"Neighbor. How's it going? Were you able to install the heater?" Brango looked at me as if he really expected a satisfactory answer. He gave off that everyday, sober air of someone for whom a lurking monster was bread and butter.
His two companions had the same look. How could they be so calm in such a distressing situation?
"Good morning," the woman greeted. The other said nothing. They were the cleaning staff.
We greeted vaguely. My companion shrugged and lowered the machine gun. Apparently, she decided they were ordinary people who, like us, were trapped in this hell and posed no danger.
With the barrel of the weapon pointing at the floor, she questioned them:
"What are you doing here?"
"Well, it's hard to explain," Brango said, while anxiously watching the machine gun. "We were chatting about the administration fees when suddenly the walls and the objects around us increased immensely in size, or, who knows, maybe we shrank — I don't know which of the two… We later saw some screens in front of us that gave us some specifications. We've been analyzing them."
It was something similar to what had happened to me. I wanted to ask them a question, but the skinwalker beat me to it.
"How long have you been here?"
"I don't know, maybe ten hours," Brango exchanged looks with the cleaners, who nodded.
"So, you've been here from the beginning?"
"That's right."
My companion paused to think. Since the monster was still guarding the elevator and had barely moved, we had some space to prepare, although we didn't know when it might attack. Any detail they could give us could be the difference between life and death. After a while, she finally asked:
"Has the elevator been closed since you've been here?" —her lips were firmly shut. Her face worried.
"Yes. Always."
The tiger woman nodded.
"You said there was a way. What do you propose?"
Brango looked at the dinosaur tail and clasped his hands.
"The plan is to distract it and attack its plates," he explained calmly, and added: "We've encountered something similar before. When we damaged its plates, defeating it was very simple."
The man pointed with his mouth to the south corner of the room, where the corpse of a kind of scorpion lay. I was surprised they had managed to kill it. It didn't seem an easy task for a trio of novices.
"That was our first challenge," Brango said.
"How did you manage to defeat it?" I couldn't contain my curiosity.
"Thanks to Claude," he answered quickly with a gloomy face. "He intuited how the system worked. It didn't take long. I think he played a lot of video games. At least they served him for something in the end."
"Claude, the janitor? And where is he?"
"There," Brango pointed with his skeletal finger to the scorpion's belly. "He split it in two with his pincers. It was gruesome."
The tiger woman intervened when she noticed the cleaners beginning to tremble. Just in time to avoid unnecessary sobbing.
"What do we attack it with?" she asked.
"We have this," Brango made a gesture to the blonde worker.
The woman, with watery eyes, perked up and summoned the "Menu". Immediately, the hologram appeared.
I was surprised that her statistics were hidden along with her Granted Ability. That hadn't been explained to me. If it turned out you could hide the information, knowing how to do so gave you an incredible advantage. Still, wasn't it strange? How did they master so much information in so little time? I couldn't help comparing myself to that player who always lags behind in contests where common sense rules.
Suddenly, the blonde said something incomprehensible and a portal opened. From it, she pulled out four metal balls similar to a grenade.
"Smoke drones," my companion murmured, visibly impressed. "Yes, it will work!"
"In the meantime, you can open fire on it."
Brango looked again at the machine gun with an eagerness he did not hide. I supposed he was dying to find out how to get one for himself.
"Good idea," my companion acknowledged. "My ability allows me to control the air. So these bullets will be propelled by my magic. They will hurt it, without a doubt."
"I appreciate it," Brango said, and cast a heavy look at me.
"I can help you with the grenades," I offered, pressed.
"No. You will be the bait."
For an instant — very long and unpleasant — I thought he was joking. I waited, but his marble-like face did not change, indicating he was very serious. I pleaded with terrified eyes to my companion, but she also seemed to agree with the plan.
"You are the fastest of the five," Brango stated without losing composure.
"But!" I exclaimed in a shrill tone. "How? We won't decide that by vote?"
Brango did something that reminded me of my father. He crossed his fingers and sighed deeply. It was the gesture of disappointment. Of family shame. Of the son who inherited the character of a frightened deer. I hated remembering it.
"Karin and Zara are very slow," he explained. "Look at them. They haven't done productive exercise in years. Besides, I'm sick and your companion needs to be free to shoot at will. The only one we can spare is you."
For a second, my senses lost sight of reality. Why did we have to go through this? Couldn't we stay there until the nightmare ended?
As if he had read my thought, the monster began to move. The ground rumbled.
It was instant, like a short circuit. The same reaction you manifest when you put your finger in an outlet. Somehow, our instincts had been reinforced by that system.The five of us turned at once, perceiving the danger. There was no time for deliberation or last-minute changes.
"Now!" Brango bellowed. "To the door of your apartment! Lead it there."
I looked at the fallen door. The distance seemed unreachable. How the hell would I get there without being crushed first by that Lizard?
"Damn!" I cursed, but then I felt a hand grab me.
It was the blonde.
"Here," she chattered.
Secretly, she opened my hand and handed me a cubic object.
"Inside there is a temporary reserve of speed," was the last thing she said before leaving.
I stayed looking at the cube.
"Open."
Fortunately, I pronounced the right words. The sign appeared.
[TEMPORARY ITEM: LUBRICATED ENGINE][DURATION: 2 MINUTES] [INCREASED SPEED] [DECREASED MAGIC][WARNING!: YOUR MUSCLES ARE NOT PREPARED FOR THE ITEM][EQUIP?]
"Yes! It's too late for regrets."
The cube inserted itself into my body like a tick. Its operation was simple. Upon entering the cardiovascular system, the blood flow exploded and the heart pumped more oxygen. Therefore, the muscles gained speed.
The Lizard brandished his long sword and slashed the ground. The yellow dust rose behind the metal, which cut the mop bucket in two halves like butter. Both flew out and almost ran me over, which would have meant my end. I started running.
I had regained hope like a college student who believes he will save the semester the day before the exam. Obviously, my speed was inhuman. Much more than normal. However, it did not surpass that of a wind-up toy car.
"You must make it run through your apartment! Distract it there while we prepare the ambush! Then bring it back!"
I was going to protest, but another slash was already coming at me. The wall cracked and debris flew.