Chapter 39

  Oddly enough, the only intact structure in the city was the cart I’d arrived on. They loaded me, in my crystal coffin, onto it. Ash hitched his stallion and plopped down on top of me. According to him, we had a whole week of rattling along to our destination. No clue how I’ll survive. I was bursting with impatience. My head was crawling with “what ifs” like maggots. No matter how I tried to ignore them, they gnawed at me. What if I can’t figure out the system? What if it’s running Linux? What if there’s a password? Or, God forbid, a scanner? Or a busted keyboard? Who knows what that researcher did to it or what bloody rituals he performed. What if the computer’s fried, melted, or turned to jelly? Even if it’s fine, how the hell does it work? Is there a generator? A geothermal plant? I mean, I could probably generate 220 volts myself. But still… I’m too damn unsure. I’m a mediocre programmer at best. Didn’t even last a year in the field. But thank fuck I studied IT instead of law like Mom wanted. “We’re not millionaires,” I thought back then. Grandma wanted me to go to music school ‘cause I sang in the choir as a kid. Nope, thanks. I like eating.

  Along the way, I told Ash about how I became a half-demon. Obviously, I didn’t spill everything. In some parts, I made up total bullshit. Ha, I’d love to see him try to make that work. I kept quiet about the details of my adventures, figuring that info was too valuable to just blab. After that, the demon sank into deep thought.

  - The pain thing’s bugging me. – He said suddenly. – Usually, skills on the chart are ranked by level. Your concentration and sensitivity are at the top, but endurance, which should be your strongest skill, is last. That’s weird, considering how those skills develop. Your build’s like mine, and I know what I’m talking about. Concentration, sensitivity, and mana control let you wield your attribute with precision. For example, I’ve got two elements: crystals and air. With these skills, I can pinpoint the air around your body and craft a crystal prison so tight you can’t twitch. I got there after centuries of manipulating air and crystals. But in your case, it’s lightning. That only exists on the surface, and I can’t imagine controlling it. Yet you clearly did. A lot. So, I’m guessing you can control pain with lightning.

  - I’d clap, but I really can’t move.

  - So I’m right?

  - Fuck you, shitty Sherlock. Not even close. (No way I’m letting you gloat.)

  - Shame… No worries, we’ve got plenty of experiments to run.

  - What? What experiments?

  - All kinds. We’ll start with reactions to different damage types. Stabs, cuts, tears, burns, chemicals, and so on. We’ll find your pain threshold. Then test poisons, drugs, and black tea. Check your reproductive capacity—gonna need a succubus for that. Effects of hunger, dehydration, no air, subzero temps. Immunity to diseases and parasites. And so on… Dissection’s a must. Oh, and we’ll need a healer.

  - Why am I not surprised? That shit doesn’t scare me anymore.

  - Oh, and we’ll test your digestive system, repeating all experiments after draining your mana with absorbers.

  - Uh… C-can we n-not do that? P-please?

  - It’s my duty as a scientist.

  - H-how ‘bout I open the p-portal, and you f-forget all that? Sound g-good? It’s a great deal, r-right?

  - No one’s solved that puzzle in centuries. You that confident?

  - Yup… Ass-probing experiments are a hell of a motivator.

  No NO NO NO… I’m not going back to that! Suddenly, I found the guts to end it all. If they can drain my mana, I’m straight-up fucked… NOOO! No way! I can’t take it anymore! AAAH!!! Damn it, what do I do? Please, God, let this work! My panic was cut off by a strange, muffled voice.

  - Come in, come in! – It sang from Ash’s pocket. – Ashy, where you at? Answer me, you little dirtbag.

  - Screw you… – The demon clearly wasn’t thrilled. His face twisted, but he kept riding like nothing happened. The other demons awkwardly looked away, staring into the distance like something fascinating appeared on the horizon.

  - Don’t ignore me. I know you can heaaar meee. – The voice kept singing. Ash stayed silent.

  - You know I won’t stop ‘til you answeeeer…

  It was like someone was shamelessly blowing up his phone. I was about to ask what the hell was going on when something unexpected happened.

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  - Then I’ll sing you my new song, listen…

  - What do you want?! – Ash snapped, pulling a red crystal from his pocket.

  - Haha. Works every time. You really don’t like my singing?

  - I can’t imagine a creature who would.

  - You just insulted our Lord, but fine, I won’t snitch.

  - I’m busy, get to the point.

  - What’s so important you’re busy with?

  - You know, asshole. You sent me here, you prick.

  - Chill, dirtbag. Don’t flip out. The Lord wants to see you. He’s waiting for your report.

  - Then give him the crystal.

  - You know it doesn’t work like that. Plus, the Lord’s prepped a performance and wants you and your merry band there.

  - Fucking hell… – Ash cursed to the side.

  - I heaaar youuu. Come back. It’s not as fun without you. You’ve got two weeks. Byeee.

