Shadowfoot Ointment?
I watched as my companion produced an identical container, pulled the stoppage, and sprinkled the contents over his person. Then he took a single step into the shade of the hedge maze. At once his body grew dark, blending into the shadows.
Ah. Now I understand.
I copied his action, dousing myself with the oily liquid.
It smelled of midnight. There was no obvious effect until I too stepped into the shade of the hedges. A sort of context-specific camouflage. Curious, I opened my Menu and scrolled down to my Status submenu. Sure enough, the active effect was listed.
[STATUS
* Shadow Concealment (active)]
I hovered over Shadow Concealment to access additional information.
[Shadow Concealment (active - 895 seconds remaining): this status effect increases visual concealment in dark conditions for 900 seconds.]
Quick mental math. 15 minutes. Having been emptied of its substance, the ceramic container disintegrated into pixelated vapor and was gone.
“Ready to go in? Spy on your bezoomy scoteena?”
I nodded, catching his drift. We could try and locate the minotaur within the maze without being detected and suss out an advantage. The minotaur would be physically strong, but the two of us should be able to take it. I had already witnessed the formidable skills of the knife-wielder.
The sounds of the outside park muted the deeper we went into the maze. The warmth of the afternoon daylight sequence too faded to a twilight chill. We had scarcely taken a left turn when the twisted path veered off again at a sharp right angle. The hedges smelled faintly of dampness and old growth, a hint of something rotting just beneath the surface.
Visually concealed though I was, I had to be careful as my tactical boots trod over dry earth. My nimble companion made almost no sound as he glided through the maze ahead of me. However, we shortly ran into a dead end and had to double back. The pathways were deceptively wide at first, but as we ventured further, they narrowed, the hedges pressing in around us. Visually, the green on green looked the same, and after several turns and splitting paths I was thoroughly disoriented by the silent walls of leaves.
▶ Hear anything? Any movement?
I asked in a whisper, and the other Volunteer answered with a shake of his head. He stopped to prod and probe the hedge wall, seeking a space to perhaps squeeze through with his small frame. No such luck. Growing concerned, I checked the remaining time on the status effect.
[599 seconds remaining]
We had been wandering for five minutes. Just how large was this maze? But finally we spotted a landmark. Or I should say that I did. My taller height afforded me the advantage to see the top of a white structure peeking over the hedges.
▶ There is something over there. A building. I don’t know how to reach it, but if I can keep it in sight we can work our way towards it.
We walked down a long stretch of the maze and turned right. Another dead end. Shiva. We doubled back and went the other way until we reached a left turn, moving us concentrically closer to the landmark. As we neared, my companion flashed a hand signal for us to stop.
He leaned against the closest hedge and cupped his hand to his ear. With his superior Perception stat he had detected a sound. I strained to listen. On the other side of the wall there was a slight scuffing noise. Even a snort. The minotaur was close!
With a finger to his lips, the knife-wielder led us cautiously forward, stopping at a final opening and leaning around the corner.
There was a clearing in the middle of the maze. Unlike the shady hedge rows, sunlight illuminated this middle space. In the center of the clearing was a round building made of elegant white stone. A narrow black staircase wound around the outside of the building to the roof, which was enclosed by a small black railing.
It was an observation tower overlooking the maze, about one story in height, and in the middle of the roof stood a marble statue of Minerva. Green ivy clung to the sides of the building, hanging past small glass-paned windows. A heavy wooden door, padlocked, led into the interior of the modest structure.
And there was the creature!
[{uncommon} entity detected - Minotaur]
The minotaur had the body of a human male, incredibly muscular, and naked–complete with large (uncircumcised) genitalia. It possessed the head of a bull, with two intimidating pointed horns, as well as a bull’s cordlike tail. However, it had the large feet of a man. I was expecting hooves.
I crouched, looking through the opening in the hedge just behind the other Volunteer. I watched in wonder and apprehension as this creature pawed the ground with its bare feet. Scattered on the ground were white bones, picked clean of flesh. A human ribcage, a broken pelvis, and other miscellaneous remains. Did the minotaur possess human intelligence, raw animal instinct, or some combination thereof?
Without warning the creature raised its thick tail and defecated where it stood. A large pile of acrid feces tumbled from its naked human buttocks onto the floor of the maze. It continued stalking about its territory as if nothing had happened.
Yeah, definitely getting an animal instinct vibe here.
