----------------------------------------
Max climbed to his feet with help from Leah. Xavier was off to the side nursing his damaged arm. It was far worse than Max had thought. It was almost completely severed and was hanging on by a thin layer of tissue. Charlie was trying to hold it in place but looked uncertain what to do.
“We need a fucking medic, man.” Charlie muttered as he was trying to wrap the arm with some cloth. Xavier’s regeneration skill was closing the wound, but not reattaching the arm. Xavier’s alien appearance looked even more green than usual.
Max bent down and picked up the dull detonator core. Four reward chips were embedded in its casing. He pried them out easily and tucked them in a pocket. Leah and Charlie went over to help Xavier when Max’s daemon Nikola Tesla pinged for his attention.
“[Nik, you haven’t pinged me before. What’s up?]” Max sent.
“[Max, this automaton is a wellspring of innovative design. We should take it before the dungeon reclaims it.]” Tesla said.
“[I agree, but the robot is huge. How would we drag it back? Ah… I see where you’re going. You want me to use the Tesseract.]” Max sent.
“[That would be the most…expeditious method, yes.]” Tesla admitted.
“[You understand that my father’s technology is dangerous and needs to be kept secret, right? This Labyrinth has a reputation for taking concepts and redistributing them.]” Max said.
“[Of course, but can we really avoid using this tool with the challenges we face? Can we manage to keep this secret? I wonder if the right course might be to fully utilize it to overcome our challenges, rather than hold back.]” Tesla said cautiously.
Max considered the argument. Tesla wasn’t wrong. If push came to shove, and someone was in trouble, he wouldn’t hesitate to use the tech if he needed to. The likelihood of it occurring was so high it was almost a certainty.
If he dropped the pretense of secrecy, he could do a heck of a lot more with it. Max felt his other daemons' opinions weighing in. Max smiled; his team of advisors knew him too well.
“[Okay. I’m sure that this has nothing to do with you wanting to play with my father's tech, huh?]” Max asked. Tesla projected embarrassment with a hint of avarice over the connection but didn’t rebuke the question.
Max could already think of several ways he could use the Tesseract to win the many challenges in the Labyrinth. These doors would have been easy to bypass if he had just used the device. It would be nice to just cut loose and finally be free to do it.
Last summer, Max’s dad entertained the family with different applications of game theory in real life. Max felt like his issue was similar to the prisoner's dilemma puzzle where the risks and rewards were complex. If he entered the final levels of the labyrinth and failed, the dungeon AIs would surely collect a copy of his Tesseract.
However, if he fully utilized the power of the Tesseract early. He could do so much with it. He might even be able to do the impossible and defeat the Labyrinth. Max wanted very much to go all out. Labyrinth challengers only got one shot.. If he failed because he was timid, he would probably regret it forever.
Max decided. It was time to cut loose.
“[Alright, damn it! If the only way to win is to go all in, then I’m ALL IN. Let’s take everything they’ve got and give nothing back!]” Max yelled in his head.
He activated the Tesseract portal and dragged it across the armored robot. The portal arced with energy as it grew and shifted, swallowing the metal behemoth into an extradimensional space. With his command, it closed, leaving a faint trace of its power in the air.
[Privacy +1, Privacy reaches level 8]
I guess that I’m committed now. There’s no way that the AI missed that. Max thought.
Despite his friend's concern over Xavier, they all looked shocked as the energetic portal appeared and scooped up the robot. Max's ears and tail dropped briefly then popped up.
“That’s right. I did it. No more holding back. My daemons convinced me that was a losing strategy. I’m going all in to do this. Let’s get back to the safe zone quickly so we fix Xavier up.” He spoke. Xavier, despite the state of his arm, was looking both excited and eager at the display of Max’s secretive device. It was another toy he desperately wanted to get to play with.
----------------------------------------
The team had the forethought to trigger the exit to get to the reward kiosk first. They made their choices quickly and paid the toll for the final door. This round Max put in the RolloMap his sister had given him. The little device was novel for sure, although too slow to be much use when the team was already employing full mote swarms.
Max supposed that the mote gifts were new things for the academy for Mira to have thought that her device would be useful. He shrugged. The device was small so the analysis would only take a few hours.
Xavier was playing with his reward; a tiny robot had the ability for him or his Ai Jarvis or any of his many daemons to pilot it. Right now, the puppet was showing Xavier some stances for sword fighting as it pranced about distracting him from his arm’s condition.
“[Look in your team’s shared OverLayer, Max. It looks like young Xavier has a musketeer for a daemon. Its image seems to Athos, who purported to be the best sword fighter of the trio.]” Sherlock said in his head. Max added the OverLayer virtual over his real-world view, and the puppet became a miniature musketeer, dressed in pantaloons, jacket, and cape. It held a rapier and executed a feint followed by a riposte and ending in a lunging strike.
