Mask of Humanity

They’d all turned to stare out at the jungle as the elevator rattled upward. The dull thumps, footsteps of something big and heavy, were still audible.

Nicolai’s eye was drawn to where he’d seen trees shaking, and then they were abruptly torn open as something thrust itself out from amidst them.

A heavy head, jaw filled with serrated teeth. Two evil red eyes. Great horns. Huge legs. Stumpy arms.

‘Holy fuck, holy fuck, that’s a fucking dinosaur,’ chattered Beth.

It was three stories tall, must have weighed over fifteen tons, and was, as Beth had said, a dinosaur. Its eyes settled immediately on them and another of the earth shaking roars blasted out as it raised its head and howled.

Nicolai was already sighting down his rifle and squeezing the trigger.

The 7.62 caught it right in the eye and it flinched, blood spraying, eye closing in pain, but it didn’t fall down or run away. Instead, the air shimmered around it and when the wave of bullets from the rest of them came at it they were deflected by a shield. It charged at them but by now they’d risen high enough even it couldn’t reach, and instead of paused, and raised its head.

Nicolai felt the twisting through the aura and knew that some Symbiote was being used, a Symbiote that felt like fire.

‘Get down!’ he cried, throwing himself to the elevator. The wash of flame poured around them, turning the air into a furnace, hotter and hotter until, all at once, it cut off. There sounded at this moment another great thumping and more savage roars.

Peering over, Nicolai saw that another dinosaur had come out and caught this one in surprise, in the neck, and taken it to the ground. It roared and stomped and savaged the downed one, which was squealing and thrashing and dying. The others appeared by his side.

‘This place is terrifying,’ mumbled John.

‘Good thing we’re in the castle,’ added Beth fervently.

Nicolai wasn’t sure what to think as he stared down at the monsters, and his Mask chose that moment of uncertainty to activate.

Suddenly his eyes sought out Elena, seeing her sat on the ground behind him and the others with a blank expression on her face. Nicolai felt a twisting inside, his Mask tugging and squeezing at his emotions, pulling forth the suitable guilt. Had to be done, he thought, shrugging it away to luxuriate in his true feelings.

A deep sense of satisfaction. This trip had been extremely fruitful.

I should feel bad, though, he told himself, nodding piously at the thought and telling himself and his Mask that he did, indeed, feel bad. It was a shame Karl had to die. A shame Elena must now suffer. But, these things have to be done. His Mask could only nod, because in truth it agreed with him and had also wanted Karl gone. He did his best not to smile, managing it by reminding himself that, regretfully, they’d also lost all the weapons and equipment Karl had carried, which Nicolai had spent a small sum of points on.

His satisfaction was interrupted by a painful itch he felt from his leg, and bending down he scowled at the sight of a nasty worm-like bug wrapping his calf, biting into his flesh. A disgusted hiss exited as his mouth as he pulled a knife and crouched, cutting at the creature. It tensed and gripped tight, biting and rending at his flesh as he cut at it, but he got it off and threw it from the elevator, frowning at the bloody rents it had left in his flesh. Then his eyes caught on another thing, dug into his arm. There was no pain or itch from this, and he realised his arm felt oddly numb. Teeth gritted he turned the knife on this one, too, and with his Soul Sense performed a careful scan of his body. Whatever they were, they hid from his Soul Sense, only revealed when he carefully looked for him, and most of them seemed to bite in a way that numbed him.

‘Parasites!’ he yelled. ‘Check yourselves over.’

The panting of the others turned into muttered gasps of shock and horror, then the gasps turned into yells of disgust.

The nasty creatures were on everyone, having somehow found their way onto all while they’d been running.

Nicolai felt a sudden shock of dizziness and realised it came from his Soul, which was weakening. These things were draining it.

In a frenzy of activity he sliced and cut the parasites from his body, casting them off the elevator one by one, accompanied by the others. Most of them seemed to be on him, with Beth coming up next. Whatever they were, they fed not just on blood but on Souls, and had gone for him and her specifically. He supposed she had caught less due to spending most of her time floating.

Nicolai finally ripped the last one from him, and by then he was covered in his own blood, filled with an urge to keep checking as he ran his hands endlessly over his body. A glance to the side revealed Elena, still sitting there blank-faced, having not moved at all while the others struggled with their parasites. Her face was white and there was a lack of focus to her eyes that concerned his Mask. The result of losing Karl, or something else?

‘Elena,’ he said to wake her, stepping close, all of them turning to look at her.

Elena slumped over, mouth gaping. He ripped at her clothes and found something dark at her midsection, where blood flowed. A worm-like bug was burying itself into her guts.

‘Oh, fuck,’ said Cait. Beth let out a horrified gurgle then stumbled to the edge and threw up. John turned away, a stricken look on his face.

‘No trouble,’ muttered Nicolai, catching at the worm and starting to pull. It came in slick, bloody links from her flesh, squirming in his hand.

He was realising the jungle was even more dangerous than he’d thought. Powerful creatures and sneaky evil parasites.

