One corrupted-Shit!-two corrupted-Fuck!-three-four-fivesixseveneightnine-ENDLESS! FUCK SAKES! WHY!

They came flooding out of the portal like a burst water main, and naturally, my first instinct was to just run, survive, go back, grab Marri and Lone, hide…But things were different now-

[Blood Wrath II] activated (-25% HP). Successfully shared with team.

We were ready for this.

A thin red Majik mist exploded out from my skin, expanding out and bathing the other members, giving them a strong desire for violence and increasing their stats by 25%, just like mine. Steve grinned as he punched a handful of glowing spherical husk bone cores into the nearest monolith, which then crumbled down into piles and reassembled into 4 human sized sleek golems that had nasty murky neon green eyes and claws. They didn’t hesitate and jumped into the stream, their bodies rapidly rotating around their limb joints and vice versa, as they turned into meat blenders that severed limbs and cut deep into the corrupted flesh.

My shields were a flurry of movement, deflecting the immense force of several corrupted diving at me, and I managed to resist getting knocked down by activating my phase dash with barely a hairs breadth to spare, becoming a ghost that meant attacks harmlessly passed through me. Spotting my chance as the confused corrupted flew past, I countered with slipfold and sequentially began severing their heads, ensuring to keep the fold well clear of their hands.

Fucking hands that can hold the slipfolds open.

#Team#

Siya: Flying! I shall call when I’m diving! Group them up!

Catara: You got it sis.

Catara put her sword away and pulled out her decay based kite shield and started running. Her shield was like a slab of hardened bark with lines of neon dark green flowing through it as the sides dropped down and tendrils started to grow rapidly.

There were at least 20 corrupted now with many more flooding out.

Godu: Fuck! This is THE worst-case scenario! FUCK!

Steve: Stay calm! I’ve sent word back. The SZ are sending healers with a raid team. Look Godu, they’re coming from a choke point, the gunners will rip them to shreds!

Steve laughed like an evil vilian as he went all out and started thrusting fistfuls of husk bone cores into the surrounding rocks, spawning dozens of golems that hurled themselves at the corrupted.

Steve: Also, think of this way, LOOK AT ALL THE FREE EXP!!!! EASY SNACKS!

Oh fuck, he’s in gaming mode-

Siya: Diving on your right Cata! 3 seconds!

Catara: Roger..that!

She bellowed as the thick tendrils pulsing with the dark neon green Majik shot out, weaving around dozens of their feet and arms before snapping tight and shrinking back, yanking them towards Catara like she was playing tug of war with toddlers; I surge jumped up and unleashed a torrent of shards into the crowd, stunning at least a few whilst most shrugged it off. A dark green mesh shield shot out from her shield as the severely pissed off corrupted tore free from the tendrils and hurled themselves towards Catara..the exact behaviour the ladies both want.

“TRRRRLL!” Siya’s war-trill sung out as she descended from the heavens with a crack of the atmosphere, and, like a black hyper-ballistic missle, she tore through the writhing mass with her bone greatsword, cleaving through in the blink of an eye. There was a brief moment where their severed torso’s, limbs, heads, ribcages, skulls syncronously flew up and hovered in the air, with blood, guts and gore arcing out like a water fountain jet stream that had reached the apex of its trajectory, but it was shortlived as the displaced air that followed Siya came whooshing in and swept it all into a splattering mess onto the surrounding rock and grassland; I caught myself grinning wildly as the sludgy sandstorm of dirty, sickly, black tar-like EXP slopped out and splattered onto my skin as it also got a speed boost from the blast-back of air. It was a grim but glorious sight and a sublime feeling of bliss revenge against the very same monstrosities that terrorised us for so long one our travels, nearly killing us far too many times and slowing my progress home way too much.

Seren: Hey there tiger! Quickly come level up! You’re full to the brim!

