“Emperor’s tits I’m so sore!” groaned Dakota, the bunk above Mai creaking as her friend popped her head over the edge. Dakota’s hair hung free.

Unlike most of the cullers, she’d decided to have the nanites grow it out until it was nearly past her buttocks. Mai still hadn’t got a sensible answer as to why.

“I’m still smiling at the sight of you choking that Bronze Apple bitch out with your hair. What the hell’s made you think of growing it? Bloody genius” The Bronze Apples were legendary. Renowned for their brutality, an achievement in itself considering the nature of the one-miler gangs, they carried short sticks with bronze apples on their ends which they used to club their victims to death.

As a result, all of them were particularly skilled in stick fighting and intimidation. Beating one of them had caused a stir in the hangar.

“Told you it was a good idea. I even got a new skill. GAROTTE. Rank 1. Thought I’d have got more for being inventive. But I’m not complaining. Not much anyway,” Dakota stretched as she spoke, groaning in pleasure at the pops and clicks it elicited.

“Have you noticed so many of the cullers here have skills way better than ours? And I’m not even talking about the gangers.”

Dakota nodded. “Yeah. There seem to be a lot of former armed or special forces. I can’t tell if that’s because they’re stacking the odds, or things are so bad on army pensions that they only have one option.”

Mai looked over towards the former soldiers. They’d grouped together and cut the other cullers completely out of their clique. After the first vicious beating, no one even dared enter their section of the bunkroom.

I still don’t understand why they weren’t punished for that. On my first night, the drones killed people. And yet they can break all of the bones in someone and no-one blinks an eye.

“Those prisoners scare the shit out of me more,” whispered Dakota, face red from being upside down for so long. Her eyes darted in the direction of the other main culler faction in their bunk room.

Shuddering, Mai shifted so that she could look over. There wasn’t a single piece of unblemished skin on any of the prisoners. Where they weren’t covered in gang tattoos or former unit tattoos – soldiers who committed crimes were sent to penal regiments - they were covered in scars. Why they hadn’t got them healed properly or even removed was beyond her. Especially given that by entering the Culling, it was almost a mandatory thing given the Celestial Courts view on how participants should look. Then again, maybe these contestants were supposed to look that way for the viewers. For sure they weren’t offered that option in prison. Whilst tattoos were popular, so were body modifications. If you had the money to afford them that was. Each template cost money, and they had to be bought from body-mod parlous. Not cheap.

Many members in both groups seemed to be missing at least one limb. Instead of flesh regrowth, which cost an arm and a leg, they had settled for cyber or nano-replacements. Probably much cheaper that way, and the enhancements could be really beneficial.

“Notice how so many of them seem to know each other well? It’s not as if they’re the most charismatic people either,” said Mai. And that had been odd as well. None of the other cullers, bar those who came from the same gang, knew each other. But there was a chumminess amongst these cullers which set her teeth on edge.

“I know. I nearly pissed myself when Sharktooth smiled at me.”

Sharktooth was the leader of the prisoners. He’d won his fight on the first day by biting the throat out of his opponent, a mild-mannered tailor who it turned out had crossed the wrong noble when he asked for a debt to be paid. A ten-miler, he’d stood zero chance.

Every time Sharktooth smiled he revealed a mouth filled with three rows of razor-sharp teeth. Blood constantly dripped from his lips as his tongue cut itself on them.

“He’s a fucking sadist too. Did you see the way he dislocated his partner’s shoulders in training?” whispered Dakota, making a conscious effort to not look over at him.

“Yeah, Martelle tapped like a rabbit and he just ignored him. Popped them right out.”

“Didn’t break any rules though,” Dakota snorted. “Nothing about accidents in the rules so long as they don’t kill someone.”

KNIFE FIGHTING LESSON BEGINS IN FIVE MINUTES

DO YOU ACCEPT YES/NO?

“You know, just once I want to click on the NO and see what happens,” snarled Mai as she stabbed at the YES as hard as she could.

“Fuck yeah.” Dakota nodded before flipping off the bed onto her feet. “Wouldn’t actually do it though. That’s like standing in front of a mirror and whispering ``Bloody Buddha three times.”

Mai’s hand clapped itself over her mouth. Urban legend or not. Myth or not, no one ever said Bloody Buddha in front of the mirror three times. And especially not since she’d come face-to-face with the supposedly legendary, but all too real, mogwais.