Elena was unmoving, but he felt her pulse. Finally the worm was removed and he cast it from the elevator, peering at the hole inside of her. Sighing at the waste, he pulled a Rejuvenating Orb he’d gotten from the communists, tugged the funnel and put it to her lips, sealing them around it. As she breathed she pulled in the mist and he settled back as he watched her flesh seal itself. With his Soul Sense he observed inside of her as her bowels knit back together from the mess they’d been in. That was half an orb used, already, but he figured it was worth it.

With his Soul Sense he could feel the anger, and turning he saw the glares. The others were not happy with him. For a moment they’d been distracted from what had happened by the sight of literal dinosaurs, but now they were reminded.

The recriminations came quick.

‘I thought you were going to help us succeed, make sure everyone stayed alive, isn’t that what you said?’ said John, glowering at him, starting forwards, Cait beside him.

Nicolai rose quick to his feet, stepping forwards to meet them. Beth looked up, wiping the vomit from her lips, and her eyes moved between Nicolai and the others. She began circling, half-raising her gun, a wary expression on her face. Nicolai found himself surprised by her loyalty, though perhaps she was simply watching out for herself.

‘These things happen,’ said Nicolai. ‘This world is dangerous. He had to—‘ he choked the words in his throat, realising he’d almost spoken honestly. He had to die. He managed a smile, then killed it because it wasn’t appropriate. Instead he assumed a regretful yet firm expression. ‘We had to come out here to investigate this place. Now we know what we will face when we come here again.’

‘No, we didn’t!’ yelled Cait. ‘There was no need for us to come here, I still don’t understand why it was so important for you we all came. That jungle is insanely dangerous! We shouldn’t have been there! If one of those dinosaurs had caught us while we’d been running, we would all be dead, except for you and Beth because you can fucking fly! If you needed food for those bloody Symbiotes, why didn’t you just go yourself?’

Nicolai blinked, momentarily taken aback by the barrage of words, all of which were quite accurate. He didn’t really have any big reason beyond wanting to see what was out there and fishing for resources, excepting the fact he’d wanted to kill Karl, which obviously couldn’t be told. But, put on the spot like this, some kind of relatively logical excuse needed to be invented. Luckily, he didn’t actually need to create one.

He’d been having a bad feeling for quite some time. There was something very off in this place. The shaking of the castle, the war between bugs and undead. So far as he knew the leaders of which were the Castle Core for the undead, and likely Paxolnaz the bugs.

‘I have reason to believe this castle won’t be a safe home for long,’ he began. ‘It’s only rumours, sightings. But there is something going on within it. Something that has nothing to do with us. Something that started long ago. You all remember how the the castle shook the other day, don’t you?’ he added rhetorically. ‘If this place is falling down, we can’t stay here. And where else is there to go?’ He aimed a finger at the green expanse expanding endlessly before them. ‘Only out there.’

They exchanged glances, their anger fading to become something more sullen, biding its time. He wasn’t overly worried. People tended to forget about the dead faster than they might anticipate, in a place like this.

‘What is it then? What’s happening?’ asked John.

Nicolai spread his hands. ‘I don’t know for sure. It’s just a feeling. But I’ve come to believe in my feelings. They’ve gotten me through a great deal. Something is up and I believe in time we will be forced out of this castle. Would you rather when that happens, we go out with no idea of what awaits us? If we do, it won’t just be one person we lose. We might all die, since we won’t be able to rush back in here. We need to learn what’s out there, learn how to deal with it. As I think has become clear, the jungle is a dangerous place. It is much better that we investigate it now, when we have the castle to retreat to, rather than later. This first trip was the most dangerous because we did not know what to expect, but it was necessary future trips will go better.’

Cait shot a look at Beth. ‘Did you know about this?’

Beth shrugged. ‘First I’m hearing.’ She frowned at Nicolai.

He restrained a sigh. Cait had been quick. Given time he’d have coached Beth on what to say.

‘Why do you think something will happen?’ asked John.

‘Isn’t the way this place shook the other day enough? More tremors like that and all this will be rubble,’ said Nicolai. ‘But I’ve also seen strange movements from the undead and there are armies of bugs in the prison. They’re fighting. Jo and the others have observed more of the same, down there. Whatever it is, it’s getting worse.’

‘The prison isn’t safe?’ John’s eyes widened. Part of why he’d agreed to send Azure down there with Jo and Perro was because Nicolai had said it was safer than up here.

‘It’s still safer than up here,’ Nicolai quickly assured him. ‘They’ve got Jo with them, they’ll be fine.’

‘Why did you never mention this?!’ John growled, stepping forwards. ‘You need to tell us these things! That the castle might collapse, that the prison isn’t safe!’

‘I…’ Nicolai frowned, his Mask writhing. Why didn’t I tell them? The dark squirmed in its cage.

Because you need to keep your cards close. Because you can trust no one. Because the less they know the better. Trust only yourself.

The words seethed up from deep inside of him. Partly from the darkness, but partly from the core of himself, centred deep and tight. Similar words had guided him a long, long time. They have kept me alive. But his Mask reminded him of his desires when he’d first arrived in this place, the desires that had forged it. To be more than that, at least a little. Did he have to trust people, though? Was that a necessary part of being a Better Man? He hoped not.

