The Carnelian Fox Read online

  The Carnelian Fox

  Maiyamon Book One

  By

  Kay MacLeod

  Copyright © 2019 by Kay MacLeod

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Contents

  Many Years Ago…

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Game Mechanics

  Acknowledgements

  Many Years Ago…

  “… And we’ve changed the name of the light types to candy instead. They’re pink now.”

  “Whatever for?” That forced Maiya to look up from her notes and break her husband’s continuous babble.

  “For the toys. We needed a pink one and since the light ones made rainbows anyway…”

  “So, you’ve reduced my majestic, golden light types to a merchandising ploy?” She pushed her glasses up her nose before they fell off from the enraged nostril flares.

  “How much do you think this will cost, honey? We’re talking scientific pioneering coupled with implementing a game designed to run itself over the entire globe. Everyone will want to play Maiyamon. Those old enough will buy a Gem, but kids copying their elder siblings have to make do with dolls. If we don’t give those precious little princesses a shiny, pink unicorn, someone else will. This is your vision but let me make it a viable business.”

  “I suppose I can fathom the appeal. What’s left?”

  “We’re up to speed, I believe. Good luck.” Jonathan leant in and kissed her cheek, then pulled back the curtain draped over a doorway.

  Maiya stepped out onto the stage and the five hundred strong crowd erupted. The circles of scientists and gamers were easy to tell apart by their apparel and the odd cosplay of her most prominent characters. To please both, she wore an open lab coat slung over a t-shirt with the logo of Echo Nine, her company’s latest console, emblazoned on the chest.

  Doubtful she’d use them, Maiya dropped a pile of rumpled notes onto the podium, then worked out the microphone from its stand and moved to the edge of the platform. She couldn’t hold back the smirk lighting her lips as the crowd yelled and let out a thunder of applause.

  “Thank you! Thank you all for coming to Mag-Core’s seasonal announcements.” The volume of the mic dipped as the people settled down to listen, Harry was on the ball on the sound desk. “As promised, tonight will be even more incredible than usual. Every time tickets for a seasonal show go live, I see fans commenting they never know if we’ll be focussing on scientific breakthroughs or our gaming range. Well, lucky people, tonight you have both.”

  As murmurs filled the air, Maiya drew out the tiny object resting at the bottom of the inside pocket in her lab coat. Hush descended as she held it aloft.

  “Three of our most successful game series’ feature various forms of monster catching mechanics. In fact, the only genre that makes more credits per year are first-person shooters. So, are you ready for a new kind of evolution? Welcome to Maiyamon. Ladies and gentlemen – monster catching just got real.”

  With a squeeze of the red capsule between her fingers, she unleashed years of work. Thank goodness there were no malfunctions this time. She’d expected applause or yelled questions but there was only a collective inhale.

  Kneeling, Maiya lifted the cat with her microphone-free arm and wedged it against her hip. As she stood, the crowd came back to life. The pair of photographers with permission to document the event must have filled a stack of memory cards by now.

  “As you can see, flames cover the entirety of Chica’s fur like a monster from one of our games, but we can guarantee he’s safe to handle. He’s what we call a Gem, a genetically engineered monster. You will play Maiyamon in the real world, with real creatures. Every kind of animal comes in every typing, with more customisation options in the form of upgrade slots and aesthetic kits. Get your pre-orders in at our special discount rate, these babies are going live in three months. Questions?”

  Monsters don’t exist.

  At least, they didn’t until we created them. After dozens of hit monster collecting games raked in billions of credits per year, it was inevitable someone would create real ones. Would take what our own world provided us with and twist their genetics to make them faster, stronger… cuter. And to build in the need to battle and grow.

  Monsters exist now.

  Like all fads, people grew bored and abandoned their Gems - genetically enhanced monsters - for the latest fashion. But Mag-Core designed the creatures to fight and breed. They terrorised humans and animals alike, new generations not bound to the command of a Primary User. Out competing everything natural, they made the world their own. The only way to survive is with Gems we control.

  Monsters don’t exist, they thrive.

  Chapter One

  “All passes!”

  “Even maths?” Callum raised a sceptical eyebrow.

  “I may have barely scraped through, but yeah, it’s a pass. And yeah, I’m gob smacked too.” I ran my eyes over the scorecard again, convinced that there must be a blemish on there that would sink any chance of following my dreams.

  “Aren’t you going to ask about mine?” Callum handed me an envelope that looked as if he used one of those little daggers to open it, a stark contrast to my own ragged edged results.

  “We know you’re top percentile, golden boy. Don’t rub it in.” I peeked in to confirm the perfect list of firsts and then shoved it back at him. “Seriously though, well done. Know what this means?”

  “We can pick Charlotte up now!”

  “Mate, you’re genuinely calling a fire-breathing dragon ‘Charlotte?’”

