Cash Out

“You know, after the maze, these events haven’t been so hard,” Vivian remarked as she grabbed a coupon just sitting on a display table.

“You know that things are probably going to get harder now, right?” John cheekily retorted. “Can’t say I wouldn’t mind something a bit more challenging.”

After the first encounter, things had been relatively easy for the pair. Between Vivian’s farseeing being able to scout both enemies and the things they needed to collect and Candle’s senses picking out anything Vivian missed, they had been able to avoid ambushes, stealthily procure their targets and strike enemies before they knew they were there, which while good for gaining points, wasn’t the most exciting gameplay. Stealth missions were always the ones John found the most boring after a while. For all his brain power, sometimes he just wanted to smash.

“I wonder if there was an intended progression the random wheel messed up,” Vivian mused. “This and the last one seem rather straightforward and the maze was a lot more complex.”

“If that’s the case, then maybe the last game will be harder,” John added. “It was the weapon one, right? Certainly sounds like that can get messy with that.”

“I wonder just what we’re going to face there?” Vivian pondered. “Living weapons throwing themselves at us, perhaps?”

“That or something like this one but properly armed,” John remarked. “In any case, we should focus on cleaning up here before getting in the weeds about what’s next.”

“Well, we’ve grabbed everything on the list and a good number of those coupons,” Vivian recounted. “All we can do is hunt for more coupons and beat the drones.”

As if in refutation of Vivian’s claim, a series of chimes rang out above them from an unseen PA system before the announcer’s voice echoed around them.

“Well, well, well. Don’t we have a bunch of ambitious shoppers today! All of you managed to snag your listed items well before time ran out. That calls for a bonus round! Listen well, players! The store’s about to close, but you only need to grab one item! But you’re not the only ones rushing to grab things so late in the day, and they aren’t shy about roughing anyone up who gets in their way. Can you find what you’re looking for and reach the exit in time? You’ve got ten minutes. Good luck!”

Vivian was quick to consult the list as a far section of the area was lit up by a spot light, bright red letters spelling ‘EXIT’ appearing on the wall, large enough to be clear even at a far distance.

“Well, there’s some excitement,” John laughed. “What are we looking for?”

“A leather jacket,” Vivian reported. “I think they were down over in that direction.”

She pointed towards the far back corner of the store, and John let out a sigh.

“Of course it would be in a spot far from the exit,” he grumbled. “Let’s go. I think we should just grab and dash. No need to get tangled up in fighting.”

Vivian nodded and they set off, Candle chasing after them. It wasn’t long before the sounds of heavy and fervent footfalls began to echo around and John saw several Karen bots moving among the racks and displays.

‘At least they seem more focused on getting whatever they want to grab instead of jumping us,’ John thought.

‘For now,’ Senka cautioned. ‘I can see them being a problem as everyone rushes towards the exit.’

‘That’s a future us problem,’ John countered. ‘If we don’t even grab the thing, then we won’t be heading for the exit.’

Senka chuckled. ‘A fair point.’

Unfortunately, the situation changed as if to spite their hopeful thoughts, as a bot suddenly jumped into their path, bag swinging to brush them aside. John quickly moved to intercept, ducking under its wide swing and hitting it with an upward strike. He drove it from its feet and spun around to hit it hard before it could recover, its body disintegrating before it hit anything.

“We might not get the chance to avoid fighting,” John said as he caught up to Vivian, the redhead’s pace never faltering.

“It’s never easy in the end, is it?” Vivian asked rhetorically, a small smile showing her lack of annoyance over the situation. “I’ll grab the jacket, you run defense, right?”

“I’m the guy with the sword and boom boom magic.” John laughed. “I know my job. Did it specify which jacket?”

“Nope, just said ‘leather jacket’,” Vivian answered. “So we’re grabbing the first one we get to.”

“Sounds like a plan,” John said. “Wind Shot can push anything that gets close out of the way. Enemy or obstacle.”

Thankfully, despite the growing loudness of metallic feet, they were unaccosted the remaining way to the jacket and Vivian quickly darted over to a rack of assorted outerwear and ripped a leather jacket off its hanger. Unlike the rest of things they had grabbed today, it remained in her hands.

“Guess we need to actually carry this out,” Vivian remarked as she tucked it under her arm. “Hmm, this looks to be about Beth’s size.”

