Rule 18

Focus on Solutions & Learn from Mistakes

Statement: The hardest part of this new world is compartmentalizing all the trauma that might occur. At some point the choice becomes simple—do we break down and give in to our mental demons, or do we simply put them in a box and survive? More interesting still, if we do come out the other end, in a “normal” world—what happens when those who chose to box up their mental demons, find them resurfacing? I imagine we could learn from PTSD cases, assuming anyone left alive knows anything about handling them.

The creature showed up three more times. I crept slowly, studying if it could hear or find me in some manner. It seemed unable to distinguish me from the surroundings. Still, despite being unable to notice me, it avoided nets I’d left strung in the hallways with ease and stepped around explosive runes. Additionally, the others showed no awareness of the wine flute I’d left in their path. Or at least the path that their voices were in.

My faint hope had been that if I could scratch a wall’s paint and get messages across, they might see objects left behind as well.

The current methods weren’t working well. I’d gotten to use to exploding monsters and stabbing anything remaining. The hulking smashes of my ogre form would probably have more success, but the hallways were too tiny for Mister Underwood.

I struggled to measure all my choices. There were still too many situations to test. Next, I decided to try to net the creature and stab it in the face. It seemed like a simple enough plan provided I could shake it loose from the crates filled with goo. The gas would probably screw me up. I doubted it impacted the speedy rail-thin man because it didn’t have a nose.

“Allie?” Callisto’s rough and uneven voice crawled from nothingness next to my ear. We were practically on top of each other and I couldn’t feel or see her.

“We keep looping. It’s the same sixteen rooms. They’re in a square pattern. Every time we get near the outer edge, my map shows everything shifting with us.”

Interesting. Her map had the ability to show nearly anything she could think of, as I’d seen when posing as Mister Underwood. The fact that we were stuck in a loop and the monster could hide from her—and, apparently me—were worth noting as weaknesses, of hers, not the monsters. Not that I needed to exploit Allegra, but knowledge couldn’t be ignored.

They had limitations.

“Ghost, are you trapped too?” Callisto asked.

I tapped once for yes.

She continued, “Can you try to go the other direction? Maybe we can break this by splitting up.”

I tapped once. It probably wouldn’t do any good but there was nothing to be lost by going a different way. The worst case is that monster might suddenly figure out how to detect me. So far it’d been oddly disconnected in its choice of attacks. Maybe it simply trapped people here then let time, hunger, and thirst kill them. Maybe it never had to fight anyone because of the boulder.

The others had already gone a separate direction when a chill arced down my back from a sudden thought. This creature was thin enough that it might have slipped behind the boulder and claimed this area. If that was true, then hunger and starvation wouldn’t bother it. No other bodies or animals were in here. Maybe it had never fought anyone and was learning.

Possibilities:

It simply wanted us to go away. It couldn’t see the others but heard their sounds. It was also trapped. It was a gatekeeper to the treasure. It was a servant to a boss monster.

The ideas in my head spun in circles. I simply didn’t know, and while talking to it was a possibility, that might also include it ripping my face off in a gruesome display of annoyance. I had no qualms about murdering the creature if it sought to kill me. It was self-defense.

I would give it one chance. Though it might be aggravated enough to attack.

There it stood again. Down a hallway that looked like every other hall in this place. It chose to follow me instead of the others.

“Still there?” I whispered.

Its body jerked in a rapid-fire horror show fashion. The distance between us shrank to a dozen feet. It stood with its hands raised, and long glove covered fingers arched in my direction.

“What do you want?” I asked.

The others were nowhere near us, so I didn’t mind speaking. There might be other ways to communicate but I’d decided against encoding complex messages in the moss, and anything I wrote would turn to gibberish anyway.

“Quiet,” it said. The words rolled into a stretched-out hiss and echoed softly.

