NOVEL WEB Chapter 10: Visions.
Chapter 10: Visions.
The walk back to the narrow tunnels was terrifying. I kept all my attention on the fog, worried that either of the pair would realize what I was and give chase.
“Oh, that is great. First the Bunny man and then the Spanish inquisition. I certainly wasn’t expecting that.”
Humour aside, this was bad. Really bad. To the point where even my unwavering optimism was finding it hard to keep up.
If a fight had broken out, there was a chance I could’ve taken the two men back there, but they were clearly seasoned killers and I was some recent university graduate. No, I probably would have stumbled on something and gotten myself killed.
No matter how you sliced it, I was already weak and was making myself weaker by exposure. Telepaths were not meant to be brave and throw themselves head first at the enemy. Acting like Thunder Fist had made me dangerously exposed three separate times, and the most pleasant of them had ended in a mugging.
I still wanted to be helpful and save people, but not like this.
No, I needed to be stealthier. Sneakier, and much stronger than I was now.
With that in mind I proceeded to bravely find a corner to hide in, walled myself off using illusions and sat right down. Okay fine, maybe it wasn’t exactly what a hero would do, but I was low on Psy from all that hiding and running and experimenting. Plus, I found out that I was right about the eels. They swam lazily through the air, close to the ceiling where they were almost invisible. Save for their jaws of course, as they glowed a slightly softer color than the surrounding mushrooms.
Anyone not paying attention would have found themselves torn to shreds as they leap in ambush. Thankfully, my fog gave me the upper hand in those encounters. Not that I was going to face them head-on.
Instead, I calmed my breathing and let my body recover. The only times I broke out of my restful state was whenever I sniped a lone creature. There weren’t many such chances, so I ended up spending more time than I’d have liked sitting there.
Such frivolities paid off when I felt a familiar presence slithering a few hundred metres away.
‘Friend? Where are you friend? I’m lonely without you. Its cold too. Don’t worry. I’m much toastier than your clothes. Much better insulation too. I can make us strong. If only you’ll agree to feed me. To make me whole. I just want to be your friend and go on adventures together. Please take me with you.’
In response to this heartwarming and not at all creepy declaration of devotion, I opted to stay in hiding, and to charge another, bigger bolt for good measure.
I was thankful that I didn’t have to use it.
The rest of my break was filled with experimentation. These new senses of mine were, odd, but familiar. I felt like I knew how to drag the energies within me and move them around in the same way I could my own fingers.
The system prompt had said the abilities were modular, but hadn’t explained further, despite my asking. So, what did that mean exactly? Could I stretch my fog by willing it to go further? Could I stretch my map? What about spreading out my bolts like the fever?
Alas, experimentation did not prove overly fruitful. Either I wasn’t getting something about the way abilities worked or I just needed more time to figure this out.
The whole process was not glamourous by any means, but the results spoke for themselves.
Name:
Solomon Carter
Psy:
102/115
Type:
Telepath Level 13
Abilities:
[Sense Thoughts] 2 / [Message] 1 / [Mental Bolt] 4 / [Fever] 2 / [Fear] 1 / [Static Illusion] 2 / [Hide] 3 / [Faint Presence] 2 / [Mental Map] 1
Ability Points:
8
Two whole levels. In four hours.
Not quite the progress I was hoping for, but it was something.
Now then, just what to do about the extra points?
My first instinct was to upgrade my map, mostly because I wanted the added range and it had proven to be immensely useful thus far. The number of traps and dead ends I’d managed to spot without risking my life had ensured it had a special place in my heart. Granted the traps were either already sprung or very recently activated by centipedes or eels I lured there, but those were unimportant details.
I wanted more range to my fog as well and to [Message]. Coming face to face with a bloody meat cleaver was near the very bottom of the list of things I wanted to do and more range meant more chances to intercept incoming lunatics.
Besides that, well, it was my biggest advantage. Staying far away from danger was the one good thing about being a Telepath. I could get a better idea of my surroundings, be forewarned of danger and even have a better chance of helping out someone in need.
Yep, it was decided. More distance covered meant an easier time of things.
With that done, I was left with one point to spare. My eyes wandered over the screen, drawn to that lovely little option.
[Precognition]
If it worked, I might be able to further bolster all my abilities at once. I could already picture it, being able to know what skill to use at what time for maximum effectiveness. Being able to predict enemy movements before they even thought of them. Being able to know which spots made for the deadliest ambushes.
Not to mention the very real possibility that being warned about threats could save my life if all else fails.
“Yeah. One point is worth it. I’ll try it out and see what happens.”
With that I allocated all I had left and felt the power rush in.
Both my fog and my map grew heartier, now covering one hundred additional metres. It confirmed my earlier assumption, and gave me a simple 1 point per 100 metres rule to follow from now on.
More signals came in. Eels, centipedes and other monsters I could not recognize. They were scattered above and below me, ignorant of my presence. There were no people nearby. No one that needed saving.
