Chương 12: The Abyss Awaits

[Allison: Tier 0 Human] [Class Slot 1: Tier 0 [Unified Collective]* - Level 10/10 [Class Slot 2: Tier 0 [Wanderer]* - Level 9/10 [Attributes] Power: 1 Resilience: 10 Awareness: 1 Ego: 11 Will: 1 [Skills] Parallel Wills (1) Retraced Steps"What the heck?!" I exclaim." Violet, are you seeing this?"" Not exactly the same thing, no, but I get it. I'm as flabbergasted as you are."" We're not very balanced, are we?" Violet chuckles." I imagine that will change once we get the chance to combine classes together."" Good point. Oh! I wonder what the options are like."" Allison, wait—""I know," I dismiss her, already focusing on [Unified Collective]." I'm not going to actually pick anything, I just want to lo—AAGH!" I collapse to the floor screaming as a spike of pain drives itself through my head behind my eyes. I writhe on the ground, clutching at my head, and try desperately to think about something else. It's too late, though—like flood water spilling through an open gate, I can't shut my mind to the overwhelming rush of information trying to fill my head. I scream, I whimper, at some point I think I throw up. Where's Violet? She's better with pain than I am, and she usually takes over in moments like this. I feel pathetic for even thinking it, but it just hurts so much that I'll do anything to make it stop. Then, finally, it does. With excruciating slowness, the pain fades and my other senses come back into focus. My ears are ringing, and I can smell my own vomit—and taste the half-digested snail meat I just regurgitated. I roll away from the vile substance and check my glasses, which mercifully managed to stay on my face. As the world comes back into focus, I hear Violet's voice, tinged with a panic I've never heard from her before." Allison?! Allie, can you hear me? Are you okay?!"" No," I croak." I'm so sorry! I tried to warn you."" Yeah... I forgot." [Unified Collective] has always been hard for me to look at, and even as I gained more Resilience and Ego, trying to read the description gave me a splitting headache. Now that I have read it, I can see why. The words are there. They still hurt to focus on, but they are there, seared into my mind like an intrusive thought that never goes away. [Tier 0 Unified Collective]* [Tier 0 Unified Collective]* [Tier 0 Unified Collective]* [Tier 0 Unified Collective]* [Tier 0 Unified Collective]*... You get the idea. It goes on like that forever—every line duplicated into infinity. Impossibly, I can still grasp the full scope of it. There is no end, but if I try not to think about it too hard, I can parse out the duplicated words. Once I do that, it's the same as any other class. [Tier 0 Unified Collective]* Level 10/10 Multiple sapient entities co-existing within a single body. [Permanent] - This class cannot be removed. Skill - Parallel Wills (1): Allows the simultaneous consciousness of up to one (1) additional thoughtform. Attribute Bonus: Ego. Advancement: Coordinate between minds. [Upgrades available] [No fusions currently available]"It worked," I sigh." I can see the class details. There's an option to upgrade it."" That's good, at least," Violet responds." I was worried that it might not be possible to advance it."" That might still be a valid concern," I say with a frown." It's super weird. Every line repeats infinitely."" Then how did you read it?"" I don't know, and it hurts to think about."" Fair enough," she sighs." Anyway, our plan is still the same. Let's map out as much of our surroundings as we can and see if we can fuse your [Wanderer] class with [Unified Collective]."" Right," I agree with a nod. Following my [Retraced Steps] and the various signs I've left for myself, I make my way back to the Labyrinth to update my map. It's a little tricky noting everything down from memory, but I can feel a sort of tickle of recognition as I trace the regions of the map I've already drawn, similar to the feeling I get from my skill. I add a fourth notch to the day tally while I'm at it. After what feels like thirty minutes or so, I stare down at my handiwork and frown. I check and recheck it a few times, even consulting with Violet to make sure I didn't forget anything. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement." Well, fudge-muffins," I swear." That's annoying." The so-called "Snail Corridor" is now almost completely mapped out without any new points of interest. The only parts that haven't been explored are a few tunnels that we'd have to climb up to reach, and wherever the Underground Stream leads. Any further exploration would require me to risk falling to death, freezing to death, or drowning... to death." I suppose we'll just have to move on to the Gecko Corridor," Violet remarks." I believe you mean the Abyssal Chasm of Certain Doom," I correct her, tapping the spot where I've scribbled the name." It's not ideal, but I don't think our body can handle climbing up to the remaining tunnels, much less get back down."" Isn't it easier to climb down?" I ask." No," she answers without clarification." None of our options are perfect, but as long as we stick to the ledge and watch our footing, the chasm is safest."" What about the stream?" I hedge, already knowing the answer." You'd be more likely to survive falling into the chasm."" Dang it." I hate heights. Having a ledge give out under my feet and drop me into a bottomless chasm is pretty much my worst nightmare." Maybe it will be better if you lead," I suggest." You know, in case something sneaks up on us. You're the one with the good Awareness."" Allie," she sighs with exasperation, "we've talked about this."" I know!" I whine." I just... really don't want to go back there. I'm afraid of heights!"" So am I," she retorts." But it's our only real option." I hang my head at that, my last out thoroughly squashed. At least if Vi didn't share my fear of heights I might have been able to convince her, but knowing that she does? It doesn't feel right. With a reluctant groan, I drag myself back to the Crossroads and past my dire warning sign to the one place I had hoped never to return to. The yawning abyss stretches out before me, swallowing the meager light of my candles with contemptuous ease. The narrow ledge is illuminated only