Nice! Okay, just like we practiced-

Surge jumping up into the air and activating glide, I closed my eyes and felt my insides lurch as innerplane activated. Briefly appearing in the galaxy wallpapered dimension, I tapped in a single attribute increase on GLYPH, skipped my ability upgrades and hopped back out into the real world. The entire surface of my skin momentarily tightened, and a prickly wave of pins and needles surged through my organs and bones, but it was gone after a few moments and my rapid level up was complete.

Steve: Excellent chain attack! I’m ready for the next Miss Siya! Volcano skill activating!

Siya: Okay guildmaster! Diving!

Steve roared as the ground violently rippled and creased away from him like it was made of custard, it swallowed the feet and legs of the corrupted and dragged them all into a bundle that then indeed erupted upwards like a mini volcano. Siya’s blistering form once again railed into them and dissected their bodies with a crack of the air and an awful rapid flesh smacking sound.

“YEAHHH!”

“HAAA!”

“TRRLLLL!”

“YAAGHH!”

We were utterly insane, but we were also utterly holding our own and I could feel the massive amounts of EXP being claimed and cleansed into latent power, just waiting for me to absorb and allocate it, and as I looked around at my comrades, I could see the strength and primal glory in their eyes. Fight. Grow stronger. Survive. Kill the monsters. Live. Obliterate those that want to take from you. Obliterate. Nothing will dare hurt you or your own.

Seren: This. Is. AMAZING. ANOTHER LEVEL! RETURN QUICKLY MY LOVE!

I eagerly returned to the innerplane and took barely 3 seconds to level up again. My mind became lost in a trance as I jumped around the battle to Stun, interrupt, confuse, taunt and also to take decapitation opportunities where they presented themselves. Like clockwork I would active blood wrath and bathe my team in the red mist that increased their fighting power as well as mine. Images and sounds came and went; constantly moving while red and black splattered everywhere as Siya repeatedly cut through their ranks in swathes everytime Catara and Steve controlled the hordes movement, and should any of the corrupted stray from their designated slaughter group, I was already there, ready to herd them back to their flock using a stern word, a fist, or a bending of the fabric of space. Flashes of significant events registered; being too slow and having my arm ripped off, clutching my severed arm and screaming as I successfully took the attackers neck and azure Majik streamed from my open gash, pulling the arm back into place within seconds before casually continuing; Catara being punted through the air and slamming into one of the bricks, cracking it in two, being pulled into the ground by Steve and then reappearing next to him, downing a healing tonic, shimmering purple and roaring as she fired out more tendrils to reap more crop; Steve running into a rock, the rock being smashed to smitherenes only for Steve to emerge from the dirt like he was a ghost; nothing could touch him. Siya had surpassed the corrupted through sheer speed and skill, the majority couldn’t track her blur and those that could were met with a giant wedge of death before they could even lay a finger on her.

Suddenly memories started to stick in my brain again, and I found myself brutally punching the face of a corrupted back into a slipfold it was trying to hold open and crawl through.

FUCK-OFF-DIE-DIE-D-

Abruptly a flash of violet whizzed past me, slammed into its eye and splattered its brains out, instantly turning it into a ragdoll which allowed the fold to close and dome the top of its skull with a ‘thock’.

“Holy effing titfuck..We’re here now! YO CHILL! It’s Triya. Y-you alright there big guy?” Triya’s voice grew louder as she jogged over, and the ambient noise of screeches was drowned out by the telltale coil whine and pulse sounds of dozens of Majikware weapons, shooting in melodic beats as the raid team arrived and overwhelmed the flood of the remaining corrupted. In actuality I only witnessed less than a dozen getting gunned down, with the number of them coming through the gate now reduced to 1 or 2 every few seconds compared to the 5 or 8 every second before.

Oh man. I feel weird.

Resting my hands on my knees struggling to stand, I turned to her whilst heaving breaths in and out, coated in every biological fluid that could be spilled, and grinned, giving her a peace sign for good measure.

