The Dendrian delegation screwed us over. Once they found out what we were planning to do with their precious seedlings, they went and sent us fakes. Good fakes, sure, but they won’t hold up for what we need. Negotiations and bribery have failed, which leaves two options on the table for us, and I’m not about to suggest that we start another war so soon after the last one.
Prepare infiltration teams one, two, and five - yes, I’ll authorize it as Chairwoman and if the CFO calls to bitch about it tell him to fucking bill me personally. We’ll get what we need one way or another, and we do need those damn plants.
Oh, and Bradley? Be a dear and encourage some jealous hostility down in the data management lab. The gossiper who decided to have a little chat with the Dendrians has a few more weeks of usefulness left in her, but that doesn’t mean her time here needs to be pleasant.
-Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration and Exploitation Corporation.
It’s raining crabs. Hallelujah. Despite everything, the thought that flickered through Alex’s brain made a giggle burst past his lips. Then Step was beside him, smacking Alex on the shoulder with her tail.
“Wake up!” squeaked the mousekin, her appearance startling Alex out of his surprised freeze. Then she was gone, dancing and skipping through the rain of crabs toward another chloromunculus that was getting too close for comfort.
Alarmed to see crabs converging on him, Alex started to run. He wasn’t very good at weaving through the increasing numbers of jeweled crustaceans, and several times he had to flail at his legs to strike them away. While the chloromunculi seemed only interested in the humanoids, the crabs attacked everyone.
With shells sparkling and glittering in the pollen-light, the crabs scuttled far more quickly than the plant monsters. The crustaceans reached their shambling targets and used sharp legs to swiftly climb upward - the chloromunculi didn’t even attempt to strike them away - and started tearing at the vegetation with their gleaming claws.
Patina was forced to disengage from her plant monster with a yelp as several crabs began tearing into her protective uniform. She got clear of the creatures, and then narrowed her eyes as she saw the large number of crustaceans. The little goblin’s face split into a grin, and she began to hop about like a demented green-skinned bunny in an effort to both dodge the incoming crabs and crush them under her heavy boots.
The crack-crack-crackle sounds made Alex wince, and he did his best to avoid everything coming at him. The feeling of useless helplessness grew within the man, and he was forced to kick a crab away that threatened him. The crab landed in front of Patina, who jumped on it with another sickening crunch.
Step’s grace continued to show itself as the mouse weaved and spun, her flowing movements avoiding crab pincers and chloromunculus arms alike. The mousekin kept her focus on the plant monsters, slicing strips of vegetation away from their bulk. This drove the crabs into a frenzy as they swarmed the fallen chunks of plant matter before it turned black, and the monsters themselves to get at their wounds.
Alex was much less graceful, still avoiding everything he could as he ran around, dodging what he could. At one point it was only by accident that he ducked under a chloromunculus arm, having accidentally stepped onto a jeweled crab. The crackle underfoot made Alex shudder as the carapace gave under his weight, and whatever strange life fluids the creature had within it splashed across the floor. Alex slipped, unbalanced, and was narrowly missed by the chloromunculus that had fixated on the [Mender].
>Jeweled Crab killed. 1 PP awarded. User in combat. Further PP notifications suppressed unless notified otherwise.
What…
Patina apparently found this part of the battle quite hilarious. She continued to stomp and leap about, her breath heavy as she laughed. The crack-squish of the crabs under her boots energized the little goblin, and her eyes were bright with excitement.
Distracted by the notification that he’d killed something - even accidentally - Alex hit a vine-covered wall. His last dodge had been more awkward, and the man stumbled and let out a grunt as his shoulder impacted with the jungle-choked building. A chloromunculus shambled forward, but Step reached Alex just in time to draw its attention away from clubbing him over the head.
“Sir, you actually have to - ha!” Step sliced deftly at a bludgeoning arm, slicing the limb deeply, “Have to attack them!” the mousekin exclaimed, dancing backward as the chloromunculus turned its full attention to her.