I saw that the other Volunteer was holding a strange Y-shaped stick or rod, and pointing it at the observation tower in the center of the clearing. He appeared intensely curious about it, practically ignoring the horned menace standing in the way. So far the minotaur had not noticed us.
I whispered a question in my companion’s ear.
▶ What is the plan?
“That veshch has about 160 Essence. Some bits are tougher than others giving it an extra 10 defense.
I can soften it up but if you want credit for the kill you need to finish it off.”
160 Essence? How could he possibly know that? I hadn’t even realized the invasive entities had measurable Essence in the same way we did.
Some more quick math. With my revolver and current Accuracy stat, I would deal 40 damage per shot that I landed, not counting the +10% fire damage. But with a defensive output of 10 on its tougher parts, not all of the damage would get through. So the maximum damage I could deal with my five rounds, if I didn’t miss, and if I hit the minotaur’s most vulnerable areas, would be 200 (not counting fire damage).
I drew my revolver. It glowed briefly red with its infernal fusion.
The minotaur snorted loudly and twisted its bulky head in our direction. It had a crazed look in its large bovine eyes, fixating on the fading red shine of my revolver. It released an unearthly bellow and charged.
“New plan. Run!”
I dove to the left out of the way of the charging creature and my companion adroitly rolled to the right. The minotaur crashed through the edge of the hedge wall, horns first, sending broken branches and leaves flying. It slipped, skidding on the dirt part, and scrambled to right itself again.
Shiva on a stick!
I got up and sprinted down the corridor as the minotaur gave chase. I didn’t know how well it could see me, but it was still chasing me. I ran to the end of the row and made a quick turn, then another, then another. I could hear the pounding of feet as the snorting, bellowing beast gained on me.
I found myself standing in a long open pathway. The next turn in the path was a distance away. I ran as fast as I could, cursing my Speed of 20. The minotaur rounded the corner behind me and lowered its horns, stamping the ground and readying to charge. This thing could easily run me down, gore me, trample me to the death.
I have to reach that turn!
There was another tremendous bellow as the beast broke into a dash, head lowered. I ran with all my might, imagining the pricking points of those horns digging into my back. Reaching the end of the row, I threw myself around the sharp corner. Into a dead end! Frag me!
But the minotaur’s momentum was so great that it smashed straight through the hedge beside me, tearing a hole through into another pathway. Without waiting, I turned and ran in the direction I had just come, doubling back.
But I soon got turned around, taking rapid turn after turn in the maze, until I no longer knew where I was in relation to the minotaur, the entrance, or the tower in the center. I paused to catch my breath, straining to listen. I could still hear the creature moving about somewhere. I only hoped it was as lost as I was.
Okay. Look for the tower. Look for the white stone peeking over the top of the hedges. Make your way back and regroup with Little Knifey. (Hey, I had to call him something until I discovered more permanent identifying information.)
Prioritizing stealth over speed, I carefully made my way through the maze again. I listened for the creature, looked for signs of scattered leaves and broken hedges, and searched for a glimpse of the white tower.
There it is! My lighthouse guiding me back to the center.
I entered the clearing just as my Shadow Concealment ended. My body and clothing abruptly resumed their normal shade.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
[Shadow Concealment elapsed]
To my surprise, I saw Little Knifey crouched in front of the heavy wooden door at the base of the tower. It looked like he was trying to pick the padlock. I hurried to his side.
▶ What are you doing?!
“What does it smot like? There's something dorogoy in here. Did you kill the korova yet?”
He didn’t have to wait for an answer as the minotaur entered the clearing a moment later. It bellowed once more and stamped the ground. Its wide eyes bulged with rage and a stream of white spittle ran from its mouth.
My companion dropped his lockpicks and scurried away. But I stood my ground, facing down the beast. I had an idea. I quickly dematerialized and rematerialized my revolver, taunting the minotaur with the brief red glow.
It charged at me full force.
Shooom.
[Clurichaun skill activated. 30 seconds remaining]
[Energy: 0 remaining]
I waited precious seconds, the illusory image and I overlapping as one. As the minotaur rapidly closed the distance, smashing bits of discarded bone as it ran, I sidestepped and darted up the black winding stairs.
The whole tower shook as the minotaur collided with the heavy door. I gripped the railing as I stumbled from the quaking impact. The sound of splintering wood and breaking metal hinges reverberated through the clearing.
I turned and looked down. The minotaur was stuck! Its horns were buried in the thick wood of the partially broken-in door. It grunted and snorted, flexing its powerful legs, trying to rip its horns free.
