Nordstrom, Mall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota - 8:15 PM

“Sorry but, just to make sure, you want me to hang back?” Lucas asked. Midnight Steel fidgeted beside me, its eye focused on the unmoving Mirror Mannequin.

An instrumental, distorted version of Happy Birthday started playing from the boss. The song was slow and sharp, punctuating each note with a nonrhythmic harshness. It stared as the tune continued.

“Yup. You can use your laser to destroy its head once I take it off of the body,” I said, ignoring the creepy mannequin as I returned my Vague Sword to my inventory. In its place, I retrieved Vermon’s Smash Stick and My Golden Bowling Ball. “But, and this is important, don’t strike any of the mirrors. You’ll have to go in from the neck. I’m going to make this fast because a drawn out battle will only be good for the boss, not for me, so be ready.”

“You betcha. I’ll keep my eye open for the opportunity.”

I nodded and watched as the Mirror Mannequin stepped onto the floor. It moved slowly, pushing the debris coating the floor out of its way with shallow steps. That, I knew, was a ruse. It was perfectly capable of moving quickly when it wanted to. The magic of the master controlling it was powerful.

Tightening my grip on Vermon’s Smash Stick, I started walking to meet it.

My feet navigated the area with a lot more finesse than the boss’ did. Where it simply pushed through, I took careful steps to land on flat ground. I cracked my neck, rotated my shoulders, and stopped about twenty feet away. It continued towards me.

“Alright, let’s get this done fast,” I told myself as I closed my eyes. A flash lit up my eyelids as the boss attempted to blind me.

That was the only warning I got before the enemy lunged, clearing the fifteen feet between us in a single leap. While its shield was covered with mirrors, the leg it carried as a weapon was not. It was the only part of the boss that wouldn’t reflect damage. With its club raised high, the Mirror Mannequin aimed a debilitating blow right at my head.

I activated Cheetah Sprint and sidestepped.

<<<>>>

[[Skill]]

Cheetah Sprint

For up to 60 seconds, double the speed of any forms of movement that you have. This skill has a cooldown of 12 hours.

<<<>>>

The club hit the ground, causing dust and shattered tile to erupt from the impact. I spun, lifting the Smash Stick. Jumping, I brought it down on the Mirror Mannequin’s neck with Drop. Glass exploded outwards from my attack. The protruding spike in the middle of the mandible slid through the protective cover into the plastic underneath, getting stuck a few inches in. I let it go, leaving it stuck inside the boss.

Pain lanced through my neck even though there was no visible wound on me. I knew that, whether I used my Warmind abilities or not, there wasn’t enough room in the building to avoid its reflected damage.

<<<>>>

[[Notice]]

You have been inflicted with Seven Years Bad Luck. You will receive 10% of all damage you inflict. This number will increase by 10% every time you break a mirror. Max: 150%.

<<<>>>

I breathed out as I landed on the ground. The Mirror Mannequin could only return so much at a time, which meant it was better to do big blows early on.. That said, the Seven Years Bad Luck curse was dangerous for those who sought to strike several times in quick succession. Mercury wouldn’t have done well here at all.

The boss shifted, sweeping at me with its club from the ground. I stepped onto the boss’ weapon with my superior speed, reaching down to grab it and steady myself. Its Strength was enough to lift me off the ground and I slammed My Golden Bowling Ball into the Smash Stick before allowing the momentum to toss me aside.

Once again, it felt like a spike was going through my neck. I had hammered the club further into its neck, damaging its structural integrity. There was no way I was going to be able to cut through it in one blow even with my psychic powers. I had to weaken it first.

“I’m gonna get you!” the Mirror Mannequin called in a playful, childish voice as it raised its club and shield.

It ran towards me, using the plastic leg to push the Smash Stick out of its neck. I Pulled the weapon back into my hand and raised My Golden Bowling Ball. It struck downwards again, using the same move as the last time, but it didn’t play out the same way.

The club came down on my side, stopping me from stepping out of the way. Its attack put me right in the way of its shield, which it thrust at me. I watched my face get closer from several broken mirror shards before I juked out of the way with speeds that I couldn’t possibly have reached without Cheetah Sprint.

It shifted away, but there was no escaping me. I stepped back into its personal space, and the Mirror Mannequin attempted to kick me. I stepped onto its arm, my back foot on its shield as I swung both of my weapons at once. The Smash Stick landed the first blow, piercing the neck of the boss again. I ignored the pain as the bowling ball connected next.