Attack them? I can’t… Alex’s mind worried. Though [Unflappable] kept him from going over the edge, the chaotic frenzy around Alex pushed him close to the edge. He couldn’t attack, couldn’t kill another creature. The one he’d stepped on had been an accident, but-
A shrill cry of triumph rang out. Step squeaked furiously as she finally managed to cut deep enough into the chest of one of the plant monsters to expose a pulsating object that glowed with a light that was, at the same time, a shadow. Alex’s eyes ached to see it, the strange thing throbbing like a dark heart even as thick liquid flowed down its stomach and legs from the wound.
Immediately, all of the closest crabs swarmed the chloromunculus, clambering quickly up its legs. The jeweled crabs focused on the creature’s chest wound, digging in with their sharp claws, tearing at the pulsating object of dark light. The strange thing burst under the assault, and instantly the chloromunculus collapsed, a puppet no longer held up by the strings of an unseen puppeteer. Even as the sparkling crustaceans burrowed into the plant monster it was decaying faster, the vegetation rotting quickly.
What was that?! Alex shot off another [Evaluate] as Step danced away with a grin of triumph on her furry face.
>Evaluation of Chloromunculus: Broken. Entropic core destroyed. Entropic energies dissipated. Construct coherency falling. Suggested repair: Reform construct in entropy bath, replace entropic core.
Alex eyed the fallen creature that was rapidly turning into a rotten wet puddle of vegetable stew. Construct. The word flared in his vision. It felt important. Distracted again, Alex was roughly struck by a glancing blow across his cheek by a dark green appendage. He stumbled sideways under the weight of the blow, not having noticed the next chloromunculus that had managed to shamble up to him. He cried out, more in shock than pain.
>Health: 12/20
Twelve? Damn. Alex’s thoughts sped up more. He had fallen to the mossy floor, far enough away that the plant monster would have to shuffle forward to reach him. However the jeweled crabs had no such problem, seeing a prone source of sustenance making itself available to them.
Alex rolled away from the approaching crabs, only to roll right over the top of several others that had been approaching from the other direction. The crackling sounds played in Alex’s ears as he moved awkwardly, leaving several sparkling carapaces crushed in his wake. Little legs twitched horribly, making Alex want to close his eyes.
“Sorry!” he exclaimed to the crabs. One of them was still alive as its brethren fell upon it, tearing at the injured crab and feasting upon it. It was with horrified instinct that Alex used his skill on the dying crab.
>Evaluation of Jeweled Crab: Broken. Suffering from decaying coherency due to insufficient ambient entropic energy. Crushed carapace. Dismemberment underway. Entropic core damaged. Suggested repair: Reform construct in entropy bath, replace entropic core.
Suffering. Alex hated that word. He didn’t even like to kill bugs in his house, though he performed that duty when he had to. Suffering though, that word made Alex’s stomach curl with distaste. Eventually the crab stopped twitching as its companions consumed enough of it to cause the rest to start dissolving into the same dark sludge as the chloromunculus.
Patina leapt into Alex’s view, crushing the gathered crabs with a dark chuckle as their fluids sprayed across the mossy floor. She looked fierce, her grin wide and happy. “Come on, boss! Get it together, we’re fighting here!”
Then the goblin was gone. Alex saw that she was avoiding the chloromunculi as much as she could, content to allow the swarm of crabs to attack them, instead focusing on stomping and jumping on as many crabs as she could. Her boots were…well, ew. Alex shuddered as he got to his feet, suddenly left alone as the crabs, the plant monsters, and his companions were all focused on each other.
Step continued to move, flowing around the battlefield and leaving dozens of slices and cuts on the plant monster’s bodies. She ignored the crabs, letting them do her work for her as with every open cut on the chloromunculi the crabs attacked the wounds for her. For a minute, Alex felt a sense of relief. Things weren’t completely awful - there was a chance that they could win this without him having to…
Alex looked down at the hand which held his borrowed sickle. It shook slightly, a tremor that he logically understood was fear. Fear of causing pain. Something barely remembered moved in his mind. Dark memories pushed at him, and Alex pushed back forcefully. In his peripheral vision Alex saw more chloromunculi shambling slowly toward the battlefield. Lots more.
We aren’t going to win this.
With a deep breath, Alex pushed back whatever his mind was trying to force upon him and he frowned. There were too many. Even if he somehow helped, the trio couldn’t do this. Alex made a decision, and he hoped it was the right one.