A fair request. The others were rather noisy. Leon and his armor jangled constantly and Callisto spent most of the time demanding information and ordering people about. The desire for silence made perfect sense. We, I, had also blown a hole in the entryway by shattering the rock. The noise must have bounced down these echoing halls and perhaps woke the creature.

I needed to narrow down the possibilities. “Will you let us go if we’re quiet?”

“You will die,” it said.

“Not to you.” That much I’d ensure. Death in this new world was certain. The method of my passing remained to be seen. This creature’s death would help me grow and learn about my own abilities. All I needed was a bit of foolishness, a smidgen of wisdom, and a dash of bravery.

Post Note: In hindsight, it could have simply been implying the inevitable. Oh well. Perhaps I simply wanted a reason to kill it.

It flickered. I assumed it intended to attack and threw my dagger down the hall, point first. The creature reappeared, leaning back against a wall to let the blade pass. During the moment of distraction, I slammed an explosive rune on the wall next to me and dodged back into one of the rooms filled with goo carrying totes.

The lingering echo from my sudden trap spell rang softly. The creature surely moved around out there. If it intended to hunt me then I’d be prepared. Though being in this room put me in a corner, it also gave me a clear entryway to watch.

I sat with my back against the crates and waited for my trap to trigger, expecting it to give me an edge for an ambush attack.

Nothing happened. The creature made no sound. That bothered me. It spoke and could hear me despite not having ears or a mouth. My supposition about the gas might also be wrong.

The pile of plastic containers abruptly wobbled then tipped. I turned my head from side to side searching for the creature. By the time I’d checked both sides, the three containers had completely opened and fell to the ground.

Liquid splashed everywhere. Once again, the green material brushed against moss and started a gaseous chain reaction. I held my breath in hopes the effect would lessen. The plastic tubs clattered loudly but their sound didn’t echo.

Only the creature could have tipped these stacks over. I hadn’t moved enough to rustle them. The gas haze hit and my feet ran cold. Goo lined my pair of paints and further stained the shirt. I shrank into the corner and tried to minimize how much I stepped in.

My knife stayed ready. A loud crack came from overhead. I jerked upward and prepared to fight off spiders, ogres, or whatever fresh hell this world would throw at me.

A small grate waved back and forth. Behind it was a crawl space. It could travel in the vents. Then I did a double take as green liquid chilled my toes and the gas distorted my vision. There were vents. I’d somehow missed the damned things despite doing laps around these halls. Maybe they hadn’t existed before, or the creature’s presence made me aware of them.

Now I knew. This discovery had to be a clue. Everything we’d fought so far had a weakness. Killing the enemy was a matter of overpowering it, leveraging my own strengths, or exploiting its problematic areas. Even Mister Yuck Yuck would have a weakness.

Callisto and Leon’s armor made loud clanking sounds as they looped back. I piled the crates using the clamor of noise as cover. Two crates, then three. My body wobbled, and hands were unsteady but it would pass. It all would pass, and I’d survive this challenge.

I climbed up and stuck my head into the vent. There was enough space to crawl one direction and maybe turn around. It’d be a tight fit. That slender creature could probably go down these paths with more speed than I’d ever dare.

A stupid man would crawl into the vents after it or try to sneak up on the creature. A smarter one would see if the vents could explode first. It was time to use one of the goo creatures that formed after those totes were tipped.

Post Note: I hadn’t seen them, but I could infer their presence. My clues were three-fold.

Leon and Callisto clearly fought something. It may exist separate from me, but my tipping of the totes had caused them to spawn. They had mentioned oozes. Oozes were green, and the liquid inside the totes probably moved because of these creatures. Something popped and cast more goo around, after the totes had dropped.

What confused me was why these creatures dying caused a second pop of liquid that I could see, when the monsters were invisible. It was like I’d gotten stuck in some glitch version of this place and had secret access. Originally, I’d suspected it was part an evolved stealth ability, but it might be something stranger.

Post Note: While, upon reflection—I can say what I experienced—from the start of this journal to the end, I have not figured out the actual reasons. I have suspicions and may be able to figure it out.