A small throwing knife impaled itself in the creature’s exposed back. The minotaur released a guttural cry of rage and pain. Little Knifey approached, watching the beast carefully.
“Paralysis poison!”
Soon, the minotaur began to stiffen, its struggle dwindling until it remained standing dumbly in place, its horns locked into the door. The image of myself, superimposed over the trapped beast, dissipated.
[Clurichaun skill elapsed. 30 seconds until recharge]
I climbed down the stairway and stood beside the other Volunteer. He withdrew the throwing knife with a spurt of blood and tucked it back in place on one of his thigh holsters. I kept my distance from the minotaur’s legs, as they had been kicking and stamping moments before. But now all motion ceased, except for a rhythmic rising and falling of breath.
The Volunteer chuckled to himself, materializing his hybrid hunting knife and standing behind the beast. I held my revolver ready.
Little Knifey grabbed the minotaur’s thick tail and sawed it off, dangling it in the air like a snake before dropping it to the ground.
“Not so tough now, are you?”
Then, to my unfortunate surprise, Little Knifey reached around and castrated the minotaur, cutting his testicles clean off with the 6-inch blade. Ropes of blood dripped down between the creature’s human legs. Completely paralyzed, the minotaur exhibited no reaction or resistance.
Shiva on a stick!!!
The other Volunteer smiled sickly, enjoying this butchery. What a sadistic buzzard.
▶ That’s enough! Let me end this.
“What’s wrong? Weak brooko? I softened him up for you.”
I stood beside the minotaur, placing the barrel of my gun to its temple. One large bovine eye rotated in its head, looking at me. Was that sadness I detected? Resignation? Turning my head away from any potential splatter, I pulled the trigger twice, delivering the coup de gras. The creature’s eye glazed over as my shots smoldered within its skull.
[3 / 5 ammunition remaining]
[Task Successfully Completed: Remove Minotaur from Grand Central Park in Eden West]
I stepped back and watched as the body slowly began to shudder and glow. I couldn’t help feeling unnerved by the whole situation. Soon, motes of light rose up and hovered in the air. Less enthusiastically than usual, I reached out and accepted them.
[5 Crystals obtained]
[Uncommon Data Card Fragments obtained - Minotaur - 6/10]
As the corpse of the invasive entity began to melt away, I checked my Inventory.
[INVENTORY
* CARDS
* * Jiangshi
* FRAGMENTS
* * Kappa - 9/10
* * Minotaur - 6/10]
Next I checked my Economy submenu.
[ECONOMY
* CRYSTALS
* * 20]
Lastly, I checked my Memory submenu to determine my storage situation. I burned 30 Energy to activate my Clurichaun skill, temporarily freeing up space.
[MEMORY
* STORAGE
* * 285 / 290 (310)]
I looked back at the scattered human bones in the clearing.
▶ Do you think it was eating people? Could those bones be from a Volunteer, or even a Citizen?
Little Sadist shrugged his shoulders.
“The farther you are from the Restoration Point, the longer it takes to respawn. For Citizens? Who fragging knows.”
The other Volunteer was disinterested, looking past me at the stone observation tower. With the minotaur gone, I saw that the heavy wooden door was ajar. One of the hinges was broken and the padlock torn from its place.
▶ You… you said there was something inside here?
“Something dorogoy, I think. Maybe worth a lot of pretty polly. Let's take a quick smot.”
I dematerialized my weapon. Together, we pushed hard against the broken door, forcing it open the rest of the way.
While the building served as an observation platform to look over the hedge maze, the interior was obviously a gardener’s shed or workshop. It was full of garden tools and implements, including gardening gloves, trowels, a hoe and rake, a coiled rubber hose, empty planter pots, bags of decorative gravel, and bags of soil and fertilizer.
A few benches and storage shelves lined the circular room, while a rustic wooden table was against the far wall. Three small windows dotted the walls below the ceiling. On the rustic table lay a large vellum-bound book. Old paper pages of varying sizes jutted out of the thick covers.
[invasive anomaly detected]
Invasive anomaly? That book…
I took a step deeper into the space when all of a sudden I felt a sharp prick in my side, between the gap of my Ballistic Vest.
▶ Ouch. What was…
Suddenly I felt the blood in my veins start to coagulate. My muscles stiffened, one by one. My limbs became unresponsive. My heart sank as I realized what had happened.
