“I’m surprised you’re not angry.” I told Slab as we packed.

  He only shrugged in response.

  “Meh. The skies are a different color on occasion, the hills have grown eyes and mouths and the seas are filled with blood. Big deal.”

  “No, I do think it is a big deal.” I countered. “I’ve been fully wrangling the changes with my presence and ordering the Tall Man to rein things in, but the smaller side-effects refuse to go. I’ve even foreseen other high-levelled Intruders making their way over here. That’s why I’ve been upgrading people all day.”

  Slab raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

  “Are any of them going to be as bad as the Great Devourers?”

  “No.” I admitted. “Most will keep popping in and out when my own Intruders hunt them and the stronger ones will run as soon as they sense the Tall Man.”

  “Then there’s nothing to worry about.” He decided. “Whatever minor inconveniences might pop up, I’m sure they are nothing compared to the risk posed by the Seeking Drake. Besides, no one was living in London or the surrounding areas. No one is going to be overly angry with what happened to the city.”

  Well, he was right about that. I could confirm as much through my link to everyone else on this planet. Yet the idea that someone could erase an entire city and be met with nothing but praise didn’t sit right with me.

  Though as he said, the Drake would have done much, much worse if he ever got out. I had predicted he never would have gotten out, but it was better to be doubly sure about these things. Even as careless as the old-world scientists had been, they’d been smart enough to put down a couple dozen backup systems for their indiscretions.

  At that moment, the two of us felt a rush of displaced air as the space behind us crumbled and imploded. We turned to see another odd figure standing there.

  “Behold my form and kneel mortals! I Githukurak! Have come to bend your pitiful reality to my…!”

  The insectoid, horned figure paused to look at me.

  Only for a second.

  Then it manifested a door behind itself and opened it with a flourish.

  “NEVER MIND!”

  They snapped it closed and the air rushed back in to fill the vacuum the Intruder left behind.

  “We’ll be fine.” Slab added once more. “Everyone left behind has lived through worse. Besides, you yourself said it wouldn’t last very long.”

  “Only another month or so.” I confirmed.

  “As I said, that’ll be fine. I’m more worried about what awaits us in the Labyrinth. Especially now that you aren’t allowed to assist us with the Spider.”

  “It was an optional boss anyway.” I assured him. “And just because I won’t be physically there for the fight doesn’t mean there isn’t anything I can do for you guys. I’m still a walking exp booster. I’ll be sure to keep you guys in shape.”

  “About that, do you suppose we should be worried about the Dragon?”

  “I’m not.” I told him bluntly. “The Drake’s advantages dissolve when reality starts breaking down. He couldn’t overcome a veiled prince in the 8th Tier. I don’t see how mine could do worse. Not when a 10th Tier Enhancer is ripping him a new one.”

  We both glanced from the message to each other.

  Then we began to wrap the few computer parts the others salvaged more tightly around ourselves.

  I had just wrapped my arms around my own load, when I felt that distinctive tingling sensation around my body. The sceneries changing from that of a newly-erected settlement to that of a bustling town.

  Immediately after, I saw people. Humans.

  Walking about what seemed like a dockside factory. Next to them were aliens that were somewhat humanoid in shape, with ridges along their humongous bodies or mossy growths under their hooves.

  None of them seemed bothered by the fact that I had appeared out of thin air. Or by the fact that I was holding on to roughly 900 pounds of CPUs and GPUs wrapped in tanned kaiju hides.

  I stood back up. Confused as to where I was.

  The buildings made me think of an old colonial town. One that just figured out early industrialism and the wonders it could do to the economy.

  Large factories were dotted around the place. Their chimneys belching out thick plumes of black smoke that merged into the dark-grey clouds overhead.

  A closer look revealed that none of the pedestrians passing me by looked happy to be here. In fact, they looked downright miserable. Trudging along like condemned men to the gallows.

  Then I gasped as my cobweb carried signals back to me.

  There was more to this place.

  I was surrounded by…

  By…

  “Well, how do you do stranger?” A gnome asked me from the side.

  I turned to it. Not saying a word.

  “My but you are a big one aren’t you? Wonder what they feed kids where you grew up! Well, I hope you like it here better! Welcome to Sunnyside Town!” The gnome laughed.

  “But don’t mind me! Don’t mind me. I’m just heading off to work over there at the factory. The kids do most of the work, but they won’t whip themselves!”

