It was a strange procession that made its way through the town. One of the ambushers had stayed behind with the Jeep, while the other two escorted Rob, one leading the way, while the person with the gun related Skills followed behind. Rob didn’t turn around to check, but he could almost feel the barrel being aimed at the middle of his chest. The whole journey was made more difficult by the difference in physical stats that the three possessed. Rob continuously found his strides eating up more ground than he wanted, each step pushing him forwards faster than either of his captors was capable of moving. It took him a bit of time to learn how to regulate his new strength and movement abilities to keep a slow steady pace, and by that time they had arrived at their destination, an upscale hotel that had been turned into a fort.
Strung up in front of the hotel was a human body, it’s facial features unrecognizable. It was a display meant to intimidate and Rob got the message.
“You can keep the Jeep; I’m just trying to make my way home. Didn’t mean to offend anyone.” Rob offered, not liking his odds if he entered that building. Going along with the armed men had seemed like the safest option at the time, but Rob’s hopes of reaching a peaceful solution had just plummeted.
The leading man scoffed. “Right. You just happened to get caught taking fuel that wasn’t yours to fill a vehicle that wasn’t yours filled with supplies that weren’t yours. All of you are thieving criminals and you deserve whatever the boss has in store for you.”
“Who’s the boss?” Rob asked, trying to ignore the blatant racism and hostility he was hearing. It was a big clue as to why this was happening, but Rob needed more information than that.
“Shut it.” The sniper cut off his comrade from answering. “Don’t go giving him free information. The boss knows the score and will handle it. All we need to do is drop him off.”
As he was talking, Rob made a break for it, activating his skills and pumping his legs as hard as he could. He was hoping that his unexpected speed and the sniper’s focus on talking would keep him safe long enough to make it around the corner of the building up ahead. Once out of sight, he’d be able to get out of the area as fast as he could and write the Jeep and supplies off as simply god-awful luck. There hadn’t been any sign that a group like this was present in the area, so hopefully he could get out of their territory before anything happened.
His ears strained to hear the sounds of either pursuit or bullets being fired, but nothing of the sort happened. The corner of the building was thirty feet away, then twenty, ten. Rob jinked while travelling the last few feet, ducking left then right as he finally broke line of sight with his captors. Before he could plan his escape further a feeling of overwhelming pain surrounded him, leaving him screaming on the ground for the few seconds it took for him to mercifully fall unconscious.
When Rob came to, he was tied to a solid metal chair. Looking around he saw that he was in an empty hotel room with all the furniture removed, leaving just him, his seat, and the carpeted floor. There wasn’t even a window for him to look out of, just a blank wall covered in floral wallpaper. Experimentally, he flexed against his bonds, but there was almost no give to them. Even with his high strength, Rob wouldn’t be snapping these restraints any time soon.
“Hello.” A quiet voice interrupted any further testing. A tall, thin man slowly strolled around his left side from behind him, dragging a cushioned wooden chair with one hand. Once he was in front of Rob he turned the chair and sat in it backwards, facing Rob with a cold stare. The man didn’t say anything else and the silence slowly stretched.
“Um. Hello?” Rob offered, more than a little off balance. Waking up a prisoner was worrying enough, but this man didn’t quite fit what Rob had been expecting of his captors. He was white but seemed pale and gangly compared to the thugs from earlier. His clothes were blue jeans and a faded graphic t-shirt currently obscured by the chair, not exactly the outfit Rob expected a leader or torturer to wear.
“Good. Pleasantries are complete, we can get down to business. Let us start with the facts. You aren’t from around here. You were driving a vehicle registered to one Lisa McCulloch. You took gas from my gas station to fill up the vehicle you were driving.” The man stopped there, looking at Rob expectantly. He seemed content to wait while Rob tried to work through his own confusion.
“Are you the boss those guys were talking about?” Rob asked, trying to picture this stranger as a leader of men. It was difficult to imagine. His blond hair was unkempt, and his eyes were unsteady, filled with energy but none of the steady determination he felt a leader should have. Combined with his clothes Rob would have expected him to be running a record shop or run-down tattoo parlor, not a violent gang.
The man simply ignored his question, continuing to stare at Rob.
“What’s going on here? I haven’t done anything wrong! There wasn’t a sign or anything that someone was using the gas station. The first thing I knew was three guys holding me up at gunpoint.” Rob tried to start a different conversation. The man blinked, but that was it.
