“It was clever.”
“Saw the opportunity and went for it, I guess,” Thorne said.
“So, the lesson we learned is that the next time we need to deal a bunch of damage quickly we just have to set Thorne on fire,” Kaiden said, smirking at her still-smoking armor as he pulled up his character sheet to give it a quick once-over and assign his stat points.
Character
Name:
Kaiden
Race:
Human
Level:
38
Class:
Enhanced Warden
Attributes
Strength:
53 (+2)
Intelligence:
47
Endurance:
53
Perception:
47
Dexterity:
136 (+2)
Unassigned:
0
Abilities
Kickback
Shield Bash
Hammer Toss
Lightspeed
Improved Enhanced Senses
Riposte
Flash Bang
Improved Blur
Onslaught
Enfeebling Strike
Slayer (passive)
Hamstring
Matter Shift
Perks
Turen Tinkering
“Well, now. That was certainly a spectacle,” said a voice Kaiden didn’t recognize. Except he did recognize it, he realized as he closed his character sheet. It was the voice he’d heard in the cockpit of the Veritas II. The voice that had claimed to speak for Odditor.
He turned to find a bulky figure emerging through the smoke from the flames. It stood eight feet tall, at least, and was exceptionally hairy.
A massive hominoid! But it wasn’t. Not exactly.
While it was massive, ape-shaped, and hairy, the figure also had undeniably turen features: slits for nostrils, wide, intelligent eyes, and arms that, while they were packed with thick muscle like the hominoids’ had been, were also elongated like those of a turen. Kaiden focused on the figure and his visor did its thing.
Whenstone
Class: Medic
Modified Species: ‘Turenoid’
Faction: The Menagerie
Level: 60
Quick facts: Max-level medics who have invested in the Genetic Modification specialty may complete a class-specific legendary quest to evolve into a ‘modified species,’ which is created by mixing two of several predetermined species. Doing so gives the player 80% of the strengths and 100% of the weaknesses of both species.
“Nice to meet you in person,” Whenstone said to the gawking faces in front of him. “I work for Odditor.” He gestured up to the cameras that had been watching them all along the trail. “He appreciates the show you’ve put on. So, if you’ll follow me, he might care to speak with you.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Turenoid? Thorne observed Whenstone from behind. That’s a combination that makes a lot of sense. Strength from the hominoids, intelligence from the turen. Plus all the normal skills of a max-level medic.
They followed the turenoid along what was left of the path, cameras watching them every step of the way. Creatures stirred in the jungle on both sides, but even the boldest of them were sent running with the slightest growl from Whenstone. Not that she could blame them. He was level sixty and, given this was a PVP zone, wouldn’t have much trouble crushing all of them at once, if he wanted to.
Medics aren’t designed for offensive combat, but still. It probably wouldn’t matter, not with that level disparity.
“And here we are,” Whenstone said, gesturing forward as his deep, strained voice spoke the words.
Thorne followed the gesture up to where, just ahead, the path ended. Where it did, the jungle opened up around it. A small patch of grass led to a metal platform. As she looked closer she realized the platform was actually an old freight elevator, but attached to a large ramp that led up and up to…
“The Madhouse,” Whenstone said, looking up at it as well. And what a sight it was.
The structure had to have been forty stories tall, at least, and appeared to be mostly in the shape of a large ring. Hollow in the center? Thorne couldn’t tell from their current spot. The sides of the building – base? Complex? Town? It could have been any of them from its size – were covered in creeper vines and moss and a whole mess of other green foliage growing out of every nook and cranny. Thorne found herself reminded of their humble swamp bunker in the real world, except this structure, in comparison, stretched all the way up to the low-hanging, rain-heavy clouds above.
“Odditor lives there?” Kaiden asked as Whenstone led them all on to the elevator. Somewhere in the distance, something massive roared – a sound that shook the very air itself and seemed to reverberate through the ground – and Kaiden turned toward it, concern in his eyes. Thorne couldn’t blame him.
Whenstone, however, merely chuckled.
“The longer you’re here, the more you’ll find the inhabitants of this moon are quite... diverse. But pay them no mind for now. They know to stay well away from The Madhouse.” He waved his hand at a sensor on the elevator. It beeped and then the whole platform began to move, sliding up along the ramp with a groan of well-used metal.
“We came here to see Odditor,” Thorne said, turning her attention from the vast jungle around them and meeting Whenstone’s eyes.
“It’s critical that we speak with him,” Zelda said.
“Odditor will determine what’s critical and what isn’t,” Whenstone said. “For now, you should be grateful he allowed you to land. That’s more than most unannounced visitors are offered.”
“Why did you let us land?” Thorne asked. The question had been bothering her. It’d seemed like Odditor had recognized the Veritas II, Bernstein’s old ship.
Does that mean he knew Bernstein? The database implied some connection, but wasn’t specific.
“You were allowed to land because Odditor said so,” Whenstone said. “It’s not my place to speculate as to his motives.” With that, he fell silent, seemingly lost in staring out at the world falling away beneath them.
This guy takes his roleplay seriously, huh?
The elevator had carried them halfway up the side of the building now, and far above the canopy. Their view of the jungle moon stretched all the way to the misty horizon. Thorne found herself distracted by its beauty, lost in the rolling waves of the wind in the treetops.
With a long groan, the elevator came to a stop and Thorne found they’d arrived at an opening in the outside of the Madhouse. A steady stream of animal sounds poured out from within – growls and chirps, howls and barks – but they were twisted and distorted as they echoed down the metal hallway, deformed into a cacophony
