Arcen nearly fell off the chair when he emerged from the dive. It was far worse than before. He felt like his heart was stabbed with a dagger and his ears rang like he took a grenade to the face. He hadn’t been that scared of anything ever in his life. He felt nauseous thinking about it.
The orange haired man losing his head to a tower creature didn’t phase him at all—he’d seen far worse ways to die sorting human embryos. It was fear that leaked into him through Norm Lorraine.
A primal fear like Arcen had never even considered possible. It was far different in flavor from anything he had experienced in sorting. Even the worst murders that he’d caught glimpses of paled in comparison to being near that thousand tailed ‘Queen’ abomination. He felt utterly insignificant, like a mouse in front of a planet-sized tiger.
He stumbled his way out of the integrity room. Jenna was there to welcome him, readying her hands for another head massage. He tossed the hazmat helmet with the headgear at her and ran outside without a word. He ran all the way back to his tent and closed the door behind him. He wanted to be alone. His heart wasn’t slowing down. He’d gotten here on pure adrenaline.
The headache loomed over him like an approaching thunderstorm. He knew this one was going to be bad. He dug into his wallet, crunched two white pills like candy and then fumbled around until he found his cigarettes.
He went outside and sat behind his tent on a mossy rock looking up at the bioluminescent ceiling a hundred meters above. It would’ve been beautiful, like a sky full of colorful stars, if he wasn’t shaking with fear.
Somewhere up there is that goddamn fucking…thing.
The thought sent chills through him. He felt cold, even wearing this thick hazmat suit.
How did that oily kid end up there? What a stupid thing to do?
He knew tower climbing wasn’t for him as soon as they started falling from the sky. It was dangerous, suicidal even. He knew all about that. He’d tried eight different ways to end his suffering, but each one of those attempts was less painful than tower climbing. He’d done everything to avoid it, getting a Helviter job just like his mother would’ve wanted him to.
And look where that fucking got me.
Things didn’t improve for him after munching two pills and chain-smoking five cigarettes. The headache was still there after the painkillers faded.
Jenna came around and stood idly by the tent, innocuously checking her phone. This was her way of telling him it was time to get back.
He dreaded the third session, but he had no choice. If he bailed out now, Helviter would find a way to toss him away for the foreseeable future. That would mean the previous two sessions also went in vain. He didn’t want to suffer and have no money to show for it.
Better get this shit over with anyway.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, sweetie,” Jenna whispered, quickly ending the call that she was on. Arcen caught a glimpse of her screen as she quickly typed something out. She sighed hard and looked at him, smiling pleasantly. This one was different from her creepy receptionist grin. The fear that he felt had driven the throat tickle down, but he felt it faintly yet again.
“Your…kid?” Arcen asked, pointing at the picture of a small girl with missing teeth on her phone.
“Yeah, my daughter. I didn’t tell her I won’t be back today.”
“You lied?!” Arcen asked as they began walking. “That’s got to be bad parenting or something,” he joked. He wouldn’t know what good parenting looks like to save his life.
How old is that kid?
He’d never thought Jenna would have a child. Especially because she was ‘Miss’ Jenna since day one. He had the reasonable assumption that she was unmarried, hot, single and ready to mingle.
“She gets cranky when I work night shifts. Just didn’t have time to deal with a tantrum this morning,” Jenna said with an exhausted smile. “All good now. I just have to buy her something.”
“How old is she?” he asked casually. Jenna’s smile flinched a little. He was just about to add ‘if you don’t mind me asking’ when she simply launched into the answer.
“She’ll be eight in a week.”
Eight!? The hell? Wait, is the math correct?
He knew Jenna was one year older than him. She was twenty-four.
The math is wrong. I better shut the fuck up.
She had a curious look about her as she kept looking at him after telling him her daughter’s age. The age of her child carried way too many implications. A teenage pregnancy, a missing father, the struggle of being pregnant and then a single mother in the same year as the Mayday.
She was scanning him with her freakish blue eyes for the slightest hint of judgement. He had somehow talked himself into a Venus flytrap with just a couple sentences. Arcen did his best to freeze his face muscles exactly as they were. He was standing on a landmine. His luck with women was impeccably horrendous.