As legend had it Bloody Buddha was actually a real man once, a wandering priest of the Empty Hand Sect. He’d ventured down into the one mile and had been captured by the Shaolin Monks, a gang renowned for its unarmed combat skills.

What they had done to that poor monk for entering their territory didn’t bear thinking about. However, with his last breath he had cursed them, vowing eternal revenge and that he would return whenever someone said Bloody Buddha in front of a mirror three times.

The leader of the Shaolin Monks had laughed before killing the monk with a tiger fist punch, ripping out his heart. Holding it aloft he had stood in front of a chrome-plated window.

“Bloody Buddha. Bloody Buddha. Bloody Buddha,” the Shaolin leader had chanted, laughing with the rest of his gang as he did so.

That laughter had quickly turned into screams and deaths too horrible to recount as the monk of the Empty Hand had risen and killed them all, bar one survivor who lived long enough to tell the tale.

And now, whenever anyone needed a guardian spirit to wreak revenge for them, they stood in front of a mirror and summoned the monk.

There was a twist however, as those that did so with evil intent found themselves slain. Or so the story went. Mai didn’t know anyone who had actually taken the risk.

People started filing out of the bunkroom. The soldiers and prisoners were always last to leave, chatting and laughing amongst each other and sharing insults back and forth.

“Why are they so fucking chummy with each other but not us? It’s as if we don’t bloody exist unless they have to train with us,” hissed Dakota.

“Maye you can try and make friends as we play with knives this morning?” chuckled Mai.

“Think they’ll get the point?”

***

They were still sniggering as they lined up. Dragon Warrior was in front of a table piled high with knives.

“Cullers, upon graduation you will all be given one of these knives. As you progress through the Culling, If you progress through the Culling, you will be able to use the nanites in your body to form the weapons you need.”

“However.” The Gorilla stepped forward, “Every time you do that, you will need to find food to replenish the nanites. And if the time comes when you can no longer form the weapons you need, this knife will come in very handy. Very handy indeed.”

“It is important you harvest food and supplies as often as possible. Friendly civilians might be able to supply that, or you might have to steal the food if you’re not popular with the civilians. That, or risk running for a supply drop. Those will be marked on everyone’s retinal monitor. I guarantee that each and every one will be a death trap.”

Dragon Warrior held up two knives and started spinning them. “This is a popularity contest as much as it is a fight to the death. If the viewers like you, they will be more likely to help you. Even if they’re actually betting against you.”

“But beware.” The Gorilla casually caught the knives that Dragon Warrior tossed over to him, then started to juggle them, “They might be giving you the food to keep you in one place long enough for the culler they want to win to find you.”

“Today you will learn not only how to fight with knives, but also how to treat a knife wound if you are unable to heal yourself using nanites. This skill might be enough to let you live a little longer.”

Mai’s stomach twisted. They’d already had lessons in how to treat broken bones. Dragon Warrior had asked for a volunteer and one of the prisoners had – much to the surprise of the other cullers – stepped forward.

The look on her face had been priceless when Gorilla had calmly taken hold of their forearm and snapped it like a twig. Once they’d recovered consciousness, they’d been guided through how to make a splint and bandage their arm.

Then the rest of the class had been forced to go through the same. Only when everyone had managed to complete the lesson had they been able to use nanites to heal.

“Shit balls, this is going to hurt,” whispered Dakota. A little too loudly.

“Ah, I see we have a volunteer.”

Mai gently patted Dakota’s slumped shoulders as her friend stepped out.

“Look on the bright side,” Mai tried to make her tone match her words. “You only got a cut across your arm. Li Wei got a stab into the gut.”

Li Wei still looked traumatised by the whole thing and kept rubbing at his stomach. He’d been a sarariman before entering the Culling. No one had been able to find out what made him do it. As a result there was now a pool on his reasons, and every so often someone would try and get him to open up. Even the soldiers and prisoners had joined in.

“Pair up!” Dragon Warrior started calling names and the cullers went to the table to get a knife and face their training partner.

“Would you bloody believe it,” groaned Mai as her and Sharktooth’s names were called.

Leaden-footed, she walked over to the table, chose a knife, and followed her guideline to their training spot.

