Intermission: Keep it Together. (Patreon)

Intermission: Keep it Together.

Do not lose your temper. Do not lose your temper. Do not lose...

"Hey! Are you listening to me!? We've got to turn back now! We've gone too far! Prudence? Prudence!?"

My hands began to itch.

[Claws] growing from my fingertips without any conscious effort.

A smarter man might have taken the hint and backed off.

Ryan merely raised his voice. Yelling so loudly that every centipede, mole-bear, eel and thunder-rabbit within a few miles knew where we were.

I started hearing the little whispers again.

Those faint echoes my dark passenger let out every once in awhile.

'Kill him. Kill him now. Do yourself a favor. Do them all a favor. Do him a favor. He's already dead. Make it quicker. Make it less painful.'

My increasingly sharp fingers didn't go for his throat.

Despite some part of me really wanting to tear it open.

'That isn't going to help. Calm down. Stay focused. Do not lose your temper.'

"Hey! I'm talking to you, you stupid cow! Can't you hear me!?"

"I can hear you just fine." I said through gritted teeth.

"Then why aren't we going back to the pool?"

"Because you and your friends already ate all the mushrooms around it. Ryan. There's no point in going back there."

Ryan looked like he was about to say something else, when Jane came over from the side. Pressing her body against his arm and sobbing.

"Please. We have to go back. We can't be out here. Its too dangerous. What if we run into monsters?"

"The we kill them." Kaito answered. "You know, like we've been doing?"

Jane sobbed harder, which led to Ryan wrapping his arms around her in a protective embrace.

'Weak.' The passenger said. 'Weak and slow. Waste of food. Waste of air. Put them. Out of their misery.'

I willed the impulses away, cursing internally at how persistent they were becoming.

Not that I wasn't grateful for their presence most of the time.

[Predator's Instincts] was an amazing ability overall and I truly appreciated that it was one of the first three Shifter's got.

It could estimate a monster's overall strengths and weaknesses, help you know when to fight and when to run, tell you when you'd been spotted and when your target wasn't aware of you.

It could even put you in a battle trance, helping you get a grip on how to use your abilities in concert, rather than by themselves.

The extra help was enough to turn an amateur like me into a killing machine and I had no doubt that me and most other Shifters would be dead without it.

Speaking of which.

I turned my head to look at Louise. Feeling her own version of [Predator's Instincts] rising up.

She was a slightly homely creature. Short and without much in the way of curves, with a square face and messy hair.

Nothing wrong with that though. Looks didn't mean anything down here. What mattered was that she had a talent for fighting dirty and a willingness to leap into the thick of things.

The only issue was that she looked at Ryan the way so many girls had looked at Kyle back home.

'What a waste of talent.' I thought bitterly.

She might have been good enough to join my own team, if she wasn't so obsessed with him.

As things stood she hadn't managed to get her her level past 7.

Worse, she was the strongest of Ryan's little pose.

'Jane wants to sit by the stream and cry all day while someone brings her food. Ryan is dying to get into Jane's pants. Louise is dying to get into Ryan's pants and the other two...well. They were dying to get into my pants, from the look of it.'

I might have considered playing along for a time, if it meant two more bodies to count on.

Unfortunately, Mark and Tracy were about as useful as nipples on power-armor. Somehow managing to suck even more than Jane.

At least she was a Projector like Olga, and could throw out a [Force Bolt] or two in between cooldowns. Bringing her along might have been worth it for the extra firepower, if only she weren't such a useless weeping mess.

She'd actually managed to hit me with it during the last fight. Apparently she'd been so freaked out by a flying centipede section that she fired randomly into the melee.

She'd actually had to nerve to complain afterwards, telling me and Kaito that we should've been killing the monsters more cleanly so she didn't get any blood on her.

Ryan had not only agreed, he'd actually worked up the gall to wag his finger at me.

At me!

After my team saved their sorry hides!

Stupid.

They were all so (Gnome)ing stupid.

How is it that hundreds of people are dead when these lemmings are still alive?

The voice purred again.

'They have some food left. Take it. Eat it. Its wasted on them.'

It was right.

I knew it in my bones.

They'd be a bunch of walking Darwin awards the second me, Kaito and Olga left.

Louise knew it too.

But she refused to leave them to their fates.