The environment soon became clear as walls and floors sprouted from the new edges of [Mental map]. There was an antechamber further down to my left, holding a sizable volume of water and protected by yet another metal door. Monsters gazed through the bars, but without prey, had no incentive to look deeper.
While this was happening, I felt another presence blooming. A thick tangle of tightly woven golden threads. Each strand was thin and weak, but they all came together to form knots and bindings that looked sturdier than the sum of their parts.
Having it there felt different from all the others. It felt, right. Like it had always been there, even before I came to the labyrinth. Like this was my true calling all along.
Excitement filled me and I began to untangle the strings, ordering the new force to manifest.
The ball of radiant yarn drank in Psy and redoubled in splendor. It stayed inside my body, opening up and spreading to all my nerves and organs. I felt, blissful. Happy. Self assured.
For the first time in half a day, I knew that everything would be fine.
Nothing else happened.
I kept it up for a few more minutes, trying to get the feeling to leave my body, but it refused. It was caged in much the same way as my bolts were trapped by the wall after firing once. My skin was a fortress that contained it without fail.
“Come on. The happy feelings are all well and good but I need more to justify spending the points. I mean, I might just keep spending them for the good vibes but I’ll feel bad about it. Do something.”
I waved my hand and the world slowed to a crawl. My physical limb was all but paralyzed whilst four copies emerged, each taking a slightly different trajectory. All of me was invested in the four possibilities and knew them for what they were. There was no need for explanations or system notices.
The power dictated what would occur and let me choose which path to follow. Which fiction to make real.
A wicked smile bloomed on my face.
I tried to push more Psy into it.
It went so smoothly I figured I overshot it at first.
Turns out that’s what real compatibility looks like.
This was it.
The best, most awesome ability I wanted.
This was the edge that would keep me alive.
A veritable deluge erupted all along the trails.
[Precognition] sang a hallowed tune, brighter and more terrible than the sun.
For the briefest of instants, I had it all under control.
Then a bolt of amber lighting exploded inside of me, racing through my lungs and escaping through my eyes. I was blind for a moment. Completely cut off from my surroundings.
Until I saw the Bunny Man again, knees bent down as he placed a hand on my shoulder. The lifeless eyes of his mask closed in on my own as he leaned in to whisper something. I couldn’t make out what it was.
I gasped as reality flooded back in. Along with it came pain, sharp and incessant. Like needles being jammed underneath my nails, but spread out all over my body. I screamed, as the burning sensation spread and I was drawn back in.
I saw a man missing an arm, lifting his stump and conjuring whips of fire. His beard was shaggy and unkempt. His hair was half burned off. His eyes carried malice and madness in equal measure, drinking in the flames he made dance and the light they let out. Jubilation filled him as he underwent his crusade, snuffing out all the evil from the world.
I saw the running man again. He kicked people near smoking chimneys. The macabre dance of death was entrancing, knives and clubs failing to find purchase as he laughed and laughed and laughed. He hunted through the pier for the portly man. Salivating at the prospect of well-deserved vengeance.
I saw a pair of hulking mutants, one male, one female. The woman was huge, a little over two metres and muscled like a Greek legend. The man was even bigger, almost half a metre taller, far beyond what humans could ever be. If she was built like an Olympian, then he was built like someone that ate Olympians for breakfast. They hunted someone, me. They searched through the darkness. They whispered for their Shepherd, axes in tow.
I saw a mother, dressed in a worn jacket and her own desperation. She held her children close, making sure they ate before her and revelling in their smiles. She knows about their nightmares, but does not tell them the truth. She knows her husband is dead. She knows the corpses ate him. She woke up in the darkness, alone and panicking. Now she walks through space. Her ebony skin glowing as lightning explodes from her fingers. Monsters big and small perish at her passing and her countenance hardens as hope fills her once more.
I saw a monster. A great, hairy spider munching on a butterfly. His webs were invisible, despite their strength, and they waited all around the arena for any fools that might dare to face the apex of the caves. Looking closer, there was no hair, but a swarming mass of blackened human hands, reaching out for salvation.
I saw a beautiful maiden with moonlight in her hair. She donned a suit of armor made of the purest silver. Its glow was completely overshadowed by her smile and the joy it brought with it. She was loveliness made manifest. Graceful and kind. She touched my arm gently, leaning in for a kiss. Then she jammed the needle in my side and laughed.
“You are the single greatest thing that ever happened to me Sully.”
Her smile widened.
“And you will make me the richest lady in my backwater world.”
The laughter turned maniacal as she dropped metal bars beside me. They came alive at the push of a button, turning into thousands upon thousands of insects that ate at my flesh.
I tried to scream but could not manage to move my mouth. I tried to plead, but the words died in my throat.
In the distance, a voice could be heard. A drunken, slurred chant echoing in the void.
“Star and Moon. Strength and Chariot. The Hanged Man! The Emperor is the Fool. He dances with a paper crown and the bells in his motley jingle to mark his passing! The Empress is under the sea! Upside down where the Sun can’t reach! Her face is black and blue!”
