Adam had eaten two of the croissants before he made it to the market, but at this point he’d reached his limit. He halted as he saw the wasp strumming the guitar.
“Hello Adam,” she said in her sultry voice.
“Hi again, Yenna,” he greeted.
The response confused her by the looks of it, as she tilted her head while her black compound eyes stared back at him.
She doesn’t rember …
“I an, nice to et you.”
“Do you like my lodies?”
“They’re quite nice, yeah.”
“If you’d like, you can request any instrunt or lody that you want.”
He thought about it for a mont, then asked, “Do you know ‘Estas Tonne’?”
“I do. Would you like
to play so of his lodies?”
“That’d be great.”
Yenna lowered her head and started strumming the guitar strings. He recognised it as the beginning to ‘Internal Flight’.
Adam continued into the market but walked past all the vendors until he got to the freaky spider that sold relics.
Despite thinking he’d gotten used to the sight, he still couldn’t help but frown as he stopped in front of her stall.
“Welco, Adam. I am Lucca.”
“Seriously, Shitbox, why couldn’t you have made the vendors human?”
[I was not the one who chose their appearances.]
Lucca chittered. “I prefer eight limbs to four,” she said.
“I’d just be way more comfortable if I was looking at a human face at least.”
“If it is any consolation, your countenance is also upsetting to my eyes. You are very flappy.”
Adam frowned. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”
“I sell rerolls and relics,” Lucca said, returning to business mode. She then reiterated her prices just like the first ti he’d been here, while four items popped out of the black chest next to her, hovering above the lid. “My rerolls cost 100 points. The price of the relics is based on their rarity, with common being worth 150, uncommon 300, rare 500, epic 1,000, and so on. If you do not like the options I have, you can always reroll them.
“I will also buy any relics of yours for half their price. For example, you could sell
your bark armour for 150 points.”
Adam looked at the four options on display. There were two commons and two rares.
Relics For Sale
Healing Apple (Common) — If the Player’s health falls below 25%, this apple is consud, healing them back to full. Once consud, the Relic disappears
Sli Coating (Common) — The Player's weapons are coated with the essence of a Blue Sli, imbuing them with 10% additional Corrosive Damage. The Relic lasts for 3 Stages
Boorang Pendant (Rare) — Returns thrown objects. 15-second cooldown
Scope of Insight (Rare) — Any target viewed through this Relic has their weaknesses laid bare
The healing apple must be a guaranteed option no matter what.
Oh, that’s the relic that Ilya was talking about.
Still, I have 693 points. I should probably reroll and see what I can get. A rare is 500 after all.
“I’ll buy a reroll die and use it imdiately,” Adam said.
“Excellent,” Lucca chittered ominously.
Relic Purchased
Reroll Die (Uncommon)
593 Points Remaining
The die lifted itself from the red velvet pillow and began spinning. Light shone from the ten nurals etched into it and the four options were sucked back into the black chest. Then the die popped in a small explosion of golden particles.
The chest rumbled for a mont as though alive and golden light leaked out from under its lid. A mont later, the lid shot open again dramatically and revealed four new options.
Adam imdiately noticed the purple glow of an epic item. It was a crown.
Relics For Sale
Sli Core (Common) — The brain and heart of a Sli
Sli King’s Crown (Epic) — Beco the King of Slis | Player turns into a humanoid Sli with four cores that each hold 25% of total health
Committed Attack Ring (Uncommon) — All Cooldown-based Relics gain a second use that can be triggered within 10 seconds of the first activation, but the cooldown is tripled
Green Sli Glove (Rare) — Player can touch corrosive materials | Fire a glob of highly-corrosive green sli. 60-second cooldown
The sli crown sounds quite interesting. Although, if I beco a sli, then it’ll be quite easy for soone to kill
with a piercing weapon.
Wait, there’s another option with two effects. It’s rare.
Adam looked at the green jelly glove.
I can afford that. Shooting green sli sounds kind of cool.
I could also sell my bark armour, reroll again, and see if sothing useful cos along. However, it seems that all options are changed when a reroll die is used.
He couldn’t decide what to do.
“Lucca, do you think I should get the glove?”
“Yes, please use all your points on my wares.”
Adam frowned. “That doesn’t help …”
[The Dinsional Tavern can be utilised if you’d like to obtain information about a Relic,] Shitbox advised.
He sighed. “Guess I’ll go back there.”
From the position of the sun, he figured there was only about an hour or two of daylight left. He needed to hurry.
“Show
everyone who got the green sli glove.”