Withdrawing the tip of the knife, the other Volunteer walked past me. He wore a concerned expression as he looked up from his lower height.
“I'm sorry, droogie. It's not personal. But I can't let you have that book.”
The dram buzzard! The mother fragger! He paralyzed me!
“Too rare a treasure, innit it? You wouldn’t even know what to do with such a veshch. Don’t worry, the paralysis will wear off eventually. But a slovo of warning–don’t try to come after me.”
I stood, helplessly frozen in place. I tried to materialize my gun, my dagger, anything. If I could have, I would have shot this man in the head, stabbed him a hundred times. The fury and hate I felt welling up were overwhelming. The same sadistic urges I had silently judged him for now surged within me.
The Volunteer went to the table and opened the book, carefully thumbing through its contents. He was absorbed by the anomaly, whatever it was.
I realized I could still access my Menu. This mental action was free, unconstrained by my physical paralysis. I quickly accessed my Status submenu to see if the paralysis was listed. It was.
[STATUS
* Paralysis (active)]
I stretched my mind, concentrating on the status ailment.
[Paralysis (active - 230 seconds remaining): this status ailment causes major motor functions to cease for 300 seconds.]
Major motor functions. I could still move my eyes. I could feel my chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. I could even… just barely… twitch one of my fingers.
I heard Little Backstabber cursing to himself. Soon, he began materializing and haphazardly dumping miscellaneous objects on the ground. I realized he was overencumbered! He must not have enough storage space to add that mysterious book to his Inventory.
Serves you right!
There was a wet slapping noise outside. Then another. A hiss, and a creaky cackling sound. The other Volunteer turned, looking past me with annoyance. He drew a throwing knife from the bandolier on his chest and flung it in my direction. It whizzed right by me and struck something fleshy.
More rapid slapping sounds now. I could sense multiple things approaching from behind. Something with a strong, pungent odor. Oh no. Kappas! Somehow kappas must have wandered into the hedge maze! The Volunteer glanced back at me a final time.
“Appy-polly loggies.”
With that, he scrambled onto the table and undid a latch, pushing open one of the windows. Anomalous book tucked under his arm, he wriggled his small body through the window. Two loose sheaths of paper fell from the book and drifted to the floor. Then he was gone.
Multiple kappas swarmed up behind me. I tried to frantically move, but I couldn’t. Their foul stench was astounding. I checked the timer on my status ailment.
[207 seconds remaining]
Not good.
I braced myself for the worst. But to my confusion and relief, three kappas shuffled past me with their hunched gait, moving deeper into the garden shed. They went to the pile of objects that the cowardly backstabber had dropped, digging through the refuse.
““Kyūri?” one of the creatures chirped.
“Kyūri! Kyūri!” the others answered.
I strained to focus my eyes and saw the kappas picking cucumbers out of the pile, eagerly munching on the vegetal delicacies. Oh bog, I hoped they stayed distracted for long enough. I counted down the remaining time–the minutes stretching on forever.
[100 seconds remaining]
Feeling and motion were gradually restored to my extremities, starting with my fingers and toes. I could even scrunch my nose in response to the swampy aroma permeating the enclosed space. The kappas finished their cucumbers and sifted deeper through the pile of discarded objects, searching for more.
[20 seconds remaining]
[10 seconds remaining]
[5 seconds remaining]
The paralysis elapsed, and I breathed a quick sigh of relief. The monsters hadn’t turned their attention to me. But I saw those two mysterious pages lying near their huddle, where they had fallen from the stolen book.
I had to get them. I just had to.
Tip toeing, I circled around the feasting creatures and stretched to pick the pages off the dirt floor. The nearest kappa turned and hissed a warning at me, but did not attack.
[{rare} anomaly obtained - Unknown Voynich Manuscript Page]
[{rare} anomaly obtained - Unknown Voynich Manuscript Page]
Then I turned, giving the kappas as wide a berth as possible in the small space, and made for the door. I saw a dead kappa lying outside the tower, a poison knife buried in its eye socket. A single mote of light hovered above the corpse and I grabbed it.
[Common Data Card Fragment obtained - Kappa - 1/10]
Stooping, I also carefully picked up the discarded throwing knife, pulling it from the kappa’s head. I wasn’t sure if the tip was still poisoned, but I was sure this poison would be of a more lethal variety.
As the kappa’s body dissolved into an inky puddle, I started retracing my steps to find the maze’s exit.