Book 2: The Trialborn Legacy

"Was that fucking lightning?" Zavier yelled, searching frantically for its source.

"I didn't see!" Luna cried.

Tess rushed to Cass. He was loopy, his eyes refusing to focus on her. She checked the party chat and saw that his health had dropped to 80%. She whipped around and both her pistols were in her hands. She stood over Cass protectively, guns pointed in the general direction of the upper walls and ceiling.

The voice appeared again, filled with a childlike mirth. "Please follow directions to avoid future repercussions!"

On the front wall the text "Please name one skill, spell, or ability that you possess and is not shared by any other members of your group" began flashing.

"Fine!" Zavier yelled. He was at a loss at which skill to reveal to the mysterious voice. Tactical Synergy was technically his skill, but it worked in a group. Would that count as only his, or was the fact that they could all use it considered sharing? The other two were critical secrets that could help them with whatever came next and he refused to reveal them. Whoever was on the other side of the wall wouldn't be expecting him to be able to use any item as a weapon, but it also wouldn't expect him to be able to block out harmful radiation, gasses, or mental effects.

He decided to take a chance on Tactical Synergy not being considered a shared skill since he was the only one who could activate it.

"I have Tactical Synergy."

There was another loud crack and Tess was flipped off her feet as Cass shot to the side, rebounding off the next wall. Tess rolled in the air and landed on her feet, not waiting for her heels to hit the ground before sprinting back over to Cass with a curse. They could see his health was at 60% and none of them failed to notice the third wall turning red. The last wall was the one facing the direction they entered and the view changed to show the scene directly outside the door.

Snarling, slavering jaws waited for them.

"Why does it keep going after him?" Tess shouted.

"I think it's because it's his turn," Zavier said thoughtfully. "He's the one that's still on the screen - I think it's waiting for him."

"Can we say one of his skills for him?" Luna asked.

They all looked at each other in nervous silence, then Zavier sent a message across their chat. "I don't know if it can hear us in here. I'm going to try something," and before either woman could stop him he sent 'I have Tactical Synergy' across the mental link. They tensed, Tess's face going dark with fury at him playing this gambit without consulting her first, but seconds passed with no shock.

Zavier breathed a mental sigh of relief.

"That was a huge gamble without talking to us first, Z," Tess sent.

"Sorry Honey, I needed to know if it can eavesdrop on this chat. We still have another wall left. I know it hit Cass hard but he's still at 60%. It was worth the risk."

He was glad that she wasn't close enough to reach him.

"So then, should one of us just say his skill for him?" Zavier sent.

"I don't want to take that chance. I'd rather wait for him to recover. What do you think, Luna?"

"I don't know, I just don't want to take the chance. It keeps punishing Cass for things we do, so I feel like he's the one that has to do it. And before you ask, NO - it's not a luck thing, it's just what I think."

"Okay then," Zavier sent. "We'll-"

Another loud crack sounded and all of them were blown off their feet and sent careening into the walls.

Zavier wasn't sure how long it had been, but his head felt like it had been scrambled. He'd assumed it was electricity they'd been hit with, but if it was it was the purest form of electricity he'd ever conceived of. It gave no warning, and not even their enhanced bodies stood a chance. He rubbed the back of his head, groaning as he opened his eyes. He saw the others sitting up, their faces bathed in red light. With horror, he realized that all four walls were now red.

The cheery voice sounded around them again. "It seems that there was a form of mental communication occurring. All communication must be verbal or physical. Any attempts to keep secrets will be punished!"

They got to their feet on shaky legs, each of them swallowing a healing pill. Cass was pale but a glance at his health showed him to be out of danger.

"Cass, you need to put your hand back on the tablet and say a skill you have," Zavier explained to him.

Cass groaned as he walked slowly to the tablet, his hand hovering above it. He glanced over his shoulder. "Are you sure?"

It was then a loud ticking sound could be heard, like a clock counting down. It continued to speed up, until it reached a staccato of beats, before a buzzing sound could be heard. There was silence then the wall where the entry door was showed a clear square right over the door. There was a loud clunk and a lock on the door unlocked.

"How many locks are there??" Zavier asked in a panic. They could see the dogs outside stand up at the sound, walking to the door warily.

The ticking started again and Cass turned back to the panel, slamming his hand down on it and yelling "Sanctuary Recall!"

The timer slowed, stopped, then started up again, ticking slightly faster than before. Luna rushed forward and slapped her palm on the tablet. The timer continued speeding up even as the screen took a moment to display her name and class. Just as she yelled "Luck of the Draw!" The timer buzzed again and another lock thunked open. They could could see a sliver of light as the door cracked slightly ajar.

Howls sounded from outside the door. Tess leapt forward, shoulder-checking the door. Loud thuds slammed into it and her body shook with each one. Zavier started running towards her but she yelled at him to stop.

"Get to the tablet! Now!"

Zavier spun, sprinting to the tablet and placing his hand on its surface.

There was a longer wait, odd electrical sounds coming from around them that reminded Zavier of an old-school modem but from the future.

"There has been an error with your data. Please define your class." The young voice sounded confused.

The door inched forward as another dog slammed into it. Cass and Luna rushed to Tess's side, slamming the door into the snout of the Alpha. It yipped in pain then slammed into the door again with renewed force, pushing the three of them back in a slide. It had a paw through the door to prevent them from closing it and was trying to wedge its snout back into the opening.

"My class is broken!" Zavier yelled.