The aftermath of our battle also bore consideration. If I did kill the monster, I might find myself suddenly visible to the others. Though I hadn’t figured out why I existed in this strange other realm yet. It could have been a result of having so many orbs. Leon might know if I let him see me but that idea would be hard to realize.

I took one of the totes and shoved it into the vent. They were just small enough to fit inside. The trio grew closer and I paused my actions. It was worth waiting to see if they’d notice the rearranged containers. None of their commentary had mentioned these plastic totes with slimes in them.

“More slimes,” Leon said. A strong sigh followed from one of the women.

“My feet hurt,” Allegra’s words were quieter.

“We knew this wouldn’t be a walk in the park,” Callisto said.

Metal clanged. Leon grunted and I saw the dull flash. There were a few more sounds of battle then nothing. I waited for them to comment on the totes I’d stacked to reach the vent.

“What about the room?”

Leon responded to Callisto’s question. “Empty. Like every other room. I can’t tell them apart anymore. Allegra, is this a place we missed or are the oozes on different spawn timers? All of these slimes have the same descriptions. Ten hit points, no strength. I can’t see these things killing anyone unless we fell asleep in a pool of them.”

“We might,” Callisto said. “Ghost? Any suggestions?”

She either knew I was there, listening, or assumed I’d be around. We couldn’t exactly get far away from each other. I tapped twice.

“He’s in the room?” Leon asked.

“Probably exploring it like we are,” Allegra said. “I still can’t get him to show up on the map.”

“Don’t worry about it. I get the feeling that it’s better if we can’t see him. Fuck it. Let’s keep moving.” Callisto’s stomps were clear, even without being able to see her storm down the hall.

“Maybe we’re failing a perception check,” Leon said. “Allegra do you have a buff for…” His voice faded into the distance along with the sound of clinking armor.

They were gone. I pondered over their inability to see the crates with monsters inside. Maybe there were other places in the world like this. It could have also been because this series of rooms were sealed away. Or it had to do with the circular maze that we were trapped in. Either way, I needed to see if I could seal the vents and limit the thin man’s movement.

If I could do that, then get Callisto to cast her beam down the hallways, it might be possible to herd him into an attack. I got back onto the crates, poked my head into the vent and opened the lid. It flopped to the side like any other storage container. Were it not for the see-through sides, I could have expected clothes or books to be packed away.

The liquid sloshed with more violence. I pooled red energy from the book still hanging inside my stretched pants pocket. Seconds later the explosive rune armed and I made it across the hall to witness the results of my tests.

An explosion rocked the room. Sound echoed all around. Liquid splattered from a different angle. I smirked. This was rather amusing. Especially since the slimes were clearly too stupid to avoid crawling out to their deaths. It also confirmed even though the thin creature seemed capable of bypassing my spells, these little monsters weren’t, despite being invisible to me.

I crossed the hallway to get a better look at the results. Down the hall the stood the slender human. It put a finger up to where its mouth should be. “Quiet, ghost! Sleep now!” the creature shouted, completely at odds with its loud voice.

His sudden yell echoed. My ears rang. I found myself tilting to one side while the walls still bubbled furiously. I took short shallow breaths but the freshly summoned knife stayed steady.

The others must be using Allegra’s powers to cleanse any effects from the gas. Leon had called it a poison. To me it felt closer to what my dad had described as an acid trip. Not that I relished relying on anything my father had said. It was more about heeding the key line, when the drugs hit, don’t panic. Panic makes the trip worse.

The quick bodied creature flickered then vanished. I counted to twelve and turned to the room I’d destroyed. Inside was an utter mess. The two stacks of crates I’d left untouched were all tipped. Most were open. More liquid than ever lined the walls. I stared as it slowly faded away.

There might be monsters all around me. I couldn’t see them and stayed to see what happened. The room remained damaged. The vent had been destroyed. Bent metal curved backward and sharp jagged spikes lined its edges. Anyone trying to crawl through that would probably get cut.

