CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Naked Secrets
Day 77
Marcus
Marcus sat outside the Sphere in the dark, leaning against a nearby building that was partially collapsed. The house had been Specter's storage spot once. His armor, except for the helmet lying next to him, was marked by fresh scratches, dirt, and dried blood. He cradled a sports drink in his left hand and a half-eaten sandwich in his right, occasionally biting it as he eyed the nearly full bag at his feet.
He glanced left, toward the nearby barrier, vaguely making out Bastion and Specter, drenched in blood, as they kept hacking apart monsters and ripping out Glass pieces. He could see the twin light coming from Bastion’s shoulders. ‘Glad the upgrades are working,’ he thought, recalling the effort it had taken to install the lamps and for his companion to learn how to use them.
Marcus looked up at the night sky. The stars twinkled brightly, a serene contrast to the chaos he’d just escaped. The cool night air helped him relax, providing a brief respite from the tension and exhaustion. With a sigh he activated his HUD as the transparent overlay appeared in front of him.
╔ ╗
[Time:] [23:18]
╚ ╝
“Can’t believe it’s been almost a full day of fighting,” he muttered, recalling how they’d started last night and hadn’t stopped since. Each time he moved he could feel the sting of all the bruises covering his body along with all the scratches he had earned. The steel armor had done its job, but hours of intense fighting had worn him down.
He’d also been managing both robots, keeping them fueled with Mana to maximize their efficiency in battle, which had been a mathematical struggle in itself. He took another sip of his drink before he heard movement on his left. He turned to see Specter pass through the barrier, seeing it sliding its knives back into their sheaths.
“I come bearing gifts,” Specter said, approaching Marcus and dropping six bloody Glass pieces into his open bag. “How’s dinner?”
“Soggy,” Marcus muttered, shaking his sandwich before stuffing it into his mouth and mumbling something about their Glass count. His words came out barely comprehensible, but Specter seemed to understand what he was trying to say.
“The kill count’s higher than the Glass we’ve collected. But we’re at 193 now—counting yesterday’s haul, leftovers, and the ones you stole from that little girl,” Specter said, casually brushing off Marcus's claim that he’d earned them after surviving getting pepper sprayed.
“Are we going in for another round? Bastion told me it’s got another hour in the tank, and I’ve regained some Mana,” Specter shared. “The big brute been making a lot of noise, so I think there should be a few more monsters coming in soon.”
Marcus swallowed his food, finished his drink, and stuffed the garbage into the now dangerously full Monster-Glass bag. He then opened his HUD again and checked his Mana reserves.
╔ ╗
[Total Mana:] [4/52]
╚ ╝
“An hour, no more than that. I’ve barely got any juice left, and we can’t keep swapping out your spare Orb and shoving it into Bastion,” Marcus said as he stood up, grabbed his helmet, and secured it in place before fastening the straps and putting on his gloves.
“We could always just grab the Orb,” Specter said calmly. “That should fix the problem.”
Almost immediately, Marcus shot him a glare that was equal part disapproval and exhaustion. Seeing it, Specter held up its hands and let out a chuckle. “Dude, relax, I was kidding.”
Marcus was about to comment when he spotted Bastion passing through the barrier, its body drenched in blood and dirt. The two small lights on its torso, near where its chest and shoulders met, shone faintly. Marcus held up his hand to shield his eyes from the glare, only for Bastion to switch the lights off and make its way over towards them,.
“You good to go in?” Bastion asked as it stopped near him.
“Yeah,” Marcus said, standing up and zipping the bag filled with Glass before carrying it inside and hiding it in an old cabinet. He texted his uncle and Felix a funny picture he’d found online, pretending he was out having fun instead of fighting for his life, afterwards switching off his phone and shoving it in the cabinet as well.
He put on his own smaller backpack before joining up with his companions. Specter entered the Sphere first, crouching low and wielding daggers in both hands. ‘And off it goes,’ Marcus thought, watching the robot blend into the background as it rushed past a ruined house, its night and heat vision making it easy to move undetected and spot threats.