"That is not a valid answer," the voice replied. "Classes imparted by The System cannot be broken as The System itself cannot break. Therefore there is a deception attempt and deception will be punished."

Zavier's instincts kicked in before the voice even finished speaking. He'd seen the way Cass had been hurled back, and the puzzle pieces clicked into place. It wasn't coming from above like they'd thought - it was the walls themselves. They were discharging energy, each surface primed to let loose. Without hesitation, Zavier whipped out his chain, sending it streaking toward the wall beside him. The crack of the current's release hit him just as the chain made contact and a searing pulse of electricity shot through him, the energy jolting through his body and the chain. The metal screamed as it grounded the surge, Lichtenberg figures tearing through the wall's surface like fractured glass. The room flashed with a violent pattern and, though the electricity coursed through him, Zavier stayed rooted, grit etched across his face. It wasn't pretty, but he was still standing.

"Wait!" He cried. "That really is my class. I broke my class and made a deal with The System to restore it later!"

With agonizing slowness the voice seemed to consider the truth of his words. Zavier risked a glance backwards and saw that the Alpha's snout was in the door and it was trying to nip at the hands holding it back. Smaller dogs were trying to work their way in under its head.

The voice reached a conclusion. "Deception," it said and Zavier's chain was flying again, hitting the other wall just as another electrical discharge passed through him. With the two side walls gone he hoped he'd be able to predict any coming from ahead.

"If you continue to destroy the panels I will be unable to open the door and allow you inside!" The voice actually sounded irritated and had the tone of a young child who was watching her toys being broken in front of her.

"Then let us in! I am telling the truth - we will do what you ask!"

The voice considered before replying. "I am unable to tell if this is deception. Would you say that you have a standard amount of control over your vocal inflections and body language?"

Zavier growled in frustration. "I will explain everything if you let us out of here. If we die you won't get any answers. It will be a very long time before anyone else comes to visit you - no one else even wants power - we are the only ones left."

Tess cursed as the door was pushed back another few inches. Cass bashed a dog that was slithering in between the Alpha's feet and it went flying backwards with a yip, taking the Alpha off its feet in the process. The moment of respite gave Tess a chance to yell to Zavier.

"Whatever you're going to do, do it now! We can't hold these things much longer!"

Zavier gritted his teeth in frustration, his knuckles going white as he gripped the sides of the tablet. This thing sounds like a kid. Time to break out the Dad Voice. He took a calming breath, then raised his head to stare directly ahead at the screen. He put the extra bass in his voice that he used when he wanted the kids to know he was serious.

"This has gone on long enough. Here's what's going to happen now: You are going to let us through that damned door before these dogs get in here. If you don't, you aren't going to get anything you want. That skill Cass told you about is an escape skill. He will return to where we are from and tell everyone exactly what is waiting for them up here and that they should never, ever come. You will be isolated and alone forever, with no visitors. Do you like being trapped here? I'm betting you already finished playing with all your other toys and that you can't escape, so you're stuck. If you want any chance of seeing anyone after us then you damned well better let us in RIGHT THIS MINUTE."

"And if I don't?" The voice asked petulantly.

"Then we will let the dogs in and take our chances with them. Maybe we'll survive and get away like we did on the way here, or maybe we'll die and you'll get to watch it. Either way, your game will be done."

"Actually, you know what?" Zavier stepped back away from the tablet. "I think we're done. Tess, kids - step away from the door."

They looked back at him with disbelieving stares but he sent a quick communication over the chat. "Do it. Trust me. Slam the door and run here as fast as you can. Grab the chain."

They nodded and Cass bashed the Alpha's snout with his shield, rocking its head back far enough for the door to clang shut. No one missed that the locks didn't engage as they sprinted toward Zavier.

"NO!" The voice screamed. In the split second that the voice sounded Zavier's chain was flying between his family and toward the door. There was a heavy thud and the door flung halfway open from the Alpha's shoulder check, a triumphant look on its face as it realized there was no more resistance.

Three hands reached out and grabbed the chain the same instant that a thunderous CRACK beyond anything they'd heard before sounded. Their hair all stood on end and they were frozen in place just as the tip of Zavier's chain touched the massive metal door.

An electrical explosion of epic proportions sounded in the small space and they were all flung backwards. The door rang like a bell and a visible ball of lightning rocketed through it and erupted against the shoulder of the Alpha, flinging it skywards and back into the grass beyond. Zavier barely had time to note the kill notification before Tess slammed her hand on the tablet and yelled "Weapons Mastery!"

There was a moment of silence that was cut through by the ringing in their ears. They all watched in tense anticipation as the hounds outside milled around in confusion. A few moments later a large dog sniffed the remains of the Alpha then howled in primal victory. Zavier watched as his Identify flickered and the title Mutated Canine changed to Mutated Alpha Canine.

It visibly grew larger as they watched and Zavier was sure it was increasing in levels in real time. It swung its now-massive head in their direction and fixed them with a grinning glare. It howled to the sky one time, then lowered its head and charged.

The Torres family bunched together, knowing that nothing they could do nothing once it got into the room. Its steps pounded louder and louder and they could see green fog trailing from its panting jaws.

"Fine." The voice said in defeat.

The wall behind the tablet slid open and Tess forcibly pushed the kids through. The Alpha was in the room now and charging them. It leapt over the tablet, its jaws open wide just as Tess pulled Zavier back into the room beyond. The doors slammed shut and a loud crack of electricity could be heard sounding from the other side of the wall.

"Yeah, not so fucking fun, is it?" Zavier said with undisguised Schadenfreude.