The mandible’s spike was knocked fully into the Mirror Mannequin, coming out the other end. I activated Force Field to block its club before it could hit the back of my head.

I let My Golden Bowling Ball go as I leaned back, planting both feet on the boss’ chest. The glass cracked under my Heelies, causing pain to myself, but that much was fine. It wasn’t going to hurt as much as this next part.

Yanking with all my might and giving it some extra oomph with Pull, I heard the Mirror Mannequin’s neck creak in protest. It attempted to strike me again, breaking through my Force Field only to be stopped by Shield. My throat started feeling like it was getting ripped out before I finally succeeded and tumbled backwards.

Now, the pain was so bad that I stumbled backwards, physically shaking it off. The boss’ neck had been halfway sundered by my efforts, its head hanging on by a couple inches of plastic and glass. I quickly rolled onto my feet, watching as the Mirror Mannequin’s club headed for its own face.

Sadly, its head did not get knocked free. The boss leaned backwards almost completely out of the way. Its reflective surface was scratched, but not destroyed. It tilted off balance and I Pushed My Golden Bowling Ball right under its foot when the boss stomped down.

The Mirror Mannequin fell backwards as my ball slipped towards me, and I scooped it up. The boss flailed and rolled, its head askew from its tumble. By the time my enemy hit the ground, I was next to it, and when it scrambled back onto its feet I was behind it. Lowering Vermon’s Smash Stick, I took one more swing. I shuddered as I felt my own spinal cord sever.

Unbidden, the memory of the Uuska shoving its hand through my chest came back to me, and I was silently grateful that the Mirror Mannequin’s reflective damage didn’t manifest as physical wounds like some could.

As I backed away, leaving the Smash Stick embedded once again, I took stock of the situation. The boss’ head was just about ready to come off, giving Midnight Steel the chance at the killing blow. It wasn’t a necessary step, but the kid was helping me out and I wasn’t going to go on without returning the favor. He didn’t have to do any of this, after all.

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I took a moment to figure out his location. The drone had been circling the battlefield, waiting for its moment. Lucas was good at following instructions, at least, which was a huge deciding factor in how I decided to treat him.

My thoughts returned to the present as the Mirror Mannequin spun around, its shield coming right for me. I stepped back, missing getting hit by inches, and ducked under its follow up attack. The club struck the ground beside me.

<<<>>>

[[Patron Message]]

Few seconds left on Cheetah Sprint. Your hit points are getting low from all these critical strikes. Do what you need to do, fast.

<<<>>>

“Thanks for the heads up,” I said as I stepped onto the boss’ club again.

I was lifted off of the ground and I kicked the Smash Stick free, breaking even more of its neck. It felt like my own should be bruised and battered at this point. Anyone who didn’t have my mental discipline likely wouldn’t have made it this far; this fight clearly wasn't made to be one on one.

The club swung for me, but I wrapped my arms around the head as I dove out of the way. I twisted over the Mirror Mannequin’s shoulder, and the uneven glass shards cut me through my Ringmaster’s Hoodie. I used Drop on myself, giving me extra weight for my improvised diving neckbreaker. Unable to carry me this time, the boss fell with me.

I used Orbit to clear my landing zone of debris, but it wasn’t so lucky. We both bounced off of the ground, and I Pushed my Heelies away. The Mirror Mannequin’s head popped away with me, having been decapitated by the fall. Its body lashed out, trying to catch me with its club, but I was already too far away.

“Lucas!” I called, holding the boss’ head into the air. Cheetah Sprint wore off, and I returned to my regular movement speed.

“On my way!” he responded.

Midnight Steel flew towards me, and I got to my feet. The head of the Mirror Mannequin was vibrating in my hands and the floor shook from its body’s flailing. It stood, turning around to face me as the drone’s tinted visor raised up.

The body raised its shield and charged. I backpedaled towards the escalators, barely outpacing the boss’ frantic scramble to reach me. It couldn't see now that its head was gone, but it could sense the other part of its body and chased after it like a dog after a ball.

I jumped as I reached the escalator and held myself aloft with Lift. The Mirror Mannequin followed, swiping high and breaking my Shield on impact, but its next step was its last. Its foot landed on the escalator, and it tumbled downwards. Lowering myself to the ground, I held the head to the side, neck facing Midnight Steel.

I smiled at the sight of the flailing boss stuck halfway down the stairs. “All you, Lucas!”

