“I guess I overdid it, huh?” he mused, voice croaking.
Sam bent down and offered him a hand up. “I dunno what happened there, champ, but you just went psycho. Started wailing on the gobbos John Wick style, like they just killed your puppy!”
“It was…awe-inspiring,” Craig said, eyes wide.
“It was fucking disturbing is what it was,” Sam corrected as Pete got to his feet. “You were also half dead by the time we found you.”
Pete frowned in confusion.
“Take a look around you, genius,” Coop said.
He did as she suggested, stepping backward, his heart skipping a beat as he took in the scene of devastation. A dozen dead goblins and damaged machine components were scattered all around him. It looked like a wild animal had torn them apart and left their broken bodies to be eaten at a later date.
“Shit!” he blurted, stepping back further as a dead goblin whose arm was stuck to his shoe followed after like some frantic zombie, arm extended, ruined face leering up at him.
Pete kicked away the dead goblin, and it took several shakes and kicks to dislodge the creature. It went flying into the air, landing with a wet slap against a nearby Steam Belcher whose boiler was still spewing steam, scorching the gruesome features of another dead goblin lying nearby.
“Carnage,” Coop said. “Utter carnage.”
Pete nodded, his expression one of grim surprise. “I mean… I knew I was going pretty hard. Picked up a new Berserker ability, so I figured I’d use it right away, but… I don’t remember doing all of this.”
>> ACHIEVEMENT: High-Interest Massacre!
Congratulations! You just turned twelve goblins into a fine red mist while under the effects of Blood Overdraft. That wasn’t a battle—it was a public service announcement written in gore.
Keep this up and word of your brutal deeds will continue to spread through the goblin ranks. Survivors will whisper your name in terror, mispronounce it in fear, and occasionally soil themselves when you grace their nightmares. In time, you may become the guy goblin mothers threaten their kids with at bedtime.
>> ACHIEVEMENT REWARDS: Fearsome [Goblins] Proficiency +5, Intimidation Proficiency +1.
>> BONUS REWARD: 1 Attribute Point!
Craig took a step back as he considered Pete, something like fear showing in his eyes. He bowed his head slightly, almost bowing as he took a second step backward. This drew puzzled looks from Sam and Coop. Pete also noticed the way the goblin had altered his demeanor, and he had a feeling that it was only in part because of the addition to Pete’s fearsome status.
“You know I’m not gonna hurt you, right?” he said.
The little goblin nodded. “I understand, of course. You saved me from the Dice Barons, and your actions have been honorable the entire time I have known you. It’s just that…” He shook his head. “It’s difficult to explain, but seeing you like that, the way you fought the Vultures. It was…chilling.”
“Here here,” Coop said. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. I appreciate the assist, son, but that wasn’t normal. You looked feral.”
Pete shook his head. “It felt…”
Incredible. Exhilarating. Intoxicating.
“…like all my senses were heightened. I felt stronger, faster. It seemed like everyone was moving much slower. I could still feel pain, but instead of the pain feeling bad, it was…I dunno. It made me stronger somehow.”
[Nero] These are all aspects that are common to the Berserker class, Pete. Typically, the more bodily damage they endure, the more Strength and fighting prowess a Berserker will exhibit. But it comes at a cost.
“Yeah,” Pete said, rubbing a hand through his hair and remembering the final moments after the fight. “Hit me like a wrecking ball when the ability wore off.”
[Nero] That is only partly what I am referring to, Pete. It is not uncommon for Berserkers to suffer a certain amount of amnesia relating to times when they are enthralled by the blood rage. They may not remember precisely what happened during the frenzy, and it is also possible, while they are under the influence of the blood rage, that they are unable to differentiate friend from foe.
Pete shook his head. “No, I still knew who you guys were. I could still recognize you while I was using Blood Overdraft.”
[Nero] And perhaps because it is only a subclass ability, you will not suffer the same level of confusion and amnesia that a primary Berserker would experience. Or—
“Or, perhaps if he keeps using the ability,” Sam said, “one day he’s gonna just start wailing on us.”
[Nero] Precisely. It is difficult to know, given that the Penny Pincher class is unique, and we have no way of knowing exactly how its subclasses will act.
Pete wanted to object, to insist that there was no way that he would do something like that, but the pile of bodies he never remembered killing suggested that he couldn’t be sure. He remembered killing three or four of the goblins but not a dozen. Then there was the pure thrill he had experienced while under the influence of the Berserker ability. It was unlike anything he’d experienced before, and he could see how something like that might quickly become addictive.