  The gnome laughed at its own joke. Its chest heaving as the wheezing almost took it off its feet.

  A dog walked by at that time. Her ribs visible through her thin, patchy fur.

  She whined next to the gnome, as if asking for food.

  The gnome snarled.

  “What are you doing here you mutt!” It bellowed. “Go on! Get out of here!”

  The gnome kicked the dog.

  Once, twice. Using all the strength those little stubby legs could manage.

  “Get out of here! Go on! Get away! Go bother somebody else or die in the gutter for all I care!”

  It was about to throw a third kick, when I placed a gentle hand on its shoulder. My rage momentarily overpowering my disgust.

  The gnome looked up at me.

  “My, but that is one great big smile you have on your face friend.” It paused to regard me more closely. “Why, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile that wide in my life. You look kind of, eerie.”

  “It is fine.” I answered. Keeping my voice as steady as possible.

  “It is all fine. It will all be fine. Now that I am here.”

  The gnome looked confused.

  “O, okay?”

  “Come over here, gnome.” I urged it towards a nearby alleyway. “I have a secret to tell you.”

  The gnome’s eyes went to the alley.

  “I don’t know friend. It looks pretty dark and foreboding.”

  “It is fine.” I [Dominated] it. “Come over to the dark alleyway with me. It will all be better soon.”

  The gnome followed me. Its mind swaying under my influence. Revelling in the joy me presence brought.

  Once we were out of sight, I breathed a sigh of relief. My fingers now curling around the gnome’s throat.

  It gurgled. Its little fingers soon clawing my hands to no avail.

  “Yes.” I repeated. “I don’t know how I got here, or why, but that doesn’t matter. It will all be right soon.”

  I squeezed a little tighter. Watching as the gnome’s face turned apple-red, then a deep royal purple.

  His little eyes became bloodshot towards the end. Bulging out like balloons.

  I did not loosen my grip.

  Instead, I got a novel idea.

  Turning my fingers into needles and repositioning my hands to inject my own cells into the gnome.

  I felt the gnome’s muscles changing as little drones made their way inside of it. His body spasming as I willed its cells to change in accordance to my whims.

  ‘Fantastic.’ I thought. ‘Don’t know why I’m here, but this is a golden opportunity. I can always fall back on [Domination] to sweep the filth from this place if I encounter problems.’

  I changed his limbs to be longer and his belly to contain explosive bile. Then I added in more muscles to his torso and forelimbs, while extending his legs into thick tentacles filled with envenomed stingers and pseudopods.

  I added more and more muscle. More and more bone.

  Until the thing in front me resembled something out of Extra-terrestrials more than any kind of human-adjacent creature.

  I had just finished fashioning my new drone a stinging tail of its own, when I began sensing other curious onlookers approaching. No doubt coming here to examine to source of the noise.

  I smiled, sent away any non-gnomish ones with a mental command and bade the gnomes to come closer.

  ‘Oh yes.’ I thought to myself. ‘What a fantastic training opportunity this will be.’

  "Okay." I said to myself. "Let's review what we've learned. Number one. This is still somewhere inside the Labyrinth. Some place where time is being messed with. Is that right Mittens?"

  "Mittens agrees. Mittens now sees. The islands are frozen with glee." Mittens answered. Now in his regular kitten form, rather than Anezka's possessed body.

  "You're going to want to re-possess her before we're done here by the way." I reminded him. "I made it so that she'll still be dominated without you, but I would rather keep a backdoor to my parents open."

  "Mittens is here. Mittens is there. Mittens is in her mind and in her bones. In her muscles and sinews. Mittens chews with her teeth and steps with her feet. Mittens will never ever leave."

  In another time, in another life, the fact that those words were coming out of a little black kitten's mouth would have scared me (Gnome)less.

  Now, it was barely worth mentioning.

  I sighed into my palms.

  "Honestly Mittens. Just when I think I'm done losing pieces of myself, something crazy happens and I start to emulate the Drake or Coffin Sully. I'm starting to think this is a pattern."

  "Mittens thinks you are wonderful just the way you are."

  'I agree!' Buddy concurred.

  "Thank you." I told them. "But lets get back to the first point. This is someplace within the Labyrinth that is frozen in time. But I seem to be alone here. I had expected the Dragon to show up and kick my teeth in, but he is also nowhere to be seen. Instead, this is some kind of isolated simulation filled with gnomes."