I couldn’t figure out if that was useful or bad. There was time to sort out the results. Other than mild hunger I had no urgent rush to escape this maze. Under my gaze, little about the room changed. Effects of the gas faded and I only felt itchy. The totes were a jumbled mess. Even the slime that coated the walls faded away while moss steadily regrew.

“Down here.” Allegra’s voice broke the silence. “This room has changed. I don’t know why.”

“Ghost?”

I tapped once on the wall and waited for the others to explore the area. They might not like what I’d done but their opinions didn’t matter. We were trapped. I still had other questions, like how could a creature with no mouth speak? What did it use for oxygen? Then again, I summoned objects from a magical black hole in my hand.

“Slimes,” Leon called. “These are bigger. Six. No, more. Mayor Kent give us strength!”

The sound of special moves unleashing followed. The hallway lit with a muffled version of Leon’s hammer stun. Paper rustling could be heard.

I stood there, feeling annoyingly useless. It would have truly bothered me if I’d slipped on the Hawthorn body. He—I, as him—relished combat. He was a creature of the moment who sought pleasure and adrenaline.

My head shook to brush those thoughts away. I had no way to know what would happen if I put on either form. It might ruin this whole mess. Besides, that explosion had clearly changed something important, or Allegra wouldn’t have marched the others in this direction.

“Kill them all! Purge the unbelievers!” Leon shouted.

Their weapons clanged. Leon’s hammer thudded into the ground creating a ripple effect that vibrated my toes. I flinched and studied my feet for signs of being turned into pancakes. Sounds, lights, and more noise filled the hall right outside my experimentation room.

“We clear?” Callisto asked.

I wondered if Mister Underwood could smell her. That scent of brushed metal and oils had been strong. It was nothing like the softer fragrance from Allegra. Both thoughts were pushed away. I lifted my latest knife and tapped on the wall under the exploded vent.

“What’s that?” Callisto asked.

For a moment, I felt weak. They were together exploring this place. I had nothing to see. To me, they were the ghosts, haunting me, while I thought of myself as real. I pushed that away too and tapped the wall again.

“He’s trying to get our attention,” Allegra responded.

“For what? This place is like everything else. Empty.”

My eyes tightened from frustration. The ladies clearly hadn’t noticed the giant gaping hole along the ceiling. Maybe they couldn’t see it. I remembered that the rooms had flickering lights and searched for them now. There were no lightbulbs or lamps. Still, that dull haze persisted.

Post Note: I surmise that the flickering was the creature traveling back and forth through the vents—but can’t be sure. The only thing I could confirm is that there were no lights directly inside the room but they still had separate illumination.

More experiments might help. Failing that I could blow up every single vent and force the creature to travel down the hallways instead. Thought its speed would still be problematic to deal with. Combining a net and the explosive trap might entangle it.

I crept down a hallway, found an undisturbed room and tipped over all the crates. This time, instead of walking away to explore the area, I waited.

Leon and crew clambered through. They fought the monsters and won. I tuned out the majority of conversation since no one said anything useful or new. My gaze locked on the emptied room and displaced crates.

Time passed. Not a lot. Enough for the trio to loop through again.

Then the vent opened. I hadn’t even heard the hinges come undone or the squeak of metal as it flopped down. Silent and steady, the creature took away emptied totes. It moved so fast that all I caught were snaps of the scene. It removed each container, brought back a dozen more, and stacked them carefully.

Fresh green liquid sloshed inside.

The monster was using the vents to replenish the stacks. A dozen different possibilities passed through my mind, each one more surreal than the last. It could be zipping away and scooping up those slimes from a pool. It could have booby trapped this place with crates that no one else could see. That would explain why Allegra and the others saw the monsters but not the buckets.

I was learning. Next I’d limit the creature’s movements and deny its speed; I’d have to coordinate with the others. After that would be the prizes I longed for, new abilities, and freedom from this entrapment.