Chapter 25 - More Gifts From Grandpa
Mack opened one of the boxes, and to his surprise, he saw a very unique device.
He was not sure what to do. He never saw something like that before.
It looked like a piece of cloth but was moving by itself. It Was very small in size and looked more like some rag, an alive rag.
(Argonian cape, Unique rank)
"Ohhh, this was the first item I didn\'t see \'made by Cube Inc\' on them"
[Indeed. This is a unique item. If can be called as such, and the cubes have no way to replicate them]
"I read it\'s a cape but how do I use it?"
[Drip a few drops of blood.. The argonian cape can be also be called as a symbiotic life form. It\'s a Biotechnical and very unique item. Even my creator had only one of such rare and unique item]
"So. Nobody got here in this gate before?"
[Dozens entered this gate. But all died in this tower, and with their deaths, the cape was recalled]
"I see.... Just drop some blood?"
[Yes. And it will belong to you until you die]
Mack still had some dried blood on his hand so he touched the neck until he found the button to free his hand from the suit. After a few attempts, the suit retracted itself and freed his hand. Then he touched the rag.
And just like a hungry beast, the rag, that kept moving like it had some wind around it, expanded and enveloped Mack\'s hand and sucked all the dried blood.
[Keep feeding it]
"By feed, u mean.... geez what is this? Is it some vampire stuff?"
But even complaining, Mack was already cutting his hand with a knife. He was already used to such weird stuff from aliens.
Then the thing, the cape, as if feeling joy, jumped on the running blood and suck directly from the cut made by Mack.
The cape kept sucking Mack\'s blood like it had an insatiable craving for blood.
After a few minutes and seeing no change, Mack felt inpatient.
\'Is this thing going to suck all the blood in my body?\'
[No, it will not]
"Oh, I almost forgot you could read my mind"
"So.... Should I leave it there? Just... sucking my blood?"
[It must be strong enough already]
[Remove it from your hand. And do a small and thin cut on the back of your neck. Just a little above where the suit ends]
Mack could guess why. So he didn\'t even bat an eye and a few seconds later he had the rag stuck at the back of his neck, sucking his blood.
[This is a very special item. And like I said it\'s a biotech life form. The Argonian cape has a parasitism relationship with his host and will act as if it is a new leg or hand for you]
"So... to this thing work, it will keep sucking my blood? And what this cape does?"
[It has three modes. Sleep, Alive and Active]
[Urge with your mind for the cape to be \'Alive\' and test the other modes the same way]
\'Cape Alive\'
~floosh~
And instantly the little rag behind Mack\'s neck expanded and transformed in a long and dark cape.
The cape as dark as night itself enveloped Mack\'s neck and formed a hood around his head.
And in his back, the cape kept lively dancing in the wind, even with no wind at all.
The cape looked like some alive shadow but full of holes and ragged borders.
Floating and dancing in the non-existent wind.
Mack put his hand on the neck and felt nothing to the touch. Looked like it was some illusion. Then he looked behind his back to see the cape and it indeed looked very cool and mysterious. Mack felt as if he was some spawn from hell with this cape.
He extended his hand to touch, but again, no sense of touch at all. His hand passed thru the cape and back again as if it was some optic illusion.
But he could still hear the faint and almost inaudible sound of the cape fluttering in the wind.
[The cape is in another dimension. The only link to this dimension of us is the small part that touches the back of your neck]
"So it\'s indeed an illusion?"
[Yes and no. It\'s a very special biotech life form that lives between dimensions]
"So what\'s the use of this apart from looking cool?"
[...]
"Don\'t give me this guilt silence. None?"
[...]
"Geez..."
Mack could not believe it. All this high-tech just to look cool?
~sigh~
\'Well, let\'s see... Cape Active\'
~vuush~
Mack heard a small noise and looked behind himself but could not see the cape anymore.
"Don\'t tell me .... no use again?"
Mack said aloud, but for some reason it felt odd.
[Look at your hands]
Mack looked at his own hands but saw nothing.
In more appropriate words, he didn\'t saw his own hands. He looked down at his body and could not see his body either.
Now he realized. The cape made him invisible, even to himself.
"And I can\'t hear my voice. Now I know what was odd when I talked before."
[Correct]
"It\'s weird to talk and don\'t hear feedback. That must be the same feeling as deaf people. It\'s so hard."
\'Why I\'m even talking if I don\'t hear anything? Such a morom\'
\'Cape Sleep\'
~voosh~
The Cape disappeared, and Mack felt better. It was very strange to not see or hear himself.
"It\'s a very agonizing feeling, to tell the truth. But is indeed a fucking exceptional cape"
[It not actually made you invisible but more like it tries to move you between dimensions at a very high frequency]
"So that\'s why the weird feeling I was having"
[An important note is. Do not try to fight while in this state. And do not try anything way too complex either. It may disarrange your body and kill you]
"So this thing is more for sneak operations or run than to try to confuse the enemy in a fight. Got that."
[Yes. Please bear that in mind. Or else you will become so disfigured that not even your enemies will recognize you anymore. That, if you keep living]
"There is a threshold I must avoid?"
[Slowly walking is good. Run is not. Don\'t jump. Don\'t fight. Don\'t grab anything. The ideal and more safe way to use it is to stay still while in active mode]
"Gotcha!"
\'Cape Alive\'
~fluushh~
"Dammed aliens. The cape is indeed cool"
Said Mack, looking at how cool was the cape fluttering like it was alive. He wished to have a mirror to see how he looked now.
Then his gaze fell on another box. He still had more gifts from grandpa.