The tables of the tavern filled with holograms of people, then flickered a mont later and replaced everyone, repeating again a few seconds later.
Okay, that’s quite a lot…
“Filter by those who know how it works and haven’t unlocked the speedrun or no-hit bonuses.”
The holograms flickered and there were now about twelve people scattered across the hundreds of seats, with one even seated up above on the first floor.
That’s actually a good way to find useful trades, he realised. I should do that next ti I’m looking for info.
Adam addressed them, “I’m looking to trade info about an integral Trials feature to the first person who can explain how the sli glove functions.”
“I’ll trade!” a female voice imdiately called from above. Her accent was British.
The other holograms flickered out before they could even say anything. Then the woman appeared in front of Adam. She had dark skin and black hair cut in a bob. Her apple-cheeks made her seem friendly. In front of her was a chai latte and a half-eaten cinnamon palmier.
Just like him, she was wearing the bark armour relic, which covered her white blouse. On her left hand was the green sli glove. He frowned when he saw that her bones were visible within the jelly that’d replaced her skin and flesh.
“Hello!” she greeted eagerly. “Oh, we picked the sa clothes. Awkward…”
The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
“Hi there,” he replied with a smile. “I guess I should start?”
“Don’t worry, it isn’t possible to run away from a trade when you’ve agreed to it,” she told him. “You physically can’t pull yourself out of the seat until the trade is done.”
That’s good to know. But also kind of scary. Hopefully there are protections in place to avoid soone getting locked into a trade they can’t complete.
“I’m Adam,” he said.
“Kate,” she replied, raising her hand above the table.
Adam grinned and leaned forward to high-five her, although their fingers passed through each other.
“Okay, so,” he started, “the first stage had both speedrun and no-hit bonuses.”
“I must’ve been really close,” she said. “Eyebox told
I was fast on so stages. Those spiky bastards gave
quite a lot of trouble though.”
“I think the threshold must be sothing like two hundred seconds,” he told her. “I call my guy Shitbox by the way.”
Kate laughed. “That’s much better than my nickna. Is no-hit just avoiding damage?”
He nodded.
“That’s good to know.”
“They give bonus points, with the no-hit one giving the most, at least in the first stage.”
“I suppose I should try to get that one then. I got hit quite a lot in the first stage,” she admitted with a frown. Then she lifted her left hand. “Putting this on wasn’t pleasant either. Quite cruel these Trials, wouldn’t you say?”
“Sadistic,” he agreed. “Is it good? The glove’s attack, I an.”
“It is,” she replied. “The projectile it shoots completely destroyed the target dummy in my player house. It even damaged the floor.”
“I think I might get it then,” he said.
“What weapon do you use?” Kate asked.
“A spear. It was perfect against the slis.”
“I picked the rapier,” she said placing the weapon on the table.
“What class is that?”
“Duellist.”
Ah, I think I got that option at the start as well.
[Another Player is trying to communicate with you. Do you wish to talk to them?]
Adam turned to look back at Shitbox hovering behind him.
“Sure, I’ll talk to them.”
[Understood.]
“It seems soone else wants to talk with ,” Adam told Kate.
“Talk to you later,” she said with a wave. “Thanks for the trade.”
“Thank you,” he replied.
Then she winked out, only to be replaced by a woman with dark hair in a ponytail. She wore a light-grey blouse with long sleeves and there was a pink milkshake in front of her.
Adam blinked in surprise. “Willow?”
The woman looked pretty surprised herself. “Do you know ?”
“Sort of,” he told her.
She made a face at that answer, but then asked, “You received the speedrun bonus and the secret, right?”
“That’s right,” he replied. “Did you get those too?”
“I did. But it seems there’s only two of us.”
“There were actually two other guys,” he told her. “A German and a Russian.”
“Maybe they’re not here right now.”
“They went ‘shopping’,” Adam explained. “I was actually about to leave for the market as well.”
“I see. I was hoping we could talk a little bit about the stage.”
She seed less sure of herself than the first ti they’d spoken, but perhaps it was due to the dynamic being different this ti around. Or maybe it was because he’d called her by her na.
“If you can wait like twenty minutes, then I’ll be back. My na’s Adam by the way. Adam Fischer.”
“I’m Willow, although you sohow already knew.”
“And your last na? It’ll make you easier to find. There are quite a lot of people in Australia called Willow.”
She blinked in surprise, then laughed. “Are you stalking ?”
“I promise you the answer is way more bizarre than you can guess, but I really need to get going before it becos dark.”
“Don’t leave
hanging, Adam Fischer,” she said. “My full na is Willow Martin.”