Shouldn’t have poked my nose where it doesn’t belong. Fuck it.
“Ah, kids these days are smart. You should get something nice for her,” he said, chuckling awkwardly.
“...the birthday party’s in a week. There goes my overtime…” Jenna sighed, taking her piercing blue eyes off him.
She had a few more things to say about her daughter as they walked to the lab. She had misread his casual interest as an actual interest in the topic. She was only too eager to keep talking about it. Maybe she never got any attention on the matter with other strangers. Arcen played along politely. Anything was better than coming across as a judgmental asshole to this ridiculously hot woman that gave him an excellent head massage.
He found his helmet ready for him in the lab.
┌──════════──???──════════──┐
Start
└──════════──???──════════──┘
Norm blocked a slash by the Meronolith Queen with his left gauntlet. The impact sent him flying, but he’d avoided damage to his vitals. Bower created a rift between them just before her next attack. This thing was faster than any of them expected. She broke the sound barrier with each step she took, and she used her man-tails to manipulate her position in unpredictable ways. It was bizarre how each grey man crawled around the chamber with their hands, manipulating their roots to move the queen as she wanted.
Norm spoke to the tower even as he flew from her blows. He stopped at one contract that could flip the fight in his favor.
╭ ╰︶?? BRAHMARA ?? ︶╯ ╮
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ CONTRACT ╰︶
????
STORM OF SCYTHE
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ DUALITY ╰︶
????
DESTRUCTION
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ TYPE ╰︶
????
MAIN
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ RANK ╰︶
????
SECOND
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ DESCRIPTION ╰︶
????
SLICES EVERYTHING
TOWARDS THE TARGET IN
A CYLINDRICAL SHAPE
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ CONDITIONS ╰︶
????
POINT TARGETING
REQUIRES HAND GESTURE
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ COST ╰︶
????
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
112,300 AURA
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
Norm activated it, dodging a slash that would’ve ripped his stomach out. Grey roots and rocks flew as his Storm of Scythe hit the queen point blank. She attempted to counter it with a burst of red flames from her palm but his attack sliced her entire arm into thin ribbons. The contract had no range limit. Each individual slash in that storm only ended when it met something it couldn’t cut through—like the thick chamber wall. She lost at least a tenth of her roots to it.
The queen used some of her tails as a whip and slammed Norm with few grey men that immediately splattered like blood bags and died. Norm found himself flying back from that bloody impact, and the queen retreated, screaming at the top of her lungs.
He landed and slid on the wet rocky floor, sinking his sharp claws into the ground as he swung his lower body back to a leaping stance. He wanted to exploit this opportunity further.
She changed targets immediately and descended upon Bower, who was slower than Norm. Bower tried to shield himself with a lesser contract, but her whip sent him flying into a wall. He had to use another contract to not splatter his head against the rock wall.
She switched targets again and slipped past both of them towards the girl, who was busy running away as she was instructed. She was at least three hundred meters behind, and the queen leapt that distance in less than a second.
“Watch out! kid!” Norm yelled, promptly using everything he had to increase his speed. The queen’s shockwave and her whipping roots tossed him hundreds of feet in the air.
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ ACTIVATION SUCCESS ╰︶
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ ACTIVATION SUCCESS ╰︶
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ ACTIVATION SUCCESS ╰︶
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ ACTIVATION SUCCESS ╰︶
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ ACTIVATION SUCCESS ╰︶
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
His thighs and lower legs were enhanced almost to the point of bursting. He sprung off the ground right after landing, launching himself in the direction of the queen. He was worried about the witty, oily kid.
He expected to see the worst when he got there, but to his surprise, the girl was more or less unharmed. The queen was half melting, caught in the girl’s napalm-like oil and fire combination.
The girl wasn’t completely safe. Her bodysuit was ripped and torn, and she had a couple of gashes on her back. He watched her as she effortlessly dodged a swipe from the queen in a dance-like motion, sliding on the jagged rocky ground on a massive oil stream like a figure skater. All that oil came from her skin. At a glance, it made no sense how she kept producing far more oil than she weighed.
