The Ephemeral Rockstars

I don’t have Reflex Mode available… Jenny’s not here to catch me… John thought as he fell, and David once more materialized above him, still incorporeal, still trying desperately to prevent his owner from falling. John’s foot shot out, and he kicked off a wall, launching himself face first into a fire escape. It slowed him down, but still hurt as he bounced off of it and onto the ground.

“Just dropping-” John began before noticing that this was the same homeless man that had been in the alleyway the last time he had exited Keith’s apartment that way. He started to use Spy on him, but the homeless man disappeared down the alley before he could.

That’s totally not suspicious John thought as he turned away from the alley and stepped onto the sidewalk, then again, I’d probably be freaked out if I saw some parkour freak fall from the sky and not get hurt.

He dusted himself off as for the first time in too long he walked toward the fast-travel barrier and thereby the club.

He arrived at The Seven Circles of Hell and noticed that there was a barrier around it, but he couldn’t seem to enter it. He filed the information away for later as he walked into the club. He was greeted by the bouncer from last time, who he remembered was named Sal.

“Hey there hero, you just missed her. She told me to tell you to come back in an hour or so, when the show is. She also told me to give you this” Sal explained with his usual unpleasant snark as he handed John a sealed note. Instead of replying, John took the note, turned heel and walked right out.

Alright, I could probably take the hour to grind some experience,John thought as he opened the note, which was just an explanation from Jenny that her and Joan were going to get their hair done before they played. David chirped insistently from his shoulder, and John walked into the alleyway from the side door of the club, deciding to create a dungeon there. He made a level five dungeon, and entered it.

Barrier Create Skill Critical Success! Special Barrier Created!

Immediately he felt the boom of speakers of and the strains of music, and had to regain his bearings. It was as if he had re-entered the club, now much more lively. His eyes adjusted to the dark room he had ended up in, and noticed it was filled with all sorts of discarded equipment. Amps, speakers, microphone stands, and stray wires littered the room, all in various states of decay. John opened his character sheet and switched out his civilian clothes for his combat gear.

At the end of the dark entrance hall was a set of double doors, and John drew one of his guns as he crept toward it. He cracked the door open and peered through, but all he was the feet of a crowd of people. Their clothes were tattered and dirty, and their legs seemed to be in even worse shape, but as far as John could tell, they were human. He used Spy on the legs of one as David materialized in his physical form on John’s shoulder.

Undead Groupee
20/20 HP
0/0 MP
Level 1
This husk of a human has been dead for centuries. It has been drained to the tune of the Infernal Band’s magic, and has nearly been ridden of all energy it may have once had to sustain their curse.
Status Effects: Cursed, Mind-Controlled, Down With the Sickness

Spy level 5! You may now see status effects of enemies!

That’s handy John thought as he tapped the last status effect, as it wasn’t self-explanatory, and it was the only one with a tooltip.

Down With The Sickness, Status Effect
Entities inflicted with this status effect slowly lose their sanity, vitality, and willpower the longer they listen to the source of the effect. If this effect is sustained for a full day, it becomes irreversible by normal means, and the entity falls completely under control of the source.

Warning! You have been inflicted with “Down With the Sickness” Stage One! You are slowly losing your willpower and sanity. After two hours, the rate will increase to be exponentially higher.

It was as though a stone pressed down on his heart. The first thing to hit John was a sense of utter helplessness as he felt his very will be sucked away. He snapped out of it when he realized it wasn’t nearly as bad as he thought. He formed two small, incredibly dense earplugs with Mana Construct and slipped them into his ears. They were incredibly uncomfortable, and would only last for half an hour, but they worked.

You are no longer exposed to “Down With The Sickness!” It will take one minute to revert back to your unafflicted state.

John snuck into booming hall, the doors closing inaudibly behind him. The amphitheatre in front of him had speakers scattered everywhere, blasting the music that the band was playing. He could feel the vibrations through the ground, and when he stood up, he was horrified at what he saw. Dozens if not hundreds of people all in various states of decay. It ranged from tattered clothing to pristine outfits, but all of them had soulless looks in their eyes. The variety of outfits was also greatly ranged. There were people dressed in Roman togas, modern jeans, and everything in between.

He crept along until he could see the band, and he was hit with a sense of deja vu. On the bass was what could only be an elf, with pointy ears and mile-long legs. Her pixie cut rainbow dyed blonde hair matched her light skin perfectly as it tossed and turned while she strut across the stage confidently playing bass. Wait until Jenny sees this, John thought as he made a mental note to try to resolve this without killing, and to not collapse the barrier behind him. He watched as the rainbow bassist sensually moved across the stage in a trance.

Speaking of pixies, that’s what the guitarist seemed to be. That or a fairy. It buzzed up and down across the guitar faster than sound, somehow managing to play the instrument that was much bigger than it. With a stomp on some piece of equipment which John couldn’t quite make out, the elf began the song.