“I’ll buy the green sli glove,” Adam told Lucca.
“That will be five hundred points,” the spider replied, a sinisterly-gleeful tone in her voice.
Maybe I should sell the bark armour and get two rerolls, or more points to spend on Luvicidix’s upgrades.
No, it’s better I keep it.
“Deal,” he said.
Relic Purchased
Green Sli Glove (Rare)
93 Points Remaining
Then the sli glove appeared on his right hand.
Adam scread in sudden indescribable pain.
He was imdiately reminded of his previous run, where he’d destroyed his hand by sticking it inside a blue sli. This was way more aggressive, since the sli was green.
Kate, you bastard! You could’ve warned
it was this bad!
After ten brutal seconds spent in jaw-clenching agony, the pain subsided. From his wrist to his fingertips were now only bones, the green sli replacing his skin and flesh.
Adam flexed his fingers and could easily move them. In fact, there was no discernible difference.
Hopefully I can still use my weapon.
He shifted the spear he’d been leaning on to his right hand, but even as the green jelly touched the wooden shaft, nothing happened.
I can even feel what the glove is touching. That’s very peculiar.
What happens if I unequip the relic though?
The sun was setting, so Adam bid farewell to the spider.
See you in my nightmares…
Adam managed to return to the centre of Interim Island, where he’d first t the white moth, just before it beca night.
Ti froze as silvery scales rained down around him.
“Hello again, Adam,” ca the voice of Luvicidix from above.
Then she landed before him on the street, her arrival utterly silent.
“You ca just in ti.”
“Why do you have to leave when it becos dark?” he asked.
“I cannot say.”
Adam suddenly rembered sothing he’d wanted to check during his first life.
“Is it because of that tent in the garden?”
“I… cannot say.”
That pause seems like a clue!
“Anyway, I wanted to put my remaining ninety-three points into one of your upgrades,” he said.
“Which one?”
“The rewards upgrade.”
“Of course.”
ta Upgrade Progress
Rewards — Increase Reward Options by 1 — 93/4,000 Points
“You have used up all your points,” Luvicidix stated. “I will now take my leave.”
“Hey, wait!”
The silvery scales in the air all pulled themselves back to the moth’s white wings. Then she flapped them once and shot into the air, disappearing into a sunset-coloured cloud.
I guess I’ll go to the garden before I return to the tavern.
He’d only been gone for about ten minutes, but he was worried Willow would leave before he returned, so he sped up as he headed west from the centre of the island. As he moved past the many dumpy buildings, the sun fully set and subrged the houses and streets in darkness. A few minutes passed where he fumbled around, trying to stay on course, but unable to see his surroundings clearly.
Then the moon rose from the east and cast a silver light across his surroundings. It had the intensity of the sun, but its light was cold and unwelcoming.
After a few minutes he found the garden with the strangely-shaped flowerbeds. Just like the first ti, they were placed in three layers like so kind of strange symbol, with parts missing to allow people to walk through without trampling the flowers. The outermost layer was a square, the middle was a ring, and the centre was a triangle. Inside the triangle-shaped flowerbeds was a dark-blue tent.
All the flowers were dahlias and, in the silver light of the moon, all of them had turned black.
Well, that’s new.
“Still got nothing to say about this place?” Adam goaded Shitbox.
[It is recomnded that you visit the Player House and get proper sleep before tomorrow. The Player House is located on the edge of Interim Island to the east. Stage Two will comnce tomorrow at dawn.]
He shook his head.
As expected.
Adam walked through the gaps in the flowerbeds’ patterns. When he reached the centre and stood before the tent, he realised that another thing had changed. The door flap was pulled down and purple light spilled out from within.
His heart started suddenly pounding against his ribcage.
I wonder what’s inside.
Adam cautiously lifted the flap. Incense and smoke wafted out, obscuring his view. Despite not knowing what awaited him, he entered.
As the flap closed behind him, the obscuring fog dissipated. A round wooden table stood between him and a human-sized black moth, which crouch-perched atop a high-backed chair. Its body was as dark as its black compound eyes, making it look like it was a piece of shadow sculpted into physical form.
Tiny ash-like scales floated around in the air, orbiting the brown table and chair. A fine silken shawl full of intricate patterns was spread over the table and atop it stood a glass orb that gave off the purple light he’d seen from outside.
Another rchant?
It’s a moth like Luvicidix, so maybe that’s a clue to its purpose.
“You do not have… what I seek, Adam.”
The voice was predictably female, but the tone was bored and tired, as though she didn’t want to be here.
