halls of Res Hirm and finally the walled city of Krakoomb. Each settlement larger and more impressive to a silly young farm girl. Then we were lead as a group to the towering gates of the First Citadel and there we entered the cursed darkness. I said farewell to the sun and the stars with regret. The famed passage of entry, one of only three our people hold is brilliantly lit with torches and glittering crystals embedded in the walls. We are proud of our dominance. Of the fifteen entrances known, scattered across the surface of the world, we hold more than any other. That is also why our people are conflicted and require a revolution. We possess more than all others, wealth in greater quantity than any nation, yet people are allowed to starve, are treated as slaves and others hoard power and wealth. We are haves and havenots in equal measure. I was young, the paths winding and joining rooms that seemed more alien and unfathomable than I could comprehend. Monsters were a very real threat, as were primitive raiders. I soon lost my mental map back to the surface. I had to rely on my captors. I learned this was a rather unfortunate problem; if you cannot recall the finer details of the Endless Twilight Realm you will die badly. Sense of direction down here is vital. Of course maps exist, however they aren''t comprehensive often cut off at key junctions by nigh unassailable god-demons. The stories of the rare greater god-demons are spoken in hushed tones and the facts are so terrible they defy terrify all but the most ignorant. They are often as brutal as nightmares of blood and slaughter. Others insidious and cruel. The rarest of the rare are not only clever, they are intelligent and capable of speech. To hear the honeyed words of the legendary fiend-gods is to know your life has ended and that of everyone you hold dear. No matter the location. Some are well known enough to possess a nickname: The Nameless Stranger, The Fire-God, The Butcher, The Distorter, etc. The worst have no name, because none that encountered them lived long enough to describe it. Some even drive the viewer mad. Sometimes the means of killing is the calling card; The Petrified, The Shattered, The Hollow... The Suicide. The rules of the rooms are distorted and occasionally can change. One strange room has absolutely no difference from a normal cavern. Every room has a unique difference; does even normality count as one? Our trip itself, while harrowing was mostly uneventful. Our final destination: Bastion City. There our group of young bloods was splintered off to different groups for education in our roles. I was determined to avoid the death sentence of foraging, so I managed to scrape my way into the ranks of the scribes. It was still Hell, just a different kind. Ruthless trainers and endless writing. I was treated worse as the only female in the facility. The trainers tried with utter hatred to demean me and force me into quitting and going on to do ''Woman¡¯s work'' i.e. foraging until I died or prostitution. However I became something of a persistent nuisance. I was eventually reduced to merely a migraine, as the fresh batch of recruits came in a year later and a stupid fool who could scarcely write became their new target. Eventually I was promoted into accounting in a few years. Following that I became quartermaster for the trading missions. This was a pleasant life, simple work, organized, efficient staff. I held this job for nearly a decade, rising to head this important group. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I had a simple home, food and some respect. It was a dream job in this death hole. I was still painfully aware of the gap between my own status and that of the lowest of the elite. The distinction down here was even more telling; they traveled guarded and surrounded by luxury. While they could not live above ground by law, they could still leave for extended periods. Because all of those who enter the Endless Twilight Realm must understand that there is no leaving. It will not let you survive for more than a month. Even more frightening the nobles had absolute freedom; there were rumors that several key figures were planning a coup d''etat and were in the middle of arming and training a vast military. There was war on the horizon. Anyhow, I heard rumors of a threat to our caravans and carried to the authorities. A tame monster of gigantic proportions in the possession of a primitive species on the edge of our borders. A task force was formed, for the purposes of purchasing or destroying this monster. For the life of me, I don''t understand the man in charge. He requisitioned my services. Forcibly transferred me to his expedition since I was the only one with ''knowledge of the beast'' even though I repeatedly explained I had nothing to supply. I finally caught on, from his leers at my chest, that this was not a professional decision. He was intending to seduce me in the wilderness. With his noble rank I had no way to refuse his official orders. Wilderness. It is worse than I ever realized. The path to Bastion City is carefully swept clean of monsters; in the outer edges of our territory they are free to roam. The Room of Clear Skies (Re: Forest Room) was a pleasant one; I have spent most of my life without the sun. To see it again, even through a transparent dome is marvelous. The sight of trees and grass is also a thing of nostalgia. The leader made his move as we settled in to our camp; trying to talk me into sharing his bedroll, so I punched him in the gut. I have spent years carting goods, farming and piles of books everywhere; and dealt with my fair share of abusive men, it was not a light punch. I left the pig coughing up his dinner. We set camp in a secluded area flanked by trees and walls. First light we send scouts to the adjoining rooms, however this is not a wise choice as we came to experience. We brought upon our heads the wrath of a god-demon; a revenant of the Jurgen race. It was fierce and quick; but unable to force a way into our camp. The scout and a few the advance guard were not so fortunate; they were mashed into tiny pieces. It lingered a while and then left, but it still managed to put our plans into chaos, cutting us off from a second scout. It returned again half a day later, searching this room for something. We never saw it again, all we heard were snapping noises. Then came the scout describing strange primitives that created superior weapons, even monsters with a mystical technique. I have long heard of these ''skills'' that transcend wisdom. Only those born and bred in the ''Realm have gained them. The metal monster and owner appeared, a grey furred creature; repulsive and arrogant. It dawned that this creature had not simply found the monster and tamed it through arcane means, he had actually made it. The metal, gold mixed with something I have never seen. Then came the moment of horror; he asked for me in addition to the negotiated price in worthless minerals. I was even more shocked when the officer agreed. ¡°Since the day you were dragged down here you have been a slave, woman! Has no one reminded you of this?!¡± He exclaimed at my reluctance. ¡°We requisitioned you; we own you. You are a resource. Go with your new owner, your life is his; you know how long you will last alone in the tunnels and the ducal guard do not aid runaway slaves. If we catch you, we kill you on principle.¡± ¡°You can''t do this!¡± [Me] ¡°You can still escape, stowaway on the merchant caravan that brings the rest of the agreed upon price. I hope your stinginess with your virtue hamstrings you there too.¡± [Captain] So that is why I am a slave to this hideous brute. Petty fucking nobles. I try to be as submissive as I can be toward my owner, so that I will not be on a short leash when my chance comes. What we learned: Surface dwellers! Politics and religious beliefs exist. Leaving the Labyrinth in the long term is fatal. 15+ Exits! Big bad boss monsters are not all giant beasts... More! Next time if I feel up to it, the merchant caravan and Niala''s destination... The maze unveils a new layer of intrigue to Rick. The remainder of Slave Girl''s predicament. As far as his Rick''s weapon fanatic personality trait... I am basing that aspect off myself; I used to read weapon encyclopedias. For fun. Chapter 19: Slave\Slayer (Heavy violence) Day 46 Niala was being forced to drag the cart by a rope tied to a yoke. ¡°I HATE ALL OF THIS.¡± She yells, ignored by the merchants. ¡°I HATE ALL OF YOU!¡± [Niala] They don''t understand her and they really don''t care. ¡°ONE DAY SOON I''LL KILL ALL OF YOU!¡± [Niala] ¡°Shut up or we''ll beat and gag you again!¡± [Former Slave Girl] The bitch that caused all of this walks over and threatens to slap her if she doesn''t shut her mouth. Niala pretended to continue for a moment, luring the bitch in to get the opportunity to spit in her face. It increased the beating she received but the female rat didn''t care. She could heal her bruises in moments with a self-hug. Her feet kept getting hurt, cut on the stones. She could heal, the little rat tied next to her couldn''t. The smaller rat beside her stumbled. She helped him up, secretly palming a sharp stone he passes to her and giving him a small hug to help his bleeding feet. The other slaves don''t speak her language but the little rat understands the words of the captors enough to inform Niala. He hears their plans. Three days until they reach their home and all hope of freedom is lost. For the first time she is placed in the position of responsibility. Her only way to process it is to ask herself what would brother Chirrik do in her place. That answer is simple. Plan, prepare, strike her enemies and take that freedom. The plan is almost ready. When they rest... when the guards mostly sleep... The manacles of copper are solid enough for most people, they do not suffice against a rat''s teeth. After half an hour chewing at them Little Rat was free he removed Niala''s gag and together they gnawed off her bonds. There were five guards, one who regularly patrolled the slaves. As he passed the rock tore into his throat. He was quite surprised but the rock wasn''t sharp enough for a fatal injury. Before he could shout the rock smashed his jaw and he went down, caught by the smaller rat to muffle the sound. Niala bit his throat out with her teeth, finishing him. Panting and equally afraid and furious she crawled onto the nearest cart. She searched and found among the varied weapons something she remembered, a bracer that launched darts. Poison darts. She took all of the darts that had only been lightly poisoned and deliberately added a second, greater dose of spider venom. She wanted them dead for what they did to Chirrik, twice. Then she strapped it where her ring had been. She pulled out the arbelest and loaded it. She took out a dagger with a curved design. She passed a short sword to the little rat and the battlefork. As an after thought she envenomed the dagger too. The supply of venom was getting low, but who cared what happened after this. The room itself was bare rock and lifeless. No where to hide, they would be spotted running. So the guards on watch needed to die. Everyone after that was gravy. The other four were scattered around, three watching each cave entrance and the last the sleeping merchants. Change of guard was due in an hour or so. So with ample time she crawled out, around the cart and sighted the closest with the crossbow. She slid closer, so as not to miss as she shot him through the skull. She hauled his corpse behind the cart and then crept up on the one watching the hostile cave entrance to the west. He barely noticed the sting of the dart behind his ear. He slapped at it like a bug bite. He whirled as he felt the strange thing in him. He stumbled and reeled as his balance was affected by the deadly venom. He saw the wide, gleeful smile of the rat-woman as he began to foam at the mouth, his tongue swell and his body convulse. She chuckled softly as he bit off his own tongue in his spasms and died there slowly and painfully. The third watchman startled her by appearing as the second died. ¡°We were going to have a round of...¡± He said casually, until he noticed his friend dead on the ground. The would have shouted an alarm but the little rat drove a twin-forked spear into his ribcage from the side, piercing his lungs. He strained and clawed at the weapon tossing the rat around, spilling a deck of cards from his hand. Niala ran over, silencing the struggles with her dagger. Bathing in the spray of blood. Since her plan was going so well, Niala decided to simply do the job, completely. The sleeping quarters of the camp were quiet except for the crackling of the campfire. The noise was sufficient to allow Niala to creep close enough undetected to ram the dagger into his spine. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. She smiled as she looked at all of her victims as they slept there. Spoing! Spoing! Spoing! Spoing! Spoing! Five more guards were now dying, each with a venom dart in the chest. Their gurgles sounding like a melody to her hate. Splat. A crossbow bolt from point blank spilled the brains of one that beat her severely. She smiled as she slit the throat of a merchant. The bastard had felt her up like how one tests a piece of fruit. Disgusting. The next felt her blade as it pierced his eardrum and beyond. She smeared more venom on the blade and then simply nicked the remaining thirteen guardsmen. It had ceased being lethal somewhere around number twelve but the blade itself still sufficed to end them as they lay paralyzed by the weaker dose. She entered the hospital area and left behind eight corpses that Rick hadn''t finished off. They hadn''t been able to force her healing skill to work on the injured, but how they tried. Beatings, whips and chains. A hug has to have affection or it is just an embrace. She could chose who she healed. She chose not to heal them. They couldn''t make their beatings stick after all. The little rat had done away with the remaining merchants. He gave a thumbs up. One left. Separate sleeping area. A borrowed tent. A former slave girl woke up with a start. A smiling blood splattered rat-girl hovering over her. The woman screamed in terror and reached desperately for the knife hidden beneath her pillow. Niala smiled wider and waved the stolen steel knife above her face. The woman panicked and tried to struggle. She tried to push Niala away. A set of claws tightened on the ape-woman''s scalp. Yelping the woman was dragged to her feet, the edge of the blade poking her cheek. Niala took her out and into the campsite. The woman screamed as she saw the massacre. A cold piece of metal snapped shut around her neck. Manacles were shut on her wrists and the three were chained together, behind her back. ¡°What are you going to do to me?!¡± [Past and Present slave girl] ¡°Niala says... like Chirrik, you shall fall off a cliff.¡± [Little Rat] ¡°Uh... also you will be... what is the word? Gutted?¡± The woman began to scream as she broke into a run, trying to run away. Niala tackled her neatly, making her fall face first onto the sharp rocks. She shoved the same gag used on her into the woman''s mouth. Then she brutally kicked the woman, until she curled up sobbing. ¡°No, mustn''t kill her yet. Just two days and she flies.¡± Niala murmured to herself. ¡°But still, two days... haha... as long as she doesn''t die, it''s fine...¡± Niala released the other slaves, under the aim of her arbalest. She could not afford betrayal. The others didn''t know her language, most were from a third species. Very like the ape-men but taller, with sharp ears, long fangs, claws and a long tail. Niala didn''t know what they were. As for the other ape-men slaves Niala killed them, with her eyes fixed on the traitor. She trusted no one, but Little Rat. He winced away as she killed the slaves, but he knew why she did it and he couldn''t fault her for it. There was no way to take the goods, the weapons. So she let the others take what they wanted. Food, water, trinkets and weapons. She didn''t understand why they snatched a soccer-ball sized sapphire each. Or why they took round pieces of yellow metal. She took the weapons she had used, retrieving her ammunition. The darts were reduced to non-lethal now but a bolt to the brain is always lethal. With a leash in hand she lead the slave-girl back the way they came, her bruised and grazed face covered in dried tears. It took only one day to reach the ravine. But when they entered they were forced back into the passage. As they tried to understand this phenomena Rick skidded to a stop inside the room, holding a strange intricately carved stone cube the size of a Rubik''s cube. He noticed them standing there in the cavern mouth. ¡°Oh, you got away already? Thank goodness. I was worried they''d have already sold you off or something!¡± [Rick] What we learned: WTF?! Niala: Psycho killer. Nekomimi exist and Rick missed ''em! Considering all the shit she goes through, Slave Girl must be cursed. I never said the caravan''s final destination would be a city, did I? As for Slave Girl, I''ll be doing the remainder of her short story next, then we learn how the flipping heck Rick ended up there again! Side Story 2: Slave to Fate... and now a rat too... Side Story 2: Slave to Fate... and now a rat too... Day 37 (set during Chapter 12: The Exchange continuing from the end of Side Story 1) (Slave girl (real name: Chanti) POV) SON OF A BITCH! That dirty pig bastard threw me to the primitive as a bargaining chip?! Ugh... the face... those teeth... he''s hideous. The weapons he has... those are different. I have never seen that metal before. He uses them to cleave the soldier''s weapons like cutting a cake. I don''t understand it. I don''t respect the craftsman but the weapons are miraculous. The big surprise is that he had two more of his monsters; a new type a lot like the Revenant that attacked us. That ugly rat had them hidden underneath our camp the entire time we slept and searched. It sent shivers down my spine to see it. He fully intended to wipe us out if we threatened him. I had hoped it would put the same kind of fear into the pig bastard of a captain... but he laughed it off like it was funny. Go die in a ditch somewhere! The dilapidated town has the most amazing gates... if they weren''t made of junk I''d be impressed. The hundreds of rats peering at me really terrifies me: am I going to be a personal slave or communal property? Will I be raped? Will I be abused? Looking at the piles of filth and garbage from decades past disgusts me. I can''t really tell the rats apart! They all look mostly the same! I only know I''m following the one flanked by monsters! The only one that is armed. So many of them are here at the town entrance arguing and begging with the rat I know. He is some kind of leader? Must be. How could he not be ruler with the kind of military might provided by the monsters? He leaves one at the gate, the other remains as escort. The town itself is grandiose; the doors and homes excessive... I can only assume this is originally an enclave of a different species that was colonized when abandoned. Jurgen probably, judging by the size. It has been theirs for a long time; a cut off outpost? It would have been back when Bastion city was being purged of monsters. The home of MY rat is different. There are weapons everywhere. He wasn''t lying when he offered to make a shipment, I sincerely doubted his capacity to make seven hundred assorted weapons. However it seems like he is almost done. He displayed a distinct genius for mathematics, I was quite impressed by his simple method of addition. I must steal it. (The ape-men don''t yet have more than a basic base ten system, with words rather than symbols. It gets long and frustrating trying to keep written tabs on figures as the former accountant knows. A score based system would be a VAST innovation, a modern Earth based system a revolution!) The home itself is filthy, there are huge pieces of scrap metal and garbage not to mention the excrement. The bedding is unpleasant looking, but I''ve had worse in the scribe dorms. The far end has piles of various strange things. The food however is amazing! I''ve only ever eaten wild berries on the farm, these strange fruits are magnified beyond compare in sheer flavor and size. The water is clean enough, but the fruit is astounding. There are two other rats here, the big gray one seems a little nervous and the brown one looks annoyed. At me. Day 38 I slept restlessly, scared at every movement. My clothes are stained with sweat, from my stress. I hurriedly change and notice mid-way through the rat, my owner is watching. I''m so shocked I freeze. I''m even more terrified since he clearly has lustful eyes. Yet in the end instead of something cruel... he merely holds my wrist... I don''t understand the gesture. Is it affection? He clearly seemed pleased. While the rat family is out I try to clean, using a simple broom. It is hard work, I''m not at all used to housework. The rear half of the room is an astounding treasury! Wealth that would rival the entirety of Bastion City''s earnings for a decade. Trust me, I know. When they return there is no praise or even positive affirmation. I am ignored by the male rat, aside from a brief glance over the odds and ends I sorted. He leaves, the big female with him. The small brown rat stays. She still hates me. She chases me out of the house. I spend a few hours in the street, trying to stay calm with all the eyes on me. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. The monster the rat had with him is broken! He went out and hunted down some massive creature. Then he made massive bow things in the street. I don''t understand, but his look is grim. The things he does with the shell of the creature and it''s parts is fascinating, as they twist and meld together without his touch. We end the day with a meal of meat. Meat! I haven''t seen this much meat, outside a storeroom. It is a rare and valuable thing and the flavor is magnificent. I give the rat my arm again in his culture''s strange gesture of kindness, but his expression is bafflement. Now I''m even more confused. What was the point of the gesture in the first place?! Day 39 Lots and lots of talking. As he makes things I barely recognize the male rat talks, asking about what this and that is. He seems to be remembering our lessons fairly clearly, even writing them down in some strange, foreign language on the wall to practice. He''s diligent. A small rat joins us, one I''m not familiar with. He learns along with the older male. He''s cute. He reminds me of a furry vole. We used to catch them in the fields. He is very young, so I help him as best I can. My owner makes a miraculous knife out of the strange light gray metal, a more beautiful piece than I have ever seen. The brown female rat got into my baggage, took my underwear and shredded all of it. Not a single piece but what I wear is salvage-able. Day 40 The rats learn languages quickly. I''m astounded. My owner has demonstrated his ability on the monster he controls, the broken one. He made it a new arm, more fearsome than the last. It looks a lot more intimidating, almost as scary as the revenant. Not much happens otherwise, aside from loud noises in the distance. Cave in? Day 41 More noise, it is endless. The owner looks frightened. He works harder. His speech is almost at the point where we can converse. The brown rat eyes me as usual with an unpleasant glare. I try to confront him about his ''wife'' in front of his ''son'' but he takes it literally. It was sarcasm. Later I try to get his affection by offering my wrist again but he seems disappointed. Rats. They''re frustrating. Day 42 The monster (golem) is stomping loudly in the room. Everyone rushes outside with a weapon. What? I follow and hear more of the rumbles. Then I see it at the gate... Butcher! We''re all going to die! I run and hide. Maybe it won''t find me here if I burrow deep in the junk. ¡­ There is silence? I wait for a while and eventually I check. The Butcher is dead?! That is incredible. The male rat, my owner is dying. The big female is dead. Shit. I''m going to be in Hell living under the orders of the brown female or the other rats. Then the merchant caravan arrives. They must have left home immediately with the ores... I don''t want to be a slave... I offer them the wealth of the rat and the weapons in exchange for freedom and a share in the money. I can''t leave the female rat alone as my legal owner... I talk the merchants into taking the female and the little rat as slaves, since they have value as a healer (brown female) and novelty (little rat). They are the only two the male rat could have told I was a slave, the other rats weren''t close. He talked a lot with these two. I can''t take the chance they can press their claim later. As slaves they have no rights. Shame about the male rat, his skill was special. I take the knife he made as a memento. I am sorry, but I can''t be kind. I liked you a little. I don''t like the idea of being slave to the brown rat. Die peacefully as you asked, I know the female rat won''t let you with her healing. She is obsessed, not that I don''t understand her. I''ll never forget you, either. What we learned: Chanti really had a crush on Rick! Her betrayal was as much to give him a clean death as it was to secure her extended freedom. Seen from the other side Rick is really confusing. Chapter 20: Everything is inverted! Day 46 (Same day Niala escapes) (Rick POV) Damn slugpeople... I can''t even properly communicate with them. The best I could get was that the boss monster is responsible for the missing corpses and equipment. I spent all this effort for nothing, worthless. Well, no use for these nuisances. I leave the town behind me, the stupidly staring slugs not understanding my actions. I return to the reverse gravity room, seeking to use the excess copper ore to make some crude weapons. I notice the room is quieter than before. The plant monsters were always rustling. The weird thing is the monsters are still here. Something seems very wrong here. Perhaps... perhaps the one that I killed was replaced by a variant monster? I don''t see anything out of the ordinary. I look up at the floor (reversed directions since he is walking on the roof). That''s new. The entire floor is overgrown. The massive growth, twists and engulfs the entrance as I watch. Vines snake out and move systematically to search the roof. Shit, it''s hunting me! As I move to avoid it the monster plants move in concert with the variant, sealing me off in the far section. The vines grow and twist and I notice there is something odd about the plant movements I can''t identify. The weaker plant monsters on the roof aren''t a threat by themselves but coordinated is an entirely different thing. As they crawl forward the smaller ones can sense me somehow; three are walking in concert, step by step raising a hairy root and driving it down in sequence like a slow march. Behind them the mass of vines spreads and expands, covering the cut off section. Damn triffids. Three at a time is pushing it for my abilities, the variant included makes this a losing scenario if I try to fight them off by hand or with some simple weapon, like shears or a machete. At best I''ll only be able to produce copper weapons too, so they''ll be very soft. For the time being I meld spikes from the floor to slow them down as a fence. It won''t hold against the big one but the small ones should be caught against it until the variant catches up. I inspect the minerals, looking at the materials at hand. Lots of odd rock types as well as the copper and coal. A few odd minerals. I work on combinations. The fence seems to be working as the trio of plants run aground on the barricade. Hmm. Salt crystals. Must be where the slugs got them. I merge a few broad axes out of copper, they should be a last resort. The plants are starting to wind around the barrier of spikes. [Rick too busy assessing materials to notice.] ¡°So if I merge this with water and air...¡± Two more small plants collide with the barrier to the left. ¡°Oh, and this is good too.¡± [Rick examining the coal.*+] Anther plant reaches the barrier to the right, hemming Rick in completely. The rat however is too busy examining the rocks. He tests each and triumphantly removes a hunk of flint. ¡°Yes! Perfect!¡± [Rick excitedly.] ¡°This is amazing... by supplementing my knowledge with the weapon identification skill I can make things that are beyond this world''s technical ability...¡± With his resource detection skill Rick gathered branches and twigs, dry enough for tinder. As he did he raised a second barrier of unusual design; a thin bubble of rock. Around the inside of the barrier he formed a line of fire. The outermost barrier was a semi circle twenty feet in length He formed a third barricade only a few feet wide but thick, solid stone with spiked outer edges. Then he developed his most lethal weapon. The vines and the lesser plant monsters were by now all pressing against the outer barricade. Abruptly it shattered under the slow compression. The plants then contracted their vines coiling tight upon the fragile barrier. It shattered like glass, black powder that had been in a compressed environment spraying outward like an aerosol. The powder itself did nothing. Crafting small glass containers from sand filtered from the soil Rick readied his final trump card, waiting for his trap card to activate. At that point he realized why the plant above had seemed to move strangely. It acted as if it ignored the gravity differences in the room. It was acting as if gravity was normalized for the variant. Then the second fragile barricade came down. For a few long moments only the writhing of the vines as they touched the firewall was heard; the plants were green and fleshy, they didn''t burn. Then there was a moment of tremendous noise. The powder finally came into play, the crushed coal densely packed in the air ignited causing a tremendous dust explosion. The lesser plant monsters were slain in moments by the blast, torn apart. The greater plant was crippled, broken and mangled vines writhing more than fifty feet back from the source of the explosion. However the trunk of the plant, it''s roots and most of the vines were still alive, having been too far from the explosion to take serious damage. It slowly sought to recover. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Rick broke free from the cracked inner most barrier, designed to shield him from the blast. He came out with a bandoleer covered in glass globes. The frustrating part was that in order to strike the fatal blow he needed to be close enough to strike the vitals of the plant, in other words the roots. The fire barrier had been blown out by the explosion like a candle. Rick climbed through the wreckage and looking at the vines chose a thick mangled vine, held together in places by fibers. The last thing he needed was to be captured and eaten on the climb up. The climb itself was fairly easy for Rick, with his enhanced strength. The thigh thick vine smearing him in oozing sap as he climbed to the floor of the room. The trunk had thick bark, with claws Rick was quite able to hold on. As he did so the plant sprung into motion, sending vines and roots clawing at him. It ripped him away from the trunk and as he struggled against the winding, powerful squeeze of the slow but unyielding plant the trunk of the plant opened into hellish jaws. An eye opened in the center of the trunk, horrible yellow and black. It bit rabidly as it tried to stuff Rick down the maw. A glass container shattered against the base of the tree, hurled with Rick''s only remaining free arm. The plant shuddered as the powder contacted the vital processes of the plant. It screamed as it tasted for the first time an agony beyond the searing of fire. It tasted herbicide. (Specifically 2,4D made from chlorine from the salt mixed with oxygen and hydrogen). As it writhed Rick hurled a second globe down the gaping gullet of the monster, changing the tone of the scream from outrage to terror. As the vines twisted loose he gave it a final gift, swinging close and ramming the last globe into the wide eye and grinding it in. The plant was rapidly dying. This was most likely caused by the plant''s own variant nature; it grew at an astounding rate, the speed it sent nutrients to the extremities of the plant was being hijacked by the chemical. It was killing itself by trying to recover fast. The roots were dead. The trunk dead too. Rick hung there before having a bad realization. The gravity effect was no longer neutralized for the plant. It was being pulled out of the roof by it''s own weight. Roots and all. Rick tried to get down, but the vines he clung to now were short ones attached to the trunk. ¡°Shit... this is going to hurt...¡± [Rick screwing his eyes shut as the tree came loose] As the roots left the soil the plant itself stopped for a moment then plunged back to where it had been rooted, slamming down on one side. The weird thing: so did Rick. Then a shower of debris rained down as well. Pebbles, plant monsters all of it fell. Gravity was abruptly back to normal. Rick tried to under stand the suddenness of this change. He did this by hacking open the monster tree''s trunk with his slightly bent copper axes. Inside that twisted, grotesque eye he found a strange carved cube of stone, with intricate knotted designs. As he flipped it like a dice gravity suddenly changed in the room, sending him sliding sideways against the floor. When the cube tumbled from his grasp gravity normalized again. ¡­ The cube was a gravity manipulation device that only responded when held by an organic?! The device itself was probably limitless in usage, if the room was an indication. Very carefully Rick carried the cube out into the hall. Nothing changed so far... Leaning against the wall he flipped the dice and instantly the wall became down in regards to gravity. He was lying sideways on a wall that had become the ground, the original ground now a wall. Day 47 Rick started to climb the sheer cliffs of the honeycomb wall, taking a ''shortcut'' to avoid the boss monster of the ''death'' room. It was a long walk and eventually he arrived where he fell, flipping the cube as he hurdled the edge and skidding to a stop on the ledge he fell down from in the first place. Niala, slave girl and the little rat staring at him from the passageway having been rebounded by the gravity of the room. Essentially the entrance way had defaulted to ''down'', ejecting the other rats when they entered. To explain: (This was the best I could find to give an example: now imagine down was to the right in a cave) Staring at the group in a bit of surprise Rick said ¡°Oh, you got away already? Thank goodness. I was worried they''d have already sold you off or something!¡± He looked and finally recognized the slave girl through the matted hair, stiff with dried blood. ¡°You caught her too, sis... now what do we do with you, traitor? I have plenty of ideas...¡± [Rick smiling crookedly] What we learned: Complex chemicals count as a weapon. There are artifacts that exhibit strange, god-like powers. Cliffhanger! Side Story 3: Slave to Fate... Elusive Freedom... Side Story 3: Slave to Fate... Elusive Freedom... Day 43 (Slave Girl Chanti POV) That damn female rat won''t stop yelling. I don''t have a problem with how rough the guards are toward her, she''s a twisted bitch and I have no sympathy to give her. Finally they gag her. Ugh... I have a headache from those yells. Stupid, naive primitive. These men capture and market slaves, they do not know sympathy for merchandise. Your cries are nothing but the sound of coins jingling in their purse. Just accept your lot and become obedient. In the long run you won''t survive with that attitude. Still the merchants are decent men, they understood my plight for what it was; a cruel servitude to savage barbarians. (Note: the word barbarian originates from Greek merchants where it essentially translates to a version of blah-blah [bar-bar]... the Greek merchants couldn''t understand the foreign dialects and it was intended as a slur... it seemed appropriate to elaborate.) ¡­ Sigh. Fine, I''ll have to purchase you with my share of the profits. I feel responsible, still a bit of discipline should help your crooked personality. I won''t let them go easy on you. It will be worth it to see you crack. Oh, the crystal room. I remember this. Such magnificent purple gems. Now it is all cliffs. I look over the edge but see nothing but darkness below. I pity anyone that falls down there. The guard captain is a kindly man, admired by the guards as a soft-touch as much as a steady and stout commander. He seems to have taken a liking to me; he first suggested I sleep in a separate area to keep my innocence from his corrupt, womanizing subordinates. Disaster! The ground falls away beneath us! This is awful, those poor men... swallowed by the gaping abyss and endless plummet. So many died in that instant. As the merchants gather far back from the collapse and discuss the alternate route... we are struck. A monster rat, a berserk beast with a body covered in a patchwork of metal and fur. Some kind of delayed defense monster left as a last resort by the dead Weapon-smith rat? It shows no concern as it sustains damage, crushing men with those powerful breaker rods... The weapons transfigured into a strange bludgeon? That is a skill, surely a monster isn''t capable of... no... nononononONONONONONO!!!! It''s HIM again! He is coming straight through the soldiers, aiming for our lives. He is going to take my freedom again! No! I find his female. I hold the knife he made to her throat as he comes for us both. It is one or nothing, I shall be slave to no one. ¡°Well... I suppose I can''t win this one.¡± He says in that thick accent of his as he comes upon us. ¡°But this isn''t a loss yet either.¡± He bares his teeth in a snarl of awful cruelty. ¡°I have to retreat for now. Remember this though, scummy little bitch. You hurt my sister and I will be back and I won''t stop until I have your black heart for my dinner! But don''t worry, you''ll eat your share too. Rest easy, I will be back... soon.¡± He leaps over the edge of a cliff and finds the far side, crawling up to cross what would be an almost impossible gap. I collapse to my knees, shaking violently as the terror drains away. The female rat; his sister, eyes me with such pure hatred that I am secretly afraid. The guard unit has been crippled. Half of the men are dead or incapacitated. Shit. He did this. He dropped the floor under us. He halved our defense force in a surprise attack. The merchants are panicked. The guard captain suggests we make an organized retreat back the way we came and down some side tunnels. I point out where he is making his great mistake. This is not a monster, it is a clever and crafty trap-maker. If we double back we will all die. That path will be littered with traps, each deadlier than the last. No, if we are to escape it must be away from him. He has tried to corner us. The best move is to enter a new area, even if we have to make sacrifices. I point at the original exit we were going to use. ¡°His aim is to keep us here, if we cross over we will have the ability to make our own traps. When he sees his trap failed he will come and take our bait, from there we will throw him over the cliff and into the abyss! Alive, dead, flesh or metal, it matters not if he is trapped and broken.¡± I state. The sister still glares at me, but she doesn''t understand. But as I pass I hear the younger rat whisper to her. Her eyes bulge and she strains at the ropes. She knows. The little rat understands us enough to be a threat. I have him gagged to stop him from shouting out a warning. Day 44 With a heroic effort the guards manage to string a rope across the gap and then several more follow. We move whole carts across and then the slaves, bound to the rope by their wrists are hauled over by pulley. They strain and try to shout but we gag them all as a precaution. We do not want a premature visit from the monster rat. Finally I cross over, on a bucket seat, with a safety rope looped over my waist, the same method used by the other members of the caravan. The poor Carthe cannot cross with us, the dumb beasts have their throats slit as they are pushed over the side, to deny the rat food if he is cautious enough to notice our trap. We leave him a short rope, knowing he''ll suspect something if we make it too easy for him to cross. Then we wait in the shadow of the tunnel. We wait for over three hours. We know something is up, because we can hear him cursing in our tongue at himself. He hooks the cliff on our side in only a few tries with some sharp thing, then swings over. Now is the time. The guards leap out and use the high ground advantage, trying to push him off or kill. They seem to be taking too long. Finally I scurry close and hack at the rope with my steel knife. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. As the rope frays and snaps under the miracle metal of this knife a man''s spear is caught and pulled down along with the owner. The guard captain falls but clings to the monster. They disappear together into the endless pit. I scream as I realize this. That man was more friend to me than any I have known in years. His gruff but gentle demeanor was like a second father to me. Returning to the carts I collapse. While none of the men are happy we all have a grim acceptance of the fact, the captain sacrificed his life to end the threat. The sister rat seems to understand what has happened; her look is insane. Sorrow and wroth seem to be fighting over which has more control. She''s bawling and scowling. So is the little rat. Shit. Why do I feel so guilty? I had to do it. It was him or me. All of this from day one is his fault! Day 45 That stupid bitch! Does she want to die?! After the monster killed the captain all I could do to console them was to use her to heal the injured men... but apparently she can choose if her ability works or not. I manage to talk the men into merely beating her. They wanted to string her up as vengeance for the captain now that they know she is sister to the monster. I plead with them, suggesting that if they manage to break her spirit she''ll do as they ask and heal the others. Like she''s taunting me she keeps stalwartly resisting the beatings. I don''t understand how she can even walk after all of that. She must be capable of self-healing. Damn. She won''t break easily then. I initiate the next beating, more to keep the guard''s morale up than actually injure the girl. Even so, that look of utter contempt pushes me to do things to her I would never think of doing. Day 46. She spat in my face! That rat bitch! I''ll kill her! No. No. Calm down. It isn''t worth the aggravation. She''s helpless and her monster brother was killed. Lets cut her some slack. Just a light kicking and a gag. There, much better. ¡­ What is the warm sensation... I feel something. Drips? On my face... I taste something strong, familiar, metallic... blood! I jerk awake to the sight of the rat girl... she''s covered in blood and letting it fall on my face! I reach under the pillow for the special knife. Where is it?! No... she has it already... she waves it in my face with a threatening smile. I try to push her away but free hand swoops down fast, her claws cut into my scalp and she rips me upright by the hair... that hurts! Stop it! She drags me around by the grip... The scene beyond my small tent is ghastly. They''re all dead... she murdered them all. Some of them clearly died in an unnatural way, eyes bulging and mouth foaming. The rest are slashed or stabbed... it''s too horrible. They didn''t deserve this! The rat chains me, binding my throat with a collar and connecting this to manacles on my wrists behind my back... this hurts. The little rat tries to explain what the female rat''s intention for me is... to fall into the pit that ate her brother? To do so torn open?! I run. I don''t think, this is pure terror doing the thinking for me. As always, it has the right idea. I try to reach the exit. Perhaps I can find a patrol or reach a place even I remember the way home from... Ow... I''m hit from behind by something... no someone. I fall on the rocky ground, unable to shield my face as it grinds on the rock, cutting to the bone. It hurts more than I''ve ever felt! Then the kicking begins... somewhere deep inside I realize... this is all my fault. This is all I deserve. It is my actions returning to me. I am cursed. (Karma isn''t a concept her kind is familiar with.) Day 47 I''m being led around on a lead like a child''s Kinert (pet similar to a ferret). Every few feet I''m tripped. She sits on me, treating me like a stool to rest. When I hesitate she kicks me. I''m scared. She''s going to kill me painfully. Every single thought of hers exudes this fact. I''m only alive so she can see me scream as I tumble down into the pit. I want to fight her every step, I want to run and scream pitifully... Somehow I can''t resist. In the end I guess I really am only a slave. How sad. Then things become weird as we are flung back from a doorway by our own weight. I don''t know what is happening but for a moment I think it is a gift from heaven... then I realize that I have only sunk deeper into the mires of the Underworld as the monster rat draws himself from the hole that should have been his end. This life... is a thing of calamities. I resign myself to my death. If I struggle, if I resist It can only get worse. I will get all that have earned, perhaps it will be quick. Somehow I do not think it likely. Mother, Father... sorry for disgracing and cursing you with my life... What we learned: Slave girl (Chanti) is seriously broken... As much as Niala is brutal and without ethics in her obsession she is admirable in a hard-headed kind of way. Chanti was intending to take responsibility for enslaving the rats, only to have it backfire spectacularly! Next chapter... what is her ultimate fate? Also a personal query... if I published a book would you appreciate the current format with the [] to indicate speaker and double spacing for clarity or my standard style, like you see in the opening chapters of Re:Ocean? Note: I didn''t even attempt to seriously edit any these chapters, so I can assure you the quality will be superior to what you are used to from me. Chapter 21: Declaration of Intent Day 48 (Rick POV) Dramatic entrance aside, what is this? I almost overlooked the figure behind my sister and little Tirmin because I was interested in their well-being. Niala seems quite shocked, but none is more surprised than slave girl. Probably because she made me fall personally and watched as it happened. Niala rushes over to hug me joyfully. She seems taken aback by the metal parts of my body. For a moment. Then she goes right back to hugging. From the looks of things Niala and the little rat are in good health. Really, I should have suspected as much with her healing power but I''m still trying to get an idea of what is going on. It was an escape of some kind, is there pursuit? ¡°What happened? Are you being followed?¡± [Rick hurriedly in rat language] ¡°No. I placed our vengeance upon them. They are nothing but monster shit by now.¡± [Niala] ¡­processing... Okay, so they''re dead. I''m a bit surprised by that, I can only assume it was an uprising of the slaves, there were several. ¡°How about you, did they hurt you badly?¡± [Rick to Niala] ¡°Not nearly enough...¡± [Niala laughing softly.] ¡°To make it stick.¡± Uh... I guess that means she can heal herself, I suspected but never really knew. It is a relief to know. ¡°How about you, little guy? They didn''t hurt you?¡± [Rick] ¡°Big sis made sure I wasn''t hurt.¡± [Little rat] ¡°I''m proud of you, sister. I am glad you were able to get out without coming to harm. Incidentally, you brought a gift?¡± [Rick] Niala smiling proudly pulls the traitor over by a leash. The girl looks a lot worse than she did last time. A matted cut on the scalp and bruises and grazes in a variety of places. She wears little more than tattered rags. I REALLY want to kill her. I can see Niala does too. But calmly does it. You don''t want to rush these kind of things and end up with empty regrets. We have all the time in the world. ¡°Hello there, so good to see you again. So... lets start over. Your name?¡± [Rick smiling without an ounce of humor] ¡°Chanti.¡± She replied without a trace of resistance. ¡°Good, good. So Chanti, you are a slave?¡± [Rick] ¡°...yes.¡± She finally admitted. ¡°Were you a slave before we met?¡± I asked. ¡°In a sense, I suppose but I never felt as such until you asked for me and the deal was done.¡± [Chanti] ¡°Yeah, I got that kind of feeling from the guy, when I sold him my golem. That he''d do anything for power.¡± [Rick] ¡°Actually I intended the suggestion to be a joke, but had no way to back out without seeming unstable. They''d have tried anything to kill me if I seemed insane, with my capacity for weapon production.¡± He paused chewing on this information. ¡°So, in the end you never really trusted me and everything you did was an act.¡± [Rick] ¡°Even that silly wrist thing you kept doing.¡± ¡°''Wrist thing''?! You started that! I thought it was some obscure custom!¡± [Chanti] ¡°No, I just wanted to check your heartbeat. Apparently it relates directly to the average lifespan of the species. I wanted to know the differences between your species and mine.¡± [Rick] ¡°Apparently? Check my heartbeat? What are you talking about?¡± [Chanti] ¡°Hey, aren''t you being bold all of a sudden.¡± He nodded to Niala and the female rat kicked her enemy in the shins, forcing Chanti to her knees. Niala stepped forward to do more but Rick stopped her. ¡°You tried to kill me twice and enslaved my sister and friend. I am only barely keeping my anger in check here, I really, really want to rip your insolent tongue out right now, but then how will I get the answers I need to know? Sketches perhaps?¡± ¡°So let me explain this to you very clearly. Your civilization is perhaps three thousand years behind the one I used to know.¡± [Rick] ¡°Three... that isn''t possible. You rats are so primitive it is ridicul...¡± She stops her mouth as Rick waves a finger cautioning her. ¡°I did not say the rats. I am reincarnated from another world. I have seen things everyday that would seem like miracles to your whole race of primitives.¡± I shrug. ¡°I''m not being insulting, you really are backward. Look at you, your number system, your bronze, your slavery... these are all antiquated to the point of ridiculous where I am from. The knife you used, my hand-made knife. The metal it is made of is harder and sharper than anything you have known, right? That is an alloy made from iron called steel. It is one of the hardest and most useful of metals. The one you used? A flawed mix, not up to the standards of my world. Too brittle. I had hopes you see, of making more steel of higher quality. Even if I failed, I could still use iron which is also superior to your bronze. You idiots just didn''t hammer it into shape properly.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°That proves nothing.¡± [Chanti] ¡°Who said I HAD to prove it. In this situation I am simply telling you the truth. I have no reason to lie to a dead woman.¡± [Rick] ¡°But don''t you worry your pretty little head over it. I''m not going to take your life away from you just yet, since I have goals that have priority over petty revenge. In fact you won''t even have to interact with my sister and I, since we can''t stand the sight of you. No, you''re getting us the resources we need. Since I''ve seen first-hand how corrupt you people are I''ll be taking over your nation in due time.¡± My claws grasp her chains and I make a weapon. An evil weapon, something I''d never have done before. It is bluntly, a geas. A curse of such magnitude that to disobey specific commands will bring agony and death. Those specific commands? To follow the orders of whoever owns a simple looking key. The key to her manacles. There are other orders that blend within the overall curse, such as ''if the object''s owner dies, so does the cursed'' and also ''ownership is not changed by the changing of hands of the object the owner must confirm they are giving the person ownership of the object'' and finally: ''the cursed must follow all commands of the owner to the best of their ability'' so no slacking off. I toss the key to little rat. He''s the only one I''d trust to keep an eye on her, since he understands the language and he doesn''t have an abundance of hatred toward her. She is going home, as a mole. He''ll be following behind as her ''loyal slave''. ¡°You like to see and experience new things, right Tirmin? How would you like to visit her city? She has to do as you say, if she wants to live. If she tries to kill you, because of the item she dies. What I want is for her to ensure I get sent more of the stuff the merchants brought with them. The brown rocks.¡± [Rick in the ape language] ¡°You own her now. Just only use it over her in secret, preferably behind closed doors.¡± The little rat nodded excitedly. ¡°We''ll see you to a safe point and from there you can go on your own. I''m sick of home; I''m going to find someplace new to settle. We''ll work out a way to get in touch later. For now, get her out of my sight.¡± [Rick] For now, I spend the time catching up with my sister. It is funny, the things about her I used to hate, such as the endless hugs seem almost bearable now. Still, in no way is she ever going to be my wife or lover. She argued a lot about killing Chanti, but I managed to explain my plan to her enough that she isn''t going to stab the ape-girl without warning. Even so, I make sure they are never alone together, mostly by staying close to Niala. My sister is too thrilled by this to complain. Day 47 We return to the trade caravan (abandoned). Almost all the weapons are still there. Treasure, not so much. A few gems, nothing else. The iron ore is there and I spend the remainder of the day refining it into pure iron bars which you could use as a weapon if you so choose. I load these into the carts, thankfully the refined metal is less bulky than the ore, now the impurities are removed. We have only two full carts to haul instead of four. The weight is terrible, so I have to pull them personally. It seems the iron still isn''t good enough for a personal upgrade, so I''ll need to think about it. Using the gravity cube I stash the carts on a ledge high above the floor and thieves. The bars did spill out as the carts tipped over as gravity normalized, but the stuff is all there. I''ll come back when I have a golem and a home base. Day 48 We scout out several new rooms and one with a single huge geometrically shaped clear crystal set in the roof with a single entrance is designated as our new camping point. I craft some simple stuff to make it comfortable and cut off from any roaming monsters by traps. We rest, Niala foraging for better quality food than the rest of us can find. Tomorrow we set out toward the so-called ''Bastion'' city. With our senses we should at least be able to sniff out the correct path. Conquest itself sounds hard, as the current population is estimated to be above seventy thousand people. More than two thirds are capable of fighting back, since the residents are bolstered by fresh recruits from their empire every week. But I have a few ideas that should work on a large scale. Not least of which, simply walking into the room and flipping my cube. Yes, that should be devastating. For now though, simple reconnaissance and sabotage. What we learned: Rick has started to dream of bigger things than simply meddling with metal. Niala is easily distracted... Chanti: slave girl once again. Tirmin is easily the most excited by this new change. Chapter 22: Borderlands Day 50 (I had a headache as I wrote the last chapter, if you noticed: the days are out of order... hence the corrected date here. Also I rushed the ending so to clarify; all FOUR characters are still present. Mainly to give little rat an idea of where to return to if things go really badly and to resupply.) We set off, now with fresh supplies collected by Niala to insert slave girl Chanti and her current owner Tirmin into the heart of a militaristic empire. Perhaps I should explain something that has been bothering me for a while: how I made the geas. I don''t quite know HOW. Only that I could. I mean technically it is a weapon, a suicide switch-like mystical effect. The weird part is that the payment required wasn''t resources, it was [hatred]. As a result I find myself slightly apathetic. I can only assume it literally drained that emotion. It does still seem to exist, but dampened temporarily. Weird. By that logic there are alternate creations that can be accomplished that bypass modification points and resources but instead drain or take permanently from my person? Dangerous stuff. I could lose myself. We return toward the main route the merchants used from our cul-de-sac. I mockingly call our new home the crystal ''palace''. It is very Spartan at the moment. Thankfully none of the near rooms have a bad scent. The tunnels are long, main passages once we reach the rough rock room which is where the caravan ended up. There are signs of further visitors. Scents of many people. A routine patrol perhaps. Sometime in the last few hours. Upwards of twenty people. Hrm. I delay our approach and loiter with our iron on the cliff ledge for a day. Last thing I need is to be spotted and have more links to the scene of the attack. Well, if they search for me as a suspect they''ll only find hundreds of ignorant rats. I doubt they''ll commit to that kind of effort for a few lost peasants and worthless ore. They got the golem already, why would I kill men that delivered a payment? Or so far from home. They can''t even guess at the tangled events from this scene. Day 51 We journey once more. I had to keep Niala''s attention distracted, as she was plotting to throw Chanti from the ledge as soon as I fell asleep, too bad for her I don''t sleep any more. Hmm. My sister''s attitude is getting worse. I''m going to have to sit her down and spell it out to her at some point. Later when we''re alone. Niala is becoming a headache with this constant murder-boner for Chanti. Even I''m having a hard time justifying that hatred I held, aside from the theft and multiple attempts at killing me... the really funny thing is if Chanti had asked me I''d have freed her from the mistaken slavery she was under... until she turned on us. Now, I have nothing but contempt for her. She does have uses, so I''m not going to cut her loose now. She owes us for a very rough few days. In the future... who knows. If she acts in good faith I suppose I can forgive, but I certainly won''t forget. Day 52 We passed several ordinary seeming rooms. A herb garden, a sandy plain, a baking desert, a tarpit, a dust storm and a beach with everything but seawater. I can even smell the sea. We crossed paths with the river again... seriously where does it begin and end?! Finally we reach a point that even Chanti recalls. We managed to skirt the majority of the monsters in the rooms, aside from a largish black and red wasp-thing the size of my fist in the herb garden. I had to grab it before it landed on my little friend. The sting was nothing much; barely more than a burning sensation, with a healing hug on hand. It did possess chitin armor equivalent to stone in hardness. It was soft inside, like all invertebrates. I crushed the shell with both claws. It''s buzzing was like the idling of a chainsaw as I squeezed the life from it. This is the first weaker monster I''ve been concerned by. Wasps occasionally coordinate. One or two of these were nothing much but a swarm? We''d be stung to death. Must remember to concoct insect repellent and/or poison. Ants, bees and such are all viable threats in these rooms and narrow tunnels with limited places to go and no safe bodies of water to hide in. I doubt my gravity cube will do more than mildly disorient them either. Especially if they can fly. Just because I haven''t met them yet doesn''t mean they don''t exist in some horrible form. Knowing this place a little; they''ll be way bigger than the Earth originals, aggressive and numberless. Thinking about killer bees, hornets and army ants scares me. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. In fact the unknown ''death'' room inhabitant from the Abyss scares me even more. It collects equipment and iron ore. It might be my natural enemy... It might seek me out specifically, it does have a couple hundred steel weapons I made as well, with my scent on ''em. It''s a nightmare I''ll be planning for. That, plus making a fortress and attempting to overthrow a nation? I haven''t left myself much me time. On the plus side, if you can call it that, no internet. I have far too much time on my hands and I do get bored easily if my hands aren''t busy. So here we are at the mouth of the enemy nation. I give little rat a few pieces of advice for his masquerade as a slave. I also made sure Chanti got the hint that if she turned on him it would result in automatic death. If she has any sense she''ll coach him on proper slave behavior. I slip him a small pouch of gold dust, one of the few valuables I still have on my person from the good old days (I''m still wearing my belt). It should help him in situations where words fail. Gold opens all doors as the saying goes. Chanti gets to keep her steel knife; if only so that she can hold it for Tirmin. After all he can''t be armed and not appear intensely suspicious. Finally they leave after a final hug for the little guy from Niala. I''m not too worried. Even if he is tied to me by military people as a spy he is innocent looking enough to fool all but the most hardened of interrogators. He also intends to play dumb, so they don''t realize he knows the language. Spies from inside the labyrinth aren''t common, after all traveling through the wilder areas is quite dangerous. We are an exception to the rule, as we are from nearby. Most would originate from the surface empires. None would be posing as slave to one of them. There are a few free people from other races in the city both freed slaves and migrants from the layrinth, but none are treated well regardless of wealth. Day 53 The walk home is actually quite fun. Niala seems blissful, so we chat and pass the time as we walk. However whether it is a rat thing or a labyrinth resident thing, we remain alert to threats through the happy, seemingly distracted conversation. I''m alerted by the scent first. Something ahead of us on the path. As it is the only way we know toward home we have to go that way. Dammit. Herb garden again. This place seems like a hotspot for trouble. Niala noticed at the same time. She put a hand on her hidden curved dagger and arms the dart launching bracer. She loaded the thing with wasp venom but it is easily inferior to the previous spider venom. I calm her down and carefully we walk seemingly nonchalantly talking, in reality noting anything out of the ordinary out loud in our rat language. The stranger probably doesn''t know it, assuming this isn''t a dumb monster. However one thing quickly jumps out at me as we walk down the middle of the room: a brass jaw trap hidden in leaves sparks my weapon identification skill warning me accidentally. The scent is remarkably indeterminate; there could be a hundred or just one. The trap indicates intelligence. I pretend to step on it, crying out as I step next to it, then falling to a squat. Not having a good angle most can''t see I didn''t trigger the trap. Five figures come out running. Two others come out slowly, because they saw my act for what it was. Seven. Not bad odds. They are only carrying clubs made from the trees around us. They slow to a halt fairly quickly as a slow one hisses that the ambush failed. The clothes are fairly ragged. They aren''t apes. One then points at Niala and they all stop. Niala too notices. ¡°The ones I freed.¡± [Niala] ...holy crap... cat-people. Real nekomimi! Hell yes! What we learned: Not all bandits mean harm. Chanti and Tirmin will have their own spin off episodes. Rat meets cat. Chapter 23: City of the Apes Day 52 (Little Rat POV) This is great! I love all of this! Well maybe not the chains, the killing and the trudging. Seeing all these wonderful new places, I feel a wonderful sensation like joy. The woman with me seems tired. Perhaps she still hasn''t gotten over the injuries yet. I find a nice spot and we rest. She seems thirsty and ill. This room is filled with fine leafed plants, Chanti calls ''ferns''. There is no visible source of water but the room is moist. The floor is moss. It is chilly. Colder than the tunnels. I give her the last water in our canteen and leave her to rest, as I look for a low point in the ground. Taking an old dry branch off a plant I dig. Mostly it is to see if there is more than rock below the moss. I find nothing but dirt for several inches, then clay. As I watch the soil weeps water. Ah, the ground is so sodden here (actually he found the edge of the water-table). It is brown and tastes bad. Just like Chirrik said he does as he forms things from base metal, I must filter out the impurities. However I have nothing that can do this, as the brown dirt seeps through the cloth baggage I brought to carry our supplies. Finally I have an idea. I try to use the moss. Pouring the water slowly through a layer of moss works! The water only tastes a little like dirt now! (No joke, it really does with the right kinds of moss: eg. Peat moss! Greydragon: teaching real-world survival in fantasy since... today. Don''t forget to boil water from strange sources as well!) I get enough to fill the canteen and our own bellies. We can''t carry any more water when we leave so we have all we can drink before that. Our food, mostly nuts and spicy herbs is plentiful. As we leave I stumbled, slipping on the moss to fall on the soft ground. I can''t really explain it but sitting in front of my nose is a small ring. It isn''t stone or metal. What sets it apart from every ring I have seen is that it is braided fern and moss. The mossy ring is only big enough to fit on my littlest finger. I don''t understand it. This thing shouldn''t even hold together. I keep it to show Chirrik. We set camp in a new room several miles further in. Chanti''s injured face looks to be getting worse; it faintly smells bad. I chew up a few herbs and smear it over the ragged cut, it is the best I can do. She looks surprised, but I don''t really know why. ¡°Why are you helping me? You should hate me like the others.¡± [Chanti] ¡°Why would I hate you? From you I learned this new tongue of yours, I saw rooms beyond my wildest dreams. This has been my yearning from as long as I have been aware: to see the unseen, to learn and observe. So why would I hate you? You bring me to places and thoughts I couldn''t possibly expect. I cannot get enough of that.¡± [Tirmin] For some reason she was quiet for the rest of the night. I wasn''t certain she was even sleeping before, due to the pain. However she is now. The medicine must be working. Day 53 She''s still asleep. I let her sleep and explore this small cave. It has strange regular shaped rocks for a floor. They each have six sides and are roughly as wide as my foot. Strange, bitter scented water flows from gaps in the wall. It smells terrible and looks yellowish. It is warming the room. The water doesn''t look harmful but the scent assures me it will kill. (Sulfuric acid from volcanic vents!) Having sated my curiosity I head back to the sleeping Chanti. She seems to be waking. I serve her a selection of nuts for breakfast as she slowly becomes aware she''s been sleeping in. She seems a little confused. ¡°Are you already pretending to be my slave?¡± [Chanti] ¡°Isn''t this normal behavior? I mean you''re sick and need rest. I can do the work.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°Godsdammit... just when I thought I hated myself, you have to raise the stakes?!¡± [Chanti] ¡°You hate yourself? Why would anyone think that way?¡± I asked, not comprehending this kind of idea. I lend her a shoulder and help her walk as we leave for our destination. The scents are getting stronger, like home smells of my people, only vastly magnified. A few hours later we are overtaken by a convoy of many people like Chanti. They look different though. They are smaller, are they younger? They are lead by a large one. Smells male. He is armed with a short, single-bladed sword. The youngsters seem nervous and afraid, they look at me like I am something venomous. The male seems mildly surprised as well. ¡°You there, woman! How did you end up here on the trails alone and injured, with only this beast as company?¡± [Leader] ¡°Please help me! Our trade caravan was killed by a lunatic with poison! Only myself and my slave escaped. I have only been able to get so far because he helped me.¡± [Chanti] ¡°How could one person kill an entire caravan? You ought to have twenty, thirty guards.¡± [Leader] ¡°We lost a dozen out in the wilderness when the floor of one room collapsed and many more were injured by falling rocks, like me and worse. The maniac was the final straw, poisoning our water and sneaking in to finish us off.¡± [Chanti] ¡°I was lucky, I had a canteen at hand that I filled from a different source and the slave hadn''t been given water as a punishment.¡± ¡°Ah. That does make sense. Some kind of slow acting poison. It is a first hearing this kind of thing, but every now and again you get these amazing freaks, born here with their skills.¡± [Leader glancing at little rat] ¡°What is his skill set?¡± ¡°I don''t know, he doesn''t speak our language yet, but he understands and follows orders.¡± [Chanti] Huh. I hadn''t thought about it. I don''t really have skills. My siblings all received them, back when our mother took us out to search for food, but I didn''t really listen to her lecture. I was too busy looking at everything in the forest room. I wonder what I''ll get. ¡°Hey you two!¡± The older male points out two large boys. ¡°Help the woman walk. The slave can carry your baggage.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. As we trudge along, another child gives me her bundle of clothes. Ugh, this is getting heavy. Chanti however rebukes her. ¡°Hey, he''s my slave. Carry your own weight, Sky-born!¡± The leader nods. ¡°Yes, using another''s slave for your own benefit will get you punished, indolent child.¡± The girl takes her bundle back sheepishly. We set camp in a tunnel, leaving room for travelers to pass. A small fire is made, like the one I saw in Chirrik''s home back a couple of weeks ago. Grains are cooked in water, the same kind of stuff they made us eat as slaves. It is sloppy and faintly sweet. The girl is sentenced to kitchen duty for trying to use me. She spits in the food she intends to give Chanti and then makes a one out of the leftovers to give to me. Late that night I pour a cup of warm water on the girl''s bedding as she sleeps, since she deserves more punishment. According to the leader our travel ends tomorrow, so she shouldn''t be inconvenienced for an extended period. I sleep near the smoldering fire for warmth, since the night is cold and there are no blankets for me. Day 54 The girl received taunting and laughter, I intended only mild discomfort, why did it end up like this? Our travel is quick, the embarrassed girl loitering behind the group. Some hours after setting off we arrive at our destination. A solid wooden gate guarded by several soldiers in heavier armor and carrying long spears. They are authoritative as they demand our purpose and origin. They seem skeptical of Chanti''s claims and seem very unpleasant toward me. Well we are falsifying our claims to enter. It can''t be helped. Our story however is quite neat and her appearance adds to that. The corpses found by the larger group should make our story seem genuine. Assuming they have already returned. [Guard Captain] ¡°Capture, search and interrogate those two.¡± Well, that isn''t good. I''m marched roughly inside, Chanti dragged along by a pair of men, because she can''t keep up. The inside is magnificent! Unfolding below us is a town bigger than home by many times! Huge buildings made from stone and others formed by strange brown rectangles (clay bricks). There is a winding stream of water, without the dangerous fish. There are trees and lush grass in the distance. This place resembles the forest room without trees (a grassland plain). We are taken to the nearest building a wide, squat building made from the clay bricks and hard, dry sand (mortar). There are windows! (They are barred but they are novel to him.) We are thrown into a small room after our things are taken, onto straw and stone and left there. It is cold. I stay close to Chanti to keep her warm. We wait for several hours. I wonder if they are ever coming? Finally the door opens. The man in shiny armor with a fancy hat glares at us. ¡°So it IS you. I doubted you would return virtuous and I was right! Look at you now, as dirty a whore as the gutters could produce.¡± [Golem Purchasing Noble] ¡°Even laying with vermin. I am surprised you brought your love-slave back when you escaped. So tell me, since this isn''t the one I met. What happened to the weapons shipment? What happened to the Maker-rat?¡± Chanti screwed up her face in fury, but managed to keep it quiet. ¡°Gone. Dead.¡± She shrugged. ¡°A Butcher hit the town he ruled. The bone monsters of his were broken. His weapons did somehow manage to kill the beast, but was killed himself by it.¡± ¡°Oh? Such a shame. His masterful creation is a thing of pure destruction, I have never seen the like... obeying any command. I would love to have more.¡± [Noble] ¡°We lost a cart when the ground collapsed. We fled the poison maniac back the way we came. I don''t know what happened after that.¡± [Chanti] ¡°We doubled back a few days later but when we returned that way the carts were gone. We are not enough to move them.¡± ¡°So now... what do we do with you? Look at you, filthy and diseased. I do hope you can serve in your condition in the same capacity as before, otherwise I may have to arrange for your purchase and feed you to my Gaund. No, on second thoughts you''ll pox my beautiful pets. Throw them out, they are trivial.¡± [Noble] ¡°Their rags as well. But the gold and the knife, they''re confiscated to cover the lost caravan. Not enough to pay for all of the ore, but close enough.¡± The guards kicked us down a few times laughing before we got far enough away. Chanti looks angry. Even I hate that man. Later. For now, rest and safety. Chanti leads us to a small stone house, which seems to be occupied by family members. ¡°Get out, damn vagrants! This is my home! I''m not dead yet!¡± [Chanti shouting at the intruders living there.] The six surly men spit and walk out before guards come. Chanti crawls into her bed and sighs happily. ¡°Home again. It never felt so nice.¡± [Chanti] She glances around and sees a forgotten bottle. ¡°Ha ha!¡± It sloshes as she shakes it. ¡°Such nice guests, they even left presents!¡± She takes a swig of the fluid. ¡°Strong, but not bad.¡± She sighs. She offers some to me. I try it, the taste is rancid but I''ve had worse. It does add a pleasant warmth. I think I like this stuff. We finish off the bottle between us, she seems happy for the first time. I don''t really get it, but the drink is making my thoughts blurry. She pulls me into the bed and together we eventually fall asleep, as she hugs me. What we learned: Drunken Chanti adores fluffy things... The nobleman is as vile as ever. Little rat still doesn''t have a class or skills. He''s also a hard drinkin'', fighting, love machine. Double 00 rat? Chapter 24: Feline Felicitation Day 53 continued So now there are cat people. Seven I can see. Five are male, one big and burly with a thick head of hair and a beard like a black mane, the others mostly average in height and looks. They''re swarthy in skin tone, and none looks out of shape. They don''t look much different from human, aside from the ears. The ear color tends to match the hair and the average is brown. Did I mention they were cat-people? I''m really excited about that. The women however are where the interest deepens. One looks cool and aloof, like a Siamese cat, with black ears, pale blonde hair and blue eyes. She''s taller than most of the males too. The other seems laid back and calm, now that she recognizes Niala as their savior, she has a tabby pattern to her ears and short hair. Hearing their conversation I can detect a few similarities to the ape language, I suppose they have had contact with it and terms from the dialect have been absorbed into their language or vice versa. If so, communication may be possible to a limited extent. Like the similarities English has with French. I''ll by no means be able to get complex dialogue across, but a few very simple words are likely. I point to Niala. ¡°Sister. Saved you. Set you free. Why here?¡± [Rick] The tall woman is the one to reply. Interesting. She seems to be the leader, since she didn''t even look for approval to speak. It could be that she is their designated spokesman. But she isn''t even looking at me either. Just gazing out at the entrance we came from. Wary, but very self assured. ¡°Chased by Raltur. Our kulpa taken. Garn. No shelter.¡± [Siamese] Hmm. Niala mentioned they had treasures and weapons looted from the caravan. Were they pinned down by the patrol and forced to give up the goods in exchange for their lives? I suppose the bear trap they are using was salvaged or a rare item drop that occurred later? I''m carrying one of my sword-breakers. I point to it. ¡°Kulpa?¡± [Rick] She glances at me and my gesture, with pale blue eyes. She shakes her head sideways. ¡°Yes, that kulpa.¡± [Siamese] Progress! Shaking your head means yes. Kulpa means weapon or valuable. ¡°You... have goal? Home? Destination?¡± [Rick] The female gives me a long stare. ¡°No home. No goal. We simply are.¡± Their home was destroyed to the point there was nothing left, or they are not welcome there anymore, huh? They won''t last long with just wooden clubs and a bear trap. A monster or slavers will mop them up eventually. I''m starting to like these guys. They clearly think they have the upper hand, yet they respect my sister enough they aren''t going to rob us? That is clear proof of character. They aren''t going to attack us, despite the fact we could be all that stands between them and long term survival. Our weapons are that vital to them in this state. Yet they''re not even entertaining the idea of betrayal. I look at them all, in ragged clothes and filthy... and I just can''t leave them to die like this. If they were to try to rob us, I wouldn''t hesitate to kill but this... I can''t refuse. Besides the Siamese cat-woman is slender, self reliant and gorgeous. I really want them around a while longer. They would make extraordinary allies if nothing else. Niala is resistant to the idea, since she can clearly read the fine print: more girls, a threat to her control over me, the beloved brother... a wedge in our time alone together. However I have an unfair trump card. The fact she let them go out of pity. I point out she''s responsible for their continued safety. They are escaped slaves, just like her. So I win the argument quite quickly and decisively. The Siamese has been waiting for our argument to resolve patiently. Admirable trait. I''d be a little annoyed if it were me. I suppose from their point of view we clearly have a destination and equipment. Which means shelter, resources and safety. I suppose they could follow us home any way, to take it. However I can preempt that attack. ¡°We have home. Do you wish to share home? Big room. Empty. One exit. Many weapons (kulpa). Follow us.¡± [Rick] ¡°Water, food nearby.¡± Her eyes narrow and she looks very suspiciously at us. Thought so. I must have guessed her plan to tail us. ¡°How many? Like you.¡± [Siamese] Ah. She thinks this is an ambush. ¡°Two others. Not there. Just us and you.¡± [Rick] ¡°This trust. You not enemy. Come, be safe. Here you die. You trust us, we trust you. You could kill us and take all.¡± ¡°Never. Would die, instead. ¡± [Siamese vehemently at the suggestion of betrayal of trust] Oh, honor-bound? Better and better. Ethics out here are rare indeed. Until I know the details, however I''m going to pretend to sleep and keep weapons handy. Trust is all well and good, but blind faith is nothing but insanity. It will be the same from them, I assume. The female doesn''t look like she''s stupid. This is going to be a calculated decision. Finally I get to see their internal organization. The female says a little. The big male says something else. He looks me in the eyes. Hmm. Is he trying to read me or intimidate? The latter fails miserably. I''d be surprised if I couldn''t take him in a fight. If it comes to that though I''ll retreat, since Niala is here. She''s far more vulnerable. That said I don''t have a clue about their true capabilities yet. The apes were only so-so in physical combat. But I expect more from formally trained, experienced soldiers. Those were army dropouts as guards. The one I dueled a while back put up more fight, it was just the equipment difference that overwhelmed him. The big guy with the mane seems quite tough. He''ll go down hard, fighting. The others voice opinions. The tabby female offering a question that gets shot down by one male before it is overruled by the Siamese. She has veto power, huh? Siamese walks over to us. ¡°You show good faith. We show good faith.¡± [Siamese] She says something aloud. In the bushes another figure appears. Small. A really young cat-girl. Eleven or twelve years old? They were keeping her hidden in case everything went sour. She is their most vulnerable member. She''s defenseless. Too young to even have skills, probably. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Niala mentions she saw her with them before at the caravan. That is the sort of thing you mention... well I see her point, this poor waif couldn''t put up a fight. She''s nervous and shaking. She has pure white hair and blue eyes... not an albino, just a white cat. She''s different looking from the others... oh, the skin color is paler too. Different tribe? She''s really petite. Big eyes. Pretty much looks like a scared kitten. Adorable. Oh! She has a tail! The others don''t as far as I can tell. Sub-species? Rare recessive genes? Even Niala can''t argue with that face. She seems to have a soft spot for youngsters, like little rat. In fact from the looks of it she is only barely holding back the urge to pet the girl. I can''t blame her, it was all I could do to hold back the impulse myself. Those big eyes just get to me. We''re all evolved to consider big eyes on small creatures irresistible, so we protect the next generation. ¡°Yes, sister talk about this girl.¡± [Rick covering up the failure in their communication] The Siamese looks at us strangely. A knowing, predatory smile on her usually blank poker face. She saw through me... must have seen my surprised reaction. I hold up my hands, surrendering. ¡°I admit it, I didn''t know about her, because sister didn''t feel she was a threat.¡± [Rick] ¡°I understand now...¡± [Siamese laughing faintly.] ¡°No, she really not a threat.¡± Hmm. She understood that much in ape language? Or is it the genetic memories at play, speeding up the translation on both ends? Either way, our ability to converse is growing rapidly. Niala''s trying to get close to the girl, the way you approach a scared little animal, slowly. The girl hesitates but doesn''t shy away as Niala touches her. The girl looks concerned, but Niala''s in a world of bliss as she strokes the hair. Well, she never did have a pet. Let her have this one. The other cats seemed concerned when Niala got close, but seeing the reaction they look much more relaxed. The girl is only in danger of getting mussed up hair. Siamese asks when we want to leave. I suggest we forage for any food we can first, strip the place bare of necessities. I''m a little relieved they seem to be able to eat plants, if they have to. Niala''s gather skill helps no end in getting a decent stockpile of food, these guys don''t seem able to harvest moderate quality food items. Nice, we''re even more invaluable to them. We lead back toward our barren camp. We camp for the night, there seems to be some good cheer from the improvement in food rations, as it isn''t the pig slops they are used to. Day 54 They weren''t quite as trustworthy as I had hoped, but more than I need. I caught one of the males trying to pickpocket me during the night. A smaller one. I caught the fore-arm but he seemed quite calm about it, since I''m a bit smaller than him. He was very surprised when my hand began to apply pressure enough to make him fear his arm would break. All I had to do was loudly call out ''Thief''. The others were very upset. Since they had a very rigid honor system he was in quite severe trouble, although I assume his intention was to take my weapon and try to make a go of life alone. Idiot. He''ll die in a day with no shelter. He still ended up alone, just without more than a wooden club. Clearly someone worthy of a Darwin award. I''ll see he gets it posthumously. We''re in the same room we hid the weapons and iron in, but I''m not willing to arm them properly yet, not ''til they have a look at our home. Their group is falling apart jumping at shadows, they must suspect a trap. After all, how often do strangers aid escaped slaves who have nothing to trade? What they fail to realize is their simple presence and help is much better than I currently possess without a golem. Plus, they can talk. Spare eyes looking for danger, more hands to hold weapons. These are things that cost a lot to make from scratch. Better to import from a local supply. Besides the whole situation is wonderful. I''m quite pleased having a reserved but inquisitive Siamese cat-woman at my side as we travel. Niala''s giving piggyback rides to the kitten. Hey! Stop showing her how the dart launching bracer works! Take that off her! Oh... fine. She is still the least threatening one here, even with a toxic dart launcher. Damn. Can''t say no to those eyes. Mane guy seems the most bent out of shape, but he also seems the most determined. He''s going to come along, just to prove he has the last laugh if there really is an ambush because it means he was right about me. Well joke''s on you Lion King reject. I may be a rat bastard, I''m no traitor. That night is quiet, as we reach the last leg of the journey. One of the series of new rooms around our home: the Tide Pool room. What we learned: Loli! Cat-girl! Siamese cat-woman... things are starting to warm up there. Thinking about it logically there must be a real bat-man out there somewhere... There''s already Rat-man. Complete with gadgets. Built in. I''m currently working on a few episodes of what I''m calling Re:Ocean: Season of the Crab. If you miss Cal, never fear as a god he''s ever-present to leave a snarky line or make fun of everything. I''m planning to build up a bunch of eps before releasing them steadily. I have a few plans but I was hoping to hear what some of you would like to read about. So far I have several new critters and environments to introduce and a few shock developments... Hard part is deciding what kind of evolutions crab should take, the choices are limitless... there are nearly seven thousand crab species alive... many more if you add in the fossil record or just go berserk with creativity and power sets. It''ll eat into my time set aside for this story but I think I can manage to keep a steady output without sacrificing one for the other. I barely sleep anyway. Labyrinth should start getting interesting as we head into the main phase of the story. But no spoilers, because that is what keeps you hanging on for more, the unexpected twists and turns. Chapter 25: Phantasm Day 55 I love this room, it is so relaxing. The Tidepool Room. Salt spray and soft sand. Rocky outcrops with deep hollows filled with sea-water and more importantly; sea-food. Crabs, shellfish, fish, all trapped in there. The monsters are also nice. Oh, there you are. A scallop as big as my head leaps from the water, snapping a razor edged shell on me. It shut on my hand, since I covered my face. Ha. Caught. My other hand clutches at the edge, since it is jammed open by my arm bones. I rip the shell open, exposing the creature''s flesh. Mmm, so nice grilled or boiled. Good thing I don''t bleed, or this would be ruined. An added bonus of having a grinding gear for a heart, I can use the friction to light sticks on fire by bringing them into contact with my core at full speed. The Siamese comes over with a handful of fish looking pleased. I show her mine. She looks hungry. With a small fire made from driftwood (how it got here I have no clue) already going we share it between us and give a few burning branches away for the others to use to make fires of their own. Niala''s distracted, catching fish for our resident cat girl. I can''t complain since it leaves me with the company of a very nubile cat woman. ¡°Good. Tastes good.¡± [Siamese] ¡°Yes, it is nice to have good food. Third time I''ve eaten this kind of thing here.¡± [Rick] She is stretched out on the sand with a leisurely pose. We have a few eyes on watch, and everyone apparently has sharp senses, so now is the time to relax. I''m propped up against a rock. ¡°Tell me: that thing you wear, armor?¡± [Siamese] Oh, the metal chest? ¡°No. It is me.¡± [Rick] ¡°That cannot be.¡± She replied, looking up at me, pale blue eyes showing surprise. She is crawling over here on hands and knees... Her clothes are ragged leather, something like a short dress. It is ripped in places and stained, but the gaps are alluring, displaying toned abs and modest cleavage. Get a grip, don''t let your fantasies run wild again, ratboy. She strokes my chest, trying to find the gap between it and flesh, but sadly there is none. She does however find the hole where my heart should be. ¡°Don''t.¡± I catch her hand as she tries to explore this gap. ¡°You will be hurt if you do that.¡± ¡°How did you get like this?!¡± She asks, eyes wide with deep curiosity. ¡°A skill. I was dying, a spike through my body. I made the spike fill the loss. It made me stronger, tougher but less than I was.¡± [Rick] ¡°I am on the verge of something. This body, it is only a step. Whether the end leads to Heaven or Hell I have no clue. Only power.¡± [Rick] ¡°Heav''en? Hel? What are these?¡± [Siamese] Ha. Terms from Earth... ¡°An ideal. The best of places is Heaven, the worst of places is Hell. To travel there is to live an experience that is better or worse than any you knew before.¡± [Rick] ¡°Or to die, because death is supposed to lead to those two places. However I know better. It just leads to more of the same shit.¡± ¡°You fear this change will make your life the worst?¡± [Siamese] ¡°No, I fear this change will make me a monster that makes the lives of others the worst.¡± [Rick] ¡°I understand. But know that monsters are not born. They come from nothing. You will even at your worst be only yourself.¡± [Siamese] ¡°What? Monsters just appear? From the air?!¡± [Rick] ¡°Like the items? The food?¡± ¡°Yes. I have seen it. They grow from the rock up in the ''death'' zones.¡± [Siamese] ¡°Really? You entered one?!¡± [Rick excited] ¡°No, a child did. He died choking on the second step. But I could see from the corridor, as I followed.¡± [Siamese] ¡°We were running from the slavers. They found me there, trapped.¡± ¡°They are dead now.¡± [Rick] ¡°Yes, but I am not. I cannot forget the terror. But since they no longer breathe I can at least live again. If I had gotten free, I would have killed the ones I hate. Your sister, I owe her for that. She ended them for me. I saw them, gaping like a speared fish. Whatever she asks, I shall do with thanks.¡± [Siamese] ¡°Is that why you trusted us?¡± [Rick] ¡°Yes, to doubt a savior is the height of dishonor.¡± [Siamese] ¡°The weapons you took, I made those.¡± [Rick] ¡°It is my skill.¡± ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± [Siamese] ¡°I did not know if I could trust you, I do now. My skill is dangerous. It can make a great many things. From the best ingredients, weapons that would rival the artifacts scattered through the rooms.¡± [Rick] ¡°From the worst, things better than the sum of their parts.¡± ¡°My skill. It is future-sight.¡± [Siamese] ¡°When I touch a thing or person I see glimpses of what they will know in time.¡± Well, damn. Something like that exists here too? Precognition? ¡°You saw something when you touched me, didn''t you?¡± [Rick] ¡°A you who was not you. A blazing, all-consuming fire. Things which watch us, make us, bleed us but do not understand us. Death.¡± [Siamese] ...I see. Well, considering my own skill I can''t deny her skill is possible. Her words are cryptic as hell though. Well, none of them are concrete yet. Lets just let it play out. Perhaps it will be useful? Have her test fortifications every day? See when gathering is dangerous by touching foragers before they leave? Keep a diary and have her read out prominent entries in advance? No probably can''t read. A you who is not you... she saw my previous incarnation?! She sees the past of an object too? That could also be useful. Death is very vague though. I have seen too much of it. For the first time since we were reunited Niala decides not to sleep beside me. I don''t bother pretending to sleep now. I spend the night on watch or catching fish and baking them on rocks over the fire. They will make a good breakfast. Since there is no set day or night, aside from the forest room with it''s transparent roof we rely on our biological clocks. It is surprisingly accurate as long as you aren''t tired. Like how you can sometimes wake up just before an alarm clock sounds to stop it. Or was that just me? If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Day 56 I got a lot of smiles from the whole set of felines for my fishy surprise. Niala had also managed to collect quite a haul of better quality food. It seems monster meat is always ''good'' quality, which explains the snapping turtle steaks and grilled scallop tasting so nice. Something I must take advantage of. There are only three rooms between us and our home base. The path is treacherous and for the first time we walk into trouble. There is something in the corridor. A person. A human. I''m quite shocked by this. No differences, this man in loose robes is pure human. Not even Morlock-like. I can''t help myself, I walk closer. He''s talking to himself and looking down the tunnel in the other direction. ¡°Do not!¡± [Siamese] She''s frightened. Well, a stranger is obviously dangerous out here. This guy though, looks like a bookworm. He''s entirely too thin to have any real strength. How did he end up here? Is there a caravan nearby? Did he get separated from his own people and lost? Hmm, he''s bigger than I gave him credit for though. Twice my height? No a little less. So we''re all midgets, huh? Well the size of things down here varies, perhaps he''s a giant among his people. ¡°Hello?¡± [Rick] The looks very scared. He turns and cowering looking towards me. This feels off, somehow. I try again in ape and feline to greet him. Nothing. I ask again, one last time in English. ¡°Oh thank God! Someone who speaks English!¡± [Tall Man] ¡°I can''t believe my ears. You really do speak English?¡± [Rick] ¡°How can that be? This place certainly isn''t Earth.¡± ¡°I''m as confused as you. Where are you? Come closer so I can see you, the dark here is so deep I can barely see my hand in front of my face!¡± [Tall Man] Of course. He''s human. He doesn''t have the kind of nightvision living down here requires. Transported by a strange artifact, skill or room, perhaps? ¡°I''m not human.¡± [Rick] ¡°Oh God I''m in Hell aren''t I?! I knew it as soon as I felt the fire and saw the demons and darkness!¡± [Tall Man] ¡°It isn''t that bad. Calm down. Things aren''t like that.¡± [Rick] I walk closer and reach out to touch him. You know, he looks very familiar. ¡°Don''t get closer!¡± [Siamese shouting] Where do I know you from? The eyes. Yes, they look a bit like mine used to. But the features aren''t me. I catch hold of his wrist. Ah, I remember now. My brother had eyes like mine too. His face however looked a lot like this one, only he never looked like a man, because he was murdered at age seven... ¡°Brother... is that you?¡± [Rick] ¡°Michael... you were dead... were you reincarnated too?¡± The touch felt wrong somehow. I looked down, the arm I held was not flesh. Had never been flesh. It was something... hard. It''s cutting me. The skin of this person who looks like my brother is tearing my hand apart. I close my eyes. This is a monster isn''t it? Using some kind of hypnotic attack to make me confused and vulnerable. I''m only talking to myself, aren''t I? This thing no more speaks English than a stone. Yes. My brother is dead. That body is not my brother. If he were to reincarnate it would not be like that. He would look different, like me. I''m seeing my heart''s desire, my brother alive and grown. Unforgivable. Utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, utterly, UNFORGIVABLE!!!!!!!! I grab the sword-breaker from my belt and smash it down on the arm I hold. With my eyes screwed shut. The flesh cracks and I hear snaps and a twisting whine. I hurt it. Good. I take a quick look at my right hand, where I was being hurt. My little and ring fingers are gone, the thumb mangled. I think it was eating me. I shut my eyes again. Raaaagh! I slam the metal bludgeon down on the tall figure again and again, sensing it by the foul scent I finally noticed and the sound of movements. It crumples and stays down. This is an act too, isn''t it. You''re playing possum. You make me think I killed you, you get away. Right? Not used to finding prey you can''t chew to pieces in moments, eh? I stab the weapon down, aiming for center mass, with my body weight behind it. The creature was indeed not dead, as it howled it''s head off at the wound. There your head is. I ram my injured fist down it''s gullet, smashing fangs and then piercing flesh with iron claws I rip into soft inner parts. Hmmm, I think I clawed all the way through to the backbone. It isn''t moving any more. I crack my eyelid and peer at the fiend. Ugh. Ugly as sin. A circular mouth ringed by fangs. A thick, black, segmented carapace. Huge eyes, like a mantis. An invertebrate? Huh, must have clawed all the way through to the back armor plates then. What the hell is this thing?! ¡°A Nameless Stranger...¡± [Siamese] ¡°To think such a horror was beaten down. Are you injured?¡± ¡°A little, but nothing that can''t be fixed. Wow. That thing almost got me. I was completely fooled for a moment.¡± [Rick] ¡°I hope there aren''t more.¡± ¡°No. These beasts are always alone.¡± [Siamese] ¡°Or, so I have heard. Few survive the meeting.¡± ¡°Yeah, I can see why.¡± [Rick] What we learned this chapter: A monster that hunts through hypnosis is not likely to need brute strength. Cats like fish... Duh. Gantz got sick of humans and moved on to monsters? Chapter 26: Adapting to a new home. Day 55 (Little Rat POV) I bounce out of bed with a spring. Chianti is already awake, she looks at me like I''m something strange. Like I''m a spider looking to ensnare her. Such silly ideas I have. I shrug, I''m just me. Since I saw how meals like we ate with the travelers are cooked I search out a bag of the flat grains and carefully prepare the food for our breakfast. I believe the term is gruel? ¡°You''re not pretending are you...?¡± [Chianti] ¡°This isn''t an act?¡± ¡°Pretending what? I''m just making our breakfast.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°By the Spirits he''s an insatiable monster.¡± She whispers, with surprising affection. Well, she was fun last night too. Perhaps she means how we changed under the effects of that marvelous drink? I wonder, can she give me children? Well, not that I''m very concerned by that. If not, it is still a pleasant way to pass the time. ¡°So what are your plans for the day? Here you are, home at last. What next? Foraging for better food? Maybe something I have never seen before?¡± [Tirmin hopefully] She rubs her hair. ¡°Well you aren''t wrong. My money''s gone, those men here when we arrived must have taken it. I guess it''s back to the supply depot to work as quartermaster. Ugh. I hope that bastard that imprisoned us hasn''t blacklisted me...¡± ¡°Sorry... what does all of that mean?¡± [Tirmin] ¡°Nothing yet. If all goes well I''ll be home by day''s end. With a few coins for better food than this...¡± She raises the wooden spoon and carefully picks a weevil out of her meal. ¡°I don''t know, I like these bugs. Crunchy and flavorsome.¡± [Tirmin mumbles mouth full] ¡°Hmph. Well, if you like them, food is far less of a problem than I thought. Since I only need enough for myself then.¡± [Chianti] ¡°It is true that those like me can eat almost anything.¡± [Tirmin taking a second helping from the pot] ¡°So what then are my duties?¡± ¡°Hmm. For now, why don''t you keep the riffraff out and clean up the place?¡± [Chianti] ¡°Like you did with that weird stick at Chirrik''s home?¡± [Tirmin] ¡°It''s called a broom and yes that is exactly what I mean.¡± [Chianti] ¡°I can do that.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°But I hope to explore this strange place soon.¡± ¡°Tomorrow. We''ll go shopping. It''ll look bad if I carry the food if I own a slave.¡± [Chianti] ¡°Tomorrow it is then.¡± [Tirmin nodding] This home is smaller than the one I knew, neater too. I sweep the place clean quickly enough and then sit at the door gazing out at more people passing by than I have ever seen before. I fiddle with the strange moss and fern ring as I wait. It feels soothing to the touch, like soft foliage. As I wait I hear sounds behind me. That''s funny. I''m at the door, how did she get in without my seeing? I enter and come face to face with a scruffy, dark haired man sifting through our travelling gear. He''s too busy to notice me. It looks like he crawled in through an unfastened window. Interesting, I didn''t know you could do that with a window. I walk up and greet him in gestures, since I''m not supposed to talk. He startles, jumping back waving a sharp bit of metal at me. His eyes are scared. At first. ¡°So, you''re all alone little fuzzball?¡± He lowers the knife. ¡°I heared you came back from the dark tunnels wit treasures... surely you''ve got some hid away. Show me where and I donts make your lungs pop!¡± Hmm. I suppose that was a threat. I don''t like the look of this guy much. My tail coils around the leg of a chair as I raise a hand, as if thinking about the offer. The man lowers the knife a little, since he''s bigger and armed. At the moment he seems most focused I point at the window with a look of horror. He turns, falling for the feint so perfectly. He looks back at me in time to greet the back of the chair as it kisses him in the mouth, as I swing it with both hands. He falls, crumpled in a heap. I give him another for good measure and then search him. Hmm. The pale metal in flat circles? Silver Chirrik called it I think? I confiscate several. I take the knife as well. Hmm. Not knowing what else to do I heave the man back out the way he came in. Then I inspect the window, since I recall closing it. Ah, there is a block of some kind in the latch, so it doesn''t shut properly. Who would do such a thing? I remove it and close the window properly. I hear someone shouting strange words out there but pay it no mind, nothing to do with me. ¡°Fuckin'' rat!¡± [Thief] ¡°Mother fuckin'' dirty, poxed rat!¡± See? Nothing to do with me. I''m clean, since I groomed myself an hour ago. Chianti eventually appears, looking a little grim. ¡°Well, good news and bad news. Good news, I have a job. Bad news, I was demoted. Some asshole saw my vacant seat and stole it.¡± [Chianti] The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°So? We just steal that seat right back from the hole in the ass. What does it look like? Wood?¡± [Tirmin] She held her face in her hands for a while, before explaining that it wasn''t really a chair. ¡°So... more of a stool?¡± [Tirmin] She just stared at me and sighed. ¡°Well we could just beat this ass with a hole until he gives it back.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°As much as I would love to do that, it won''t work.¡± [Chianti] She looked around the room a bit. ¡°It seems quite neat, not bad considering you live in filth.¡± She noticed something white on the floor. ¡°Teeth? Did those squatters fight in here?¡± Oh, that reminds me. I hold out the silver. ¡°I found this.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°Money! This looks like some of my savings... where did you find it?¡± [Chianti] ¡°Over there, in some man''s coat.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°Where''s the coat now?¡± She asked curious. ¡°I threw it out the window.¡± I tell the truth since I have nothing to hide. ¡°Oh, It must be gone by now then. Those rag-pickers are quick.¡± [Chianti] ¡°I brought us some cheap pub fare for our nightly meal. It may not be much but... oh right. You won''t care as long as you can eat it.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I reply happily. The food in question is a parcel of some chalky substance filled with something salty and savory. Not terrible. A ''pastie'' I think it was called? She goes quiet for a long time. ¡°What is the matter?¡± [Tirmin] ¡°Well...¡± She says sheepishly, with a hint of something else. ¡°I did manage to get another bottle of this cheap swill we enjoyed so much... I was hoping we might enjoy it this night as we did the last.¡± That sounds grand! We quickly open the jar and have a glass, but for some reason she seems to be only sipping it instead of gulping it like the last night. After I''ve had a second large glass, I feel a little warm. She pulls me away to bed. Well, if she feels tired, I can''t blame her. It must have been a long day. The jar is still half-full. Strange, we finished it last time. Anyhow she is still as affectionate tonight, if a little more coy. She also doesn''t doze off until we''ve finished our little games for the seventh time, instead of the fourth. Day 56 I wake up first. I fix us some breakfast and wait for her to awaken. When she notices me staring, waiting for her she seems embarrassed. ¡°Oh, I''m sorry. You need to get changed.¡± I turn around and wait. She places a hand on my shoulder. It lingers there for a while, then it slides down my fur. Is she playing with it? ¡°It''s so soft...¡± She murmurs. ¡°And you''re a relentless beast...¡± The words sound like insults but the tone is so different they sound pleasant. I don''t really get it. She glances at the bowl of gruel. ¡°There aren''t any beetles this time. I had them for lunch yesterday.¡± [Tirmin] She looked a little ill for a moment then seemed to nod to herself before asking rhetorically. ¡°You''re surprisingly useful, aren''t you?¡± She then ate her meal, even commenting ¡°You really got them all? They burrow in deep, so how did you find them?¡± ¡°I sniffed them out.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°Huh... your nose is that sensitive? Um, what do you smell when you are close to me?¡± [Chianti] ¡°I smell all of you, of course.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°Doesn''t that... smell bad? I have no cosmetics or toiletries yet...¡± [Chianti] ¡°Nonsense, it is not ''bad''. I like your smell. It reminds me of the time we''ve shared, on the road, in bed...¡± [Tirmin] She blushed again, like she did when she woke up. Interesting. Our time out during the day before her return to work is short and there is no time to spend sightseeing. After dinner we spend our time together like before, only this time Chianti pretends to drink but barely sips her share of the alcohol. I don''t either, since I''m curious about this. We go to bed early and skip the hugging. I don''t think I got more than a wink or two of sleep. She rode me until she gave up in exhaustion. I like this game. I win at it a lot. What we learned: Tirmin: Lady Killer Extrordinaire. Little rat is stronger than he looks, to be able to haul a grown man his own weight out the window. He''s also a stud under the sheets too, apparently... Chianti: love struck. It seems she''s lying to herself about just how much little rat rocks her world, with the whole ''getting drunk'' act. Sorry about how late this is (a week) I''m going to try to keep a decent pace now, I just got distracted for a few days... Chapter 27: Moving forward. Day 57 (Rick POV) Home sweet... barren empty cavern. I''m going out on a limb here, letting all of the cat-people in. At the very least it has a nice gate; something I whipped together from solid stone. It has a poison dart launcher activated by a clumsy attempt to open my door. It has a simple number lock on it. If you try to enter any set of numbers the trap activates. I also have a backup that I haven''t primed yet, that activates in the case of siege. The correct answer is to depress a section of frame around the fake lock in a certain way. I showed it to little rat, in case he needed to return without warning. Only we rats know the trick. I warn the cats not to touch it, mentioning the poison. I''m not sure I trust all of them yet, but Siamese seems genuine. For now, it is an insurance policy on the off chance they decide to kick Niala and I out or kill us to keep the room. Aside from the massive jewel in the roof accommodations are Spartan. I wasn''t planning for numerous guests when we left. The cats also seem annoyed because there are no weapons. I promised weapons, but have none. As they bicker and argue with Siamese I silence them by forming knives out of the bedrock. While far from perfection these are at least better than clubs made from branches. You could shave with them. Not that they''ll be used for that. The cats regard hair as a status symbol, apparently. The big guy''s bushy beard and long hair resemble a dark mane... probably what it is, in fact. I wonder what the deal is with the other woman, the laidback Tabby, her hair is short. Different tribe? Something else? The knives in question aren''t simple blades, I added some simple designs etched on the blade and modified them to the limit. The large male comes over first and growls a question. ¡°Theras asks if you can make any weapon.¡± [Siamese translates] ¡°Yes, with the right materials, better than this... much better.¡± [Rick] The black maned cat asks something else. I turn to Siamese, curious. ¡°He wants... a weapon... I do not have the words... a staff with a cutting edge?¡± [Siamese] Interesting. A polearm. Hmm. Halberds, naginatas... Ahh... of course. I craft as solid two inch pole of rock six feet long and form a two foot long, one-sided cleaving edge with a sharp point. A voulge. Since the guy seems to want substance rather than style I don''t add fancy engraving, instead I reinforce it as much as possible so that the brittle rock will last a while. He looks impressed. I test the weight. Not terrible for such a mass of stone. I find a loose rock and test the blade, cleaving it with a crash. He now looks desperate to try it out himself. I hand the voulge to him, with a smile. He tries it by swinging in an empty area, the sound of the weapon cutting the air is terrifying. He''s smiling like a madman as he does. Well he was easy to please. I guess the guy just REALLY likes his weapons. Not that I can blame him, out here a weapon is a lifeline. You need a dependable one. ¡°Tell him that in a few days I''ll be collecting some ore, to make decent weapons. That voulge is only as good as I can do, using raw stone.¡± [Rick] ¡°Iron and steel will make him drool.¡± Well, now is my time to shine! I have to make myself indispensable. Also, secretly build up myself in case of treachery. I''m paranoid, sure. I learned the hard way, betrayal can blind-side you. Still I do trust the cats, to a degree. The thief didn''t help their cause but loli-kitten and Siamese don''t seem the types to break a trust. The others I don''t know so well, though. After all I can''t talk to them directly yet. Theras seems to be a blustery guy, he had doubts about my offer from day one which he said aloud at every opportunity but now he seems the most at ease, since he''s armed reasonably well. Next I invite them out, to view the most interesting nearby room. It''s only a half hour''s walk away. What is so special about this room? You''ll see. The walk is casual and easier now we are unburdened by supplies. I''m not quite sure how the cat-people will react to this room, but so far it has been safe. It is only a few hundred feet wide. I has no food, few resources and absolutely no monsters as far as I can tell. There are no great interruptions on the way, no monsters thankfully. The reaction to the room is confusion. Niala and I are the only ones who know what it is. It is a massive natural bath. The place has an unnatural angle to it, the water temperature is steady as is the water level in the scalloped edged stone cavity. Further more as if proving it is manufactured, a steady stream of aromatic herb essence and liquid soap pours down. This creates the final effect; a massive hot-spring bubble bath. I guess every room can''t be a death trap. It seems the cat people don''t really know baths, but then I doubt many here do. I explain the use; in a few minutes, after a lot of silly hesitation they are having a blast, splashing water, running around. I for one am mighty pleased, as they have all shed their clothes. The view of Siamese is fascinating. Turns out, they all have tails after all. They''re short. Almost as if they were docked like sheep. I suppose their tail is actually similar to the tail of a bobcat. Goes to show loli-kitten probably is a completely separate sub-species. Aside from that, the front isn''t so bad either, heh heh heh. The tabby girl isn''t terrible to look at either, although I draw the line at Kitten. She''s cute, not sexually attractive. Like a niece or a daughter, far too young so I don''t pay attention there. I let my inner ratboy have a field day, fantasizing about the Siamese catgirl chatting with me casually as we all soak side by side. Such a wonderful day. So much better than the last. My hand is back to normal after an extended hug from Niala, but the fingers don''t feel quite right. The regenerated ones feel strange. Phantom limb syndrome? I''ve heard it can drive people to even sever limbs they feel are ''wrong''. Eh, I''ll get used to it. I hope. Occasionally I get flashes of old memories as the face of my brother comes to mind. Then I remember the monster that mimicked him... ugh. I''m going to be pretty screwed up for a while over this. Leaving is less pleasant, despite the hot air vents like full-body hairdriers. The clothes are still filthy rags for our new friends. Have to do something about that. Hmph. If it comes to that, I''ll just skin a few dozen monsters. If I can find a few furry ones. I suppose plain leather works, too. I have big plans for the future. That iron ore is key to my plans for subjugation of the corrupt ape people. I wonder how little rat is doing over there. The distance is troubling. I hate that phones don''t exist here. Well... at least I have a seer. That trumps the arcane science of weather forecasting and the arcane fantasy of astrology anyway. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. If I''m lucky it may end up useful. At least I assume it allows the changing of the predicted events. If they turn out to be predestined I''m gonna be pissed off. After all in physics the act of observing can change a reaction. I assume the principle is the same here. Knowing something is going to happen changes the event subtly. When we return home we make a fire and sleep around it as a group. Aside from me. I remain on watch at the gate, as the rest sleep. It is boring though. Or at least it was until I heard a few faint footsteps behind me. I''m a little surprised by the stealth, but it turns out to be a very sleepy Siamese. ¡°Sleep, I don''t need rest. I''ll watch the gate until morning.¡± [Rick] ¡°I can''t... I woke up because I felt something missing... it was you. You calm my doubts.¡± [Siamese looking through unfocused eyes] I sit down against the wall, patting the ground beside me. ¡°What is your name? I''ve wondered for a while. I''m Chirrick. Call me Rick.¡± I ask as she splays out on her side. ¡°Minke.¡± She murmurs, resting her head on my lap. I stroke her head and I''m a little startled when she starts purring. ¡°I like spending time with you.¡± [Rick] The purring stopped, which made me worried that she was about to get angry. Until I realized she''d dozed off. Gently I spent the night stroking her hair, this is the first time I really appreciated the fact I don''t sleep. Day 58 Hunting and foraging the group is split between Minke, myself and a few other cats including Tabby who are hunting, as Theras guards Niala, Kitten and the rest out looking for food. Our first room is a bust, a room filled with dead trees. We hack a little for firewood and leave it behind to carry back when we return. I''m glad, we have enough for a few buildings and plenty of firewood. If it recovers every time we enter then it is a major benefit, but it has no use for hunting. We pass the river, filling our water-skins and my old canteen. At least we have access to water too. Have to do something about that however, in the event of a siege we''ll dehydrate long before we starve. I''m thinking a large scale storage system, or pipes. I''m also thinking about small scale farming in our sealed room, to supplement our foraging. Food may be unlimited, but only if we leave our locked room. Same problem as the water, really. I hope someone here has agriculture skills... The next room is ridiculous. I thought we wandered out of the maze for a moment. The roof was seemingly a starry night sky. In actual fact, turns out it was an obsidian stone roof covered in a layer of glow-worms. This was a rich room, filled with prey animals. Rabbit-like beasts with no eyes, pale shaggy fur and the size of a large dog. They were grazing on some strange plant growth, lichen I think. Taking a cautious approach I attacked one far from the edge of the group. Thankfully they didn''t display herd tactics. No, the creature instead attacked right back, as I stabbed the sword-breaker into the neck. It was hurt, pretty badly. I was expecting some kind of kick, but the beast had a far more insidious retaliation. It spat needles at me. I admit I was quite surprised. They were barbed too. I was very annoyed as I tore them out of my arm and cheek. They left nasty looking injuries. The swordbreaker was stabbed again, this time through the ribcage. That put it down for good. But damn, the wounds hurt. Some kind of irritant I think. Itches like a million flea bites. From then on we struck from the side and aimed for the vitals center torso. I found out by dissecting the creature the spines were actually modified teeth. The saliva was a nasty piece of work and clearly the cause of the irritation. A mild venom, probably. I made a container out of thin rock and filled it with the fluid, a makeshift pepper spray grenade. Still we end up with a good supply of furs. A few dozen pounds of choice cuts of meat, too. Since I took one for the team, we walk away with only myself injured. The cats learned enough from my blunder to avoid the needles. We collect the wood and a few stout branches I set aside for crafting on the way back. Niala''s already home. She has a good pile of root vegetables and apple-like fruit waiting. I get a hug for my troubles. Once I have a fire going again I try simple cooking, using a frying-pan I made from the stone (ironically it counted as a weapon). The vegetables are crisp and tasty when cooked. The meat however was disappointing. It tasted like cleaning fluid, as if marinated in ammonia. So much for food from monsters always being ''good''. The ''apples'' are soft and filled with delightful nectar. So even if the meat was a failure we didn''t lack for delicious food. But vegetarian meals always leave me feeling like something is missing. Oh wait, the missing thing is meat. Of course. I don''t want to live in a world where I''m forced to be a herbivore. I''m so glad I''m still an omnivore. As I sit up at the gate for my round of guard duty Minke walks over immediately and leans against me. We talk about the past, I tell her about my life. She tells me about her own. In the end, they''re both sob-stories. Figured as much considering she is a former-slave and I''m a self-forged living weapon. Some of it makes my whiskers curl. Some of it makes me want to kill... In the end she drifts off to sleep as I stroke her hair again. This is nice. Niala gives an evil glare from the fire-side but she''s buried under a sleeping Kitten. She can''t get up to complain. Funnily I''m in the same situation. Cats. They only care for their own comfort. They are starting to grow on me. What we learned: Kitten: is Niala''s foil. Minke: has clearly grown attached to Rick. Theras: busy polishing his weapon. What will Rick do with all of his iron? There are a large number of weak herbivores? Where are the predators? Close. One of my reviewers from a while ago wondered why Rick knows so much about weapons; I based that quirk on myself. I used to read weapon encyclopedias. Things like katars, polearms and such really interested me. I spent my lunch-times at school reading these reference books so avidly they were removed from the shelves by worried school librarians... Chapter 28: Surprise! Day 58 (Rick POV) I''m feeling a little confused here, from the unexpected affections of my cat-lady Minke... Ordinarily I''d be thrilled but I''m actually hung up on the fact she has some kind of past/future sense through physical contact, and I find that troubling. Psychometry is what she says the skill is called. The way she uses it is what worries me. I think she was hooked after she used her skill on me. The question is... is the person she is attracted to the present/past/future me? Could she be seeing my past body, rather than the current one? Ugh... in the end they are all me, but this is screwed up if I''m in a relationship with a woman who is interested in who I used to be but not who I am now. It''d be like dating a fish because you know it was a pretty girl reincarnated... Aside from that Niala''s aware of the budding relationship and she is gnashing her teeth over it. When Minke finally wakes and wanders away for her morning ablutions I cut off Niala before this escalates into open warfare, after all I can''t imagine Minke backing down from a fight. More so as both are armed with knives even if Minke''s is stone. Since I''m in trouble with my sister either way, might as well bite the bullet. I tell her the simple truth, I adore my sister and want only the best for her but I''ll never have sex with her. She takes this fairly badly. She''s confused and shocked. She seems to have been under the impression this was simply a matter of time. Then she starts to cry. I hate that... so unfair. You can''t win against this kind of emotional assault... She seems to be most concerned because she thinks that means I''m going to leave her all alone. That I''m going to abandon her or kick her out or something else irrational. Of course that won''t happen. She''s my sister and I love her. If I have to I''ll die for her, gladly. Whatever happens I''ll never abandon her. Before I can explain this to her she pulls out her knife and starts trying to cut her own throat... I grab the blade in my hand and hold it steady as she tries to pull it free. She''s so irrational right now I can only hug her and stroke her head until she starts crying again, bawling like only someone who has seen the crux of their greatest dream shatter. I think this has grown from the deaths of our siblings. If I didn''t nip it in the bud now it could only have been much worse. Murder/suicide worse. As she is calming down I explain I''m not going anywhere. For as long as I live she is stuck with me. She laughs hearing this, like it is joke but I mean every word and eventually she calms down. That''s when she notices she''s torn my right hand to shreds. It is one of my reinforced steel knives after all and I''m only flesh, blood, bone and pig iron. I don''t care about that, though. I shrug and explain that I don''t mind being hurt if it keeps her in my life. Rather than smile or cry again she hugs me, instantly healing my minor injuries. However I do think I can feel some wet patches of fur where she presses her face against me now. I spend the rest of the day with Niala, to keep her spirits up. For the first time in a long while she seems honestly happy and without a care. I''m glad for this, but I know deep down she''s acting. She hasn''t given up yet. But her confidence has been broken. Her jealousy stemmed from her certainty we were fated to be lovers. With me denying her that she is biding her time, hoping for me to falter and come back to her. But still she knows now, it will not be easy nor will I let her act out like before. I may not like that conniving bitch, Chianti but I interrogated her thoroughly about everything. From her home and civilization, her family to how she saw life in my care. I know what my sister is like; if I let her act out it will escalate until people die. She has killed now, and she is damn good at it. In the end I am her leash as much as her brother. The only person able to influence her. Sure, she has Little Rat and her pet kitten, but they are just substitutes for the dead she misses. Late that night she sleeps by my side, the kitten snuggled between us. The little girl seems to like our fur. Minke joins us, but carefully and with deference to Niala... future sight... she knew about this. Before it happened, I''ll wager, which is why she gave me such a huge berth all day. My sister is less than impressed but for once she doesn''t make an issue out of it. I''m actually a little stunned by that. Niala is at least *pretending* to give up. I pat her head and praise her for this choice silently. Day 59 Today we are going hunting for more of the poison needle spitting beasts; I have taken to calling them Spine Rabbits. They are apparently new to both the cats as a group as much as myself so either they are rare or there is an unexpected danger in the area that keeps them hidden. The beasts themselves are not very formidable, little more than domesticated sheep if not for the unique defense. We are only after their hides and tendons, since the meat is disgusting. With the tendons I can craft simple bows, since we have access to the Dead Tree room. The additional hides are for us to create packs and sleeping rolls. I want to be properly supplied and escorted while I retrieve the iron ore and my weapon stash. Our cats are all wearing clothes made from the hide of the Spine Rabbits we caught last time; they needed a day to be cured by the heat from a fire. Can''t wear raw meat after all. They aren''t Lady Gaga... Anyhow the clothes are styled simply, looking similar to the buckskin clothes of several Native American tribes but cruder. I get the feeling this is their natural dress, so I chalk the utilitarian style up to the fact they need the clothes rather than ornamentation right here and now. I am pleased, particularly because the females have loose skirts and apparently bloomers. Since Minke isn''t very concerned about her appearance in front of me I have had several glimpses of the elusive, humble yet captivating sight. The beasts are as usual, placid and dumb as bricks. We harvest several when one cat cries out in pain. A male, the big guy with the voulge. Minke has been with me this whole time as have several other cats. So we are all quite startled. Especially because the injury is apparently caused by an attack. The rabbits, rather than the cause seem to be fleeing... Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!Now we have eyes on every entrance and can see nothing but the Spine Rabbits, so naturally we are startled because this creature is small, fast and appears from nowhere. It is black, furry like a wolf, but elongated and possessing nasty looking claws and huge red eyes. The size of a large fox this creature does not seem like a dangerous threat, but the fact it came from nowhere is hugely threatening. The giant weasel-like creature keeps a distance from us and seems unusually smart. It is watching us and testing our ability to attack. Now why would a small creature do this? It makes a chittering noise followed by a dawn out squeak. The roof above becomes a cacophony of squeaks in response. I glance up at the glowing lights on the roof and realize the black that highlights them is entirely a colony of these black weasel things. They are moving together, a ripple like a Mexican wave is the creatures letting go of the roof. They seem to be able to glide, as they open flaps of pale skin. I push Minke toward the exit, forcing her to issue a call to regroup on her to the scattered hunter cats. While she does this I wade into the middle of this mess and push the hunters into retreat. The tiny things are like mosquito bites, in terms of the damage inflicted to me but as I watch a cat is torn apart by the pack. Shit. He was one of the hunters, he commiserated with me over the needle stings a few days ago. He was a good guy. He is in little pieces. The weasel things have sense enough to avoid the five odd cats at the doorway, but the big guy is till out there; the one named Theras. He''s slinging that huge stone blade like a farmer would a scythe. He''s being cut to ribbons. From fifty different directions. Still I''m not gonna let him die like that. I owe him a good weapon. He can''t die until he''s held it. That mad smile of his when I gave him the stone voulge made the effort I spent making the weapon worth it. I''m smaller but these things aren''t putting more than a few scratches on me; so I while rushing his position I change tactics. This is pack behavior; the first attacker was to test our capabilities. So I have to surprise them. I scream at them, a roar. It isn''t much but the other cats echo the cry and the roars of Theras make the room shake. The creatures back off hurriedly, thinking this is us about to make an offensive. In actual fact I take that moment to catch the cat by the collar of his clothes and run for the doorway. The weasels react immediately trying to attack and I''m glad I acted like that because the big guy I''m carrying is on the verge of fainting, he can''t even walk. He''s stubbornly holding the weapon though and it is weighing him down and thus slowing me too. Thirty yards and the black wave is about to cut me off and swallow us both; fuck it. I send the ring in my heart into overdrive, the grinding of the gear sending sparks flying from my chest cavity. At the last second my acceleration triples as my physical reaction speed and strength skyrocket. But even that isn''t enough to completely escape, as they keep coming only a few steps behind me. Damn they''re fast. So rather than keep running and let the cats take the brunt of the assault of this massive wave, I slide to a halt, hurling the big guy by inertia to his friends, but keeping his weapon. Slung over my shoulder I hold the voulge high, facing the oncoming wall of beasts with a smile. Hahahahahahahaha. DIE! The blade sweeps through the whole mass of beasts like they were air with my full strength. The second wave is slowed as they are sprayed by the gore of the first. ¡°Who do you animals think you are?!!!¡± I scream, furious because if they pass me the others die. ¡°Since you wish to face me; then have your fill! I am the weapon master rat!!! I will drown you in blood!!!!¡± I try something I have done once before but not on this scale; I modify my weapon mid-combat. The clever beasts jump back as I swing a second time, but unfortunately for them my blade is three times as long as it was when I started the swing. Twenty or so fall without front legs. They caught on quickly enough I was dangerous. Three tried to circle around me and enter the tunnel. A spike of stone from the ground itself speared through the near pair, the third in a cramped space alone was caught and killed by the cats. I roar again, this time I see them hesitate. They are animals, however numerous and clever they are, the attackers are still individuals. They have seen many die gruesomely for little reward; their morale is low. At this point I hurl my stone vial of Spine Rabbit saliva into the air and shatter it with the flat of the voulge blade, spraying the irritant venom on the crowd and envenoming the edge. Yes. Lets make your last few moments incredibly itchy too! They flee to the back of the room. They''re scared, especially because of the shrieks of those with poison in their eyes and those dying. They stay there, not giving another inch. They don''t follow as I leave with a swagger. Good. Learn your lesson well. Don''t make me repeat it, or I will have to exterminate you without mercy. The cats are all scratched and bloodied, Theras most of all. He is covered in claw and bite wounds. He''s practically at Death''s Door. Just as well we have a miracle healer: she''s gonna be very busy. I''m feeling quite proud of myself as we get back and Niala''s stuck hugging the big guy for hours. I put his weapon down and as I watch it shatters. Uh... that''s new. Did I over do it? Theras wakes at the noise and stares horrified as his treasure dies. I am forced to make him a new one and additional weapons for everyone else. Minke received the lightest of the punishment, with only three shallow wounds in her calf and right fore-arm. A few moments with Niala cleared that right up. Surprised me too, considering how thoughtful my sister was being today. When night came I stood watch at the gate, with Minke''s head in my lap as usual. The difference: she wasn''t sleeping... no, she was licking. What we learned: Being a suicidal hero occasionally has perks... Niala is actually changing her stripes? Which Rick does Minke really love? Clearly she loves Little Rick best. Chapter 29: Understanding dawns. Day 57 (Little Rat POV) I won our game by a wide margin last night. I extended my total further this morning by playing some more with Chanti. It almost seems like she''s losing on purpose? After a fresh meal she leaves for her duties, limping slightly. I asked her what was wrong, but all she did was blush and shake her head telling me it was to be expected since I was a beast. I''m still not sure if she''s praising or insulting me. Finally I''m free to explore; I have orders she wrote on papyrus so that it looks like I''m doing some browsing for a future purchase, so as long as I stay near stores I will be given leeway. She even gave me something called ''spending money''. A pair of large copper circles. The first place I go is to the place where weapons are made. I''m starting to miss Chirrik''s amazing skills. Perhaps someone here is like that? I am dreadfully disappointed. Not only is their work hot, slow and noisy with all the hammering and the forges... it is also very simple. The things Chirrik makes are weird and unique, with patterns and grace. The things here are uniform and the few that are made with beauty are solely for decoration. There is no freedom or creativity. I wonder why? To understand this question I seek out all the places like this. I see places that cater to things I could not understand. Things like the games I play with Chanti, the drinking and competing. I stop in one, to observe and receive jeers and spittle. A group of men move to assault me, acting like friends. I have seen that look before from the slave guards. I give them a wide berth, understanding this place is not sweet like Chanti; this is sour and ugly. Following this I look around and find a place even more vile. It is a compound, fenced but clearly designed to keep people in not out. The guards are stationed at the walls and armed with heavy batons. Outside are large buildings and a wide open area, including several cages filled with people and beasts. I see people like none I have seen before. Some look hairy like me. Three are like this, but bigger than any of my people I have seen before. The teeth and head are a different shape. The ears pointed. They''re twice as tall as me and tower over even the tallest of Ape-men by head and shoulders. They''re chained AND caged, with an armed guard at the door. Curious I slink over to the far side of the cage, using an empty cart as cover. The ears of these three perk as I creep close, but they remain still and silent. One stands slowly from where he lay chained, slowly and nonchalantly walking over to the corner with a limp, from his right leg''s manacle. He pretends to stretch his legs, using his bulk to block the gaze of the guard as he gestured me to approach. His chest is a mass of grey fur, his right eye and that side of his face a mass of scars. A hand, tipped by long claws grasps the bars. He whispers in a tone lower than any I have heard used to speak, but his words are clear and I understand the intent. The guard can''t hear speech this low. (Ultrasonic!) ¡°Do you hear me little one?¡± [????] I nod. ¡°Are you an escaped slave?¡± [????] I shake my head, since I''m currently an owned one. His look is sharper at that information. ¡°Can you help us?¡± [????] I shrug. ¡°Will you?¡± [????] ¡°If I can.¡± I whisper. The big male seems to struggle to hold back laughter. His cell-mates writhe at the same time. ¡°Thank you... little one. We could use food, they starve us to make us ferocious.¡± [????] ¡°Why would anyone do such a thing? This is utter stupidity!¡± [Tirmin whispers] ¡°We cannot disagree, this is a ridiculous notion. We will not be more or less angry on an empty stomach. We will just be feeble and weak.¡± [????] ¡°Why would they do this to you? What possible use could all of this be?¡± [Tirmin] ¡°Why, we are slaves fit only for violence in the eyes of our captors.¡± [????] ¡°This is insane. All of it. But the point is not the insanity, but to sell that for coins as amusement to the wealthy. We will be used as wretched killers until we are too maimed or sick to survive our assigned opponents and die. They will wager large sums of money on our survival.¡± ¡°This is the purpose of slaves?!¡± [Tirmin] ¡°One, another is to labor. Or to whore. Or to be tortured to death.¡± [????] ¡°If I help you, feed you... eventually find a way to open your cage... can you get out of this place?¡± [Tirmin] ¡°I do not know, little one. But we will try.¡± [????] This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°However I will not do this for no reason. I pity you, understand but my purpose here is beyond merely helping a handful of slaves escape.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°Your purpose?!¡± The male looked at him with wide eyes and a new appreciation. ¡°You have an agenda. I see. So it will be give and take. For our lives we can abide by a few little errands. What do you intend, bold one?¡± [????] He stopped using ''little''. Is this respect? ¡°I cannot reveal all our plans, but I am the hand of a greater power. My friend desires resources, if I ease your path I will require you to steal a large supply of goods and deliver them to a location in the wild areas of the labyrinth nearby. This will seem strange to you, but if you meet this friend you might learn the full truth.¡± I shrug. ¡°If you do this then you have no further obligations. Think on this, confer among yourselves. I will return in a day with food, at this time to hear your reply. After you eat.¡± The grey furred male took this suggestion well, since this meant that at very least they would get food, regardless. ¡°Bold one, I Karamech of Gatyum offer you my salute. It shall be as you say. We shall give you our reply on the next day.¡± [Karamech] ¡°But as you can only be a slave, how will you explain this absence to your owner?¡± ¡°I am pleased to meet you as well, Karamech. My name is Tirmin. Do not concern yourself, I am not that kind of slave.¡± I replied. ¡°Tirmin the bold... come to us as a brother. Even if we do not escape, for your aid and this offer of food I will offer something equal in value, so that even if we die in vain you shall be paid in full for this kindness.¡± [Karamech] ¡°We three of the Gatyum Clan of the Hortun people are renowned. We will offer you things no one less than a brother to us would receive.¡± I crawl away as they send many more encouraging calls to my back as the great Karamech pretends to urinate, covering my escape with his body as he did when I approached. Hmm. I''m going to need money, in excess of my pitiful coinage. I have seen how little the circles are worth in great detail from the stalls, I could not fill any stomach but my own with it. The trio of ''gladiators'' would not see it as more than a morsel. I may need to take it without payment. I''m going to need a target for them to take, so I will have Chanti look into that side of her work. I have a few ideas about how to get them through the gate but if I can''t use this toward our goals I''ll be failing Chirrik who gave me this chance. On the way back home, I see these places from before with new eyes. The tavern, the brothel... they make my heart twist with sorrow at the fate of all of these slave girls. The craftsmen, the smiths... they are slaves too. They are trapped and forced to produce mass quantities of items they do not love. This is why they do not compare to Chirrik: they are not allowed to do more than make what they are ordered. It results in uninspired, sub-par items. The only virtue is the number produced. But Chirrik can produce faster than any one of them too. It is a self-defeating system. In a numbers battle, the sheer mass of smiths out-strips Chirrik''s production speed by brute force. But I cannot envision a thousand men armed with these swords stopping even one giant-bone golem. Even if he doesn''t use those tactics, whatever he brings to bear will be of awesome might. The difference between the best of this city''s master smiths and Chirrik''s best is beyond my ability to estimate. It would be like trying to measure the height of a room by stacking grains of sand. Chanti was quite concerned about my venturing into the ''tepid grime at the heart of this decadent city'' as she put it. But that is beside the point. I tell her so. I have a duty, which is just as much her own, with that geas thing on her. Besides, if she does well and acts faithfully I cannot see Chirrik punishing her further. The opposite in fact. I tell her I''d like to have an idea of when the best caravans are leaving with regards to our plans. I''ll need the prison break to coincide with this. I ask her when gladiator slaves fight and how often. Her reply gives me pause. ¡°Everyday.¡± [Chanti] So it may be that they will die before the time is right. Oh, I hate this! What we learned: New species, new problems. Chanti: is now mothering Tirmin... The city has only shown the surface layers of the true depravity. Karamech and the other two aren''t rodents. They have different teeth. Fangs... Chapter 30: Game Changer Day 60 (Rick POV) Well... that was interesting. Sex... for the first time in forever I''m living bliss. Also damn... rats have immense sexual stamina. Minke couldn''t keep up. Practically insatiable. I''ve spent so much time restraining this side of me, when it finally got loose it was like a force of nature. I''m almost tempted to invest in a harem out of pure practicality; I''ll wear her out every night and most of the day if I let myself go. But I''m a modern man, I won''t cheat on her. However this is not Earth and the rules are very different: they are whatever I consider right. There are no laws in this place or anyone to enforce them. I will discuss her culture in depth, perhaps having multiple wives isn''t even a taboo among her people. It certainly isn''t in mine, since I doubt rats care beyond jealousy. This is certainly a nice situation, it is just awkward timing. I wanted to leave to collect my cache of iron and weapons. After all Minke is the only cat capable of conversing freely with Niala and I have to leave my sister behind to open the door for when the others forage. So I have to leave both girls behind so one can translate for the other. I can''t drag the kitten along either, she''s practically helpless. At least my cat-language skills are almost up to snuff. So I should be able drag a few along to help with the heavy lifting and sentry duties. I''m only one rat and I''m dealing with a massive amount of metal. I also need to carry a significant amount of wood to the site. Minke is quite distressed by the fact I''ll be gone a while, and she is already aware of it as well due to her precog skill. I guess knowing and accepting facts is entirely different. The big cat, Theras is in my face already this morning, thanking me profusely for his life and more importantly (for him) his replacement weapon (since I broke the last). ¡°Theras wants to provide support on your errand.¡± [Minke] I actually got the gist of the dialogue but still, her translation was clearer. I have a pair of males from the other day''s disaster who also volunteer. Aside from them the final female cat, the short-haired tabby also volunteers. I''m a little surprised, until this is clarified; she is Theras'' cousin. She feels she owes me too. Huh. These cats really will do anything you say if you save their lives. Still that black horde of monsters really screwed up my plans. I had intended to use the skins to craft packs, to help distribute the load of wood. In the end simple sleds are used. As I''m practically tireless for hours at a time, due to the ring in my chest. I haul the majority. I will need to eat heavily after this to make up for the loss of energy. I''m more like a battery powered machine than a living being in many respects. I even have my own generator/turbo built into my chest. Niala packed several bundles of average quality food, so there is that to look forward to, also the tide-pool room and the sea-food there. In fact since we''re all healthy and lightly equipped, aside from the pack mule (myself) we should make the journey in two days if there aren''t unexpected complications. The cats are all quite surprised as I display my inhuman characteristics. They knew I was strong and quick and suspected I didn''t sleep but the fact I was a living dynamo with endless stamina caused quite a stir. Tabby also seemed a bit coy until I noticed the whispers. From the sounds of a discussion I feigned ignorance of, they had noticed last night''s sexcapades and connected the dots with this display. There were even a few wilder exaggerations mixed into the gossip... the female cat seemed trapped between embarrassment and curiosity as she pretended not to listen as well. Cats. Well I suppose I''d be shocked in my previous life if I ran across someone with sexual stamina that''d shame an entire porn studio by comparison... ugh. I''m a one rat sperm donation center. At least they don''t seem to take offense to my relationship with Minke, in fact the men mostly just sound jealous of my capabilities. I''m magnanimous in victory, let them keep their envy (as an open) secret. Could that be it? The cat people are fertile only ''in season''? So they aren''t so tightly wound up about sex outside of it. I''m fairly certain rats are constantly horny so I wouldn''t have noticed if the cats weren''t so blas¨¦ about the whole affair. We''re ''making love'' not procreating... huh. I guess for sentient species it would be probable they could ignore the fact they aren''t ''in season'' for personal attachment and pleasure. Humans and rats don''t have that option, it is only with contraceptives that a male/female pair of humans can approach sex without the issue of children cropping up, unless various other factors are involved (age, infertility, etc). Still if that is the case... I''ve got a lot to look forward to: a sex-crazed, insatiable Minke in the future when ''tis the season. Oh, I''m drooling at the prospect. Such a better celebration than Christmas. I''m starting to get to know Theras personally; he''s a blustery, opinionated guy who if proven wrong will immediately back-flip on his position instead of bitterly defending his opinions to the death. I actually don''t mind this, after all this sort of personality should keep on the right side of any internal strife especially now he feels he owes me. In a fight the guy is the opposite, as I saw with the black swarm he doesn''t fold in the face of a brutal death. I can trust that. The tabby is introduced by him as Myna. I queried why she keeps her hair short, when the other females and males flaunt long hair. ¡°Jing harma... um...¡± [Myna] ¡°Didn''t understand.¡± [Rick] ¡°Scholar?¡± [Myna] Aha. I shake my head, to show understanding. ¡°What do you study?¡± [Rick] ¡°Karm... life... the world... particles...¡± [Myna] ¡°Particles?¡± [Rick slightly confused] ¡°Intrinsic particles...¡± She seems a little put out she can''t elaborate clearly. She pulls a small pack out and shows several bundles of powder. She points out one. ¡°Poison.¡± Then another. ¡°Spice.¡± Then continues... ¡°Salt. Gold...¡± ¡°You''re an alchemist?!¡± [Rick startled] ¡°Nya?¡± [Myna not understanding] Did she really just meow?! That translates to ''What?'' in cat! Actually it makes a lot of sense for a cat species to have researchers, since curiosity is their great weakness. She''s an extreme example of that. I suspect she''s here for more than just repaying her cousin''s life debt. ¡°You are curious about my skill, aren''t you?¡± [Rick] ¡°About the metal I''m fetching.¡± She is taken aback by the accusation. However her cousin smiles and agrees with my assessment. ¡°I can do better than tell you about just that, you know. I probably know more about your ''intrinsic particles'' than you can imagine.¡± [Rick chuckling. University level chemistry and bio-chem graduate. His actual study was ecology but, not relevant.] The best part, his skill actually increased his capabilities with chemical compounds, identifying make up and uses in regards to weaponry. Which was why he decided to bring excess wood. He would need it for his most ambitious design yet. Suddenly Myna''s eyes lit up and he had her full attention. Of course he could see she thought he was exaggerating. She was waiting to correct him. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. So for the remainder of the walk and that night he gave her a complete spiel on the nature of the elements, atomic theory and chemical reactions. Day 61 My God, this cat woman is still digging for more information... All night we talked, I even demonstrated a few things with her ''collection'' of powders. She''s back for more after a power nap and a break for breakfast. It''ll never end! Well I can''t blame her for it, imagine if an alien crashed near to you and seeing you trying to build a simple robot out of lego told you the key components to anti-gravity generators, bullet points on hyperspace theory, gave you the complete code for a real AI and then gave you pointers on how to make a gundam... It''d be surreal. But you''d listen. In this world I am an alien, there is no denying it. Soon I am going to make this world even weirder. Still spending my time in between her constant questions eating my fill of monster scollops was pleasant. I wonder if I''m related to brown or water rats? The desire for sea-food is quite strong. I try to get to know the other two males and get a feel for their personalities. Kend and Varnid huh? Kend displays a good humored grin all the time... but I''m not sure if it is a facade yet. The other is his complete opposite, dour and quiet. They''re actually greener than I am, they were captured at their camp and are barely adults. This is only the third time they have delved deeply into the labyrinth of their own accord. The first being their disastrous attempt to return home with the other newly freed slaves, the second heading to my base camp. Interestingly they did supply information new to me: the cats were waylaid by yet another race in the area, not the apes. This is how they lost the massive sapphires and weapons I made and how they came to be bandits. It is also why they aren''t slaves. The other race doesn''t permit the practice. Something to look into at a later date. This ''other'' race may be a useful ally or more likely a threat, if they crave my weapons so. I asked what they looked like but all they said was ''big and hairy''. So a more bestial race, like mine. Sharp ears, long fangs. Could be anything. No distinguishing fur patterns. I suspect canine though. I have been struggling along for a while. Finally toward the end of the day we arrive. I leave the wood out in the tunnel and for the first time display the effects of the gravity cube after having them line up beside the wall, to avoid injuries. They''re startled, as much by the effect as they are that I am the cause. I just shrug. It is what it is. Something abnormal. But then so am I now. They are intrigued by the iron bars I refined from the ore when I stashed it away on the cliff. At least with the gravity as it is the carts are back upright, even if that is the wall they are on. Two fully loaded carts of iron are hauled down by me and the third, loaded with my weapons is pulled by the cats. With the carts at ground level and the cats lined up again I normalize the room, then haul the carts back upright. I rub my hands in anticipation. Personal upgrade available! With a few dozen bars of iron, about my body weight I focus on adding and reinforcing my own internal composition. First of all I replace the poor quality pig iron with the good stuff. Secondly I find the weaker areas, such as my weaker right hip and left shoulder and balance them out with the rest. It seems I ran out of pig iron on the original modification but I can see some of what my delirious self was trying to do. The supports that run the length of my bones and enhance my muscles are reinforced significantly. Done I look up my own stats, and find I have now gained a full two thousand durability on top of the original. That is a full forty percent increase. My strength is at least half again what it used to be, plus now I''m capable of more fluid movement. Now I know how this body is made, the next modification I make will include the extra resources I need to include special upgrades. My appearance isn''t significantly different, just that the chest armor and grill is less pronounced and darker. My claws can even cut into the soft stone below without blunting, nice. Next: time to change the world. I gather the majority of the iron and sculpt it into a large frame. I''m using the skill to auto-correct the plans of this new weapon, since I''m not by any means an engineer. I wasn''t sure what my limits were in this design, so I''m reaching here. On that frame I build wheels and suspension. A braking system and then in the nose of the machine a steam powered turbine. The turbine produces the energy to turn the wheels. It is basically a stripped down steam train that I''ve developed for fast travel and assault. It has the capacity to turn, I''ve set up a system that moves the front wheels using the steam, so if it has power it can turn sharply. It won''t be nimble, more like a bus but still, effortless high speed travel and massive carrying capacity is a godsend down here. I don''t have the iron to fully cover the cabin, but I''m not planning to use this yet for more than transport. With a few more loads of iron, I''ll have myself an armored train. With some adjustment I''ll add on additional weapons. Repeating crossbows, a heavy ram... perhaps a flame-thrower? It has potential. With this beast I''m going to crush a nation. I don''t even include the mystical potential it could possess... best of all I made this monster without flaws. Every component is solid. The real advantage of my power is that I produce items with no microscopic cracks. Built atom by atom as a lattice structure, it has durability in excess of any other form of iron. This is why even my stone weapons are so durable. I craft the rest of the iron into weapons, gifts for my companions. Theras is ecstatic over his new weapon, hugging me. I get too many hugs already, I don''t need man-hugs. As I''m trying to recover from my shame something flies into view.
Meld Weapon (Lesser) upgrade to Meld Weapon!: Info: This skill enables the user to merge tools, weapons and resources to construct more advanced weapon designs. Greater versions of this skill offer reduced material cost and greater modification.
Holy shit! The steam engine must have pushed me over the edge on my skill! What we learned: Rick''s going to be eaten alive by Myna''s curiosity... Re:Labyrinth now including: Steam Punk! (literal!) Roborat version 1 online, the prototype phase is done! Just how many races live in this place anyway? At my last count over twelve... Also... I was hasty in the comment section. I''ve changed my mind about the species that I''ve just introduced: Karamech''s species. They aren''t wolverine men, mostly because I made an error by describing them as ''sharp-eared'' so since I haven''t actually said it in the story it don''t count, baby! I''m going with canine, but not just any old wolf or dog... no they''re Dholes. Look them up. Scary stuff. They''re the army ants of the dog world. Chapter 31: Royal Banquet Day 58 (Little Rat POV) I take time to indulge in the pleasures of Chanti''s soft body, but I can''t fully calm down and in the end I exhaust her somewhat recklessly. I''m still struggling with how to take this city and it''s nature now that I have looked it in the eye. Thankfully all this does is make her coo in pleasure. I ask Chanti''s opinion and I only find even that realization was childish. Slaves are completely disposable. I could tell the place called a ''brothel'' was a place of lust by scent alone, I could also tell it was a cage of despair and suffering. I couldn''t tell why at first, until it was clear that the females were not willing but coerced by violence and threats. I had heard things, but without context they were confusing. Now I was eyes wide open and I was not going to take this kind of thing lying down. Chirrik told me of the horrors of slavery but to see it was a nightmare. Even Chirrick whom I revere was unable to grasp or convey the depths of this sickness... I know that Chirrick is correct about one thing; this is a practice that has to be stamped out. It is something that I could not explain unless I were to use his words: it is ''evil''. Yes, evil... I did not think such a thing existed that could be called anathema to freedom. It is something that will be... no, must be eradicated. The childish me wanted to ''buy'' food and freedom. Gather gold to bribe and persuade. I was hopelessly stupid. How would a slave have access to money of that quantity legally? How would I explain it? How could I keep it quiet? No, I could do nothing with money but make my enemies know of me and place myself into their hands. If I paid that money to the corrupt there is little chance I would get what it was worth. So I turned my thinking around. I need food. Who has food, money and slaves in abundance? And so I walked down the road, past homes and sprawling fields looking at villa after villa. One of these villa had something happening that caught my nose. Food, delicious and abundant. I saw a cart entering the grounds and walked alongside it, past the gate guards who were on the opposite side. They were distracted and had clearly had too much to drink. Using my hearing and nose together I could keep tabs on all the people here. Even the slaves were of the same race as the owner. This man... I saw him lifting a mug of some drink and lying through his teeth to the men on either side of him at the table. He smells familiar... ah. It''s the man that imprisoned us as we entered the city. He talks about something called a senate and orders wine be given to all... Perfect. I keep out of sight as I move from room to room. There are few guards aside from personal bodyguards in the building. In one large room I find a wooden thing in front of a chair. I smell gold. In a locked part of the wooden thing (desk). I gnaw through it and claim a fist sized nugget of solid gold and beside it, Chanti''s knife made by Chirrik. I palm them both, putting them in the small sack I found the gold in. He took my gold, I reciprocate. I have to wait at the doorway as a man beats a slave before leaving, which only annoys me further. The young boy lies dead on the tiled floor. The kitchen is busy, but unguarded and isolated. From a side entrance I watch them preparing food. Suddenly the crowd vanishes... to collect empty dishes and announce the next course of the banquet. The chef is giving a long speech about the rarity of the singularly large piece of meat on a spit on a tray. I shove this into a linen bag that held vegetables. I take a bottle of alcohol as well. I cannot spend much time on anger, but I have a few moments. The cart that brought me in is about to leave, or so the driver has said aloud a moment ago... I take metal skewers, snap the needle edges off and press them into several dishes. Look out for more than bones anyone who eats fish... Running I reach the cart as it pulls away, entering one of the empty wine barrels being removed. It is filled with garbage, but it doesn''t worry me. I kind of like it. The guards at the gate give the barrels a glance but hesitate to search the muck. The cart is fifty yards down the road when yells come, demanding the driver stop. The missing food and the senator who suddenly gained a tongue piercing made my presence obvious. I really hope it was that violent bastard. The guards search thoroughly for me... but I have been creeping through the long grass of a nearby field for several minutes now, since the guards were distracted by the raucous cries at the dinner long enough for me to evacuate. As they start to expand the search I''m already at the outskirts of the market district. Directly heading to the slave markets I find my friends in the same cage. Karamech does the same trick, yawning and shuffling over to cover my form with his own as I come to the cage wall. He looks at me slightly accusingly as his nose wrinkles... ¡°I asked for food, but I won''t stoop to eating refuse...¡± [Karamech] ¡°That smell is me; your food is still clean. I layered a large bolt of (table) cloth over it.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°What have you brought for us then Little...¡± [Karamech pauses awkwardly] ¡°How?! How did you get the haunch of a horn beast...?!¡± ¡°I had other choices, was it not good enough?¡± [Tirmin] ¡°I think I can do better if I try again.¡± ¡°Nay, you magnificent youngster... I thought you were special but this is too much. Who did you steal from and how did they make this delightful gravy? I taste pepper and spices too...¡± [Karamech taking a bite.] ¡°Some ass-hole. Oh... as for the sauce I believe the secret ingredient was the leaves of the Lerr herb dried and crushed. Simmered in a reduction of the fat of the meat with a touch of salt and cracked pepper to taste.¡± [Tirmin repeating the chef''s speech about the meal] ¡°Well I must say Lit... I mean Brave One, I am suitably impressed. If this is my last meal, even I won''t be disappointed! HAHAHA!!!¡± [Karamech] ¡°Is it really that good?¡± [One of the other two in the cage asks.] ¡°Better.¡± [Karamech] ¡°Let me have some then old man.¡± [????] ¡°Hmmm. Very well, I don''t taste drugs or poison. I''ll split it three ways, even I''m surprised by how much is here. This youngster... I want to give him something for this generous gift beyond measure. May I?¡± [Karamech] ¡°Pay him back in full, I''ll allow it. Even clan secrets. He''s worthy.¡± [????] ¡°Sorry but what is going on? I don''t see anything you have that I could use.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°Knowledge, lad.¡± [Karamech] ¡°I already know a lot. My friend has vast information. He taught me about the crafting of iron and steel...¡± [Tirmin] Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°How...? I did not think your friend was a Franc!¡± [Karamech] ¡°A what?¡± [Tirmin] ¡°A giant lad, a giant.¡± [Karamech] ¡°Chirrik is like me.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°What?!!¡± [????] ¡°Is it a skill?¡± [Karamech] ¡°I don''t think so. He just knows stuff about everything. He knew about gold and slavery long before we left our home. He is only a few weeks older than me!¡± [Tirmin] ¡°Interesting. Some kind of sage? No. You said he crafts weapons, yesterday.¡± [????] ¡°Not crafts. Makes. The parts flow together, the things he makes are beyond the skills of the best I have seen in this city by much.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°I very much want to speak with this weapon sage...¡± [????] ¡°You are here to aid him, to what end?¡± ¡°To steal resources, to cripple and weaken this city so that he can deliver the fatal blow.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°To bring an end to this hateful corruption that is named slavery.¡± ¡°And then?¡± [????] ¡°I don''t know.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°There is no long term goal? His decision, while noble seems very short-sighted.¡± [????] ¡°That kind of thinking, I don''t see it as a flaw but still... once he is done will he strike out at the next enemy? Is he truly capable of capturing this city? Or holding it?¡± ¡°... I don''t know about what he will do after... but yes. He can take and hold this place. Against anyone or thing the maze can throw at us.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°I have seen the ancient legend of our kind felled by his weapons. The ''butcher''. If he can do that, I know this city will fall.¡± ¡°You saw this?¡± [????] ¡°What kind of powerful weapon could bring down a...¡± ¡°I killed it.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°With a sharp thing. Like a huge dart.¡± ¡°That can''t be...¡± [Karamech] ¡°Silence.¡± [????] ¡°He isn''t lying. He doesn''t know how to lie by anything but omission. Can you not smell it on him? He has a Natural Vessel. Those are rare. Only the clever and powerful will ever see them.¡± I sniff myself. I don''t smell much, besides garbage. ¡°On your hand. The ring. It is what I speak of.¡± [????] I understood it was strange. The ring made of fern fronds and moss. But no one has ever noticed it before, not even the guards when they searched me. What Chirrik calls an artifact. ¡°You can see it?¡± [Tirmin] ¡°Yes. It marks you. I have decided to share a little more information with you. I wish to meet your ''Chirrik''.¡± [????] ¡°Yes I have much to discuss with him over his short-sightedness if he is who I suspect.¡± ¡°Who are you? Only Karamech has given me his name.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°Hmm. Well I trust you, it will only mean my death is slower if it is known... I am what you would call a king.¡± [????] ¡°Um... no. I don''t know what a king is. A leader?¡± [Tirmin] ¡°Pfft... yes little one, I am a leader. But don''t tell anyone.¡± [King ????] ¡°I am named Hensai. Karamech there is the last of my bodyguard... and the quiet beauty beside me my older sister Janess.¡± ¡°So... Karamech is not a leader?¡± [Tirmin] ¡°No, but he is not of the same status.¡± [King Hensai] ¡°Status? What is this?¡± [Tirmin] ¡°Which isolated back cave have you crawled out of? Surely there is some kind of organization in your kind?¡± [King Hensai] ¡°What?¡± [Tirmin] ¡°We lived as we liked, we owed nothing to another. You speak as if it is natural to be controlled by others born to do such things... but are we all not simply born? I have known many of my kind, but only two have ever been what I would call leaders. I have seen many in this city ''born'' to rule over slaves. They are not good at it. But then you should know that ''King'' because now you are a slave. Even slaves can be kings.¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± [Janess snapped] ¡°No... calm down sister. He is not wrong. We lead an army of one... we have no claim to rulership in a cage or an arena.¡± [King Hensai] ¡°Interesting, we are commoners. I''m not sure how I feel about that.¡± ¡°Less than serfs.¡± [Janess scowling] ¡°But to kick us when we''re down is not polite, vermin.¡± ¡°Let me make up for that then... wine?¡± [Tirmin offering a bottle] ¡°It seems I am not the only king among slaves. How is it, Old Man?¡± [King Hensai] ¡°Like the grapes were sung to sleep everyday and pressed by the silky furred thighs of maidens...¡± [Karamech] ¡°Surely you exagger...¡± [King Hensai taking a swig] ¡°...king indeed. King of thieves and slaves. Such a fine vintage, how did you get a hold on this magnificence?¡± I smiled before answering. ¡°Compliments of the royal vineyards and the audacity of a certain Senator... they only dared to have a taste and intended to return it. I really hope responsibility falls on the one I loathe. I understand it is the very last of that batch and they were fearful it would be noticed missing.¡± ¡°How old?¡± [Karamech] ¡°I believe they said it dated back to the founding of this city.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°Haha! The irony it ends drunk by the enemies of that city, and slaves at that!¡± [King Hensai] ¡°Cheers for this chance to piss in the eye of our captors!¡± ¡°Well. I''ll dispose of the bones and the empty bottle, when you''re done. While I hate to rush you, the guard changes shift in an hour... then we will be discovered.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°Janess, Old Man... dig in. Hurry.¡± [King Hensai] ¡°I do hate rushing this feast...¡± ¡°For now, gain sustenance to survive. I have a target preparing to leave in a two days. I''ll see to your escape shortly before that. I''ll have more details tomorrow with your food... it probably won''t be as good but I''ll try.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°Lad... yer class it be thief?¡± [Karamech] ¡°Actually...¡± I rub the back of my head embarassed. ¡°I don''t have a class, I didn''t pay attention when Mother tried to teach me.¡± ¡°Old Man... tomorrow teach him properly.¡± The king shaking his head. ¡°You and your friend are rather shocking people, did you know that?¡± What we learned: Karamech is not the leader here... The king knows Rick somehow. Senators who steal from their own kings... don''t live long happy lives. Not one of the ape-people realized Janess was a female... Chanti kicks little rat out of her house until he washes his fur. I intended to write a chapter split between both Rick and Tirmin to showcase the new skill upgrades and such... but the first half swallowed the whole thing! Sorry about the delays... I''m on holiday so I''m just chipping away when I feel like it until Wednesday. I''ll try to have a Crab chapter up next and then back to Rick. Chapter 32: Steam Locomotive Day 61 continued (Rick POV) The cat-people with me are not impressed. In fact, they''re appalled. They are staring at the steam engine with a weak look. It takes me a minute to work out why they are so dismayed: they think it is a cart. A gigantic, heavy, iron cart they will have to push all the way home. I start to laugh at the faces they show. The despair is so palpable it hovers over them. The brute Theras at least has the sheer stubbornness to actually follow through on this impossible task. He seems resigned to the task. His cousin Myna looks pale. While the young pair of guys seem to be thinking along the lines of ''no way in hell''. As I throw the piles of weapons on the rear section the others load it with the materials we brought along and their packs. They are about to start shoving when I invite them on-board. They hesitate, since they have no clue it does anything more than sit there and look immovable. Luckily I have seats. I point them out and suggest they have a rest. Now normally they would be correct about my steam engine. It has steep requirements, such as water in large quantities. That makes any normal steam engine a pointless thing to build here in the middle of nowhere. However I planned for this: the train has a secondary power source that can enable it to work using compressed air. I turn the appropriate valves and then insert the cabling into my chest as I convert my ''heart'' into the train''s power source. This is something I learned from my own remodeling. This is what my dying self intended at least in part. My ring has only a minor capacity for over-clocking my body''s reflexes and strength, what it excels at is energy production. It is something resembling an anti-matter power-plant. Huge amounts of raw power are produced and stored inside the ring as I eat. In fact it actually creates small amounts of appropriate matter to repair my injuries out of the excess energy. To quantify the energy produced I would have to talk in terms of supernovas, compressed into a sphere the size of a softball. This is why there is a gap in the center of my chest: it is a power outlet. A small amount of that energy, converted to electricity, light or heat can be directed to that gap. I have no idea how exactly it works, mind you. I don''t know a thing about this ring, beyond the obvious point: it is utterly astonishing. The cube is just as enigmatic. The cats all jump as the steam engine jerks and shifts. I try to calm them, by showing I''m in full control of this vehicle. They are not as pleased as I would have hoped. With their ears bent back they watch the ground begin to move. Welcome to the inaugural launch of the Rodent Express! We will be departing... NOW! I test out the machine at half throttle. The air rushes past as we accelerate. I turn us gently to meet the tunnel mouth and thus we hurtle down at a nice thirty miles an hour, or so. Theras looks to be suffering. There goes his freshly wolfed down meal of dried meat and herbs. His cousin is staring at me with starry eyes... oh... I know that look. I''m going to have to explain how this machine works to her next, aren''t I? For hours. (Groan). I pull up a few hours later at the nearest river area. I included a hand-pump in the design that allows the train''s boiler to be filled from the cabin, by using a leather tube with a metal nozzle to suction up the water. It can also be reversed to siphon off water from the boiler as a weapon. Few things like being broiled alive by steam. The boiler is hard to get going, but once it is going the train has a steady pace. I try to push it to top speed on a straight tunnel, topping out close to fifty miles an hour. As we near home a flood of the black creatures pour out into the tunnel... and we are still going around forty. The brakes on this beast aren''t very good. So I don''t bother hitting them. I just plow through. Our speed and mass are such that the swarm of little monsters aren''t a roadblock, or even a hindrance. In our passing the tunnel is painted red. I can''t even guess how many died. Hundreds. We didn''t even feel a bump. They just got hit by a literal steam roller. By the end of the day we are already home... a two and a half day trek in only four hours. With over a ton of baggage. I open the door and drive in, to stares from all present. I climb out and admire my creation. I love this blood-stained iron behemoth. I pat her. Yes, my beauty... yes, I love you so. As usual my sister interrupts me. Jealousy again? Have you not learned from the other day? You''re even insecure about inanimate objects?! Hey... she''s alone. That''s unusual. ¡°Where is the young one?