The radio tower stood tall against the chaotic sky of the Static Sector, blending ancient and futuristic elements. Its base was made of old stone blocks with glowing rune-like circuits. Gargoyles with LED eyes displaying code sat at various points.
As the tower stretched upward, it changed. Stone gave way to chrome and glass, with holographic projectors flickering in the static-filled air. Fiber optic cables spiraled around the structure, carrying impossible data streams.
Halfway up, a control room bulged out, its mirrored surface reflecting the skyline of Glitch Haven. Antennas sprouted from this section, topped with orbs of contained lightning.
The top third was a web of advanced metals and energy conduits crackling with power. Electricity occasionally arced between the struts, lighting up the surrounding static.
At the very top, a huge satellite dish slowly turned, its surface a shifting pattern. Smaller dishes and antennas surrounded it, each pointing to a different part of the turbulent sky.
The whole tower hummed with a deep, felt-more-than-heard frequency, broadcasting through the Static Sector’s white noise.
Annalise and I stood at the base, looking up at Snuggles, who was clinging to the tower about halfway up.
“Snuggles,” I shouted up. “Do you have any idea how fix this thing? Because I sure as hell don’t.”
“Relax, you big galoot,” Snuggles said, seeming entirely too laid back for my liking, especially considering that there more Decibel Demons roaming the now empty streets. It would only be a matter of time before they were on us again. “I think I figured it out while you two were messing around on that rooftop.”
“You think?” Annalise said. “And fyi, we weren’t messing around you literal blue fur ball. We were fighting for our lives.”
“Coulda fooled me.” Snuggles climbed a little further up the tower. “Anyway, all I have to do is reach the Resonance Core in the control room,” Snuggles shouted back, his voice carrying a hint of excitement despite the dire situation. “It’s the heart of this whole operation, you see. A big spherical chamber full of swirling energy that controls the tower’s broadcast capabilities.”
He paused to adjust his grip on the tower, then continued. “The Core’s been knocked offline. I need to get in there, recalibrate its frequency output, and restart the power systems. Once I do that, we should be able to blast those Decibel Demons back to whatever hellish karaoke bar they crawled out of.”
“And you know how to do all that?” I asked, skepticism evident in my voice.
Snuggles let out a laugh that sounded more like a squeaky toy being stepped on. “Let’s just say this isn’t my first rodeo with advanced alien tech. Besides, how hard can it be? It’s probably just a bunch of blinking lights and big red buttons.”
“That’s reassuring,” Annalise muttered.
“Look,” Snuggles said, his tone suddenly serious, “I’ve got to navigate through the tower’s defenses, hack into the main control panel, and essentially hotwire an interdimensional broadcasting station. It’s not exactly child’s play, but it’s our only shot at saving this glitched-out metropolis and completing this quest.”
He started climbing again, calling back over his shoulder, “You two just focus on keeping those sonic psychos off my tail while I work my magic. And Kade? If I don’t make it back, I want you to know... I’m going to haunt your dreams for throwing me like a football, you asshole.”
With that, Snuggles disappeared into an access hatch, leaving us to wonder if we’d just placed our fate in the paws of a sentient stuffed animal with a grudge.
“I don’t think he’ll ever forgive you for throwing him like that,” Annalise said, smiling despite herself.
“Hey, I probably saved his life. That musical monster would’ve killed him.”
“Tell him that. You think he knows what he’s doing?”
“He seems to. I guess we’ll find out.”
Standing on the stone blocks, Annalise and I took advantage of the quiet to gather ourselves while we surveyed the street below. The bodies of Glitch Haven residents littered the street, nothing but crimson stains on the cobble stones. In the near distance, the Decibel Demons roared.
“Glad to see killing that boss did nothing to scare the other ones off,” Annalise said. “It’s only a matter of time before they swarm us.”
“We’ll just have to fight them off,” I said. “Hopefully Snuggles will fix this tower before we get into any real trouble.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to think about that.”