“I’m going to enjoy this.” Sharktooth smiled as he deliberately pushed more blood through his teeth. Sticking his shredded tongue out, he waggled it at her, adding yet more blood to what already covered his chin.

Mai said nothing. No reason to poke the bear any more than necessary. Nor did she trust her voice should she try to speak either. He was truly terrifying, and she couldn’t understand why she didn’t already have an INTIMIDATION glyph hanging over her.

DUEL SHARKTOOTH

DO YOU ACCEPT YES/NO?

A tap of the knife tip selected YES for her. Sharktooth did the same. His hand shook far less than hers.

Sharktooth spread his arms wide in what they had been told was a Heron Guard in the lessons leading up to this one. His was faultless. She’d overheard some of the prisoners talking about their FOLSOM knife fighting skill whilst pointing out the scars on their bodies to show how they’d gained them in duels.

It felt unfair to her that she was having to fight people who already had knife-fighting skills, but then she’d had staff fighting skills and hadn’t complained about the advantage it had given her.

Put ‘em down, take ‘em out she repeated the mantra they’d been taught at the start of their knife training.

As they waited for the buzzer to signal the start of the fight, she cast her mind back to what their instructor had told them.

“Be quick. Be Brutal. Never give an opponent the chance to think, defend, or run. Dominate. The Will to win must be stronger than the opponent’s. It doesn’t matter how skilled their technique if they don’t have the will do to what it takes to win. Put them on the ground. Finish them off. You will have seconds, if that, to win. To kill. A knife never runs out of ammunition.”

“I’ll try and make this as quick as possible,” he taunted baring his teeth

“Bet you say that to all the unlucky ladies,” replied Mai with a smirk, adopting an Apache stance, right leg back, knife in the right hand and held tip up by her right hip. Her left hand extended as a guard. She’d try to use it to slap away his attacks, grab and pull, or use to punch.

BEGIN DUEL IN 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1

FIGHT!

Mai leaped backwards as soon as the command appeared, the buzzer a discordant sound which set her hackles rising. She’d seen how fast Sharktooth moved in other lessons and knew that he always attacked as soon as they were allowed to.

Most others danced around each other for a while, trying to suss their opponents out, but he was determined to dominate the fight from the very start.

His knife hissed through the air a hair’s breadth from her stomach. She flicked out her own blade cutting at his wrist.

HIT! 5% DAMAGE

BLEED @1% PER SECOND

“Cow!” snarled Sharktooth as he recovered and moved away. It wasn’t a big cut, but it bled freely.

Mai didn’t waste breath talking. Darting forward she feinted high and then dropped her blade low, going for the inside of his thigh.

The femoral artery was one of the biggest in the body and a decent cut there would see Sharktooth well and truly out of the fight.

Sharktooth yelled, trying to pull his leg back but he was only partially successful. Fooled by her high attack his hands were too high to block and he’d planted his weight, and he couldn’t shift his legs quickly enough.

Still, he was partially successful, and her blade sank into the meat of his thigh instead.

HIT! 10% DAMAGE

Sharktooth howled as he tried to hop away from her, the green of his health bar retreating slightly as the right-hand side of it turned black. Mai pressed home her attack. Twisting her arm, she did a back overhand hand to his ribs. He parried.

It was her turn to hiss in pain.

DAMAGE! 3%

INTIMIDATED!

-5% TO HIT

HEALTH 97%

She was surprised at just how much a small cut like that could hurt. Skin parted, it looked as though a small mouth had appeared on her arm. Fear made her heart hammer and she groaned at the thought of the glyph now hanging above her head.

“Not so fucking funny now is it?” growled Sharktooth as they circled each other.

“Dunno,” she sneered. “Not as if I’m the one bleeding all over the place.”

Roaring, Sharktooth leapt into the attack, blade flashing. She slapped the blade away with her free hand and tried to cut his arm.

DAMAGE! 2%

HEALTH 95%

Her eyes watered as she clutched at the inside of her thigh. Sharktooth had driven his knee into it. His hand grabbed hold of her knife hand and she desperately grabbed at his.

Wrestling, their breath hot upon each other’s faces, they tried to get an advantage. He was strong. It took everything she had to hold his knife back.

She returned the favour of the knee. It was a desperate move. It brought her closer to him, lessening the leverage they both had on each other’s knife hands.