“I guess I’ll just have to keep an eye on it,” he offered with a shrug.
“Well,” Sam said, shaking her head as she surveyed the dead goblins, “we can’t argue with the results. You fucking owned these little bastards.”
Pete smiled and nodded. But the truth was he felt less than pleased with his actions. There was no doubt that the Vultures would have attacked the moment they approached the kiosk, and it could be argued that they were part of the System and the wider society that had invaded Earth and enslaved humankind, but still…
What little he’d heard of Craig’s story suggested that there was a lot more going on here than just evil goblins killing pure-hearted human players.
As Coop and Sam started picking up loot, Pete stood staring at the dead bodies surrounding him. He was still deep in thought when Craig walked up in front of him, speaking in a low voice but noticeably failing to meet Pete’s eyes.
“The game devours all,” he said, nodding to himself. He looked up at Pete. “It’s one of the central tenets of The Pious Path, but I was told it came from something older than the religion, something the first NPCs said in the earliest seasons of the game. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a player or an NPC; sooner or later, the game devours all.”
Pete nodded. “Sounds like someone needs to destroy the damned game then.”
Craig chuckled at that, smiling with what seemed like genuine amusement. It was the first time Pete could remember seeing him looking happy, or at least a little at ease. Even when they’d first encountered the trio of religious zealots, Craig had seemed like he was playing a part, or like he was just another cult member who had lost his grip on reality. What Pete was seeing here, though, was real.
“You would not be the first to suggest it,” Craig said, nodding towards the RV where his two meek companions still cowered. “There’s even a prophecy in the scriptures that tells of a messianic figure who will one day rise up and destroy the game.”
“Of course there is.”
Craig nodded. “It’s all part of the indoctrination process. They bring in new recruits and feed them all that stuff about fighting the System and throw them this story about a pauper messiah so that they don’t realize just how screwed up all of this is.”
“What about you, though? Didn’t you go through the same indoctrination?”
Craig shook his head. “As a Proselytizer, we were given a very different induction to The Pious Path. We knew that the religion wasn’t real and that it served an important function within the story of the game. We were told that our job was to keep our people focused on the task at hand and to present The Path to as many players as possible during our time in the contest. We were not told that we would be slaughtered wholesale or that the other NPCs could get perks and rewards the more of us they killed.”
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“And no orgies either, huh?” Pete said.
Craig grinned at that. “Part of me knew that Grelic was lying about that. If I’m honest, I wasn’t even that interested in the orgies. It was more what they represented: complete freedom.” He frowned. “There are a lot of female followers. I would have liked to have found at least one that…”
“What about Grizzle?” Pete asked. “She seems alright.”
Craig snorted, his nostrils flaring. “She’s got a brain the size of a pea. All she cares about is following scripture. I mean, she actually believes all that shit.”
“Yeah, but once she figures out it’s not real, maybe you’ll see that there’s more to her than that.”
“I don’t think there is any more,” Craig countered, staring off in the direction of the Winnebago. “And I don’t think she’ll ever let go of The Path.”
He blinked a few times, raising a hand to rub at the bottom of one pointy ear, the ear that still remained intact.
“She is attractive, though.”
Pete followed his gaze and caught sight of the female goblin with her head poking out of the RV door, Torgo standing meekly behind her. He wondered exactly what features would be attractive to a fellow goblin. Maybe it was the large, pointy ears, the bulbous nose or toothy grin, the bushy eyebrows, or the thick tufts of hair sprouting from each nostril. Other than larger eyelashes and slightly fuller lips, Pete found it difficult to tell the sexes apart, especially when they were all dressed in ill-fitting armor.
“Very attractive,” Craig mused, nodding to himself.
Coop started rummaging through several of the nearby corpses, looting items and depositing them in front of Pete. She pointed a paw towards the RV, scowling.
“You think you could get your little friends to help with the grunt work? These corpses aren’t going to loot themselves.”
Craig shook his head. “I think they are too scared.”
“Well, un-scare them then,” Coop barked. “Bad enough to have you three tagging along. If they aren’t gonna help us fight the enemy, the least they can do is help us clean up the mess afterwards.”
The little goblin nodded. “A fair point. I’ll go and talk to them.”
