As soon as Roman stepped foot out of the Store, John leapt to his feet from where he had been sitting with his back against the wall. “What was that? Where’s Birch?”

Roman glanced back behind him. “Dead.”

Mixie had not yet emerged from the building, though he had been right on his heels a moment ago. Had the shopkeeper gone back on his word? Maybe he sealed the Store behind Roman and planned on waiting for him to give up and leave? No doubt Mixie had some sort of scrying orb or magic mirror on the wall serving as a security camera.

“Dead?” repeated John. “What’s going on? Guides should be able to walk into Stores no problem. Was it some dungeon mimicking one instead? It feels normal to me, and you haven’t gotten any rewards for clearing one..”

Roman crossed his arms and stared through the glass door of the gas station. Like before, the facade maintained the illusion of a completely ordinary interior. Maybe there’s some kinda time dilation effect. He was leaving right behind me but every second in there is a day out here or something. Probably not if that daily reward thing was true.

He had to admit, he was also in a bit of a poor mood because of the lack of experience or a new Title from his encounter within the Store. No reward for recruiting Mixie to his side?

John groaned. “You have negative Charisma? What are these titles, man? You didn’t actually attack a Playground representative, did you? That idiot Birch did and you just got caught in the crossfire? One of the Keepers would have wiped the floor with you.”

“Don’t speak ill of the dead,” said Roman, turning to face not-quite-John. “I started it and he got killed for listening to me. I’m the idiot, though you sure as fuck aren’t allowed to say it. Let’s get this straight, old pal. I’m not going to listen to you nag in my ear for the rest of my life, however long that is. Stop questioning everything I do and help me.”

John rubbed his forehead in exasperation. “I’m questioning you because I’m trying to help you, man. Don’t be so damn stubborn. Not now.”

Roman retrieved the pack of cigarettes tucked into the waistband of his fighting shorts. Somewhat unexpectedly, Mixie had offered them to him as a token gesture of friendship, probably noticing his longing glances at them before they left. He walked over to the closest trash can, opened the pack, and tossed the plastic wrap away. As he peeled back the tin foil to reveal his little treasures, he realized the bastard hadn’t given him a lighter.

Shaking his head Roman, popped a cigarette between his lips. He glanced through the ever-expanding pages of his overall character screen and sighed.

The door opened.

Out stepped Mixie, bristling with prongs, blades, hails, and chains. The entire ensemble had shrunk somewhat, fitting together closely enough for him to squeeze through the door, though it remained an incorrigible mess that made Roman’s fingers twitch. He had not expected a shopkeeper to conduct himself in such a disorganized fashion.

John took a step back at the sight of the ghoulish shopkeeper emerging from his domain. Mixie’s face had healed back to its prior form, as hideous as it still was. His dangling tongue slurped back into his mouth, almost as if he was just as surprised as the guide.

John looked like he wanted to say something before noticing Roman’s lack of reaction.

Mixie stared up at the stars, his head swiveling slowly as he seemed to absorb the sight of the world around him. He wore an inscrutable expression on his alien face as he scuttled forward.

Roman cleared his throat. “I should include you in this chat as well, Mixie.”

“Oh?”

“This way forward, I’m not trying to have you be a dick every time I do something. You’re with me, so pull your weight and don’t work against my interests.”

Mixie grunted into his palm. “You are absolutely delusional, Mister Miller.”

[ Regional quest available: Chaos Gate (E). Throughout the infinite realms of the uncaring multiverse, wrinkles in space connect one to another. Within the dark forest lies such a portal. Discover what lies beyond, and be rewarded. Conquer it, and the stars will rain at your feet. ]

Roman squinted at the flood of text. How annoyingly vague.