“Dude, don’t do that! It is frickin crrrreeepy-Blergh, you stink..Man this whole place stinks of shiet..Oh well, I’m going to head over to the firing line. People in the comms are getting boners over all this ‘insane, easy EXP’, I should probably not miss that.” She twirled her Majikware pistols like a cowboy, grim-faced smiled me and jogged off.

Jealous..I want..more..

Wiping my face on my ragged sleeve, I caught my breath quickly and centered myself. My body felt like I’d been jacking up with pure liquid energy but I was also absurdly starving and on the verge of passing out.

But I need..food..sleep..But first-

I shook my head and rubbed my face as I pulled out a tonic and took a few swigs. It took the edge off a bit, but I was still feeling giddy.

-Need..check the others.

#Team#

Godu: Everyone okay?

Steve: Tired.

Siya: Hungry.

I waited for Catara to respond, but she didn’t.

Godu: Catara??!

Steve: Oh. She taking a nap.

Jealous.

Godu: Can we rest. I need it. Badly.

Steve: Yes. Another group coming. Gateway secured.

My vision was spinning as I tried to look at my surroundings, the flashing lights and slurry of noise was triggering, so I stumbled away from it all and happening upon Siya, Steve and a sleeping Catara resting against a monolith; I trudged over and slumped down next to them.

“Trll-lylll..” Siya didn’t have the vocal chords to form human syllables, but I knew what she said.

“Same. Starving.” was all I could muster.

Steve swallowed, breathing heavily. “Yes. Is why, other..coming.”

All I could think about was the need to sleep but my aching stomach refused to let me sleep but mercifully a few minutes later we watched as a wagon came into view, pulled up beside us and Rant came out looking a bit sheepish but still managing to smile; he kept his hair and red beard styled and trimmed, so right now he looked like a model compared to us filth lords.

“Yer all right down there? Somebody order a takeaway eh-Holy bottle up my-arse, that’s quite a mess.” He caught a glimpse of the carnage. “Allllright, uhh, let’s get you guys inside so you can eat and rest. I suspect yer all be giving quite a light show in yer beauty sleeps.”

With the help of Rant and a few others, we were taken inside and presented with a large platter of powdered milk cheese-I love powcheez-and salad mayo sandwiches; Catara bolted upright like a food zombie and didn’t even utter a single word before tucking in. Food of the gods! We ravenously ate, each bite swallowed felt like it fell into a black hole so once they were gone after a couple of minutes, we moved onto the tins of fruit.

“Bloody hell.” Rant chuckled at the sight. “There’s some protein snacks and shakes and water as well in the box-oh-uhh yer found them y-yeah, easy, bloody hell, where are yer all putting that stuff!?” The words protein and water were like the sweet whispers of a beautiful experienced lover into a virgins ears and we gulped down litres of fluid. I reached my satisfactory limit before everyone else and mumbled ‘Goodnight’ before crashing down onto one of the benches and immediately passing out.

…

…

…

…

…

I awoke in my innerplane on the galaxy bed with a gasp, and the atmosphere was filled with galaxy sized hurricanes and torrents of energy; I looked around but saw noone.

Seren?

Silence.

Well that’s fucking ominous…Something feels weird.

Cautiously, I got up and moved over to the maelstrom, flinching as thunderous super nova explosions bloomed into the above eternity.

Maybe I over did it just a little bit..but where are you?

More silence. It reminded me of when I first landed in europe and a cold stab of dread speared my chest. I looked over at the monolith log and the last entries were reassuringly mentions of +1hp for eating and drinking. Alot.

Phew. Okay. Good. So I guess it’s possible she went on her own? Or laying dormant somewhere? In either case, hopefully she’s okay.

I touched the maelstrom and gasped.

GODUYNE

STRY.KYR - MAGN.99.086

HP 1620 / 2188

MP 1887 / 2505

EP 6%

DS 45%

SWRD 119

SHLD 121

FTHR 140

GLYP 153

15 Attribute Points Available.

19 Skill Points Available.

I’ve jumped..85 to 99…..I was stunned.

