(Strive 10:1)
It was a perfect day for exploring. High above the city’s Public Quarter, the boy stepped lightly from one roof tile to another. He still remembered the last time he had fallen, how embarrassed he’d been at the bewildered stares of market-goers as they watched him tumble out of the sky to face-plant on the cobblestones. He never grumbled again when his parents made him put on his buddy bracelet, even though it felt way too big for his wrist.
It wasn’t all bad. The smooth gray ring was crammed chock-full of useful spells—its previous owner must’ve been a collector or something. An unmarked headstone was all that remained in his memory, and the boy visited every month or so to lay a flower on the grave.
The young scout navigated to the edge of the only city he'd ever known, to a spot where he could see past the high walls to the rolling hills and the horizon. A bell-wire ranged from here far into the distance, past even the limits of his sharp vision. Of course, he knew what was at the other end; he’d been there many times. That was part of his job, and pretty much the only time he got to leave the city.
Miles away, the bell-wire was secured to a strange metal enclosure in a grassy field. Mum called it the “ninth floor elevator” and Dad called it “the place where those fucking transplants come from,” and then Mum would say sharply, “Tom!” and the boy would laugh because he didn’t know what the words meant, but they sure sounded funny and got Mum in a tizzy.
“Fucking transplants!” he yelled at the crows perched nearby, who cawed back in disapproval.
Ding! Ding! Two rings meant two new friends to meet. The boy grinned, and his fingers blurred for a moment. Blue characters scrolled around his bracelet, and the nearby air seemed to thin out as it concentrated in his palms. This was one of his favorites.
Wind blasted from his hands with concussive force, propelling him into the air. Along the swinging bell-wire he flew, before landing gently in a haystack. He boosted off in great bounds across the plains.
The name of the technique, Air Cannon, seemed to suggest it was intended for attacking, but the boy preferred to use it to zip around at high speeds. It wasn’t like he had any enemies to fight. There were very few other children in the city, and his parents would never let him venture outside except when the bell-wire rang.
A few kiloseconds later, by the measure of his udjat’s timer, the boy reached his destination, where he skidded to a puzzled stop. Here the bell-wire ended at the elevator shaft, tinkling faintly in the breeze. He sniffed the air and perceived the lingering smell of burnt sulfur that newcomers always brought with them.
But of the most recent arrivals themselves, there was no sign at all. No footprints, no bodies. Just the aura of recent magic, and two confused forest birds that hopped around for a while before flapping away.
Not again, thought the scout. Mum’s gonna kill me!
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The elevator chugged along as I held El’s bracelet in one hand and my own in the other. “Well damn,” I said. “You’re right. Yours does look a bit bluer than mine. They were definitely both gray when we got them. Must be responding to our attributes.”
The roof of my mouth practically had a hole burned in it from all the Atomic Fireballs I’d been scarfing down, but not for nothing. My strength stat had leveled up from Special to Wee Baby, and my dexterity to Bad. At least, I thought they were upgrades. It was hard to tell when every tier was an insult. In any case, my kada was now tinted a light yellow shade, the color of a ripe banana.
“Not that it bothers me,” El said, “but have you given any thought to your whole ‘lack of clothes’ situation?”
I looked down. “We’ll figure it out,” I replied. In reality, I would’ve traded a hundred Pills of Girth Enhancement or whatever for a pair of pants right then.
Ding! We arrived at the tenth floor, and the doors opened to an expansive view of gently rolling hills covered in lush greenery. The air was sweet with the thick and heady fragrance of wildflowers. Thankfully, there was no one there to see my nakedness.
It was downright pleasant after the hellishness of the last floor. Someone had even left a jug of water and a bath towel on a nearby tree stump, and I gratefully wrapped the towel around my nether regions.
Something rang loudly, twice, as soon as we stepped out of the elevator, and I saw a thrumming wire with bells attached running into the distance. Some kind of signaling system, I thought with a sense of unease.
“Do you feel that?” said El.
“Hmm? The ringing sound?”
“Not that. I feel eyes on us.” The raccoon shrank down on her haunches. “Predator’s eyes.”
“I don’t—”
The world shrank to a pinpoint, and we were somewhere else, somewhere darker, with the cool, dry air replaced by warm dampness. I heard something rustling near us, but my eyes hadn’t adjusted yet. Thin rays of sunlight filtered down through sharp-edged leaves, barely illuminating anything. I cast Lux, lighting a small circle around me.
“El,” I murmured as I crept forward. “Buffer Firecracker.”
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A second later, two struggling bodies burst through the bushes. They disentangled enough for me to throw a Hardened punch that connected with a thud.
A small creature that looked like a knife-wielding rabbit lay writhing on the ground. As soon as it stopped, it laid about three or four Cadbury cream eggs—obviously stat pills—from its rear.
My heart leaped when I saw that the other newcomer was human, but I had the good sense to check my towel’s coverage before rushing to her side. “Are you okay?” The young woman seemed a bit frazzled from the scuffle, but otherwise unharmed. Even as she lay in the dirt, her clothes looked pristine, almost like modern athletic wear, but there was a gleam to them that reminded me of chain-mail.
“Ugh,” she said, shaking her head before looking up at me. “Um. Why are you naked?”
“I’m wearing a towel,” I pointed out. “Who are you—”
“Oh my god, a raccoon! How cute!” Immediately distracted, she began to stroke El’s fur, and El sniffed her long braided hair inquisitively.