  "Meat!" Mittens piped up. "Delicious! Succulent meat! Mittens loves the flesh between their pinky toes!"

  I shrugged.

  "I'm more partial to eating their hearts, but that may just be [Predator's Instincts] at work. Honestly, I feel bad judging all those Shifters who lost their marbles and chowed down on their patients back home. I kind of get it now. Doesn't make it right and I would never do it to people, but I do get it. If we're not taking that into consideration then, it could be me thinking back to the memories I absorbed back when we rescued everyone and then having some kind of psychotic episode. Speaking of which, should I be worried about that?"

  "Mittens doesn't think so. Mittens thinks gnomes are delicious. If they didn't want Mittens munching on them, then they shouldn't have been born so delicious."

  'Me too!' Buddy echoed. 'I love absorbing their blood when it splatters all over you! It tastes great!'

  "Right." I said. Waving away the useless concerns.

  "That leads us to the second point. The fact that this is an excellent place to train up several abilities at once. I've been getting more and more used to [Vicissitude] and [Protean Form] in that I'm starting to see them more as cornerstones of what the Shifter Type can do in terms of general skill. For example..."

  I grew an extra leg from my shoulder.

  "I could already do this with [Protean Form] without any kind of issue. But that was done through slowly analyzing the components of what a new limb would take and then re-structuring my muscular, skeletal and nervous systems to make it happen. [Locomotion Appendage] does all of that automatically, but I wasn't feeling the difference until now because I had such a high starting level with the other two combined abilities. I was doing the thing too fast and too easily to gleam any insights from it. But now I know how to get around those issues. All I have to do is copy the Drake and use my abilities on other living things directly! More slowly and more methodically than before."

  It really was simple when I thought about it like that.

  Which made me wonder is the Dragon had somehow arranged for this to happen. Like some kind of added bonus for putting down a fraction of the true Seeking Drake back in Dusty's world. I mean, it fit so perfectly with the lessons I'd just absorbed from those memories that it couldn't have been a coincidence.

  I shook my head. Dismissing the thoughts entirely.

  "Right. Let's revisit that later. I have plenty of time to train on my own. For now, we need to look at the final point. That is, when this is all going to end or if there is even a point to it. My cobweb isn't working and when I try I get this message. Only the future sight though. The rest works fine. But as soon as I try to peer into the future this comes up..."

  "So the System definitely did this. But I haven't been told what the point of it is. Or how to make it stop."

  "Mittens does not want it to stop. Mittens thinks this is a reward. Mittens loves having so many gnomes around Mittens."

  The little kitten let out an adorable half-sneeze, half-belching noise.

  An entire bloodied arm came out of that small mouth. Landing between us with a wet thud.

  I edged away from it and kept on talking.

  "Don't get me wrong. I think the extra time and exercise is great, but I'm still conflicted. I don't want to spend too much time here in Sunnyside town."

  "But no time is passing." Mittens protested.

  "I know. I know. I... I find it hard to describe. I don't feel comfortable here. I want to go back and talk to grandpa already. I want to hear about my parents and if Monique's kids are all-right. I want to follow up with Boris and make sure he's still in that same good mood, now that his sisters are safe. I want to meet with Charlie and make sure he hasn't decided to go around killing bad guys for (Gnome)s and giggles. I want to talk to Prudence and make sure she isn't too mad at what I did. I never really explained the extent of the... changes."

  'I'm sure she'll understand.' Buddy commented. 'After all, you are so very wonderful! How could anyone be angry at you?'

  Somehow, I found it difficult to share Buddy's enthusiasm.

  "Right. Never mind that. I think I'm done for today. Let's find a place to stay so I can take a nice long bath and clear my head. Preferably somewhere we can keep the PC parts."

  "Mittens wants to sleep in the mansion! Mittens wants to control their thoughts and pick at their brain matter!"

  "No." I rebuffed him. "Bad Mittens! Bad! We are not mind-controlling people for no reason. Even if they're not real. I don't want to be that kind of person. Besides, I'm getting decent exp from the gnomes and I suspect that controlling them would cancel that out."

  We ended up heading out to an inn after that. Paying our stay with the loose change I'd found in the gnomes' pockets.

  I was about to head upstairs for a nap when yet another gnome interrupted me.