"What if we run into something bigger?" Jane insisted. "Like, there might be bigger things than the mole out there."

"Its the little ones you need to worry about." Olga corrected. "The lobster moles and tiger moles are stupid and clumsy. The gnomes are neither."

"She's right." Kaito assured them. "They were hiding out in water sources when we ran into them. They know we'll have to risk an encounter or die of thirst. Moreover, they have hunting parties with efficient tactics. They won't relent once they catch your scent."

I shuddered. Recalling the sickeningly sweet voice in the back of my head. The way all my troubles seemed more distant while it was present.

"You're making that up! We haven't even seen a gnome."

"Count yourself lucky." Olga bit back.

"Jane is right." Ryan lied. "Its much safer to hunt weaker monsters around the pool. That way we can get levels knowing we won't run into anything we can't handle."

"Until you do run into a monster you can't handle" Kaito observed. "Or a robot. Or one of the mushroom men. Or one of the boxing apple trees. Or a gnomish hunting party."

"Jane can use [Force Wall] to seal off the entrance. Monsters always give up if they can't get in."

"They've always given up so far. You haven't met the gnomes. They're not (Gnome)ing stupid. They'll erect [Force Wall]s of their own and sit around while you run out of Psy. They're better Projectors than you are and definitely have more gas in the tank. The lucky ones will die quickly. The not so lucky ones will be taken alive to...wherever it is they've been taking their captives. I can't imagine it'll be a fun experience."

"Maybe they're friendly?" Jane asked.

Her question sent my jaw careening to the floor. From the look of it, Kaito and Olga had similar reactions.

"Are you out of your mind!?" Olga bellowed. "We told you about the things they did! What part of that sounds friendly?"

"Maybe it was your fault." Jane insisted. "Maybe they're smart like NPCs in a video game. Maybe you attacked them when you weren't supposed to and that's why they're looking for you."

Olga had no more words.

Her eyes had bulged out so far that I feared they might pop out of their sockets.

"Look." I interrupted. "I'm not saying anything you don't already know. Fighting monsters leads to levels and levels lead to more abilities. More abilities lead to better odds of making it out alive. Its not like we're telling you to throw yourself into the thick of things. Me and Kaito are more than happy to act as a vanguard. So long as we know some of you will attack from the flanks or from the rear."

I looked at Louise, purposely ignoring Ryan and Jane.

"You've seen what fights are like. How quick and dirty they can be. One side, the one with the most advantages, overwhelms the other in seconds. There are no breaks. There are no do-overs. If you guys ever run into something more dangerous than a lone centipede, most of you are going to die. You know it. I know it. Everybody here knows it. Whether they admit it or not. A single level, (Gnome), a single ability can be the difference between walking away from a bad situation and a painful, clumsy death."

I brought up a hand in her direction.

"I'm not asking for much. Join us properly and watch our backs. That'll get you the opportunities and the power you want. The power you need."

Louise knew I was right. I could see it. I could sense it. Her own dark passenger must have been screaming at her to accept.

I pushed harder.

"Don't you have a family? People who will miss you? People you want to protect? What will they think if you never come back to them? What will they feel when you're gone?"

Louise was about to answer, when Ryan leapt at me.

His fist shot forward like a loosened arrow. His knuckle aimed directly at my face.

It never connected.

[Predator's Instincts] made it so that I was aware of every subtle motion in my peripheral vision and its influence told my subconscious how to react before my logical mind had any say in the matter.

Razor sharp [Claws] parted his flesh. Leaving his arm dangling from a thin section of exposed muscle.

[Grow] roared to life alongside [Scales], [Jaws], [Venom Glands], [Poison Glands], [Muscular System] and [Adrenaline].

Consuming Psy in order to bring my full fury to bear.

A second claw tore into Ryan's belly, sending ropes of red intestines to the floor. A shoulder check sent his carcass into Jane, who was screaming like a banshee at the sudden violence.

Olga's [Force Bolt] found Tracy's face even as Kaito grappled Mark to the ground and cut off his circulation.

And with that, Louise was all that left.

She howled, growing thick patches of blackened fur in a couple of heartbeats.

Her own [Claws] dug into my scales, only to be stopped dead in their tracks by thick cords of superhuman muscle. Thick cords of poisoned muscle.