Snuggles called down from above us. “Hey, Kade! I need you to find me a Quantum Flux Spanner! It should look like a cross between a wrench and a tuning fork, probably glowing and maybe hovering a bit.”
“A Quantum what now?” I shouted back.
“A Quantum Flux Spanner!” Snuggles repeated. “It’s essential for realigning the Core’s frequency modulators. Without it, this whole tower is just a giant, useless antenna!”
“And where exactly am I supposed to find this thing?” I asked, looking around the chaotic cityscape.
“There should be a maintenance shed near the base of the tower. If we’re lucky, it’ll be in there. If not... well, let’s hope we’re lucky.”
“Jesus Christ,” I said, exasperated. “Why did I even take this quest on? It’s been nothing but a goddamn nightmare.”
“No sense complaining now,” Annalise said. “Get your butt in gear. I’ll stay here and guard the tower.”
“Alright.” I jumped down off the stone block. “Shout me if you get into any trouble.”
Leaving Annalise alone, I went in search of the maintenance shed. The base of the tower was a maze of twisted alleys and glitching architecture. Every few steps, the ground beneath my feet would flicker, sometimes becoming transparent enough to see the swirling void below. I tried not to think about what would happen if I fell through.
After a few minutes of careful navigation, I spotted it—a small, unassuming structure tucked away in the shadow of the tower. The maintenance shed looked like it had been cobbled together from spare parts of a dozen different buildings. Its walls were a patchwork of brick, metal, and what looked suspiciously like solidified data streams. The door was a repurposed airlock, complete with a spinning wheel lock.
I approached cautiously, half-expecting the shed to sprout legs and scuttle away. When it remained stationary, I gripped the wheel and turned. It resisted at first, then gave way with a hiss of escaping air.
The interior of the shed was a tech junkie’s fever dream. Shelves lined the walls, each one sagging under the weight of bizarre tools and equipment. Holographic blueprints flickered in and out of existence, showing schematics for machines that defied comprehension.
In one corner, a workbench held what looked like a disassembled robot, its innards spilling out in a tangle of wires and gears. Next to it, a contraption that resembled a cross between a lava lamp and a Tesla coil pulsed with an eerie blue light.
I scanned the shelves, trying to spot anything that matched Snuggles’ description. There were plenty of tools that glowed, hovered, or did both, but none that looked quite right.
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There was a sonic screwdriver that emitted a different pitch depending on which end you held, a hammer whose head phased in and out of reality with each swing, and what appeared to be a simple pair of pliers that, upon closer inspection, seemed to be bending the space around them.
In a toolbox on the floor, I found a wrench that whispered the solution to complex mathematical equations when you turned it, and a drill that bored holes through the fabric of space-time instead of wood.
Just as I was about to give up, I spotted something on a high shelf. It was hovering slightly above the surface, glowing with a soft, pulsating light. As I reached for it, I couldn’t help but think that if a tuning fork and a wrench had a baby in a sci-fi movie, this is what it would look like.
“Bingo,” I muttered, grabbing the Quantum Flux Spanner. It hummed in my hand, sending a tingle up my arm that felt like I was holding a live wire.
While scanning the cluttered shelves of the maintenance shed, my eyes landed on a peculiar device nestled between a perpetual motion machine and a box labeled “Schrödinger’s Screwdrivers.” It was about the size of a hefty flashlight, with a sleek, metallic body covered in pulsing circuits. The handle was ergonomically designed, fitting perfectly in my grip when I picked it up.
A holographic label flickered to life above it:
Sonic Nullifier - Prototype
Warning: Untested against Class 5 Audio Entities
Intrigued, I examined it closer. The device had a dial with various frequency settings and a prominent red button on top. At the business end, there was an array of small speakers and what looked like miniature satellite dishes.
An info box popped up in my vision:
Sonic Nullifier
This experimental device is designed to counter sound-based attacks by emitting precisely calibrated counter-frequencies. May cause unexpected side effects in reality-fluid environments.