How many did we end up killing?

Taking a nervous deep breath, I allocated my points. That much in one go is going to hurt like a bitch.

Then I moved onto the skills.

-> VI Null Surge REQ: ENT Tier.

-> VI SMDS - Majiglyp REQ: ENT Tier.

-> VI Slipfold REQ: ENT Tier.

-> V OMDC [10] 5 + 5 Adds Casimir effect to all physical attacks which extends range. Successfull hits will recover a small amount of HP/EP/MP.

-> IV Group Up [4] EXP can be shared equally in the group.

-> IV NEC [5] Alerts user of corrupted proximity and tracks their location in real-time.

-> II EXP Well [3] You can now deploy [2] units.

-> IV Phase Dash [4] Enemies you phase through will be inflicted with [Stun] for 2 seconds.

-> III Null Claw Arma [3] Null Claw Armament attacks now penetrates passive defence. Does not bypass active defense skills.

-> III Shade Glide [3] Gain the ability to halt your movements and suspend in mid air.

-> III Shed Wound [3] Gain resistance to fire, ice and decay damage.

-> III ANALYSE [50] Vastly Expands data retrievable.

-> III Blood Wrath [3] Doubles effect and cost. 50% increase in stats for 30 seconds at the cost of 50% Max HP value.

-> II Mind Firewall [2] Immunity increased to +10 current MAGN. You can share this skill.

-> II TEFv [2] Improves vision range and colouring.

-> II Mindmap [2] Catalogue all collected data to create 3D and 2D maps that will track your current location and location of entities in range, in realitime. Note: Visual review of relevant analogue maps may improve detail and accuracy.

Corrupted Evolution[9]: Combine [Phase Dash], [Shade Glide] and [TEFv] to unlock [Graven Image]. Shrouds the user in a Null avatar that deflects all projectiles and physical attacks for a limited time.

Unlocks Flight capability in combination with config:prime. Consumes MP.

Unlocks Null light passive. Null light allows the user to emit a light that can only be seen by the user and approved entities.

Note: Sacrifices Phase Dash skill and functionality.

Note: Sacrifices Shade glide skill and functionality.

Caution: Excessive use may cause side affects such as loss of memory, mental instability, particle fragmentation and IBS.

I frowned.

Hmm. Hopefully nothing to worry about, because independent flight would be a big fat hell yes from me!

Fearless or foolish, I selected the corrupted Evolution. Might look like a big sacrifice on paper, especially TEFV..But…I pictured flying freely through the air like Siya.

Another layer of unrestricted movement that would have been critically useful in so many previous situations, and perhaps I could even carry Marri and Lone safely?..Definitely taking that.

The fact that such a powerful option appeared out of the blue, encouraged me to save points in case more was to come, although I really wanted to drop the 10 points on the OMDC skill to give my melee attacks some kind of extra range-

Whatever that entails..it sounds rutal

…Should I?..

My eyes felt heavy as I stood there and soaked up the deathly silence, I became aware that the astral storms had been somewhat tamed and structured into streams that all joined up and weaved into a thick vortex that was snaking its way down…

..Towards me?!..Fuck that’s terrifying!

It was like watching a planet sized creature coming straight for you.

Okay piss it! I’ll save the points! I can always come back and get it another time. I’m not up for that shit!

I finalized my choices and sprinted for the bed, managing to barely get my torso on there before my legs and arms just switched off completely.

“BLAAGHH-” There was an unreal sensation of my skin and flesh disintegrating like I was a firework sparkler burning up into sparks with immense pain until, mercifully, I slipped into true sleep.

…

..

.

The peace of nothingness was short lived, as pesky fever dreams plagued my void craving mind, throwing up images where bolts of planet sized lightning travelled through a huge expanse, smashing into stars and galaxies. Images of worlds being split into two, moons being glazed like a Crème Brûlée, a small black ovoid being chased by the lightning and other white ovoids in an endless sea of black fire and ash. A hexagon pebbled beach lay silent until huge plants and trees sprouted around me and everything burst into life, with giant creatures covered in metallic scales and spines, fighting or hunting smaller creatures covered in crystal moss and grass. A bright flash and all the creatures were melted and stripped down to the bone, the trees and plants were turned into piles of ash, and the pebbles were ground into dust.