“One second,” Marcus said as he placed his hand on Bastion and poured the four points of Mana he had recovered into the robot. ‘That should give it a few extra minutes,’ he thought, tapping Bastion’s shoulder to signal he was finished.
The towering robot then went in next, its shield and axe drenched in blood. The robot passed through the barrier, emerging on the other side before switching on its lights. The flashlight both blinded and stunned monsters in the dark while helping Marcus and Bastion see more clearly during a fight. The light also acted as a massive beacon, drawing nearby monsters to them—just like Marcus’s scent gave the creatures an easier way to track them.
In this case, they wanted the extra attention, sticking close to the barrier and constantly fighting smaller groups of monsters while farming Glass. Marcus stepped through the barrier, gripping his smaller, lighter shield and a short spear, with a few spare weapons strapped across his body. Bastion had started out with a spear as well, but had bent it during the first few hours while killing monsters.
As Marcus emerged on the other side of the barrier, he was instantly hit by the scent of blood, organs, and whatever the monsters had expelled from their digestive systems when they had died. He tried to ignore the stench as he followed Bastion, carefully stepping over severed limbs and mutilated corpses, not wanting to slip and fall again. They left the sight of their last skirmish and turned down another street, searching for their next source of Glass.
After a few minutes of walking, they spotted five smaller monsters clawing at the side of a building at the end of the road. ‘Are they trying to bury more Glass?’ he wondered, watching them for a while longer. Occasionally, the five creatures snapped and hissed at each other, behaving more like feral beasts than animals. They had small limbs and were roughly the size of large cats. A few seconds later, one of the creatures sniffed the air, then turned toward Marcus, picking up his scent.
“Here we go,” he muttered as Bastion’s metal frame shifted into an offensive stance. Seeing the threat, the five monsters suddenly charged at them in a frenzy. The robot moved forward, meeting their charge with its own, loud steel feet pounding into the asphalt before it got close enough to slam one of them away in an arc and through the side of a house with a single shield bash before hacking off a limb of another.
Two monsters darted past the robot, rushing toward Marcus. One lunged at him, jaws wide, but Marcus stepped in, driving his shield into its mouth and shattering its skull and neck, sending it flying backward. He ducked as the other monster rushed at him, trying to bite his legs. Marcus swung his spear and rushed to the side to gain distance, the asphalt giving way to dirt. He stabbed the spear into the ground, then swung upward, sending dirt and rocks into the monster’s face, momentarily blinding it. He then stabbed the creature through its torso, pinning it down, and finished it off by bashing its skull twice with his shield until it went limp.
Marcus glanced over, watching Bastion stomp down on another monster. A small yelp escaped the creature before Bastion crushed it to death. ‘That was nasty,’ Marcus thought, moments later hearing something as he spotted a wounded monster crawling out of a ruined house. In an instant, he shot forward as fast as his body could take him, moving quicker thanks to his increased Agility Stat. He flung his spear upward to reposition his grip, then came to a sudden stop and hurled it like a javelin. The spear missed the monster, striking the ground and startling the creature.
Marcus grabbed the axe dangling at his side and charged the monster, with Bastion rushing towards the creature as well. The monster changed course and jumped towards Marcus, its mouth wide open, aiming for his throat. In response, Marcus crouched low and thrusts his shield upward, slamming the creature further up in the air before he hammered his axe into its torso, yanking it down into the ground with tremendous force. A second later, Bastion's axe split the monster’s skull, killing it instantly.
“It’s weird that you’re suddenly faster than I am,” Bastion said, scanning their surroundings as it pulled its axe back. “I’m not sure I like it.”
Marcus grinned at Bastion’s comment and knelt by the first monster, retrieving the Glass only for it to fragment in his hands and disintegrate. He looked annoyed before getting back up and making his way over to the next monster.
