Lair by Carl Stubblefield (recommended reading TXT) 📕

off the outside of a sea vessel; something totally disgusting, banal, or both. The drill captains didn’t have to run themselves, and must’ve been chosen for their sadistic streaks. Gus could remember vomiting and cramps and side-stitches. Running was kind of awesome when divested from those effects. Nth-assisted life was the way to go.

He turned a curve in the coastline and saw that this area had much more debris on the beach. Driftwood and rocks of various sizes disturbed the pristine beach that he had become accustomed to traveling along. He added leaps to clear the detritus and rocks, and veered side to side to avoid the largest patches. While probably useful for training his evasion skills, his speed slowed noticeably. Gus had been running this way for twenty minutes when he noticed a familiar sight; the place where this adventure all began. Checking out his shelter as it zipped by, he recalled that first night here.

It really wasn’t such a long time ago, but he felt vastly different than when he first arrived. He wasn’t the same Gus. He still had a way to go before he would hit level ten, but so much had changed. Despite his massive progress in such a short time, the sight reminded him that he still was in a battle to survive, even though he had shelter at the manor. He checked the tab that showed his remaining time before his Nth failed, little more than a day and a half, thanks to Nick’s new revelation. He needed to level faster.

Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen. Success rates x 6.

Another jolt in acceleration, and Gus could see the coastline was curving, turning toward the volcano. He could see that the coastline got skinnier and appeared to vanish against a rocky wall along one of the sides of the volcano. The chimes of a skill increase sounded again. He figured he could swim if worse came to worst, but he had an idea that he hoped would work. Pushing himself to run faster, he fine-tuned his MP and stamina usage levels so he had a stable five percent remaining.

Running with the Devil by Van Halen. Success rates x 24.

Gus surveyed the beach ahead as he had done this entire run, and nothing so far had shown any evidence that anyone besides himself had been here. From his vantage, he couldn’t see the manor, and no boats, piers, or wreckage had been visible anywhere along miles of coastline. Scanning ahead, he stretched his visual display and looked for anything that could possibly be an obstacle. He was quickly running out of beach as the island transitioned to an area which had sheer rock against which the waves crashed… A different chime sounded.

Skill unlock: Subskill: TimeSight Level 1. You can now access some relativistic effects that will compensate and increase reaction time while traveling at excessive speeds.

200 XP awarded

400 FP awarded

Gus continued running and noticed he was making slight changes in his direction without him making a conscious decision to avoid something. He wasted less motion and his speed increased from not having to shift to avoid obstacles as much.

The Run and Go by Twenty One Pilots. Success rates x 120.

As Gus ran he tried to see what happened when he stepped on the water as the waves flowed inward, preparing himself to trip. He was glad to see that it did not affect his running significantly, because he scarcely touched the water, skipping across like a stone with each step. He instinctively knew that it would not hold his weight, and that something besides his momentum was keeping him above the water. He had begun to hear a whistling as the air rushed by his ears, and moving through the air at this speed began to dry his eyes, pushing tears out the sides. All of a sudden there was a slight pop and the noise disappeared. At the same time, Gus’ eyes felt shielded and he could see without squinting, as if he were wearing goggles.

“Nick, wha—” Gus began, trying not to lose his focus.

“Ether is directing air around you in such a way to allow you to pass through it more efficiently, with less friction and its effects.”

Gus nodded and noted that there was a strange interaction with the ground and water as he took a step; he wanted to look to see what was happening. He dared not take his eyes away from his forward path, however, since things were speeding by so fast. The beach reappeared and Gus aimed for it, bracing himself for the speed increase of the next song.

Ready to Run by Dixie Chicks. Success rates x 720.

Gus had hated country music at one time in his life. Then he got a girlfriend who loved it, and trying to be as agreeable as possible, he finally gave it a chance and found some songs he could tolerate, and others he actually liked. He was grateful now to have more songs he was familiar with to use for his song chains. He didn’t have Google to help him remember any more obscure titles. Unique songs would be precious, so every one of them counted.

The jolt of the speed increase almost made him veer off into the jungle and crash violently into something. He barely recovered, leaving plumes of sand flung in his wake. Wide-eyed and heart beating, more from the adrenaline rush than exertion, Gus pushed ahead. Another chime sounded, but Gus barely paid it attention. As the last seconds of the song ticked away, Gus focused.

Run by George Strait. Success rates x 5040.

This is what Gus was waiting for. He found he was able to run across the water, skipping like a stone and avoiding the debris totally. One unforeseen challenge was the flexible nature of the ebb and flow of the water with the waves. After moving along for a minute, his TimeSight or his subconscious must have done the calculations and adapted because it was effortless to