“Yes, what you said is technically true, but doesn’t tell the whole story.” Rob answered the question finally. He hoped to continue talking and explain details to make himself more sympathetic, but the man in front of him cut him off almost immediately.
“Good, with the facts established, let me explain how this is going to go. My Skill Off-putting Presence gives me control of this conversation and this room. I am explaining what I am doing for another Skill, Horrified Realization to make you more compliant with my intentions. Any questions?”
Those are weird skills. Rob thought. The man’s lips quirked upwards into a twisted smile and Rob realized he might have accidentally said them out loud. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to take offense at the minor insult.
“There are many paths to power. Mine is faster and leads to more power than most, as long as one is willing to pay the price. Anything else you wish to know? The sooner you understand your situation the sooner we can both be done here, after all.” The man waved at the empty room around them.”
“So you’ll let me go after we’re done here?” Rob cautiously tested.
“Yes. There will be some unpleasant moments, but nothing done needs to be lethal or otherwise permanent. Everything is in my favor. You have nothing but the clothes on your back, are tied to a chair in a building I control and have no defense against my skills. I can afford to be generous in this sort of situation. Of course, nothing stops me from changing my mind.” The last sentence seemed to sift the man’s posture suddenly, and Rob got a glimpse of a far different person, one he didn’t want to be in a room with.
“There it is. Through fear, you begin to understand. Here is my first question for you. Who are you working with?” The maniac settled into his chair, his head roping to rest on his arms on top of the back of the chair. He looked comfortable, as if he had all the time in the world.
It was a simple question, and Rob didn’t have any problem answering it. He’d told more than a few people already, and hopefully knowing he wanted to leave the area would help speed that process along.
“Just travelling south, trying to get home. Got stuck in Washington on business when everything changed.”
The man nodded amiably, seemingly commiserating with Rob. “Such a terrible tragedy. And such a long distance you’ve travelled. Did you have the Jeep for most of it? And who do you have waiting for you at home? A wife, children perhaps? A little son or daughter?”
Rob didn't like the tone the stranger took for those last words. There was something off about it all. “I ran most of the way. Just got the Jeep in northern California. You can keep it, I just thought it would be faster than my own two feet.”
There was no sign that the man had heard him. His posture indicated he was still waiting for Rob to answer, but Rob was determined this time. A minute passed, then two.
“And?” It was a single word, but loaded with hidden menace.
“And what? The Jeep’s handy, but much less so with most of the roads gone and trees and rocks everywhere. Rivers are an absolute pain to cross.” Rob tried to play it off as ignorance.
“Your family. Tell me about them.” No room for evasion was left this time. Strangely the boss never changed his tone or volume, letting the words themselves carry his message.
Rob could feel the atmosphere around him turning hostile. He’d run into a couple of skills that could change the area around a person, but none as powerful as this. A large part of him realized that he was outmatched, that cooperation was the easiest way to get through this. That was weighed against his daughters’ safety, however remote the possibility of harm might be. It wasn’t even a contest.
“I’ve told you everything you need to know.” He defiantly said, lifting his chin in stubborn refusal. A tense silence took hold, both men knowing that a challenge had been laid.
“You haven’t taken much Hitpoint damage yet have you?”, the man asked suddenly. Rob cautiously shook his head no, not sure where this conversation was headed, but preferring it over more questions about his family. “I thought so. It shows, if you know what to look for. Such a fascinating thing, Health is. It’s not like we’re living in a video game now, despite what some people might think, and so most people have no idea what exactly HP is?” He leaned in close, as if sharing a secret.
“It’s your soul.”