Warning: Prolonged use may result in temporary synesthesia, causing users to taste colors or smell sounds.
“Now this,” I murmured, a grin spreading across my face, “could come in handy.”
Before I left the shed, I grabbed everything that wasn’t nailed down, including the work bench, and dumped the lot into my inventory. Then I got a warning message on my screen.
Warning! Inventory almost full!
Increase your strength stat or remove items from your inventory.
Increase my strength indeed. I had plenty of free points I could use to do just that, but unfortunately I couldn’t use them until I’d completed the First Circle. It wasn’t a big deal right now. If I had to, I’d just sort my inventory out later, dumping some stuff if necessary.
Leaving the shed, I soon heard the now familiar discordant roar of Decibel Demons, followed by a scream that belonged to Annalise.
“Shit!”
Putting the Quantum Flux Spanner into my inventory, I ran back to the base of the tower to find Annalise trying to fight off two of the Decibel Demons.
She was holding her own, but barely. Her pumps left trails of light as she dodged the demons’ sonic blasts, but I could see her movements slowing and her Health Bar was dangerously in the red. One or two more hits and she’d be done for.
Without thinking, I whipped out the Sonic Nullifier, aiming it at the nearest demon.
“Hey, ugly! Let’s see how you like a taste of your own medicine!”
I cranked the dial to maximum and hit the red button. The effect was immediate and intense.
A wave of absolute silence expanded from the device, engulfing me and the demons in a bubble of eerie quiet. The demons’ attacks suddenly became impotent, their sound waves dissipating harmlessly at the edge of the nullifier’s field.
The creatures reeled back, clearly disoriented by the sudden loss of their primary weapon. Their bodies began to flicker and glitch, as if the absence of sound was disrupting their very existence.
But the Sonic Nullifier’s effects weren’t limited to the demons. The complete absence of sound was profoundly disorienting. I could see Annalise’s mouth moving, but couldn’t hear a word. The silence was so absolute it felt like a physical pressure against my eardrums.
Then, just as suddenly as it began, the effect shifted. The demons’ own sonic attacks were reflected back at them, amplified and distorted. They writhed in apparent agony, their forms beginning to break apart under the assault of their own corrupted frequencies.
But as the demons suffered, I felt a bizarre sensation wash over me. Suddenly, I could taste the color of the sky—a flavor somewhere between static electricity and overripe plums. The demons’ screams became visible, twisting in the air like angry, red ribbons.
“What the hell?” I tried to say, but my voice came out as a burst of neon bubbles that popped silently in the air.
Annalise, seeing her opportunity, launched into a flurry of kicks. Each impact sent shockwaves of color rippling through the air, shattering the demons’ already fragile forms.
With a final, silent explosion of light and corrupted code, the Decibel Demons disintegrated, leaving behind only a fading echo of discord.
As the Sonic Nullifier’s effect faded, sound rushed back into the world with almost painful intensity. I staggered, my senses reeling from the abrupt return to normalcy.
“Kade!” Annalise’s voice sounded distant and tinny. “What was that? Are you okay?”
I shook my head, trying to clear the last of the synesthesia. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just... remind me never to go to a rave in Infernum. I don’t think my senses could handle it.”
As effective as the Sonic Nullifier had been, I made a mental note to use it sparingly. Defeating the demons was one thing, but I wasn’t keen on accidentally turning my brain into an interdimensional jukebox in the process.
“Come on,” I said, pocketing the device. “Let’s get this Quantum whatever-it-is to Snuggles before more of those walking speaker systems show up.”
Climbing the tower, I handed the Quantum Flux Spanner to Snuggles, who was inside the control room. “Yes, Kade!” he said excitedly. “I knew you weren’t all stupid. I might even forgive you for tossing me earlier.”
“Just fix the damn tower, Snuggles, so we can get the hell out of this brain frying city. I’m not sure how much more I can take of this place.”