Nicolai puffed his cheeks and blew air, turning away, his gaze skimming over the jungle as it receded, lower and further away as the lift clanked upwards. He supposed apologising wouldn’t hurt.

‘I should have told you,’ he said, speaking to the air. ‘I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.’ The words were difficult to speak, difficult to drag out of himself. He knew they were only half-sincere, if that. He did his best to speak them like the truth, but his Mask was in opposition to him and he had a feeling he wasn’t managing to be quite as convincing as normal. More sullen child than dismayed leader? His Mask clutched and squeezed and his teeth grit at the ache it made inside of him.

‘That’s all I ask.’ John sighed, deep and tired.

The fact Nicolai had gotten him to back off so easy suggested that he didn’t care all that much about Karl’s death, in Nicolai’s view. He found that encouraging, and managed to steady himself.

‘Is there anything else you’re not telling us?’ asked Cait.

With his Soul Sense Nicolai saw Beth turn away to stare with studied casualness out over the jungle. Good. ‘I thought you had gathered much of what I was planning,’ he lied, turning to Cait and John. ‘But, I’ll make things clear.’

‘As I said, we are going to work as arms-dealers, selling things from the Trade Link. We will use this to increase our power and influence, alongside gaining resources. We must ensure no one learns the location of the Trade Link at any cost, and that includes having as few people in this group know of it as possible.’

‘Everyone will become a Cultivator in the prison, rotating in groups. We will work to deal with the Chosen, as they are currently the largest threat to everyone in this place, including us. In time we will also go on another jungle trip, learning how to survive.’

‘After today’s trip I have many ideas for ways to make our next go more smoothly. Tough, bite-proof clothing with no gaps will go a long way to preventing more of what happened today, resulting from these parasites and venomous creatures, like whatever killed Karl. We’ll acquire more rings of flight so as to avoid the dinosaurs. I can’t promise no one will die. But I can promise no one will die like that—not again.’

They stared at him silently, mulling over his words. Beth also turned around to give him a similarly narrow-eyed, thoughtful look. Wondering if he was lying. His Mask said he wasn’t, but the rest of Nicolai knew he was. Pegasi rings weren’t easy to find; there were no more Pegasi archers flying around that he’d seen. Someone getting bit by an actual venomous creature and dying was also naturally a possibility and though precautions could make it less likely, it might still happen. But, at least he wouldn’t be stabbing anyone else himself. Probably not, anyway.

‘How can we do anything about the Chosen?’ asked John. ‘There are hundreds of them, now, and they’ve got all the guns.’

‘That’s where us selling arms comes in.’ Nicolai smiled. ‘Not only will we improve our lot, we will arm everyone who isn’t a Chosen against them. We won’t need to do much more than that. The Chosen have been pushing everyone around for too long. Every group in this place wants them gone. They only need the means to make it happen, which we will provide.’

Cait nodded thoughtfully. They actually seemed to have mostly gotten over Karl’s death already. Nicolai found this slightly shocking, even though all his careful words had been aimed at this outcome.

‘Anything else?’ he said, smiling.

‘She’s not gonna be happy,’ said Beth, gazing at Elena with a sympathetic twist to her mouth.

Nicolai glanced down at the unconscious women. They’d all worked out about the relationship between her and Karl. ‘I imagine not.’

As the elevator continued its rise he settled down to check over the Symbiote he had looted, upon which he was still applying a constant pressure via his Soul Sense. He tugged the pouch he’d put it into open and took it out, looking it over again. A tiny disembodied finger, crawling around. He tapped it.

Grasping Finger Symbiote

Tier: 1

Placement: Hand

This Symbiote is capable of generating a pull between the Cultivator and objects or beings. It must be directed by Soul Sense, and thus its range is limited by the Cultivator’s reach. It easily pulls on inanimate objects, but requires more power to act on living beings.

An opponent’s Soul Sense must be broken before it might be used on them.

Nicolai briefly tested the Symbiote’s defences, finding them quite firm. It would take time to break it in, and the elevator was drawing towards the top. He replaced it back in its pouch, continuing to use some of his Soul Sense to keep it under pressure.

Next he checked the leaves, and the bee hive.

Blue Leaves

Leaves from a Blue Eucalyptus tree, infused with spiritual energy.

Spirit Bee Hive

A hive created by spirit bees. Full of honey and dead bees.

Not a lot of information, but Nicolai was pretty sure this was what he’d been looking for. He pulled his Blue Hornet from where it relaxed in his Node, and it moved through his body then formed on his palm. He dropped it onto the bee-hive, and saw it shiver with anticipation, mandibles working, then it ripped its way into the hive from which chewing sounds emerged.

His Soul Sense followed it inside and he saw it eating its way through comb, grubs, and honey all, radiating satisfaction. He caught at it with his Soul Sense and took control of it, having it fly out to land on his hand then it disappeared back into him. It was already full after just a few bites, as he’d last fed it only the other day.

The elevator reached the top and the group exited, John carrying Elena in a fire-man’s carry.