Cackling a bit, he moved back towards his seat, putting a hand on it and spinning it on one leg. “I don’t know why more people haven't caught on yet. It’s so obvious when you think about it. Clearly, you are the only person who cares about keeping that sack of blood and bones you live in working well, so the System lets a little piece of you help do that! And most people don’t consider the downsides at all. After all, what could go wrong with someone hurting your soul?” He chuckled, pulling out a thin knife and beginning to trim his fingernails with it. His actions were careless, and in moments his fingertips were bleeding as he continued cutting away.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“You’re insane.” Rob whispered, coming to a horrified realization that made his eyes go wide and push himself back into his chair. There was difference between psychopathic and sadistic and the utter disregard for sanity that was just demonstrated
“I know. It’s not quite what you’re thinking though. I made myself this way, you see. Before the System I was as normal as could be, but when the chance for real power came, I took it. All it cost was my morals and a few other things I really didn’t need anymore. Sacrificial Power, a Skill I’ve made my own. And now, thanks to Horrified Realization, you should be in a more receptive state of mind to tell me everything I need to know. Just one more thing to convince you to tell the truth.” He made his way to stand in front of Rob
“Deeper Cut” The madman said as he drove the blade through Rob’s shoulder. Much like it had outside the hotel, Rob’s world erupted into agony, only this time it was concentrated around his shoulder, and was sharp enough to keep him conscious. More than that, the agony seemed to be more permanent in some abstract way than even the damage a fully impaled knife should cause. It took all of Rob’s remaining presence of mind, but he managed to pull up his status screen, only to mentally reel back as he saw his HP plummeting fast.
The knife was removed before his health could reach zero, and slowly the real world faded back into focus, leaving Rob gasping hard as he dealt with the aftershocks of the pain.
“Fascinating, isn’t it? How a person can feel so much pain.” The boss mused, before displaying the perfectly clean knife. Rob looked down at his shoulder, but even though there was now a rip in his shirt his actual flesh was unmarred, and there wasn’t a drop of blood in sight. Looking up, he made eye contact with his captor.
“Now, why don’t you tell me what I want to know. Everything I want to know.”
Rob considered holding out, before he remembered the pain he had just felt. Nothing stopped it from happening again, and there was still the menacing question of what would happen when his HP fell to 0. “Maria and Elena. They’re five and three.”
“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” The boss patronizingly asked, patting Rob on his cheek. Now let’s see what else you want to tell me.
Thankfully for Rob’s sanity, none of the information the madman wanted was difficult for him to share. First came his stats, followed by his skills and his paths, ignoring any skills that were still level one after Rob started sharing the long list of things he had earned during his travels.
Rob Cordan Physical Status: Tense Mental Status: Terrorized Endurance: 12 Constitution: 18 Strength: 19 Health: 22/114(+5.8 / Hour) Reaction: 14 Resilience: 10 Dexterity: 18 Stamina: 96/134(+4.8 / Minute) Willpower: 5 Composure: 5 Intelligence: 5 Mana: 40/40(+2.5 / Hour)
Skill List Name Level Running 25 Sprinting 16 Jumping 9 Night Vision 12 Endurance 18 Rejuvenating Breath 15 Driving 4 Breath Control 7 Navigation 5 Sure Footing 8 Calm Demeanor 4 Clear Voice 4 Heat Resistance 2 Climbing 5 Forestry 3 Bludgeon Mastery 2 Air Hop 3 Lengthened Stride 2
Paths Available Completed Name Invested Length Description Name Length Description Smooth Talker 0 20 Talk someone out of killing you Introductory Path 5 Naturalist 0 24 Explore untamed nature Marathon Man 40 Run for 24 hours straight Researcher 0 15 Compile obscure information Wandering Merchant 12 Make multiple trades while traveling Escort 15 Help someone with an otherwise impossible journey Fastest Man 30 Break 5 previous world records River Rider 15 Cross a river while riding an unconventional object Going the Distance 20 Run 100 miles in a day
After that he moved on to question Rob about Rob’s history and plans, anything that might show Rob to be secretly plotting against him. The questions slowed down until eventually they came to a halt.
The man stood up from his chair, having relaxed into it once Robb had shown himself willing to cooperate. “I think that’s it for now. I’ll think about things and let you know what I decide in the morning.”
“Decide? Decide about what?” Rob questioned, not liking the possible ideas his own mind was supplying. The villain had started walking towards the door, and even craning his neck Rob couldn’t see him anymore.
“Deciding whether I can sacrifice you or not. The binding agreements with my followers have their uses, but I’m afraid they don’t always understand this new world we find ourselves in." Rob could hear the door opening.
“I thought you were going to let me go! You said so!” Rob yelled, a mix of emotions fueling his outburst.
“I did, and I had planned to, but that was before I truly knew who you were. While you’re current skills aren’t too threatening, they represent a capability to act and gain power that poses a threat to me and mine. If I let you go, then the possibility exists that someday you would return and take revenge for your treatment. Killing you now prevents that from happening, and by your own admission there is no one who would come looking to avenge you. Good night.”