He wandered off, leaving Pete and Coop standing among the dead.
“Question, Nero,” Coop said. “If I loot something from an enemy I kill, can I keep it and trade it in at a kiosk for the full price, or do I have to give it to Pete and watch all that money disappear?”
[Nero] An excellent question, Coop. Technically, you are a soulbound companion, so you form part of Pete’s persona. Your class is a subset of the Penny Pincher class, however, and that has quite a few unique characteristics both with Pete’s abilities and your own. Ordinarily, a soulbound companion wouldn’t be able to directly sell items at a kiosk, but you seem to be developing quite distinct class characteristics as something of a tank, so perhaps it will be permitted. In addition, the Mammon System has classed you as a fully-fledged party member in its prohibition against adding another member. That suggests that you are being viewed as distinct from Pete in some way.
“So, I should be able to buy my own class then?”
[Nero] Perhaps. Although I would venture that your options would likely be limited to subclasses within the overarching Penny Pincher framework. It might be worth attempting to sell loot items from enemies you have killed and seeing if that works. If so, then you might also be able to explore some class options.
Not for the first time, Pete got the feeling that Nero was struggling to keep up with the direction things were moving in. From the very first moment Pete had picked up the Penny Pincher class, Nero had added a lot of guesswork to his answers, and it was clear that the Mammon System itself was reacting to the various unique characteristics of the class.
The Red Ledger was a clear example of the System attempting to curtail some of the outsized bonuses the Penny Pincher class seemed to possess. Introducing an artifact that fit so well with Penny Pincher mechanics just when he was beginning to exploit the Self-Inflicted Tax component of the class suggested that the System wanted Pete to stick more closely to the mechanics of his class. But it seemed like more than just an attempt to close out a loophole.
The Insolvency stealth debuff was insanely overpowered at such an early stage in the game, but the System hadn’t attempted to stop that ability, probably because it was a legitimate part of the Penny Pincher class. Whoever had constructed the class had purposefully built that component in. So, maybe the System was eager to explore the class for some reason?
On one level, it felt like the Mammon System was rewriting the rules as they went along, purposefully making things more difficult and forcing Pete and his crew into difficult situations. That could just be a natural function of a System whose purpose was to generate the most exciting gaming entertainment possible, of course. But then the System had also made no effort to negate the positive aspects of Pete’s Penny Pincher class.
“You ready?” Coop said, pointing down at the pile of loot she’d amassed in front of him. “Or are you gonna just stand there staring off into the distance like that?”
“Sorry. I was just thinking.”
“Come on. Grab this shit and let’s see whether I can get a class of my own.”
Pete picked up all of the loot items, turning to see Grizzle and Torgo tentatively looting one of the nearby corpses with Craig standing beside them, issuing instructions. Sam was already over at the kiosk, trading in her items with Wolfy standing nearby.
Pete and Coop made it to the kiosk just as Sam was finishing up. She turned to face them, smiling.
“Got a good bit of coin for that lot, and I scored an attribute point too. I figure you’re gonna be losing most of your cash for a while, so I haven’t spent any of the other money.”
Pete nodded as Coop moved up to the kiosk. “Well,” she said, looking up at him, “you’re gonna have to pick me up so I can use this thing.”
He bent down and picked her up, holding her in front of the screen as she picked the option to sell loot items. The Vend-o-matic machine responded to her touch as though she were a player and allowed her to sell the items without difficulty. It also allowed her to buy options if she wanted, so Coop picked up five medkits.
“I figure you’re going to keep getting yourself into trouble,” she explained. “So this way I can stop you from dying the next time you go all rabid.”
Sam frowned as the ferret navigated to the class section of the kiosk and found an option for selecting a new class.
“She can do that?” Sam asked.
“Seems like it,” Pete answered. “The System is basically treating her like a player now.”
Coop navigated to a section of the display that showed the available class options:
>> PENNY PINCHER SOULBOUND COMPANION
>> SUBCLASS OPTION: LEDGER KEEPER (Tank)
Soulbound companion takes on the role of a personal accountant in battle, projecting a glowing ledger-shield around their soulbound player.
+| 20% of incoming damage to the player is redirected to the Ledger Keeper, then reduced by half as the debt is “written off.”
+| Every 5 absorbed hits grant the Ledger Keeper a temporary overshield equal to 10% of its maximum HP.