The dream ended with a noise that sounded like a choir, and, on the beach, reality peeled away, revealing a pure black space that spat out a person-

“ACK!” I woke up, retching and coughing. Oh hell I’m going to chunder-I bolted up and wacked my head on the ceiling with a metallic twang, cursing loudly as I ducked and rushed out of the doorway and hurried out a few steps so I didn’t create a slip hazard-

“Blerrkkkk..” and puked out a good litre of black crap.

“Ughhh..Wow. That’s much better…Haven’t done that in a long time.” I wiped my face and looked around, but saw and heard nothing; it was startlingly pitch black and quiet.

“Ah shit..” I was already missing my night vision. “Alright, let’s see..how do I use this ‘Null light’ then..” I searched my memories, trying to recall how to use the skill as was the typical method for all skills. Ah, yes, of course. There it is. How could I forget. There was multiple ‘modes’ to [Graven Image], the first being the defensive avatar shroud that I could release from my body a bit like how I release Immo, straightforward enough, and then there was the flight mode that would combine with my shields to turn them into something akin to Majik jet engines, okay that sounds pretty fucking sick, and then finally the Null light was an aura that would emit a light that reminded me of the same colours of TEFv; it was drastically less range, about 10 metres before it cut off abruptly into darkness, but it was a much clearer clarity and if I could share it with others then perhaps even better than TEFv…

A slight downgrade for other major upgrades.

Although staring out into the pitch black, it was hard to truly believe those words.

Ah well, fuck it. Can’t complain. I made my bed.

Activating the light, I went back inside the caravan, but did a double take as I realised it wasn’t a caravan at all but a dome?? A dome made up of strange hexagon tiles.

“Oookay. Steve? Siya? Catara? Helloooo!?” Creeping inside, my null light illuminated my surroundings but abruptly cut off after 10 metres, making me feel like I was in jet black fog. I looked around and saw a plush looking chair in front of a strange smooth stone desk filled with drawings of all sorts of unknown symbols and shapes, a galaxy bed and a..computer?! A faintly glowing screen displaying my favourite symbol that I hadn’t seen since the beginning.

Panic rose in my throat.

“The shit is all this? Where is everyone?!”

Marri? Are you-What-I can’t mindspeak??!!

I reached out for my slipfolds but I couldn’t even reach out, let alone sense a single connection.

Panic engulfed me.

“What the heck is this! I only took a fucking nap!” What’s going on! Seren?? Seren!! Help! SEREN!-”

UGH JEEZ YOU ABSOULTE ANCIENT DICKHEAD! Do you NEED to shout like that? What do you want? And NO I’m not in the mood if this is just another drunken booty call..I can’t be bothered dealing with you bursting into tears or giving me shit today..

“I-...Sorry. Huh?” I was so shocked as Seren warped into existence from a swirling ball of sparks and Majik. She was wearing a jumpsuit that had alien lines and symbols on it.

EHHHHHHH?! “Sorry”? The f...Have you taken drugs again? I can’t remember the last time your bitter, twisted mind even thought that word, let alone spoke it out loud..

What the hell is going on here? How are you here in the real world? Have I gone insan-

Baha! News flash, you lost your titties yonks ago dude. Man, you must have seriously taken some insane shit. Actually...Why..haven’t you got your mindwall enabled?? Not that I care or anything..I just don’t want to hear your miserable monologues as much as you don’t want me in that dreadful, decaying butthole you call your mind..