  Silence followed. Dead silence. I dared to break it.

  - What was… – My words caught in my throat as I met the general’s glare. That’s when I realized ass experiments were far from the worst thing that could happen. A calm demon’s rage must be truly terrifying.

  - Riz, take him to the portal and wait for us. Make sure he’s in one piece when I get back. The rest, with me to the center.

  Sweet, experiments on hold. I’ve got some time to do something. No clue what yet.

  - We’ll be back in about three months. I’ll grab what we need.

  - Hey, Ash, wait! You’re leaving me like this?

  - What’s wrong with it? This crystal keeps you safe. You’re unpredictable. Better play it safe.

  - Uh… You mentioned the digestive system. If you leave it like this, it’ll explode like hell. If it’s about safety, just put some holes around the pelvic zone.

  …

  So it was just me and Riz. I tried talking to him, but he started drooling at my voice. So I avoided bothering him. Good thing he understood I needed food—Ash told him. Riz would leave me alone now and then to hunt. Well, “leave”… That fucking bastard could teleport. I hated him with every fiber of my being. He couldn’t teleport with his kills, though, so he had to walk back. I dreamed of his death every second. He made it hard to focus on myself.

  A few days later, we reached the spot, and I was hit with massive disappointment. The “machine” Ash mentioned was under a huge crystal dome, and I couldn’t see it. Probably to protect it from stray doggos. So now I’d have to wait for him to return. I didn’t like that. Like, really didn’t like it. Time to become a Chinese cultivator.

  I relaxed my body, stuck in its ridiculous pose, closed my eyes, and sank into nirvana. I dove deep into my mind. I could clearly see my nervous system, but that wasn’t enough. I needed to crank my precision way up. Shrink my consciousness, dive so deep I’d see the foundations of existence. Instead of stimulating my brain, I tried dampening it. I studied physics in school and roughly know what matter’s made of. Theoretical physicists would probably laugh their asses off, but I had to do something. Atoms stick together via electromagnetic interactions. That’s my domain. To break this crystal, I need to disrupt that bond.

  This magic stuff doesn’t quite jive with physics. If there’s an air mage, what do they control? Nitrogen? Oxygen? All gases? Where’s the limit? Is there a system enforcing boundaries? Some game mechanics? What mechanics make sandstorms or icy tornadoes? No clue how real this world is, but I’m gonna put it under a microscope.

  Day after day, I kept my concentration nonstop. I only stopped to eat, then got back to it. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t feel or control every electron in the crystal. Needed a different approach. Turn my spear into a wave. Instead of pinpoint pulses, one massive omnidirectional burst. A force acting across a wide range but focused in one area.

  Two months passed. I started feeling the crystal’s electric cloud. My sensitivity and concentration hit insane levels—283 and 295, respectively. Round-the-clock meditation ain’t no joke. I managed to pull electrons from outside and redirect them, breaking molecular bonds. Long story short, it’s a pain to explain, but I learned to disintegrate matter. Deal with it. Millimeter by millimeter, layer by layer, I methodically destroyed my prison. Riz didn’t notice the tiny changes. Even when my cube shrank by a good five centimeters, he ignored the fine silver sand around. Even if he had noticed, what would he think? But it couldn’t last long. So, gathering all my strength, I prepped for one massive strike. One electromagnetic explosion. When my babysitter vanished to hunt, I went for it.

  Create the wave…

  A moment. A pulse. A bright flash stretching over long microseconds. The strain nearly knocked me out. The air glowed with thousands of tiny sparks. I collapsed onto frost-covered ground. Blood streamed from my ears and nose. My head spun. I puked. Again. Been doing that a lot lately. But it didn’t matter, because… I was finally free…

  Coming to, I ditched my shitty pants and marched bare-assed to the dome. If I could just get to that goddamn system. Oh, I’ll program the hell out of it… Clear my penalties, make myself a god, burn this place to ash, and maybe get back to my real world. Then burn that too.

  The dome stood about three meters high and thirty in diameter. I could try blasting a way in, but I found an easier option. I dug a tunnel with my daggers. Had to work hard on the tough ground, but it was simpler than using magic. I shoved my head and shoulders through the small hole. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a black table. My heart pounded like a drum. I pushed forward with all my might. I was losing it. I’m inside. I jumped to my feet… and immediately hit the ground. Right in the middle of a circle etched with magic lines stood a sleek, black, lacquered three-meter grand piano.

  Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh… What?

  Shaking, I dragged myself to it. A piano… And a chair in front… Just like Ash said. With trembling hands, I lifted the lid. A long row of white keys grinned betrayingly. I wanted to smash their teeth out. On the underside of the lid, in English, was written:

  “Congratulations, you’ve found the portal to the surface. To activate it, play one of humanity’s finest works: Fantaisie-Impromptu, Op. 66 by Frédéric Chopin. We hope you enjoy the process. Good luck!”

  Sorry, Grandma. I fucked up…