“You know what this guy is, right?” John jerked his head in Mixie’s direction. “The Keepers are fragments of the unholy god known as Mammon. One of the Watchers can’t enter the Chaos Playground, not completely. Their presence would disrupt reality too much. But some of the official representatives of the Playground, such as Keepers, aren’t just NPCs like a video game. They’re fragments of one of Mammon’s Souls, divied up enough that their individual presence doesn’t warp reality too much. I don’t recommend you get tangled up with that thing.”

Mixie pointed his flail-arm at John. “You must realize I hear your words, little leech.”

“Both of you stop yapping,” said Roman. “You don’t see this quest?”

John glanced over with interest. “No. What quest? Only Players can receive them. I can see your character screen because of an innate guide skill, but not your quest log.”

Roman considered the implications of what John said, as well as what Mixie had called the guide earlier. Little leech. As if the spirit was draining him with its presence. He admitted that he had some form of class, even if he wasn’t a Player.

The question was whether it was worth confronting John over. It could very well be something as innocuous as his friend leveling up by helping him. Maybe in the future he could buy information was Mixie, as long as he could ensure the shopkeeper wasn’t simply lying to him. .

Roman finally responded, “Chaos Gate, it says. Then an ‘E’ in parantheses. Sounds like a wormhole or something. A complete death trap, I’m guessing.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“An E-grade Chaos Gate is nothing,” said Mixie. “If you cannot conquer such an area within a few days of the Initiation, you will become food to a greater predator soon after. The chosen Players have had the resources of an entire galaxy invested into them. Swaths of territory will be claimed, and the cream of the crop do not appreciate trespassers.”

John sighed. “I have to agree with the Keeper. If you don’t push yourself, you’re going to die. You don’t trust me all that much, and it’s good for you to be cautious, but you know I want you to get as strong as possible.” He shot a sidelong glance at Mixie and lowered his voice. “You know why.”

Roman clapped his hands. “So, when should we do it? Mixie should be pretty strong."

“Correction, meatsack. I will not accompany you within the Chaos Gate. I am far too important to be lost in some alternate dimension beyond the veil of sanity, full of mindrending horrors that will forever scar the soul. You, whoever? Who cares about you?”

“Cute,” said Roman.

At the end of the day, he couldn’t rely on either of his companions. He’d have to focus on himself first and foremost.

He closed his eyes and visualized the node system. Instead of the usual black text dancing across his vision, the map and its accompanying text appeared in bold white against the reddish-black black background of his eyelids. Much easier to focus on.

[ Available NP: 4 ]

[ You have completed your first node! ]

[ Due to your Chaos Disciple class, you have now unlocked an additional option: Tempt Fate.]

[ Tempt Fate: Gamble 5 Node Points in exchange for unlocking a random node cluster anywhere within the known Map. Probability to unlocking a higher-tiered Quirk increases with Player level. Chance of a cluster of 5: 50%; 6: 35%; 7: 15%. ]

Was there any possibility that was the right choice? While all the quirks had their specific uses, there was no doubt some were more useful for him than others. Rolling the dice, at least at this point, seemed like far too much of a risk. In the best case scenario, he saved himself two NP, but on top of that the chances of it being immediately useful seemed low.

He explained the situation to the others.

To his surprise, John looked excited. “No, you should definitely take that chance as much as possible in the beginning. Depending on how it scales, that might be absolutely nuts in the future, especially if there are other ways to improve your odds or even upgrade the option. But now is actually one of the best times to use it.”

Roman frowned. “Let’s hear the math then, professor.”

“I’m not going to draw some formula in the sand,” said John. “I know you probably want to just hit things hard, but you’ll need more than brute force to survive the Chaos Playground. If you manage to get even a half-way decent node, you should unlock its future options as well, bypassing the useless prerequisites.”

Mixie merely stood there, staring off into space as if he couldn’t care less about their conversation. Best not to expect much from the bastard. Maybe I should get my Charisma out off the negatives first?

“Well,” said Roman, “when you put it that way it sounded convincing. What if the prerequisites are necessary for it to function right?”