  “She’s a dragon, but she’s still a lady. More so than you, at least…”

  I ignored the slight, and we dashed off, leaving Aroro College behind for the last time. Today we registered as Primary Users, the only two from this year’s class that planned on battling Gems.

  “You should’ve let me reserve a fox for you,” Callum said as we neared our destination.

  “You should know by now that if I’m doing this, I’m doing it myself.”

  “Connections are a tool, Sam. It doesn’t make you any less of a Prime to use them.”

  “I’m letting you get me in there early, aren’t I? Just not begging for money is all.”

  “I’m sure you’ll get me back when you’re Head Grand Master.”

  “Hey, those winnings are mine, this way I get to keep it all.”

  As we approached the Gem holding centre on the outskirts of the grounds, Callum brought up the holographic screen on his eBand, flicking through
to his pre-booking. Moments like this made me wonder why he even bothered with me. Stood there all charming with his high-end Band. Mine was an ancient touch screen model passed down when my mum was allocated a new one from work. He oozed wealth and charisma; short, blond hair perfectly framing his thoroughbred features, and his well-cut travelling gear was clearly tailor made compared to the too-short sleeves I fiddled with. I’d be convinced he only hung out with me because there were no other battle Primes in the class if he weren’t so genuinely down to earth.

  A steward guarded the entrance, a blank gaze pasted over his face as he waved us though with the sparsest glance. I swallowed my elation, trying to still the buzzing in my limbs.

  Dim light radiated from a touch screen console on one corner, the only light source in the room. It was barren in here now, but soon it would be crammed with other ecstatic young Primes. There really were advantages to having connections.

  A swift click of heels announced her arrival just before a woman flicked a switch behind the counter that ran the length of the room, leaving me blinking in the harsh neon glow of the room coming to life.

  “You’re early. Special delivery, huh?” The elderly lady appraised us over chunky specs and leaned across her desk to examine each word on Callum’s receipt.

  “I’m here for the female flame draco cub.” Callum gushed every word. I chose to keep my cool and wait my turn with respect and grace.

  The woman rechecked his hologram, then disappeared into the back. She returned several minutes later with a small, red capsule.

  “Flame draco, so cliché,” I whispered as I nudged Callum in the ribs. All his attention was on the woman scanning the capsule to transfer ownership over to him.

  “We naturally get a lot of plant and air Gems in this area, flame makes sense.”

  “And draco are just cool?”

  “Powerful.” Callum’s impeccable manners disguised his competitive nature well, but battles were not about smiles and pleasantries.

  “Go look, Sam. I know it’s killing you.”

  I didn’t need any more coercing. My fingers flew to the search bar on the corner console, forget the type selection – I wanted a fox. And the good breeders of Vastica had come through. I had the choice of three.

  I slipped the corner of my grade card under the scanner on the bottom of the screen, followed by my decrepit eBand. Within seconds a capsule dropped into the port next to the scanner.

  In absolute wonder, I reached for the device. This would culminate years of Mum saving and me throwing in whatever chips I could earn from odd jobs. My own battle Gem.

  “Flame? That’s so cliché.” He could tell by the colour of the capsule.

  “Kind of ruining the big moment here, Callum.”

  “You got one?”

  I squeezed the capsule between my forefinger and thumb, feeling a pulse in response. Then blinked back tears as I saw him for the first time.

  He wasn’t the same as a normal fox, of course. The designers of this game had made Gems larger than life, brighter, and more beautiful than what nature itself could ever produce. Gems were made to be merchandisable. My fox was slim pawed, with a delicate muzzle and eyes too large for his head. His fur shifted between autumn red, through sunset orange, to hazard yellow, glinting and changing as the cub shook out his coat. He looked into my eyes and blinked an intelligent greeting, so I grabbed him up into my arms and pressed my face into his smoulder-smell fur. He emanated a constant heat as he snuggled down into the embrace.

  “What’re you calling him?”

  “Finn,” I decided on the spot.

  “Want to go outside and battle?” Callum’s eyes lit up, and he gestured at his own new teammate.

  Sure, I’d seen draco cubs before… just not in real life. Apparently, they were obscenely large for a first stage Gem, most cubs could nestle in their Prime’s arms, but Charlotte was knee-high as she scrambled forward on all fours. If you included her muscular tail, she was at least four times as long as Finn.

  “We got this!” I bluffed, no way I’d back out of my first battle. Finn sat up with bright, inquisitive eyes, calculating the measure of his opponent.

  “Outside,” the woman behind the counter echoed, shooing us away while still fixated on her own screen.

  Finn trotted out, his smart little steps sprightly and carefree. Trainers worked these purpose-bred first Gems to be battle-ready, confident, and obedient.

  A fenced off concreted area the size of a football field sat next door, a structure with the express purpose of battle testing new Gems. I slid Finn’s capsule into a wristlet on the opposite arm to my eBand as I stepped over the threshold.