Midnight Steel’s laser finished charging. The orange light blasted into the Mirror Mannequin’s unprotected neck, drilling into the core with such intensity that I was forced to use two hands to hold it steady. It didn’t take long for the system to declare our victory.

<<<>>>

[[Scenario Subquest Complete]]

The Mirror Mannequin has been vanquished, its master one step closer to defeat.

Collect the token and move on to the next.

Reward: 750 points.

[[Patron Message]]

Excellent work, Anthony!

How’s your neck feeling? I can’t imagine it must feel all that great. Why don’t you take some down time, pull out the Staff of Raphael, and maybe accelerate your healing with one of Bethany’s teas. The Merger Mannequin won’t take long before it tries to break through the security doors, but you should have a few minutes.

Oh! Tell Lucas that he did a good job for me, please!

<<<>>>

“My Patron wants me to tell you that you did a good job, Lucas,” I said as I pulled the empty head of the Mirror Mannequin into my inventory.

“Oh, well, thank you, ma’am,” he stuttered, which sounded out of place with his voice filter. “You did a really good job, too, Mr. Anthony. That was awesome!”

“All in a day’s work,” I said with a smile.

Pulling one of Bethany’s Healing Green Teas from my inventory, I consumed it before throwing the empty bottle back. My hit points rose, but my neck was still sore. I would have to be careful for a little bit. Luckily, the next boss wasn’t nearly as bad on damage.

Leaning down, I picked up the two items at my feet. One was a skill book, but the other was a strange, reflective computer chip.

The book, I knew, had a passive that would increase the strength and efficacy of plastic equipment. No one in Sol Ligatus was currently wielding a weapon made of it, but it would be useful for Jamie with her armor.

Once that was in my inventory, I held up the chip to examine it.

<<<>>>

[[Augment]]

Mirrored Chip

When placed in a proper slot, alter a drone so that it reflects 20% of all damage it takes back at its attackers so long as they are within a number of feet equal to half of the operator’s Dexterity stat.

You do not have a class that is compatible with this item.

<<<>>>

Holding the Mirrored Chip out, I offered it to Midnight Steel. “You want me to install this for you?”

Lucas didn’t respond right away, instead taking a moment to read the description. “Eh, might as well,” he said. “Midnight Steel isn’t really made to take blows, but I can transfer it to Dangerbox Alpha once we’re done here. Do you know how to install it?”

“Yeah, just turn around,” I told him.

The drone did so, and a compartment opened up. Two of the four slots were already taken up by other chips, and I slotted this one in the next available opening. It blinked green twice before the door closed on its own.

Once that was done, I pulled the Staff of Raphael out of my inventory to accelerate my healing. “It’ll take you a few minutes, right?”

“Ya, just to reboot,” he answered. “Is that okay? I don’t want you to run off to the next place without me. I mean, I know you have to carry me anyway, but I want to be there for it.”

“No worries. I’m going to take some time to heal up,” I replied with a dismissive wave. “It’ll take a few minutes before the Merger Mannequin tries to break in, but the peace won’t last forever. Do it now, yeah?”

“Okay,” Lucas said as Midnight Steel lowered itself to the floor. “Rebooting now.”

The drone tilted over as it lost power, and its chassis started to shimmer. In the past, it had become more reflective with a metallic sheen, and I had no reason to think that would change this time.

Picking up the drone, I moved so that I was next to the escalators and could head up or down at a moment’s notice. If the Merger Mannequin went high, I’d go low. If it came in low, I’d go high. Whichever exit would get me farther away from it was the way to go.

“Lucas is a good kid,” I said aloud. “His powerset would have been really useful over the years.”

<<<>>>

[[Patron Message]]

I believe it. There’s not as many technology based classes out there, so it’s kind of a treat seeing this one.

But, you’ve told me yourself many years ago. He’s just a kid. Mercury might be toeing the line since he’s 18, but I don’t think you’d invite someone younger than that.

Bethany doesn’t count, obviously; she stays on the train and out of combat. And that’s what you’re really worried about, right?

<<<>>>

“Yeah. Decapitating mannequins is one thing, but I wouldn’t want to take him somewhere more bloody. Which… is almost everywhere else,” I admitted. “Plus, I’d want to bring his parents, Minnesota loses a great asset, the list goes on. For now, I’ll just enjoy working with something so novel.”

<<<>>>

[[Patron Message]]

Hey, at least it’s not boring.

<<<>>>

I laughed. “You’re right, you’re right,” I agreed, closing my eyes to rest them for the moment. “At least it’s not boring.”