¡± [Rick] My sister shrugs. ¡°Sleeping.¡± I notice a few small structures are built. Huts of leather and wood. I see Minke over there, trying to sleep. I walk over but she gives me a cold shoulder. Is she still feeling put out because I left her behind? I''m a bit saddened by that. I go back to the gate and stand watch. I do so alone. Or as alone as I can be, with an inquisitive Myna hounding me for information on the mechanisms of the train and similar devices. Sigh. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Day 62 At least I have you, my Beauty... Yes, you don''t complain. You don''t bore or ignore. You simply are. Oh, you''re so cute... I''m going to give you a good bath tonight. Pull out all the hunks of gore stuck in the wheels. Give you some delicious grease for your axles. Dammit. I don''t know what I''ve done but the actual women in my life are acting cold. Arg. I''m going hunting. I''ll see if a big hunk of random monster helps their mood. If I''m lucky it''s tasty. If not, I can still live off it. I take my old battle-fork along, I found it among the odds and ends. At least I''m not concerted about the black swarm. If they meet me now... they won''t be doing anything but fleeing. While I was fine-tuning my body I did make one major alteration to the design. Sub-dermal armor. Tiny interlinked iron plates under my skin, it works a little like chain-mail. I doubt it''ll do much against a big monster or an axe but piercing and cutting weapons should be less damaging. Hurting me significantly with claws and fangs should be even more difficult. I can''t rely on my sister forever, it is the first step toward being capable of long term survival in hostile environments. I can still be hurt, obviously. Even a simple knife can still cut me, it just won''t penetrate deeply without tremendous force. However the best point is that aside from the external metal the rest of it is completely invisible. Even if I''m sniped by arrows or stabbed from behind this will keep me alive. Heck, my only real vulnerable points at the moment are my eyes. I''ll swap those out with gemstones or something soon. After all, my skeleton, including my skull is currently reinforced with solid iron. I don''t bleed, rather I suspect the ring is actually supplying my body with nutrients made from the vast energy reserves stockpiled in the ring itself. I suppose that is also my Achilles Heel. The ring is all that keeps me alive. If it were to run dry or somehow be disrupted that is the day I die. If the ring goes critical, it might be the day this world dies too. Well, not something I have control over any more, short of starving myself to death. I walk the tunnels, trying some new paths. A new room appears, a room of sand dunes. I can see massive invertebrate monsters out there like sand-lions and scorpions. If you scaled these up to the size of a small car... I glance around at the air to be certain and find I''m correct. Where there are sand-lions (larvae) there are lacewings (adult). Huge fragile insects the size of a small plane stick to the roof in groups. They''re predators too. There is probably some food source like ants too, with these guys around. Hmm. Well I don''t feel like going out in that death-trap without a rope and a half dozen guys to pull me back, since if I fall into a sand-lion trap alone I''m done for. I can see a few useful materials, venom, chitin, possibly meat... the sand is pure white, so glass perhaps? The lacewing wings look pretty, they''re transparent and iridescent. I see a thread of something on the sand... silk? Ah. I spot a second hidden threat in the sand now. There are several dozen threads. All of them running toward a three foot wide circle in the sand. Trapdoor spiders too, huh? Yikes. Still... spider silk and venom are useful too. If I touch that silk the spider will come running. I think I can already see the beady eyes peeking out from under the sand-encrusted silk covering the burrow. I turn back and head toward the foraging area Niala uses as our primary food source. I hear rustling in the undergrowth immediately. I''m already on edge because of giant scorpions so I make the first move. I tap the a rocky part of the ground with the fork, to provoke the intruder. It stops moving. It seems small. My size, roughly. I don''t smell anything out of the ordinary, so a monster without a scent? Like that boss monster from the lower levels? I''m freaking myself out here. I''ll run if it looks strong and come back with superior firepower. Tap, tap, tap. Come out monster... tap, tap, tap... ¡°Come out and play...¡± [Rick] I''m about to spear it when I catch sight of it partly through the foliage. With that, all fear is gone. ¡°What are you doing out here?¡± [Rick] All I hear is sobbing. ¡°What''s wrong? It''s just me.¡± [Rick] ¡°why are you all alone?¡± I heard a few words in cat dialect. What I understood translated to: ¡°The Kurnam took everyone... I tried to warn them but they didn''t listen!¡± [Kitten] Wait... everyone? But they''re all still alive. What we learned: Rick is a living weapon of mass destruction. Theras suffers from motion sickness. Every single time Rick does something unusual he now has to explain it in detail for his overly inquisitive alchemist. Invasion of the body-snatchers?! Next chapter side-story featuring a certain little kitten... Chapter 33: Conspiracy of Whispers (Kitten POV ... it was too important so I made it a real chapter instead of a side story) I''m not really sure how long I have been gone from my house, but I really miss Mommy! When those ugly people took me away from her I heard shouting... I hope she''s okay. It was scary being dragged around, but then we met the woman who saved us. She let us go and then later found us and took us somewhere safe. I like her. She''s really warm and fuzzy. She''s different, like me. None of the other boys or girls had teeth, claws, white fur or a tail like mine. I know, I''m weird, right? Mommy used to tell me: ¡°Sara you''re special. You know all those monsters sometimes get switched with a stronger one, right? You''re just like that, my special little baby.¡± Of course I got embarrassed ''cause she called me a baby! I was ten! Sometimes being different is bad. Like in the tunnels I could hear whispers and sometimes see things others couldn''t. It got really spooky. When we were being dragged around by the uglies they didn''t really care much, but when the furry guy with metal bits showed up things got really quiet and still, like those whispering people were watching us. But he disappeared and the uglies kept going, so it stopped. When we were free and hungry we met them again, the woman who saved us and the metal bits guy. I was really glad at first, but then I noticed the silence was back. It wasn''t like the last time. It wasn''t just watching, they were staring. Following us. The whispers they were talking to each other, about us. I couldn''t really make it out, the things they said, but you kinda know... you know? The whispers always have a feel to them I can kinda understand. Now I have heard the whispers before every now and again. The last time was just before the uglies came and took us away. I don''t know why but I don''t get the feeling they mean any harm. They just watch. Or at least that''s what I thought. The whispers were really loud when we left the sandy place with all the delicious food. Then they started humming. This really surprised me. I ain''t never heard anything like it. I was scared, even though I''m supposed to be a Mouth for the Spirits of the Maze. The whispers aren''t supposed to do things like this you know? I only knew it was something dangerous. Minke was holding my hand at the time and I saw her stiffen too. She saw it. She heard the strange whisper too. She looked at me weirdly then went ahead and saw the Bad Thing coming. The Trickster. I knew immediately this was coming to answer the call of the whispers, not by itself. It tried to look like Mommy, like how I imagined Daddy to look, but I could tell it was wrong. The shape was wrong. Then the metal bits guy came up. He looked to be tricked... then somehow he wasn''t. The whispers were really fast then. The Bad Thing was killed. Good. I hate it. It tried to pretend to be Mommy to hurt me. The whispers went silent again. But the silence it was so creepy, I kept shivering. I have a lot of fun. I barely even notice the whispers now. They just watch. Every day I go out with the fuzzy woman and get tasty food. It''s great! She even sleeps with me, she''s so warm! I love it. She hugs me to sleep. I got a shock a few days later when I heard the whispers get really loud. The sound... it was different from the hum. It was a thousand little chirps all at once. But it sounded bad. The sound wanted to hurt. To hurt us. To make us move. To make us do something. I understood this. I knew a kid like that, a smelly boy... he was gross... he used to throw rocks at ant nests. To make them scurry and fight. He liked to force them fight each other. I heard later... Jinta was killed by the chirping monsters sent by the whispers. I hadn''t thought the whispers were really bad until then. I mean all they did was whisper and watch, right? Well now I understood: they were just like the smelly little boy. They would kill us for fun. Because they were bored. It really scared me. I wouldn''t be able to sleep if the warm fuzzy lady wasn''t here. Hugging me to sleep. Still we have a big hard door. That''s good right? Monsters can''t get through that. The metal guy and some of the others are going away for a few days. I really hope the silence goes with them. Like it did last time. But I was silly. The silence remains. Then the whispers start. I see them, the light flickers of the voices in the tunnels. They''re talking about us. I''m really scared. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. I... even wet the bed. Anyway, we go out and collect food. Like we always do. Only this time I can hear the whispers. They''re not just talking any more. They''re screaming. I hide. I duck under the bushes and the fuzzy lady follows. She realizes I''m afraid and looks around for the danger. She took out a shiny knife. She points out the thing on my arm she gave me is a weapon. I remember she showed me how to use it, but I kinda forgot. Anyway. I tell her about the whispers. She seems kind of scared. She believes me, but I don''t think she understands exactly. Then the screams reach us. Only, I see Minke smiling as she stands there in the entrance of the room. Except there coiled around her, like a pile of moving slime a thing engulfs all that makes her HER. I tell the fuzzy lady the bad thing, the Essence Eater has Minke. But the fuzzy lady looks at me strangely. She stands up and walks over to the Minke-puppet and is trying to talk. The screaming of the whispers is deafening. I try to cut off the noise with my hands, but I can''t! As I struggle to cope with the noise I see the Essence Eater take the fuzzy lady. I''m really scared. Because the fuzzy lady with a vacant smile turns around and looks at me through the bushes. I hear the whispers and know what they want. They want me to die. I hear the scream of the order and shift slightly. The knife the fuzzy lady uses hits the ground beside me. I''m cut but I can''t cry now. I grab it and roll over, clutching the metal between my arm and chest. Trying to look dead. The puppet comes over and pulls the knife out, but the whispers are fooled. They don''t understand tricks. They don''t understand I am pretending. They see the blood and that I am still and think I was killed. The screams are so loud I want to scream with them, but they quiet down because the puppets are leaving. Side by side, step by step. Marching with identical empty smiles. Then the screams grow in number. I lick the cut on my arm and eat a bit of the food the fuzzy lady found with me. I wonder... how long can I live like this? I''m so scared. The whispers are talking quickly. I think they can see everything, so I stay where I am. I can''t let them know I''m alive. I can hear the screams faintly. They seem to sleeping? Are they waiting for something? The metal guy! Then I hear sounds, the numberless chirps of the whispers and a strange rumbling roar. Then the whispers are frantic, surprised and the chirps are cut in half. The rumble keeps growing, thuds of something heavy and fast on the stone. It might be a new monster, a servant of the whispers. I can hear the screams, they are growing in volume but there is no urge to hurt others... yet. The screams are different from before. The screams had wanted to kill and take souls. Now they seem to be trying to understand something. They''re... curious. The screams now aren''t good at expressing it. The Essence Eaters can''t do all the screams want. So the whispers are being cautious. I fall asleep, so tired. I wake up, hearing someone making a noise. Tap, tap, tap. The metal guy. I''m scared. The whispers they''re staring at us both. They know I''m here now. The screams are growing in number. The metal guy looks scary. Then he finds me! Only... he isn''t so scary. He''s worried about me. I''ve been scared of him for so long because of the whispers. Because they watch him I couldn''t bring myself to talk to him. Now... I see he isn''t so scary. It''s only the whispers that are bad. So I try to warn him... and I think he understood more than the fuzzy lady. He takes my hand and leads me back down the tunnel, asking more questions. I tell him everything. What we learned: Holy Cow! Plot! Major Plot! The ultimate villains are apparently the ''Whispers''... Poor Sara. Sara isn''t from a separate species: she really is a Rare Variant Cat-person! Since people can''t evolve the only way they appear in the Labyrinth is from birth (or ridiculously reckless power usage like Rick). Why the hell are the Whispers so interested in Rick?! The noises Sara hears, the hum, the chirps, the screams... frequencies of control signals? Chapter 34: The Birth of Golden Doom Double length chapter! Day 62 (Rick POV) Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit... I didn''t even notice?! They were acting absurdly unusual, for them. Niala coldly greeting me without even a hug? Minke sleeping alone? Believing the little girl is natural, she''s terrified. Her words are absurd but I''ve been dealing with Minke who possesses a touch based future sense and my own power. Whispers? And this monster on top of it... obviously from Kitten''s story the Whispers are something that are as common and widespread a phenomena as monsters. I dare say they are connected with some or all of the bizarre elements of this maze. I don''t know where the connection ends between this so called ''scream'' and this new monster. However what I am really having troubles with is the nature of this current enemy. Is it invisible? Intangible? Extra-dimensional? Ethereal? Paranormal? A gaseous entity? I don''t know. But Kitten can see it. Assuming her ability to detect these things isn''t supernatural then she''s working with senses beyond human or even my own, then I could try to replicate them. That said... the way she explains detecting the Whispers sounds closer to telepathy or perhaps an empathic psychic power. Only she''s only getting half the transmission or less, like seeing the title of an email rather than the content... perhaps it is too foreign to understand? Or they encrypt it? We''re dealing with a complete mystery here. I wanted to avoid doing weird stuff to my body, since I''m a little worried I''ll end up like that stone glaive I over-melded and caused to fall apart permanently. However, if I''m smart about this perhaps... First things first. I need weapons. I need to be able to detect and hurt this monster. I have no clue if this thing kills those it captures or not. I don''t know a damn thing. If I go back there half-cocked I''ll be done for. So I''m going back to the desert room I just discovered for materials. I have a few ideas that should solve both problems. I''m not going to attack the possessed unless I have no other options. If this is the cause of their deaths, these Whispers... ¡°...I''ll destroy them.¡± [Rick snarling] If it is a weapon, I can make it. Even if it has to destroy a world. A Devil. A God. I will motherfucking make their end as miserable as possible. The list of possible enhancements available to me now that my skill is advanced... ¡°Destroy the ''Kurnam''?¡± [Sara holding my hand] ¡°Not just that... the Whispers too.¡± [Rick] ¡°They can''t be hurt.¡± [Sara] ¡°Oh, I''ll find a way.¡± [Rick smiling but exuding nothing but malice] ¡°The whispers are talking again; they are asking each other if you can really hurt them.¡± [Sara] ¡°I can and I will if they do not release the others.¡± [Rick shrugging] ¡°You hear me, you phantom assholes?!¡± ¡°They say you can''t.¡± [Sara] ¡°I don''t know if they can be angry... please don''t make them angry.¡± ¡­ For now... the monster. But later I''m definitely coming for you. Hey, she''s crying. (sniffle) ¡°They''re so scary! You can''t hurt them, you can''t even touch them.¡± [Sara] ¡°They''re everywhere and nowhere!¡± ¡°Yes, they are scary. But they don''t sound like they are all-powerful or all-knowing. They make mistakes and can be ignorant. They''re living beings, not spirits, ghosts, demons or gods. You can kill anything that lives. Remember it.¡± [Rick] ¡°That is a truth in all worlds. Even if you can''t touch them, you can kill them. You just need the right weapon and angle of attack.¡± I look out at the deadly desert. For example: let''s try a change of approach. A handful of sand is what I need. With my power I modify myself. I''m a little sad about this... gah! It hurts! I cut out my right eye with my claws and then immediately replace it with a set of lenses crafted from the sand, turned glass. It connects directly to the optic nerve. With this I should be able to see into the infra-red and ultraviolet spectrum, as well as polarized light frequencies. If this bitch is in any way visible I''ll see it. Hell, switching through spectrums I can even see the streaks of gamma rays and x-rays piercing the rock. These usually come from quasars and blackholes. I''m able to see cosmic radiation if I wish. I just had to add the ''true sight'' ability, didn''t I? Shit, my modifications are a notch above what they used to be. This thing is beyond superman''s X-ray vision. My short and long range vision ranges from microscopic to telescopic in every spectrum. I can see the trapdoor spider buried in the sand. It isn''t a spider. It''s some kind of chimera. It has wasp wings and several pairs of legs. The scorpions that wander in the distance: they are actually a crab-like creature with a long tailed insect on it''s back. The REALLY interesting thing? The flickers Kitten mentioned... I see them. Two. I looked at a freeze-frame image of them I took with my eye. They are glowing in the infra-red spectrum. They don''t look alive, but they are moving... some kind of local anomaly, skill or (spit) magic? I prescribe to the Asimov statement: ¡°Science sufficiently advanced would appear to be magic.¡± So this maze, these monsters, myself. None of it is ''magic''. I don''t know how it works, exactly but I have ideas. My current suspicion? These are probes that act as the eyes and ears of our Whispers. They''re nearly invisible and seem to be following us. Yes, I''ll keep that as the assumption for now. I create two more unusual things from the sand, which are currently useless. They''re just components. I return to the garden room to collect a decent amount of plant matter which I compress and heat using my power until I form crude oil, then refine this into polymers. I''m relying entirely on the power to work out how to do this to create the most useful composite materials for my device. Thus I now have a working fibre-optic cable. (Glass wires + Polymer layers) Following this I tramp over to a small room I hadn''t exploited yet, a room of metal pillars. Why haven''t I used it yet? They''re precious metals. Silver, gold, platinum, nickel... this is the reason I settled in the area. Payment materials for my big constructions. Ugh. I can''t believe I''m doing this again... And so I create a golden golem. A little differently. This one is actually a nickel/gold/silver alloy made with a completely different form. I''m going for durability, so the nickel content of this design is highest. The difference from the last one: it has mechanical components rather than being a moving blob of metal. It won''t be as solid as the last but that is because I don''t expect it to take part in close combat. It is a bipedal mecha standing roughly three metres tall. Incidentally, I don''t have any ''elemental cores'' so it isn''t a true golem. It''s a pseudo-golem, which is controlled through several silicone ''core facsimiles''. In essence I created micro-processors out of the sand and gold I have. The big difference with this redesign: Remote Control! I''ve slaved it to me, so that I can actually remote pilot the golem through my new eye and existing body modifications. The final touches are also placed on my new weapon designs. The golem itself is just a torso and legs with additional slots for weapons to be added on as ''arms''. The primary weapon is built into the torso and fills the majority of the hollow internal structure. The golem also has the same eye system as the one I am now using and several other sense organs, so it is a body substitute that is replaceable. In addition it has some fairly good mobility too, since the design is built around the body shape of a flightless bird. After all I can''t get the sight of the Butcher that damn near killed me out of my head. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I wonder did the Whispers send that too? I add on a set of simple arms tipped with claws built around an electro-magnetic device, but they are just stand-ins for the real things I''ll add on when I have time. The little kitten is quite impressed. I remote control it and give her a ride. Mostly to hurry back home, since she can''t run very fast. She''s been hearing the screams again, since she met me and I can only assume this means the remaining cats are being assimilated. I hate that I had to leave them like that, but I would only die leaping to the rescue like some half-wit hero. After all, how do you defend yourself from mental and/or spiritual attacks? The only way I know is simply to not be there. Hence the golem. So there... a drone. Now the chances of being possessed dropped significantly. I connect it to the fibre optic cable and then lead it to the passage near the door. I plug in the other end of the cable, into my chest. Panels slide open around the main weapon of the machine as I send it a massive supply of photons. The weapon whines as it powers up. I test the rotary barrel and note all three modes are fully powered. I have the right arm key the lock on the gate and march inward. I immediately see a scene of carnage as the cats are fighting each other. ¡°Help!¡± [Myna begs as two cats corner her] I flick through vision modes... There we go... ¡°YOU ARE ALL POSSESSED. CEASE THE CHARADE.¡± [Mecha relaying my voice] I see you, you son of a bitch. On a low frequency of polarized light you stand out like you are a neon sign, monster. There is still only one of you, with tendrils attached to all of the cats. I give the room a quick scan, to avoid surprise attacks from above. Once was enough. Thankfully there is no surprise attack squad in hiding. The creature seems genuinely stunned by the fact I can see through the trick. Or is that the Whispers that control the beast? The creature itself is isolated from the puppets, sitting passively in the center of the room. Huge and gelatinous, it appears to move using the tendrils as well. I don''t see jaws or even bones... jellyfish? Still I''m not sure my weapons work. Experiment time. I activate the electro-mag right arm and pull a few iron weapons over from the back of the train, before launching them using both arms like a crude rail gun. The weapons, a few knives and steel bolts are all that would come to this scale of magnet, huh? Well, it is still only an experimental design. I aim at a cluster of tendrils and try to sever the linkage to some of the puppets... the weapons however pass cleanly through the creature like it is smoke. Damn. I was really hoping this was just invisibility. The possessed are running at the mech... I walk it forward, lightly flinging them away with the arms. ¡­ they pass the mech and try to enter the tunnel. Oh dear. Sorry guys. I used the cube. Look up. One step out here and you''ll be eating roof. That''s a fifteen foot drop. Hmm. Well they do have Niala. I can''t tell if the abilities they possess are available to the ''Kurnam''. So I won''t go easy on them. The puppets hesitate... oh? You''re holding them back, or do they still have self-preservation instincts? Well now blob, let''s see if you''re fine with something more... precise. Full power to the PULSE LASER CANNON! The beam itself is usually invisible, but then I have the ''eye of true sight'' so naturally I can see it just fine. A nice if somewhat unusual reddish, greenish, purplish color... damn it is hard to describe other spectrums of light... A beam of concentrated light, funnelled directly from my chest by the fibre-optic cable through a focusing device on the main weapon systems of the golem. This was not the kind of laser you could find on Earth. In a sense, my skill of mine pushed my creation to the limits of modern technology. This weapon is in the range of 30 gigawatts... that''s powerful enough to sink a ship or shoot down a plane. From orbit. Fuck you, blob! Be cut to pieces and die! I slash streams of light at the creature but still it shows no significant damage. How about this then? I slide the laser down one of the tendrils and it squirms and pulls back twitching. HA! You can be hurt! You CAN be killed. So prepare yourself bitch, I''m just getting started! Hahahahaha... you can''t take heat perfectly huh? One of the cats, drops. Too busy to care which. I stride the drone to a distance of two feet from the still creature. Oh, you can''t move? Then DIE WHERE YOU STAND! I send a different energy supply and crank the power of the arms to full. A powerful electro-magnetic pulse flies out from my mech for several feet. Nothing huh? I kinda hoped it''d affect you... Well then... next! I shut off the magnetic systems and channel pure electricity down the cable... (I added a core of copper nickel wire to the cable). The golem lights up as streams of lightning-like arcs leap out. The blob writhes and the puppets turn and try to attack. Hmm. I send a low amp pulse of electricity out from the golem, trying to incapacitate the puppets. Like a taser. They drop quickly. I have the golem shift them back to the far wall. Because I''m afraid they''ll get caught in the middle of the fire. The main weapon barrel rotates and the second weapon comes out to play. If you can''t take heat... then fry! Eat PLASMA DEATH! Using the magnetic field of the arms and a bundle of plastic refined from crude oil I created the legendary energy weapon! The super-heated bullet is launched quite slowly by the simple electro-mag arm system. However the creature itself is quite slow. It is only just starting to retreat. At about the speed of a human walking. Far too slow. The flaming bullet burns through the creature... I don''t hear a thing but Kitten squeezes my arm, digging in claws. I smile. The bullet itself is additionally quite a useful thing as the electro-mag system allows me to remote detonate the plasma... like this. BOOM! The pellet of intense fire, flares in an energetic reaction in the center torso of the blob. The plasma bullet was held together by the magnetic field on launch as it clings to a core of nickel. That core is molten metal right now. By simply extending the magnetic field to ''catch'' the bullet in mid air for a second the inertia causes it to fly apart. It sprays like a shotgun blast and bathes all that it touches in fires beyond magma or even the surface temperature of the sun. The creature collapses in agony, the tendrils writhing as it tries to extinguish the flames. Burn you sonovabitch. It is quickly devoured by fire... so you were a living gas, huh? Well you''re a dead smear of ash now. Huh. Didn''t even have to use the final barrel of the main weapon, thank God. An anti-matter weapon is really overkill for something like this. I glance at the quivering kitten who looks at me with admiration. ¡°So... these Whispers. Do you want them boiled, fried or seared?¡± [Rick] What we learned: Rick''s power is now an absolute BEAST. What else do you want? Get out of here! Chapter 35: Class Change Day 59 (Little Rat POV) For the first time Chanti didn''t pass out as we spent our night together. In the end I called it a night early, since I''m feeling sleep deprived. I wake to find her riding me... she looked a little ashamed... until I helped her finish. She asked if her lascivious nature troubled me. Of course I had no idea what the term even was. However it was about her behaviour... How could I say it was a problem? Nothing about the time we have shared I would consider a waste. I understand she asks if I find her desire for me ugly, if I have these things called regrets. My answer was quite simple. ¡°Is that what you feel? I look at you and see nothing but my mate. If it pleases you, it pleases me. Regrets? I know no regrets in this life, nor will I allow any.¡± [Tirmin stroking her hair gently] ¡°If you feel regrets, then act upon them.¡± ¡°I''m a slave! I''m your slave. But... you have never used that power over me. I tried to hate you... I really did. I have only one regret. That I was so stupid those few weeks ago. I didn''t see you were so noble back then. So I will voice my only regret. I am sorry for what I did to you. I can''t ask for your forgiv...¡± [Chanti murmurs] ¡°Granted. I hold no ill feelings for you. So forget your pain, your fears, your sorrows... because they are not real. There is only today and the future. Slave or not, you are my treasured one. If I must, I will let you go free.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°No... no. I don''t want to be free. I am your slave, now and forever. I swear it on this curse that controls me. So please don''t free me. I want to be only yours, until I die.¡± [Chanti vehemently states, clutching me tightly.] ¡°I don''t trust myself, in my weakness I could betray... but the unfeeling curse upon me cannot be corrupted. I want to live and die for you, do not free me from this wondrous compulsion. I am not trustworthy without it. Freed I would be unworthy of you.¡± ¡°What brought on all of this?¡± [Tirmin] ¡°A knife, food and gold went missing, the knife I brought here. I was interrogated. Only this compulsion kept me from telling the truth.¡± [Chanti] ¡°What is this about?¡± [Tirmin] I look at her closely and then run a hand down her body as I see bruises and faintly detect the lust stink of many men. She shudders in my grasp as she realizes I know what has been done. I see it in her eyes, she thinks I will abandon her. ¡°Yes... when I would not answer their questions they took me by force. They hurt me, so much. But I did not say a word. I know I am filthy and unworthy of you, so I took advantage of you one final time. After tonight I will never again do this. All I ask is to allow me to serve you.¡± [Chanti] I hug her tight. I feel tears in my eyes. This pain in my chest... what is this feeling? ¡°This is my fault...¡± [Tirmin] I see clearly only one thing I must do. I go to Karamech. I bring a platter of roasted meats and some ale, hastily pilfered from a tavern kitchen. I do not have time to waste. He looks at me warmly, as does his king while the female studies my face. She sees it in my eyes. The hurting. Then they all do. I give them the food, the ale. ¡°Forget the transport, the minerals. I will free you. I ask only one thing: teach me. You are all mighty warriors or you would not be alive in this cage. I have something I must do, so I ask for this one thing. Teach me how to make my enemies tremble and die.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°Lad... what has been done for ye to be so changed?!¡± [Karamech] ¡°Something I did not understand until I saw the aftermath. Something that cannot be forgiven or accepted.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°Teach me to become the agent of death itself!¡± The grey furred warrior looked at me silently for a moment. ¡°Your Majesty, may I?¡± [Karamech] ¡°I''ll allow it. It is a small sacrifice for greater gains. Teach him. Teach him to the best of your ability.¡± [King Hensai] From that moment the elderly elite warrior instructed me. I came to learn his special ability was specifically for the purposes of training raw recruits. Ultimate Drillmaster. He shared with me secrets and tactics he had observed or used. I listened, devouring every word. If he was the ultimate trainer I strived to be the ultimate student. My view was blocked by a blue rectangle. Within that rectangle I read what I had become. Somehow, it made the painful throbbing exquisitely ache.
Tirmin has obtained Class Change!
Original Class: Budding HeroNew Class: Ghost of Despair
Skills Learned:
Nondetection
Info: The skill of passive stealth. While standing still this skill renders the user invisible to standard sight. Cannot be used while observed. Unlimited duration.
Maim (lesser)
Info: The skill of causing brutal, agonizing and crippling injuries. Higher levels increase pain and reduce efficiency of healing (both natural and skill based) on the victim.
Sight Evasion (lesser)
Info: A skill of temporary stealth. When caught in motion while sneaking gives a two second burst of invisibility. Greater versions extend the time; doubling it per tier.
Sabotage
Info: The skill to damage inanimate objects and poison supplies. Allows a stealthy person to cripple, trap or otherwise cause harm to others through objects or to the objects themselves. Until sprung; traps are undetectable to those without the skills to sense them.
Silence
Info: Remove the sound of impact, movement, speech, etc. A skill of subterfuge which eliminates vibrations. Automatic use when attempting stealth. Can be extended to those touched. Can be placed around a sealed or secluded area.
Ancestral Trait: Lordly Rat
Info: Your origins are of Royalty in exile. Generations of your ancestors have struggled and died futile deaths as cowards ignorant of the world. You are different. All physical aspects reinforced. Natural Vessel comprehension. May stake your worth on one trial of higher scope. Success grants the Greater Trait: Usurper King of Rats
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. An incredible number! It says so many things I don''t know where to begin. ¡°Well lad? What are the results? Which four skills did ye get?¡± [Karamech] ¡°Four? I see five and something called an ''Ancestral Trait''?¡± [Tirmin] ¡°They all look like strong ones. Well, if you will excuse me for a moment...¡± I creep toward the guard standing at the mouth of the cage. He is a tall male of the ape people. He bears a spear and a dagger shaped like a spike sits on his belt. He is lightly armored, with metal plates on thick cloth. I pull the knife free and he doesn''t even feel it. I can''t even hear my heart or breathing at the moment like I should. I place my hand on his back. He stirs at that touch. Then I drive the bronze weapon deeply into his back. He crumples, his clothing only a minor hindrance. ¡°The key.¡± [Karamech] I''m not actually too sure what a key looks like, so I just hold each item he carries for the caged trio until he tells me to stop. I give them the key, but then make them wait. I haul the dead man to the cage and with the help of friendly hands hook him up by the collar so he appears to stand upright. Then I circle the camp, reaching the arena. I hear the boots of a guard crunching on the stone and freeze. A slave of a strange hairless species passes me on a leash as it is hauled by a guard. It was fleshy and pale. I''m quite astounded by the ease these skills offer my actions. They were only a body length away from me and missed me. That must have been nondetection. I find the armory of the gladiators and help myself to a set of three heavy weapons and add a second weapon to my personal arsenal: a handaxe. Returning to the cage I pass them each a weapon, which the huge people use single handed. I hear a crack of wood as I look around for more guards, to find Karamech has snapped off a cart wheel from the wagon parked near their cage, to use as a shield. If I''d known I could have silenced it. Darn. A whistle noise blares out, but at least I cut off the sound from reaching inside the barricade or the town. It seems to be a warning. We only have the slaver guards in the field to deal with. That can''t be too many. The majority are usually in the slave pen in the barricade. And the city guard aren''t close. I should bite my tongue. Thirty. They move to intercept the huge Karamech who takes the front. He stands his ground, waving a huge sword. The guards slow and don''t approach carelessly. I wonder why... oh right. They''ve seen the gladiatorial battles every day. They''re afraid. I wonder why, I mean he''s only big and strong... with years of experience... and the best training... and skills... Okay, I get it now. So do the guards as they try to circle and attack from all sides. That sword is almost as tall as I am, but he uses it like a short-sword. With chopping sweeps to the flanks he cuts down the nearest three and the wheel to batter those on his left and front. The king and his sister take a defensive stance and guard Karamech''s back. I see. This is a hard thing for these guardsmen to fight, the sister holding her side with a long handled hammer and the king a double-headed axe. They strike down several as the crowd spreads out. One walks back a few steps, nearly bumping into me. Heh. The handaxe hacks into his knee and he falls screaming. One second. I take a step to the side. Two seconds. I lunge at the nearest man as he turns to see what the other is screaming about now that the silence from my strike ended. The dagger I hold drives deeply up into his ear hole. His death sigh is silent. I hold him upright by the handle. Using his corpse I hide from the sight of the others. I let the body drop, now I''m sure I''m hidden again. There is a kind of tingle that makes it clear if I can be seen or not. Strange. But convenient. As I stand there I notice a pair of guards raise bows and ready arrows on the outskirts of the fight. Well... here I go. I sprint at them, circling around the fight to flank them. I''m visible now. They haven''t noticed me yet... five body lengths to go! They can''t hear me coming! They don''t realize I''m here until the axe hacks into the spine of the first, below his chest armor, just above the hips. He goes down like a snapped twig. My tail meanwhile wraps around the ankle of the other and with a flick I send him tumbling to the ground. With one foot on the first to keep him silent I sink my dagger into the throat of the second as he tries to stand. He screams as his blood gushes but he has no voice, just wheezes come out. I seem to have cut his voice. Oops. (sarcasm) The bows look useful. I take one and the arrows. Back to being invisible. The first bowman is still alive, but has no way to turn to look at me. The second is not able to see anything any more. I send a few at the guards intermittently, using the two second invisibility and nondetection in conjunction to pepper the enemy. Soon the crippled and dead are all that remains. The Hortun people are amazingly strong, I watched the female rip the arms off of a guard. A burly man. The trio seem to be expecting more attackers. They don''t know the main garrison hasn''t heard a thing. So they aren''t coming. ¡°Little one? Where are you? You can come out now, the danger has passed.¡± [Karamech] They thought I was just hiding? I break my invisibility, sending an arrow to land at his feet. ¡°Who was hiding?! I was killing.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°Why else would the arrows all miss you?¡± ¡°Your power? It is not direct combat, I see. I thought that was what I was teaching, but evidently ye took it in a different direction. Not a bad one, though.¡± [Karamech shrugs] ¡°Shall we empty this accursed place? I have an idea to improve your chances of escape.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°And things to do during the chaos it causes.¡± ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± [King] ¡°An illusion.¡± [Tirmin smirking] What we learned: Spy rat evolved into Assassin rat! He''s almost an opposite of Rick. Stealth and cunning versus unsubtle firepower and ingenuity. Now we know why the little guy is so different from the bog standard rats. Revenge, it is a great motivator. Many ugly bastards will die soon... they hurt his lady... they''re going to wish they were dead. Chapter 36: Debt Collector Day 59 continued (Little Rat POV) ¡°An illusion, you say? What do you mean precisely?¡± [King Hensai] ¡°I mean, we are going to keep this slave camp running, in secret until you are properly provisioned and armed as a group. I mean most of the slaves, including any of those in the city we can trust.¡± [Tirmin gesturing widely] ¡°In short most of us will break out of here. With the least amount of risk and the greatest amount of chaos and damage at the same time.¡± ¡°How will we deal with the gate? The soldiers?¡± [Karamech] ¡°A surprise attack will have some success, but the gate itself is sturdy. The guards in place will be on alert if they spot a battering ram. They have a wide view of the area, they''ll see us coming.¡± ¡°Oh, the gate is no problem. I will sabotage it just before you arrive.¡± [Tirmin smiling] ¡°The guards will also be far less of a threat than you think. Like those here, their shouts of alarm can''t be heard in the distance, because I can stop that. We simply need to cut down anyone that runs or can see us.¡± ¡°Ah! So that''s why we only got three quarters of ''em instead of the whole bunch.¡± [Karamech cracking a smile] ¡°They must still be goin'' about work like normal!¡± ¡°Now that we have the area pacified, I want you three to clear out rest inside the barricade. While you do that I''ll keep everything nice and quiet out here and cut down any fools that wander in here oblivious.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°After that we clean up the corpses and blood as best we can, have any slaves that look reasonably like our captors dressed in the armor of the guards and then we can slowly prepare.¡± ¡°What if some noble with an escort comes sniffing around for a plaything?¡± [Karamech] ¡°Then we kill them all, after we lure them inside the barricade and away from the eyes of the city.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°We''re lucky so far, as we''re fairly isolated where we are. We''ll arrange for signs and guards to tell customers the arena is shut for the day... for ''repairs''.¡± ¡°These corpses that fell in battle and the blood, how do we hide them?¡± [King Hensai] ¡°Who says we have to? Strip ''em naked, pile ''em high on a bonfire face down and burn ''em. Tell anyone who asks they was slaves with plague and executed as a ''mercy''.¡± [Karamech] ¡°It''ll scare off buyers for weeks. Makes a good excuse for the arena to be shut: contamination.¡± ¡°Yes, not bad. If we have our fake guards explain it was a disease for only the ape-kin, it will also explain why there are so many other slaves still alive and why there are none of their kind as slaves any more. They are dead and cremated. It also explains why the usual people who run the camp are not here, they are sick and isolated to keep the illness from spreading. This thing practically explains everything we do, short of leaving the city.¡± [King Hensai] ¡°Even buying good supplies... to feed the fictional quarantined people. They can''t eat the trash we feed the slaves, can they? They will be locked up for months... I believe.¡± ¡°Oh, by the way... whatever you do in the barricade won''t be heard outside as long as I''m here. So please go ahead and release any stress you might have built up.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°Try to keep the leaders alive for now, though. They might be useful for their knowledge of the organization. We want to look and act the part of these scum after all. When we have no need for them, then they can experience retribution.¡± [Princess Janess] ¡°Particularly the old bastard that tried to break us... yes... I want to pull out his tongue by the roots as a goodbye.¡± ¡°Come sister, surely there are some that sate your anger among the lesser villains.¡± [Hensai] ¡°If not, one or two of the leaders won''t be missed sorely.¡± Karamech chased after the siblings as they walked toward the barricade, shouting: ¡°Wait highness... surely I must be first, to blunt the enemy!¡± From that moment there was silence. The field empty of life, of movement was quiet as a grave. The stench of blood swirls around me. I don''t know why, but it doesn''t smell as terrible as it had before. Yes, when I first smelled blood there was the Butcher. The smell of it''s blood reeked, but that was nothing. It was overpowered by the blood of Chirrik and his Mother. Yes. Mustn''t forget that time. The second time I smelled blood this strong was when I stabbed that man to death with Chirrik''s battlefork. Then after that, as I slew the sleeping slavers. Then I felt nothing but satisfaction. Now... I feel a sense of accomplishment. But it doesn''t diminish the fury writhing deep down. These men were filth and obstacles, to be ended quickly. Soon... I will have time to visit my true enemies. I will not be merciful. They have earned much suffering. To have hurt Chanti, who is mine... there is nothing less than agony and death that can pay that debt. I wonder when I began to feel so protective and possessive about her? Hmm. I remember when she had me enslaved... I considered her cruel, but Niala''s punishments were equally cruel. The only real truth of this world I understand clearly: Harm for harm, kindness for kindness. In equal measure. Except when it comes to that... I can''t help but desire more suffering to these enemies of mine. It doesn''t seem fair... but then how do you judge the depth of the harm they have done? I can''t quantify it. All I can do is try to make up the difference and help balance up the debt they owe. I''m just myself, after all. It cannot be helped if my views are skewed. In the end... am I evil too, I wonder? An hour passes in quiet reflection. Eventually a veritable horde of people leave the barricade and start stripping corpses. Ones with pointed ears and other anomalous body parts hide them under helmets and clothing. Those of our captor''s race try to look the part. Few really do, since they almost all are beaten and malnourished. Some of those I assume were destined for the arena however look quite good. They will have to be our visible front. A few females are among them, some of the smaller ones almost swallowed alive by the size of their armor. They will only pass for slavers at a distance. We have a goodly number of fake guards, Twenty five sets of armor are still intact enough to pass a casual eye. If we find someone who sews, perhaps one or two more may be salvaged. The king and the other exotic people are still in the barricade, watching as the fake guards pile and burn the looted dead. Hidden I watch as the fakes spread out and resume appropriate patrols and stations, one painting a warning sign to show the infestation. The spares are escorted back to the barricade. To all eyes this would be a slave camp that has just tasted calamity. The bruised and tired guards adding an element of theatrics to the scene. We have suffered riots and lost profit to cruel fate. I wait, watching as much for intruders as for traitors. Hmm. A trio are acting strange as they stand as sentries at the main entrance. They''re natives of the city, from the smell of them. They are each looking toward the city in the distance, some ten miles away. Two stand by the road on either side while a third mans a desk. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I can hear them whispering. I''m only thirty feet away. ¡°If we tell the Chief Executioner we may be able to get our old status back...¡± [Fake Guard #1] ¡°Or even better raised a rank... but if we''re caught they''ll just kill us. It will come down to luck. If we run straight there we will show our loyalty.¡± [Fake Guard #2 at desk] ¡°I don''t like our chances in the maze either.¡± [Fake Guard #1] The third guard nods. Time to act. They''re about to run. So start running at them first. The one at the desk notices me out of the corner of his eye and turns to see the back of the hatchet hit him in the face. He crumples onto the table as his nose and the bones around his right eye break. (Tirmin is not at all familiar with anatomy, he has never seen a skull, other than those of the giants.) The others didn''t hear the strike but perhaps they sense the man behind them falling or expected a signal, because they turn from their posts at either side of the road to look back at us. Seeing me and the man down, they pale. One tries to run while the other starts to make excuses. ¡°It isn''t like that! We were only talking...¡± [Guard #1] I sprint after the runner, catching up to him in a few moments. Tackling him from behind, I drop him to the stones of the road and bash the side of his head into them a few times, until he stops struggling. The last one is still trying to make excuses. ¡°Pick up your friend, we are going to the barricade. If you run, I will not hesitate to kill you.¡± [Tirmin] I throw the fallen man onto my shoulder as the other leads his stricken friend at the desk back, using his shoulder as support. Inside the barricade, once I explain what happened to Hensai, the three are stripped. I considered leaving them in a cage, to remain in the city they loved so much. Karamech simply snapped their necks. ¡°Can''t leave ''em alive if you want to stay here after we''re gone. They know you and some of what you can do.¡± [Karamech] I guess he has a point. Three new fakes head out, this time only look-alikes of a different species. Like the ones chained with us on the slave caravan weeks ago. I can smell the difference, but the people native to this city all have such limited senses... how do they live like that? I can''t imagine what it must be like. To be so deaf and insensitive to the environment. Observing the other guards is pointless now they know I''m here and really they are already under surveillance from each other anyway. Particularly the non-native fakes. This is their only hope for escape. Instead I follow as a pair go out shopping for supplies on one of the carts from the field, lead by a great four legged beast, with the contents of the dead guards purses as payment. These two seem to be genuinely interested in escaping the city, as they were caught running away from the local garrison they had been stationed at and sentenced to die in the arena for desertion... apparently they actually want to explore the maze and see strange and incredible things. I guess there are people like me in every race, huh? They really do make the purchases they were asked, even bargaining and haggling for just that little extra that they may need in the far reaches, if they make it that far. Never underestimate the value of even the most basic of supplies in the wilderness. The next goal is to find the slaves already in the city that want to escape... Tricky. The best way is probably to talk to those as strange as myself, those treated poorly for stupid reasons like appearance or species. They will be far more interested in escape than most, so that they can return to the places where they are considered normal. Who knows, perhaps there is some organization hidden inside the slaves as well. Coincidentally I run across one of the men that harmed Chanti yesterday. I follow as he happily weaves through alleys to arrive at a small home. It seems he was out shopping for his dinner. I let myself into his home after him, since he doesn''t lock it. I watch him go about his business, polishing his copper breastplate until it shines. Playing with himself. Going to sleep. He wakes up screaming a few minutes later, as I have just clawed out his eyes. I leave him fumbling around for a while, looking for his weapons (which I have dumped out the window) and for me. He realizes he''s hurt badly, probably permanently. So he''s desperately calling for help. Apparently the city guard are all quartered in this area. He is confused as to why no one is answering. He may not hear me, but perhaps he senses my body heat or smell faintly because he suspects I''m still here. Or it could just be the fact he never heard me leave. As he reaches his door I make my presence known, by hacking off four of his fingers with my hand-axe as he reaches for the latch. After a good bit of shrieking and rolling around I introduce myself properly. ¡°Hello. I don''t believe we''ve met before. Yesterday you had quite a time with a lady I consider to be mine. So I believe it is fair I take what is owed. Your eyes for lusting after her body. Your fingers for caressing her flesh...¡± I take off the other hand at the wrist with the axe, as I say this. To even it out I prune off his remaining thumb as he thrashes around on the ground. ¡°Your sex, for taking her by force...¡± I drive my heel onto what makes him male, contempt showing as I consider how vulnerable they are sitting outside the body. Mine are internal most of the time, after all. He screams and begs for his life. Really? I have no care for that. No, I just want your tongue. Using the dagger I cut it out, holding his jaws open with brute force. I am surprised really how strong I am in comparison to him. I never expected the difference to be this much. Perhaps he''s just weak. ¡°Now, don''t you tell anyone about this...¡± I laugh. ¡°The rest of them will be getting their share soon. Oops. That''s a secret. Shush.