The daemon was good, and Xavier was entranced. This was good as his third arm was currently a stump ending just below its shoulder. Xavier’s missing arm was currently in the MC getting repaired.
The boy had admitted that he had done something similar to trick the system into giving him the transform skill much earlier. He had constructed his extra arms in a compiler and had a friend suture them to his back after a little “abrasion therapy”.
Max wished he had shared that technique earlier. It would have saved a lot of time and effort. Eating the supplements for the augmentation systems was gross even with his tastebud suppressed using his [DigiSense] skill.
Max was nervous. The team worked together to assign rewards based on the team’s needs and their contributions to the challenges. The Labyrinth had offered a new daemon that was potentially useful, and Max had been the only one with an open slot.
The emulation was of a fictional character for the last century’s explosion of video entertainment. His name confused Max, but the character was brilliant regarding exotic medical and surgical interventions. Max had initially thought he might have been an architect, but the system didn’t mention that skill. Like the other historical daemons, his skills had been updated to include the present state of the art, including working on augmentations. He pinged his new daemon.
“[Dr. House? Charlie is pulling Xavier’s arm out of the matter compiler. It’s almost time for us to try and reattach it. Are you ready?]”
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Dr. House's avatar flickered into view, exuding a sense of confidence. "[Don’t be so hasty, Max. I know you probably want to slice up your friend for looking at your girlfriend, but we need to scan first; a deep scan MRI and X-ray.]”
“[She’s just a friend. She is not even my type. But forget that, we don’t have a scanner. How am I supposed to get an MRI and X-ray?]” Max blushed as he responded.
“[Huh, I’m usually not wrong about these things. All those puppy dog eyes you’ve been giving her are unavoidable I guess. But I’ve noticed you engaging your scent sensing a lot more around her. I was worried you were going to sniff her butt next. Hmm...no scanner...that’s just peachy.]” House bantered. Max could feel the daemon rummaging around in his augments while he talked.
“[Hah, I thought so. Your ExaVision skill is on the cusp. Right now you’ve got passive X-ray sight, which would be too weak for a good image without a better emission source than the lights down here. I little more effort should level it to activate your active X-ray emitter. And your Terahertz mode should be a perfectly adequate replacement for a proper MRI…well come on. Do you think we have all day? The arm is getting cold as you sit there pinning over Leah.]”
Max growled low but did as he was instructed. House was pretty funny…as long as Max wasn’t the target of his sarcasm. Charlie was gingerly carrying the arm over. Xavier was set up on an elevated couch, looking goofy as Leah was trying to make him comfortable. A tray loaded with surgical tools and chemicals was ready beside him.
Max focused on his vision, triggering a full spectrum to build up his world map. The arm looked healthy, but even with its blood filled with nanotech respirocytes to keep it oxygenated, it needed to be attached or it would begin to degrade. House helped him expand and map the customized bone structure, vessels, and nerves. Max’s vision bloomed with deeper detail as he felt the notice hit.
[ExaVision +1, ExaVision reaches level 10, Skill cap achieved +100XP. New Skill Unlocked- Gestalt.]
[New Mind Skill: Gestalt 1 – Mind augmentation to synergize and filter incoming signals to improve rapid assimilation.]
Xavier’s glassy eyes focused on him. He went a little pale as he realized what would come next.
“Ah, Maxsh. Try do…Try to go fasht ok ah.? Lash time wash mi back and not my real arm.” Xavier slurred waving the stump of his right primary arm.
“[Jesus, the little pip squeak is glanding drugs already. This won’t even be fun. How’s he going to be a proper little adventurer if he doesn’t grin and bear it? Painless skills need pain to level.]” House grumbled as he assessed the tools and patient. He drew virtual lines on the stump and arm, showing cutting lines.
“[Alright, killer. Let’s do this quick. Dip your claws into the alcohol. Fun fact, your augmentation gland organ connects directly to your poison ducts for each claw, incisor, and your new blade arms. I want you to stab this hyperactive kid. I’ve swapped out your current poison selection from caustic heparin to sedative, analgesic, and paralytic.]”
Max hesitated for just a moment, glancing at Xavier's expectant eyes. With a quick breath for courage, he dipped his claws into the alcohol, feeling the cool liquid coat them. As directed, he then plunged them precisely into Xavier's stump, making sure to inject the new mixture of drugs. Xavier's eyes widened slightly, then relaxed as the cocktail took effect, his body went limp with the sedation. Max looked up to House's sour-faced avatar, ready for the next step.
The operation was quick, House guided Max to slice and then saw using the powerful tools that had been printed earlier. The stump and arm were cut to match. He bonded the bone first with special glue and used a special tool with a fractal nest of nanomanipulator probes and graspers that automated the gathering and joining of the veins and nerves. Max’s system opened a notification.
[Skillz: New Tradable Skill: Augmented Surgery - trading the Skillz database with this new skill to grow your Skillz level? Y/N]
Max’s accepted the skill choice and waved the blue box away. Another leaped up.
