I cleaned the blood off my face before stepping up and offering David a hand. He reached up, but his hand shook a bit, likely from the bat. They finished packing up, and when we started to leave, an awkward silence passed over us. When I pulled my glowing bags of water out of my backpack, Stacy frowned,
“Wow. You weren’t kidding about being stuck here, huh?”
David snickered under his breath before I frowned at him, “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing man, it just looks ridiculous.” David pulled out an orange crystal the size of my palm from his pack. The gem held a moving fire within its glossy surface, and it glowed brighter than torches. It illuminated more of the cave and even exposed a few outlines of the bats.
I peered around, “Huh…neat.”
Once we started walking, they gave me several pieces of bread and jerky. Before I scarfed the food down, I asked, “Just making sure, but this cave’s still close to Springfield, right?”
David gave me a thumbs up, “Yeah. We’re just outside the city.”
I let out a sigh of relief, “Oh man, I didn’t know if I was in a different country or what.”
Stacy shook her head, “No, we’re still near Pier’s Creek. Nothing changed outside besides the pit leading here. It’s not the same, and once you go a certain depth you can’t leave. It was very…surreal.”
I frowned, “Yeah, pretty much everything has been since the Schema arrived.”
David raised a hand, “So, like, you mean Schema, not the Schema, right?”
I leaned back, “You’re acting like it’s a person.”
Stacy deadpanned, “It is. It’s an AI.”
I turned to him, my eyes widening, “It’s an AI? Like skynet or something?”
Stacy nodded. I peered forward, “Oh man, I don’t know anything.”
David looked up at where the bats were, “You know how to fight, so there’s that. Considering we’re surrounded by eldritch, that’s pretty nifty.”
I pointed up, “The bats are called eldritch?”
David raised a hand, “Well, no. They’re BloodHollow Bats. All these things, even those bears you mentioned, are called eldritch. Any monster in a dungeon is. If you ask me, it sounds pretty eerie.”
Stacy shivered, “I just can’t wait to get out of here.”
My expression deadened, “You have no idea.”
Interrupting the conversation, a bat flew over towards us. Ready and waiting, I stepped in front of the others. The bat smashed into my chest, and I caught it like a heavy football. I stepped back from the impact and wrapped my arms around it. I crushed down, and the bat squealed as I squeezed the life from it.
Unable to just pulp it in my arms, I body slammed it, putting all my weight into mauling the creature. The monster squashed beneath me before I pulled myself up, slinging some blood off. I kicked the deflated bat aside before David pursed his lips. He mouthed,
“I get why your shirt didn’t make it.”
I shrugged, “Eh, I do what I have to for survival. Anyways, you mentioned schema being an AI?”
Skill level up! [Intimidation | Level 2]
Stacy gulped before replying, “Yeah.”
I kept my eyes peeled, “Ok, so why is it, er, assimilating worlds? Is it to stop the cracks in dimensions or whatever?”
David nodded, “Uh, yeah, pretty much.”
Another strained quiet passed over our group, so I pinched the bridge of my nose,
“Guys, look, I’m not going to kill you. Calm down. I’m too busy trying to survive here.”
They sighed. Apparently they’d been holding their breaths for a while now. Stacy turned a palm to me,
“You’re just scary looking. You’re like, I don’t know, seven feet tall or something.”
I stopped walking and turned to them. Leaning back, I tried looking at myself, “Wait a second, I’m taller?”
She shrugged, “Maybe. You might have been taller than you thought.”
I touched my face like I was molding dough, “Do you guys have a mirror?”
David dug his hand into his backpack, “Uh, yeah, we do. It’s for lighting campfires.”
He tossed it over, and I pulled it up, “Doesn’t matter. I just need to see if my face looks any different.”
Mirror in hand, I pulled up to the torch gem. There I was, looking like a giant. I turned to the others, “How tall are you guys?”
Stacy pointed at herself, “I’m 5’6. He’s 5’7.”
David peered at her, “I’m 5’7 and a half.”
Using them as a frame of reference, I was close to seven feet tall, though not quite. Before the system came, I stood just over six foot, so I was pretty tall before. I sprouted up a couple inches since then. I bulked up as well, though that wasn’t the hardest thing to do. All the boxing and cardio kept lean.
My hair had tousled around into a horrific mess, and my hands were large and brawny. Calluses covered my knuckles, along with scars. One traced down the side of my forehead, from when I first fought the bat. I glanced at a few other parts of myself, noticing a few scars along my arms, sides, and chest.
I turned to Stacy and David, “Am I grayish to you guys?”
David let out a breath, “Oh man, I have been wanting to tell you that since we met. That’s why I shot that arrow at you.”
I frowned at him, handing him the mirror back, “Thanks a lot.”