HIT! 1% DAMAGE

And then she realised the danger she was in as he opened his mouth. Without thinking she slammed her forehead into his face, not caring about the damage she might do to herself.

Even though all injuries would be quickly healed by nanites, even the deadly ones, Mai was terrified of essentially being eaten alive.

HIT! 10% DAMAGE

STUNNED!

His health bar had a less-than-healthy amount of black in it now, and stars circled over his head as the STUNNED glyph popped into existence.

DAMAGE! 12%

PANIC!

HEALTH 83%

His teeth might cause intimidation, or the semblance of it, but this close up they caused PANIC. She didn’t hit high enough, his teeth scoring into the thin flesh of her forehead. It felt as though her face was on fire.

Blood flooded into her eyes. Panicking, she wiped away the blood since she was able to get her hands free while he was stunned. At the same time she swung her blade blindly as she tried to pull back, to get away from him.

Squinting through the blood she was just about able to make out his form just in front of her. Both of his hands hung loose by his sides and he was staggering.

He was wide open. Screaming she leapt forward, ramming her blade into his diaphragm, blade tip up. It entered him surprisingly easy, punching up under his ribs, the long blade cutting through everything it met. Warm blood gushed over her hand, shockingly warm. Thick. Sticky.

CRITICAL HIT! 73% DAMAGE

BLEED @5% PER SECOND

PANICKED!

Ripping the blade out with a twist, Mai stepped back. Blood poured out, splashing onto the white paint of the hangar floor in a shocking contrast.

“I … shit. This hur …” Sharktooth crumpled to the floor, head bouncing off the hard surface with a dull clunk. A med drone zipped down, pumping him full of nanites, preventing him from dying.

Why the hell does he get special treatment? Thought we were supposed to be using our own HEALING skills? Talking of which. She activated her own TREAT LIGHT WOUNDS skill, hurrying up what the passive skill would have done in its own sweet time. And Sharktooth could have activated his own TREAT SERIOUS WOUNDS with a thought had he not been so distracted by talking about how much it hurt to be cut.

Looking around, she saw that a couple of others were getting similar treatment. All members of the clique.

The expected notification popped up.

NEW SKILL! KNIFE FIGHTING!

KNIFE FIGHTING +5%

Whilst her opponent was busy getting fixed up, she checked out the skill.

Knife Fighting

Only in the direst of circumstances should a culler resort to unarmed combat. This is why every culler is issued with a physical knife. It means that no matter what their BIO-MASS level is at, they'll always have a weapon. KNIFE FIGHTING is a PASSIVE skill which confers a base unlimited duration, 10% damage bonus, and a 5% CRITICAL HIT bonus. Each additional rankconfers +5% CRITICAL HIT chance as well as +10 seconds to the ACTIVE duration and removes 10 seconds from the RECHARGE time. Knives cause INTIMIDATION in the hands of a skilled fighter and BLEED. KNIFE FIGHTING is specifically not the same as USE KNIFE. Everyone, from as soon as they’re old enough, learns how to use a knife to cut their food. USE KNIFE is a generic, passive skill, which if you’re a chef or someone specialising in the use of the knife – such as a butcher – you can use to much greater effect.

“Congratulations, trainees. You now have the basic skill,” their instructor called out, heading into the centre of the hangar. “Now, you’re going to actually learn how to use them. Same partners.”

There was a collective groan from a lot of the cullers, but Mai smiled as she stared down at Sharktooth. The drone nanites were busy repairing the damage she’d done. Wounds slowly knitted themselves together and the flowing blood slowed down to a trickle before stopping entirely. Even though she knew he’d still be around lurking in the bunk room, spilling his own blood constantly, it felt good to know that she’d defeated him. She’d faced the one person she truly feared out of all the cullers, and beaten him. Might have been pure luck. There wasn’t a skill for luck unfortunately, and if there had been, she’d have done her best to max it out. Maybe she wouldn’t have found herself in the Culling if luck had been a skill.

No matter how bad ass he tried to make himself look, he wasn’t some sort of invincible god. Not unless gods bled and died like normal human beings. And pissed themselves, she realised with a laugh as she looked down at the pool of bodily fluids covering the ground.

Nudging him with her toe, she casually wiped her blade on her trousers. “Ready for round two?”

Sharktooth’s eyes opened. “You better believe it you smug cow.”