Snuggles nodded, his button eyes glinting with determination. He scampered over to the Resonance Core, a swirling vortex of energy contained within a spherical chamber. Surrounding it were banks of computers, their screens flickering with indecipherable code.
“Alright, let’s see what this baby can do,” Snuggles muttered, wielding the Quantum Flux Spanner like a conductor’s baton.
He began to work, his small paws moving with surprising dexterity. The Spanner hummed and pulsed, sending arcs of energy into the Core. With each adjustment, the swirling energy within the sphere changed color and intensity.
“Just a little more,” Snuggles grunted, straining to turn a particularly stubborn dial. “We need to hit just the right frequency to...”
Suddenly, the Core flared to life, bathing the control room in a brilliant blue light. The computers around us whirred into action, their screens displaying a rapidly rising power gauge.
“It’s working!” Snuggles cheered. “Quick, hit that big red button over there!”
I slammed my hand down on the button, and the tower came alive. A deep, resonant hum filled the air, growing in intensity until it felt like the very atoms around us were vibrating.
Outside, the sky lit up as energy surged through the tower’s antennae. A massive pulse of sonic energy exploded outward, rippling through Glitch Haven like a tidal wave.
The effect on the Decibel Demons was immediate and dramatic. Their discordant roars turned to shrieks of pain as the tower’s frequency tore through their corrupted forms. All across the city, the demons began to disintegrate, their bodies breaking apart into fragments of corrupted code and static.
Those that weren’t immediately destroyed fled in panic, their forms glitching and distorting as they tried to escape the tower’s range. They streamed out of the city like a reverse invasion, a cacophony of pained wails trailing behind them.
The pulse continued to spread, clearing the static from the air and stabilizing the glitching reality of the city. Buildings stopped flickering, streets solidified, and the oppressive atmosphere of digital decay began to lift.
As the last of the Decibel Demons vanished over the horizon, a new sound filled the air—cheers. The citizens of Glitch Haven emerged from their hiding places, their voices rising in a chorus of relief and celebration.
Back in the control room, Snuggles dusted off his paws, looking incredibly pleased with himself. “And that, my dumb friends, is how you debug a city.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, the tension of our ordeal finally breaking. “Snuggles, you magnificent blue bastard, you did it!”
Annalise, who had joined us in the control room, shook her head in amazement. “I can’t believe it. We actually did it.”
A notification appeared on our screens.
Congratulations! You completed the quest!
More notifications followed, probably informing us of the rewards we had earned.
Then something strange happened.
My screen began to flicker and distort, pixelated glitches running across the interface.
“Uh, guys?” I said, blinking hard. “Is anyone else’s screen freaking out?”
“Mine too,” Annalise replied, her brow furrowed in confusion.
Snuggles nodded, his button eyes reflecting the chaotic display. “Same here. This isn’t part of the standard quest completion sequence.”
Suddenly, our screens went black. For a moment, I feared we’d somehow broken the game itself. Then, a face began to materialize through the static. It was distorted and glitchy, features constantly shifting and reforming, but unmistakably sentient.
A voice crackled through, filled with interference but understandable: “Attention, contestants of the Trials. This is a secure transmission from the Nyxarion Liberation Front. We are reaching out to all current players to—” The voice was swallowed up by static.
Then the face on the screen solidified slightly, revealing piercing eyes that seemed to stare right through us.
“The Trials are not what they seem. The Overseers have been lying to you, to the entire galaxy. We are fighting to expose the truth and bring down their corrupt regime.”
The transmission began to break up, the face dissolving into static.
“If you seek the truth, if you want to know why you’re really here, find the hidden—“
The message cut off abruptly, our screens returning to normal as if nothing had happened.
We stood in stunned silence for a moment, trying to process what we’d just witnessed.
“What the hell was that?” Annalise whispered.
Snuggles looked between us, his usual snarky demeanor replaced by genuine concern. “I don’t know, but I’ve got a feeling our little adventure in Glitch Haven was just the warm-up act.”