“Patina! Step!” he shouted loudly, “We need to go!”
“What?!” Patina hollered back, her spear held tightly in both hands as she continued crushing crabs. “Go?”
“There’s more plant monsters coming!” Alex shouted, “We can’t beat them all!”
“Where do you suggest we go, sir?” Step called, weaving past a pair of chloromunculi that were completely covered in crabs. “We can’t go back the way we came.”
“Inward, “ Alex grimaced, “We need to stop this or it’ll just keep throwing things at us, right?”
“Right, “ the mousekin nodded, and with almost effortless grace performed one final cut on her target and danced across the battlefield toward Alex. Patina seemed reluctant to stop her crab-crunching duties.
“But I’m getting so much pee-pee!” she complained.
Alex’s mind paused for a moment as he parsed that sentence. Then he recognized that the goblin was referring to path points, and remembered that Patina had complained about her advancement being so slow. The temptation of what was, to her, easy path points was a strong one, but Alex shook his head. An insidious suggestion came to his mind, and it was out of his mouth before Alex could analyze it.
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“Patina, do you want to have fun killing little crabs, or save your people?”
Even as the words came out of his mouth Alex felt dirty. Much like when he’d thrown cruel words at Harmony earlier, he knew they were manipulative and at the same time he knew that they would work. Was this the Deception sub-attribute, or just a part of Alex that he hadn’t really explored before now? He didn’t know, but it did what it was supposed to. Patina grimaced, and left off her role as Destroyer of Crustaceans to return to Alex’s side.
“Step, take us out of here, “ Alex ordered the mousekin, “We need to cut this off at the source.”
With a short nod, Step turned and slipped into one of the side streets between the jungle-covered buildings. Alex and Patina followed, leaving behind the battlefield between the jeweled crabs and the chloromunculi. Only a few crabs scuttled after them, quickly dispatched by the scowling goblin as they approached.
*
The trio pushed onward. Step moved the group at a rapid pace, her large ears twitching as she listened for danger. The side streets were more vine-choked than the wider strip down the middle of the cargo bay, but there were less creatures to deal with. One or two crabs made a small nuisance of themselves, but Alex’s companions took care of them quickly. Whatever creature the large vine was attached to that had initially accosted Alex was quiet and caused no trouble.
The comparative quiet allowed - or, rather, forced - Alex to focus on the earlier battle and his complete ineffectiveness in it. He wanted to help, he wanted to keep his companions safe and get through this horrible place whilst saving whoever could possibly still be in here. However the thought of causing harm, and the sharp crack of the crabs he’d killed, buffeted Alex’s psyche relentlessly.
I killed them, he thought, his [Unflappable] pushing back against the feeling of dread building up within Alex’s chest, “I hurt them…”
“What?”
Alex looked down at Patina, who was walking by his side with her makeshift spear gripped tightly in her hands. The goblin squinted up at him, her eyes glinting in the dim light. Alex realized that he’d spoken aloud, and sighed.
“The crabs, “ he said quietly, “I hurt them. I…I killed some.”
“Good.” Patina nodded. “You sort of suck at it though. What’s with the guilt-face?”
“Patina, “ Alex struggled to express how he felt. How do you explain to another adult that killing and hurting others wasn’t a good thing? Shouldn’t they already know that? The disconnect between his reality and that of the train’s residents was a wider gulf than he thought he could reach across. “I can’t…”
“He’s feeling guilty because he’s ignorant.” Step replied from in front of them. Without turning, the mousekin continued, “Sir, I don’t know what your world was like, or how you grew up, but it doesn’t matter. We’re not killing sapient creatures here.”
“We’re killing monsters and animals, “ Alex pressed, “And I made that crab suffer, even accidentally, by hurting it.”
“Sir, “ Step shook her head. “Wait.” The group paused, and Alex held his breath as something rustled in the vegetation ahead. A slow-moving chloromunculi emerged, and began to shamble away from them toward the main street. When it was gone the mousekin gestured for them to continue. “Right. You don’t get it. You’re one of those people who cares, which is fine and lovely and sweet, but here it’s useless. The creatures made by a dungeon aren’t real.”
“What, they’re just my imagination?” Alex scoffed. “Can I wish them away then?”