“That’s a possibility,” John admitted. “You might have to go back and invest nodes retroactively into something else, but I think the odds are in your favor. In the beginning of the Chaos Playground, there are plenty of resources everywhere. Chaos Gates to conquer, monsters to slay, random treasures falling from the sky.”

Roman frowned. “And what happens when all those resources starting drying up and things are less exciting? The Watchers move on to the next galaxy and leave us alone?”

Mixie grunted laughter. “Of course not, you imbecile. When there are no external threats left to face, the surviving Players will turn to each other in full force.”

With no idea how to respond, Roman decided to change the topic. “Alright, John, you have me convinced. Unless this turns out to be a shit gamble, in which you owe me one.”

“Doesn’t work that way,” said John. “Your risk, your reward.”

“I’m teasing you. Lighten up, prick.” Roman shook his head and stared off into the distance. “Reckon I should level up to get that last Node Point. Best find some monsters.”

“You’re close to level five. Check your experience bar. It’s a subtext to your level. You’re pretty much one small critter away.”

Roman glanced at his character sheet. He had to admit, there was a good reason for him to have a guide explain everything to him, though it seemed uncharacteristically nice for a bunch of eldritch horrors. No entertainment if everyone died the first night, he guessed.

Roman Miller

Species: Human (E)

Class: Chaos Disciple (Rare)

Patronage: None (10 Pending)

Level: 4 (1475/1600)

Nemesis: Nyarlathotep, Mammon

Titles: Savage Survivor, Eligible Bachelor, Shameless Bully, Outlaw Renegade

Base Attributes

Strength: 28

Agility: 23

Endurance: 27

Will: 24

Perception: 23

Charisma: -1

Path of the Corrupted Monk, Initiate

Innate: Chaos Touch (II)

Selected: Flash Step (I)

Discovered: Soul Circulation (I)

Quirks: Hunter’s Eye

“Alright,” said Roman. “Easy enough. Let’s go find something.”

Mixie grunted. “There is already a helpless monster a few steps away.”

It took Roman a moment to realize what the shopkeeper meant. Even then, it didn’t fully register with him until Mixie pointed at the idling SUV with one slender finger.

Roman squeezed his hands at his side and laughed in disbelief. “I’m not going to kill a fucking baby for a bit of experience, you lunatic.”

Mixie sighed and shot a longing glance back at his Store.

“He’s right, Roman,” said John. The last person he’d expected to agree. “That’s not a baby anymore and you know it. If, god forbid, any of it is still conscious, then it is an innocent soul suffering beyond belief. Better to put it out of its misery than to let it rot in that vehicle until one thing or another grants it mercy.”

Roman stared at the ground, an empty pit growing within his chest. Was it possible to be that ruthless? Could John have done that himself, if they traded places? There’s no way he could do that.

But his feet, his damn feet carried him forward. Slowly, carefully, he paced around the vehicle until he reached the rear passenger door. He barely felt the latch under his hand as he cranked open it open. Barely felt like himself as he looked at the profile of the thing squirming in the children’s car seat.

Baby-shaped, mostly, though its skin had hardened into diamond-shaped scales, each separated by bloody fissures. Its grotesque little head faced him, regarding him with bulbous little sacks of blood that rippled with each little movement as if on the verge of bursting. Its puckered little maw opened into another piercing wail, and Roman resisted the urge to cover his ears, to break eye contact with this disgusting little monster.

“Find peace,” he said, reaching out to wrap its entire head in one oversized hand.

Bronze energy surged through his arm, twisting, breaking, bulging outwards as it passed along, the flesh reforming in its wake good as new. The power flooded through his fingers, and [ Chaos Touch ] erupted within the baby’s skull. Tissue melted beneath his hand, reformed into a variety of textures he didn’t want to analyze too closely. Different parts of his hand experienced different sensations: acid stinging his palm, cold burning against his thumb, something mushy against his middle finger.

[ Noah Hammond defeated. 125 experience awarded. Harvest organic core? ]