“I think she’d rock it,” John said. “Maybe if we get to keep it, we can give it to her. If not, well, there’s always her birthday, Christmas or just a random Tuesday.”

Vivian let out a short peel of laughter. “Why a Tuesday?”

“Just felt like the most random day of the week,” John answered. “Does anyone expect anything on a Tuesday?”

“We met on a Tuesday,” Vivian pointed out.

“See? We can make good things happening on a Tuesday a thing,” John said, before frowning. “Did we get Kiera back in order on Tuesday? I’ve lost track of time with all the Kingdom traveling.”

“It might have been,” Vivian replied, her voice uncertain. “We can consult the calendar later, we need to finish this game.”

“Right,” John agreed and focused his mind on the path ahead of them. With the time dwindling, the chaotic sounds of frantic robots grew louder and John noticed several of them on paths that would cross there, some heading towards the front and still more moving with haste towards the back of the store, clearly still looking for the quarry.

It was one of those late comers that was the first to get in their way, wildly swinging its purse to **** them out of its way. Neither John nor Vivian wanted to be on the receiving end of that attack and tried to make way, only for a herd of karens on both flanks forcing them to stay on their current path.

Evasive maneuvers off the table, John seamlessly stepped between Vivian and the bot, wooden blade batting aside the flailing purse. Before the bot could try to attack again, John launched a Fiery Pursuit, the fireball arcing around before impacting the side of its face.

The impact of the spell knocked their enemy off balance and they were quick to take advantage of that, dashing past the bot while its face was surrounded by fire. They made it only a few long strides before an electronic screeching echoed behind them, followed by heavy and aggressive footfalls.

John glanced back to see the drone chasing after them, its face singed black and hair smoldering.

‘I think you’ve pissed it off,’ Senka noted.

‘I think I got that,’ John retorted. As he turned around to face the angered machine, a blue-white flash lit the area, accompanied by a sharp crack and the scent of ozone. A jagged bolt of lightning struck the bot’s head in the same spot as John’s prior attack. This one, however, proved to be fatal as the machine cantered to its right before dispersing into dust.

John looked to where the attack had come from and saw Sofia standing proudly with her sword held out, small flickers of static shooting from the blade. Beside her, Rowan stood, awkwardly holding an evening gown folded over one arm.

“It’s best to not leave an enemy wounded but still functional,” Sofia chided John as she lowered her sword. Her tone reminded John of every teacher he’d ever heard delivering a dressing down over some bad behavior.

“Got it,” John remarked. “Thanks for the save.”

“Think nothing of it.” Sofia waved him off. “I have to ask, though, have you helped the goblins in this game?”

“No, we haven’t seen anyone besides you,” Vivian replied. “Why?”

“Just wondering if unexpected assistance had gone full circle,” Sofia answered as she and Rowan began to leave. “Our green friends stepped in to help us.”

“Guess Teri’s gotten to K’mels,” Vivian muttered to John. Louder, she said, “I suppose that means we’re on deck to help them at some point.”

Almost on cue, a loud crashing came from slightly further ahead of them, followed by a series of curses shouted by a guttural voice that couldn’t be mistaken for anyone besides the surly goblin.

“It looks like that may be now,” Sofia said. “I think since the game is almost over, it would be prudent to team up once more.”

“Yeah, I’d rather reach the end safely instead of trying to one up you,” John said as he and Vivian began to follow the knights. Their paths converged shortly after and they hurried towards the sound of battle, soon coming across K’mels and Teri doing battle with four karen bots. Two were tangled up in nearby clothing as Teri held aloft her staff, a strained expression on her face as she held them at bay.

A few paces from her, K’mels fought off the other two with wild fury. Despite his shorter stature compared to the bots, he was more than a match for them, his sword deftly deflecting the handbag swings before quickly jabbing into the attacker’s exposed torso, moving back to defend from another attack a moment later.

Even with his inexperienced eyes, John knew it wasn’t something the goblin warrior could keep up. Maybe if his sword had been sharper, he could, but the trials the weapon had seen during the Golmerk’s exodus hadn’t left it in the best condition. It still did its job well, but the wear meant K’mels wasn’t able to punch through hard enough to cripple or outright kill the bots in a single thrust.