“You’re being obstreperous. Sir.” Step added, “They are real in the sense that they are physically present and absolutely a danger to us. But they are literally made by the dungeon out of entropic energies. They have no capacity to feel pain, no thoughts, no…soul? Yeah. They aren’t real creatures. They’re constructs, obeying the instructions of the dungeon’s core.”
Constructs. The image of a puppet with its strings cut returned to Alex as he recalled the chloromunculi that had fallen on the battlefield earlier.
“They can come in any shape or form that the dungeon can make, “ Step explained, pushing past a thick mat of vines that had mostly covered their path, “Even looking human. Or goblin. Or anything else, really. But they are entropy made flesh - and are empty of anything that even someone like you could consider real.”
This was important information. Alex’s mind whirled, trying to reconcile what he’d seen with what Step had told him. The creatures weren’t real? They felt no pain? The twitching, dying crab he’d half-crushed and then watched as it had been eaten hadn’t actually suffered? But it felt real.
“We’re almost there, “ Step interrupted Alex’s thoughts. “The original dungeon entrance was close to here.”
If the things the dungeon makes are just constructs, then I shouldn’t feel guilty. I shouldn’t hesitate. I need to help. I need to-
No. You can’t do it again.
Again? The crabs had been an accident initially. He could push past that.
No. Memory pushed at him, a foggy and fuzzy thing that trickled into Alex’s mind like ice water causing him to shiver. Don’t kill anyone else.
It wasn’t a recent memory. Alex just barely remembered it. He was twelve? Thirteen? Still learning how to act and react. Events were confusing things and he hadn’t adjusted to them well. He’d thought he was being so very clever, but-
No, Alex gritted his teeth and pushed back. The memory, half formed and painful, was pushed away again. [Unflappable] stood with Alex, a bulwark against the intrusion of something he didn’t want to remember. Not yet.
“Alex?” Patina prodded at Alex, who jerked back to the present. He found that he was sweating badly, his hands shaking. “You okay?”
“No.” Alex admitted, shaking his head to clear it. He had a lot of things happen to him in his life, and not all of the events had been wonderful things, but he felt that he’d somehow forgotten one. On purpose. Why would he do that? “Sorry. What?”
“We’re there. But there’s…a problem.” Step whispered, gesturing toward the end of the side street. The vegetation there had grown up and over the buildings, blocking their way. “We’re going to have to climb.”
“You can’t just cut through?”
The mousekin shook her head and tapped her ear lightly. “Listen, “ she said in a soft voice. Alex and Patina strained to do so. Beyond the mat of vegetation that barred their way, Alex could faintly make out a wet, suckling sound that reminded him of a baby animal feeding from its mother. Whatever was just beyond the plant barrier was something Step didn’t want to disturb, and Alex nodded to her.
The [Rogue] had no trouble ascending the side of one of the buildings, using the vines that strangled it as hand and footholds. Alex felt a surge of envy at the lithe movements of the mousekin, and recalled that the time he’d once tried rock climbing at the YMCA he’d managed to get less than a third of the way up much to the amusement of his friends.
Patina spat on her gloves and started the climb, and Alex was able to see bulges of muscle beneath the thinner parts of the goblin’s uniform. He was once again reminded that there were attributes he could have increased to help with physical acts as he watched the goblin haul herself upward. She was much less graceful than the mousekin, but Patina reached the top in a decent time. It wasn’t that high of a wall, the building having been constructed poorly by goblins.
“Come on, “ mouthed Patina encouragingly. Alex frowned, and gripped the vines. Under his gloves they felt solid, not shifting in any way beneath his touch. Climbing was surprisingly more simple than he’d expected, more like a ladder than the Y’s rock climbing wall. He still took longer than the others, and Patina grabbed Alex’s collar and pulled him up the last few feet to hurry the process along. On hands and knees Alex found himself atop the building, panting lightly.
“Well, fuck.” Step murmured from where she stood, surveying the cargo bay area beyond the plant barrier. Her tail was held high, the bandage at its tip a white flag. Step’s posture was tense, and Alex saw the mousekin clenching her weapons tightly. He let his own gaze move past the [Rogue].