  "Hey! Innkeep! Are you really letting this guy stay here? He looks like he has fleas!"

  I looked down at myself. Wondering just where he'd gotten that from.

  "You know I'm staying in the room next door right? The least you can do is charge people like that extra. Since you'll have to spend extra time cleaning the lice and dingleberries from your room after they leave for another day of begging."

  A few people downstairs laughed.

  And I laughed with them.

  Turning around with a wide smile on my face.

  "Wow friend. You really know your stuff. Why don't the two of us head over to that dark alleyway across the street and discuss this further?"

  "You know Mittens. The coffee here is pretty good for it being a simulation or whatever. I wonder if I can recreate it in the manse?"

  "Mittens doesn't drink the bitter bean juice." The kitten groaned. Pushing against the chair with soft little paws.

  The motion was so adorable that I had to smile.

  Then I turned my head to look at the blessed lack of problems in this picturesque town.

  "Extra! Extra! Sunnyside Strangler still on the loose after three days! Serial Killer claims eighty more victims in one night! Extra! Extra! Read all about it!"

  I gave the paperboy a sideways glance. Then I went back to my coffee.

  'Honestly. What a silly notion. You can't be a Serial Killer if you're out hunting gnomes. Serial pest controller or serial fumigator would be more like it. That, or serial neighborhood volunteer.'

  “Extra! Extra! Mutant creatures found in sewers! Eating the remains of dead gnomes! Sunnyside Strangler is the prime suspect!”

  Okay. So, maybe turning them into monsters was a bit over the line. Just a little bit, since they were still gnomes.

  That said, I was gaining levels at blinding speeds after being stagnant for a long time.

  I wasn’t about to give that up when all it cost me were gnomish lives.

  ‘Should I just go ahead and mind-wipe everyone here to bring me gnomes? It would certainly be faster than sneaking around. Then again, I recall making a lot more progress with [Hide] when I was actually hiding from something. The levels on [Thaumaturgy] might be affected by how well my new drones can act on their own.’

  I tried a quick experiment then. Ordering five of my drones to bypass the heightened security at a local castle and then ordering them to skulk past the battlements.

  ‘Kill all the gnomes, but don’t get caught. Coordinate with each other to take them out one by one. Drag them towards the ceiling after you’ve found a quiet spot and change them like I changed you.’

  It took my targets another half-hour to catch even one gnome. Yet when they did, they knocked them out and dragged them to a secluded location with ruthless efficiency. Each drone a gear in a larger, well-oiled machine.

  ‘How novel.’ I thought to myself. ‘I’m using my cobweb to talk to them, but it isn’t like using [Domination] at all. Each drone feels a lot more personal. A lot more guided. It is honestly a blast of fresh air when compared to Intruders.’

  Ah. So coordinating my drones and getting them to act out new strategies does lead to more levels after all.

  Nice.

  I stood up with newfound purpose. Now certain of what had to be done.

  “Extra! Extra! Sunnyside Strangler strikes once again! Killer sighted on Main and Jamalan! Guard Captain claims Killer is invincible! Read all about it!”

  I gave the boy a coin and made for the newspaper.

  Sitting down at a nearby café to read all about my new exploits.

  There were testimonies from the captain, as he had promised. But there were also a plethora of reports from other guards and bystanders. All describing the big, bad were-creature that had so easily hauled half-ogre bodyguards off their feet before ripping into their gnomish masters.

  It was odd to read about how people thought of me. The words making me come across as some kind of deranged loon out for blood. Instead of the pillar of the community that I obviously was.

  I mean, forget about trying to shoot me.

  The cops here should have given me a whole host of medals for making the streets safer at night.

  I felt another presence nearby and looked down to see the same pup the gnome had been kicking on my first day.

  I smiled and gave him my sausages. Before gently patting him on the head.

  “Oh, honestly. I would have ended this whole farce if it wasn’t for the levels, but taking care of you is also a pleasure.”

  The pup looked up at me with loving, trusting eyes.

  “Oh! Don’t do that to me sweety! I’ll never want to go home if you keep doing that!”

  I scratched him behind the ear and relished the sweetness of his response.

  I proceeded to bask in the momentary bliss for a few more minutes. Until I felt one of my drones being killed for the first time. A flamethrower catching their figure as they carried an unconscious gnome back to their nest.

