《The Path to Freedom A Litrpg adventure》


 1. Worlds End

    The World''s End


    Most of us remember where we were when the multiverse decided to "allow" our planet to enter. I don''t, I was still battling my inner demons, trying to overcome the bullshit. I grew up a fighter never backing down from anyone, a real disrespect for authority type. Problem was when I became an adult, I had a list of enemies, and was always looking over my shoulder. Which had started to give me panic attacks. Nothing seemed to help so I drowned myself in drink. Blacking out and coming to sometimes with more bruises and busted knuckles then memories. Somehow, I just couldn''t escape my urges to fight even if I couldn''t remember them. It wasn''t until the multiverse came that I truly understood why I was the way I am. From what I was told by the other humans, "the integration" or the world''s end was spectacular! They say it happened in an instant. 6:00AM Eastern standard time.


    :Warning citizens of earth 30 minutes until multiverse integration:


    Dave screamed! "What the hell does that mean?"


    Jumping up from his chair in front of the television, looking to where Rob had been asleep on the couch.


    Rob sitting up and looking around bewildered. "I don''t know, but it woke me out of a sound sleep!"


    "You saw it to right, the message, like a videogame popped into your head?" demanded Dave. "Right?"


    "Yea weirdest shit ever. You think it''s real? Maybe we shouldn''t have stayed out with D all night drinking."


    "At least he didn''t lose it again and smash someone at the bar." Chuckled Dave.


    "Where is D anyway?" Questioned Rob. "He didn''t come back to The Spot last night, we did."


    "For real though, what the hell is going on? I''m gonna run outside and smoke. We definitely drank too much last night" Dave said, while walking toward the front door of their apartment shaking his head.


    "The Spot" as they liked to called it, was a decent size three bed room apartment on the 1st floor of a two story home. The Crew, as the group of friends liked to think of themselves as, chilled at The Spot as often as they went out.


    Dave walked out on the front porch to smoke, looking around, he realized they definitely didn''t drink too much last night. If anything they should have drank way way more. The sky appeared to be on fire, a fire every color of the rainbow. He looked across the street to the brick apartment building, the same shit building he looked at almost every morning. On their side of town no one could buy a house. The area they all grew up in was a mix of apartment style buildings. Old Victorian houses that had been converted into 2 or 3 family homes, with the occasional single family home that was decent sprinkled in. They didn''t live on the rich side of town that was for sure. They lived between two housing projects, and fighting was the normal in school and on the streets for most everyone around. Look out at the buildings, he noticed most of the people were all scrambling to their cars, some yelling at each other to hurry up other franticly running. A few people stood as still as statues staring at the sky slack jawed.


    "Yo, you better come check this out!" He yelled over his shoulder. "I got a bad feeling that message isn''t bullshit and we''re not the only ones who saw it"


    Scrambling through the door Rob''s eyes opened wide "We gotta grab some gear and get the crew together NOW!"


    :System announcement- 20 minutes remaining before integration:


    They both ran back inside and grabbed their phones. Rob ran over grabbed a backpack. Rob always had one of those laptop backpacks that could hold his 17" Alienware laptop. He customized the shit out of it. It was better then most people''s gaming PCs. He just started throwing anything he thought useful inside the backpack, franticly running through the apartment looking for anything else that may be useful.


    Dave yelled, "My phones got no service."


    "Neither does mine. This isn''t good. We at least have to find D before anything happens. Who knows what craziness this means!" Rob yelled back, stuffing more items in the bag.


    Meeting back up in the living room, Dave and Rob''s eyes met. "You good?" Rob asked. Dave just nodded and they headed back out the front door.


    Dave and Rob ran out the apartment, down the side of their apartment building. People were coming out of there homes in droves. Probably thinking it was safer anywhere but where they were. On the first floor but other side of a building was Dan''s place. Dan and Rob were The Crews tech guys. Dan could build anything electronic and Rob could hack and crack anything on the web. They both made their money off the dark web. Dan built dark web sites such as auctions and charged a fee, and Rob made his coin hacking for no small fee.


    SMASH, SMASH


    "What the hell is going on?" Dan said slamming the door open for them.


    "Grab some shit, we gotta move now!" Rob replied.


    "Have you guys seen and heard some strange messages this morning?" Asked Dan.


    "No dumbass we just sprinted here and banged on your door because there''s a sale on ugly t-shirts you need to see. Of course we''ve seen and heard the messages! Now get your shit we gotta go!" Dave yelled.