>> COST: 2500 Belch Bucks
Coop grunted. “Looks like there’s only one option then.”
“Yeah, but it’s a legit class. That should mean you can get more abilities and level it up like any other class, right, Nero?”
[Nero] Indeed. It seems that this subclass has been specifically designed to bolster the Penny Pincher class. That is why your first abilities were defense and protection based.
“Great, so I’m destined to be a punching bag.”
“Much more than that,” Pete protested. “If you build the class right, you could basically be indestructible. There should be some abilities you can choose that will help you do more damage too. It depends on which attributes you prioritize and what abilities you pick.”
Coop snorted. “Any abilities that will get me out of poor Pickle’s body and into something more human?”
[Nero] I’m afraid not, Coop. As I have already stated, for the duration of the contest you must remain within the selected body you now inhabit. There are certain temporary buffs and abilities that can translocate you into a different body from time to time, but these are only temporary.
“And what about when the contest ends?” Pete asked. “If we win, I mean.”
There was a slight pause before Nero answered. Given that the tutor was an AI with instantaneous recall, that was a little concerning to Pete.
[Nero] I am not sure I understand your question, Pete. When the contest ends, another season of the game will begin. All surviving NPCs will be transferred to the new location, and any contestants who reach the professional league and survive to the official end of the contest will be given the opportunity to take up a contract with the Tongsly Belch Corporation and join the next game or fulfill other duties within the Dominion.
“Yeah, so if Coop and I make it to the professional league and survive to the end, will she be able to go back to her old body?”
“Not that old thing,” Coop protested. “A newer model! Something young and strong, and at least three inches taller than I was in my prime!”
[Nero] If you do survive that long then, yes, you will be able to choose a new body for yourself. Both of you will, provided you have enough funds for the purchase.
“Right,” Coop said. “So, we just need to win this damned thing. Thank you for eventually finding your way to an answer.”
“Why the hesitation, anyway?” Pete asked.
[Nero] It’s just that the chances of you actually surviving to the end of the competition are infinitesimally small. When you first posited the question, I presumed you were being humorous.
“No, I was serious. Dead serious. You said before that some players usually make it to the professional league, right? So, why would it be so unrealistic to think that we’d make it?”
[Nero] Oh dear. This is a somewhat delicate matter. I’m not sure how to phrase this without causing distress.
“Just say it,” Sam said. “We can handle it.”
[Nero] Well, statistically, those players who play a significant part in the early moments of the game are far less likely to endure and make it to the professional league. Given that you have already caused such a splash, it is far less likely that you will survive what follows.
“Why?” Sam pressed.
“Because the System is all up in our business,” Pete said, knowing as he said the words that he’d hit upon an important truth. “That’s it, isn’t it? If the System is ignoring you, you can just get on with your business and survive, but with all the attention we’re getting, the System is going to do everything it can to make our lives exciting.”
[Nero] Precisely so. Each season the System will choose a few individuals to focus on, in the interest of making what can otherwise be quite a sluggish start more exciting. The facts of your journey confirm that you have been chosen as one such individual, Pete. Thus, the System will do all that it can to keep your journey as exciting as possible, and that typically means higher stakes, harder challenges, and a significantly reduced chance of survival.
Pete nodded. “That’s why the System blocked off our route to Ollie and made Craig and the others players. It’s all to make things more interesting in the early game.” He shook his head. “There have to be some players that have survived even though the System focused on them in the early game.”
[Nero] Two, in fact. Two out of many millions of players since the inception of the contest. Would you like me to display the specific odds relating to your chance of survival at each stage of the contest?
“No need,” Pete replied. “I think we get the picture. Basically, the System is gonna make our lives hell until we die in the most exciting way possible.”
[Nero] Or unless something more appealing occurs to draw attention away from you. There are still significant benefits to the System’s focus, however. You will have a much higher chance of gaining high-quality sponsors if you are able to survive the Novice Arena. That should make it easier to survive at least the first part of the Initiate phase of the contest. You may even make it through the Initiate Arena to the Gladiator phase.
“What are the odds of that?” Sam asked.
[Nero] Point zero, zero, three percent.
She snorted in response. “As good as that, huh? Well, shit.”
Coop spat a gob of copper chew onto the ground nearby. “Well,” she said flatly, “sign me up for the Ledger Keeper class then, son. Seems like we’re gonna need all the help we can get.”