“Well, you’re still stronger than me. A lot stronger, actually,” he said honestly.
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Bastion looked around for a moment longer before helping Marcus with the Glass retrieval. “I doubt it will be like that for much longer considering your current growth and the fact that we’ve been collecting a lot more Glass lately,” he said, ripping out another Glass piece. “But really, it’s weird seeing your sudden growth. Those four points in Agility are really noticeable. You’ll need to watch yourself around other people, or they might suspect something.”
“You’re right,” Marcus said, pocketing the last piece and collecting Bastion's before stowing them in his backpack. He was still annoyed at how often smaller monsters’ unstable Glass would disintegrate. “My Power rating’s 15 now, still average for a Beta-ranked Breacher, but way higher than when I started—Alpha rank… and the lowest one at that.”
He grabbed his weapons again before the two of them made their way over towards the next street, making sure they stayed relatively close to the barrier to avoid running into much larger groups of monsters that would no doubt be close to the Orb. It didn’t take long for Marcus to hear a bird call coming from the north, even though any bird within the Sphere would have died from Mana-sickness by now.
‘Specter’s on a roll,’ he thought, realizing the robot had found another group of monsters. He waited for the sound to repeat, followed by several clicks, signaling the number of enemies. “Take the lead, Bastion.”
The robot nodded and made its way down the street, carefully scanning nearby houses for threats. They soon spotted Specter standing guard near an alley, a fresh corpse lying at its feet. As they approached, Bastion quickly switched off its lights. It then calmly pointed toward the alley with its steel thumb.
“Six bigger ones and one strange creature walking on two feet. The thing is about the size of a person. Must be a new variant. There are also a dozen smaller ones without tusks, covered in pus. It seems manageable with the three of us. We might get scratched, but it’s the last fight of the evening, correct?” Specter asked as he grabbed something from its backpack and placed it in Marcus’s, the soft sound of Glass tapping against Glass clearly audible. “So, how do you want to proceed, o brave leader?”
Marcus grabbed the robot’s shoulder for a brief moment, forming a connection. He recalled seeing the monsters in the alley through the robot’s night and thermal vision, counting their numbers before the connection broke. Marcus paused briefly, formulating a strategy before speaking up.
“Bastion goes in from the front and draws them in. Specter, you go from the rear and cause chaos. I’ll deal with the weird one from above. Alright?”
Specter just nodded while Bastion spoke up, “Works for me. Need a lift?” The large robot crouched, raising its shield. Marcus dropped his own spear and shield, then moved back a few paces. He sprinted towards Bastion, leapt onto the shield, and was launched upward the moment he made contact. As his momentum slowed, he grabbed the roof's edge and pulled himself up. As he finished his climb, a spear followed, and he grabbed it just in time. He crawled into position at the roof's edge, peering into the alley below.
Marcus heard movement as Bastion stepped into the alley, its metal feet stomping with purpose while it dragged its axe along the wall. The screech of metal on stone was overwhelming, reverberating through the narrow space as the tall robot continued to move forward. The horrible sound drew the monsters' attention, triggering snarls and hisses. One of the smaller creatures rushed forward, but stopped, startled, as Bastion’s shoulder lights flared on, blinding it. The robot stepped forward, dragging the axe along the wall for a final second before slamming it down. The metal bit deep into the creature’s shoulder and torso, nearly cleaving it in two.
The robot calmly straightened, slamming its shield and axe together in an intimidating display. “Come on, you mangy mutts! Let’s see what you’ve got!”
The remaining monsters hissed and moved toward the robot, some more hesitant now, while others charged outright. Bastion held its position, bracing itself as the lights in its shoulders flashed, constantly blinding the creatures that came too close. The first wave of monsters reached Bastion in a violent clash of metal and flesh. At the same time, the monsters lingering behind howled in pain as Specter rushed in, attacking from the opposite side. It cut into exposed flesh with reckless abandon, flinging curses to signal its presence to monsters beyond the reach of its blades. Confusion and chaos took hold as the group of monsters was torn apart, divided into two struggling fronts.