a few feet ahead, and even Violet's increased Awareness isn't enough to offer any more security. I press myself against the wall and carefully inch my way along the ledge, desperately focusing on the ground ahead and trying to pretend that the deadly gap right next to me doesn't exist." I need you to pay more attention," Vi scolds." I can't notice things that you don't look at."" Well I'm sorry that looking into the abyss gives me a panic attack," I whisper, though I'm not sure why." I can either stare at the wall and floor while moving, or I can stare over the ledge while paralyzed with fear, take your pick."" Okay, sorry. Just try to stay alert."" Oh, I am very alert right now," I whisper manically." I am painfully alert!" I continue edging my way along the path. Maybe it's my imagination, but it feels like the ledge is getting smaller as I go. Every step feels like it takes an eternity, and all I can do is pray that my footing stays stable and that the next step will bring me safely into a new tunnel. The worst part is that I know I'm going to have to come back along this path later. The Labyrinth is our de facto base of operations, and the place where my map is. More importantly, our only source of water is over there, and I will die without it. Finally, my leading hand meets sweet nothingness instead of more treacherous stone. I inch my way over to the opening and examine it carefully to ensure that it's not just going to bamboozle me into yet another fall to my doom. My luck holds out, and the opening leads into an uncomfortably narrow, but very comfortably solid tunnel. I'm on the short side, even for a girl, at only five feet even, but even I have to duck under the low ceiling, and the smooth stone walls leave only half a foot or so of clearance on either side." Well this is cozy," I comment, settling down to let my poor racing heart return to a regular rhythm." And very... round." Too round, actually. And almost perfectly smooth. Violet reaches the same conclusion as I do right away." I don't think this tunnel is natural," she says." Something bored its way through."" Geckos?" I suggest, and I can feel Violet disagreeing." Their laser eyes take too long, and cover too small an area," she says." Plus, we'd be seeing more slag and uneven terrain."" What do you think it is, then?"" No idea," she says." Some kind of giant worm, maybe? I'm not sure if that's possible, but we've seen giant snails and geckos with laser eyes, so..."" Yeah," I agree tiredly." I hope you're not going to tell me it's unsafe here."" It might be, but I don't know," she answers honestly." I'd say we should proceed with caution, but that's a given." Right. After a short rest, I pick myself up and carefully make my way through what I am now tentatively calling the "Worm Tunnel." It's pretty uncomfortable trying to move around while keeping my head low, and the tight space is making me feel claustrophobic. I remind myself of what the alternative is and keep on moving. It's a long, boring trek, and my back is super sore from all the hunching, but eventually the tunnel lets out into a big cave. A big familiar cave. Below us." Aw, poopy-doodles!" I shout, nearly kicking something with my mostly bare feet before thinking better of it." We're back at the Twisting Cavern!" [Level up!] Wanderer is now level 10. + 1 Resilience. Wanderer has reached its maximum threshold. [Upgrade] or [Fuse] the class to unlock further progression. New class fusions are now available." Shut up, [World Engine], that doesn't make me feel any better," I gripe." At least this lets us cross off two unexplored areas at once," Vi offers." The other climbs nearby are probably part of the same tunnel, broken up by natural spaces."" Yeah, but I still have to go back to that dang ledge," I shudder." You're sure that climbing down isn't an option?" Violet ponders it for a moment, but ultimately lets me down." Not without shoes, at the very least," she mercilessly denies me." And maybe ten more points of Power, or a month of rock climbing practice."" Oof."" Yeah, sorry." I slump down against the edge of the tunnel and sigh." Why ten?" I ask curiously." That seems pretty specific considering we're still not sure what exactly the attributes do. Especially one that we haven't invested in yet."" It's just a guess, but I think that powers of ten have special significance—or maybe just ten specifically. You felt the change in Resilience more strongly when you reached ten, right?"" I didn't notice anything like that for Ego, though."" Maybe it's more subtle," Vi suggests." Like you said, we're still not entirely sure what they actually do. Ego is strength of self, but have you ever stopped feeling like yourself?"" That's kind of a loaded question, given our whole... thing," I point out." Okay, fair point, but what I mean is that you're not going to notice feeling more like yourself."" I guess." I fiddle with the ragged hem of my cloak, casting a pensive glance towards the cave opening. It's a long way down, but at least I can see the floor, and a tiny bit of vertigo is almost preferable after what felt like hours in the tight constraints of the Worm Tunnel. Sucks that I'm going to have to suffer through the worst of both worlds to get back." I guess it's time, huh?" I say with a sigh." I thought I'd be more excited about it, but all I'm feeling is dread."" We don't have to fuse the classes right away," Violet tries to placate me." In fact, it might be better to wait until I've finished the Survival class to test whether we can fuse classes between each other."" What's our plan if we can't?" Predictably, Violet doesn't have an answer, so she's just silent. Why is she willing to say she doesn't know how safe a giant worm tunnel might be, but won't just admit that we might have a crippling limitation that will ultimately doom us to dying alone and forgotten in some miserable cave in the middle of—possibly literally—nowhere? Actually, after phrasing it like that, I kind of get it." Let's just get it over with," I sigh." At least this means I don't have to front on the way back."" Oh," Violet says hesitantly." Um... are you sure you don't want to wait?" I snort-laugh, despite myself." Yes. The abyss awaits, Vi! Share my suffering!"