The Alliance of the Damned

Nicolas picked a tiny, remote clearing in the middle of the forest for his stage, one that the system had illuminated with the spectral glow of bioluminescent mushrooms. An ethereal, aquatic glow was cast over the area by these odd, fungal growths that clung to the bark of old trees and stretched out in constellations of soft green and pale blue across the damp earth. He had spent two days carefully crafting his bait with Katrina's reticent and taciturn help. Crafted from tightly woven vines and the tacky, long-lasting resins of amberwood trees, it was a crude but useful pendulum. A piece of milky crystal dangled at the top of its swing, pulsing with its own gentle brightness as it drank in the fungal light.

However, the trap's real genius was intellectual rather than physical. Nicolas had made a fundamental error in the pendulum's arc calibration. Its swing was a subliminal contradiction, a silent defiance of the laws of physics. Its momentum would occasionally, almost imperceptibly, accelerate for a brief moment—a startling, unnatural hiccup—before returning to its hypnotic cadence. No beast or NPC would ever notice it, yet it would be an unbearable, frustrating oddity to a man of science who knew the very code that kept this world together.

He and Katrina set the intellectual bait and vanished into the darkness at the edge of the clearing. The waiting started. The rustle of invisible objects in the underbrush was the only sound to break the deep and dense silence that pervaded the first day as it bleed into the second.

The third day ended with a chilly, heavy rain that slicked the leaves and made the air acrid with the smell of damp dirt and ozone. At that moment, his target showed up. A shrouded figure emerged from the deeper shadows, moving with the haughty consideration of a man who thought of himself as the top predator rather than the stealth of a hunter. He paused just within the clearing, watching the pendulum with his cowled head tilted. He watched the unbelievable swing for a whole minute, standing still like a statue in the rain.

With his hair plastered to his forehead by the rain, Nicolas emerged from behind the trunk of a huge ironwood tree. His smooth, quiet voice broke through the storm's clatter.

Nicolas started off by saying, "I have to say, I'm a little disappointed," in a tone that was tinged with a precisely calibrated amount of derision. "For a man of your intellect, it took you an awfully long time to find the little breadcrumb I left in the forest."

Pazzo's voice, a deep rumble that blended with the sound of the rain, came from the shadows of his hood. "An intriguing oddity. The local gravitational constant does not match the oscillation period. A contradiction. To be honest, I never thought you would go to such extreme efforts to get caught. And here I believed you to be the smart one.

"Intelligence is relative," retorted Nicolas. "I have something you desire right now. Tell me, are you carrying your pet archer?

Pazzo blew a whistling sound that sliced through the darkness. The sound of an arrow piercing wood reverberated from the trees a moment later. Just five inches from his head, Nicolas looked to his left and noticed an arrow trembling in a tree trunk. A warning shot.

According to Pazzo, "He's near," "How is your tiny shadow doing? "The Kunoichi?"

Nicolas made an ambiguous motion toward the surrounding, rain-soaked forest. "She might be anywhere. Whether or not this discussion stays respectful will determine everything.

Beneath Pazzo's hood, the shadow of a ruthless smile played. Have you regained your composure? Are you prepared to give up that brain and contribute to science?

Nicolas said, "I'm here to offer a deal," in a forceful voice.

Pazzo gave a dry, irritating laugh. "A bargain? Does the man whose ticket is about to expire wish to haggle over the train fare? I'm paying attention.

"In your game, the creature you call Gein is more than just a boss. He is currently pursuing us after destroying Suge and the handbook. I've witnessed him adapting and getting stronger.

Pazzo shot back. "An excellent reason for me to expedite my research and leave this digital cesspool behind," he said coolly.

"You're not listening!" Nicolas's voice cracked with intensity as it climbed. "Gein understands that this is a game. He understands the system. Who's to guarantee the threat he poses will remain restricted here if a creature of his strength and evil intent is allowed to continue unchecked? It might even reach into our own world. Into our world.

With the rain trickling down the edge of his cowl, Pazzo became silent for a long time. The cold pride of a creator speaking about his creation tempered the hubris when he spoke again. "Journalist, I didn't only give him the brains of a global leader. The corporate board was subject to certain restrictions. They desired the most formidable foe, an ending so difficult that it would be nearly unbeatable. In this manner, their wealthiest clients would never really lose the game.

"So there's no way to stop him?" With the rain streaming into his eyes, Nicolas pushed. "He's unbeatable by design?"

"Not entirely," Pazzo acknowledged, his tone tinged with professional deference. "Doctor Aris, my former coworker, was a sentimental idiot. He was adamant about incorporating a moral lesson—one of solidarity and collaboration—into the global code. He included a failsafe in Gein's design to do this. Only the combined, simultaneous power of six Zinox can vanquish the enemy. An unworkable yet quite lyrical solution. Naturally, I wasn't granted any powers myself during the first test period to ensure fairness."

Nicolas replied, "You can't rebuild your device out here," as he played his card at last. "Not too soon. Not with the resources this primitive hellscape has to offer. You require time. Additionally, Gein will locate us far before you need anything."

With his longbow held loosely in his hand and its string slippery with rain, Hector emerged from the shadows behind Pazzo as if on cue. "He might have a point, Andrew," Hector uttered in a hesitant, low whisper. "It's difficult to find the metals and focusing crystals I need. The process won't be quick."

A few seconds later, there was a faint sound of movement across the clearing. With her twin daggers in a reverse hold and the metal glinting in the dim bioluminescent light, Katrina stepped out of the shadows. She responded, "We can find them," in a low, menacing voice that was directed at Pazzo. "We can divide up, find the other Zinox, and work together to defeat him. That's our only chance of success. You figure out a method to get us all out of here alive in return. That's the agreement.

Pazzo's scheme took a final, devastating hit from Nicolas. "Professor, my brain is getting used to it. My neural pathways become more in line with the system the longer I'm here. I'm integrating into your environment. Not as "real." Every hour that goes by makes it less beneficial to you. Time is running out. What did you decide?

Pazzo moved his head slowly, his covert eyes moving over each of them: the resentful assassin, the reluctant soldier, the desperate journalist. He was confined by a logic that even he was unable to refute. However, a brand-new, chaotic opportunity was developing inside that trap. His invisible lips reverted to that old, terribly unnerving grin.

"So be it," he said, with a theatrical, icy flair in his voice. "Let's demonstrate to these haughty NPCs why the actual Zinox were initially introduced to the earth. A short-term partnership. Let's start the games over. For the time being, at least.