9 Schema (1/2)

They packed up in a minute or two, scrambling at times to get their stuff. When we started to leave, they pulled out orange crystals the size of my palm. They glowed brighter than torches, illuminating more of the cave and even exposing a few bats. Once we started walking, they gave me several pieces of bread and jerky. Before I scarfed the food down, I asked, ”So what's the tutorial like?”

They frowned before Stacy said, ”Well, it's kinda strange. Everyone got the message, then we teleported instantly towards a green field. David and I had been playing Nario Kart for the Mintendo Yii, and all of a sudden we were surrounded by a ton of people.”

David added, ”We all wore these white robes.”

”Yeah, around us was this voice, like a robot's or something. It was like...a narrator for the blue messages appearing in front of us. It told us that we could check out any message we've ever gotten with a thought. It was all in our own personal tome.”

David added, ”If you kill someone, you get their tome, apparently.”

Stacy glared at him like death, if death was a short, pissed off girl. She continued, ”Yeah, thanks alot David. Real helpful.”

I nodded and said, ”Indeed. What did the voice tell you guys?”

David said, ”That this world was being assimilated by Schema. Apparently, Schema is a super duper uber large AI. Apparently some far off race of people created it. The moment the AI was created, it rapidly expanded itself, feeding off the world's electronics.”

Stacy said, ”That's historical stuff, not what the voice told us.”

I raised an eyebrow, ”Where'd you figure this stuff out?”

She continued, ”It's in everyone's archive. Schema gives every person a log with detailed explanations of why this is happening and whatnot. It's actually really interesting.”

I nodded before David continued, ”You just have to think of it, and it'll appear in a nice message format. It's convenient, to say the least. Anyway, the AI controlled the world before gaining control of some wicked advanced electronics. After a couple thousand years, it traveled to other planets and discovered that there's something out there.”

I nodded as I said, ”The sentinel told me about them. He didn't have a name for what it was though.”

”Yeah, Schema said the closest word for it was 'Eldritch.' Sounds pretty bad in my opinion.'

Stacy said, ”Yeah, they're pretty fuckin bad. It's all a bunch of ridiculous bullshit, but hey, so is Schema so...”

I said, ”You're reffering to the schema like it's a person.”

Stacy continued, ”It is. You just think in your head, and it'll talk to you.”

I thought to myself, Then why the fuck do I have you two assholes for company?

”It's terrible though. It's 100%, bonafide robot.”

I nodded. Alright, that's why I have you two assholes for company.

A bat flies towards Stacy, but I walk in front of it. The bat smashes into my chest like running into an iron wall. I step back from the impact and wrap my arms around it. I crush it. The bat squeals as I squeeze the life from it. Blood shoots out its mouth. The Colossal perk essentially doubles my strength when I'm fighting without any weapons. That means squeezing things too.

I toss the deflated bat aside before saying, ”So the schema is an enormous AI?”

Skill level up! [Intimidation(level 2)

Stacy gulped before replying, ”Yeah.”

I pursed my lips before saying, ”Ok, so why is it, er, assimilating worlds? To stop the cracks or whatever?”

David nods and says, ”Yeah...”

I roll my eyes before saying, ”Guys, I'm not going to kill you. Calm down. I'm too busy trying to survive here.”

They sighed. Apparently they'd been holding their breaths for a while now. Stacy said, ”It's just scary. You're like, I don't know, 7 feet tall or some shit.”

I stopped walking and turned to them. I said, ”Wait a second, you mean to tell me that I'm taller?”

She nodded before I said, ”Do you guys have a mirror?”

David dug his hand into his backpack as he said, ”Uh, yeah, I do. It's pretty dirty though.”

”Doesn't matter. I just need to see if my face looks any different.”

He hands me a small, broken piece of a mirror. I pulled it from his hand and said, ”Well fuck me.”

There I was, looking like a giant. I was 7 feet tall. What the fuck. What the actual fuck happened. I'd bulked up some, though I was still lithe and lean. My hair fell down my sides, tucked behind my back. My hands were large and brawny. Callouses covered my knuckles, along with scars. One traced down the side of my forehead, from when I first fought the bat. I glanced at a few other parts of myself, noticing a few scars along my arms, sides, and chest.

My skin turned a bit...gray too. Not crazy gray but noticeably so. David and Stacy weren't short. I was just really tall. When I think about it, the bats and bears had gotten smaller, but everything was sort of dark all the time. It made it much harder to discern little details like that. The only light I had were these little plastic bags full of blue water. It made me look like I had little blue, glowing tumors all over me. With the streaks of dried blood on me, it was no wonder they were terrified of me.

With that in mind, I said, ”Jesus, I do look like a troll.”

For the first time, Stacy giggled and David laughed a little. My little saying had broke the tension. I handed David the mirror before saying, ”I'll be taking on the boss here soonish. I'd say a week or two, when I get about 10 or so levels higher and finish some trees, I'll take him on. You guys are free to tag along.”

They nodded while David said, ”Sounds good to us. I didn't wanna mention it, but we really do need your help here.”

I laughed before saying, ”Oh yeah, I noticed. You guys would be chewed up and spit out by Baldag-Ruhl.”

They paled and said, ”What level is he?”

”At least level 100. I'm guessing 125-150ish.”

Stacy choked on a cup of tea she was drinking. She said, ”What the fuck? This dungeon's only supposed to go up to level 60.”

I shrugged as I said, ”Eh, I'm guessing it has something to do with me spawning here. It doesn't matter. What does matter, is that we have to kill him to leave.”

”Couldn't he just, I don't know, let us leave.”

”Did you hear his name? Baldag-Ruhl, of Many. That name makes Sauron sound like a schoolgirl. It's a hivemind that uses insects. It's ancient, hundreds of years old. I don't, and haven't trusted that damn thing for a second.”

David said, ”Do you think you'll beat it?”

I grinned and said, ”I know I will.”

They perked up at my confidence. We continued for an hour before Stacy said, ”Why in the hell are these cave so big.”

I said, ”To hurt your feet, break your moral, and crush your spirit.”

David frowned and said, ”Anything else?”

”Be annoying.”

Stacy whined, ”Yeah, I already got that part.”

We reached the next set of pools, these gray again. I said, ”The blue pools are safe. Gray and pink are dangerous. Crimson means it's the boss, Baldag. Stay wayyyyyyyyyy back. Try not to die to bats.”

Before they could reply, I charged towards the rock golem. I cut on agony when I reached a few feet from it. The golem met my charge with a monstrous clash. Bits of stone flung outwards. The clash left my ears ringing. We locked hands as the golem pushed me back, but I squat down. It pushed me down before I strained, pushing up.

Veins appeared on my neck, tracing down my shoulders. I grunted then roared as I lifted the rock golem off the ground. The golem kicked towards my face. I headbutt the things foot, cracking its boulder foot. I pulled the golem down and smashed it into the floor.

Cracks appeared in the ground from the force of the slam. The golem fractured all over as arrows snapped into stone around me. One stabbed into my back. I pulled it out and shouted, ”Watch where the fuck your aiming.”

Stacy shouted, ”Sorry.”

I drove the arrow into the golem's face. The golem smashed my jaw. I spit out blood before pushing it down onto the floor. I pulled my legs over its sides, pinning it down. I then ground and pounded it's poor face to dust. My blows blared across the cavern, like ripples of sound. The golem's life dwindled before I wrapped my hand around its face. I pushed it into the floor, again and again and again.

Once it fell apart in my hand, a notification appeared,