She reared back, snarling, as the very veins on her arms began to change colour. From blue, to brown, to purple, to black. All in a few breaths.

Her [Regeneration] tried to fight it. Healing her just as mine had healed me.

The difference was in their respective levels.

Hers might have been at 2. 3 at most. Mine was at 5. It had been the first thing I'd maxxed out.

"Why?" I asked Ryan's bleeding form.

He sputtered in return. Gurgling some sounds that might have ben pleas or curses.

"Save him!" Louise cried. "Please! Save him! I'm sorry he did that! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll do whatever you want! Please! Please! Please!"

I managed to stop my body's movements. Fighting against the hisses and screeches [Predator's Instincts] was throwing my way.

I looked at the downed Ryan and over to the unconscious Jane. I took in their sorry states and thought of the school. Of the hydra. Of my friends.

"Enough." I growled through elongated jaws. "Let them go."

"Are you sure P.R? These guys just attacked us. We might've been the ones on the floor if they were stronger."

"I'm sure." I repeated.

Olga shrugged.

"Come on Kai. You heard her."

Kaito released his victim from the chokehold, leaving him to gasp and writhe on the uneven stone floor of the tunnel.

I made my way over to Ryan, shrinking my [Claws] and [Jaws] whilst leaving my other protections in place.

Then I activated [Regenerate Other] and felt the healing flow into him.

His stomach closed, as did the section of his arm that had been sliced. Bone met bone as nerve endings met their counterparts. Stitching themselves back into place.

His face remained pale though. The blood wouldn't be coming back anytime soon.

"You wanna explain what that was about?" I asked, despite already knowing the answer.

"You were about to take away our healer. I...I couldn't let that happen."

'Our healer.' I thought. 'Not my girlfriend, not my friend or even our ally. Our healer.'

I looked over to where Louise was struggling against the poison, wondering if she'd also caught that.

Her face said as much.

'That's all you'll be to him girl. Something to use instead of a person.'

Her eyes met mine and I saw that she knew that as well as I did. Then she looked over at Ryan, and back at me. Her head swayed from side to side.

I shrugged. Healing the damage my poison had done before addressing my friends.

"Right. Its time to go. We'll find another stream some ways off."

My body began to shrink as my legs took me away from the scene.

Kaito and Olga followed, as I knew they would.

"You know." He began after some time. "Leaving them like that might have been a mistake."

I snorted.

"Why? Are they gonna follow us and go for a rematch?"

"Do not discount the possibility. Pride comes before the fall. They might be a band of losers now, but they could catch up quickly. There are two more of them than there are of us. All it would take is a well-placed ambush."

"And do you see yourself walking into said ambush?"

"Its not likely." He admitted. "That doesn't mean its not possible. I think we can all agree that a little paranoia goes a long way. Especially when dealing with intelligent enemies."

I barked out a laugh and Olga couldn't help but giggle.

"What? What's so funny?"

"Do you think they qualify as intelligent enemies?"

"Not right now. But no one knows what secrets the future might hold. Ryan might be a pasty waste of skin today but he might very well be leading a lynch mob tomorrow. The man's fighting prowess might be poor, but he has a way with words. I can see him being dangerous as an instigator."

"What kind of imbecile would listen to anything Ryan has to say?"

"You'd be surprised. Give people enough of a shock and a big enough common enemy, and they'll happily march to their deaths. I've seen it over and over in my world."

I considered his words. Mulling them over in my head.

He did have a point.

Loose ends were never ideal.

Matter of fact, [Predator's Instincts] was still hollering at me. Begging me to go back and finish the whole lot of them.

"Speaking of worlds, there was a funny thing that happened quite often. Shifters were known for going, uh, insane every now and then. We're talking about respected D-Rank healers working in hospitals that just, snapped one day. I always wondered what that was about. But, I sort of get it now. Something must have triggered their instincts."

"That doesn't sound particularly funny P.R."

"Yeah, its not funny, it...uh. Its something people couldn't explain. Not even the actual Shifters it happened to. The System clears up a lot of things in that regard. It feels like I should be writing this stuff down. Now if only I had my...."

Olga and Kaito sighed.

"Not this again P.R."

"Let it go Prudence. Its gone. Nothing you can do."

"Because it was stolen!" I roared in indignation.