Thinking about it, the bats and bears stood smaller compared to before. Details like that obscured when I fought in the darkness, but the torch gem gave me a good enough view to discern those details. Peering down, the glowing bags hung over me and bulged out like glowing tumors. With the streaks of dried blood on me, it was no wonder they were terrified of me when we met.
I grimaced, “Damn. I do look like a monster, don’t I?” I took out the bags of water, tossing them aside. They left a dim shine over the rock before I reached up my hands, “I’ll be taking on the boss here soonish. I’d say a week or two tops. When I get about ten or so levels higher and finish some trees, I’ll take him on. You guys are free to tag along if you want.”
David put his hands on his hips, “Sounds good to us. I didn’t wanna mention it, but we really do need your help here.”
I laughed, “Hah. Trust me, I noticed. You guys would be chewed up and spit out by Baldag-Ruhl.”
Stacy peered up at me, “What level is it?”
I cupped my chin, “Hm, over level 100. I can’t imagine it being much more than that.”
They peered forward, both of them dwelling on their mistakes. Stacy gasped, “Coming here was a huge mistake. This dungeon’s only supposed to go up to level 60.”
I shrugged, “This wouldn’t be the first time Schema glitched out for me. Either way, that faulty info doesn’t matter. What does matter is we have to kill Baldag-Ruhl to leave.”
Stacy waved her hands, “Couldn’t he just, I don’t know, let us leave?”
I kept my eyes sharp for bats, “You heard his name, right? Baldag-Ruhl, of Many. That name makes Sauron sound like a schoolgirl. It’s a hivemind that uses insects. It’s ancient, hundreds of years old. I don’t, and haven’t, trusted that damn thing for a second since coming here.”
David murmured, “Do you think you’ll beat it?”
I grinned, “Oh, I know I will.”
They perked up at my confidence. We continued for an hour before Stacy whined, “Why in the hell are these caves so big?”
I raised a finger as if I had a solid explanation, “To hurt your feet, break your morale, and crush your spirit.”
David raised his brow, “Anything else?”
I gestured around, “To be annoying.”
Stacy whined, “Yeah, I already got that part.”
Our conversation cooled down to pointless chattering at that point. I appreciated it more than I let on, the endless, ringing silence turning into the warmth of company. By the time we reached the next set of pools, I perked up quite a bit. I pointed at the gray pool,
“The blue pools are safe. Gray, pink, and yellow are dangerous. Crimson means it’s the boss, Baldag. I’ll keep the golem distracted while you guys pepper it from a distance. I’ll be keeping my aura active during the fight. It’ll hurt you guys if you come close.”
I glared at the gray miasma, “Oh, and try not to die to the bats. I don’t want to have to carry your corpses out of here.”
They gave curt, fearful nods of acknowledgment before I charged towards the rock golem. I flicked Agony on when I reached a few feet from it. The golem met my charge, each of us colliding in a monstrous clash. Bits of stone flung outwards. My shoulder bruised. Sound boomed out.
The clash left my ears ringing. We locked hands as the golem pushed me back, and I bent down. It pushed over me before I strained, pushing up. Veins pressed out from under my neck, tracing down my shoulders. I grunted and roared as I lifted the rock golem a few inches off the ground.
The golem kicked towards my face, and I headbutted its foot. The boulder cracked while my vision went white. I kept upright before pulling the golem down and smashing it into the floor. Cracks appeared in the ground from the force of the slam. The golem fractured all over as arrows snapped into stone around me.
One stabbed into my back. I winced before pulling it out and shouting, “Watch where you’re aiming.”
They both stammered, “Sorry.”
I flipped the arrow in my hand before driving the arrow into the golem’s face. The golem reared and arm back before smashing it into my face. I blinked back surging pain before spitting out blood. Its limbs detached from its main body, spiralling around us both. I kept its chest and face planted on the ground.
The storm of stone thundered around me, chips of rock piercing into my back, arms, and legs. Knowing where its core was, I lifted my arms, ready to crush it. I smashed one hand down, and it chunked a chip against my cheek. Blood dripped from the scrape, but I lifted my other hand.
Another bone-crushing blow slammed against it. The creature slit another wound across my back. Blood dripped from the wound before I lifted my other hand. It trembled beneath me before I began smiling.
Over and over, I ground and pounded its body and face to powder. My blow’s booms blared across the cavern, each hit rippling with sound. The golem’s life dwindled before I wrapped my hand around its face. I cracked it against the floor, again and again and again before it snapped, revealing the core.
Once it fell apart in my hand, I checked my status.
Level gained! One Level up!
I put a point into strength, getting a little rush. I picked up the golem’s core and drained the mana pool nearby. As I paced back towards Stacy and David, I deactivated Agony. My wounds healed as they glanced at me. Dumbfounded, David spread out his hands, “How in the hell did you lift the golem?”
“Well, I have twenty strength and a perk that helps with moving my body.” I clasp a hand. “It makes moving myself twice as easy, so if I’m just swinging my hands, it makes my effective strength much higher.”