“I’m hearin’ voices, animal voices, the creme de la creme, the feminine Abyss and I’m reaching my threshold starin’ at the truth til’ I’m blind.” The drummer was, for all intents and purposes, Keith. He remembered thinking Keith looked kind of similar to a dwarf with gigantism, but that seemed to be what this drummer actually was. A bushy, braided beard dominated his head which was topped with the same ginger colored fluffy hair. A stereotypical helm rested on top of his head, and didn’t move an inch as he played at a torrid pace.

“My body is stupid, stereo putrid spewing out music into raw sewage, reachin’ my threshold starin’ at the truth til’ I’m blind.” The elf’s sweet alto voice went unheard as John stared at them. John was so distracted by their appearances that he didn’t notice as he bumped into one of the Undead Groupees.

He recoiled immediately from the cold, stiff skin, but the groupee paid him no mind. David chirped and fidgeted, a little scared, but mostly unsettled. John absently pet his head and told him to be quiet, not that anything could be heard over the band’s music. Oddly enough, David’s didn’t show being afflicted by the band’s music at all, likely because he was constantly phasing in and out of reality. May as well start thinning the crowd now, these aren’t really humans… so it’s alright. It told me I created this barrier, so they’re fake.

With that not very comforting thought, John shot into the crowd, and noticed that when shot, the husks crumbled to dust. His bullet cleared a line through the hall, but gave him meager experience and no money or loot drops.

All the music immediately stopped. John could only tell because the hall became still, and the vibrations from the speakers stopped. A particularly powerful sonic blast shattered his earplugs and sent him flying into the wall. “Looks like we have a party crasher!” Came the enthusiastic sounding voice of the elf, but there seemed like there was something just behind it. Pain? ****? John’s Charisma nor Wisdom were high enough to tell.

“Get ‘im boys,” she commanded with a riff on her bass, and at once, all the undead turned to him. David, go! John mentally commanded, and the hawk swooped down, tearing through the crowd. He was small enough to make for a hard target, and fast enough to make for an effective moving one. The elf couldn’t hope to hit him with her magic.

Warning! You have been inflicted with “Down With the Sickness” Stage One! You are slowly losing your willpower and sanity. After two hours, the rate will increase to be exponentially higher.

Though David was taking down a good amount of the enemies out, he couldn’t hope to handle all of them. John shot rapidly into the crowd as he kicked off the wall, shooting at the band. A swift soundwave so loud that it chattered John’s teeth was their retort, and his bullet was sent back, just inches to the left of his head.

John cast Magic Rope and wrapped it around a speaker, using it to pull him on top of it. He cast Spy on the band, but got a headache and an error notification.

Spy failed! Aware target’s level too high!

He shot to the end of his magazine with both guns, hoping that the result could perhaps be different, but the reflected bullets shooting past him and grazing his torso and legs told the same story. He decided to retreat while he could, and yelled out, “David! To me! We’re getting out of here!”

David, who was soaring through the undead, cleaving them in his talons, flapped into the air at once… and was hit by a sonic blast. Immediately, John recalled him into his mind, and stumbled towards the doors in the back. “Goodnight Springfield!” the elf called as John made it through the back doors and to the edge of the barrier, forcing his way out before it was too late.

Back in the alleyway, he allowed David to appear. David chirped softly as John laid him on the ground, one wing looking as though it may be broken. He thought to text Keith, and brought out his phone, but remembered he didn’t get his phone number… but it was in his contacts nonetheless. Thank you Jenny. Or Keith. Doesn’t matter John thought as he texted him.

John: Keith
John: Keith
John: Keith
Keith: For fucks sake, what lad! WHAT!
John: Can potions be used on birds?
Keith: That’s what you spammed me for?
John: ANSWER THE QUESTION
Keith: Yeah as long as they’re not allergic to what the potion’s made out of.
John: Okay thank you

John took a --thankfully not shattered-- vial from the bandolier and tilted David’s mouth open, pouring the liquid down his throat. When it was empty, David immediately surged up, as though he wasn’t hurt at all. At the same time, John felt the barrier moving away from him, extremely fast. Faster than he could hope to follow.

“You scared me to hell! You need to be more careful!” John scolded the bird, and David looked down in sadness, but John pat him gently. “You’re not in trouble… just don’t go too far away from me until you grow up! Especially when we’re in combat!”

David chirped happily, and now that he was standing tall, John noticed he seemed a little bigger. “You got some good experience in there, didn’t you bud?” John asked as he scratched David’s chin, and David chirped happily and excitedly.

“So not that I’m not happy to see you waiting for me… but why are you kneeling with David in a dirty alley?” Jenny asked as she walked toward the backstage door. John replied,