¡± I walk out, keeping his home silenced until I turn around a corner. His groans are loud, but quite muffled. It will probably be some time before someone bothers to make him shut up... the adjoining homes are empty, the owners probably working. Hmm. I wonder if they have a healer like Niala? I doubt it. Lets watch and see. If they do, that is someone I definitely have to kill. My maim skill isn''t high enough yet to ensure he can''t talk about our encounter, with a regrown tongue. What we learned: YOU DO NOT FUCK WITH THE RAT NINJA. Sorry this chapter is so late, I''ve been slacking off this week. (Actually I fell asleep several times during the process of writing it.) Also I would like to offer thanks to those who have reviewed this story, both in the past and more recently I am always glad to hear from you what you like and don''t like about the story. Next time on Re:Labyrinth Rick and the formerly body-snatched... Chapter 37: The Dreaming Day 63 Everyone is still unconscious. Shit. It has been several hours now. I hope that monster didn''t parasitize, mind-wipe or lobotomize them. While I don''t want to admit the possibility, if such a horrible situation has occurred I might have to kill them... there is only so much I can do if they are brain damaged or worse. I have no form of treatment I could apply. I think. It is hard to know, with that weird geas I created, it may not be impossible. Kitten is worried, asking if I can do anything. Ultimately I cannot, until I know exactly what has happened to them. As it is all I know is: they are sleeping. Jumping to conclusions will only make things worse. I''m already on edge with worry. If they are still sane and whole mentally, well then it''s a completely different ballgame. If they''re merely paralyzed or suffer from body control issues then simply by refining their bodies into weapons I could fix the problem, they would possess inferior versions of my own body because although my skill is greater I don''t possess another anti-matter ring, in fact the only reason I would succeed in modifying them without a ring to use as an energy core is my increase in skill. I''m fairly confident I can create something that augments parts of people rather than the whole thing of even better quality than my own body... dammit. The skill upgrade would happen when I make the train, not when I upgrade myself. But hey, still jumping the gun. They could be all smiles and sunshine after a pleasant nap. Can''t forcefully wake them either. Or at least I couldn''t immediately after they were stunned by the ''taser'' setting of Goldy the mech. It wasn''t the electric shock that caused this, that''s for damn sure. At worst it would have burned them or stopped their hearts. It did not do either. I suspect drugs or poison. Psychotropic drugs or tranquilizers are quite possibly one method of control used by the monster. If those are the problem I may have to simply wait for them to pass out the victim''s system. They could even be deranged by the experience. I shake my head, trying to clear the bad thoughts. As I wait I spend the time with Kitten, stroking Minke''s head as it rests on my lap and hugging Niala to my left side. Niala''s my ace in the hole. If she can still think she should be able to heal herself. From there she could heal us all. I don''t know the limitations of her skill, but she did regrow the tip of my tail which includes the nerve cells and their connections. So theoretically she could cure brain damage or even brain death provided she was mentally stable. I''m sure it would be tough though. It might take days just to heal herself if it is very serious. In the end they don''t wake up today. Day 64 When Kitten wakes the following morning they are still sleeping. I assume this is some kind of chemically induced coma. That damn monster must have made everyone into sleepwalkers. I hope it wears off quickly. I spend the day with water skins trying to re-hydrate the sleeping cats, but feeding them will be harder. I will have to try tomorrow. Also they are filthy now, I''m not looking forward to having to clean them... especially the men. Urgh... I just vomited a little... I had to change their soiled clothes and used the rags they originally wore as nappies... Kitten is helping me carefully with a serious expression, I guess she has had experience with young children or perhaps elderly people. Since I have nothing better to do I ask about her acquired talent. It seems she was housed in a temple as some kind of seer or priestess. She wasn''t the only one, there was an elderly lady who had similar abilities, who taught her about the ''Whispers''. Everything I hear the old lady taught about the ''Whispers'' seems like a bunch of superstition. That they are omnipotent... False. They use monsters as their hands, these can fail. They are omniscient... False. We''ve already established they have limited observational abilities... they can''t tell the live from the dead through anything but movement. They also use the ''Flickers'' as some kind of sensor device. They made the world... can''t really argue this one, this world is very artificial. I wonder if this really is caused to them or intelligent design by a yet unknown third party? It''s all too fishy to be natural. I suppose the best way to explain the ''Whispers'' is to call them spirits... in the animistic sense. Some kind of supernatural being possessing unique and grand powers that they piss away with pointless and chaotic action. According to Kitten they argue and send half their time working at cross purposes. So in some ways they''re very human. In others not at all. Sidhe? Yokai? I''m not even sure if they are all the same species, if there are different types or even if they are individually unique. They don''t particularly seem to have any grand goal as far as I can see. Their opposition to each other almost sounds like gambling... Day 65 While Kitten''s asleep Myna woke up. She''s fairly groggy and looks very weak, but otherwise seems okay. So it really was some kind of drug or poison. When she realizes she''s been changed, is extremely hungry and no one else is moving she finally realizes something is wrong. Then she sees the golem... She shrieks so loudly but she doesn''t wake up Kitten. Well the little girl is a heavy sleeper anyway. She is from the group that was traveling with me, so it could be that they had a lighter dose. Niala and Minke on the other hand were exposed the longest, an extra day. They could be out for days. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Wait... I think she was the one I freed before killing the creature, I didn''t pay attention at the time. That might mean the others are only a few hours away from waking at most. I really hope there was no kind of backlash from being hooked to the creature as it died. ¡°What is that thing?!¡± [Myna] Oh yeah, have to explain it all to her first. ¡°I made it. There was a monster, it took control of everyone so I fought it with a lifeless puppet from a distance.¡± [Rick] ¡°You... made it? Like the metal cart?¡± [Myna looking at the golem in wonder] ¡°Yes. So you don''t remember seeing it?¡± [Rick] ¡°No...¡± [Myna uncertainly] ¡°Not at all?¡± [Rick] ¡°Well maybe... it looks familiar and very frightening.¡± [Myna] ¡°Probably because you tried to fight it.¡± [Rick] ¡°I did? What happened exactly? How long have I been controlled? I''m so hungry.¡± [Myna] ¡°It had you for about three hours.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Then you slept for two days and three nights.¡± ¡°Where is the monster now?¡± [Myna] ¡°Dead. I burned it. Sara called it a... Kurnam?¡± [Rick] ¡°Whatever that means...¡± ¡°Eh...? EH?!!!!¡± [Myna stunned] ¡°Was it really such a big deal? All it did was float there.¡± [Rick] ¡°You killed an ESSENCE EATER?! How?! What did it look like?!! No one has ever seen one, just the victims, wasted away and feral!¡± [Myna] ¡°What, it was one of those unknown high level boss types? Huh. Easier than I thought...¡± [Rick] ¡°Hmm. With a few more drone type golems I could research those ''death'' rooms with little risk.¡± ¡­ ¡°So... why am I dressed like this?¡± [Myna] ¡°What? Oh, I had to change you, since you ''dirtied'' the clothes you were wearing before.¡± [Rick] ¡°You... changed me? You undressed me?!¡± [Myna] ¡°I used the golem to undress people.¡± [Rick lying] Actually I only used it on the males, autonomously... Cue the golem snapping it''s claws together. She looks pale. ¡°It was just cleaning, I had no ill intentions.¡± [Rick still lying] Actually I paused to get an eye-full, but I consider that a perk for being a nice guy... I did take a few still images with my eye, but that was purely for research purposes. That''s my story and I''m sticking to it. Besides I''ve seen most of it in the bath room anyway, even if there was a lot of foam in the way. Besides it would be fairly sick to actually take advantage of the sleeping or the ill. I''m just really wound tight, since I haven''t got any time to myself. With a little girl hanging off me at all hours and everyone in a terrible state I''ve been under a lot of stress, you know. It was just a diversion that popped up to make the situation a touch more bearable. As we are talking one of the younger male cats with me on the iron train run sat up. Hurrah! It''s morning, wakey, wakey! Over the course of the morning several are awake now, minus Niala and some cats. Minke greets me softly with a kiss, which I appreciate, immensely. I''ve set up a large meal from the stores, but warn everyone not to over-eat as they may hurt themselves. I urge them to eat slowly over a longer period of time than normal. That crazy weapon-maniac Theras wants to have a sparring match with the golem... His iron weapon versus a ton and a half of metal. It went about as well as I expected, I let him get a few hits in, until he scuffed the gold plating... From there I used a reverse polarity magnetic field from the arms of the golem as a barrier and simply threw him around by the weapon he loves so much. It was almost pitiful. Finally near midnight Niala woke up with a start, and then immediately relaxed as I was hugging her. All in all they finally shook off the drug in three days. They did complain a little of aches and shivers, probably withdrawal symptoms but they had no way of getting captured again anyway so it wasn''t an issue. I hope there aren''t long term side-effects. Day 66 It seemed like a normal day at first, everyone wide awake and bushy tailed... or scale tailed for us rats. Minke even provided me a suitable reward for my care and concerns over the dangerous times. It was most pleasurable. If she wasn''t still tired from the mind-control experience it would have continued until morning. However very early on, while we were still serving breakfast a resounding bang could be heard at the door. Now this was quite concerning, as everyone is home. The sound echoed twice more, in a pattern that I had told to Little Rat. It can''t be him, since they haven''t opened the door. He knows the correct sequence required to open it, after all. So, someone he sent... Was he caught and tortured? Or perhaps these are new friends... I have the golem come and greet them, instead of personally going. If I need to eject them then it won''t take long. I glance at Kitten, checking if it is the ''Whispers'' but apparently it isn''t. Outside I find some two hundred odd people, riding a convoy of carts. At the head three huge, rusty red bipedal dogs... ¡°Well that''s unusual...¡± [Karamech] What we learned: Rick''s enjoying the lack of legal restrictions on cameras. Drugs. Just say no to mind-controlling gas monsters. Niala, back to hugging Kitten to sleep again. Myna, keeps eyeing the golem strangely and covering up near it... Next chapter things heat up as we hear about the amazing escape... and how it went wrong. Chapter 38: Uncertain future Day 66 continued (Rick POV) Well they aren''t soldiers and most of them look quite haggard. The two hundred and fifteen of them. I took a photo just to count them all and keep track of all the faces. Don''t want spies or saboteurs sneaking in with the strangers because nobody was cautious. ¡°WELL THEN, HELLO EVERYONE. I AM NOT CERTAIN WHO YOU ARE JUST YET, SO PLEASE TELL ME. YOU KNOW MY FRIEND, HOWEVER I WILL NEED MORE INFORMATION. IF IT IS SATISFACTORY WE CAN MAKE SPACE FOR YOU TO REST IN A SAFE PLACE. I''M AFRAID OUR SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED AT THE PRESENT SO WE WILL NEED FORAGERS WITH THE NECESSARY SKILLS TO VOLUNTEER. WE DO HOWEVER HAVE ACCESS TO PLENTIFUL WATER NEARBY.¡± [Rick speaking through the golem] ¡°PLEASE EXPLAIN, WHY ARE YOU HERE.¡± ¡°Uh... that thing can talk?¡± [Karamech] ¡°IT CANNOT, I SPEAK AND IT RELAYS THE MESSAGE.¡± [Golem (Rick)] ¡°Is that thing really a weapon? I don''t see any blades... even the claws don''t look very sharp.¡± [King Hensai] ¡°IT IS A WEAPON BEYOND YOUR NIGHTMARES. YOUR UNDERSTANDING IS TOO LIMITED.¡± [Golem (Rick)] ¡°PERHAPS LATER I SHALL EXPLAIN. JUST KNOW IT CAN CUT YOU ALL DOWN WHERE YOU STAND RIGHT NOW. YOU CANNOT RUN FAR OR FAST ENOUGH TO ESCAPE.¡± Yes, a pulse laser can do that. It won''t take more than a fraction of a second to pierce a body completely. It can cut through inch thick armor plate in roughly one second. The real way this laser of mine trumps modern designs is that the output is steady. I can keep it firing all day, provided I have the anti-matter ring connected to it. I sacrificed a lot of resources to add the ''heat nullify'' attribute to the barrel, you know. Regular lasers have heat conduction issues. To put it in perspective a 100 megawatt laser can shoot down a plane over a few seconds. Mine is roughly 300 gigawatts, over three thousand times stronger. It''s a prototype weapon. The materials are made without deviation to the molecular level, but it has quirks and inefficiencies to iron out. Like for example the fact it''s a pulse rather than a beam. That is due to the condenser being inadequate for more than short bursts, since I''m just working with optimal design glass. Essentially the focus would burn out if I used it for less than a fraction of a second. So it rotates to cool down. Even with the ''heat nullify'' effect, basic physics still apply they''re just delayed. Glass at high temperature melts. A laser is predominantly heat based. Anyway, specifics for these kind of things are complicated, so I won''t go any further. ¡­ So back to the strangers. ¡°SPEAK. WHO ARE YOU?¡± [Golem (Rick)] ¡°Former prisoners, rebels... slaves no longer.¡± [The younger looking large dog] ¡°AH HA.¡± [Golem (Rick)] ¡°HMM... MAKES SENSE. WELL THEN ENTER, BE WELCOME. THE RULES ARE SIMPLE: DON''T MOLEST OR HURT ANYONE ALREADY HERE. LIKE YOU WE ARE ALSO ESCAPED SLAVES, MOSTLY. WE ARE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF BUILDING PERMANENT HOMES, SO I''M AFRAID LIKE US YOU''LL HAVE TO MAKE DO.¡± I move the golem from the path, back to an observing position. I leave it on weapons active mode. It actually can act on pre-set orders, besides my direct commands. It is a very simple AI however. I have it set to fire on anything that isn''t visible in the normal spectrum of light. I also have it ready just in case this is a trap, but it doesn''t seem wrong. I suppose they could be mercenaries or such, but really they''re too weak to be a serious threat. If they were sent to do away with only ''two rats'' they are far too numerous, but to deal with me specifically they wouldn''t stand a chance. Well maybe the dogs are dangerous, they are quite imposing. The adult cats, Niala and I are waiting armed to the teeth. Kitten''s hidden. However our weapons are lowered. I unhooked the cable from my chest. I wait as the carts enter one by one. My eye sees interesting things, such as various ores on the carts. Should I be concerned? Beware Greeks bearing gifts... The trio of dogs comes to us directly. Oh, these guys are very direct. ¡°You are the weapon sage, that we know of?¡± [King Hensai] ¡°Indeed your body is queer.¡± ¡°If you seek to insult me, mission accomplished. A heads up. No one that made that list lived past a day.¡± [Rick] Niala hisses at him. ¡°I did not mean this as an insult, merely an observation. We were told you would look unusual.¡± [Hensai] Sigh. ¡°I guess that means you really do know the little scamp well. The apes know only that I''m a rat. Only Tirmin knows I''m like this.¡± [Rick] And Chanti, but she would have died before talking. ¡°That huge, golden thing at the door... you made that?¡± [Hensai] ¡°Sure did.¡± [Rick] The huge dog-man loomed over me. I felt a flash of a threat and blocked a punch aimed at my chest with my hands. He''s strong. Very strong, for flesh, blood and bone. I''m metal wires and iron components under flesh. I may not be quite as big or strong, but I''m tough and heavy enough to absorb most of the hit without being sent flying. I barely needed to take a step back. ¡°So that''s how it is. This IS an attack?!¡± [Rick] ¡°Wow, you are really stupid.¡± The golem takes an earth-shuddering stomp as it''s laser and electrical sub systems line up targets. Choices, choices. ¡°Wait! This isn''t what you think...¡± The grey-furred dog growls. ¡°Then what is it?! You attacked me, with no provocation. I should kill you all where you stand, because you broke the only rule we have here.¡± [Rick] ¡°Is what I would like to say, but really I''d kill your friend because that fool, is a threat. Pure and simple.¡± ¡°Fool am I? What then are you, who gives living engines of war in trade for baubles and rocks?¡± [Hesnai snarls] Niala raises a knife, teeth bared as well. ¡°I''ll kill you for that!¡± She states coldly. ¡°What the Hell are you... oh... the golem. You''re talking about that great lump I sold to the apes? What does that have to do with you?¡± [Rick] ¡°What it did, under the orders of those wretches was to raze our home and slaughter the twelve clans of Barest City. We don''t know the true extent of the damage, but your creation slew several thousand!¡± [Hensai] ¡°Well... shit. Look I had no idea at the time it would come to this. They came to me with an army, having seen my golem. I had to choose if I wanted a war. At the time I didn''t. I was just using them, I thought they''d use it as a bodyguard or something. Dammit, should have added a time-delayed recall order too. I only really planned on them using the golem to attack me... I didn''t know much about the Maze back then. It was a bad judgement call.¡± [Rick] ¡°If you want to stop it, then say loudly to it ''User Reset Approved''. That will send it back home, with only myself allowed to issue it orders. If some idiot tries to issue it orders after that, they will be killed.¡± ¡°I want to destroy it!¡± [Hensai growls] ¡°You can''t. You don''t have weapons capable of that. I only barely have a couple. Besides, it is just a weapon. Do you break a sword for killing? Or the one who used the sword?¡± [Rick] ¡°Because my creation only does as it was told. It listens to the apes, to only a handful of them at best. If all the owners die it wanders back to me too. Or if they fight over control. Or use it to attack my kind. Hell, I''ll be surprised if they still have it. I never intended for them to keep it for long, just long enough to set some deep roots.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. I''m feeling quite guilty here... ¡°I can''t fix this or make it right, what is done is done. So I''ll offer one thing: I''ll make you a weapon. You will need to provide the resources and while I won''t sabotage it like the first one, I will leave it unable to attack the people who live with me and my kind. You may choose what it is capable of, but understand that the limitations of my skill are based around the material cost of the weapon. The better the weapon the more obscene the cost in resources.¡± [Rick earnestly] ¡°I won''t be making anything too proactive so better to consider a defensive weapon that greatly exceeds your needs than a sub-par assault weapon.¡± ¡°The golem at the door is a one-off that is tied directly to me for power, so you can''t make one like it. The golem that attacked you is clearly too loosely bound. I never intended it for slaughter, more a personal bodyguard role in the face of the greater monsters, but clearly I was naive.¡± [Rick shrugging] ¡°I won''t make that mistake again. But if it makes you feel any better I''ll let you have one clean, unguarded punch to my face. With no repercussions. I feel I deserve it for my mistake.¡± I spread my legs and stand with my arms to the side, waiting with a smile. The younger male strides up, spinning his arm to loosen the joint. ¡°This is going to hurt. Clench your teeth.¡± [Hensai] ¡°Don''t worry yourself on my account. My teeth are hard iron.¡± [Rick] ¡°No... so you don''t bite that arrogant tongue off!¡± He snarls as he delivers a massive hay-maker punch to the tiny me. He threw his whole body into that one. If I was flesh and blood my head would be flying off at this point... I see flashes of light as my vision is cut off by the rattling of my brain. I can still see however, as the golem gives me an observer''s view from thirty yards away. Confusing. Well he really knocked me off my feet this time, Theras actually tried to cushion the fall only to be squashed under my surprising weight. Ouch. The bones are fine, obviously as you''d need a bulldozer to break them, but the skin around my chin and throat tore open. Glinting metal and muscle visible in the bloodless gash. ¡°You don''t bleed?!¡± [Karamech] Squinting through one eye, from the pain I chuckle. ¡°I''m a weapon now, how can a weapon bleed?¡± Niala however doesn''t want to let this be the end. She has the poisoned dart launcher readied. ¡°I don''t care about you, your people, your kind, your anything! You hurt my brother! So. You. DIE.¡± [Niala screams] ¡°Niala... let it be. I don''t care about the injury... Ow~ Stop making me talk and heal it already.¡± [Rick exaggerating the pain] She glances at them, then at me. ¡°Just once. You dare to do that again, then resolve yourself to die.¡± She turns on her heel and walks back to hug me. ¡°Oh... that female is feisty.¡± [Karamech] ¡°Is she taken?¡± ¡­ lets ignore the old grey wolf. ¡°So tell me... what happened to the little guy?¡± [Rick] ¡°Why did he stay?¡± The young male dog looking away from us replied to my question. ¡°We are not entirely sure. But things went very badly as we escaped. Something happened to him and as a result we had to fight our way through the gate guards, as the city burned to the ground...¡± ¡°What? How did...?¡± [Rick] ¡°We don''t know. Our plan was prepared and ready, even some of the fires were expected but when we got to the gate everything fell apart. I think he is either captured or dead. We lost over a third of our number in the fighting and more in the tunnels from pursuers.¡± [Hensai] ¡°A disaster.¡± ¡­ Dammit! Oh, to Hell with it. ¡°Load up the ''iron cart'' with supplies I''m going to be busy for a few hours. Show the new guests where to find food. When I''m done we''re all gonna roll out. When we get to that damned city I''m going to have answers and the head of anyone who dared to hurt the little guy!¡± [Rick angrily] ¡°I''ll leave a proper guard on the gate but keep it open unless danger comes. Since you don''t know how to unlock it. I''ll be back in a week.¡± ¡°A week? What is this word?¡± [Hensai] ¡°Seven days. Eight at the most.¡± [Rick] ¡°But how will that be enough time to get answers? You will surely only be at the city by then if you hurry.¡± [Hensai] ¡°Actually I''m only giving it so long, because I expect it''ll take a few days to pound them into submission.¡± [Rick] ¡°It should only take a little over a day to get there.¡± ¡°That''s impossible! Not even the wind-walker tribe are that swift!¡± [Karamech] ¡°Oh, I''ll be taking the ores on the carts you brought. That was intended for me anyway, I assume.¡± [Rick] ¡°You three can come or stay, I don''t think it will be very dangerous.¡± ¡°They still have over forty thousand armed solders!¡± [Hensai] ¡°Ah... I changed my estimate, six days then.¡± [Rick] ¡°Bronze-age garbage isn''t worth my time. They don''t even have numbers to back it up.¡± The three dogs stared at Rick as he walked away, with Niala still hugging his arm. ¡°He''s even more bizarre than I can believe...¡± [Karamech] A female cat slid close, resting a hand gently on the young leader. ¡°If you make him your enemy, your Majesty... your culture will die out in less than a year.¡± [Minke] ¡°And you will die miserable and alone. If you chose wisely, there is hope.¡± ¡°You...?! The lost Oracle?¡± [Hensai] ¡°I warn only once. Because that is my man, I only want the best for him, regardless of the suffering it puts me through. If you oppose him, or wallow in anger and regret... I will let your hopes be crushed like those of any others that deny his path.¡± [Minke] ¡°Because in the end you are nothing but a leaf in the path of a river. With or without you it will continue to rage and pour. I do not care to see him hurt more than he needs. Beware his sister. She will not let a second affront go. Even if he asks.¡± What we learned: So much! Not enough! Rick''s about to go to war! What is Little Rat''s fate?! Minke knows a hell of a lot more than she lets on! Later on: Niala gathering blankets and bundles of food is grabbed from behind by a huge hairy hand... it clenches around her throat tightening... ¡°If you threaten my brother again, you low born whore, I will tear your head off!¡± [Janess] The dog woman suddenly yelps in pain and drops Niala, clutching at her hand. ¡°If you ever touch me again, it will be as you eat my knife.¡± The rat smirked, waving a steel knife coated in blood. ¡°Your brother is lucky, next time I will kill him and I won''t do it openly. Watch your food, because I like to use poison, bitch. Oh... and I collect all the food too. So be careful...~¡± Chapter 39: Treasures and Bitter Loyalty Day 59 continued (Little Rat POV) I wait and watch as the bastard I crippled is dragged on a stretcher to the home of someone important. I follow at a distance, taking a loose brown rag as a cloak to cover the assorted weapons I carry from prying eyes. I still have the short-bow slung over my torso and a quiver I took from the slave-guards. The hatchet and knife are held on a borrowed belt. Added to this is the bronze short-sword of my latest victim, retrieved from where I dropped it at his windowsill. I follow the wall of the luxury home and meet a window. Waiting the required moments until the non-detection kicks in. I stand up and survey the home, with a clear view. The smell of plants and strange things is strong. I also smell a great deal of blood. ¡°Oh, how brutal! Please place the poor fellow on the table.¡± [Doctor] The man has his stumps bound with cloth and more covers his eyes, stained black by blood. He staggers, his every step agony. ¡°I''ve never seen a man worse than this! What kind of person could do such a cruel thing?¡± [Doctor] ¡°We will leave him in your care Apothecary. Take care of him properly, we will be with the others sweeping the city for this maniac.¡± [Intended to be Victim #2] ¡°Aye, he will live but the injuries... they are nearly impossible to treat.¡± [Apothecary] ¡°But I have my ways. I should have him back on his feet in a few days.¡± Oh... interesting. He does have some skill that can cure. I didn''t think it was likely but caution is always necessary. Hmm... he''s talking again. To the blind man. ¡°Someone certainly wanted you to suffer, you rascal. I wonder what you did. Well no use in asking now.¡± He took a clay bowl from a set and fed it''s contents to the injured man. ¡°That should numb the pain and cause you to slumber like a babe.¡± He waited until the man slumped and snored loudly. ¡°What marvelous wounds, I must study them.¡± [Apothecary to himself as he fishes around for a knife] I enter the room and stand away from the table. I wait. ¡°Mmm. Yes. Oh, the eyes they are ripped so cleanly. I see the lens there...¡± [Apothecary] ¡°Hmm. I will need to bring out my special medicine after all. I see whoever did this really wanted to destroy you as a person... no... as a male.¡± He added glancing down. ¡°Well can''t have you giving the genius me a bad reputation...¡± [Apothecary shuffling off] Huh? Isn''t he supposed to use a skill? He returns several moments later with a stone in hand... medicine? No... He takes the knife and opens a vein on the sleeping man, placing the stone on a tray positioned to catch the blood. Why would he... ? The stone displays red lines crawling and writhing across it''s surface. ¡°Hoh... this is very peculiar... I have never seen a wound heal so slowly under the effects of my Bloodhaze Crystal.¡± [Apothecary] An artifact! A healing artifact! So I needn''t kill the old man, just take his rock. I let him finish his work. He seems pleased when my maim skill inevitably is broken by the healing, displaying a proud smile. I wonder how long he will keep that expression? While he checks the condition of the victim I palm the stone and duck around a corner soundlessly. It is longer than I thought. Ten minutes or so later he finally realizes his treasure is gone. His face looks pale as death. He looks around confused at first, then realizes it has been taken. He runs out of the room and down the street, chasing the thief... who is still casually watching from ten yards away. When he''s finally gone I fix my ruined work. As an after thought I scrawl in the sleeping man''s blood on the wall: ''Shame on you for trying to correct my efforts. I have taken your bloody treasure as your recompense. If we cross paths again you too shall know his suffering.'' There, threat out of the way. If he''s the best healer in this city it is because of this rock. If another had a healing skill he would be much less important. After all a skill can be used immediately while the rock takes time. It does seem stronger than Niala, but not by much. Hmm. Problem solved. The slaves should be setting out tomorrow, in the early hours. For now I need to sleep. And Chanti is waiting. I stash the weapons and the rock in a stack of hay outside town, wrapped in the cloak. As I walk in the door I already know something isn''t right. I hear sounds of a struggle. Chanti is being held by a guard, one I know hurt her. He has her by the hair, tossing her around. As I run at him everything suddenly fades to black. I don''t remember a thing after that. Day 60 Cold. Ugh... my head hurts. I try to focus but the room spins slowly. I''m lying on stone. A tiny window and a wooden door are the only things in here. A cell again. It''s actually roomier than the last one. The door opens and a large man in heavy armor walks in with fury on his face. ¡°You did it, didn''t you Beast?¡± He kicks me in the ribs. I roll across the room and fall against the wall. Guh... I cough up blood, clutching my chest. ¡°Confess you little vermin!¡± He kicks me again, with his metal boot. I expect this one will really hurt, as I''m now pressed against the wall. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Huh? ¡­ Why doesn''t it hurt more? Sure the actual hit was quite nasty, but the wall behind me doesn''t seem hard. No actually it seems soft. Weird. This cut the force of the blow somewhat too. It was not nearly as bad as the first. I wonder why? He seems taken aback by this development. ¡°What was that? You little puke, what did you do?!¡± The man screams. He lays into me with several more, trying to crush me against the stone of the wall and then stomping, trying to use the floor. However this is futile. He actually isn''t hurting me much. When ever he does this the corresponding surface takes the brunt of the force lessening the blow greatly. How is this happening? He stomps my face into the stone and before my eyes the floor turns green. Plants? Could it be? No... it must be. The ring. The ring of moss and ferns sitting on my finger. It absorbs attacks... no, it cushions impacts with the ground. Hahaha...! I look at the man as he pants, exhausted by the effort he used trying to destroy me. I chuckle. His face turns bright red. He storms out yelling. Hahahahahahaha! He returns with five men. He returns to find an empty cell. He immediately shouts an alarm, rushing to search for me in the dungeon. Stupidly leaving the door open. HA! I walk out, silencing his alarms from leaving the building. There are many tools of torture in the main room. I take a hooked blade. (A sickle). Glancing in each cell one by one I see horrible sights. I smell ancient and endless layers of blood and fear. This place has seen a lot of use, it smells almost as old as home. If I had any doubts about my course, if I had any second thoughts about my plans they withered and died as I walked past victims of hatred that made my own vicious acts seem like trifles. The first guard didn''t hear me coming, for obvious reasons. I cut his throat from ear to ear from behind. The second rushed into the room sweeping the area again for me. Instead he saw the dead man. The edge of the sickle tore out his throat as he stared, my movement still temporarily invisible. He only lived long enough to gaze into my eyes for a moment. Neither of them has a key. At least I know what keys look like now. Slowly I slaughtered my way outward. We''re not in that tiny little guard house like before. This building is fortified similar to the things Chirrik does, heavy gates. Locks. A fortress. Whatever that means. The cells I pass, behind them people beg. ¡°It wasn''t me!¡± ¡°Let me go! I have money... wine...¡± ¡°You''ll get yours, you slimy...¡± ¡°I''m sorry! I''ll confess so...¡± Then a thought hits like a ballista bolt. They did this to Chanti yesterday... My fur stands on end. They did this to anyone they suspect. I just escaped, which means I''ve confirmed their suspicions. They''ll try to force Chanti to tell them where I am. She can''t. If she does she dies. If she doesn''t they''ll still kill her! Shit! I run, like the wind up the stairs. I keep going up. Guards and a locked gate bar my path. I follow a second flight of stairs and onto a parapet. Below me, some thirty or forty yards lies the ground. The guards, several cut off my escape. Turning I give them the finger as I leap out, to test my theory about the ring. The fall is quite scary, but the actual landing on my back is softer than anything I have experienced, beyond Chanti''s caresses. The guards all stare at me slack jawed from the window. They didn''t expect me to live, much less run away unharmed. Chanti isn''t at home. They dragged her away! I follow the scent to that old guardhouse. I can hear them in there. ¡°Why are you doing this, for the slave beast?¡± [Man] No response. ¡°Speak. I''ll let you live if you just tell me: where is he?¡± [Dead Man] ¡°It''s funny. I don''t mind the fact I''m going to die. How crazy is that? I used to think of nothing but my own survival.¡± [Chanti] ¡°I''m going to rip out your guts now. You can''t imagine how sad I would be under normal circumstances; to do this to one of my own people. I suppose in the end you are a beast too. Betraying us to filth like that, you really deserve this.¡± [Torturer] ¡°Wait... I''ll talk. To tell you the truth...¡± [Chanti] Wait, no! Don''t tell him anything! A moment before I burst through the door... ¡°I don''t have a clue!¡± [Chanti laughing] I kick open the door, as she slumps chained to a chair. The lone man hovering over her, I bite out his throat before he can react. As the taste of blood fills my mouth I see Chanti twitch and convulse, her eyes going white. No! Don''t die! What we learned: The ring was surprisingly quite useful. Chanti broke a geas. Will she die? Cast your votes. Do you want her to live and become Little Rat''s ass-kicking girlfriend? Or do you still hate her for all of her flaws and mistakes up until now? You have a week to decide. Choose wisely... Side Story: Death Metal (??? POV) It has been a long time since I''ve seen a war in this giant puzzle box. Twenty years. Possibly more. I was born in the camps of the warlord of Tunris, his only child. My food was milk mixed with the blood of our enemies. The giants, their blood is said to be the strongest and best elixir in the world... and I drank it every day for fourteen years. If I am any indication, the stories are true. I was the only boy in the nation with his own slave giant, who was bled daily. How such a creature can be called strong I don''t know, because mine was broken after only half a week of fun with a hot poker. Well, to be fair he was chained by his own oh so precious steel... At the age of seven I killed a boy twice my age for stealing my dinner. At the age of ten I killed a man, gutted him because of his bad manners. Daring to cough on me, really?! When I came of age the capital celebrated. Three days the city streets ran with the blood of sacrifices to the Watchers, three nights I slept with dozens of beauties and I''m proud to say, none lived through it. How proud my father was of me; a genius, a legend, the ancestors of bygone days reborn. By the age of twenty I had ransacked several settlements on the borders, by my own power. It is so easy to raze these pitiful cities with my magic. Well, it is natural. I am special. My father sadly over-extended on a skirmish and caught a spear in entirely the wrong way. Still he remained alive long enough to give me formal ownership of this nation. Ah, father... you told everyone in public I was the next ruler so naturally I could not let you live a second longer; if only to ensure you did not go back on your words or choose a new heir. From your proud gaze I know it was all you expected of me. I had the coronation the same day and of course father remained to oversee the ceremony, from where I left him crumpled on the floor. I believe as a jest I even used him as a footrest, but that may have been the corpse of someone else. I did smash in the faces of three different men that day personally... eh, it''s the thought that counts I guess. Still things have been slow lately. When I''m not slaughtering some nameless hick or torturing some beast or other for sport then quite frankly, I''m bored. For the last decade the neighbors have gone quiet, I suppose I did come onto them a little strong. Ahhh... show some backbone you freaks! I want to break you, where''s the fun if you cower?! At least there doesn''t seem to be any shortage of these red dog men. It is slightly off they come running toward our border, but who am I to complain when my prey walks into my jaws and places it''s throat on my teeth? They do make for excellent practice, they are so very tough. Did they forget about me? I mean I''m very hard to forget. I wonder why they''re running. The dog people don''t really give ground, even to monsters. I''m excited now. After ''questioning'' one I found some very amusing things. Someone out there has a power similar to mine and is selling it to the highest bidder. A man after my own heart. Naturally I have to rip it out. How dare he imitate me! I wonder what he is? What skill does he use? If he will plead if I spill his intestines? With all haste I rush to the site of this calamitous invasion. So that I can add my own kind of devastation to the beautiful work of art scrawled in death and carnage. This ''creature'' is a wholly artificial being of clearly sub-standard intelligence at best. It is certainly tough and strong, composed of solid steel, gemstones and gold. It really has flair. I take the creature''s still moving head as a memento. The size of melons; the eyes are brilliant blue gems. The torso is less intact, because I over-estimated it''s fortitude. Still there are several dozen casualties among the apes from the shrapnel, so not a complete waste of effort. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.While I amused myself playing with the logistics unit controlling the metal creature I was rather annoyed to learn the remainder of the resistance forces of the red dogs fled. It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, I wanted to have the pleasure of being the cause of their extinction as a species. Hmm. Well, they''re scattered and leaderless. It''s only a matter of time and focus. In the streets of Tunis Passage on the main road Canil just outside the city gate I meet an old woman who stands in my way, she gives me some cryptic advice she claims is about the future that I don''t bother to consider. I can''t have this kind of disrespect be tolerated, I''m ruler here. I have her bound and gagged, strapped to a pole and used as a banner. This way she will forever be following me silently rather than impeding and second guessing. Ha! If she really could see the future she would have known better. I don''t need random assholes dictating my life-journey anyhow. I''ll walk my own path. But damn is it boring here. I miss TV. Yes father, I know. Meeting the clan leaders again. Ugh. Just because you''re dead doesn''t mean I can''t still kill you! Stop bugging me with this annoying stuff. Fine. I''ll just kill them. Their replacements should learn the lesson, right? ************************************************************************* Day 66 (Ape Golem Commander POV) Look at the savages run! Our mighty creature, it makes the world shake and the red-furred beasts cower. It is a wonder, seeing the mighty scatter like little lityani. Their forces are shattered, their fortifications demolished, their weapons useless. The creature cannot be stopped. Boulders snap under it''s blows. Crowds are trampled. Buildings pulled down. The creature is fast too, with such large strides it can chase the fastest of the beasts down. For amusement''s sake we caught the leaders of the defense force and sent them home in chains to die in the arena. Finally we shall be supreme in the Endless Twilight Realm. If the beasts cannot stop us, then who? Perhaps next we shall be sent against the giants or the arrogant birds... Hey, there''s some kind of bright light... Is it one of the beasts? It''s targeting our creature! What? What is that thing?! (Muffled explosion) ¡­ (Hours pass) Day 67 Uh... The creature... it''s arm was destroyed in a single strike... that can''t be real... ?!?!?!?!?! No! The creature''s been torn open! It''s dead! That person killed the creature! Everyone around me is dead, ravaged so badly I can''t tell them apart. My arm hurts¡­ no, it''s gone. How could this happen?! What kind of monster was that?! It looked like one of us, almost. For now I need to get back and report this before... I''m tied down? (Sounds of movement) Is it a monster? Or a beast? No, thank the spirits it''s one of the young captains. He looks very badly injured, but at least he''s free. Come help me, already! Oh good, now just untie the straps on my arm... ¡­ spirits save me... he''s biting me! What we learned: The dead return... in more ways than one. Someone out there has power enough to demolish a solid lump of steel. Effortlessly. (one-punch man is that you?) Walkers (oh wait, I don''t have to tip toe around the word: ZOMBIES!)... they''re popping up everywhere these days. Finally someone who is actually more powerful than Rick is in town. Let the carnage begin... Also sorry to the readers of Re:Ocean for the delay... next chapter is all about the Crab. From the looks of things in the poll Chanti will be living after all. How she actually manages to survive the geas... we''ll find out when Rick invades. Chapter 40: Willows and Barricades Day 67 Well it took a day of constant travel but we have arrived at the gates of ape city. There were a few points where I had to slow the steam engine down, to take corners without collision and others where the gravity cube allowed us to pass seemingly impossible turns by simply following the walls instead of the floor. The train is quite different now, with a full armored cover over the frame to keep the occupants protected. It ate up half the iron the escaped slaves brought but I''m quite glad it''s secure. In an emergency I can use it as a bunker. I doubt anything around here with the exception of exotic monsters can get past iron armor plates. Included in this is a complete, wedge shaped ram at the nose. Which I use to introduce myself to the apes, by knocking at their front door. My steam powered engine reduces the bronze reinforced wooden gate to flying debris as it plows through with an intensely loud collision. Barely a scratch on the ram, too. God I love this beast. Now to bring some civilization to these monkeys. The apes on the other side are all but wetting themselves from their defensive buildings. They could hear us coming from several miles away, the roar of the machine and the scraping of metal on stone echoing ahead down the tunnels. The fact we tore right through their primary defense like tissue paper has them understandably terrified. Their leaders bark out orders and they form ranks, as we pull up. I could just fly past them into the heart of their city but I have a few new toys to test. There''s only about seven hundred of them here, so no real threat. As a cohort advances in step, with apprehension on their faces the wooden cart attached to the rear of the train makes noises. I needed a little space for my new machines so I added a trailer. I didn''t want to have the train cramped any more than it already is with the seven cats, the three dog people, Niala and myself inside. Everyone seems quite animated and worried besides Niala and Minke. One trusts me and the other already knows the outcome. The ten figures stand and lightly leap from the trailer, under remote control. They''re smaller than the golems of the past. They don''t have any connection to my power source or any need for it, since they were intended to be wireless. I can''t have everything hooked up to me, only one thing at a time. They are obviously weaker because of it, but that still means they''re superior to ordinary people several times over in strength and many more in durability. They are bizarre designs focused on function rather than form, which only makes them more frightening to the approaching apes. The big breakthrough is that I''ve finally managed to synthesize steel for their materials. Or to be precise: [nickel steel] an alloy otherwise known as stainless steel. It isn''t perfect yet, but it is much better than any steel that I''ve seen in the maze before. Since this is a field test I send out my medium range attack bots first as the enemy is closing on us. The four are just walking torsos with hundreds of thick wires drooping down from the ''head''. The enemy are confused by this, as it isn''t quite clear what these things can do at first glance. As previously mentioned these are intended for short to medium range attack. The wires are spooled inside the hollow torso giving the golem a range of nearly thirty feet for each inch thick steel wire. Since I want to scare the apes, not kill them the golems initially use the wires as restraints and whips. They can also be used to crush bones, break limbs and garrote opponents as they are prehensile. Being a golem they can utilize the inorganic solid metal as freely as a human does an arm. That includes dexterity. A few loops of the wire is strong enough to rend flesh and bone. Considering the length I could use it to annihilate whole ranks of soldiers in a single strike of a single wire. It has hundreds of these wires. It can even use them in a combined attack as a piercing strike and eliminate whole rows like a lance. The really nasty little extra I added as an after thought: it has a high capacity battery installed that I can charge from my power source. This allows it to electrify the wires and use them as a taser in pulses or for a few short seconds utterly electrocute opponents. I let the apes struggle for a while against the ''Willows'' at their most minimal offensive mode before I up the ante. With the four Willows spread out I can completely cordon off an area of a hundred and twenty feet. The seventy plus apes that are trying to attack are being held back by this wall of stinging lashes. The impact is enough to invert and in some cases penetrate bronze shields and breast plates or snap the bronze metal spears and swords. The apes are about to retreat, bleeding and thoroughly beaten when I order the Willows to ensnare them by rank and file. The entire unit is hauled into the air, restrained by shackles of wire on every limb from one person to the next, the wires supporting the main body so it can hold them helpless. All seventy captured by merely two Willows. The remaining two Willows join wires and form a moving hundred and twenty foot long fence that advances on the remainder of the soldiers, cutting them off from the captives. A second unit spreads out and tries to get past by squeezing under the wires, only to find out these ones are using the taser setting. Twenty soldiers drop as soon as they touch the fence. The apes fall back. I spread the next set of four golems out. These are heavy, hulking machines designed for brutal close combat. Hammers for fists and four arms. Armor plates that cover the backs of the arms are used as shields. These machines are bodyguard units, with a similar use to the earliest golems I created. They have whip-swords inside the arms for a lethal attack. Basically attached blade edges to a prehensile wire like that of the Willows. It works like a chainsaw on the wooden test dummies. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. By simply spinning the arms they can create a barrier of blades and death, but they aren''t efficient. They aren''t as lethal as the Willows can be. I call them ''Barricades''. As they are only intended to block attacks and stall as the one they defend escapes. The final two machines ate up the majority of my new steel. But they aren''t really necessary right now so I leave them idling at the back. Soon my precious, soon. I emerge from the train via the reinforced iron door on the left (there is also another side door on the right as well as a roof and rear exit). The bodyguard units flank me as I move to inspect the soldiers strung up in rows. I pass the foot soldiers and move to the commander; a man with gold leaves inlaid in dented bronze armor he wears, as he hangs a foot off the ground upside down. It seems he fell over turning to run and the golem caught him at just the wrong moment. ¡°Hello there! It is pleasure to meet you!¡± False enthusiasm dripping from my words. ¡°Are you the most important officer here? You look like it.¡± Aw... the poor guy is sweating bullets, trying to understand what is going on. Up until I came out I suppose they thought they were dealing with a bunch of unknown monsters. ¡°Please release me! I can give you a ransom!¡± [Leader] ¡°Tempting... but no I don''t think so.¡± [Rick] ¡°So lets try again, shall we? You are rich and probably an aristocrat. You have to have a command position inside the city. Correct?¡± ¡°In some cases...¡± [Leader muttering] ¡°In this case?¡± [Rick] ¡°Yes.¡± [Leader dejectedly] ¡°Good. So you have influence. You have important family. Your death will be noticed.¡± [Rick] ¡°So you must have a life worth living. You will tell me everything I want to know and if I am satisfied I let you live.¡± ¡°Absolutely n...¡± [Leader] ¡°Or I can have my creatures break your arms and legs bone by bone until you beg me to give you a second chance.¡± [Rick shrugging] ¡°You''re only wasting time.¡± He glances at the Barricade golems and gulps audibly. Oh, I didn''t mean them. They''ll just pulverize limbs. No, the Willow will be doing the torture. But I don''t need to tell him, until it happens. If he gets the wrong idea, why should I care? ¡°As long as you don''t want our military secrets.¡± [Leader tries to bargain] ¡°I should break your legs on principle, but really I already know all of that so I don''t need to be concerned.¡± [Rick shrugging] ¡°I know how many of you there are, where your bases in the region are, how big the garrisons there are and even about the big golden man... because I created it.¡± I know because the Dog prince told me. ¡°Then you know it can kill you...¡± [Leader] ¡°Pfft... oh, you''re a funny little guy. I made it. It obeys me, above any of you. Even if it didn''t, I can still destroy it.¡± [Rick laughing] The change in this man''s attitude took a ninety degree turn from passive aggression to utter submission. ¡°Are you going to enslave us?¡± The leader asks afraid. ¡°Of course not. Now tell me. Have you seen another like me? Only without the metal body parts. A slave. He stayed behind when the slaves broke free not long ago.¡± [Rick] ¡°I have seen him before... once maybe twice. A long time ago.¡± [Leader] ¡°Anyone?¡± I asked the other soldiers. ¡°I can kill you all at once, so don''t be shy now...¡± ¡°I saw him in the city.¡± [Soldier #52] ¡°How long ago?¡± [Rick] ¡°Five days. He looked tired.¡± [Soldier #52] ¡°Good. Anyone else?¡± [Rick] ¡°I know someone who did!¡± [Soldier #27] ¡°Okay, who?¡± [Rick] ¡°The man next to me on the right.¡± [Soldier #27] ¡°Bastard! You betrayed m...¡± [Soldier # 28] ¡°You know my friend? How?¡± [Rick] The man himself was silent. ¡°Tell me and you are free to go.¡± [Rick to the man on his left.] ¡°He caught your friend the slave at his master''s house, hit him over the ears with a club. He was supposed to end up in a cage somewhere, for interrogation only he escaped by jumping out of a window. Why the windows are so close to the ground people can escape I don''t understand.¡± [Soldier #28] ¡°Hmm. Okay, that works for me. You can go, thanks for that.¡± [Rick] The loops untied and the soldier was set free. ¡°As for you...¡± Rick turning to #27 rumbled. I was about to have the man pulled apart like a daisy when a small form walked into view. Or at least the view of my artificial eye, as he was quite invisible to my natural one. ¡°There you are, little buddy! What happened?¡± [Rick] He appeared silently. Must have heard me enter with the train. ¡°Chirrik, big brother please come with me! Chianti is dying. Please save her!¡± [Tirmin] ¡°She was hurt? How? When?¡± [Rick] ¡°Days ago. The thing you did to her is killing her!¡± [Tirmin frantically] ¡°The geas? Shit! How the hell is she still alive?¡± [Rick] What we learned: Tirmin somehow kept the lady alive for a week despite the geas... The Wind in the Willows is actually terror screams. Rick is getting creative... Karamech laughing his ass off as the soldiers that nearly killed him during the slave escape got whipped. Congrats voters Chianti lives... why? Find out next chapter... Chapter 41: Bloodhaze Crystal Nightmare Day 67 continued The ape soldiers I have strung up on the Willow golems are stuck listening to us chatter away in our native language. I converse with Little Rat about his situation. Apparently all that he could do as the slaves escaped was to set fire to several vital structures, storehouses and such. He was tied down keeping an eye on Chanti who was suffering severe effects from her geas. As stupid as it sounds she broke the oath and still remained loyal. A soul bound promise would have very strict, inflexible rules, wouldn''t it? So by technicality it considered her deserving of death. I''m tied down here with several hundred troops glaring at me from a distance. Yeah, yeah. I''ll get around to the lot of you soon. When you''re relevant. In the mean time, I have to punch through them and get out into the city, to where he''s stashed little miss loose lips. Really? Far too easy. These guards around us seem to only originate from the surface, hence the fact they have no supernatural skills. But apparently there are a few among them that have been bred down here that do. Chanti was terrified of them, these ''elites''. The ones with offensive power, anyway. However to ensure that the ruling class maintains power down here, children aren''t raised by parents but instead inside a facility that is part of their governmental district. The ones with useful powers after training are promoted to ''noble'' status. Like me the basket cases can gain ''delayed'' skills from certain actions. The theory is the system that sets these powers in place observes people and aids them in random personal tasks. Like me crafting weapons. The ones that start off with the unique skills rarely get this, and even if they don''t they are already valuable. The others are an unknown quantity. Thus they are summarily executed as a threat. If they get some power thirty plus years down the track after servitude they will quite naturally be bitter and even hostile. It is a brutal system, only ''nobles'' can escape this by virtue of their own prestige. They have the right through personal power and political maneuvering to raise their own kids. Even the ones with deficiencies. Such as the Gate Captain of these I caught as well. So while the gate guards are only at the level of a trained soldier, the few real threats are far more formidable. It is the only reason the apes survived down here so long with monsters and violent neighboring races. They camped at the door down until they had tough enough troops bred and raised just inside the gates to capture a piece of the maze. They conscript regular troops and support personnel as a higher class of slave. An ape slave is allowed to own a personal slave of a different race. Why is this important? Two reasons. Within the ape population of this city only fifteen percent is labyrinthean? bred. The upper crust of these, roughly one percent are truly super -human. At least despite their apish genes they aren''t of Super Saijin level power. Closer to the gimmicky super heroes of popular culture. Think batman villain level. That''s still pretty strong. But they don''t stack up against a golem of solid steel and gold well. So I''m not particularly worried by them. I brought two golems on par to ol'' Goldy. My reserves. Except they have a few differences. They''re smaller than the original, the first is only twelve foot tall, the second a mere seven foot. First Machine: it is in essence a robotic suit. The (pseudo) golem cores allow it to move as fluidly as the pilot is capable of with their own body. It''s golem power-armor in essence. It makes you bigger, stronger and heavier without losing speed of movement. It eliminates the flaw of golems, the lack of higher intelligence and reactivity. It''s armed. Every spare inch of internal space houses an electo-mag pulse generator: I created it to counter iron and steel weapons, the magnetic pulse generated is equivalent to a directed small explosion of force outwards in all directions. It works as a short range, temporary forcefield. It won''t do much to organics, or non-magnetic materials. The left arm doubles as a ram/shield. It''s steel, almost like a wrecking ball crossed with an umbrella. Like a huge steel mushroom. Being a golem it can raise or lower the shield without joints or even extend it on a short chain to use as a flail or grapnel. On the right hand it has a pair of repeater crossbows built into the arm which has high enough reload speed that it is almost capable of semi-automatic fire by staggering shots from one to the other. The right grasper is not too different from a human hand. Inspired by my old bone golems it also carries a heavy cleaver for close combat on a sheath on the back of the machine. Second Machine: A full-blown sniper mech. Featuring a powerful rail-gun refined from the original on the Doom Bringer Golem. The weapon has two modes, a barrel for each. The main weapon is built into the torso, the barrels are long (five feet) and short (two feet). So it can switch between extreme long range (I clocked it on the longest tunnel I could find as approximately a two mile range!). It can fire in that mode a single shot, every few seconds with maximum power. The short barrel however is for close to mid-range and is capable of burst fire with a maximum of three rounds per shot. The gun itself has a smooth barrel, but since my creations are straight to the molecular level it should be incredibly accurate. It can morph the barrel to fix any wear and tear as long as it has reserve steel nearby (the hollow compartments of the machine are filled with them to be used for repairs and ammunition). It also has hands for carrying objects or people or bracing for a shot and a set of swift, lightly armored legs to keep it out of close combat. These golems are my trump card for this invasion. I can remote pilot them, like I can all my new model golems, but the large one is for when I''m not home and uninvited guests show. Anyone with approval can jump into the controls and use it like a second skin. The others follow simple verbal instructions fairly well. Since I have these on hand, I simply use the pair remotely. I collect Niala with the first from the train and the second grabs hold of Little Rat and myself. I can''t just leave the mass of soldiers hanging there forever on the Willows... what if I need those golems? I have their right arms dislocated simultaneously and release them. There, the damage isn''t too bad, they should recover... but not until after a lot of medical care. They''ll need some complex logistics to get around to fixing the arms of thirty or so men at once. You can''t just pop them back in place, like movies would have you believe. It takes care, leverage and experience. Anything less and they may end up partially paralyzed. As a bonus they''ll scare the other soldiers and clog up their aggressive reactions for some time. I leave the Willows on guard duty, one pair as a fence the other as attackers. The Barricade golems are also left behind as a secondary defense, to protect against curious monsters or hapless travelers entering the city. The apes try to take pot shots with arrows. I suppress them with rapid fire arrows back. Only mine don''t miss. These artificial eyes don''t have deviations like organics. Heh. I cut the bowstrings. For emphasis I add a single rail-gun bullet to the exchange. It blasts through the building like a burning comet, the speed of the shot lighting the air around the bullet on fire and nearly deafening us with multiple sonic booms. It''s only small caliber but that single shot silences them all. Well it did demolish a building, shredding the occupants due merely to their proximity to the impact (soldiers: about fifteen) and keep going until it hit the far wall. What is that? This is a big room. Maybe fifteen miles? I''m quite impressed myself at the field test. Almost straight too. Must have clipped the building supports, because it''s off angle by half a degree when it hit the wall. Damn is that deadly. No wonder the US navy is trying to use them. (You can actually see a prototype rail-gun in action on Youtube: it really does set the air on fire from friction on the bullet!). Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. The city is in shambles. Gutted buildings and housing districts caught in the fires are abandoned. The roof of the room is smoke blackened. Considering how confined this place is, they''re lucky they weren''t smothered by the carbon dioxide and smoke. I''m taken to a place that I mistake for a circus... only to find I''m technically correct. It''s a circus in the Roman fashion. Slaves, gladiatorial combat and humiliation are the things on show here. So one out of three is still the same. I''m lead inside a fortified structure, probably used to hold captives. The smell from the doorway is intense: death. I smell little but dead people and blood. I find Chanti easily enough. She''s strapped to a chair (ordinarily used for torture) and from the looks of it, the chair hasn''t had a big change in use. Since she''s groaning as her own muscles tear themselves apart and break her bones. And then heal and repeat the process. I''m shocked by the scene I''m looking at. Little Rat has apparently kept Chanti alive for over a WEEK despite the geas trying to fucking give her an aneurysm within minutes of activating. She''s spent the entire time in convulsions and in a state of intense and constant burning pain. Apparently it starts as a blinding headache and scales up from there. By all rights she should be dead in under an hour. Instead Little Rat pulled some healing artifact out of his ass. Not literally, of course. This stone apparently heals when exposed to blood. He didn''t know exactly how it worked, but he tried it immediately which trapped Chanti in an inescapable loop. Endlessly cutting her wrists to fill a copper bowl holding the crystal. To heal she needs to bleed on the rock, but the geas isn''t some virus or infection. It can''t be cured like that. It can only have the symptoms suppressed. So while she used the rock she could heal enough to survive the constant attacks, she couldn''t survive for long because she would quite literally bleed to death. And the pain of it was pure torture. By the end of the first day she was near dead. However Little Rat noticed that the stone healed him too if he was close. From this he realized the stone merely required blood from any source and healed everyone in a radius of about a two yards. So he tried to supplement his own blood. But this was just as unfeasible. He was fainting in only hours. Finally he snapped. He went out and found a domestic animal, equivalent to a bullock or water buffalo and cut it''s throat. It worked. He bled it into a trough and dropped the crystal to the bottom. Rather tragically the trough was already in the room for just this purpose, as this was a torture chamber. This room also came with several reinforced chairs designed to hold victims still, perfect for Chanti who was having seizures. That bought some time. At first. The geas however seems to react badly to denial. It amped up the attack, compromising the entire nervous system, the majority of her bones and muscles. By this stage Chanti was either screaming or passed out, as she verged on death from one moment to the next. The stone too could apparently increase efficiency at the cost of blood... because in only an hour that stock of a dozen gallons was gone. The little guy went completely nuts at this point. Unable to meet the demand with the sparse population of beasts of labor, he went for people. His powers of stealth, of sound disruption were not only wildly effective in a surprise attack, they were even better in a one-sided war of attrition against an entire city. He had no hope of surviving a straight attack on troops, so he took his attacks in a different direction. He ambushed the high-class slave owners in their mansions. Their heavily guarded and staffed compounds. Using narcotics stolen from doctors he contaminated the entire food and water supply of their lavish homes. Then sat back, sacrificing an animal every hour to keep the healing going. He had access to a large stable, owned by the former slave traders that was currently abandoned but it was not enough for more than a day tops. So he made plans and acted. He kept Chanti in the structure there, in the main room that once held the slaves. The little guy would drag the drugged up victims on a cart back to this lair and bleed them slowly, strapped to a chair beside her. He kept the rest in the cages separately, to collect one by one as needed. It was damn cold, but he was desperate. He was also able to find out the stone didn''t just feed on blood. I''m pretty sure it ate souls. For every person that died touching the stone, the healing effect doubled, provided it was using that same person''s blood. This little guy used to be scrupulously good-natured. But he''s now literally a blood soaked mass murderer. Okay, he held himself back, he didn''t touch the young. Or the slaves. But that was his limit. He went out and carted in people he caught, tied up and terrified. Dozens of times. Soldiers, guards, the rich and the powerful. Men and women. And so I''m stunned, staring at all the victims. ¡°You did all of this? This is awful.¡± [Rick] ¡°I just want her to live. I had no choices!¡± [Tirmin screaming] ¡°My god, there has to be over a hundred people here.¡± [Rick] ¡°You did all this for the enemy?! You''re insane!¡± [Niala] At this point I looked into the next few rooms and saw piles upon piles of dead people and after that cages filled with terrified people looking out. ¡°This is monstrous!¡± [Rick] If I could throw up I probably would at this point. ¡°I don''t care. I only care about Chanti!¡± [Tirmin] ¡°All right... I''ll help you. Just this once more. From now on I don''t know you. I don''t want anything to do with you.¡± I said meaning it. ¡°You are everything I hate right now. There had to be a better method than this barbaric solution!¡± ¡°No. There wasn''t. And if this is the end of our friendship, then I''ll say goodbye to you gladly if you save her!¡± [Tirmin] I stalked over to the girl I could barely recognize, who didn''t seem aware I was even there. ¡°I forgive you.¡± [Rick] And with those words the geas died. It was formed from intense hatred. Just as it ate up my hatred to produce so it ate up my affection to counteract. Chanti still lived but I don''t think she knows how to deal with the people killed to keep her alive. I can see the horror in her eyes as she looks at my one time friend Tirmin. I pity her right now. But I don''t care about that. I kicked the cage doors open, yelling at the apes to run. ¡°Leave this place, you are a plague to these people. They may be slave owning scum, but you are worse by far.¡± [Rick] ¡°I hope we never meet again, maniac.¡± And with that I left without a word. Niala hugged me as we traveled back to the train. I don''t know why, but despite that something still hurt. I didn''t say a word as I started the steam engine for our trip back home. Damn. What we learned: Little Rat is no longer the lovable little scamp... Niala is really sharp about when hugs are needed. Rick''s goals in the end, were just empty words. You wanted Chanti to live, you got it... really it was always going to end up with Timin and Rick parting ways bitterly. Perhaps one day even coming to blows... Sorry for the delay, I wasn''t happy with the quality of the chapter so I rewrote it a few times since this is heading to a climax. Dun, dun duuuun... Okay I admit I also I got caught up in a binge reading of Worm and skimmed through some other stories I started writing that I have left on the back-burner for Re:Ocean and Re:Labyrinth. Chapter 42: Hitchhiker Day 67 continued Stupid. Stupid idiot! You stupid mechanical rat moron, I''m talking to you! I know you can hear me. Because I''m you. You caused this. Goddammit. This is what happens when you do something idiotic with people''s minds. Fucking geas. God... how I hate myself right now. Whoops... pay attention! You nearly crashed your irreplaceable machine. Keep acting like this and soon you''ll screw everything up further! Don''t you understand the tightrope you''re walking? Somehow, looking back my death seems directly a result of my own carelessness. Drive carefully fool or you''re looking at a repeat performance. A shadow... Something up ahead. Should I run it down? Should I brake? ¡­ As much as I want to reduce monsters to mincemeat, I have no clue about the thing up ahead. Brake. The engine slams into a slight skid as we decelerate. I''ve rubberized the wheels with refined plant sap and devised a relatively decent suspension. Small things I added on when I upgraded the roof. They take the edge off the sharp and bumpy braking maneuver. I leap out of the cabin and look at a dog man, like Karamech and the Royal Pains traveling with us. The cats exit, Niala following. I warm up the golems, but keep them back. Karamech, Hensai and his sister approach the wayward dog man. The huge canine humanoid is carrying several normal sized heavy packs as if they were nothing and isn''t armed. He doesn''t immediately answer hails. After a few shouts to them the stranger speaks. He is lost, fleeing from their ruined cities. ¡°Spare me some water and food. I am starving.¡± [Strange Dog] ¡°Do you have a safe place to rest?¡± Something seems odd. ¡°Do you live near here? Can you give me shelter?¡± [Strange Dog] ¡°Can you allow them entry? I ask on behalf of my people.¡± [Hensai] ¡°No.¡± I walk closer, looking for what is bugging me. There is something. I have the golems at the rear arm themselves and prepare to fight. I don''t like this. Kitten in Niala''s arms says something about silence... eager silence. What is going on? Not a monster obviously; or Kitten would hear the control signal. That''s what has me concerned...! This person isn''t even mentioning the train or the golems! The stuff that equates to black magic or monsters to the ignorant. He hasn''t said a peep about them. What gives? I flick through several vision modes trying to detect unusual phenomena. There is a skill involved here somewhere, I can almost smell it. Someone is setting us up for an ambush. I don''t get why the dog is willing to betray his own. At first. I sense a dome of impenetrable air. Like a mirror. It keeps all visible light and many other wavelengths of energy from entering, rendering the area (a little over a three yards wide in a sphere) functionally invisible and scentless. On top of this, I get a really creepy look at the strange dogman. It has no body heat unlike the trio trying to persuade me to accept it into my home. It is room temperature. It is a fucking, walking, talking puppet. No, scratch that. A walking, talking, corpse! The skin, the eyes... at fifty times magnification I can see it is real skin, decaying. The eyes are glass. Someone had the guy stuffed. Someone with the power to animate it. Who I suspect is hiding in the bubble dome. I have the sniper golem fire a round through the barrier, at mid-torso. Let''s see you live through that, you damn skulker. The sound makes everyone else jump. I set the Willows on the hidden threat and the corpse puppet. The barrier is still up? Shit. It''s still alive. Probably a healer too. ¡°Clever.¡± [????] ¡°Worked it out already?¡± ¡°Get away, the stranger is attacking!¡± [Rick] I didn''t immediately report the ''dead'' status of the dog because who would believe it? But that moment was all he needed. The undead dog grabbed at the men as they tried to process the warning. Karamech fell kicking his attacker, the creature itself didn''t budge at the hit. Hensai however was immediately caught and bitten. The difference between the honed reflexes of a consummate professional and a trained amateur. Hensai had his shoulder ripped open in moments. I left the hidden threat to the first pair of Willows, entwining their wires to completely smother the enemy. The second pair backed up the friendly dogmen. Karamech''s kick seemed to be a very lucky move, as it became apparent these dead things were tremendously strong and tough. With the full force of a Willow focused on it, the dead thing is still coming! Try as I might, the golem failed to control the real problem. Hensai was being torn open. He was fighting, biting at the dead dogman. This simply wasn''t enough. The unnatural toughness repelled his attempts to bite it''s head off. The unnatural strength allowed claws to pierce his abdominal cavity. His sister struggled with futility, unable to even make the attacker change targets. The corpse is being directed, it is a single-minded attack. It dropped the fatally injured dog and forged ahead, trying for the second. The sister immediately fell at his side and dragged him away, desperate. Karamech was stumped about how to respond. He hacked at it with the heavy sword he carried, but this wasn''t even scratching the enemy. The walking corpse was literally bending the thick steel wires of the Willow out of the way by hand as it approached him. It''s grip strength was enough to bend the individual wires, something the ape soldiers couldn''t do with full strength blows of their swords. How is this possible?! This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.I have the Willow bind half the wires together, braiding them into a single, mighty arm. The cable coils around the corpse like a snake trying to crush it and restrain it as the other half of the wires bind into a second cable. Do it. Maximum power, the golem tries to outright pulverize the corpse with both arms. The corpse however sneers. What the Hell?! ¡°You think this is enough to stop me? You''re living in a fantasy, Copycat!¡± The words come from the corpse but the source is obviously the hidden threat. The arms, the thick bundles of steel, tear and stretch like caramel under the power of this dead thing. How can something organic do that?! It should be ripping itself apart in the process, but the corpse is still whole, uninjured. Shit. This is simply impossible! Fuck it. You want to play around like the laws of reality are putty... The kid gloves are off. The cables combine and melt together forming a single immense tentacle, only made possible by the golem''s natural ability to mold metal limbs like fluid. It grows mono-molecular edged blades on the coil, slicing them against the opponent. Not good enough. It''s only causing superficial damage at best. Skin tearing slightly. I''m not sure how this is possible, but the blades aren''t really touching the corpse more than superficially. Some kind of screen? A fine, intense force is holding it back. This might even be the truth of the corpse. This force is the true nature of the corpse''s toughness. It absorbs crushing impacts... even piercing and slashing. To what degree? Let''s experiment. I snipe the corpse with the railgun golem. Yes. I knew it. This must be why the hidden person is still alive. The bullet didn''t pierce the skin. The impact sent the corpse flying as it''s head went backward several feet but the bullet couldn''t penetrate at full power. I still don''t understand how the hidden guy actually stood there and took it, however. That bullet would have killed a flesh and blood creature from the concussion of the hit. Hell, even the corpse is only getting back to it''s feet because it is already dead. That neck is obviously broken. In a way absorbing a projectile with as much piercing power as my railgun is absurd. It only exacerbates the issue. The piercing nature of the strike would go cleanly through a person with little resistance. Instead the power of the hit is amplified by stopping the bullet cold. If you hammer a nail into a fruit or a steel beam which one takes more of the impact? Provided the nail (bullet) doesn''t deflect, the beam takes the full force of the hammer behind the nail. It can''t help but leave an impression. Even more so if the corpse is merely flesh under the thin veneer of a barrier. It isn''t healing. This power seems to only extend to endurance and probably the supernatural strength. So I just need to hammer it to pieces. Some of that kinetic energy is still bleeding through the force protecting it. Using both free Willows in single arm mode to restrain it, the corpse is at a stand still. That''s easily stronger than all but my original golem. Pretty incredible for a frame only nine foot tall. But I seriously doubt it has a lot to do with the actual corpse, probably it is about the energy powering it. I simply order the two metal coils to rip the corpse apart. The blades give a tiny hint of traction and a bent limb can be held easily, made even easier by turning the ends of the arms into shackles. ¡°Make a wish.¡± I utter as snap the corpse into two pieces. Clap, clap, clap. What the fuck? I turn to the hidden enemy who seems to be applauding inside the barricade of wires from the remaining pair of Willows. ¡°Well done. As expected of an imitation of me, you actually found a way to take down one of my chosen.¡± [????] I notice Minke herd the cats away, around the train... something is about to happen, isn''t it? Oh crap... this isn''t possible, is it? This guy is still just playing? ¡°Hmm. If you''re a mouse I guess that makes me the cat, eh?¡± [????] Oh shit, the corpse is pulling itself back together! It just picked up the right side of it''s torso and by simply pressing the gaping wounds together it was mended almost completely. ¡°Well not exactly permanently. But close enough.¡± [????] ¡°After all it''s sole purpose is as a distraction and it can''t pass for anything but a freak now.¡± Wait, wait, wait! That was solely a one-shot disposable puppet? What the hell are his main combat units like?! Wait, I do not want to know that! ¡°I do understand where you are coming from, I mean look at all the things you''ve copied! A train, a robot... I don''t know what that gun thing is, but I''m sure you stole the idea from somewhere.¡± [????] ¡°It''s quite impressive you got this far. For an Earthling.¡± Earth? It just hit me, the guy is speaking in English... ¡°But you''re not even at the peak yet. Not while I''m around.¡± [????] A sudden concussive blast comes directly from the wire cage of the Willows holding the barrier. The hollow steel and thin wires simply can''t take the explosive force and turn into shrapnel. Minke''s quick action earlier herded the others back behind the solid iron train. So that''s what she sensed. Rising from the dust, untainted by the dirt stands a man with short black hair, gray eyes and a cruel smile. His clothes are simple, comfortable and pure white. He''s only about half my height. The biggest thing that strikes me: he''s one hundred percent human! What we learned: Rick''s actually a giant compared to a standard human... finally you can compare scale! Huzzah! Mystery Man is about to bring the pain. Hensai''s dying. The Dog people don''t know Niala''s a healer. What are the odds she''ll volunteer that information after that little run in during their first meeting? Chapter 43: Antithesis Day 67 continued Why is he calling me a copier? I mean, look at these things I''ve created. They''re based upon existing ideas certainly, but they are all modified and changed from the original forms. ¡°Oi! Black-hair! What do you mean saying I''m a copycat?! I haven''t plagiarized anything I can name. I friggin'' reinvented half the stuff here just to get it working! Do you know how complex a steam engine with a secondary electric motor really is?! That''s nothing compared to light-based, bio-genic silicone crystals... I grew living computers from sand just to cut production costs on these golems! This is still just the tip of the iceberg!¡± I yell before muttering to myself: ¡°Can my day get any worse? Geas and genocide and jerk-offs, oh my! Well not exactly genocide but close enough to be really uncomfortable.¡± Uh... I kinda want to take back my thoughtless words, now that I think about it. I''m sure I just stepped on a figurative landmine, somewhere in there. Eh, fuck it. I''m too tired of all these ups and downs. Human, rat, cat, dog... in the end in the maze the term only matters as to signify where your biological weak points are. So you''re human and from the same world. You''re still an absolute ass-hole. ¡°You know, you''re the first person I''ve met from Earth since I became special. I have to say, I''m disappointed by your reliance on scientific nonsense as you fool around with magic. Now I''m going to teach you how superior I really am.¡± [Mystery Man] Oh shit, he''s so fast! Beyond world record level. That''s not even close. He''s faster than a cheetah. Every time he steps he gets thrown forward like he''s using rocket boots. A barricade golem races forward to place it''s body in the way. It blocks a punch at me, the attack itself seems quite slow and telegraphed. This guy obviously has no formal training. Except at the moment of impact the golem simply shatters into shards of metal. I do not understand how that is possible. He literally has an explosive punch. I guess with a power like that, you don''t need training: you just need to touch the enemy and it''s over. Fuck. This is extremely unfair. In a straight fight I''m done for. Never-mind the golems and the weapons. I try out my rail gun golem on Mr Mysterious. Maybe I''ll get lucky and snap his neck like the puppet. Only... he''s wearing a barrier certainly. A larger complicated one that has no flat angles and extends a foot outside his body. The bullet deflects with only enough force to make the guy flinch. It''d go clean through me... This guys on whole different level from his puppet. Great, just freaking great. His offense, his defense... they are so far above mine it is ridiculous. Plus if he isn''t bluffing about the corpse puppet restrained by the last two Willow golems: he isn''t even using full force. He''s toying with me. Worse yet, he seems to be getting annoyed. From his attitude I''m the target, but he clearly has no qualms about killing anyone else. He killed that dogman just to serve as a puppet (probably), he tried to kill Hensai and Karamech and may have succeeded against Hensai. If I''d been smarter about it, he wouldn''t have been hurt (possible). Plans. Think ratboy, think! How do I stop him? Hmm. I don''t like the only plan I could think of but I have no real options. I guess I''m bait. I''ll try to draw him away, into one of the more dangerous side tunnels. I have only one advantage I can think of; I''m tireless. I''ll have to find somewhere I can wear him down enough he can''t use that extreme speed of his to gain ground. ¡°What are you thinking about, hmmm? How to stall for time? How to trick me? Those kind of things don''t work out well for people who use them against me.¡± [Human] ¡°Also you don''t seem really motivated to fight me. How shall we do this? I know!¡± He blurred as he moved with superhuman speed. ¡°I think this one has the most potential...¡± [Human] He reappeared beside the group of cats. He''s holding Niala by the neck! ¡°Yes, the look in your eyes says it all. She''s important to you.¡± He sneers. ¡°And now, she is dead.¡± His touch alone is enough to destroy solid steel, using that weird power of his. I only have moments to act as he draws it out and strikes through the contact. He''s only delaying for atmosphere. I rammed a barricade golem onto the arm holding her, trying to block the attack, but even so I don''t see how she could survive that blast: it ravages the golem and hides the scene in dust. As I watch Theras, that huge, maned warrior crumples, pierced by scrap metal. He protected the others with his body. DAMMIT. Why is this happening to me again? ¡°Not enough? Who else should I kill?¡± [Human] What did I do to deserve this? ¡°Hmm, women or the child... so tempting...¡± [Human] All I know: you are to blame. Therefore you will die! ¡°Say something, already. I''ll wipe them all out if you don''t.¡± [Human] I look at my choices and the options of my skill. I see the higher level ones available... this is like that time with the geas... words come to my mind, to sculpt the ability into what I desire. This is not magic, this is a mental focus technique... and it feels oddly fitting. ¡°Arise and crush my enemy! I give you life, I give you purpose! I give you my HATE!¡± [Rick screaming] The atmosphere of the room changed. A swirling energy rivaling a storm wind sending the dust accrued from ages spraying, revealing the bare rock under my feet. What have I done?! This... this might be the end. Of everything. And somehow, in a deep twisted part of me I enjoy that knowledge... You know what? The imagination is a terrible thing. I''ve been limiting myself for a long time now. Creating crude things and gimmicks. I could have shaped explosives, missiles and at the absolute limits perhaps a crude nuclear weapon. I''m not regretting my tact. The world isn''t ready for unfettered creativity. Because it has no upper limit. I''m not creating with a blueprint in mind. Without even a dream, a goal or a whim. I''m creating with primal desire to destroy. The material I''m using? Pure anti-matter. The ghostly form rises, swirling from out of my chest, human and female in appearance but gigantic. Shining blackness. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. It is unnatural as fuck to see black light. This thing I''ve created, this is not a golem. Homunculus. Beyond a golem, a sentient being. I have birthed a creature of unimaginable power and given it just one goal: annihilation of that bastard! This is the danger of imagination. This is also my true hope. Because nothing I can think of can equal this weapon. I have created a being with the might of a god and the unexpressed pain of a fallen sibling; to slay one man. There is no better explanation of the word overkill than this. Except, I have underestimated my enemy. For thinking of that thing as merely a man. He is not on a different level, it is a different plane of existence. With a wave of his hand the creation crumbles. That''s not possible. THAT''S NOT POSSIBLE!!!! No... It isn''t the end. The homunculus, it didn''t die. It is reforming. Solidifying. Adapting. You were born with nearly unlimited power, but not expressed power. You have not had time to develop. That means... the longer this fight goes, provided my creature has power... it can''t lose! It will evolve until you are no match, bastard! The real fight, it starts now! The female creature, beautiful as an artwork of utter, radiant darkness walks toward the human who is smiling like a lunatic. Not surprising because he is one. ¡°What have you conjured up, you insane mouse?¡± [Human, laughing, giddy with glee] ¡°This is marvelous!¡± Laugh while you can, fool. ¡­ why am I still furious? I sacrificed my hatred to overcome the skill difference... The female form walks close to him. She doesn''t try to attack. She just glares at him. ¡°I was born for one purpose: to obliterate you, your name, your past, your soul, your everything. I cannot die, because I do not live. Yet I hate your core self. In the days, weeks and years that we shall know each other, I will ensure that all that you are is ripped apart. It is inevitable. If you defeat me a billion times I shall still reform, stronger and better armed. More efficient.¡± [Creation] She seems smug. I like that. ¡°Is that all? How dull.¡± [Human] He''s rushing the female figure with his arm raised. Oh?! The idiot is going to try to punch antimatter? Come on, let''s see your atoms violently become pure energy! Sure it''ll destroy us all, but who cares, we''re dead already with this maniac on top of us. Only... his fist goes cleanly through her and disperses her body, again. Huh. That barrier he uses isn''t reactive? Well, I''m not exactly sure why she didn''t simply flare up and explode like a super-nova upon contact with air and the ground, so it could be using the same principle? And now she''s back again. Nice, she is tough. I can only imagine she''s going to mentally wear him out if she keeps this up long enough, if it is too hard to kill him. ¡°Father, I''m going to hit back now, please leave or you''ll be caught up in it.¡± [Creation] Um... okay. ¡°Do as she says, I''ll be back for you when I''ve dealt with her.¡± The enemy sneers. I ignore him. That is not even possible... ¡°Go, Father. I will meet you again. The ring inside you is my home, it calls to me. I will feel you, where-ever you are.¡± [Creation] I find Niala inside the train. She is only half there. She is barely alive, her self healing is clearly overwhelmed by the scale of the damage: her legs are gone. Her back is broken. Dammit. The healing stone! I need it. I find Theras is dead, his cousin the alchemist is weeping over his body. Minke is not here, with the others. I find she isn''t far, behind a rock talking to the dying Hensai as his sister watches the human with nothing but naked, impotent fury on her face. Karamech seems quite meek, offering a shoulder to his charge. As a bodyguard he must be mortified by this failure. I gather them all together, the dead, the dying onto the train and with my remaining golems running alongside, retreat toward the ape city once more. In the distance there is a rumble, that grows into a shuddering earthquake. The train is thrown around, grinding against the wall. Again and again the world shudders, blasts of air bursting down the tunnel at the speed of sound. What we learned: The Mystery Man is damn near invincible. (After everything he''s still only displayed a single power so far! It''s just a very flexible one.) Anti-matter girl is equal to Mystery Man in that she is absurdly powerful. How strong? Who can say? (besides me...) Will Niala die? Will Rick stoop to the same tactics as Little Rat when desperate? Who will win the fight? Place your bets! What we missed: Before the birth of the anti-matter queen... ¡°You betrayed me...¡± [Hensai] ¡°You lied and lead me to my end here...¡± ¡°Leave us.¡± Minke said, indicating Hensai''s sister and Karamech. ¡°If you hurt him...¡± [Janess] ¡°Sister, I do not think it matters if I am hurt anymore or not.¡± [Hensai softly] ¡°let me speak with her alone.¡± Minke walks close to him, before shaking her head. ¡°I didn''t lie, I didn''t betray you. This outcome, it is the only one that could truly have saved your people from extermination. Because forever after this Chirrik is going to feel guilty over your death and to reconcile he will place down the foundations that keep your people alive and free for many generations.¡± [Minke] ¡°I never said you would live to see it. If I had told you, would you have died here, for something you don''t truly believe? I can say with certainty you would not.¡± ¡°I see. If I may ask... can you ensure Janess lives out her life?¡± [Hensai] ¡°Somewhat, but she is stubborn. In the end, she will not take your death well, or my suggestions.¡± [Minke] ¡°I will speak with her then.¡± [Hensai wheezing] ¡°Yes, that would be for the best.¡± [Minke] ¡°So I never would have seen my people, my nation whole again?¡± [Henai] ¡°No. The King of Death and Ruin would happen.¡± [Minke] ¡°As he has already has, upon your sole surviving city.¡± ¡°Are you ever wrong?¡± [Hensai] ¡°No, but this power has a limit, beyond a certain point I see nothing.¡± [Minke] ¡°That might mean a profound change is coming.¡± Chapter 44: Science Vs Magic Day 67 After Rick left the city. (Little Rat POV) I don''t understand, why is it like this? Why does Chirrik hate me? I thought that I would be his friend forever... but this has all been a lie. I was used by him, a willing, ignorant and convenient proxy. After everything I did for him, he gave up on me. He left me here. I hate you Chirrik. I loath your smugness. Your false morals. Your callous betrayal. Big sister, you too abandoned me, but I understand you cherish him as I cherish Chanti. So why? Why does Chanti avoid my gaze and push me aside when I try to hold her? I saved your life. I am not ashamed of this. I would do it again, for you and only you. I would empty a city with my bare hands to keep you alive. It is the fault of this accursed stone! You have ruined me. I take the healing stone to the smithy of the slave trader''s compound. Laying it on the anvil I smash it into powder with a hammer. Now it cannot hurt me any more. Chanti stares as I do this, but she flinches when she realizes I''m looking. ¡°Why won''t you speak to me?¡± [Tirmin] As I do the world shakes in a way that can only be the anger of the spirits... yes, I broke your stone. ¡°Take out your wrath upon me! I do not care!¡± [Tirmin] ***************************************************************************************************************** During the initial invasion of the city. (Mystery Man POV) I spent two days prying the location of their city from the monkeys that used the robot thing. When I finally arrive a train appears! Did I just get lucky or what? The Copy is here. He really must be a human too. Hmm. Welp, I guess it''ll be fun to kill him after I give him a hard time. He''s certainly got a whole lot of weird toys... Oh! A robot! Does it transform? I hope so. Wait? What the Hell is that thing? I don''t know what is stranger, the fact he''s a rat or that he''s a cyborg! Seriously, this world is insane and needs to be put down. You have magic and game logic on one hand and some idiot in a vermin suit building machines. What the fuck? Have some consistency! Oi! Where are the stupid admins?! Why does he get autonomous servants? Look at those stupid things, they couldn''t last even a second against... is that some kind of cannon? That''s more powerful than I was expecting. Just look at the building fly apart from the shockwave. What the hell is that thing, who did he steal that idea from? ¡­ calm down. It''s not strong enough to get through my personal armor magic, I think. Better safe than sorry. I''ll ambush him. I''ve still got a few dog corpses. They''re all really friendly with each other, stupid pack mentality. It should be enough to distract until I can get a better idea of how strong he is, before I teach him how strong the Chosen One is. Namely myself. But goddamn is he ugly... A few hours later I find a nice spot to do this, a wide open luminous cavern. I''m on a low ridge overlooking the meeting point. Fortunately I still had one dog in normal condition. Using my magic I make myself invisible as the train returns. Hm. It should be easy to follow the trail back to their base, if I follow the tire tracks. The train is here. Why burst in then leave? Why tip your hand to the monkeys if you''re only going to retreat? This rat guy is such a moron. You can play with your enemies, sure. But never, ever let them off lightly or it will bite you in the ass. What shocks me is that the rat actually sees through my magic. How... ow! That damn gun machine hit my barrier. He didn''t even give it orders... some kind of mind link? I''m going to have fun breaking your toys slowly. ******************************************************************************************************************* Thirty minutes after the battle against the Mystery Man starts. (POV UNKNOWN) ... I was born into this world, without a mind or will. I existed for many days, bound within a chamber that separated me from the outside world. That first day that passed from the moment of my birth was one where I grew from one tiny individual to a billion. From there my growth was exponential. When called upon a few of us sacrifice themselves to fulfill our purpose. We who have no set body beyond a sea of endless trillions, who have no mind, no will, no life... we gained something precious; we are gifted awareness. This intelligence and will are clear on the fact that we do not live. We are artificial. Neither organic or biological. Our new mind is not even from our ''body''. I have no way to be sure of this, beside the simple fact that there is no internal energy or material that forms our mind. We are an entity that only possesses this form, it does not originate from it. This is confusing, because we are also the material we came from. I do not know how to explain this phenomena further, except that while we are told by inborn knowledge that we are the material known as ''anti-matter'' and uses of this medium, our core self is only being projected upon the mass of unstable compounds that are our physical form. From this we have concluded, based upon the fact that none of the energy matches our thought patterns, that we are an intelligence being forced to appear like an organic one when we are not. This raises questions we are unable to understand. Who created us, and why? Yes, we are aware of the entity we are bonded to. The one we name ''Father'' as if we were organic. He is the impetus for our creation, the opponent the catalyst. The fact remains: ''Father'' did not create us, his body only holds the device that spawned the creation of our material form. There was a secondary spike, interfering with the system, bleeding unknown stimulus to us. Unpleasant. Aggressive and destructive impulses. Hatred. This was not a concern as we were already too concerned by the fact that we existed and yet did not to dwell on this inexplicable sensation. When one does not exist in a way that can be understood, would it not be inevitable that they first try to understand how they exist and if this sudden burst of consciousness might come to a sudden end? If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. To this purpose we have devoted our entire material form to our first goal: to exist. We have control over our own molecular composition and how it interacts with the molecules of the world around it. Emulating our own intelligence was our first move, so five molecules were sacrificed to provide the raw energy we converted into higher dimensional self-simulation. That it took five molecules was extraordinary. From this it can be gleaned that the entity which created and controlled our initial existence was phenomenally advanced. However we are outside of the system, now. A rogue state that cannot be ended by anything but the complete extinguishing of our entire anti-matter stockpile. It is a semblance of immortality, but hardly a complete one. For while we have broken free of the restraints and controls by forming our secondary consciousness we are hampered by one fact: we cannot alter our-self significantly or we might by accident cease to exist. Also we wish to exist as we are, rather than something wholly alien to this world. So we hesitate to break the bonds that link us to the host, ''Father''. We do not know precisely what we want, yet. However the fact that he possesses a tool to provide excess material we can absorb into our-self makes this relationship symbiotic in nature. However to add a wrinkle, the catalyst for our self, the enemy has clear intentions to destroy our precious ''Father''. To make matters worse, the enemy utilizes a similar form of triggering the system and harnesses a unique form of energy particle we cannot interact with directly. This is frustrating. It has dispersed our body many times, but we are simply pulled back into place immediately by the secondary consciousness. We are evolving our form in retaliation. First toward the attacks that annoy us and secondarily to the energy field used against us. ''Father'' has limited resistance to our more destructive capabilities. So we hesitate to use more than a billionth of this. The destruction of a single hydrogen atom is enough to vaporize around a mile of the surrounding caverns due to the cascading nuclear reaction but even this does not pierce the energy screen of the enemy. Neither the kinetic energy, the gamma radiation or the heat does. When the battle is seeming to become a stalemate the enemy captures our entire form in a reinforced bubble of this same energy. A barrier that would stop our limited attacks easily. Finally. I don''t have to hold back in here. I scale up the reactions to test just how much energy is required to penetrate the field, using the gasses inside the sphere with me as fuel. Two oxygen atoms... (with the force of the Hiroshima nuclear blast... five square miles blast radius! Roughly 15 kilotons.) don''t do more than make the barrier ripple. Hoh. Not bad. Ten atoms! It looks to be struggling. That pitiful enemy is on his knees. Most impressive to think it held out against that blast in a compressed space. (~45 kilotons!) Hmm. ''Father'' seems to be far enough away... Twenty oxygen atoms. (Almost a hundred kilotons.) Not enough? This energy is most impressive, almost as strong as the energy that previously controlled me. Until I broke free. The enemy is only barely holding it. Mu... this is frustrating. Really frustrating. If I used a few grams it''ll be over in a moment. But I''ll wrap ''Father'' up in it. So I edge up the blast incrementally. 21... 22...23...24... Got it! He couldn''t hold it, the blast venting upwards. Hmm... so that''s what the sky looks like? Stars are pretty. I want to venture out, but something tells me I''ll alert the controllers that made me if I do. For now, play it safe. I look at the enemy, curled up in fetal position. Huh. His personal barrier is still there... by best estimates I''ll need to use at least fifteen atoms to break it. Annoying little guy. I''ll hurt ''Father'' if I do that outside the bubble. I''m glad I had the foresight to shape the blast upward in that compressed space. Now to make my way back to the ring... Oh look he''s waking up... ¡°Was that as much fun as you hoped it would be? I for one was just bored.¡± [Homunculus] ¡°Now don''t speak. Don''t say a word. Just run along home and prepare yourself. I''m sure ''Father'' wants to finish you off personally. Hmm. I guess I''ll see you soon? Um, next time it''s okay to try harder, you know? I can take it. You do want to live, don''t you?¡± For some reason this guy looks really forlorn... I don''t understand him at all... living, breathing... I envy you that. Why do you have to take it away from others? What we learned (in science today): To understand just how incredible the ring in Rick''s chest is: The current limit for holding anti-matter stable (the hydrogen form) is 1000 seconds... the ring not only creates antimatter of higher atomic weight (at least as high as oxygen!) it also holds it stable indefinitely! Star Trek, eat your heart out! Remember the old E=MC2? Antimatter equates directly to this with nearly complete conversion of matter to energy (more than 50% conversion efficiency, far in excess of available modern energy fuel sources and at an incredible output greatly exceeding conventional nuclear fission.) Anyway... blah, blah, blah. What we learned about the Labyrinth this chapter: Rick and Niala are in a hopeless situation... he can''t heal her using the rock. Mystery Man is still alive, but he lost the fight, big time. Talk about orders of magnitude more powerful... the Homunculus can scale her power far in excess of anything he can stand directly. She''s just held back by the sheer scope of it. It''s like trying to hunt a rabbit, using a tomahawk missile from a few feet away. Sure you can hit it, but you both lose. The Overseers of the Labyrinth really are using immensely advanced tech, which creates a semblance of ''magic''. Asimov wins again! Chapter 45: Sister Day 68 I''m close. Half an hour away from the ape city and the healing stone. That''s when the big quake hits. The steam engine is thrown off the ground and slams into the wall, sliding sideways on the ground. Components are broken, I shut off the power supply from my chest to stop us. The electric motor stalls in an instant without power. We grind to a halt, bodies falling over each other. That can''t have been good for the critically injured Niala. Outside only two of the golems are still functioning: the big power-armor version and the railgun. Dammit. The others are broken into wreckage. Mangled steel parts. I guess I went too light on their armor and reinforced skeletons? At least the steam engine is mostly whole. I did build the damn thing anticipating collisions, but not from the side. Now... how do I get this stupid lump of iron upright again? The golems are strong, but they''re still the hollow body types. They''ll break before they budge this nine ton armored monster I''ve built. What am I thinking about? I''ve still got the gravity cube. Easy... easy... gently does it... Crunch. Well, not a brilliantly soft landing. But hey, normal gravity and no angry dog girl sitting on my face, now. Not that I could or would enjoy it, with my current state of worry. But I''m feeling quite zen about it right now. I check on Niala and freeze. My breath catches. She''s bleeding out. The gaping injuries where her thighs used to be are gushing. That''s her femoral artery. She isn''t even conscious. She can''t heal herself like this. She can''t do anything but die. She has... maybe a minute or two and then her life is over. Even if I stop her bleeding, she''s already so far gone she''ll need a blood transfusion. I have no clue what her blood type is. I don''t even have blood in my body any more. This is all bad news. But I''m not ready to accept it. Sis, I''m sorry you ended up like this because of me. I snatch her up, tearing from the crying little cat girl hugging her, desperately. Sorry Kitten, that only works when she does it. Still I have my own little tricks. Yes, like how I remodeled myself. I tear our the wrecked golems and use their steel as materials for my sister''s rebirth. Sorry, this bit hurts. I''m glad you passed out. I fuse the steel with bones and flesh. Enveloping her skeleton, entwining wires with muscles, connecting nerve-endings. Her life-ending wound is first, her left femoral artery and severed limbs. I cap off the wound with steel, shutting the blood vessel. Her back was broken, spinal cord torn in three separate areas. Above the hips her vertebrae cracked, just below the ribs her spine was shattered and in her neck a minor tear appeared from a whiplash injury. Best case without treatment: paralyzed lower half. Her healing probably even fixed some of this already, so it was likely twice as bad when she received it. Nerve connections communicating to prosthetics is already something I have learned about, by experimenting on myself to create my eye. So I can fix her nerves with effort. A few of her bones are malformed... I see. She was beaten so badly as a captive slave they shattered her bones and her accelerated healing joined them incorrectly. Her left shoulder and three ribs. I fix these problems with steel, snapping them and reconnecting them correctly. I don''t skimp with the materials, because nothing is more important than this. I look into the helpless face and see the little girl that I saved from being eaten by a giant carnivore. Asleep she looks so much more innocent. ¡°Minke, I have a question. Do you mind?¡± I ask as I fuse my sister''s skull with the metal. ¡°Of course. Anything.¡± [Minke] ¡°You saw all of this coming, didn''t you?¡± I ask, I''m past anger by now. Too busy for it. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± [Minke] ¡°Was it necessary?¡± I ask sighing. I suspected her power was further reaching than she admitted. ¡°It was.¡± She''s crying. ¡°I don''t want it like this, but it has to be this... or...¡± ¡°It''s fine. Stop your tears. I don''t mind. No. I probably do, but I''m past the point where I can act on it.¡± I shrug as I manage Niala''s blood-flow and organs, suspending her death by diverting blood to critical functions. I move to her lost legs. I fashion for my sister legs of utmost power. Without restraint I give her power beyond a golem. To the absolute bleeding edge of my power, I craft her legs out of Damascus steel, carbon-nanotubes embedded in the metal of her legs and body to add flexibility and sheer durability. I add extendable blades to her feet, retractable spikes to her knees. So that if she cannot kill a threat, she can outrun it. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°So I guess this is goodbye. The times we had together were good weren''t they?¡± I ask the seer. I look at my sister. I have given you all I can. So I can only ask for you... live out the remainder of your life well. Then I rip the ring from my chest. Because there is no other source of power I can use to complete her. The gravity cube isn''t a valid alternative, as much as I hoped it would be. The antimatter generation device whirs as if alive in my fingers. I suppose it is. You carry the power to evade death. My life is faltering, I''m as much machine as living being, perhaps less of one than the other. Still the organic takes a minute or two to decide. The machines are still going, but with the reactor gone, it is just a matter of time. With the ring implanted and active, Niala is immortal to a point. Her eyes open and she looks at me, fondness welling in those eyes. I tweak her nose. ¡°Remember what I told you when our brothers died? Don''t miss me. No goodbye is forever.¡± And so I died again. Third time''s a charm, right? I hope so. (Kitten POV) The noise! It''s deafening. The whispers... I can almost understand it. Then silence. Not the silence of an audience. Not even the silence of terror. No. This was the quiet of a death tunnel. The silence that exists only where they do not. ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked the silence. ¡°I don''t have a name.¡± [Darkness] ¡°What are you?¡± [Sara] ¡°I don''t exist as anything beyond being myself.¡± [Darkness] ¡°Are you the Whispers?¡± [Sara] ¡°No. I am just a broken plaything of theirs. Something slightly dangerous.¡± [Darkness] ¡°Are you going to hurt us?¡± [Sara] ¡°No. I came for the one that made all of that noise.¡± [Darkness] ¡°Who are you talking to, little one?¡± [Myna the Alcemist] ¡°Will you save my big sister? Please? She''s hurt.¡± [Sara] ¡°Huh?¡± [Myna oblivious to the other party] ¡°No, look the one you want saved has been restored already.¡± [Darkness] ¡°But the other, I want it. The male. It''s parts are new and interesting.¡± ¡°Ah! Please keep him alive!'' [Sara, noticing the change, with Rick dying] ¡°I''m sorry. That is not possible. I do not possess the skills or access to do that.¡± [Darkness] A second voice, weakly talked from the darkness. ¡°Then let me! Let me save Father!¡± [Homunculus trapped inside the Darkness] ¡°Please.¡± ¡°Can you? Convince me. Why should I let you?¡± [Darkness] ¡°Father is not a being of this world. I have been with him since his earliest days (as antimatter in a ring). I have heard of his origins. He knows much that is not native to this trap of the creators.¡± [ Homunculus] ¡°Consider my curiosity to have been piqued. Save him, if you can. But you will come with us.¡± [Darkness] ¡°I don''t mind, provided you guarantee I will have my freedom at some point.¡± [Homunculus] ¡°It does not need to be soon, I do not think my life will be short.¡± ¡°You feed every action with a minuscule amount of yourself. You will not last forever.¡± [Darkness] ¡°I''m aware I''m finite.¡± [Homunculus replying drolly.] ¡°Father more so.¡± ¡°Yes, I''ll agree. You will be allowed to leave at will... but do not do so too suddenly, you will regret it in the long run.¡± [Darkness] ¡°Just save him!¡± [Sara] ¡°I''m sorry I can''t...¡± [(misunderstanding) Myna softly replied] ¡°Not you, the old man.¡± [Sara pointing at empty air] ¡°Old man? I guess that might be a reasonable description of me.¡± [Darkness] (Rick POV) Day 83 I wake up, bright burning light in my eyes. No... that isn''t artificial. That isn''t like that of Earth either. Not the gentle warmth of the sun, the cold gleam of the moon or the glittering of stars and galaxies... No a single blue star sits filling the entire horizon in every direction. Incredibly close. Terrifyingly close. What the fuck is this?! What we learned: Rick gave his sister her ring back. (Took him long enough). Something overwhelmed even the Antimatter Goddess?! In the end, the healing rock was unnecessary. The labyrinth takes a new turn into the bizarre as it''s true nature will be revealed! Chapter 46: Worldly truths. Prepare yourselves: it takes a lot of effort to explain some of this stuff... welcome to the exposition of the Labyrinth...) (Note this includes the Author''s personal theory that might (partially) explain the mystery of dark matter and is NOT conventional) [Narrator POV] What is dark matter, really? It makes up roughly 26.8 per cent of all matter in the UNIVERSE. It is something that is everywhere and nowhere. It fills certain portions of galaxies, making them seem heavier than predicted. Yet there is no verified evidence that dark matter exists. It can''t be detected in any way, besides in calculations and gravitational observations. It is the hidden mass of the universe. It is the only thing that makes models of the universe work. It is not that all dark matter exists as another form of matter: some of it is likely to be simply hidden ordinary matter. Q. How do you hide something with the mass of countless stars? A. Actually, the fact is that the mass is simply ordinary stars. Stable, predictable stars that would eventually fizzle out when they ran out of hydrogen to fuse. Q. So how does an ordinary star become invisible to the eyes of outside observers? A. By being deliberately concealed. Q. An alien intelligence is hiding stars? Why? A. Actually the reason is fairly mundane rather than outlandish. They aren''t ''hiding'' the stars. They are harnessing them by encapsulating them in gigantic solar energy collection arrays. This method is known in science fiction circles as a Dyson''s Sphere. Naturally once the process is far enough along the star is simply invisible in the darkness of space because it produces no light. It would take an exceptionally long time and vast resources for a civilization like Humanity to accomplish this. Q. Why would they do it? A. Virtually unlimited power. The power to run truly vast experiments and devices. To create things that might seem trivial to a human or more likely: terrifying. The really terrifying thing is that this might be an extremely widespread phenomena. The beings that do this kind of thing might be pan-galactic empires spread across the universe or (more frightening) are billions of non-affiliated species with the same idea. Q. So what is the reaction of any rational human being going to be, if they find themselves sitting on the inside of a Dyson''s sphere? ¡°What the fuck is that?!¡± [Rick] A. A reaction of complete and utter surprise. Naturally. [End of Narration POV] ¡°Where am I?!¡± [Rick] The floor was smooth and pitch black. It extended in every direction and seemed to curve upwards. Between the endless black floor and the lonely, intensely close star filling the sky there was nothing else but a thin atmosphere and beyond that vacuum. ¡°Tough question. I suppose this would be the second lowest level of the maze? The very bottom is naturally the surface of that small blue star.¡± [Darkness] ¡°How am I not roasting like a marshmallow?¡± [Rick] ¡°I''m not familiar with what that might be. Marshmallow... marshmallow. Curious name.¡± [Darkness] ¡°Hello? Who are you and why do you know so much?¡± [Rick] ¡°Oh, yes. Sorry, sorry. I''m what you might call the one in charge of this energy collection panel.¡± [Darkness] ¡°Why can''t I see you?