Stacy frowned, “I’ve been keeping my attributes all spread out. They all looked so useful.”
I raised my brow, “Huh, really? I did the opposite. I put all my points into one attribute until I got to thirty points, then I moved on to the other ones. From what I’ve seen, the perks stop there…so far.”
They gazed up at me, soaking my tips up with eager interest. I continued, spurred on by their attentive glances,
“So yeah, some attributes go together really well. A perfect example is constitution and endurance. One gives you health, one makes that health better. Strength and dexterity would probably go together well too. Intelligence and willpower. Etcetera. You get the idea.”
David shook his head, “And here I am with less than fifteen in any attribute. You have over thirty one. That’s crazy.”
I waved a hand, “My endurance is 48. That’s by far my highest attribute. Besides that, I’m level fifty eight. I’m not going to be struggling to get thirty in a single attribute.”
David glanced down, rubbing the back of his head, “Yeah, good point.”
I stared forward, “I don’t know everything, though. There may be a jack of all trades perk. If that’s the case, let me know when you find it.”
I slung some of my blood off my arm before it congealed. Stacy leaned back, “Blegh. Well then mister brutal, where to next?”
I chuckled, “Heh, I actually have a skill called Lumbering Brute. We’re heading off to the next pool, simple as that.”
We walked and talked through the cavern until reaching yet another pool, this time with a bear. I charged it, mauled it to death, and gave the coat to them. Being this high a level, the bear didn’t push me anymore. A lot of that stemmed from my regeneration and endurance stats, each bolstered by the Determinator trees.
Talking with David and Stacy, I learned that the tree was impossible to obtain for anyone who went through the tutorial. It required two perks in endurance before level fifteen. You got four perks by level ten, but the first three perks in the tutorial were always Beginner, Fledgling, and one of the first perks in the pillar of light.
That made Determinator unobtainable. Being put in BloodHollow stopped that, and gave me the extra endurance and willpower. Why Schema set up the tree like that, I didn’t really understand. However, I reaped benefits from the mess-up, so I counted my blessings where I could.
Speaking of blessings, we took the killed bear and cooked its meat. This evolved the meat from a gamey, gelatinous mass to a spicy, flavorful meat. David and Stacy only carried salt and pepper for seasoning, of course, but I cooked a good bit at home. That meant I gave the bear meat a bit of sear, making it taste better than it otherwise would.
As we finished eating, Stacy shook her head at the meal, “That was actually really good. I can’t believe you can cook and fight. What else can you do?”
I frowned, “That’s about it. I was struggling in school, and I was considering dropping out even before the system arrived. This new way of life probably suits me more. Either way, I gotta give this bear’s meat to Baldag-Ruhl, so go hide behind a boulder or something.”
David raised a brow, “Why are we hiding, exactly?”
I sighed, “He made a quest with me, but neither of you. He might kill you both.”
They peered at me, a chill running up their spine. They skulked away before I called out for Baldag-Ruhl. A pile of bugs showed up a few minutes later. They made the shape of a mouth, speaking in his ancient voice,
“I see you’ve given me another delicacy.”
“Oh, you know me. I only offer up the finest of foods.”
After ingesting the corpse with bugs, Baldag echoed out, “You’re an industrious being, aren’t you?”
“It’s more like I’m bored.”
“You found entertainment in battle then. It’s forged you into a different creature since we first met. Like tempered steel, you’ve turned soft flesh into hardened mass. I admire the form you’ve fostered.”
A winced at his wording, “Uh…Thanks, I guess.”
“You’ve helped me a great deal in my conquest of this cave. I will reward you for it. Come to me once more.”
I gave him a slight bow, “Of course, Baldag-Ruhl, of Many.”
Seemingly pleased, the pile of insects strode off with a horrid clittering of legs. Once out of earshot, I turned to the others, “Alright guys. It’s over.”
Stacy said, “That was utterly disgusting. What the hell. Ew.”
David and I laughed at her grossout. A few seconds later, I gained a skill,
Skill Unlocked! Speechcraft | Level 1 – You’ve spoken with an awareness of your wording. Your tact gains you favor, pulling you a step closer to what you want. +1% to fluidity and wording during conversation.
Any help for my interpersonal relationships was a bonus. Squaring the notification away, I gestured a hand, “Come on. Let’s go.”
They nodded, and I gained another skill.
Skill Unlocked! Leadership | level 1 – You tread forward. Where you walk, others will follow. +1% to leadership skills.
The skill points were valuable, even if leading wasn’t at the moment. We walked on until Stacy flopped down,
“I can’t keep going. I’m about to collapse here.”
David let out a breath, “Same.”
I frowned, “We have ground to cover, guys. Do you really have to stop right now?”
David set his pack down, “I’ll be honest, that meal with the bear is taking me out.”