The door clicked shut with a quiet finality, leaving Rob alone in the empty room. He was glad that the lights were still on, but that minor point was the only upside he could see as to his current situation. Fortunately, Rob had one useful Skill that might get him out of this bind, a skill he hadn’t used even once due to its description.
Hero’s Moment: Permanent HP cost. Greatly increases all aspects of your ability for a short period of time.
HP was important, but Rob didn’t have any other options, and losing some of his life was better than losing all of it. More than that, he was getting a hunch about how this skill worked. His Health might be powered by his soul, but Rob was willing to bet that everything was actually soul powered at a deep enough level. After all, if his soul was capable of forcing his body to remain in good health even when it was damaged, why couldn’t it enforce a level of health beyond normal? All the increased attributes Rob had were simply other expressions of his soul assisting his body and mind in functioning better than they would otherwise.
Rob wasn’t quite sure how that extended to Skills, but he felt there was a similar chain of logic. His soul was the engine that powered it all, and Hero’s Moment was running that engine on high, breaking it a little for increased temporary benefits. Rob’s hope was that having this understanding of the skill would increase its effectiveness, giving him every last little advantage he could eke out.
“Hero’s Moment.” Rob solemnly intoned, and he could feel the skill go to work, setting his Health Pool ablaze. If he hadn’t just been tortured, Rob didn’t think he would have made the connection, but as it was, he could feel a warm heat slowly eating away at his health. It didn’t hurt, and Rob was extremely grateful for that, but it did put him on a clock. It was hard to judge, but he felt he could sustain this skill for somewhere between half an hour and an hour before he had no more life left to burn.
Breaking the bonds took a minute of working the ropes back and forth before they snapped. What made the difference was a new escapology skill, it’s effects immediately enhanced to a useful level by Hero’s moment, that gave Rob the instincts needed to properly stress the ropes into snapping.
Rob didn’t bother trying the door. He could see the hinges and knew he could get out that way, but he had no idea how many people he would run into outside and didn’t want the boss to show up again. He hadn’t used it during the torture session, but Rob suspected he was the cause of his initial pain outside the hotel and had a way of applying his soul damage at range. Instead he turned his attention to the ceiling. It was easy enough to shimmy his way up a corner and punching a hole in the drywall ceiling wasn’t much harder. Rob was worried about the noise at first, but the benefit of the building being a hotel was excellent soundproofing, and he relaxed when no one came to investigate. He wasn’t quite ready to kill anyone, no matter how capable of it his new stats made him.
The small hole was soon something far more substantial, and Rob soon was squeezed inside, putting most of his weight on a wastewater pipe as he followed it towards the utility closet for the floor. The ceiling there had been left off for easy access, and Rob relaxed a bit once he was back on the ground. Cracking the door revealed things to be dark and quiet. It was late enough for most people to be in bed, and there wasn’t enough discipline in this group to assign a guard for a single prisoner trapped in a room, tied to a chair.
Briefly Rob considered trying to arrange an accident, setting the building on fire or destroying whatever electrical system they had running, but decided it was too risky. The boss had one thing right. Right now Rob might not be a threat, but one day he’d come back and make things right.
It didn’t take long to make his way to the stairs and down to the ground floor. Rob cursed his luck when he realized that there were guards awake and active in the lobby, and cautiously snuck towards the fire escape at the back. Holding his breath, he slowly opened it up, before cursing as the fire alarm started blaring. Once again he activated Hero’s Moment, pouring on all the speed he was capable of as he dashed in a straight line away from the building. A floodlight on the roof slammed on and illuminated him after a few seconds of searching, and Rob cursed, before swearing as he felt a bullet pass through his leg. The sniper was awake, armed, and looking to cripple him, but he hadn’t accounted for Hero’s Moment. Rob felt his health pool empty out dramatically as his leg was restored in an instant, allowing him to keep running without even stumbling.
No more bullets came, and Rob assumed that the sniper was busy trying to find a heavier caliber or had given up entirely. Just when he thought he was safe and clear he felt the same agonizing pain that had started the mess try and take hold. This time though, Rob’s soul was ablaze, and it was the attacker that retreated in pain, unable to do anything but watch as Rob cut behind a building and faded into the night.