“S-seren?..” Her venomous words stung badly, she’d never been horrible to me and it was straight up plain awful. “I’m really sorry if I’ve offended you somehow, but please just hear me out, I don’t know where everyone’s gone-”

PFFFFFFFTTTT-BAHAHAHA! Oh my fucking perky starry tits. Phew! For a second there I thought you had finally lost your marbles, but you’ve obviously just eaten a dodgy mushroom that’s wiped your mush...Well, sorry but FUCK YOU! Stupid, idiot, dickless human. Unless you have something for me to do, I’m going. Gods be with ye. Asshole..

“NO! Seren wait!-” She disappeared.

“Can’t even spare 5 seconds?? What the bloody shit was that about!?” I was starting to get pissed off.

“Seren please! Come out! I need your help, this isn’t time to fuck around! Whatever I’ve done please tell me! Please?”

Silence.

“Seren, please!!”

More silence.

Whatever the fuck I’ve done, I AM SORRY. But I’m scared! I can’t use mindspeak and…

About to say I couldn’t find anyone, but I realised, technically I hadn’t looked very far.

“Fine, I’ll just bloody go out and look myself..” grumbling I went out and started walking and cataloguing.

The sky was alarmingly black. Not a single star. Not a single faint glimmer or glow. Not a great start. The grass was sparse and felt strangely coarse, and, as I walked through the henge stones I realised that not a single one was damaged, in fact they had lines and lines of the alien symbols and there are definitely more stones!!

More not so great signs.

I started walking out into the wilderness but I stopped. There’s not a single spec of light coming from anywhere..

It made me feel sick with dread.

Maybe I should check the dome first.

I went back to the dome and out of the corner of my eye I spotted Seren peeking around a Stone.

Not that difficult to spot the only other source of light for kilometres-

HMMFPH!

She disappeared again; I sighed.

Something really wacky has happened here.

I went back to the dome and looked through the desk and papers. There were diagrams and maps that didn’t mean shit to me, but some were familiar; Stonehenge, a coliseum, the leaning tower of pisa, Big Ben, Pyramids, temples, Taj Mahal…Landmarks and their locations. There were scribblings of what appeared to be equations and randomly a few sketches of..Marri?! Does she have a stalker?? Who the bloody hell did these…Damn they are pretty good though.

I found one of her in an erotic naked pose.

RIGHT. WHO THE FUCK DID THIS. DISGRACEFUL.

There was a snicker from behind me, but it was just Seren.

Scrunching up the paper, I went over to the computer with no keyboard or mouse and stared at it.

Looks like a tablet made out of stone..How weird.

Giving it a few taps on the screen, I realised it was indeed a slab of rock emitting a crystal clear image, but nothing changed-

YAWN. You know what, I’ll entertain this. Go on, tell me what you need help with. I’m actually feeling a little sorry watching you bumble about like a lost little lamb..So if you want some some pity intimacy? Meh, I’m kinda feeling it.

I gave her a flat stare.

“Thanks but no thanks. Again, I’m not sure what I did to upset you, but..What’s happened? Where are we?”

She frowned and side eyed me.

You’re actually serious aren’t you? Ugh. Alright, bloody hell. Let me give you a quick scan over..Honestly, what the hell did you in….gest.

A thin gold laser strobed over me and her eyes widened.

What the heck..

More gold lasers plastered over me.

Oh no. Godu. Oh no, you stupid, stupid, man! What have you done..

“I’m sorry, but I don’t bloody know!”

She went silent, just giving me a hard worried stare.

“Soo..Are you guna’ just stare or-”

What’s the last thing you remember?

“Okay a little freaked out now but…we killed a boatload of corrupted? I think I was being taken somewhere by Rant in his caravan…Oh we were eating a shitload of sandwiches..And then I passed out and I was in my innerplane doing my usual stuff when-”

Innerplane?! Where did you hear this word from?

“What?..Seren, you gave me that skill literally in the last 24 hours, remember?”

She placed her hands over her mouth in horror.

Who do you see when you look in this.

A mirror materialised and-WHOAA WHAT THE FUCK.

It wasn’t me.

It wasn’t my face.

It was a machine’s.