Sometime later, with less than an hour to go before the next Trial was due to start somewhere far away, I finally caught up to Herbie Floss’ carnival. It was in the middle of a flat expanse of dark gray dirt, its neon lights glowing beneath the crimson sky. Thunder occasionally rumbled overhead, followed by flashes of red lightning, as if the mother of all storms was brewing in Limbo.
I sat on a hill staring down at the carnival, dread twisting my stomach into knots. The carnival was the last damn place I wanted to enter, but I had no choice at this point. First, I had to at least try and save Annalise and Snuggles, and second, I had to kill Floss if I wanted any chance of remaining a contestant in the Trials of the Damned.
At this point, I had no plan to achieve any of this. Even as a fighter back on Earth, I was never really a strategist. Not like some fighters, who treated their matches like a chess game, always three or four moves ahead of their opponents, especially the BJJ guys. Me, I relied more on my strength and determination, diligently working to break down my opponent’s morale, until they couldn’t stand up to me anymore. More Tyson than Ali.
But in this situation, I wasn’t sure if my usual tactics would suffice, especially when I’d be greatly outnumbered. It wasn’t just Floss in there. He had his clown posse, his army of plushies, and God knows what other surprises waiting for me. If I just stormed in there and tried to fight them all, I wouldn’t last long.
So I forced myself to sit while I smoked a cigarette, and then I tried to come up with a plan. But after a moment, a sickenly familiar sensation came over me, like icy fingers reaching into my skull. Next thing I had Floss’ insipid voice cackling inside my head.
“Glad you could make it sport. How you been, Kade? You all ready for our big showdown? Because I certainly am.” He laughed, the sound like being raped.
“Why don’t you just let my friends go,” I said to him, straining not to collapse under the weight of his evil presence. “Then we can have our big showdown, just you and me, Floss. Let’s fight like real men.”
Floss laughed again as if the idea was absurd. “Kade. What do you think this is? Some sort of stupid moving picture where the hero and the big bad villain face off in an epic battle? No, no, no, sport. That’s not how things go here in Infernum. First, I’m not letting your friends go—you’ll have to free them yourself, if you can manage it. And second, if you want a showdown with me, you’ll have to earn it by getting through my minions first. They’re all waiting for you, Kade, and they can’t wait to taste your blood.”
“Hiding behind your minions, Floss. Nice.”
“Okay, I’ll tell you what, sport. Why don’t you waltz on down here and give yourself up to me? My minions won’t stop you. Give yourself up, and I’ll let your friends go.”
Was he fucking with me? I didn’t think so.
“How do I know you’ll stick to your word? Let them go first and I’ll hand myself in.”
“What do you take me for? Silly boy! That’s not going to happen! I let your friends go after you walk into my carnival, and not before.” He paused. “I can hear you thinking, Kade. Why don’t I give you a minute to ponder. But don’t take too long, will you? Your friends are already a few percent from death. Take too long making your decision and they might not last.”
He signed off with another cackle, vacating my head.
“Shit,” I muttered, wondering what the hell I should do.
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Should I sacrifice myself to save Annalise and Snuggles? Could I even trust Floss to stay true to his word and release the two of them? Maybe, maybe not.
But there was just one problem with that. Even if I gave myself up and Floss let Snuggles and Annalise go, the two of them would be dead anyway, since they would’ve missed the Trial.
No, the only way out of this mess was through. Floss had to die if any of us were to have a chance.
So it was back to square one again, thinking of a plan.
“Fuck…”
My anxiety levels spiked as I stared down at the carnival.
Then I received an unexpected notification:
New notification received from Sponsor!
From a sponsor? I forgot I even had a sponsor. Mentally clicking on the notification brought up another message:
New item received from sponsor!
A new item? What could this be?
There was also a message from the sponsor:
Hello Kade. My name is Tatrevious Sendlebort. I am very happy to be your sponsor and have been waiting for this moment to send you a gift that will hopefully help you defeat that nasty piece of work, Herbie Floss. I’ve enjoyed watching your progress, as have my children. Please do what you must to stay in the game!
After reading the message, I opened the Sponsor Chest that was sent to me to find several Health Potions, and also this:
Funhouse Mirror Amulet
Reality Distortion and Illusion Creation
The Funhouse Mirror Amulet is a twisted relic of carnival magic, harnessing the disorienting properties of the funhouse mirrors commonly found in dark corners of freak shows. This powerful artifact was custom-made to manipulate perception and distort reality, giving its wearer the edge in confusing and overwhelming enemies.
Properties:
Mirror Mayhem
Active Ability – When activated, the Funhouse Mirror Amulet creates up to five disorienting mirror images of the wearer. These illusions will mimic the wearer’s movements, confusing enemies and forcing them to strike at phantoms instead of the real target. This lasts for 30 seconds and has a cooldown of 10 minutes.
Note: Illusions are immune to damage and will dissipate if struck, but they can be repositioned to keep confusing enemies.
Distortion Field
Active Ability – This ability warps reality within a 15-foot radius around the wearer, creating a field that bends light and space. Enemies caught inside the field will experience extreme disorientation, making it hard for them to judge distances or the location of objects. Use this to confuse groups of enemies or force them into traps.
Duration: 45 seconds
Cooldown: 15 minutes
Reflective Backlash
Passive Ability – Each time an enemy strikes one of the mirror illusions or fails to perceive a distortion, they take 10% reflected damage from their own attack.
The amulet appeared in my hand as soon as I reached for it on the screen. It was a small, innocuous looking item. Nothing but a piece of funhouse mirror glass attached to a thin silver chain. “This little thing can do all that?” I said, holding the amulet up before putting it around my neck. I certainly hoped so. Looking up into the crimson sky, I gave the thumbs up and said, “Thanks Tatrevious. I appreciate it. I’ll… try not to let you down.”
I felt slightly better now as I stood up. Maybe the amulet would give me the edge I needed. Between that and the Synthslayer, I just might be able to handle all of Floss’ minions and release Annalise and Snuggles from their constraints. And thanks to the Health Potions my sponsor had sent me, I could help restore my friends back to full health.
Walking toward the carnival now, for the first time I began to think that I just might be able to pull this impossible mission off.
Halfway there, Floss infiltrated my head again.
“Well, sport, what’s it gonna be? Are you going to come quietly, or are you going to make a stupid amount of noise?”
For the first time since Floss had been mind-raping me, I actually smiled. “You best believe I’m going to make a whole lotta noise, Floss. I’m coming to get you, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
“Oooh, bold words, sport. Bold words indeed.” His tone lowered. “I’ll be waiting, Kade. We all will.”
He signed off again, hopefully for the last time, and I carried on walking toward my destination—the place that would either kill me or turn me into a superstar of the Trials of the Damned.