It was a clearing, of sorts. Where the surrounding area had been overtaken with vegetation and thick vines, here was a large circular stone structure. Yes, some of the jungle had attempted to spread its influence, but something about this structure made it hard for the vines and tendrils of vegetation to get a good grasp on. Old, wet rock that was almost as organic as the jungle had grown out, up, and down to form a multi-tiered colosseum-like edifice. Dozens of cut-stone tiers rose up in a three-quarter circle with one end open, reaching all the way to the roof where sharp stalactites hung dripping mineral-laden water downward.
Downward…was a pit. More overgrown here, vines slowly moved with alien purpose over thick, dark mounds that lay upon the stone tiers. And all the way at the bottom was a twisted, dark-leaved tree that radiated a deep purple light. Part of it was covered with stone, sharp jutting spikes of rock digging into its bark, but the bulk of the tree was free and its branches were laden heavy with writhing vines.
“That’s not normal, right?” Alex whispered to Step, who shook her head.
“This is definitely not normal, “ she murmured. “Look there. The dungeon entrance.” Step pointed with one of her sickles to a space both above and back from where the strange tree grew. A ripple of red light, suggesting to Alex a gaping wound in reality, was uncovered after a seemingly random building had been torn away by vines. The gash in reality was painful to perceive, and gave off an aura of foreboding that made the [Mender] want to shrink back.
“Is it…being attacked?” Patina muttered, squinting. The wound in reality pulsated, as if it wanted to close up but dark vines from the tree had thrust their way into the dungeon entrance, holding it open. On several tiers of the colosseum fresh and unsteady chloromunculi battled against jeweled crabs that burst from the dungeon entrance. Alex couldn’t help but send an [Evaluate] at the scene.
>Evaluation of Dendrian Sapling: Badly damaged. Entropic infection detected. Artificial potential limiters detected. Fusion with Ad Astra proprietary technology detected. Suggested repair: Remove entropic infection, remove artificial potential limiters. Remove Ad Astra tech.
>Evaluation of Entropy Sink “Cave of the Crab King”: Broken. Entropic energies overloaded. Dungeon entrance breached. Core badly damaged. Suggested repair: Reduce entropic overload. Remove foreign matter from entrance. Stabilize surrounding reality.
Oh, so simple. Just stabilize reality. Sure, I got it.
“Alex!”
Alex’s head turned quickly to Patina, whose eyes had widened considerably. She wasn’t looking at the strange tree or the dungeon entrance. The goblin’s gaze was directed downward, to just beyond the barrier of vines that had caused the group to take to the roof.
Laying on a bed of moss that half-covered smooth, wet stone was a goblin. His eyes were wide open, face twisted in pain or fear or both. Alex saw that the goblin was held in place by several vines, but the thing that had caused Patina to gasp Alex’s name was the forearm-thick vine that had been sunk directly into the goblin’s chest. The vine shifted very slightly as that suckling sound could be heard.
“I know him!” Patina exclaimed as she leapt from the roof. “Come on!”
“Damn it, “ Step muttered, and jumped to follow the reckless goblin. Alex looked around, found a thicker vine, and awkwardly scrambled down to join the others.
The prone goblin was roughly shaken by Patina, who kept repeating a word that Alex realized must be his name. “Kelvak! Kelvak! Can you hear me?” She shook him again. “Alex, he’s not waking up!”
“I’m not sure what to do, “ Alex confessed, using his [Evaluate] again. “But…huh?”
>Evaluation of Jatel Kelvak: In Stasis. Dehydrated. Malnourished. Actively being drained of life. Infected with entropic poison. Bubonic sacs detected. Suggested repair: Food. Water. Decouple from parasitic plant. Remove buboes.
“He needs the plant out of his chest.” Alex stated. “I just don’t know what that will do to him.”
“Well we can’t leave him like this! He’s…”
“He’s being drained of his life force or whatever it is people have.” Alex said. It’s feeding the tree.”
“They all are.” Step murmured. She wasn’t looking at the body. She was looking up and around. Across every tier of the stone structure hundreds upon hundreds of vines stretched from the main tree. And so many of them trailed over stone steps and connected to prone forms, all around the open circle. "I think...I was very wrong about the dungeon. This isn't just the dungeon at all..."
They’d found the people who lived here. All of them were linked to the tree.