Norm had a few guesses, and one of them made him respect the girl’s power even more than he already did. Arcen had no idea what Norm was thinking about. He inferred the thought as ‘rare’ and ‘lucky’. It had something to do with the word ‘domain’. At the moment, he was too distracted to care about what that meant.
Bower came in clutch, close behind Norm. He used some sort of contract or ability that materialized three gigantic pillars off the chamber ceiling. They pinned the queen’s tails to the floor like building-sized hammers, severely limiting her mobility. She turned around to face Norm, giving up on the girl.
Norm didn’t waste a millisecond. He was already within range for another attack. He picked the same one and waited just a second for the oily girl to get out of the range.
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ CONTRACT ╰︶
????
STORM OF SCYTHE
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╰︶ACTIVATE ︶╯
The slashes carved a wide arc into the Queen’s roots and upper body, slicing her flesh into thin strips. She lost both arms and half of her chest. Half of her roots fell limp, severed from the back. Norm hopped and slid across, trying to get the perfect angle to rip into her spine. Getting rid of her tails would give them a huge advantage.
Trying to dodge her sharp claws, He latched onto her at a slightly odd angle than he planned. His own red claws sank into the open wound on her right side, and he ripped her wide open in a frenzy, using her body as a launchpad to hop away. He dropped the chunk of flesh that he ripped out of her when he landed.
Giving no time for queen to recover, he bent down, preparing to launch himself at her again. He was almost there. The queen was bleeding out fast. Her multimillion Aura capacity meant nothing next to her list of tactical errors.
He was three hops away from ripping her heart out when she opened her mouth. A red glow burst forth from her throat, and he quickly braced himself for impact.
It wasn’t an attack.
The air itself turned red all around the chamber.
He went completely numb from head to toe, ears filling up with white noise.
The queen spoke.
KNEEL
He heard her vicious voice ripple through his brain.
His body obeyed before he could do anything. All of his muscles locked onto what she told him to do. He saw Bower do the same from the left corner of his eye. The girl froze where she stood on the right.
Bright red flames danced all around his body—a representation of his Aura in this red world. To his surprise, the girl had flames almost as bright as his. Bower’s was significantly dimmer, and he was bleeding from his eyes and nose.
Norm tried to free himself from whatever this was, but his body betrayed him completely. He couldn’t move a single hair, let alone a muscle. The red glow of his scaly gauntlets vanished as if they were worn by a dead body.
He could still check his numbers.
╭────────────╮
?╭─ GOLD ─╮?
╰ 135,890 ╯
╰─────╮╭────╯
╭────────────╮
?╭─ AURA ─╮?
╰ 987,630 ╯
╰─────╮╭────╯
The queen was the brightest flame of all. Her flames reached fifty, seventy meters and danced far more excitedly than theirs. She was the only one who could move in this red world.
She slowly walked towards Bower.
Norm tried everything he could. None of his offensive skills or contracts worked against her.
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ ACTIVATION FAILURE ╰︶
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ INFORMATION ╰︶
????
CANNOT TARGET THE HOST
OF THE DOMAIN [RED COURT]
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ ACTIVATION FAILURE ╰︶
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ INFORMATION ╰︶
????
CANNOT TARGET THE HOST
OF THE DOMAIN [RED COURT]
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ ACTIVATION FAILURE ╰︶
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ INFORMATION ╰︶
????
CANNOT TARGET THE HOST
OF THE DOMAIN [RED COURT]
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
He had burned through almost a third of his Aura. He regretted not spending it all faster. He’d played too safely, and now, there was no way out of this. They had squandered their one chance to escape. He should’ve done it when he saw how much Aura was involved in this fight.
YOU ARE UNWORTHY
Her malicious voice rattled in his skull. It wasn’t directed at him. It was meant for Bower.
She bent over him, opening her mouth.
The man did not move an inch. He remained frozen and expressionless as she plunged hungrily into him.
Norm could only watch helplessly as it unfolded.
Wiping her bloodied mouth, she turned towards Norm. He prepared himself for the worst as she loomed over him, but she walked past him with a sideways glance, continuing towards the girl.
Norm had a split-second decision to make. The queen was eating them by the strength of their Aura. He definitely didn’t want to see a child eaten like an apple. He’d never be able to live that down even if he survived this ordeal. He knew this was his last attack, but he had to try it. It was the only offensive one powerful enough to harm her that could be activated without a specific target.