[SkillZ +1, SkillZ has reached level 7.]
[SkillZ inputs – Swim, Nanocraft, Brachiate, Meditate, Dim11 Math, Augmented Tracking, Augmented Surgery .18]
[SkillZ outputs – Katana, Kempo, Kunai, Adv Bike Ridings, Adv Coding,
[SkillZ open slot suggestion: Trap Detection, System Engineering, Energy Weapon design, Modular design, Skill Customization]
Max thought quickly and picked Skill Customization. He refocused his attention. Max had to act quickly because Xavier’s system had started to heal the tissues immediately. Several times he had to resection areas that had started to heal without proper alignment. The procedure was done with Dr. House congratulating him on the procedure, as Charlie began cleaning up the sheets and instruments. Leah worked to make the still-unconscious Xavier comfortable.
“I’ve checked with Jarvis. It looks like the damage is already 80% better. Xavier’s biologicals are still processing the drugs though. Whatever he glanded must have amplified your injection. He might be out of it for a bit yet.” Leah said, her brows creased with concern.
“[Huh, little brat is smart. He might have you beat already, Max. It looks like Leah has got a bit of Nurse Nightingale syndrome. Poor Max.]” House quipped in his head. Tesla interrupted before Max could retort.
“[Max, I want those surgical tools! Grab them before Charlie recycles them!]” Tesla yelled in his head.
Max ran to stop Charlie. He collected the devices after a quick cleaning, swiftly making them disappear into the Tesseract.
Inside the Tesseract the powered manipulator array, saw, and vorpal scalpels, floating into the free space. The utility fog pushed them into a corner dedicated to Max’s supplies and collection of devices.
Max had been running a multitask personality to monitor Tesla. Inside the Tesseract, they had been working together to scan and probe the ruined automaton. Tesla and Max had been scanning and taking pieces of the robot apart to use inside the pocket space.
The space had grown to almost five meters in diameter. The Tesseract anchor marble that usually remained outside the space extended and grew into a thick spine that branched into a fractal of struts that terminated in flat glowing panes that created the energized spherical boundary of the pocket dimension.
The central tree had a motile ring that slid along, using the spar as a rail to move around. This ring contained a pair of multi-jointed manipulator arms and a dedicated power core to fuel them. The battered form of the hulking automaton floated in the space as the arms teased the robot apart.
The laser turret head had already been connected to the motile ring and tied into the system. Max and Tesla had worked out that he could open a portal just enough to shoot the laser through it. Additional ranged firepower on call would be a cool tactic. Max looked up from the growing schematics as Tesla cursed.
“[This isn’t working, Max. The dedicated nano-repair bots have too many safeguards. I’ve tried to task them to reconfigure the minigun onto the ring as well, but they keep reverting to their default programming. Captain Cypher says the programming is deeply structured and designed to break rather than allow a nanomachine to go off task.]”
“[We need specialty parts from the matter compilers. Waiting for safe zones is already slowing the Tesseract’s growth. Our ability to maximize the benefits of this technology is going to take a long time.]” Tesla said, his frustration evident in his avatar's disheveled appearance.
“[Hmm. Maybe we can do something about that.]” Max spoke and his alter snapped back into his main thought stream.
Once the procedure was done, Charlie had made a beeline for the showers. The surgery had brought back some unpleasant memories from his mech infantry days. He cranked up the hot water and turned his internal music module up high as he scrubbed…trying hard not to think about the past.
Outside, Leah was monitoring Xavier and sorting through her supplies. She had again taken the bonus skill levels from the rewards kiosk. She was well protected with her newly capped [Neural scaffold] and [Unbreakable] skills now. She sorted her special dart packs for the spetsdod weapon. The dungeon compiler had some restrictions on how much ammo it would print for her, so she was working to optimize her load out.
Max broke off his introspection and stood up in a smooth movement from his meditation pose. He unhooked the power jumpers and took a moment to stretch before joining Leah.
“Hey, Leah. I think I left some gear behind at the last rest zone. Can you hold the fort while I run and go get it?” Max said.
“Sure, Max. Hopefully, Xavier will be up and about soon. We’ll do our usual and have a quick meal right before that door opens to the next level. Don’t do anything stupid, ok? There are still some mobs spawning out there.” Leah said.
“I’ll be careful. Not looking for extra experience, I’ll be back before you know it.” Max said as he briskly stepped back towards the central corridor for the Myriad Paths.
“[Aw, poor Max! Puppy dog eyes zero, Nightingale one.]” his new daemon’s cutting tones whispered into his virtual ears.
“[Shut it, House! I’ll turn you off if you like.]” Max growled. He picked up speed as he left the room and was soon sprinting towards the last rest area. Tesla need a matter compiler to add functionality to the Tesseract and Max knew where one was. If they didn’t want him to take it, they would have bolted it to the floor.
----------------------------------------