Bastion held its ground, while Specter occasionally backed off due to the number of monsters it was dealing with. The robot maintained a balance between inflicting cut after cut and luring a decent chunk of the monsters away from Bastion, leaving a trail of growing monster bits. Seeing the events unfold, the two-legged monster in the center howled and struck its brethren, trying to restore order and prevent the others from charging recklessly.
As the monsters tried to reorganize, Marcus sprang into action. “Well, time to pick up my end of the couch,” he muttered. He stepped back, then sprinted forward and leaped of the building, spear aimed at the two-legged monster below. The creature jerked its head up, as if sensing Marcus, but couldn't stop the spear from being driven into its chest as the young man crashed down with full force. The impact echoed with a brutal thud, and Marcus pinned the monster to the ground, its body convulsing in its final moments. Around them, its confused brethren reeled as the robots shifted from defense to an all-out assault.
Marcus released the spear, snatched his axe and dagger, and charged at the nearest monster, startling it with his explosive speed. He slid its throat while he moved on, ducking under its wide claw swing before burying his dagger in the monster’s chest, then spun around the creature and buried his axe into another monster’s neck. He kicked one of the smaller creatures mid-jump, sending it crashing into a nearby wall. Specter and Bastion reached him seconds later, hacking and stabbing into the remaining monsters, who quickly gave up fighting and tried to run away, only to be cut down.
Marcus paused, watching his machines rip through the remaining monsters. He opened his HUD to check how much time Bastion had left, then wiped the blood from his face.
“Specter, take care of the stragglers,” he said, yanking his spear out the corpse with a sickening sound. “Bastion, let’s get to work while you’ve still got juice left.”
- - -
Bastion and Marcus climbed the fire escape an hour later, heading to Marcus’s apartment. The robot wobbled and stumbled, burning through the last remnants of the Mana the young man had just poured into it. Marcus opened the window, climbed through first, and then helped Bastion do the same. As the robot squeezed through, its power ran out, and it crashed to the floor face first with a heavy thud.
“Really?” Marcus muttered before throwing the keys on the ground. “Like I’m not exhausted enough.”
He climbed back out, grabbed his bags, and slipped back into the apartment. He dragged the unresponsive robot across the floor and through the living room. Bastion’s baggy black clothes, meant to conceal its features, were soaking wet from washing off grime and blood before leaving the Sphere. The wet clothes left a trail of water as he dragged the robot into his bedroom, muttering curses along the way.
In the bedroom, Marcus undressed the robot, pulled off the wet clothes, and stuffed his silent companion into a closet, locking it. He then retrieved his bags, dumping his dirty clothes, armor, and weapons into the bathtub. He turned on the water, watching as old blood and dirt mixed with the water before swirling down the drain. He overturned the bag, letting the Glass pieces fall into the tub. As the pieces tumbled out, he remembered his phone was also inside the bag and snatched it before it fell into the water.
‘Idiot,’ he thought while putting the phone away. He looked at the tub again, noticing some Monster-Glass still had skull or brain fragments attached, further staining the water.
“It looks like a bloody crime scene,” he muttered.
He undressed, tossed his clothes and equipment into the tub, and got in, rinsing off the blood and dirt while avoiding the sharp axes and knives. After a five-minute shower, the warm water soothed his sore body and slowly brought out the normal human in him again, instead of the butcher and exterminator he had been. He rinsed out the clothes again before hanging them over the railing of his shower curtain.
Getting out, he dried himself off before using the same towel to dry off his weapons and armor.
‘Why do I have to play housemaid while Specter gets to have fun inside the Sphere?’ he thought as he dropped the last piece of equipment on the ground along with the towel.
He brushed his teeth, then scooped up the Glass pieces, dumping them onto the wet towel As he counted the Glass, his smile grew with each piece.