╭ ╰︶?? APOLLYON ?? ︶╯ ╮
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ CONTRACT ╰︶
????
SCORCHING SUN
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ DUALITY ╰︶
????
LIGHT
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ TYPE ╰︶
????
MAIN
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ RANK ╰︶
????
FOURTH
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ DESCRIPTION ╰︶
????
CREATE A MINIATURE
STAR
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ CONDITIONS ╰︶
????
ACTIVATION SPACE MUST
BE SPACIOUS ENOUGH TO
ACCOMMODATE THE SPHERE
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
╭────────────────────╮
︶╯ COST ╰︶
????
752,498 AURA
╰─────────╮╭────────╯
Activating this next to the queen meant he was also in range. He would be taking her out with him. The girl would be somewhat safer for up to few more seconds.
Her oil didn’t seem to ignite without her own spark. Hopefully, she could use the opportunity to escape. In the worst case scenario, burning to ashes within ten seconds would be a far more merciful death than being slowly eaten for minutes.
Norm activated it, his heart pounding in his ears. A small glowing ball appeared next to the queen as she passed him. She turned lazily towards it, still licking Bower’s blood off her lips.
The ball expanded to the size of a house, crushing the queen under its weight. It glowed red hot in milliseconds.
The red world flickered and vanished as she screamed. Norm started feeling his limbs again but it was too late. His skin was already bubbling. He caught a glimpse of the girl slipping away over a ledge.
The miniature sun erupted in a thousand flares.
He closed his eyes as the yellow heat turned white hot.
┌──════════──???──════════──┐
Skip
└──════════──???──════════──┘
┌──═════════──???──═════════──┐
HELVITER INDUSTRIES
︾
──────────────────────────
?Contract Activation Successful?
──────────────────────────
Contract: Glimpses of the Past
Cost: $321,600
Remaining Daily Quota: $824,500
└──═════════──???──═════════──┘
┌──════════──???──════════──┐
Start
└──════════──???──════════──┘
Norm opened his eyes. He wasn’t dead. He was engulfed in complete darkness, floating weightlessly. His body was numb again.
Suddenly, everything turned red.
The Meronolith queen loomed over him, her red flames illuminating the entire chamber. Her face was burned and she stared at him with her red eye.
Norm screamed, but he couldn’t make any noise. Somehow, she had survived his final attack. He desperately looked for a way out. He regretted everything, and every choice that brought him here.
╭────────────╮
?╭─ GOLD ─╮?
╰ 135,890 ╯
╰─────╮╭────╯
╭────────────╮
?╭─ AURA ─╮?
╰ 235,132 ╯
╰─────╮╭────╯
He couldn’t use anything without the control of his body. The Apollyon contract for the miniature sun was far beyond his Aura. He’d failed.
His mind screamed and screamed until he forgot himself. The queen spoke after what felt like a lifetime.
YOU ARE WORTHY
Her chest parted open, revealing a growing appendage that looked like a flower bud as the glow of her red eye diminished.
The bud unfurled its petals above his chest.
Norm was screaming, but there was no one to help him.
The flower clamped over his chest like a suction cup.
He didn’t feel any pain.
The red world turned redder as the weight of the appendage pushed him firmly against the ground.
YOU MAY BIRTH MY KING
The queen said, looking at him with reverence.
┌──════════──???──════════──┐
Skip
└──════════──???──════════──┘
┌──═════════──???──═════════──┐
HELVITER INDUSTRIES
︾
──────────────────────────
?Contract Activation Successful?
──────────────────────────
Contract: Glimpses of the Past
Cost: $21,500
Remaining Daily Quota: $803,000
└──═════════──???──═════════──┘
That’s how he got the egg!
Arcen opened his eyes, his mouth hanging open voicelessly. He was out of both breath and words. He frantically touched his own chest, almost expecting to feel that infernal egg there.
“That concludes our third session, Mr. Henwick,” Doctor Bourbon said, pressing the sequence of buttons to turn the predictive analysis inference machine off.
Arcen looked at him blankly, took a deep breath, and screamed.