  I clicked my tongue. Taking note that the attacker hadn’t cared about killing the potential hostage. Only ending the drone’s life.

  As expected, the attacker was yet another gnome. Leading a hunting party of sorts.

  ‘Well, I guess I shouldn’t be complaining.’ I thought to myself. ‘I have a new target now and I really did need to start practicing with those tolerance abilities. The guards here may think that I’m immortal and otherwise unkillable, but I know better. Besides, those should be fairly straight-forward to merge when I finish getting the hang of them.’

  I stood up. Wrapped up the paper under my arm. Patted the dog one more time, and made for the location of the dead drone.

  “Extra! Extra! Reign of terror continues! Sunnyside Strangler kills lord Honeywell and all his adult children! Extra! Extra! Read all about it!”

  I paid for the paper once more and sat down to read it.

  Once more, there was a plethora of background information that I hadn’t even considered. Relatives that were too power-hungry and too stupid to take a hint coming over to lead the city in times of crisis. Despite the now apparent epidemic of murdered gnomes turned drones jumping all over the rooftops at night.

  ‘Should I give them wings?’ I wondered. ‘I feel that a lot of the recent hunts would have gone better with wings. Something to consider.’

  “Hey! Kid!”

  The paperboy looked my way.

  “Have you ever seen one of these monsters?”

  “No sir!” The boy said cheerily. “I didn’t see any of them and I certainly didn’t see them killing any gnomes. And I am definitely not saying that because the gnomes trying to drive us out of the orphanage are dead. No sir!”

  I laughed.

  He laughed.

  I gave him another few coins and sent him on his way.

  Watching him go, I couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of pride and accomplishment.

  ‘So this is what heroes feel all the time? Wow! It’s such a new feeling compared to all the doom and gloom I usually go through!’

  I brought my attention down to the paper once more. Going through it and trying to see how much good I had really done.

  Then I deflated. Remembering that none of this was real.

  I sighed in defeat and put the paper away. Resigning myself to more training.

  Three days later saw me overlooking the town while sitting on the roof of the local clocktower.

  Burning pyres and the stench of roasted gnomes wafting up from the street level.

  “We did it Mittens! We saved the city!”

  “Mittens says yay!” Mittens said. His kitten form raising two of its paws while sitting on my shoulder.

  I turned to the gnomes hanging on nearby spikes. Their broken necks and bloodshot eyes hanging loosely in the smoke-filled air.

  “Yes. We certainly saved the city. Now on to the rest of this sub-dimension!”

  I read the message.

  Then I read it again.

  Recalling the pop-ups the Spider had sent my way before the Dragon showed up.

  “Oh. Oh no.”

  “Henry? Henry are you there?”

  “I’m here Cass!” I called out. Running over to meet her.

  “Where are we?” She asked. Looking around with mounting trepidation.

  “I don’t know.” I answered. “It looks like some kind of industrial town.”

  I paused when I saw what I could only describe as an orc.

  “I think. Or it might be a System event of some kind.”

  “Are we safe?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Vince thinks we are safe.”

  I whirled on my feet. Turning to see Vince’s emaciated frame. With Thunder Fist right next to him.

  Then my eyes went a bit lower, and I saw the gnomes choking for air in their ghoulified hands.

  “Guys! What the (Cherub)!?”

  They both looked at me.

  “What? They’re gnomes and they were here. Just standing around. What did you expect us to do?” Thunder Fist asked. Obvious confusion on his face.

  I was about to say something else, when I felt a rush of displaced air and a slight prick of energy going up my spine.

  I turned to see Luigi standing there too. And one of Sully’s friends. Prudence, I think?

  “Where is he!?” She snarled. Her beautiful features twisting into a picture of rage.

  “How dare he do this to my friends!? I’ll kill him!”

  ‘Right. Probably not the best time to go over and have a chat.’

  I grabbed Cass’s shoulders and started backing away, when the man himself appeared.

  Solomon Carter. In all his glory.

  A manic smile on his face as he regarded the rest of us.

  Prudence saw that smile and deflated like a balloon. All hint of fury leaving her in an instant.

  Sully’s eyes went over me. Over all of us.

  Then he pursed his lips together. Letting loose a single word.

  “Gnomes.”

  His teeth clenched tightly after that, and my stomach dropped in response.

  Then I saw the System pop-up.

  “Oh (Cherub).”