Lair by Carl Stubblefield (recommended reading TXT) 📕

type of pain, like when a nose hair was pulled—only magnified to every part of his body, external and internal. Tears squeezed out of Gus’ eyes as he let out a guttural scream that he couldn’t stop. The pain went on and on, intensifying then waning slightly, only to increase with more fury.

Time seemed to move even more slowly and Gus caught fleeting glimpses of the Mantids still frozen in place as he briefly stopped screaming to pull in a ragged breath.

It feels like an eternity, how can they still be frozen? At long last, it was over, and Gus hung there in a daze, throat raw, staring in mute wonder at his changed body; his arms had become larger and more defined, his shoulders widened, and his chest expanded and became more solid. A glowing light enveloped him and suddenly he was… more.

Simultaneously, Gus felt heat build up inside of him. He winced as the heat became acutely painful, then relaxed as it began to subside. Turning, he saw the Mantids frozen mid-step. No, not exactly frozen, but moving incredibly slowly.

Nick’s voice spoke, “Assembling Nanobot Interface Construct.”

“Reviewing a suitable framework based on scan history and personal preferences…” Nick continued. Gus felt a pang of loss, knowing this Nick would soon be gone.

“Evaluation complete, assessing suitable mentor framework…” Nick said then hesitated, British accent melting away. “Secondary nanobot interface construct will be patterned after everyone’s favorite anti-hero!” a snarky voice exulted.

“Next evolution set at level twenty, just in case you’re bad at math and couldn’t figure that out.”

“Huh?!” Gus asked incredulously.

“Hey, it’s weird for me too, ok?” Nick’s new voice said. “I’m used to having voices in my head, not being one. I like what you’re doing with the music, but you know you don’t have to use the word ‘fight’ in the song title to make that skill work, right? I added some songs to your playlist. Ready?” the new Nick quipped.

“Ready for wha—” Gus started to ask as time snapped back to normal.

X Gonna Give it to Ya by DMX. Success rates x 6.

“Now THAT’S a fight song,” Nick said, pleased with himself.

Gus felt suffused with power from whatever happened at level ten. He knew he was outnumbered and outclassed, but if he was going to go out, he was doing this one solid. He spun his naginata around him in an impromptu kata and then attacked. He dashed forward, smashing the face of one of the Mantids with his shaft’s metal band, knocking it backward in surprise. A chime rang:

Skill unlocked: Bash (Level 1)

(5 x n)% chance of staggering and briefly stunning a foe.

100 XP awarded

200 FP awarded

5600 XP to level 11

Gus spun, burying his blade in a Mantid’s neck, then activated Dodge and backflipped away before the Mantids closed in on his previous position. A neck slice hobbled three of the Mantids now facing away from him. By instinct, Gus stabbed one of the Mantids and stomped the other’s head simultaneously. Unlike the Shamblers, this one’s head popped quite easily. Possibly since these were agility based Dark Nth, instead of constitution-based. Getting back to business, a new song started. Gus continued to fight but found no openings and defended against the attacks as they came.

Thunderstruck by AC/DC. Success rates x 24.

Gus activated Bash and dashed toward another Mantid. This time the head popped from the impact and Gus dodged to the left, avoiding an attack from behind that he sensed from a TimeSight-assisted perception boost. “My own little spider-sense! That TimeSight is pretty versatile!” Gus cheered.

Gus dashed back, picked a target, then alternated stabbing and using Bash as the skill refreshed. He was concerned that the weapon would break in two as the naginata cracked into their hard bodies, but Gus gained confidence as it held. The new skill’s only downfall was that he had to be so close to trigger the ability. Still, it stunned them enough to give him time to dance out of reach and attack unhindered.

Grabbing the weapon from a fallen Mantid’s head, he launched it at another Mantid, burying it to the hilt in its neck. Gus grimaced. Stupid! Never throw your weapon away! The Mantids shook briefly and stood still. After five seconds, the remaining Mantids retreated to the trees and fled. Gus blinked as they disappeared back into the jungle. He quickly recovered the thrown weapon. He had gotten too much into the thrill of battle and reacted on impulse. He resumed a fighting pose while staring at the jungle. Is this some kind of a trap? It feels like these things are getting smarter, and I don’t like it!

Turning, Gus noticed one of the blueish creatures placed within a recess of a dead tree. Gus hadn’t noticed it on his exploration into the jungle. He once again became transfixed, unable to turn away from the eye-studded blob.

“And we didn’t even make it to ‘9 to 5’ in the playlist,” Nick whined.

Gus was ready to chase the zombies into the forest, but thought better of it, not wanting to get caught in another ambush.

But you chased them off this time, why not?

“GUS!” Nick yelled.

Gus shook his head, realizing he was standing a mere arm’s length from the blob. When did that happen? He quickly stabbed the blob, easily popping it, and he felt a dreamlike torpor evaporate.

You have defeated an Observer (Level 12)

300 XP awarded

600 FP awarded

“Hello, McFly? Are you back with us?”

“Yeah, what was that?”

“Look at your logs, dummy! That mob was influencing you the whole battle. You weren’t listening to any of my suggestions to make a hasty retreat. Let’s get back to the manor, that was too close,” Nick gasped in exasperation, “…kids these days…”

Heading back down the path, Gus felt awkward and a little dazed from the mind control. To break the uncomfortable silence from Nick, he decided to get to know the new persona.

“So why was this persona chosen, Nick?”

“First of all, you’re welcome for the playlist suggestions, it’s kind of a thing when