"Just because you lost it doesn't mean its stolen."

"I didn't lose it! I hid it in between some boulders because my clothes were shredded. I had to find some furs to cover myself and couldn't have it taking up a hand. What if I dropped it in a puddle?"

"Well, now you lost it in some rocks."

"I didn't lose it! It was stolen! And when I find out who took it I'm gonna rip their (Gnome)ing arms off!"

Olga rolled her eyes.

"See, this is your problem P.R. So quick to anger. So prone to violence. A diary should be a token of love. I certainly know what I'd be writing down if I had my diary with me."

Kaito gagged.

Olga slapped him on the head.

"You shut your mouth! Where were you when my prince showed up to save us? Huh? Oh, that's right, you were passed out on the floor."

"I was awake! Its not fault I couldn't move! The robot literally ran me over! I would've been dead if not for [Enhanced Constitution]! Even then! Do you have any idea how much the (Gnome)ing thing weighed?"

"My prince didn't care how much it weighed."

"Your prince ran in, crashed into it, stood up, looked at you for two whole seconds and then cranked up his super speed to run away. How did you get love at first sight from that?"

"He told me his name." She sighed wistfully. "There's a destiny between us. I know it. Its the power of love. How else would you explain my new Type."

I winced.

Feeling the feedback from my instincts. My dark passenger salivating at the prospect of more information.

"You're still hiding something from us."

"I'm really not. All I did was think of my prince, of the way he moved. I felt the love he left with me and it gave me hope. Before you know it, boom. Dual Type. Just like him. Ah, why didn't he take me with him? Do you think it was my hair? I've been wearing it short for years but maybe he likes it long?"

Kaito glanced at her torso, then at me.

'Don't you dare.'

He nodded and said nothing.

Thankfully, Olga was so lost in her own fantasies that she didn't notice.

"How do you know he had two Types? We've both seen the Enhancer list. You could do what he did at a high enough level."

"There's nothing in the Enhancer list that makes barriers. He was covered in a [Force Bubble] when he crashed into the robot. I know it because I've been doing it too. The power of love has shown me the way."

'The power of love is what kept Louise trapped with Ryan.'

I knew better than to say that, so I asked for another demonstration instead.

"Sure thing! Lets find a proper target and I'll show you what my new levels can do!"

It turned out that the new target wasn't very far off.

We ran into a bipedal zebra looking thing, with glowing tattoos covering its arms. The left one glowed a soft blue, while the right one glowed an incandescent red.

They were only sources of light in the dim darkness of the circular chamber, as it was suspiciously devoid of glowing mushrooms.

My abilities woke up, making me bigger, tougher and meaner.

Kaito ran to the opposite side of the room, picking up a fallen stalactite from the ground and readying himself near the monster's blind spot.

The were-zebra allowed it to happen, curling up its lips in a macabre imitation of a human smile.

It raised one of its arms and beckoned us closer.

Olga sneered.

"Watch and learn. Beast! Feel the power of love! [Force Bubble]!"

She really didn't need to yell.

Regardless, the air shimmered as a veil of kinetic force wrapped itself around her. Her legs tensed. Empowered by passive and active Enhancer abilities.

"Now take this! [Accelerate]!"

The ability turned her already enhanced form into a blur. One moment she was there, and then she wasn't. Instead, I felt a wave of displaced air hitting my face as Olga hit her target with all the might of a cannonball.

However, the were-zebra was unharmed. Instead, the impact had shattered a wall of ice. One that had sprouted when it's blueish tattoo petered out.

The monster kicked and Olga flew backwards. Crashing into the cavern wall with a thud. I went to her, healing her as fast as possible.

I felt her ribs re-aligning. Her lungs expanding over and over again as oxygen came back in.

For its part, the creature fell. A stone spike jutting from behind its neck.

Kaito sauntered over, unharmed.

He had an impish grin on his face.

Making it so that his sallow cheeks and hooked nose stood out all the more.

"I really must complement you Olga. You really do make the best distraction."

"(Gnome) you." She croaked.

"I mean, it knew I was there. I saw its eyes tracking me around the room. I can only imagine that kicking you was so satisfying that..."

"(Gnome) off Kai. You're lucky we keep you around." I snapped.

"Yeah. (Gnome) off."

Kaito laughed harder.