Stacy leaned back against a boulder, “I’m kind of falling into a food coma, personally.”
I had a perk that halved sleeping and eating requirements. They didn’t, so that’s where their exhaustion spawned from. I shrugged, “We’ll stop here then. I’ll stand guard. You guys sleep.”
They set up camp, talking about the outside world. I stayed silent for the most part, tired of talking. I hadn’t spoken for a long time, so talking so much all of a sudden was exhausting. Still, I listened, and the more I learned about the outside world, the more unnerved I became.
More people passed than these two initially let on. The tutorial put people up against wolves, and that required some serious physical fitness. Older people lacked that, so most ederly people didn’t make it. People dealing with other issues struggled as well since the tutorial lasted several days.
During that time, no one got food either. If anything, it seemed like the rough draft of a tutorial instead of the real thing. Why a near all-knowing and all-powerful AI designed the program like that, well, I couldn’t say. Neither could David or Stacy.
Humans proved resilient, however. People stabilized the situation, searching and finding family. Once set, they began forming groups and rallying against the new monster spawns. Oddly enough, those spawns had a pretty logical reasoning to them.
According to Schema, the universe’s expansion led to cracks forming along space and time. Dark things came pouring out of those cracks, destroying worlds, solar systems, even entire galaxies. Schema had found a way of reorienting these cracks into something that made sense, something that could be fought against.
In other words, Schema turned dark ether into dim dungeons. The process wasn’t perfect, but it sounded a hell of a lot better than the alternative. Regardless, Earth was right in the middle of it all, so the monsters spawning ramped up quickly. Oceans of these creatures, these eldritch, poured out.
We fought within a cracking dimension, one of the designated combat zones. A dungeon. If left to their own devices, the eldritch would tear open the walls of the dungeon, releasing hell upon the earth. Knowing that inevitable outcome, Schema gave humanity a set goal – cull or be culled.
What the Sentinel had called the culling had been the initiation process into Schema-owned space. Schema didn’t have time for details, so it just dumped all of these changes onto a world at once. Large parts of the population died in the process, which people now called the culling.
These little pieces of data snapped together, forming a bigger picture for me. This whole time, this living hell, it was all because Schema didn’t have time for me. A tiny glitch that through me in this pit wasn’t worth its time. Being put in this position because of negligence, it burned in my chest for a minute.
With a deep sigh, I chose to just let it go. The AI dealt with more than I could imagine handling all the time, so a mishap here or there was a certainty. I’d been a mistake, a little blip outside its radar this whole time. Compared to what it dealt with, I was unimportant.
That realization was like jumping into cold water. I wasn’t special. I was forgotten.
I shook it from my face before standing over David and Stacy. There were still quite a few questions left unanswered. How did the cracks form? Where were the eldritch coming from? What had happened to the people that made Schema? I wondered if they were still here, wandering from world to world.
David and Stacy drifted off to sleep, likely their first real rest since arriving. Having me stand guard helped them in that regard. Having time to think, I trained skills while dwelling on our new reality. At the same time, I killed some bats, leveled up once, and tried keeping my motivation high. My progress slowed down now, and what was once like drinking water turned into downing motor oil.
It took nine hours to gain a level. A single level. My willpower kept me focused though, almost like my body was a puppet and I was its master. When Stacy and David finished trying to sleep, they found me dripping sweat over dead bats. They stumbled across the camp for a bit, each of them struggling to wake up.
It made sense. Even a war veteran struggled to rest when surrounded by constant danger. These two were teenagers, so they fared far worse. I had a leg up in that department since I was used to the constant tension. It was no different than home.
I’d sleep at school often, practice boxing during the afternoons, and I’d come home to my dad. He’d become a drunkard after mom died. It had broken him into tiny pieces. Those pieces got violent when he drank too much. He put that violence on me on more than one occasion, so I never slept soundly anymore.
I got the better of him just before this whole system started. I used all the skills I got from the boxing gym to teach my old man a lesson. However, the police didn’t see it that way. That’s why Michael and I went spelunking in the first place. I was about to be taken to juvie for beating my dad.
In coming to this place, I’d wanted to just run away from my life. I succeeded more than I ever imagined I would. I hadn’t dwelled on it. I didn’t have time, and bad memories led to bad thoughts that led to bad actions. I couldn’t let that happen.
If there was one thing I wouldn’t do, it’d be following my father’s footsteps. Dramatic, maybe, but I held that thought close to my chest. I’d be stronger than he ever was. Strong as steel and hard as a hailstorm. I’d never be pushed into another piss-filled toilet. I’d never let someone snuff a cigarette out on my skin. I’d never be tormented like that again.
No, I’d crush anything that tried, either under my heavy heels or my storming fists. I picked up a bat and threw it over onto a pile of their corpses.
It was time to add to the pile.