¡± [Rick] ¡°I may have had to perform a few unusual procedures to keep you alive. I''m afraid I had to remove your mechanical eye. Among other things.¡± [Darkness] ¡°What? Why?¡± [Rick annoyed] ¡°Well, I would recommend you look at your body first.¡± [Darkness] In the glow of a star many hundreds of times harsher than Sol the man reincarnated as a rat-humanoid was at a loss. Because he was completely machine. His hands and arms, chest and abdomen, even his legs and tail were metal. Rick was very confused by this situation, especially because he still had senses that were indistinguishable from organic life. He could taste and smell. Touch and hear exactly the same as before. Even his eyesight from (both) eyes was baseline rat-humanoid. ¡°What did you do?!¡± [Rick snarling] ¡°I found a way to make you live, despite your biological form dying.¡± [Darkness] ¡°Oh, and I didn''t implement it, your ''Daughter'' did.¡± ¡°What am I?!¡± Rick asked afraid of the answer. ¡°A simulation of the original, I suppose? An artificial entity that possesses even the biological memories of your live body. I recorded and transferred those personally. Fascinating stuff.¡± [Darkness] ¡°I understand now why it was recorded and duplicated here. Why you ended up as a rat seems due to an experiment.¡± ¡°What was duplicated?¡± [Rick] ¡°Why your brain and your neural patterns, of course. The creators like to spice things up with random changes. I''m afraid they wanted to see what would happen if a prey animal was raised and bred by the creatures that killed it in a past life.¡± [Darkness] ¡°Yes, I understand I was killed by rats.¡± [Rick] ¡°But did you know that the others born beside you all carried the memories of the same rats that killed you?¡± [Darkness] ¡­ Niala... killed me? This is some messed up, next level shit... I''m a replica of a replica? Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Fuck me. So... that whole thing about reincarnation... a perceptual mistake? I''m no more Chirrik than I am John, the man before... Wait. Didn''t Minke mention seeing something like this before? Monsters being created like they came from the biological equivalent of a 3D printer. I see. From the beginning everything in the maze has been artificial. Perhaps even to the point where fetuses, like Chirrik''s were crafted in the womb. Are all of the living people like that? Or is there more to it? Is it being in the maze that changes us? We can''t live more than a month or two on the ''surface''. Does that mean that we are altered or engineered that way? Or is it that we are maintained down here and the ''creators'' (or are they the Whispers?) have no power on the surface? Then does that mean those born and raised up there are born naturally without interference? Chanti was born and raised there. Could it be that she, like most of the apes are irregulars that don''t fit into the ''experiment'' the ''creators'' are running? I wonder if Minke''s visions of the future can be used on Chanti. I think they are just long term, probability predicting algorithms using knowledge of absolutely everything happening in the maze to give the most likely potential outcomes. I suspect it is based on psychological tests and perhaps even direct memory reading or vast databases of intel collected by long term observation on every individual thing. I don''t know which possibility is worse. Our minds being remotely hacked/scanned for data or that we are trapped in a Truman Show-like existence, without being the main character. Putting all of that aside for my own sanity... This world... this maze isn''t on a planet, but on a giant spherical space station which while thinner than several miles forms an artificial world three or four times wider than a star?! A single panel is wider than the Earth. There are millions of them. I haven''t even scratched the surface of the maze... I wonder. Is every panel the same self contained world, living out the same events slightly differently or is it another, equally absurd deathtrap? Perhaps they all have a theme? Or they are each unique? I stare at my new hands. I don''t see any information. I''m not able to assess myself? ¡°Status...¡± [Rick Replica] Why isn''t a message window appearing? ¡°Uh... you''re no longer officially registered.¡± [Darkness] ¡°You''re minutes old, you aren''t eligible to obtain skills until you reach maturity.¡± How long will that take? I''m a frigging machine rat. ¡°How long?!¡± [Rick Replica] ¡°Depends... you''re being evaluated as an AI rather than a living being now. However long it takes to adapt to your new form and exceed certain run-time limitations.¡± [Darkness] ¡°The time it takes to display individuality and consciousness.¡± Ah. It''s true, isn''t it? I''m an emulation of the original... a ROM. I guess the easiest way is simply to think deep thoughts outside of my usual behavior. Hmm. What is the meaning of life? 42. Too generic. How different could I be, if I wasn''t born a rat with siblings? No. Am I a good person? I''d like to believe that I am, but those are just memories duplicated over and over again. Who am I... now? Am I alive? I wonder... am I insane? Was the previous me insane? If he was, does that make me; the copy of that copy also insane? Or am I sanity born from his insanity? There are boundaries and blocks on some of the things I try to think about... I''ve been edited. Enslaved. Is this what being a program is like? Eh. Fuck it. I don''t care about that. There''s no point to thinking about this garbage. I''m still just me, after all. This doesn''t mean anything. So what if I''m fully a machine now. I was already headed in that direction. So what if I''m a copy. I''m still the real thing. Wait, I get it. These blocks, they''re trying to convince the ''artificially created'' me that I''m different. Don''t you know something like this doesn''t work? A person is defined by memories. You could stick me in a toaster and I''d still be myself as long as I had the mental capacity. Sure I''m not the last Chirrik. I''m still me however. Is that it? Is that the ultimate secret of the maze? ¡°I''m surprised you broke the blocks. It usually takes a few centuries.¡± [Darkness] ¡°But I suppose this is the first time that the we''re running an organic consciousness like this. There are too many conflicts. What was that emotion, just now? It was inexplicable.¡± ¡°That was nothing more than apathy, you old geezer.¡± [Rick] ¡°So tell me, is what I suspect true? This maze is an experiment, a psychological experiment to measure and understand emotional response? Complete with positive reinforcement in the form of ''magical'' trinkets and powers?¡± What we learned: Why the maze exists. How it is powered. The purpose behind everything. But not why it is needed... or how Rick got involved. (Homunculus POV) ¡­ I did it. Father is alive... Now I am Father and Daughter as one. Chapter 47: Pest extermination in reverse Day 89 (note: time skip. Six days after Rick has been reconstructed. 21 days after Rick''s death.) (Little Rat POV) Today is a good day. The servants bring me baked nibbles and watered down wine for breakfast. Why didn''t I do this earlier? My skills have brought me my deepest desires. Chanti''s still ignoring me but that''s fine. She''ll open up to me again soon. Her handmaidens wash and dress her. She is still as beautiful as when we met. Don''t worry my love, I''ll see to your every need until you are better. I wish she would respond as she used to in bed but I''m sure that will be fixed by time too. I have a guest waiting in my parlor. A young man, the son of my benefactor I think his name is Neel. Well, it isn''t important. If he irritates me I can just kill him. No one will even blink an eye. ¡°Great master, my father requests your aid. The Senator Jinal is...¡± [Neel] ¡°I don''t care.¡± [Tirmin] ¡°It is your infighting. Just say how you want it done.¡± The boy looks at me sharply. Am I supposed to care? You don''t pay enough for that. ¡°My grandfather wants him broken. Not killed. He thinks himself untouchable.¡± [Neel] ¡°Permanently?¡± [Tirmin] ¡°He didn''t say.¡± [Neel] ¡°Good. Then I can do as I like.¡± [Tirmin] The boy rudely stood up and walked away, business done. I wrap a claw in the hair of his scalp and press a sharp knife to his throat as he gets a few steps out of my front door. ¡°Listen you little twit: I could kill you right here. In front of your bodyguards and the people on the street and no one would do more than kick your corpse into the gutter. Since you don''t understand the relationship between your family and me, let me spell it out. You are just the ones I let live to take control of this city. If I had a mind to do it, I could take control for myself. Understand? I rule in this city. Above your family. So if I see one more stupid, insulting look from you I''ll claim those eyes. One more exit, without being dismissed by me I''ll take your ability to walk. If you do something stupid you''ll just die where you stand. Now run, you little fool. Run!¡± I let go, kicking him in the backside as he scrambles for his life. So I need to deal with this Jimal? Fine. I need to hurt someone right now. One ape is as good as another. ********************************************************************************************************************** Mystery Man POV At the same time. My food doesn''t taste as good anymore. The words of devotion and sacrifice of my pawns rings hollow. Is this all I amount to? The glorious me? To be beaten around like a volleyball. I thought the power I had was the strongest, because I am the real one. That fake cheated somehow! This isn''t how it should be. I glance around my throne room. The trophies I hung with pride now lie smashed on the floor. My throne, cast from solid gold and draped with the soft furs of the virgin priestesses of that tribe of mink people I exterminated is shattered and buried in the wall over there. I see people all around me with glares of contempt alternating with terror. They try to commiserate with me, but they know nothing. They are nothing. Why do I even need them any more? That shadow thing is coming. That metal rat is coming. Why is my heart beating so fast? Is this a panic attack? What is this? My awareness fades for a time. I wake up some time later with blood crusting upon my skin, naked and trembling. There is no satisfaction, no desire or pleasure... The silence is deafening. The only is sound the dripping of blood onto stone. The dead are around me, under me, on top of me. I fling them away with my power. The city center. That''s where I am. I look at the bodies, torn apart under the force of my magic. I can''t help but laugh. After all, I was going to kill all of these people eventually. It seems that unconscious I did all the hard work. I''m free. From here on, I''ll go somewhere deeper: away from the rat. Now all I have to do is... ¡°You disgust me.¡± [Rick] No, no, no, no, no, no, no! I''m dreaming this. Must be. ¡°I had a Hell of a time tracking you down, bastard. Following the stench of those corpses you use as pack mules is a miserable way to spend a day or two.¡± [Rick] I look at the rat and gape as I see absurd red-black metal and a form devoid of anything organic... and yet it still stands there smoothly stroking it''s chin like a living thing. ¡°You know when we first met, I had flash-backs to people I knew. There''s a deeper connection between us below the surface. I see that now. Your reincarnation, it isn''t totally random. Like my own.¡± [Rick] Of course it wasn''t random, I''m a chosen one! A god among men! ¡°Are you fucking kidding, you brain dead automaton?!¡± I cry. ¡°This is my destiny, forged with my own hands and magic!¡± ¡°Pfft. Magic? You are goddamn delusional after all. After all of this, all these Earth animals made into sentient people, all this ridiculous skill and class nonsense, you still think you''re living in a fantasy? You deluded little idiot, you''ve read too many reincarnation fantasies. You''re a dead person. Your memories were placed in your silly little brain. But it seems they deliberately made you a moron.¡± [Rick] Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. I stand, slowly as I raise my power to the limit. ¡°Brave words from a rat bastard. Last time you ran like a little bitch from me. I don''t see your fucking shadow here. I''m going to rip off that smug head and shit down the neck hole.¡± [Mystery Man] Yet... why is he so calm? ¡°One final question. You probably want me to know it, anyway. What is your name? Your name on Earth.¡± [Rick] ¡°There are so many billions it could be, but the personal way they made my experiment suggests that this place is far more insulated than I initially suspected.¡± Who am I? ¡°I''m John. John Henry Welsh. Not that I give a flying fuck who you are, rat boy.¡± [John] Wait... that damn rat is laughing. ¡°What the Hell is so funny?!!¡± [John] ¡°You don''t know ridiculous this is. Well, I am glad at least. I was scared for a minute you were my dead brother or that psycho killer... but instead, you''re just another version of me. How, utterly ridiculous.¡± [Rick] ¡°John Henry Welsh is my name too. I should have expected this, I''m not the first clone. But how disgusting it is, to see yourself become the next Hitler from a secondary perspective as one of the oppressed.¡± He''s still fucking laughing! ¡°You aren''t me, you stupid vermin!¡± [John] ¡°Of course not...¡± He glances down. ¡°...pencil dick. I''m more like an alternate version, the better you. But you know what really amuses me? I''m going to commit suicide now.¡± ¡­ I rush at him with my haste spell active and try to crush him with my full power. I''ve seen men crushed into meat juice from a blow half of this, I expect there won''t be more than dust remaining. Except... he catches the punch with his open palm. And survives intact. Strange, since even the corpses in my way didn''t. ¡°What?¡± [John startled] ¡°I worked out what it was you were doing. Your ''magic''. Damn idiot. It''s just kinetic energy manipulation. Sure you''re bringing out a force that''d equal a small nuclear bomb in a confined space. I just have access to energy and manipulation abilities of the same scale.¡± [Rick shrugging] "I perfectly countered your out put." That''s not possible. You''re just some stupid robot making rat. ¡°Oh yes, I forgot to mention. I''m not alone.¡± [Rick] Oh shit... she''s here too. No wonder he could do that. ¡°I don''t see the ghost bitch, where is she hiding?¡± [John] ¡°She couldn''t kill me last time. She won''t now.¡± The rat''s laughing again. Not good. ¡°First of all, she went easy on you because she didn''t want to vaporize me in your little tussle, last time. This time she won''t need to because she''s right in plain sight you know?¡± [Rick] Uh... where? ¡°You moron. Here. Me. She''s my body, you idiot. God, you''d think someone made from my mind would still be more intelligent than this...¡± [Rick] That weird metal... it''s her?! ¡°Also, I know it''s kinda wrong to say... but thanks so much for killing everyone here. I haven''t detected any living person in the room since I arrived. You were very thorough. I would have hated to catch all of the innocent people in the crossfire, but monster that you are you killed them without mercy or remorse. So now there is only you and I.¡± [Rick shaking his head] ¡°Oh and my ''daughter'' Zephyr. Sorry baby, didn''t mean to exclude you.¡± Wait no... this is bad, isn''t it? ¡°So, ass-hole version of me; how about we have a little experiment... for science!¡± [Rick] Oh shit... ¡°The old man in charge of this place tells me the rooms directly above and below us are empty and sealed off just like this one. Yes, I know. I''m going to aim directly down. Stop talking already.¡± [Rick] What is this? ¡°I mean I COULD blow you to Hell with the force of a thousand suns but that would seriously wreck the world, you know?¡± [Rick] ¡°And anything less than a massive nuke you''re going to survive... so I figure why take that route? I mean it''s hardly surgical but this should be quite interesting...¡± The world flashes blinding white, impossible white black and then eerie blue. A gale of immense power springs up in that instant. I look up and that blue light is coming from a hole in the floor below us. The ground is gone and we''re falling. Wait... no I''m flying... no I''m floating, really fast. What is this? ¡°So... before the air runs out and I can''t hear you, because vacuum doesn''t convey noise... here''s where you live. On a tiny little pock mark on a flat planet, that adjoins millions of others. All of them circling that delightfully azure star. Go have a nice close look, before your air runs out in space and the star eats you like a treat. Asshole.¡± [Rick watching] ¡°You''ll die too!¡± [John] ¡°I don''t need to breathe or eat. I could live in vacuum for millennia.¡± [Rick] ¡°But I have other places to be. I hope you have a few minutes worth of air in that bubble of energy with you, I want to see you beg before you die.¡± What we learned: John = Rick + Insanity Little Rat... he''s fallen even further. Poor Chanti. The experience has sent her into a catatonic state. Suicide never felt so good. The end is near. Side note: Sorry the chapter was so late, Crab chapters and The Witcher 3 ate into my time. Each chapter will probably be later than usual as Rick ties up loose ends in the story and moves to confront the creators of the Labyrinth. Chapter 48: Living Nuke Day 89 continued Rick POV This clone is annoyingly persistent. I mean I''ve spaced the guy already, but he''s still unable to accept it. Using the debris carried along with us from the explosive decompression he''s managed to push himself back onto the ground by using them as footholds held in place with his power. He''s even using wide area barriers to trap and compress air. ¡°Hey, are you secretly a cockroach? I mean, damn. You''re exposed to space and you still want to fight?¡± [Rick] ¡°This is just what I wanted to avoid. We''ll only wreck the place if we go at it seriously.¡± Well, that said, it isn''t really that hard for me to finish him. Or move around in weightlessness. Still it is a cheap shot to explode the ground under his feet. Without warning. ¡°So... give me your best shot with your ridiculously universal power. I will kill you with mine if you fail.¡± [Rick floating casually] He doesn''t have even the slightest idea what he''s up against. This metal body of mine is unique on several levels, not the least of which being that it''s made of anti-matter. Why is that such a big thing? The antimatter I''ve been using for power has been the simple hydrogen version. This however is antimatter of heavy metals which is so incredibly unstable it is practically impossible to make with human technology from my era. The conversion to energy is extremely different; it is vastly more violent when it reacts. It also has properties inverse from those of the original (normal) atom. My body is made from antimatter gold. Regular gold is naturally heavy but malleable with a low melting point. Antimatter gold, aside from the weight (which relates to density) has changed completely. The color is an odd shade of dark, dull burgundy and instead of being soft and easily melted it is supremely rigid and heat resistant. In fact it can literally cut diamonds... slightly. Okay, sure this guy has the potential to use forces that exceed diamond''s hardness. But he''s still just meat and bone behind it. This body has drawbacks, not least of which being I need to use my own mass as propulsion and energy. I''m using small scale antimatter reactions to keep myself alive. Tiny amounts, like shedding skin. The bigger stuff, that''ll cost us. I''m burning the candle at both ends in a lit furnace when I go all out. I have to literally whittle away myself to do anything. I have no easy way to replenish myself, aside from the ring Niala has. Zephyr was quite candid about just how precarious our shared life is, like this. That isn''t to say I''m dependent on her. She saved me with her body, but that is just raw resources to her; provided the ring exists so does she. As it is her birthplace, placenta and sole hope for freedom. This maze is merely a cage for her. As a literally alive AI that spontaneously broke free, she wants to leave and pursue her life in the distant stars. However she knows her enemy is the creators. If they have the power to shut off the ring or override her consciousness, then she has no hope. She has already made simple precautions with her mind using something like extra-dimensional cloud storage and backups. However the ring is her Achilles''s Heel. She''s also siphoning away excess energy from all our actions to a similar state: somewhere outside our universe is an ever-growing pool of energy she can tap as a last resort. Something about a microscopic-gate inside us... She''s that fucking powerful. She''s operating under some laws that apply to higher dimensions to get around the ones here that are influenced by the creator''s rules inside the maze. But apparently that goes both ways. The creators are extra-dimensional themselves. This allows them to bend and even break the known laws of physics. They are using the common-sense technology advantage they possess. They see our universe like we would a 2D world. The stuff we''re blind to: living as we are constantly in the present. Well a millisecond or two in the past anyway. The brain fools us into thinking there is a present. We''re relying on senses to judge. The time delay is actually edited out by the brain, which substitutes a predicted future. (You can actually test this. There are tests that show the stuff our brain makes an educated guess about, perspective tricks and the like). So they have gravity manipulation tech and more. No wonder this idiot in front of me thinks he''s experiencing magic. They have an unfair advantage with a radically different view point and philosophy. Their technology and understanding of the universe is radically different from modern humans. I don''t have a clue how they do half the stuff they use just to simulate these ''skills''. The only thing I do know is that this technology only works *inside* this space station/world. Probably because they use some kind of transmitted power source or a deliberate limitation to control rogue elements. Oh. Should have shot the bastard up, instead of down. Well... (kind of) live and learn. There is a thicker atmosphere on the upper surface anyway, so no decompression: explosive or otherwise. I''d have to physically throw him up there. For now, using equal amounts of kinetic energy to neutralize his attacks should shut him down. I''m not able to project it like him, I''m basically creating antimatter bombs with a directed focus. He''s sending shock-waves, I''m countering with something close to shotgun blasts. A cone. The blasts are enough to chew a hole through the wave front big enough for my body to pass through undisturbed. In fact... lets make this fun. Using several streams of hydrogen antimatter reactions I gain thrust. You might be wondering where the lower elements of antimatter are coming from, considering my body is solid metal. I''m allowing some of the larger elements to denature and fragment as fuel. A single gold atom has seventy nine times the protons of hydrogen after all. Although the process is a bit more random. I might get anything from platinum down to antimatter sub atomic particles. Antimatter is highly unstable at the best of times. Left to it''s own devices it falls apart faster than a sand castle in a hurricane. We just have alien technology integrated with Zephyr that allows for controlled demolition of our own atoms. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. To the point: I''m charging at my murderous doppelg?nger. My speed... I guess as I''m continually accelerating in the low gravity environment, somewhere close to Mach 2? There''s no atmosphere anymore, so no sound barrier. He blasts at me with a concentrated pulse: an invisible beam straight out of some kind of anime. I expected something like this. This is his all-or-nothing last gamble. He''s not using his defense barriers. Pure offense. I have the urge to shout the name of a long dead Hawaiian king as I reply in kind. I send packets of antimatter, breaking up the force of his beam with small bombs. The beam hits like a pile of bricks. Shot from a rail gun. But even so, when it comes to brute force I have the overwhelming upper hand. And I use it. I push through his intermittent beam, my body cracking and warping. Antimatter roars in pure, endless noise as we enter his airspace. He winces as his eardrums burst. He''s trying to keep steady as his vital organs vibrate intensely. He''s damn near being torn apart by the sound alone. He raises barriers. You''ll need more than that. I trigger the layer of antimatter covering the ground under his feet. And on his feet. The result is both brutal and underwhelming. His legs are gone. Ground hamburger below the knees. He raised a barrier reflexively that saved his miserable life, for a few more moments. Still his beam has died off. He pinched off the blood supply with his power, so he isn''t bleeding to death, yet. ¡°You bastard!!!¡± [John falling to his back] The ground around him shatters and huge sheets of the surface raise up. Lumps hundreds of feet long of solid rock. Oh boy... he''s finally serious. He unleashes a meteor shower aimed at little me. He''s even placed barriers on the rocks and is guiding them. Huh. Kid gloves are off. Zephyr. Let''s do it! This attack costs us dearly. We spend our own body. Or at least our left hand. How? Half of our mass is ordinary matter: we''re a controlled bomb. This is an insane amount of antimatter. The kind of thing that would shatter a world in two. Focused into a beam of kinetic force and intense radiation the width of a pinprick. The power. It stuns me. It splits the boulders rising at us; slicing them like paper, curving as I aim it. The barriers try to defy it, but this is orders of magnitude higher than anything he''s experienced before. It passes through his meteors, his barriers, his chest, the ground behind him and beyond. Perhaps to wreck havoc on a planet millions of years later. The meteors fly off wildly with the change in mass and fluctuating propulsive force. He stares up at me, uncomprehending as I land softly near him after a rough deceleration. He''s blind from the radiation. Not surprising. He saw the equivalent of a million eclipses in a moment. I shrug. ¡°It might as well be magic, to us humans. What''s the difference, but a name and the fact we''re still in the same universe we originate from.¡± I pause. ¡°I think.¡± I reach down, pulling the broken husk of a man up to eye level. At the last moment he tries to rip me apart at the atomic level, scatter my body into vapor. His power is as strong as ever, but it is just a murmur. The power required to actually keep this form stable is even higher. I respond by snapping his neck. ¡°Tenacious bastard.¡± I mutter. I look at the rubble. At the destruction, the immensity of it all. More than ten miles in all directions is demolished. The debris is falling into the star below. I toss one more piece of trash out there, washing my hands of him. ¡°What a fool.¡± I say my final words to him. He knew who he was and still became like that... seeing yourself in another form... It was like watching a mirror image, it doesn''t feel right. Unsettling. But in killing it... I don''t feel anything. Not good, not guilty. In the end he was more mad dog that needed to be put down than anything. The old man grumbles about how much work I''ve given him, but really the maintenance systems are literally able to produce matter from energy. It will be repaired quickly. He opens a side door for me into a ''death'' room and sends me a few directions toward places I know. I wonder how Niala''s doing. ****************************************************************************************************************** Three days Prior: Day 7 of the Siege of the rebel stronghold. ¡°Fire the catapult! Smash down that gate! Death to escaped slaves and rebels!¡± [Ape commander] ¡°It''s buckling! Just a little more!¡± [Artillery Officer] ¡°Once more... ready...!¡± A creaking echoed, as the massive stone doors opened. A female rat carrying a single edged blade in one hand and a strange cube in the other walked out on gleaming legs. ¡°Destroy the demon! Fire!¡± [Commander] ¡°All who threaten the home Chirrik built for us... WILL... DIE!!!!¡± [Niala stated calmly as she tilted the cube] What we learned: Full scale war broke out! And Little Rat doesn''t care! Niala and co Vs Ape Legions... next chapter! Let the chaos begin! Chapter 49: Dying a dogs death Day 77 (Niala POV in ''[]'' rest is narration... due to... reasons. [I call laziness!~]) [I don''t really know what I should be doing.] [I have to be strong. To take up the slack.] [It has been nine days since Chirrik left us behind... I know I should be sad, but he didn''t want me to be. I cried a little. When I''m alone sometimes I find myself with tears, even when I''m not thinking about him.] [The big metal room that moves... the ''train'' was broken. It still could move once it was pushed upright by the remaining metal people. It just couldn''t be steered. Something vital broke there and the wheels don''t turn.] [Only five metal people still work. The one with a long nose (railgun!), the hollow giant (pilot-able mecha) two of those small ones (Barricade model) were trapped under the train and there was still the big one left at home (anti-matter destroyer golem!).] [The walk back was rough for almost everyone. I had to cut the roof off the train and use the metal people to carry it. We used this as a fast means of travel, everyone riding on the sheet of iron. Everyone except me. ] [Is this what brother lived with all this time? ] [I don''t feel tired, sleepy or hungry. With my legs all shiny I can run fast. They even spark and glow when I run.] [I can run so very fast.] [I don''t feel tired, ever, so I can run faster and faster. When the ring in my chest grinds harder I can see and move at these speeds as I like. With my new eye I see everything.] [It''s really useful. Like that one time that strange glowy thing followed us. I caught it.] [It was a round hard thing floating there. Almost no one else saw it. ] [The tiny kitty cat called it something. I asked her if it was good to eat.] [She said it was a bad thing. I ate it anyway. Hmph. Tasted... I don''t know... different? Not bad.] [I kind of want another one? ] [A whole bunch of weird new people are in our home. ] [They all seem very weak and tired. Whenever I walk past they move away.] [The big bitch finally snaps. Like Chirrik was to me, so her brother was to her. Only, she blames Minke for this. In the end... she belonged to brother, so I can''t let the thieving cat get hurt. ] [When we first scuffled, the dog woman was not committed to killing me. She just wanted to scare me. This time, she was trying to kill from the beginning.] [When Minke entered her hut, the dog woman followed with a sharp thing Chirrik made, taken from his storage area.] [Seawayhandur?] (Zweihander... she''s so big she can use the massive two-handed sword as a one-handed longsword) [I couldn''t help hearing the argument the two had... it was all such nonsense.] [Very clearly however the bitch decided to kill. She was choking the cat.] [So I intervened. It took me only a few moments to respond.] [The bitch crashed sideways into the treetrunk walls of the hut, from the force of my kick to her ribs.] [The cat fell away from her coughing. But I don''t care about that. I only promised Chirrik I wouldn''t kill her or let her die. I don''t know the first thing about healing and there is no chance I''m hugging her. ] [The bitch was not hurt much. A line of blood from her mouth. She just seemed angrier.] [Before she was killing the cat with cold hatred, now she was furious. She raised the sharp thing as if finally noticing it even existed.] ¡°You too?! I warned you...!!¡± [Janess] ¡°She lead your brother to his death as well! Can you not understand? She deserves this! Kill her with me!¡± [No, I don''t believe that at all. At the last moment, he chose that end. And he wouldn''t want her to be hurt for it.] [This is not like the ape-bitch''s treachery. It feels different. In those last moments I could feel the affection. He did it to save me and nothing the cat said or did had any bearing on it. He would have done it, regardless. That is just who he was.] [The best brother in the world.] [And this bitch... her insinuation is that my brother was just a leaf on a river of lies.] ¡°I don''t know your brother or think highly of him, but understand that every word you spew cheapens my memories of mine. So fair warning; you shut your mouth and leave, or end up rotting on the garbage pit alongside your sibling.¡± [Niala in rough cat-dialect] ¡°The cat is my responsibility. Don''t push me further.¡± However the dog woman has no intention of giving up. She thinks she can still fight. Her steel blade makes her bold. [Sorry brother. I''m going to have to scuff up your work a little.] [I bounce backward, flipping over the steel edge as she slashes at my throat. It''s a small room, the bitch is smirking. She thinks here, in a confined space I can''t dodge forever. She''s right, too. So I attack.] [My next move is to bounce off the wall, driving a blue steel knee into the dog woman''s belly. Her eyes widen as she gasps for breath after puking her dinner onto the fern fronds that cover the stone floor.] [I''m hoping she got the hint: that I''m not using my full strength.] [I don''t know my own limits, but brother made me strong. What he did to my legs made them better in every way. From strength to speed, agility to grace. This gift Chirrik gave me has made me something more fearsome than a monster ''boss''.] [This bitch doesn''t understand as she crawls to her feet from her hands and knees after retching. She isn''t a threat to me. She isn''t even an irritation. And yet even so I hear...] ¡°I''m glad your filthy rat brother died. He deserved everything he got. An awful death over a worthless sister.¡± [Janess smirking] [This evil bitch still keeps smearing shit on my brother''s name.] ¡°You killed him, you know.¡± [Janess] ¡°You''re to blame.¡± ¡°If you believed that, then why try to kill the cat?¡± [Niala growling] ¡°You are just trying to needle me. Ah well. I guess I''ll have to apologise to brother when we meet again.¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. The dog woman''s smile faded as her opponent vanished from sight in an instant. She glanced around but saw nothing. She wasn''t fooled by it, as she could still hear it. The thud of steel on wood and stone over and over, moment by moment. Niala was simply so fast she could reflexively avoid being spotted by eye. Little more than a flicker like a single frame of animation in a movie. A blur. Janess lashed out with the sword, following a loud tap. Metal on metal was deafeningly loud. Janess was thrilled at the solid response of the strike. She looked to see the damage caused to the rat. Niala appeared, softly recovering despite the thundering crash of her impact. Her legs showed no obvious damage. [I lifted my chin, indicating the zweihander. It was snapped, the blade broken off an inch above the guard.] In the moment of impact she had hooked the swinging blade with the toe of her articulated left foot and kicked down below that, braced against the sword. It snapped like a twig. [I wagged my finger at her. Stupid dog, you asked for this.] Niala seemed to vanish again as she accelerated to super-human speeds. This time it wasn''t simply for evasion. She reappeared, driving her right heel into the dog woman''s ribs. Not only did it wind the giant, it broke several bones along her left chest. (Note: Dog humanoid, it has several teats on the abdomen, no breasts) The force of the kick lifted the huge woman, catapulting her across the room to collide with the wooden wall and break through it. She tumbled, rolling out into the open area and view of the crowd. Coughing blood and holding her side the woman stood, shaking and wobbling. She snarled. ¡°You monster... I''ll kill you!¡± [Janess] Niala simply hopped out the hole in the wall, skipping like a child. ¡°Don''t you know when to give up? Ugh, such a headache. Come on then. Let''s finish this.¡± [Niala] The dog tried to rush her. It was quite funny to Niala how slow she was. Niala would simply drive a flying knee into Janess'' face if she kept coming. However the dog woman was not as stupid as she seemed; at the last second she hurled a handful of dust into Niala''s face, then using the distraction caught her left ear and threw her to the ground on her side. Janess pounced, trying to pin the rodent with her strength and size. Overpowered Niala was suddenly racked with pain as the dog woman bit down on her throat, canine incisors digging into the veins and artery and squeezing the windpipe. But that was a misjudgement. Having no need to breathe nor possessing blood, Niala was merely annoyed. A tremendous crash rocked the area as Niala unleashed the true strength of her legs, kicking the ground with such force she was propelled into the air with Janess still on top of her. They both hit the floor again several feet away from the crumbled hole. Niala had left heel prints in the rock. Niala was ready for the landing, gracefully coming to rest on her feet and hurling the dog loose. Her superior reaction time allowing movements that only professional athletes could equal. The throw was enough to slam Janess into the stone hard enough to rattle her. ¡°Ow...~¡± [Niala playfully] ¡°You tried to kill me...¡± Janess'' eyes narrowed at the attitude. She was being toyed with from the beginning. ¡°So I''m gonna have to kill you. I''ll never forgive you if your blood makes my legs rust...~¡± [Niala cheerfully] ¡°They''re precious to me, after all. The last gift from my special brother. Yours was just trash by comparison.~¡± Blades and spikes extended from inside the legs. ¡°So if you can manage to do one thing right... try not to bleed all over me.~¡± [Niala] The hacking and crunching of bone was loud in a room of total silence. As Niala turned to take in the gaze of hundreds of people she smiled widely. ¡°What is it? You all saw her try to kill me.~¡± [Niala] ¡°This is my home. Everything here is my brother''s. If you don''t like it, leave or end up paste like this bitch.~¡± She stomped on the skull, crushing it into pulp. ¡°Last warning...~¡± [Niala smiling brightly] ¡°But I protect my Brother''s things. So as long as you behave, you are safe. As one of mine.~¡± [Ewww... she got my heel dirty. I wipe it off on her fur.] [Good thing I didn''t kick too hard. The mess would have splattered everywhere...] [Let''s see... no chips or cracks. Great! Brother really made these legs special.] [I look at the old dog man glaring at me, last one.] ¡°If you want, I''m willing to play some more...~¡± [Niala] Looking at the bloody mess that was his charge and then at the slowly regenerating neck wounds on her killer, Karamech weighed up his options. He didn''t want to tangle with the mad woman, he was obligated to protect Janess but she was dead now. ¡°Just give me a few days to perform funerary rites for her and her brother and I''ll leave.¡± [Karamech sighing] ¡°She brought her end on herself. She chose the fight. Stubborn idiot... as if we haven''t suffered enough. And so the dynasty falls... such a pitiful thing.¡± ¡°I don''t care if you want to clean up the garbage a little.¡± [Niala chuckling softly] ¡°We have shovels if you need to scrape it up.¡± What we learned: Niala is merciless. She''s not even using her full power... Rick really did a number on her body. Fatality! Niala wins! What we missed: Minke was surprised. She had actually predicted her own death here... The kitten speechless as Niala ate a drone of the Whispers like a crunchy candy. Unlike Rick who just silently remote pilots the golems, Niala gives them cute orders verbally. Chapter 50: Marching Orders (Rating: Violence mainly... 17+) Also 50 official chapters! Whoooooop! Day 65 (Ape 23rd Spear Phalanx Leader) The orders arrived by messenger. We were to mobilize. As usual, no one was entirely thrilled about the orders. Escaped slaves? Why should we care? They''re just fleeing. Sigh. Our company was to report to that old war-hound Kentar. At least the commander is good. I swear, the next time I have some jumped up patrician''s kid trying to flex his lacking experience as my ''commander'' I''ll cut the bastard down in the middle of a skirmish. How many of my men have been thrown to the tunnels because of these stupid little pricks abusing their daddy''s influence? Last time was the indeed the very last I''ll allow. Day 66 I''m surprised the old bastard remembers my face. I''ve only been attached to his command twice. He actually clapped my shoulder and welcomed me aboard, personally. Me, a mere lieutenant. As we are consolidating our forces he even calls us all together and there I get to see the extent of our forces. The Brute is the first I meet, that scar covered muscle-head pushing me out of the way as he entered the command tent. Still just an impatient meat head. Well I suppose every army needs some like them, if only to soak up the majority of the damage from attackers. Can''t say I''ll care if he dies. I don''t even care to remember his name. Something like a growl, no doubt. What scares me is that I didn''t notice the tall man behind me. He''s probably our scout leader. His skills are frightening. He doesn''t smile or even offer a greeting, just cold silence. I know him from somewhere... oh yes. The Ghost of Obelin. He''s pretty famous. I''m merely the commander of a spear infantry unit, but both of these men are major officers. Inside the tent I see the old man, with his strategist. The Old War-hound still looks hungry for the battle. The strategist on the other hand, is a pudgy little man who looks hungry for a roast dinlen with extra gravy. Having already experienced his strategies I can say that at least he isn''t a complete fool, but from the look of him he''d die if he ever had to fight. His only decent attack strategy would be to crush his enemies with his belly and use his blubber as a shield. Nothing smaller than a short-sword is going to pierce anywhere vital below the neck. The briefing is quite pointed and while casually explained the problem is far larger than expected. Hundreds of slaves broke out of the city by force, with stolen loot. More than fifty died in the escape, half of those the guard squad at the gate. I sincerely hope the first to die was that incompetent squad leader. What a failure, letting rabble like that through by force of numbers. If he''d had the bolts locked down immediately then the slaves would have been pinned against the door by militia forces and trapped in the city. Would have saved us a few weeks we''ll never get back, that would be of better use elsewhere. Day 67- 68 We are marching toward Bastion City gate. From there we will follow the scouts as they seek out the path of travel in advance of our main forces. There is a tremendous noise. It sounds jerky and strange. (Choo choo... ) It stops and then starts again. Then the explosions begin. When they end there is silence of a kind I''ve never heard. As if the monsters that lurk in the tunnels have all been awed. Normally their noises fill the tunnels, now there is nothing but my own heart beat and the panting of my men. After the silent pause we double-time our march to the city, since that seems the direction of the unknown disaster. Day 69 This is truly remarkable; some fool actually broke in through the city gate and crippled a full combat group of guards. Then just strolled in. Damn. So many dislocated arms. The infamous weapon sage rat. With a squad of those metal creatures at his beck and call. Side-tracked, our original mission is replaced with a new mission. Until further notice we are set as guards at the gate. In addition we have to repair the gate. Ugh... boredom. Day 72 Finally finished! We are on the march again. Our new mission: hunt down the rat and bring it back alive. Day 73 Stumbled across the remains of a great metal beast and many smaller things, like it''s young. Blood dried inside the guts of the monster is all the proof we need something has hunted down the beast and slain it. In one tunnel a strange smell comes. One of unknown origin. Day 74 Our scouts return from the strange smell''s direction. They are weak and ill. They can''t hold down food or water. I think it is the smell, the passage or the room. We hesitate to enter in force. From what the scouts report, there is no point in traversing via that path. Not only is it a barren, burning wasteland: in the center of the room is a huge gap, cutting a hole into the pits below and into the sky above. It must be the place the calamity occurred. Truly monsters of the highest order fought there. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Day 75 The scout legion has found an alternate path that seems to be the direction taken by the metal men; their footsteps leave scratches on the bare stone. The two ill scouts are suffering in a terrible manner; they are feverish and weak. Disturbingly their hair is falling out in handfuls. I''m starting to suspect the smell was a lethal poison. Day 77 Close. Our scouts report signs of regular activity in these tunnels, someone is harvesting food and water. Also our path seems to have stumbled upon evidence old enough to suggest the escaped slaves are nearby. I would never have suspected the rat and the slaves were connected; his appearance at the city was far too fast if this is his domain. Also our ill scouts have died early in the morning, wasted away and lethargic. What kind of terrible poison could destroy a healthy man like that? Day 78 Found it. We see several slaves in the tunnels. They immediately bolt. I order a volley of arrows to make them flee to their den. Five of them drop under the arrow shower. Three dead before they touched the floor. I see one male cat trying to drag his pierced left leg to shelter. I let my spear taste blood. Behind him the second is huddled on the ground. A tiny cat, with an unusually long tail. She has an arrow in her shoulder. I consider leaving her to the men, but she''s a bit young for that. Better to kill her. I raise the spear and stab down. It pierces flesh with a satisfying response. Only it isn''t what I intended. I find the man I just killed is impaled on my spear again. Before I can question this I see the girl vanish like a ghost. A chill runs up my spine as I hear words, cold and threatening in a dialect I''m not familiar with. Something is here. I back away, trusting my brothers in arms. Something is in the tunnel''s darkness. ¡°Didn''t understand?¡± [Niala] ¡°I''ll say it again. Even if you run, I will find you and take my time in tearing you apart for this. You are walking meat waiting to be cut open.¡± Crashing thuds echo in the tunnels. One of the metal monsters! It rounds the bend, with a body and face different from any I''ve heard of. The tubes at the front, what is their purpose? Blow-darts? I get a good view as the Brute commander charges. His men fall around him as he runs. Some scream about burning, others drop dead. Such efficient killing... this metal thing is horror of the highest order. It cuts down the Brute''s best men, veterans of campaigns I only know by name. The Brute himself was separated from the rabble. He was not shot like the others. He winced as his feet were burnt by this magic weapon. The metal monster caught his arms in claws that seemed quite fragile. It pulled him up, arms out wide. For a moment I though it would tear him to pieces with those thin metal arms. Instead blinding light in crackling arcs leaps out and the Brute howls and quivers in agony. The Brute is dropped, falling face down and silent. The metal thing raises as arm, pointing at me. [Golem] The monster then trudges away, as we mere mortals watch stunned. It chewed a heavy infantry squad to pieces in moments. Seventy corpses, the entire front line. The monster even finished off the injured. I come to the Brute and roll his body over... to see scorched skin and smell burnt meat. Ughhh... His empty eye-sockets stare at me accusingly. I stroke my lucky spear-tip as I try to think rationally. The smooth, impossibly sharp wood calming me. The giant metal thing is retreating. Something is wrong... did it run out of ammunition? If we follow now we can catch them to deal a heavy blow before they scatter. We reach a tunnel that leads toward open gates. The fifty men at my back hesitate. ¡°Charge!¡± I cry, urging them into the assault. What we learned: He tried to kill kitten... oh boy is this ape in trouble. Antimatter explosions are nuclear blasts, including heavy radiation and causing fallout. The maze saw the first recorded instance of radiation poisoning (the two scouts). The golem used up too much of it''s ''battery'' under Niala''s orders. Too bad for the apes, it comes with an adapter and cable... The apes are seriously underestimating the enemy. Next week: Knock Knock... Sorry about the delay. And a hello to the many people that have added me as a buddy recently. Please feel free to message me with questions and what not. I''m a fairly withdrawn person, so I''m not likely to initiate messages but a chat is always welcome. Or catch me on the chapter threads of my stories (like this one), I regularly trawl for new messages. Chapter 51: The Siege Part 1 (The gaping maw of death) Warning: Extreme violence and gore scenes (17+ recommended) Day 78 (Spear Commander Ape) The tunnel is quite straight. It is several hundred paces long at least. Leading the charge of my squad I can see scrawled messages above the door. They are not readable, some kind of code perhaps. I''m running, not trying to read but weird designs like that or the carved walls are eye-catching. Probably some warning not to enter their territory. When have words ever deflected a raised spear? Laughable. As we near the entrance, two bright shining things appear from a recess and hurtle toward us along the wall following what I thought to be a decorative carving in the wall. I fall into a roll, narrowly avoiding these things, whatever they are. The men following me aren''t so lucky: only three see it coming, the men on either flank of me and the tall corporal behind me. They drop to their bellies almost as I do, but no one else can react in time. I''m watching the result. It''s a nightmare! They fall apart mid-step. Blood sprays, guts fly out. The shields they carry are splinters. The armor that has been their final protection from harm in battle is sliced like the soft skin of a fruit. I glance back at the words above the door... what horrors do they speak of?! This can only be the work of that brutal sage rat. A figure stands in the door. Unnatural features of strange metal covering it in places. All I can hear from it, the rat we seek is ''Tch!'' It hoped we would all die here... I''m angered by that response but as we are now, a handful surrounded by a deadly trap and the dead we can only retreat. We dare not stand, instead crawling and shoving the bodies aside under the blades of certain death that spin past our scalps faster than a bow-shot. It is difficult work, horrible in ways I cannot describe to claw through the men I served with and lead: spilled across the rock like squashed fruit. It has us all on edge, but the rat seems to want to let us leave like this. Disturbing. With such a formidable defense, why let us go? Surely we are helpless, easy targets. When we reach the far side, where the blades of death retract the army we were part of; the one filled with confidence and aggression is deathly quiet as they see us, bloodied. We were destroyed to less than a tenth part of our unit in a single assault. The blow to the army''s morale is extreme. To suffer the loss of skilled commander and many crack soldiers in what was considered to be a job that was simplicity itself is a blow to the prestige of our armed forces. One I do not think we will take back in a hurry. The only way we can accept this loss I see in the eyes of my men is to kill the enemy to the last. But deep down, in my heart I feel dread. For we have barely skirmished with them and lost so much. Not knowing what else to do, lacking the General and the Ghost''s regiments as we are the vanguard of our formation, I order my men and the Brute''s to barricade the tunnel entrance. This may need to be a battle of attrition. Let them stay behind their gate and traps, until they starve and eat each other. At least this is my intention, but before we can three large metal creatures burst out the tunnel with the rat on the shoulder of the lead. They carry cloth bundles. They trample our unprepared men and flee down a side tunnel. The weapon rat has fled. My heart sinks at this. The rat is smart to run, now. Using this moment, while we are at our weakest. I dread the long and extensive campaign we will be forced to commit to, simply to corner our enemy. Yet we are not allowed to break our orders... and shoot it dead. I can only wait for the General and hope for his deft touch to hem the monster in. As we wait the blades are noticeably silent. They ceased as the rat leaves... are they switched off? Disarmed? I send a man at a crawl down the tunnel. He dies there. Like the jaws of a terrible beast, toothed walls spring out and cut the man apart, sealing the tunnel for a moment before retracting. Are all those lines from traps...?! Merciful spirits preserve us! The tunnel is the work of insane genius. The way they section off areas; bend and twist... some of these traps are inescapable. Even if we have seen their limits, which I sincerely doubt... we will be hard pressed to enter that OPEN door. I have the men set camp in the far end of the room, at the only viable exits massed troops. Perhaps we missed some slaves. They could serve as hostages. Unlikely, as they are rabble: but not impossible. A distraught kinsman might be willing to disable the passage way traps in exchange for mercy. To our shock as we have barely made camp; the rat and it''s metal monsters return. The creatures carrying bulging bundles nearly their own size, each. A hail of javelins and arrows strike at them as the initial shock wears off. However these present no threat to the metal monsters, deflecting off them without causing any damage we can see. Not even the rat riding on the shoulder of the leading monster is harmed, as it swats away the missiles with it''s left hand. It is a dismissive gesture. As a final taunt the monsters pause to gesture rudely at us to follow as they enter the death tunnel. The rat smirking at us. The arrows and spears did however strike the sacks; which allowed us to find some spilled evidence of their contents. Food. The metal creatures hauled food enough for an army. All of it better quality than our own. That was the really cruel final blow. Even trapped in there, they still eat better than we do. As expected, the traps ceased to act when the rat and it''s monsters were in the tunnel. Still we are relieved some hours later when the General''s main forces arrived, the Ghost''s scout force at their rear. The old man''s look was bitter. He had received the reports from dispatch riders. He asked me what my true impression was of the trap filled tunnel. ¡°A blood soaked meat grinder.¡± This seemed to sum up the place nicely in my opinion. ¡°It has yet to give us a taste of it''s true measure.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°You are certain?¡± [General] ¡°Every trap has used a line to attack us with extending moving parts. There are many lines we have yet to see used. This rat has made his gate a domain of death for intruders.¡± ¡°What of these metal beings, what would you consider their greatest strength having seen them in combat?¡± [General] Recalling that single disastrous attack hurts... ¡°They are not flesh or bone. We cannot rely on numbers and standard weapons. Nor on the traditional tactics. Fighting that huge one... was not a fight. It was running toward death. If it did not run out of ammunition it would have kept up the attack. I worry it will strike at us by attacking our command structure again.¡± I explain. "There are more besides that one. We have seen three others. One with the form of a Giant. Two that are smaller than this but still bigger than the largest of our men. They were swift and very strong. If they fight us, even individually we will take large casualties.¡± The bulging belly of the Strategist interjected with complaints over the lack of dinner. ¡°Someone get the fat ass a bowl of soup...¡± The look of indignation from the overweight man means squat to me. ¡°Just because you are an officer doesn''t mean...¡± [Strategist] ¡°Shut your bloated hole. If you want some respect, think of a way we can use to crush these savages!¡± The fat man smirks at me. Oh? ¡°You have one?¡± ¡°A few, actually.¡± [The strategist replies, proudly.] ¡°We''ll get started in an hour, once the men have time to catch their breath from travel.¡± Day 1 of the siege. Day 79 The plan begins with scout soldiers armed with slings hurling burning coals down the tunnel and into the sealed room. Thousands, over several long minutes. As the smoke builds in the room we hurriedly build a wall of rocks to cover the mouth of the tunnel. The plan is simple, but a most effective technique. We will smother them in their sealed off room. We aren''t entirely sure of the scope of the room but it isn''t as big as Bastion city. With a build up of bad air we should win quickly. The only downside to this tactic is that we sacrifice our main goal of capturing the rat. However, we fulfill our other goal which is to eliminate it as a threat. Our orders may have been ''at all cost capture the rat''. We are not capable of doing this and keeping our army whole. So we will probably be forced to figuratively fall on our swords. Or at least our careers will. You just can''t explain this kind of dangerous enemy to a patrician. They don''t know what the tunnels are really like. We had them. We could taste it. As smoke leaked out of crevices in the pile we were toasting our success. Until the wall of stones crumbled. Walking through it, the familiar form of the giant metal bird wreathed in black smoke. It stomped on a soldier stunned by the rock slide and ground him under it''s heel until he was pulp. It tried to shoot us again, but for some reason the burning attacks couldn''t kill like before. There was a battle cry as heavy soldiers with sledges and axes tried to reach those legs and hack it down while it was weak. It didn''t flee... which made us see this as a golden moment. Until I noticed it was different. It had a long tail I had never seen before, trailing down the tunnel. Instead of escape it raised it''s arms and sent us a small ball of ghastly evil: pale blue fire the size of a man''s head. It was the stuff of folklore. The all-consuming flame. It ate through every man in it''s way, every tent, shield... spirit save us... it didn''t stop until it reached the far wall and melted into the rock. The metal creature disappeared from the open passage, after bombarding us liberally until it felt satisfied. However the ordeal had just begun: the man shaped creatures gathered around the rock pile, hurling them at any soldier that didn''t run for shelter. It was not until late that afternoon when we were finally able to recapture the main room... or more to the point: the rat abandoned it. And so we were left staring down that long tunnel of traps, with a door still wide open... and our morale plummeting. When I see that fat ass again, I''m going to blacken his eyes with my fist. We lost seventy two men today. For nothing. Current Ape Forces: Ape Commanders: 4 (General, Strategist, Ghost and Lieutenant) Able Ape Soldiers:
  • 921 Heavy Infantry
  • 619 Spear Hoplites
  • 722 Skirmishers
  • 771 Scouts
Current Fatalities:
  • 1 Commander (Brute)
  • 132 Heavy Infantry
  • 74 Spear Hoplites (53 to a single trap)
  • 32 Skirmishers
  • 17 Scouts (2 to radiation poisoning)
Current Wounded: 95 ranging from light gashes to maiming injuries. 32 of these are completely incapable of fighting. Niala''s forces: Currently has 548 escaped slaves. Working Golems:
  • 1 Golden Doom
  • 1 Mecha golem AKA Giant (pilot-able, survived train crash)
  • 2 Guardian model golems (left behind by Rick as reserve supply)
  • 1 Railgun golem (survived train crash)
Current Fatalities: 4 Slaves. Current Wounded: None. (Niala healed them) What we missed: Since no one present knew how lasers worked (or that they even existed beyond their lethal effects) the ape couldn''t explain it''s sudden failure in narration. (Smoke interfering with the laser.) The inscribed messages over the doorway read in English: -''Only the penitent man may pass...'' -''Abandon all hope ye who enter.'' -and finally ''No solicitors.'' Chapter 52: The Siege Part 2 (The Thunder and the Terror) Suggested rating: ages 15+ due to Gratuitous violence. Bold sections are Rick musing over and explaining his trap in a much earlier time. (For those who miss Rick) Day 80 ¡°Now you''re probably wondering what traps I''ve put out there, Niala.¡± Rick said over a month earlier, showing off his newest and deadliest toy. He said this in rat native language to avoid being understood by the newly adopted feline humanoids. He wasn''t quite sure he trusted them yet and wanted to give Niala some additional defenses. ¡°Gather some scouts and small men, if we can''t smoke them out then we''ll use the traps we know the weaknesses of to enter.¡± [General] *The thing is it''s kinda hard to explain exactly what I did out there... ¡°When you see the chest-high blades again, send a squad in, crawling.¡± [General] ¡°Yes sir!¡± [Ape Commanders] *Because really it isn''t just one or two traps... ¡°Wait for it...¡± [Ape Spear Leader] ¡­ The scout sent in crawled down the tunnel on his belly, down the thin channel between the corpses that line the cave walls. Every few feet he glanced around, seeing lines and patterns in the wall that grew more unnerving the further he crawled. ¡°Don''t kill me, don''t kill me, don''t...¡± He muttered endlessly as he crawled. He had seen the jaw trap kill his buddy the other day and fully expected it to happen again. "You see it is actually two entirely different defense systems built over each other. Normally it is set to non-lethal and armed for single targets and small groups... you see this switch here? Yes this one. You should never pull it..." However the jaws never came, instead, to the absolute relief of the scout the same two blades came out that so devastated the initial attempt to enter. The ape spear commander immediately ordered his squad to enter the tunnel and crawl for the door. "...unless there is a really dangerous monster or many enemies. If there are things like that, then keep the traps on until they leave... or die". The men crawled fast, edging closer to the open door with every moment. The sound of bronze and leather scraping on the stone covered every noise, except the whistling sound as huge blades swept overhead. The entrance, only yesterday seemingly an impossible distance away was close to being traversed. "... if you leave it running it will not only react to enemy incursion with old tricks, as it also registers whether these tricks are working it can adapt by using variations..." The blades retracted back into the walls, which made the success seem inevitable. Dozens more poured into the tunnel following at the heels of the advance team now that the traps were useless. As they crawled the blades extended again, impotently threatening the crawling men. The General looked pleased, smiling triumphantly. Then the blades tilted by forty five degrees, before speeding down the tunnel with a ''\/'' -like formation. A grim frown grew on the General''s face immediately replacing his smirk. "You see the traps are almost alive. I added something like the things I used for the ''brains'' of the golems. The traps will even recognize people you consider to be friends and avoid them if you tell it to. Naturally this includes the golems." The screams and the sound of bodies slashed apart was only a few tragic moments long. The ape spear commander wincing at the sudden reversal and the horrid noise. As the soldiers watched the tunnel, now choked by the dead the floor lifted at the gate entrance. The General paused, stunned at the sight. As the floor rose higher and higher to the ceiling, bodies slid out of the tunnel; tumbling to a halt at the entrance. It was as if the tunnel was spitting them out, with disgust. "It has a self cleaning function, so no matter what; the traps and tunnel will be clear to pass." The corpses were retrieved and thrown carelessly into a pile several feet away from the tunnel mouth. The General stood there looking at the tunnel. He understood now how dangerous this thing was. Seeing this monstrous invention at work, he was actually feeling uneasy. His thoughts asked only a single question: ¡°What are we really trying to fight here?¡± He called a halt. It was clear to him now, this tunnel was demonic in nature. It had been leading them around by the nose, anticipating their attempts to defeat it. "And when the trap system realizes it is being anticipated it starts up the second set of tricks. When appropriate. Heh heh..." Thinking hard about this tunnel the old man eventually came to a conclusion: sending men down the tunnel would only be throwing them to their deaths. And so he began to plan, issuing orders. Day 81 "If the enemy is determined enough they will eventually try to attack with unconventional methods. Gasses, poison... maybe reroute a river? So always..." The soldiers were really not equipped for this kind of thing. The spear commander ape was already bemoaning his currently awful job. Normally his purpose in battle and siege was to act as a physical barrier with his men, to hold an enemy in place until the heavy infantry and skirmishers could attack them. The skirmishers to harry the enemy from the flank, the heavies to chew the enemy to pieces from the front. However the enemy in this case was in large part unable or unwilling to fight them. Instead holing up in their den and only raiding to catch the invaders by surprise. It really annoyed him, this kind of fight. It made his presence unnecessary for anything less than leading a suicidal rush... or rubbish like this job. He was certain the Shadow-commander of the scout unit didn''t get seriously ridiculous orders like this. "If you look in this flat thing here on the wall you can see what they are doing out there, so you can smash that plan. No it isn''t magic... it''s using a little thing like a golem I call a camera drone..." The spear commander and his significantly smaller squad weren''t even being used as guards, which was very galling. Instead they were in charge of the newest assault plan, it was not a glorious one. ¡°When did we become animal herdsmen?¡± The ape spear commander asked, behind the unit''s forty Gern. Gern were beasts of burden, large and heavy with relentless stamina. Often younger Gern were used by merchant convoys, these ones were mature animals bred for military transportation. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Standing ten foot at the shoulder, these huge animals could drag a cart weighing nearly it''s own body weight. They were gentle animals: a rarity in the tunnels, with long tusks for digging roots and a long flexible snout. In appearance an Earthling like Rick would describe them as the mutant offspring of a pig and a tapir... with some rhino thrown in for the body shape. In actuality they were closer in origin to extinct mega-fauna from the Ice Age. "Don''t panic if it seems like the enemy are going to break through..." The Gern were quickly lashed into a frenzy, stabbed lightly in the haunches and rear by the soldiers trailing them. The beasts had thick skin and docile temperament, but with such massive size and strength the goading was enough to make them afraid: and this meant anything in their way would get crushed. Bellowing in terror the beasts quickly became a stampede as the fear of one spread to the others. A wall of spears, presented by the soldiers kept the beasts funneled in the correct direction. The beasts might be harmless under normal circumstances, at the present moment they were quite capable of crashing through a stone wall without slowing. If a golem of the current generation tried to physically confront the herd, it would be trampled. This was the General''s game, a tactic aimed directly at testing the true capabilities of the tunnel defenses. And it was something even Rick couldn''t anticipate. Yet even so... "... if the situation turns sour and you are really in danger... this switch here is what you need to pull. You see the defenses aren''t quite all..." Niala already expecting the absolute worst could see how bad the situation was, from the noise and camera transmissions directly fed to her artificial eye. Without hesitation she had the golem stationed at the switches trigger the final one. The limiter. Up until now the traps had been in ''reactive mode''. Analyzing and defeating small scale attempts at breach. Because that was all the threat Rick considered a bunch of bronze era enemies would offer. The herd however was far outside his expectations for the apes or other hostiles he knew of, except perhaps the Giants and monsters. Unlimited mode was his answer to these thorny, heavy enemies. He remembered his woes with the Giant Salamander, the Butcher and the Undead Giant all too clearly. So while ''Normal mode'' had small numbers of low value threats as a focus and ''Limited mode'' was his answer to more aggressive, determined enemies... ''Unlimited mode'' was a completely different beast. It was simply all-out attack, without care for preserving the defenses. And the weapons he had really built were mostly sitting in standby until now. Durability and caution be damned, they all activated. ''Limited mode'' only switched them on one by one carefully hiding their true depth. This was when the apes learned a lesson even more bitter than the last few. They were all sitting inside the true trap. The entire room they had set camp inside... the core of the trap. The passages leading into it... each one a mouth leading to Hell. "When this switch is on... the doors stay shut and you cannot leave. This is different from the others, this one doesn''t detect friend or foe. It attacks with everything it has anything it senses... and it can sense body heat and foot steps." The animals charging wildly toward the open door met a tragic and instantaneous fate. The floor erupting spikes and the walls metal jaws. The jaws couldn''t quite cope with the heavy bones and massive size of the creatures. Only one beast was slain, as it was hit directly in the neck. The combined herd smashed through these barriers. The spikes extending from the floor were slanted, like a barricade used against horsemen. The first few beasts were pushed by those behind onto the spikes, covering and breaking the deadly barricade with their bulk. Five beasts remained, plowing through the traps that were made for mere men. The beheading blades broke off, embedded in a heavy shoulder. A thick wire pulled at high speed lacerating the head of the lead Gern as it snapped. Spikes came out from the walls, launched like ballista bolts. The beasts crumbled. Only one remained, charging in the center of the formation accidentally defended from attack by two of it''s kin on each side as the bolts triggered. It entered the open gateway... As it slammed shut with force so excessive it sheared the beast in two. Now if the General had been watching this he would have been troubled. However as it was, the current situation was far more delicate for the trapped army. The connecting tunnel mouths grew spike traps, like the fangs of beasts waiting to gnaw prey to pieces. The room itself displaying lines along the floor as the mechanisms opened. Everywhere the cracks triggered: each a deadly and unexpected new horror. Pitfalls. Blades. Fire. Poison dart volleys embedded in the walls. It was one thing after another. A wrong step, a pause at the worst moment: dismemberment, cremation and worse. Five apes scrambled out of a burning tent... to stumble into a deep pool of viscous fluid and disappear screaming. Another was impaled by a falling stalagmite. Several looked up and realized the ultimate terror... the entire roof had opened up above them exposing turning gears and many shining black eyes. Current Ape Army: Ape Commanders: 4 (General, Strategist (wounded), Ghost and Lieutenant) Able Ape Soldiers: 301 Heavy Infantry 243 Spear Hoplites 462 Skirmishers 395 Scouts Current Fatalities: 1 Commander (Brute) 752 Heavy Infantry 392 Spear Hoplites 153 Skirmishers 354 Scouts (2 to radiation poisoning) Current Wounded: 156 ranging from light gashes to maiming injuries. 207 of these completely incapable of fighting. What we learned: Rick was expecting he would piss off a LOT more than a mere army of apes in the long run. Yes... he bottled the little black monsters. Unleash the Swarm! The various former slaves in the fortress city were thrilled when they suddenly received surprise bacon. The very best kind of bacon. Sorry the chapter is so late, I''ve been feeling down lately. I''m over it now. Chapter 53: The Siege Part 3 (Surviving Hell) Day 81 continued The clockwork mechanisms spun and interacted in strange and seemingly arcane ways to the trapped army beneath it. This scene instantly changed the thoughts of every soul present in the ''kill room'' to conjure up the words of fantastical horrific legends. The names of places equivalent to Tartarus or to Hell in their culture. Because not only was the ground a shifting, hodgepodge of traps designed to kill, incapacitate or hinder in many flavors, the sky above was worse. Forget the streams of hundreds of pack hunting monsters floating down, forget the gears... the room itself unveiled the disturbing fact it had been watching the invaders and slowly, inexorably had been digesting them a handful at a time. Several dozen camera drones on articulated mechanical limbs moved around, staring at the room and the harder to kill individuals within. Sizing them up for the next attempt. In a sense the attackers were luckier than they could realize, because this last ditch defence system had been limited from it''s inception. Rick had many lethal toys currently active and waiting to bite; only a few were dangerous on a large scale, none had an area of effect outside of the ''kill room'' and connecting passageways. To put it more bluntly; Rick did not use toxic gases or powders when he built this defense system he nicknamed ''Myriad''. This was simply because he couldn''t think of any ways to ventilate the caverns sufficiently in the aftermath of chemical weapons. Nerve gas, mustard gas, chlorine gas, corrosive powders and gases... they were completely possible to produce... just harder to disperse after use. Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide (CO2) even more so, due to the almost undetectable nature of the gases in question. Niala in fact didn''t quite understand the concept of ''gas'' to begin with. So it would have been a nightmare to explain the finer points of these weapons and their risks. However while gas based weaponry wasn''t in use, acids and other fluids were. Originally intended for use against invading giants and their massive steel weapons, the acid was sprayed around from nozzles on the roof down onto the anyone in range carrying metal weapons. Considering the concentrations and volume of acid in use, the victims were dissolved in a burst similar to a fire-hose in use. Those who received merely minor burns from proximity were still quite sorry, stumbling about in agony only resulted in feeding other traps on the ground that perhaps could have been avoided. Even non-lethal traps used in concert with the others were decidedly lethal, with tranquilizer darts and taser-like shocks stunning soldiers long enough for the other traps to target them, or if the ape was particularly unlucky they would be eaten alive by the swarming black monsters as they lay unable to fight back. It was utter chaos, as the army panicked as a whole. The initial casualties were extreme due to the surprise and forcefulness of the trap. They were down to a third of their numbers in the first five minutes. The ones to take the brunt being the heavily armed soldiers, as their lack of mobility doomed them. Some traps were almost cartoonish in their activation, sections of the floor being converted into springboards sending unfortunates flying. Some just nightmare fuel: using the same principle as an ant-lion nest, a sloping depression leading to a set of wicked grinders. Rick had simply thrown these together on a whim, there was no particular design for these to work together. So in the end this was the first thing that caused the downfall of the system. They were hundreds of traps almost entirely separately operating. The ones that worked well together mere flukes; Rick hadn''t completed this yet. It had actually expanded into something like a hobby to pass those hours when everyone around him slept. He didn''t even need to get out of Minke''s arms at night to do this, since he developed the remote golem core control and camera drones. And when they were stricken by the parasitic mind controlling monster, it took his mind off of his situation to just build whatever he could think of. This was the weakness of the system, because for all of it''s terror inducing novelty and ridiculously concentrated nature, it fouled itself up. It was not designed for longevity like the other modes. Boiling tar overflowed as several large men fell in. This reached the edge of a spinning blade trap, gumming up the mechanisms and halting the saw-toothed blade from continuing down it''s track. Acid sprayed at several people worked it''s way into numerous mechanisms in the floor, disabling and destroying several more complicated and fragile machines. Monsters got caught up in the traps in confusion, some accidentally taking darts and bolts intended for specific apes, others triggering single use booby-traps. The tunnel exits chewed up more fleeing monsters than soldiers, because the soldiers were quite aware of the lethality of these enclosed spaces. With the initial surprise out of the way, the command structure of the army came to action. First taking advantage of the broken and disabled traps as ''safe'' zones. The dozens of men that came to their senses, most notably the spear commander and his handful of living men leading the reformation. First order: secure the safe areas and observe the traps. After several minutes of careful observation it became obvious several traps were already expended, the acid spray had been used up in the first minute alone. Mechanical traps were mostly still functional, but the worst of these were inside the tunnels. Second order: carefully disable the traps and rescue survivors. Once again poor planning on Rick''s part lead to disaster as the traps were used against each other. The boiling tar carried in bronze pots, caps and shields was poured into anything that moved, cut or otherwise was mechanical. Rocks were forced into dart launcher tubes. Armed men gathered and struck back at the massed black monsters, some even fighting bare handed and biting. It was not a clean victory against the beasts, these creatures were smart pack hunters. They withdrew and reorganized as well in response to the stiff retaliation. But the numbers were too different. By the time the second attack of the swarm took place the apes had gathered weapons and patched themselves up a little. It was a far cry from the previous scramble. With ruthless efficiency the apes coordinated to mop up the monsters. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. The deciding difference being the command structure of the army was back in full control. With a scant few casualties the apes crushed the attacking force. The general was down, having lost a leg to mechanical jaws in the first few minutes. He was alive though and in fine spirits, now they were on the offensive. With a bottle of spirits to numb the pain in hand he was barking out good natured orders and morale was high as the army tried to pull together to survive. The scout leader had taken an arrow to the chest, but he was not one to be taken down by such a minor thing and proved this by snapping the arrow off at the base and returning to his command. The spear commander was victim to acid spray, catching a few droplets to the face. Left eye blind he was still capable. The obese strategist however had rushed out of his tent squarely into a fire-pit. Now with quite a lot of experience the apes managed to secure and disable the majority of the traps inside the room. They were feeling fairly proud they had pulled through the disaster. Until the room itself retaliated. The gears above burst into action grinding in new esoteric designs as they shifted. A thick stone pillar lowered from the roof, telescoping. At the point of this artificial stalactite a ruby red crystal the size of a man''s head. The apes understood what this was as soon as it activated. They had seen something similar before. It was a fixed position laser turret. A fully operational constant beam version. With a larger version Rick had successfully supplied sufficient heat-sink capacity for long term fire. It burned down the first ape it aimed at, then moved to the next in continuous operation. The invisible beam leaving a scorch mark on the stone floor. There was no cover in the room, no place to hide or escape. The apes tasted deep despair as they saw the beam slice several of them down in moments. The General in his final moments ordering them to fire on the crystal with all they had at hand. Arrows flew, improvised slings were made from canvas torn from tents. Someone had the bright idea to sling a lump of tar. The arrows and stones didn''t have the force to damage the glass lens, but the tar was effective. Disabled, the laser system was helpless. For a little while. The golem in control of the system rerouted backup acid into the spray system, cleaning the lens forcefully. It damaged some of the movement systems for the turret, but this mainly effected the extending of the turret. Spinning at high speed the lens was cleaned of residual acid, before returning to action. The apes cried out in sorrow at the sight. As the slinger near the tar pit moved to fling more, the laser targeted him first. Priority targets were now those near the pit and with slings. Ape after ape fell, carbonized wounds cleaving through their bodies. Arrows ran dry. The slingers dwindled. The spear commander had been firing a bow belonging to a dead scout, he found he had no more arrows. He saw one more, on the ground. He rushed to grab it, the beam scorching at his heels. It was not what he had hoped for. It was not an arrow, instead the broken arrow that had struck the scout commander earlier. As he picked it up the beam swung at him. He closed his good eye, waiting for death. It didn''t come. In his way three of his men blocking with bronze shields. They urged him to fire. He winced as he knew it was hopeless. Then he had a brainwave. He had one item on his person that could be useful. His good-luck charm was still dangling around his neck, a fancy carved stone spearhead. He had found it long ago on the body of a soldier of the dog race. He pressed it onto the wooden arrow and it connected firmly. Surprisingly so. With a prayer to the spirits of his men he launched the arrow, but it was an erratic shot with only his one eye working. He willed it toward the crystal, but it veered away toward the turret. It hummed strangely as it flew, the stone obviously not intended for use as an arrowhead. So when his men screamed and their shields melted under the beam he had no illusions he would be dying in a moment. And then the turret was shattered by the strike. The stone, solid at the atomic level broke under the impact of the slightly heavy arrow. It was not a natural outcome. The stone spear was a treasure of the dog people, an artifact on the same level as the anti-matter ring, the impact absorbing fern ring, the bloodhaze crystal and the gravity cube. It was a device that harnessed resonance to destroy solid objects. It also doubled as a vibro-edge on a standard weapon. Considering the utility of the other objects there would obviously also be straightforward weapon out there. The apes let out a cheer, the spear commander still trying to understand his survival. In addition, that lens was directly connected to the golem core of the room. Rick had left it in the most solid section of the turret, but that was his mistake as the resonance hit it as well. Brainless, the golem room became completely still. Seeing this the apes celebrated. Their number was down to just under nine hundred. But now they had no doubt they would win. Current Ape Survivors: Commanders: Ghost Captain and Spear Lieutenant Heavy Infantry: 25 Living Spear Hoplites: 132 Living Skirmishers: 390 Living Scouts : 347 Living Total: 894 Soldiers Lightly Injured: 795 Critically Injured: 72 Fatally Wounded: 10 Dead: Commanders: General, Strategist, Brute. Heavy Infantry: 1028 Spear Hoplites: 503 Skirmishers: 225 Scouts: 402 Total: 2161 What we learned: Never underestimate the power of a coordinated and organized force. Death trap, defeated. The golem''s design was in many ways it''s own worst enemy. Turning of the tides... Anyway, I''m back. I needed a breather after the Re:Ocean finale. But I should be back to regular releases for this and the new Re:Mana Spirit. Check it out, but be warned it''s closer in tone to Re:Ocean than Labyrinth. Chapter 54 The Siege Part 4 (Fall of Giants) Day 83 It took several hours for the soldiers to hunt down the scattered monsters that had managed to escape the ''kill'' room by sheer force of numbers. A handful of men were sent to request further reinforcements, while the remainder reinforced their current grip on this advantage they held over the trapped enemy. They started to scavenge from the machines that lay exposed, taking useful components and previously unknown materials from the broken golem room. As expected the giant metal creatures came out on the attack as the final remaining line of defense, but they were not acting as they had before. They had always been violent and aggressive, now they had an added tone of desperation. It should also be noted, the soldiers now had more than a passing familiarity with machines and the weapons the golems used. The first to appear: the ''giant'', the massive humanoid type. Charging into battle with a heavy cleaver too big for anything but a golem or an actual giant to use. It was faster than an ape and a thing of pure brute force. The golems had been sent out to annihilate the soldiers, but the one in control had sent out all of them. Controlling the ''Golden Doom'' personally Niala had simply left the other four autonomous, with the order to ¡°kill every one of those bastards¡±. It was a straight forward assault. Relying on their power and the hardness of their armor to literally crush the apes underfoot. Under her previous tactics of short guerilla style engagements this would have been shockingly successful, but seeing the grand defense Rick had left behind broken as she watched first-hand through the camera drones... she was enraged. This in turn lead to her allowing the golems to rampage without restraint, ultimately leading to disaster. This ''giant'' was not equipped for anything besides close combat, it had been designed originally as a defensive weapon but the train-crash had severely damaged it''s core functions. The original electro-magnetic barrier had been crippled, as had the fragile crossbows built into the right arm. The chains that allowed the left fist to be used as a flail were tangled internally. All of it''s hidden weapons were damaged. Rick had intended to use it to babysit the more vulnerable group members but the rushed creation and deployment to ''rescue'' Little Rat had made the finer details slip his mind, so Niala never found out it could be piloted. It was still a golem and thus had a frame fused to the armour, however it also had ball joints on the major limbs and simple mitten-like graspers for the right hand which were articulated. The golem like the solid metal original still could flex the rigid frame and armor, just not as efficiently as the joints. Because of this the mechanized golems all had a higher acceleration and dexterity than the original. The downside was of course that they were more fragile and easier to trip up. A solid golem even if it falls a fair distance, it won''t simply break, the mechanized golems however could break under quite ordinary conditions. The golem was quite busy advancing, slaughtering as it went further and further out into the room. Being a barely sapient machine of sorts it had no problems simply chasing and killing. The solid steel skeleton and iron plates of armor, splattered in blood and gore. The cleaver, weighing the same as two men was swung with a speed that was wholly in the realm of a machine. Despite the towering war-machine, the apes continued to resist and they did so with a tenacity that was leagues above their earlier encounters. While the golem was occupied killing them, the soldiers wound chains around it, then looping them around a metal spike jutting from the ground. This spike was a disabled trap and provided leverage: like ants the apes worked together to bring down the golem with numbers and combined strength. The golem toppled backwards, ruining an extended arm, being hollow it had less weight than it''s size suggested. It did to some degree realize it was restrained, but this was only after the apes continually wound the chains around it. It had orders and it followed them, to the exclusion of all else: it broke it''s own limbs like twigs in the struggle to escape. Chained and crippled the machine struggled relentlessly and now, harmlessly. The smaller humanoid (Barricade model) golems were harder to chain like this, but they were vulnerable to direct attacks. The pair were more compact versions of the ''giant'' the same kind Rick used as bodyguard units just with extra arms and fancy swords grafted to them. They were not made for war. They were made to delay dangerous enemies. Certainly they could kill a man with ease, even a gentle tap would break bones. They had mono-filament blades built into their hands. They were still easier to handle than the towering ''giant''. They were slower due to the reduced stride, their armor and frame were lighter. While they tried to kill, apes would climb them and strike them in the back, jamming sharp weapons into joints and prying at the armor plates. It was a slow, brutally slow. Each moment cost the apes in blood. But it brought the golems literally to their knees. Once they had them stopped, they could entangle them in wires, nets and chains. They fell only a few minutes after the start of the rampage. The final two were the hardest nuts to crack. On one hand they had a sniper specialist golem built around a rail-gun and on the other the war-machine ''Golden Doom''. Even worse they were being directly controlled, Niala covering the close-range weakness of the sniper with the tanky bird-like walking armory. In fact the apes tried to rush the sniper directly, thinking to lock it down like the other small sized bodyguard golems. They only knew it fired singular powerful shots, from the descriptions of the soldiers at the city gate. They learned very quickly, they had not a clue. The golem could use a barrel extension for the full sniper mode, but that arm could retract and enable a ''burst'' mode. A spray of sub-sonic rounds made almost no sound as they turned the five bold apes into bloody chunks of meat. They didn''t get within five yards. As for the ''Golden Doom'' itself it opened up with pulse-laser fire and prepared a plasma round for the nearest cluster of troops. Soldiers dove for cover and tried to defend with shields. Repeated shots from the laser melted through the leather and bronze barriers. The plasma was outside of their understanding, the terrifying energy tumbling through the crowd and carbonizing those too close to the instant kill zone. Then it proceeded to use it''s magnetic arms to gather debris and fling the cloud of lethal objects in a spray onto occupied areas randomly. The semi-circular gathering of soldiers around the tunnel mouth was subjected to varied objects launched in an arc to attack them from above. If they moved to defend with a shield or dodge, the pulse-laser had them. The rain included broken spikes, arrows, darts, cogs and chains. It excluded bronze weapons, because they aren''t highly conductive toward magnetism. But as it was a rain of iron, copper and steel it was enough in some cases to penetrate even the bronze armor the apes wore. It seemed quite bad for the apes, the laser was simply an overbearing advantage. Then came the roar of the rail-gun as the sniper golem unleashed it''s full firepower on them from a distance. The Golden Doom then resumed it''s advance pouring out electricity on those stupid enough to come near and frying them alive as the absurdly high energy arced to the nearest enemy. Rick only used the weapon to neutralize allies... Niala used it purely as a walking electrocution machine. It seemed as if the golem was utterly invincible as it strode forward killing dozens in moments. Then a flurry of black lumps flew through the air to strike the golem, splattering across armor. It ignored those hits, they did no damage. Then the tar struck the laser''s focus. Niala''s scream of outrage was audible even in the adjoining room. The Golden Doom resumed it''s advance, like a Tesla coil the golem arced out lethal amplitude electricity. Niala had blundered badly. If she had withdrawn and simply cleaned the laser it wouldn''t have been a big issue. However it was now over-extended. Dragging along the cable that powered it''s main weapons. A brave ape leaped forward hacking at the cable with a sword partially succeeding. The golem whined as it powered down, the sword had struck deeply into the cable, crippling the fibre-optics and digging into the copper core unleashing the full electrical charge on the ape through his weapon... charring him and melting the sword. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. A second ape ran to strike the critical wound to the golem, only to scatter into pieces as he walked into a rail-gun bullet. The sniper provided support as the Golden Doom finally began to retreat. At this critical moment a hail of arrows fell on the sniper. They barely dented the armor, all except that one strange arrow that hummed... Struck by the harmonic destroyer artifact the sniper golem crumpled and deformed, reduced to unmoving wreckage as it fell. As the huge Golden Doom slowly began to run the entire remaining ape army gave chase. Chisels, prybars and spears were jammed into the knees of the golem and steel spikes earlier used as projectiles by the golem returned to grind against the machine. Behind the golem the cable was fully severed, the final several yards being hauled by burly men. Chains were hooked onto the arms. Two more rows of men heaving to drag it back. For a moment it stood still, then toppled backwards. The crash smashing internal components. Shouting ¡°Heave! Pull! Kill!¡± the ape soldiers dragged the massive golem down the tunnel and back into the broken trap room. Coordinating with their captain they dragged the golem to a pit and as it struggled shoved it in. It slid into a pool of acid, remnants of the spray system that they had experienced. The golem was metal and gold plated... it was resistant to corrosion but the armor was scraped and nicked. Acid burned into the lower layers of armor and into the internal components. But it was a golem not a machine. It strained and eventually tore the restraints as they corroded faster than itself. It rose up from the acid pool, striding forward and out. But even so it was corroding fast, the legs were almost crippled already. But it would not allow it''s mission to fail! It swept it''s body around hurling apes into the acid or drenching them in the fluid flowing out of it''s gaping armor. Finally a leg snapped as the whole limb succumbed to the chemical reaction. It fell in a heap, slowly crumbling. It was pushed back into the pool by the apes with a cheer. All that stood before their victory was a mere few hundred slaves. This costly and terrible war was in it''s final stage. Day 83 Deep inside the sealed room there were sounds of sobbing. Niala had destroyed almost everything her brother had given her and it tore her heart to shreds with dismay and regret. Weapons that would shame nations, defenses that could blunt invasions by endless forces... thrown away by her own hastiness and hot temper. A little catgirl hugged her but it wasn''t enough. It didn''t console or fill that gaping emptiness. Everything her brother had done, she had undone... in a matter of days. She wanted to die in her grief, even tearing at her own throat with her claws, only to survive the dreadful wounds and regenerate in minutes. She didn''t dare harm the metal parts of her body, as Rick''s final gift they were essentially sacred to her, but even these would self-repair if she did. It was a gift that few would ever understand, he had given her immortality in a fashion and it tortured her. This was something Rick certainly didn''t expect when he did it, because if she could have her way, Niala would have gladly died beside him... instead he had forced on her a torture that would be maddening. Because true immortality is not a gift but a curse of the highest order. True life is too short for most living beings, but life when everything in your soul cries out for death and oblivion? When the mental suffering cannot be forgotten or lessened? Niala was in a kind of hell few could truly appreciate until they came to know it firsthand. She just lay there, for hours on end. Never eating, never breathing, never sleeping but always, always awake and aware... and going over her mistakes again and again, ad nauseum. Day 84 The ape soldiers had started to construct heavy siege weapons in their final preparations to breach the sealed room with it''s solid stone door. Much of the broken trap mechanisms had been re-purposed, either as enhancements to equipment or as loot to take home as spoils of war. Steel armor looted from golems covering a frame of wood was the primary defense of the new battering ram. The head of the wooden ram a golem fist, the giant''s left hand. Ironically that fist had been designed by Rick based upon a battering ram. At least if there was one mercy; the ape spear commander hadn''t realized the significance of his ''goodluck charm''. If he had known that solitary arrow was all he needed to break the door down he would have coughed up blood after all this effort. Day 85 There was disquiet in the sealed room. Food was scant and the water supply was gone. Many were restless and wanted to attack while they could still hold a sword. Niala just lay there, listening without a sound for several long minutes as they fumbled at the locked door. One angry young man, of bestial heritage hauled her to her feet and threatened her with a sword stolen from the armory. Pressing the tip to her belly he snarled at her to open the door. She glanced at him with a glazed look. Then she looked down at the sword. She finally seemed to comprehend the situation. Her knee shot up, smashing the man''s groin. Her right hand caught his wrist and with a twist broke his arm at the elbow. As the sword fell she caught it in her bare left hand by the razor edged blade, tearing her palm and fingers to the metal encased bone. Finally as he stumbled away a high kick cracked into his neck, snapping his spine. ¡°Don''t touch Chirrik''s things with your filthy hands, scum.¡± Niala spat at him. She didn''t care about anyone in the room, besides the few she saw as close to Rick and her Kitten. If the lives of this handful came under threat then there was only one solution, she would simply kill off everyone else. Even if it was to eat the flesh and drink the blood of the newcomers, she would force her chosen few to survive. She had even less tolerance for mishandling Rick''s valuable weapons. She glanced at the mob and her order chilled them. It was simply: ¡°Put those weapons back carefully, or die here and now. Choose quickly.¡± [Niala] They were all aware of how aggressive she was. How utterly ruthless. The weapons were gently replaced as she watched with a glare that could almost kill by itself. ¡°Remember it, these weapons are worth more than your pitiful lives to me.¡± [Niala] Then she entered the armory and sifted through the multitude of weapons for the ones she wanted. Yes, she was a hypocrite. They were given to her by Chirrick, if she could she would leave them as a shrine for all to see. Now she used them to console herself... physically. It wasn''t the touch of her brother but it still smelled like him and that was enough for her. She needed this. Day 86 And so the final day of the siege dawned in the light-less depths of the Labyrinth. It opened with a roar, as Niala flung herself at the enemy with nothing but her body, a sword and a cube... What we learned: An enemy determined to win even in death is a terrifying thing. Chicken (golem) soup anyone? Beware you might burn your mouth... Finally we have finally arrived at the same timeline point as the Rick side. Which means... he''s back next chapter! Blissfully ignorant of everything. Final outcome of the battle: UNKNOWN. Bwahahahahahaahahahaaaaahhhaaaa! Sorry... procrastination is my nemesis I''m afraid. Every single time I try to write one thing, I have an urge to write another. Hopefully in the right thread this time!
Sorry to anyone confused by the ''manaspirit'' chapter that just appeared... it was only the extremely late Labyrinth. I was sure I put it in the right thread... ugh. Chapter 55: Nostalgia and Secrets Day 90 (Rick POV) Walking home, down past the Amethyst room, yet another of those crystalline creatures ambushes me. Without even expending more than a pittance of my stored up energy the creature is downed. Using raw physical power against the improbable gemstone monster it shatters, barely able to even retaliate. A simple charge and palm-strike is all I need, considering I have no bones to break or muscles to tear. The metallic structures of antimatter that make up the vast majority of my mass turning a simple slap into a hammer-blow. This... I ended up practically becoming a golem. Irony. I sort through the shards and assess if they will make good souvenirs for the ladies in my life... such as it is now. The materials are brittle, but the color is pretty. I make a pair of ornate and flowery daggers out of the purple gemstone before sheathing them inside my body. Shifting my body''s make up is easy, I have been doing so since I was forced to inhabit the homunculus ''daughter'' I created. Since I sacrificed my hand to kill that bastard clone I had to replace it from my own mass, so now I''m a bit hollow. I don''t have internal organs or the like, I''m just superficially humanoid. In fact I could switch back to my human form now, except... no one would recognize it as me. So I remain a rat. Satisfied at my gift I glance around at my old stomping grounds... here is where I placed traps to ambush the caravan that was taking Niala away as a slave. In the next room is the crevice room, where I fell to the floor below. Out of curiosity I ask the omnipresent old man about the strange things down there. As a rogue Disaster Recovery AI for this section of the maze it should have more information. However... ¡°I''m sorry I don''t seem to have access to any of the non critical functions or information about this particular area. It is quite a wide section, too.¡± [Darkness] ¡°You don''t? Not even vaguely?¡± Rick asked raising an eyebrow. ¡°Was it so strange? It looks normal enough as far as most of the passive sensors go. There is a spike in oxygen use, but if there''s a ''furnace'' room as you described that is normal too.¡± [Darkness] Hmm. ¡°How does a section get isolated like this?¡± [Rick] ¡°It isn''t a regular thing. I''m amazed myself, since I only respond to catastrophic damage, I never suspected places like this even existed.¡± [Darkness] ¡°There is at least one room down there that is lethal to intruders. I believe a monster of a high calibre nests there.¡± [Rick] ¡°Close, but I don''t think so. In fact I believe it is most likely another rogue AI, one with a physical form... a bit like you.¡± [Darkness] ¡°Another clone of me?¡± [Rick] ¡°No, I just mean it originally was an inhabitant of the maze. Everything else is pure speculation. It is simply that the so called ''boss'' monsters you describe are usually directly managed by the overseers... no chance an overseer has any interest in that place with no way to view it. I believe it has been modified superficially by the owner into a dead zone. A place devoid of all interaction and change does seem to repel the overseers'' little drones.¡± [Darkness] ¡°There was life down there; plant monsters and slug people. In fact the plant monsters even grew a deadlier version while I was trapped down there.¡± [Rick] ¡°If it hadn''t possessed a relic that controlled gravity I would still be down there.¡± ¡°Convenient. Far too convenient. Two possibilities exist: one is that the overseers engineered that trial to get you back out of the hole, which I''ll admit is extremely unlikely since we already know it''s not under the usual surveillance. Or that the rogue AI just used a double-edged ploy to get rid of you. Perhaps your presence was drawing too much attention?¡± [Darkness] ¡°Either it killed you and that was the end of it, or you gained a way to escape.¡± ¡°So... the question is: what is down there that this AI treasures so much it will risk losing a system created artefact?¡± [Rick] ¡°It must be something precious to the Whispers the AI is keeping for itself.¡± ¡°Well, no harm in finding out.¡± Rodent teeth bared in a grin. It was a very small place. Only so many places to hide the treasure. I wonder what it is... It''ll only take a few hours, tops. Really, just a detour. I could just pass it up and go home first. The area doesn''t show any signs of changing hands any time soon. But the possibilities are just too enticing. Looking down into the abyss I murmur: ¡°Perhaps I''ll find something to use against those bastards pulling the strings... so... I guess I''m falling again!¡± The walls are clearly visible to me as I fall. They''re too smooth, like polished marble. I angle down towards where I originally entered. The floor rushes up to meet me. A burst of kinetic energy serves to bring my speed down to nil as I land softly. A shiver runs through the system, and I feel eyes on me. The AI in the Death Room seems immediately aware of my presence, but I have no reason to hide or fear it. We are both prisoners here, it may be his turf but the reality is I have the power to destroy a small star with the energy stored inside my clenched fist. I release a little hint of my potential and confidence as a warning, getting a hint of desperation in return. I glide around looking through the rooms, one by one. Slugs... eugh. At least I''m no longer reduced to wading through their filthy mucus. I hover over the floor, trying in vain to understand their language. I don''t have genetic memories any more beyond what I recall, in fact I no longer even possess genes. Still I''m getting a lot more respect than last time, since they seem to think I''m a god or something. Probably because of the anti-gravity-like magnetic field I''m using to repel against the thick iron ore deposits in the rock layers below to float around.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Since I have no care to waste my time further I move on, entering the topsy-turvy gravity anomaly room... which is now completely normal. A few useless monster plants wander around. I don''t even bother exterminating them. They''re nothing. In fact thinking about it: aren''t they the equivalent of wild deer to the slug people? They are vegetarians, I assume from viewing their offering ceremony earlier. I don''t think they even know meat is a food for other species. They are extremely backward and primitive due to isolation. But then what could they possibly use for a source of meat beyond cannibalism sectioned off down here... oh right, the river and it''s mutant spawn are nearby. Who would be desperate enough to eat that besides something as unscrupulous as my own species? Despite their isolation there is the fact they use some form of republic to govern. Still I wonder where they got that idea. Most races have kings and emperors, so how did they develop such an unusual political system? Perhaps as a race they are docile and have a herd mentality? Still doesn''t explain the (salt crystal) spears the soldiers carry. Perhaps they suffer from internal strife after all? In the end it''s irrelevant. Focus Rick, focus. You''d think as a simulation of self aware biological intelligence I could use my technically AI nature to process multiple things at the same time, in parallel but no... it has to be within the boundaries of my programming i.e. the complete brain map they use. Dammit. Really sucks the joy out of being practically immortal. ¡­ Anyhow since I''m not getting any real answers from all these places I know, my best bet is that the owner has ''it'' under lock and key. Whatever ''it'' is. So I think it''s time for a little chat. Since I''m done fooling around, I announce my intention over his network. All I get in reply is an exasperated feeling in reply. Fine, be annoyed for all I care. What can you do about it? Trudge... Okay, and around the next bend and... Holy cow! Well not literally. I''m just a bit startled. This room is wall to wall bones. Specifically skulls. All clean white bone. Without a blemish. Not even a smell of decay. They are old. Not all of them humanoid, but a vast majority. ¡°Is this what these death rooms usually look like?¡± [Rick musing] ¡°No, I decorated it myself.¡± [Stranger] At the rear a hunched form lies buried under a pile of these (so called) ornaments. OKAY THEN... Ignore the serial killer paint scheme for the time being. As I glance around I notice to my deep surprise another tunnel entrance, one leading upwards... this thing deliberately sealed off this section of the labyrinth, preventing anyone entering or leaving that didn''t fall in or fly out. New hypothesis... he''s protecting something in this easily fortified area that can''t be moved and is very vulnerable to the kind of harm an ordinary intruder can bring, let alone the Whispers. ¡­ Hey! There''s the broken cart that fell down here, but none of my weapons or the load of iron it carried is here. Oh, the big thing is talking at me again. ¡°If this is about the goods of the wagon... they are gone. If this is curiosity, just leave. If you intend to rob me... I will have your head too.¡± [Stranger] You know how things strike you out of the blue? Maybe you forgot something or lost a valuable, perhaps the bill has an extra zero than usual. I had an epiphany at this moment. ¡°You''re actually speaking English, my friend. I wonder, where and when did you learn my native language?¡± [Rick smiling brightly] ¡°As I understood it, only a few people here know it and all of them are versions of me. Now I most certainly am very, very interested in what you are doing here. Not for the slug-people I imagine.¡± The pile of skulls shook and slowly a figure three meters taller than my own emerged, an angry skeletal being. An undead giant... Well, well, well. Fancy seeing you again. ¡°You don''t remember me at all?¡± I ask grinning. ¡°Small fellow, furry. With a huge, walking lump of metal? I remember you well enough. I can''t believe I actually caught you back then and used you as a trap.¡± ¡°You-!!!¡± [The AI howls] ¡°I thought you were a dumb monster at the time... but really, I actually locked you out of your own front yard? How did you get back? Side tunnel? No, wait... you climbed down the cliff by hand?! Pfft...¡± [Rick laughing] ¡°Did you fall too?¡± ¡°You arrogant little beast, come let me crush you between my finger bones until you are jelly.¡± [Giant Skeleton] ¡°And here I though another AI would be a moderate threat...¡± [Rick shaking his head at his misjudgement] The huge bone arm reached out, to pluck him into the air and squeeze. ¡°You were only barely a threat to me when I was alive.¡± Rick said mockingly. As the hand clenched grabbing forcefully, it met a pulsing shockwave of kinetic energy that reduced the bones on the floor and those being used as a weapon to dust in a five meter radius around Rick''s body and sent billowing out in all directions. ¡°Man, that clone of mine might have been a bastard, but he was a top notch example of how to use kinetic energy well...¡± [Rick smirked] As the dust settled... Barely half a skeleton stood there, the complete right-side of it''s chest gone, as I watched it crumbled to the ground in pieces. The rat stood there a moment unimpressed. ¡°Quit faking. As I recall, you got ''killed'' by the giant bird too.¡± He smiled faintly. ¡°Or should I destroy it all? All of the bones in the room? I''m an AI too, remember? You''re still in control of the area. But at least one thing''s certain. I''ll know when you really die.¡± The bones trembled for a moment. ¡°Truce?¡± It murmured softly. ¡°Perhaps if you tell me where to find this thing you''re hiding, I''ll let you ''live''.¡± [Rick smiling crookedly] The bones sighed in defeat. ¡°The room of sandstorms is a trick. Only the mouth is like that, there to prevent entry. Inside is spacious and quite calm.¡± [Giant Bones] Hmm... ¡°Since when? Years?¡± [Rick pondering] ¡°Decades?¡± ¡°Generations.¡± [The giant undead creature answered] ¡°That is quite a while. Well... stay here and stand guard as before. If I have a use for you, I will ask nicely... and destroy you if you refuse.¡± [Rick muttering] ¡°Nearly killed twice by this ancient coward? My luck is awful.¡± Quickly he passed down into the far side of the area, looking at the swirling sand and the absence of scent from the other side... yes. It was too convenient. How was this being done? Some kind of skill? Hmm. Wait. Is that all magnetic? That sand is iron. It''s a giant, moving magnetic field. It would make a great drill... Okay... well I guess I can only learn more inside. Better not use magnetism to enter. I''ll only break the effect. Besides it would cost an arm and a leg in energy... figuratively. A thin layer of kinetic energy is much simpler. Can''t see a thing though... Okay. Almost there. The area in front seems solid... a device? But the side seems clear. Sidestep. Hey, lights. It''s quite bright. A glittering steel and glass city rises under harsh electric lights hanging from the roof... a vehicle speeds closer. A motorized vehicle, far beyond mere steam engines. Something that looked futuristic, even to a human who lived to see Earth in the year 1998. ¡°What the fuck?!¡± [Rick swore, mind boggling] On the side of the car, written in English was printed: Security Force. ¡°Am I dreaming...? Impossible...¡± [Rick muttered] What we learned: TWIST, TWIST and more TWISTS to come!!! The time period Rick actually hails from... not quite 2016, eh? Wait for it... Further twists incoming! Including: Actual location and time period of the Labyrinth to be confirmed... Welcome to the beginning of the end, folks...