‘Guess now’s a good a time as any to pay it forward,’ John thought, activating Verdant Surge. The rush of strength made the sword feel even lighter and John rushed forward. While the Evocation didn’t boost his Agility, his legs still were empowered and John crossed the distance in a few strides without issue.

For a moment, John and K’mels’ eyes met, and the goblin warrior let out a growl before nodding ever so slightly. John took that as a warrior’s courtesy and focused on the bot furthest from K’mels, letting him deal with the other. With a step, John was right in front of the bot and drove his blade into the shallow cut K’mels had made.

Magical wood tore through the metal as if it was aluminum foil and the bot faded away before John could pull his weapon free. He turned back to the other engagements right as K’mels took off the head of his enemy. A little behind that, Sofia and Rowan impaled the pair Teri had bound, the enchanted clothing falling limp as the bots faded away.

“Thanks for the save,” Teri breathed out. “I think those clothes have a lot of non-natural stuff in them. Hard to get moving.”

“We may be in competition, but it’s not sporting to let needless harm happen,” Sofia said. “Especially in the final minutes of the event.”

K’mels let out a grunt and shook his head before looking at John. “Your form’s adequate.”

“Thanks,” John replied flatly. It was obvious even if it was truthful that he was just saying something nice for appearance sake. Maybe as a way to ingratiate himself and by extension the elders with them, or just because Teri had gotten on his case about it, but regardless, playing nice was better than him snarling at everyone.

“We should get moving,” Teri said once her breathing had settled. “Time is almost out, right?”

“Indeed,” Sofia remarked. “Given we’re going in the same direction, assuming you have your last minute purchase, I think there’s no need to take separate paths.”

“We got it,” Teri said, picking up a pair of jeans. She looked over to K’mels, who curtly nodded once. “And going as a group sounds like a good plan. No need to fall on our faces at the finish line.”

“Then let’s get going,” Sofia spoke, her voice commanding without even trying. She didn’t wait for anyone else to move, fluidly moving into a light yet purposeful jog. John took a moment to admire how easy she made moving in armor look before setting off after her along with the others.

For a moment, things were calm as they raced towards the exit, the sounds of the rushing bots a chaotic but distant threat. Then, there was a sudden and unsettling silence, with only their hurried steps echoing through the store. Before any of them could react to the change, what sounded like a stampede began, the ground shaking slightly from the coordinated movement.

Vivian threw her hands up, the air distorting around her as she bent the light to look around, her face growing pale.

“All the bots are converging!” she loudly declared, a hint of worry in her voice. “They’ll be on us in a few seconds!”

“How many are going to be in front of us?” Sofia asked in a firm voice.

“A fair number. At least twelve,” Vivian reported. John tightened his grip on his sword. Verdant Surge was almost gone and he was ready to recast it once their path was blocked. Overwhelming **** was the only way forward.

‘I’ll be ready to channel you mana,’ Senka thought, her tone serious. ‘This might be a challenge.’

As the bots converged on their path and John tensed to fight, Sofia picked up her pace, shouting back to them, “Keep back!”

Lightning danced on her blade as she held it aloft. With a sharp cry, Sofia brought her sword down, arcs of electricity shot out with a loud crack. The torrent of lightning struck the robots ahead of them, their metal bodies spasming out as the electricity surged through them. Several of them vanished and the rest fell to the ground, either randomly twitching or utterly rigid.

John was slack jawed at the display of power, but thanks to her being in the party, he could tell she had burned close to sixty percent of her mana to take out at least ten bots outright and disabled around the same number. And with the effort expended through the rest of the challenge, she was nearing empty.

“Guess with the game ending, playing it conservatively isn’t really the winning move,” John muttered, casting Verdant Surge and using the boost to bound ahead, clearing the path of the two bots that had emerged from the displays flanking them.

John was dimly aware of K’mels and Rowan forcing back other robots trying to flank them but he focused in on their goal. The wall with the exit sign loomed close and only a handful of enemies were converging on them.

“Almost there!” he shouted, thrusting his sword into an attacking bot before flinging it away.

The wall flashed as they exited onto an open stretch of ground, revealing the selection area, and with salvation in sight, everyone pushed themselves forward with one last burst of speed.

“And they’ve crossed the finish line!” Announcer declared as they ran into the foyer. “Let’s give them a round of applause as they catch their breath. And once they do, it’s time to check the scores going into the last and final round!”