With the luck debuff, he could at least control his body in basically the same way he was used to. Now, he felt like some kind of Frankenstein's monster, with different limbs all stitched together.
He quickly assessed his available skills, noting that each of those that relied heavily on his Agility stat had been impacted in some way.
>> AVAILABLE ABILITIES
+| Coin Toss: 20% aim.
+| Pauper's Ward: 100% effective.
+| Pawn Shop Portal: 100% effective [after cooldown].
+| Coinpiercer [Charged Shot]: 20% aim.
+| Blood Overdraft: 50% effective for melee attacks.
"Fuck!" Pete hissed. "My aim isn't good for shit right now, and I just realized we're gonna be fighting a flying enemy."
"Maybe," Craig said. "We're still not sure whether we will actually face Morrikal. There could be some other challenge awaiting us up ahead."
"I sure as hell hope so. If we have to hit something in the air, it's gonna be all up to you. I'm not even sure I can hit anything if I swing this machete! The ward looks good, though, so I can probably keep myself alive if I keep running, but whatever we're about to face, I think you're gonna have to handle most of the damage."
"Understood," Craig said, pulling his slot trigger rifle from his inventory and checking the weapon over as he walked alongside Pete.
The passage was lit by faint glowing stones that had been wedged into the wall here and there. They produced a soft amber luminescence which cast the surrounding rock in an eerie light.
As they walked, Pete watched the small, crossed-out Liquidity symbol on the top left of his screen, indicating that his Agility attribute wasn't currently available. The golden droplet symbol with a small Belch Buck on the front was grayed out with a bright red circle and cross over the top.
"I hear nothing up ahead," Craig noted. "No sound of movement."
Pete nodded distractedly, his attention still squarely focused on the Agility icon. While he was watching, a timer appeared, hovering just above the debuff icon.
>> 1hr 10mins
He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Okay, I've got just about an hour before I get my Agility back."
Craig nodded. "An hour. So, if we do need to fight an enemy up ahead, we'll either need to do so as you are or stall for an hour."
"That's a hell of a long time to stall. I think we're gonna have to fight. Unless we can hide somewhere."
The notion of hiding didn't last long. As they entered a large square stone chamber, the pair were met by what looked like a huge copy of the painting with the giant harpy creature they'd seen in the previous chamber. Instead of being marked out in fluorescent slashes painted against a random stone surface, this painting was exquisitely detailed, sitting at least ten feet high and twenty wide and showing a panoramic view of an apocalyptic city scene with hundreds of rebels and Corporation troops pictured fighting one another.
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Morrikal the Shrieking Maw was portrayed at the rear of the scene, flying above the throng of enemy soldiers, wings outstretched, human-looking face staring down with an expression that suggested sorrow.
"Okay," Pete said. "I guess we're not gonna be fighting the monster then."
>> NEW MINI GAME: RELIC RAMPAGE.
"Fuck!" Pete said.
>> APPROACH THE PAINTING.
They both walked up to the image, Craig standing slightly ahead of Pete and holding his gun protectively.
"Don't forget," the little goblin said. "You'll have increased attack power and lifesteal while I'm nearby."
"If that was hit chance, maybe I'd have a shot. Here, take all my Belch Bucks. I'll have a better chance of surviving if I'm invisible. Also, I might send more cash your way every time I make a kill. If I make a kill. Otherwise, it will break my stealth status."
"Understood. I could use more coin anyway."
Pete sent the little money he had in his wallet over to Craig as they examined the painting. There was a small, light blue rectangle on the floor in front of the image, which glowed slightly like a holographic doormat.
>> MINI GAME: RELIC RAMPAGE
DESCRIPTION:
Once you step onto the translocation, you will enter a simulated rendering of the scene pictured in front of you. You will enter the game in the form of Company militia who have been charged with putting down the rebellion and restoring order on Halifax Minor.
>> GAME CONDITIONS:
On stepping into the game scenario, you will lose all existing items, abilities, passive bonuses, and armor. You will retain your current attributes but take nothing else into the game.
"Shit!" Pete barked.
You will be assigned to the Tongsly Belch Corporation (TBC) Regulation Profit Enforcer class and will each receive the following weaponry in addition to a base-level combat uniform:
+| TBC-44 "Shareholder Repeater" Rifle
+| TBC Model-S "Dividend Pistol" (Sidearm)
+| TBC Standard Combat Knife
Weapons come with no additions or augments and are historically accurate to the Halifax Uprising period.
An image appeared on Pete's HUD showing a hobgoblin and goblin standing next to one another wearing a plain green uniform and carrying what looked like old-fashioned hunting rifles. An image of a six-barrel pistol appeared next to them along with a basic knife with a blackened blade.
The uniform bore a golden Belch Buck on the right chest pocket with thin golden piping running down the arms and legs.
>> GAME MECHANICS AND WIN CONDITION:
While you will be unable to directly upgrade your gear or abilities, each enemy kill will provide a portion of money which can be used to purchase relics at key points throughout the game. There is also a chance of being offered one of three relics after killing elite enemies, which provide passive bonuses to speed, accuracy, damage, and so on.
In order to win the game, you will need to kill Morrikal the Shrieking Maw. This will require a good number of relics, but you will have a limited amount of time to reach the boss and kill her before the game resets, and you will need to start again. This game timer will appear above the boss throughout the skirmish.
If you die at any stage during the game, you can be resurrected for a sum of one hundred Belch Bucks in game currency. If you do not have available funds, you will be resurrected with a 10% debuff to all of your basic stats. Once you are able to acquire three times the original resurrection debt (300 Belch Bucks), this money will be deducted, and the game will continue as usual. All relics collected will remain with you after death.
Each time you die, you will be sent back to the starting area and the game timer will be one minute shorter for each death you incur.
If you enter a death loop where you are unable to pay back your debt and continually die without having paid the previous resurrection price, you will be returned to the real world and will be summarily disintegrated.
Once you successfully kill the harpy, you will exit the game and be led back to your vehicle to commence the race encounter.
Good luck!
Pete turned to Craig. "A mini game?"
"Where we are required to fight on the side of the Corporation."
"Yeah, I guess that's the point. The System wants to see us slaughter a bunch of rebels. Must get some kind of sick pleasure out of it."
>> 20 SECONDS TO MINI-GAME COMMENCEMENT
>> STEP FORWARD
"Okay," Pete said, "so no stealth, and you can't use your class abilities. We're basically ordinary soldiers until we can get some kills under our belt."
Craig nodded. "Except you will have a distinct disadvantage in that your Agility debuff will still be in place."
"For the next hour at least."
They both stepped forward, and Pete put his machete back into his inventory. Craig did the same with his gun, and the blue rectangle on the floor beneath them slowly rose, light flickering inside as it rose up their bodies and to the top of their heads before repeating the exercise in reverse.
The chamber and the painting flickered in front of Pete for a few moments, the forms and colors growing strange and moving as though the figures portrayed within were coming to life. Pete felt an odd sense of dislocation a moment before the chamber disappeared, and he blinked his eyes, seeing...