“Fat birds are playing in the snow! Hiding a fox under their skirts! The Magician slays the dragon with her silver wand! Men cheer and Women weep! Her armor glitters and sparkles! The chains! Oh, the chains! They strangle me! They strangle you! But are they touching us?”
“Under the sea and over the stars. A thousand maggots slither. They grow big and they grow fat, before the great corpse withers.”
“Juices fall and juices rise, dancing to the beat. Yet none will stay and none will sing, all will turn to meat.”
“He comes and she comes after, burning with a vengeance. He will die and she will smile, passing down her sentence.”
“The spider looks, the spider sees, everywhere and nowhere. It is there and it is here, watching from the corner.”
“I see you. I know you. You cannot escape. None can run and none can hide from the Coffin or the Drake.”
“The shadows come to play and sing and dance. They stroll about the cobweb, tearing its expanse.”
“The mirror cannot hold. The mirror cannot stay. The shards of glass will all fly out and blind those in the way.”
“The Coffin is still empty, very musty and very cold. Its owner hides behind the veil, eyes glittering with gold.”
“The Drake is loud and furious. Terrible in wrath. Its tendrils invite horrid doom to all within its path.”
“The butcher will come! With fire and sword! To cast you out of your homes and burn all that you hold dear! But I won’t be here! You’ll have driven me away! You’ll have no one to defend you! No one!”
“You are all blind! Your eyes are yet to open! See the world now! See it through my eyes! Feel it through my blood!”
Through it all, she laughed. Giggling in that same manner that had enchanted me just seconds ago.
I saw the sarcophagus. The thing that was left once the transformation was done. The prisoner had no heart or lungs or stomach. No bones held up its frames and it only moved by virtue of six robotic limbs attached to the bottom. The maiden cursed, her hair jostled out of place by ranting and raving.
“We’re almost there my little windfall. Just one boss left and I can sell you to the investors. There you can be their little seer and I can be rich. Just a little longer.”
She had thought herself clever, and she was. She had played all the others against their own best interest, promising technology from the empire in exchange for obedience.
Her servants faced the creature beneath the spider and fought bravely while ignorant of the true danger.
The sarcophagus knew the time had come and lashed out one final time. Not at the butterfly, but at the hidden observer. Then it vanished, hiding while his mistress was struck in retaliation. The remote controller was dropped. Then smashed.
All the challengers kept fighting till the very end, spilling their life’s blood for a doomed cause.
The sarcophagus returned to deal the finishing blow, once all was said and done. It used the token and fled to the savant, that it might learn to weave flesh as well as thought.
I surfaced once more and cut off the connection. The suffering was all consuming and I felt tears welling up.
It happened too fast. So violently, that I was left disoriented.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the notifications.
System Notice:
Student has made a breakthrough with an ability.
Level Gained: +5 Maximum Psy. +3 Ability Points.
Too much.
Level Gained: +5 Maximum Psy. +3 Ability Points.
Somebody.
Level Gained: +5 Maximum Psy. +3 Ability Points.
Make it stop.
Ability Evolving: [Precognition] 1 has grown to [Precognition] 4
System Notice:
Further Evolution has failed.
Insufficient resources.
Insufficient Understanding.
Please try again.
Student came very close.
I cried out for help. For my parents, for my friends, for Doris.
But the words would not form. Hot pincers had burned away my tongue and the fires had crawled beneath my skin and all along my body. I was a statue of smoky glass. Melting and deforming like candle wax.
‘Dad! Mom! Anybody! Please!’
‘I didn’t do anything! I don’t deserve this! Please! Make it stop!’
The fire did not listen. It did not care.
It ate and ate and ate. Corroding the weakness away. Until the veil was made whole and reality re-asserted itself.
“No! Stop!” My words were accompanied by the rush of exhaustion taking me. My corporeal shell having been sapped of all its strength.
My eyelids felt heavy. My very being was filled with weariness.
Yet I could not stop the terror gripping me. I looked from one shadowy corner to the other. Horrified at the prospect of another vision.
When none came, I slowed my breathing. More on instinct than any based on any form of conscious decision.
Looking over, my Psy was almost gone.
In a way, I was thankful. It made it easier to squeeze the strings until they retreated. Back down into their original tangled mess. Away from the damage they’d inflicted.
Three hours later, I was fully recharged and well enough to walk.
The pain had lessened to a more tolerable level, and the intensity of it had put both my hand and my arm into perspective.
Yes, it had been bad, but the surge from the visions had been torturous.
I had to get going. I had to keep myself moving. I had to keep getting stronger and never think about using [Precognition] ever again.
“At least I know that I can level by practising. It’s a good thing to know. Yeah. That and I have more Psy to work with. It’s a good learning experience. Yeah. Don’t think about it too much. Don’t think about the traps. Don’t think about what you’ll be doing next. Don’t think about it at all. Happy thoughts. Positive thoughts.”