“Can I still see what you sell, even though I’m out of points?”
“It is not points… that I seek.”
Uh oh. It’s probably so weird sacrifice thing then… This moth isn’t giving off the most trustworthy impression after all.
“If not points, then what are you after?”
“Shards of Mastery.”
“What’s that?”
The black moth did not answer. Or, more likely, she wasn’t allowed to.
He turned to look at the tesseract, but it was stuck in the doorway, frozen in ti.
“Are you another loop-based vendor?” he asked.
“You have t my… twin?”
“Luvicidix is your twin?”
The moth inclined her head slightly.
“I am Alivida. I am night. My twin is day.”
“Uhuh… So, can I see what you’re offering?”
“You do not possess… the shards.”
He frowned.
The moth didn’t seem to like that expression very much.
“Fine… I will show you regardless. But… do not return without shards.”
“Deal.”
Mastery Upgrades For Sale
Hardmode — Unlock a toggleable Stage Hardmode — 1 Shard
Second Sheath — Carry 1 additional Weapon — 2 Shards
Orb of Insight — View info about the upcoming Stage — 3 Shards
Visiting Stone — Visit the Dinsion of a known Player — 8 Shards
Vanity — Turn an Interim Island Denizen into a humanoid — 10 Shards
“Holy shit,” he muttered in awe.
There’s actually a way to transform all these creepy insects into humans!
And there’s a way to visit other players!
Man… All of these upgrades are great.
I really need to get my hands on so shards!
“These upgrades, are they like Luvicidix’s? Do they carry over between loops?”
“They are and they do.”
“How do I get these shards?”
“I cannot… say.”
Adam frowned. “Well, I’ll get my hands on these shards and return as soon as possible.”
“Take your ti…”
Adam pushed aside the tent flap and ran back towards the distant tavern. A shit-eating grin was plastered on his face.
“You’re back,” Willow said, surprised. “And right on ti too.”
Adam was breathing quickly from his spirited jog from the garden to the tavern.
“I’ve got so much to tell you!”
“First, you have to tell
how you know my na.”
Adam put his hands on the table and leaned forward.
Willow copied him and leaned in conspiratorially.
“I killed the tesseract. Just like we talked about, the first ti that I t you.”
She pulled back slightly. “I don’t rember ever eting you before,” she said with a frown. “But I’m glad it’s possible. Fuck that little murder cube.”
“The thing is. When I did it, it blew up and killed . But for so reason, I went back in ti. Although, things are different now. You had a bow when we first t, as well as the blink ring relic.”
Willow leaned back, narrowing her eyes. “You sound like a crazy person.”
“I know!” Adam admitted.
This ti around Willow had a magic staff. It leaned against the stool next to her and was a gnarled wooden thing.
“I would’ve picked bow if it was an option,” she admitted. She took a long sip of her milkshake, then fixed Adam with a suspicious look. “How do I know you’re actually telling the truth?”
“Go to the dark-blue tent in the garden on the western side of the Island, you’ll et a black moth nad Alivida there. Ask her if the mastery upgrades she sells carry over between loops. If she can’t answer that, ask about her twin, Luvicidix. She’s a white moth who sells ta upgrades that persist between loops.”
“Why are you telling
this?” she asked. “I an, if this is true, shouldn’t you be keeping it to yourself?”
She’s right of course, but I can’t just keep this to myself.
I’d go crazy if no one knew…
And Willow is the reason it was even possible. If not for her help, then I wouldn’t have killed the cube.
He nodded and said, “You obviously don’t rember this, but the first ti we t in here, you helped
out. Thanks to you, I was able to destroy Shitbox.”
Adam looked back to where the tesseract floated, but it seed to not be paying attention to their conversation. It was also possible that any talk of looping back in ti was obscured from it by the All-Seeing System. Initially, it’d tried to interrogate him about how he knew things he shouldn’t be able to know, but then it had stopped, which was unsettling.
Willow made to stand and put her hands on the table. He noticed that she had a strange ring around her right index finger. “I will go check the garden. I’d like to trust you, but it honestly just sounds insane to .”
Adam smiled weakly. “More insane than being transported here by a floating talking box?”
“I’ll be back.”
Then her hologram flickered and vanished.
The tavern fell silent.
Adam waved over Charlie the red ant.
“Yes, Adam?”
“I’d like to try your cheeseburger,” he told her. “I have it on good authority that it’s delicious. Also, another milkshake please.”
“Got it. Anything else?”
He looked to the plate of croissants he’d brought with him. There were still two left.
“I’m good for now,” he said.
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