I was about to Examine her when she grabbed my hand with surprising agility. Our bracelets clattered against each other. Hers was a middle shade of blue, setting off her skin nicely.
“Don’t,” she said. “That’s rude.”
She looked me in the eyes for the first time, and for a second, I thought I saw two different colored irises, one blue and one green. Then she blinked, and they were normal—warm, brown eyes in a pretty face.
“No problem— I mean sorry— I mean—”
“I’m Mia,” she said, softening into a smile. “Was doing a little rabbit hunting, but I was on my way back to the city when this one jumped me. You must be new around here, judging by your ring.”
“Is it that obvious?” I helped her to her feet, which doubled as a handshake. “Xavier Shaw. It’s good to meet another person, finally.”
“El,” said the raccoon, and Mia gaped for a moment before recovering.
“I’m glad I get to be the first to welcome you two. We don’t get too many newcomers these days.” She tilted her head at me curiously. “Where are you from, Mr. Xavier Shaw?”
Damn, she’s kind of cute, I thought. Aloud, I said, “Near San Francisco, although I don’t know if that means anything to you.”
She gasped and touched my arm lightly. “I knew it, you’re from Cali. And modern, by your accent.”
I wasn’t sure whether to be more surprised that this random girl from another world knew where California was, or that she’d implied there were prehistoric people roaming around as well.
“I imagine,” I said slowly, “that this forest isn’t the best place to unload questions onto you. Given you were just attacked by a knife-wielding Easter bunny.”
“Impressive deduction, sir.”
“You were on your way to a city, you said. Mind if I tag along? I’m still trying to get my bearings here.”
“No problem at all.” She favored me with a dimpled grin, looked down at my bare chest, and giggled. “We can get you some real clothes there, too. For now, maybe cover yourself with some leaves or something.”
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We cut our way together through the dense thicket, taking turns being in front. Mia had summoned a machete that did a passable job hacking through the bramble. I should say that I hacked through with little artistry. She actually made it look elegant, slashing in smooth motions with her lithe form, almost like she was dancing. I definitely preferred walking behind, and not only because front had cutting duty.
The leaves of this forest were like sharp spines, pointed enough to draw blood, and they often did, slicing into my bare skin. After a particularly deep gash on my thigh, just under my towel, I raised my right hand to cast Harden.
With a jolt, I remembered that my aura now tended to set things on fire. “Fuck,” I muttered, looking at the dense undergrowth around us. El had gotten lucky with her dragon’s upgrade, and doubly lucky that the sharp leaves here went right over her head. She’d ventured ahead of us “to scout,” although I wasn’t sure what she’d be scouting for. Mia would’ve been more familiar with this place anyway.
“What’s the matter?” Mia turned, and somehow, her exposed arms and legs were unblemished.
A line of blood was welling up on my leg. “Fucking leaves,” I said. “I have a protective spell, but I can’t use it here. Too dangerous.”
“Let me see.” She stepped up to me, and I realized how many cuts I’d accrued on our short walk. Peering at my bare chest and legs, which were both criss-crossed by lines, she let out a low whistle. “Yeah, that can’t be fun.”
Then she took another step closer and, with a slender finger, gently traced the cut on my thigh from bottom to top.
I flinched involuntarily as she looked up at me with a questioning smile. Her body was close enough to mine that I could feel the warmth it gave off. “Let me help you feel better. Just relax…”
Was this some kind of healing? I got the feeling it wasn’t. I looked into her eyes, eyes that were at once knowing and innocent, sincere and mischievous, and found myself entranced by them. She was saying something to me, but I was lost in her gaze. I wanted to drown in those eyes that devoured me hungrily, a predator’s eyes…
A predator’s eyes. El’s words came crashing back as I noticed her kada hand, the one not touching my leg, shifting behind her back. With a yelp, I signed Harden and jumped backwards, my shield flaring around me.
Then the world shrank to a pinhole of light, in the same way as when we’d been moved to this forest at the beginning of the floor. As it expanded back, there was a moment of resistance before space seemed to shatter, and I was suddenly standing at the other side of the clearing from Mia, surrounded by shards of broken glass. The grass at my feet started to smoke from my aura, and through its red haze, it looked like the forest was stained with blood.
“You broke my canopic jar,” Mia pouted. “Those are expensive, you know.” She laughed at my expression, which must’ve been somewhere between arousal, shock, and horror. “Still…” she looked me up and down, examining my protective layer, “it’s pretty hard to do that. And you know what they say, a hard man is good to find.”
“W-what did you try to do to me?” I stammered.
“That, my dear Xavier, is for me to know and you to f—”
El barreled into Mia from behind and tagged her with a glowing paw. A flash of light leaped from her bracelet to El’s, as the raccoon rejoined me at my side.
“The hell is this thing?” El held up the item she’d stolen with the Pickpocket spell.
“It’s a— oh,” I said. “Oh, that is fucked up.”
It looked like a big mason jar, tightly stoppered. The whole thing was stuffed with red and white with bits of pink, and I thought at first it was a strawberry yogurt parfait. But floating inside were shapes that reminded me of eyes and ears, and with horror, I realized that was exactly what they were. For still uncrushed, squeezed between layers of blood and viscera, I saw the scattered white points of human teeth.