“Around ten and a half charges worth of upgrades,” he thought out loud before tying the edges of the towel together and standing up.
Marcus’s smile soured as he realized what ten charges would do to his body during the upgrading process.
“Shit.”
He made his way to his bed, carrying the Glass-filled towel along with him before sitting down. He recalled upgrading his Stats five times all at once before the last Sphere, spread across four categories. The memory of the pain and discomfort flashed through his mind, reminding him of how he had bled from his eyes and nose, vomited all over himself before passing out from the ordeal.
He weighed his options: upgrade slowly or do it all at once and get it over with. Time passed as he sat there, staring at the Glass and contemplating his choices. Finally, he clenched his jaw, deciding on his course of action He grabbed a leather belt from his closet, bit down on it, before grabbing first 20 Glass pieces. He stabbed them into his chest, near his black Marks, and felt the first surge of unnatural energy crash into him as he reached for the next 20 pieces.
- - -
Marcus woke to the sound of banging and his phone ringing in the distance. He groaned and rolled over, his body aching from the night’s ordeal. Blinking against the morning light streaming through the window, he closed his eyes again, the brightness overwhelming. Every movement brought a hiss of pain from his lips, his muscles protesting. Despite the soreness, his mind felt surprisingly clear. The phone rang again, jolting him fully awake.
“Alright... alright... I’m up,” Marcus groaned as he ran a hand through his hair, his fingers brushing over the black Marks on the right side of his head. He activated his HUD, ignoring the blinking notifications as he checked the time.
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[Time:] [9:24]
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Another series of knocks on the door forced him to move.
“Coming!” he shouted, his voice hoarse. ‘God, I feel horrible,’ he thought, massaging his chest.
He winced, remembering the intense pain of the upgrades from last night. Glancing down at his naked frame, he saw the puncture wounds from the night before, now mere specks of dried blood on his chest. He licked his thumb and rubbed the blood, revealing unbroken skin beneath, though still slightly pink.
“Huh? Well, that’s new,” he muttered, realizing his healing rate had increased. ‘Must be the increased Endurance.’
He opened his HUD again to check the notifications about his recent changes.
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[Strength] [+2]
[Mental] [+1]
╚ ╝
Marcus smiled briefly at the notifications. Three points of upgrades might seem less impactful than his previous sessions, but they had cost him 200 pieces of Glass, each earned through blood and death. He let the thought linger for a moment, appreciating the effort and pain it had taken to get there.
He heard the knocking on his front door again, this time more insistent.
“I said I was coming,” Marcus yelled, snapping back to the present.
He made his way to the bathroom, grabbed his phone, and saw four missed calls from an unknown number. Several texts asked if he was free today and one telling him to open the door. As he left the bathroom and headed for the front door, the banging continued, even taking on a playful rhythm now.
“Will you stop with all the banging? Who the hell is it?” he yelled as he tried to unlock the door, only to realize his keys weren’t in the lock.
“Julien,” a voice called out from the other side of the door.
“Who?” Marcus asked, looking around for his keys before remembering he had left them on the floor near the window.
“Julien Maes. You know, amazing Caster, member of the Salamanders?” Julien called out, his tone slightly pained with annoyance.
“Amazing my ass,” Marcus muttered, picking up the keys and unlocking the door. He heard Julien mutter something about having heard that. “What do you want?” Marcus asked, swinging the door open. He felt a twinge of annoyance at Julien’s amused grin. As always, Julien stood sharply dressed, the intricate green Marks on his forearms fully visible, like some sort of fashion statement.
Julien paused for a moment, coughing once before speaking. “Well, I found out a little secret about you. Something that needs to be discussed. But first, you might want to put on some clothes.” He gestured downward, making Marcus suddenly aware of his own nudity as he stood there in the doorframe.
“Give me a minute,” Marcus muttered, slamming the door shut. He made his way toward his bedroom to get dressed, all the while trying not to freak out over what Julien might have discovered.