  Charlotte bounded into the centre, her talons scraping the floor with continuous clicks. You had to admire the girl’s red-gold iridescent scales and the way her sinuous tail followed her body.

  “Ready?” Callum called from where he assumed his position on the other edge of a circle etched into the ground.

  “Okay, Finn,” I whispered to my Gem, “You are way more manoeuvrable than that hulking thing, so keep your distance. She’s got bulk, but just keep hitting her with long range attacks while you avoid her, right?”

  The little fox yipped; his huge, sparkling eyes proved that he’d taken every word on board. And trusted me. Damn, I hoped it wasn’t misplaced. Fresh from the centre like this the draco had the advantage, they were built to be defensive Gems and even though they didn’t have the speed or power of a fox, they were strong enough to take down such a delicate gem with a few good strikes.

  Finn didn’t seem to care, just faced her down like he was the one with the advantage. Would have been a lot easier if Callum had gone with a plant type.

  “Let’s see your flame breath, Charlotte!” Callum called. I still thought it was a stupid name for a dragon, but that boy looked like a professional Prime already.

  The draco took a deep breath.

  “Keep moving, Finn,” I said, voice steady.

  A sheen of red flame poured out of Charlotte’s maw, following my fox as he dashed around to flank her. It wasn’t too much to worry about, just a widespread, weak attack that my Gem resisted naturally, anyway.

  “Magma spits, aim for her wings,” I directed. Those puny things wouldn’t allow her to fly until she reached her final form, all they were right now was an unarmoured target.

  Finn hacked up a ball of lava and let it fly, still circling like a shark. Charlotte ducked and twisted, but the fiery ball still struck her hind quarters. First hit to Finn.

  “Close in!” Callum yelled.

  “More spits. Keep dodging her.”

  Finn tore around the edge of the arena, hammering the draco with lava. She avoided some, knocked one away with her tail, and rocked with the impact of others. But Charlotte kept up her own stream of attacks, her flame breath caught Finn’s tail a couple of times when he was trying to split focus between attack and defence.

  “Get out of there!” I felt my voice creep higher as Callum’s Gem rushed across the battlefield.

  In a blink I realised my mistake. Foxes were glass canons, made to hit first and hard, not to weather attacks and play a long game. Charlotte kept up her charge and clamped her fangs around the tip of his brush. No! I should have directed him to take the clear head shot when she ran in.

  “Swipe him,” Callum said, calmer now it looked as though he had this in the bag. We weren’t done yet.

  “Lava spit, direct attack,” I blurted.

  But it was too late. As Finn hacked, Charlotte caught him with a mighty uppercut, rocking the little fox’s head back and collapsing him into a heap of ruffled fur.

  “Okay, you win,” I said, dashing over to pick up my poor cub and stroke his muzzle. “You did so good, Finn. That was my mistake, I promise I’ll do better next time.”

  He nuzzled the back of my hand with a damp nose, as trusting and loving as before – except more bleary-eyed. I tapped his capsule, I didn’t want to see him go, but he needed to rest
and heal up.

  “We knew you’d win, Callum,” a high-pitched voice squealed from the entrance.

  “Yeah, thanks for leaving us the good Gems, Sam,” another tittered.

  A gaggle of future show Primes that shared most of our classes had watched the whole thing, it was mortifying. They already thought Callum was way too good to waste his time with me.

  “I think you chose well,” he said, ignoring our audience, “He’s got great spirit, when he gets stronger, he’ll be unstoppable.”

  “Well, she’s already a beast,” I gestured towards his draco as he recalled her. “Should we find some poor suckers for double battles? I have a pair in mind already.”

  “Leave them be, you know they aren’t in the same league.” He nodded at the group of girls and grinned. “Besides, they aren’t even letting them in yet, we could be waiting a while.”

  “To listen to them you’d think they were topping leagues already.”

  “Half will drop out before they’re even qualified.”

  “Only half?” He clearly had more faith in them than I did.

  “Regina will do well. Naomi too.”

  “You’re just saying that because they lead your fan club,” I scoffed, heading out of the arena.

  “I thought supporting my family was your job?”

  I rolled my eyes at him in response, for some reason he thought it was hilarious that I’d had a crush on his dad for pretty much all my formative years.

  “I’ll leave the support to that lot,” I replied, “You’re going to need someone to buy all your merch when you get famous.”

  “You aren’t allowed to swap your Gem once you’ve taken one,” Naomi said as I walked past, letting another girl in front of her so she could try to wind me up.

  “There’s only two candy types, Nay,” I said, “You’ll be so disappointed that you ended up with a corrosive just because you wasted time being a smug cow.”

  Her heavily plucked eyebrows almost flew off her stupid forehead, and she pushed through the Primes in front of her to be first at the door.