    "Where''s D? How come it''s just you two? And how are we gonna get to the other side of the city in 20 minutes?"


    "Shut the hell up Dan we''re wasting time. We gotta move." Rob said.


    :System announcement- 15 minutes until integration:


    "You guys seen and heard that to right?" Dan asked, half scared and half confused.


    "Like we already said YES! Now grab your gear we gotta get to D''s now! Unless your sitting on a bunch of weapons in there we didn''t know about?" Rob said ready to pick Dan up and run with him.


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    As they made there way to the front, where Rob''s black RAM 1500 was parked, Rob knew they weren''t going to make it to D''s before this so called integration. People where running and driving everywhere. Cars were jumping the curb to pass each other. Families were running for their lives. That''s when they heard the first gun shots. They all knew right then and there this truly was The World''s End.


    The ten minutes they spent were trying to get over to D''s apartment, had basically been playing demolition derby. Rob''s, what use to be sweet RAM, was now a total piece of crap. Dan was relaying to Rob any info he could get on from the Net, which was basically nothing. Dave was yelling out the window trying to fight anyone that got in the way, as if they had time for that. 5 minutes to go before the integration happened. The question was is the whole Crew going to be together, or if D was going to be the odd man out.


    They were almost out of there shit hole area. There were more houses and less apartments now, you could even go a few blocks without seeing a liquor store. It wasn''t the rich side of town but it was better then were they lived.


    "You think D is on his way to us or you think he''s holding down the fort hoping we get to him?" Rob asked them both.,


    "D''s not in the right head space, ever sense he got out of the hospital. He has said he feels something coming. Something that will challenge us all. He''s your brother Rob, you know more then anyone those aren''t panic attacks! D never gave a shit about anything. Suddenly two weeks ago not only is he having panic attacks, he''s saying he''s getting a strange feelings of being watched." Dan replied.


    "Did he tell you guys about blacking out? Waking up, barely remembering his strange dreams? I ran out to my truck yesterday, I wasn''t outside but 3 minutes! When I came back inside, somehow his knuckles were all busted and his lip was bleeding. I asked him what happened and he said nothing. I said "Bro your bleeding and look at your hands." Rob explained as he swerved around two cars that had stopped and were beeping at each other. The benefits of not giving a fuck. If he tapped a bumper or smashed a car, no one was going to complain. It was the end of the world as far as he knew. They could still her the occasional gunshot or scream. But, it was much less now, either ammo was running low, or people just accepted the fate that awaited them.


    Finally, D''s place came into view. Slamming the breaks, and throwing open the doors, the three men ran toward D''s backdoor.


    Beating on the door, resulted in no answer from D. Finally, Rob used his spare to let them in. They split up to look around, soon they realized D wasn''t home, but he had been. Meeting back up in the kitchen which was right off the back door. Dave looked to Rob, who was holding a bloody shirt in his hands.


    "What did he beat his own ass?" Dave asked confused


    "No, there was blood all over this shirt but none on the floor, I went into every room it didn''t make sense. This amount couldn''t have come from him, but he''s not here."


    Back outside and in the truck again, Rob looked around there was still no clear roads and demolition derby was taking a toll. His truck wouldn''t make it any place in the 5 minutes they had left, because his truck would probably not be running anymore in 5 minutes.


    "Shit we''re not gonna make it. Anyone have any ideas? You think we should stay in the truck when this happens or get out? Maybe we should get inside somewhere?" Rob asked


    "Who the hell knows, this isn''t your average Saturday. It''s to early for this shit show anyway, I didn''t even get to finish smoking this morning, and we''re basically dead in a few minutes. I should have just stayed my ass on the couch and waited for the world to end! But noooo, I''m running around with you two smashing into everything. Our damn phones don''t work, the internet is magically dead, and assholes are everywhere!" Dave was starting to yell, slightly losing his shit.


    "Dave! Use your head for once, we''re all scared but if we don''t make it to D when this goes down, it''s all going to be much worse than if we were all together." Rob said giving Dave a look that told him to calm the hell down.


    Dan was just staring out the window, by now people we basically in a panic, not that they weren''t acting like maniacs themselves, but at least they weren''t running on foot like half the people outside. Where the hell could they make it in just a few minutes on foot? The nearest train or plane was miles away. Hell the reason rent was so cheap on their side of the city was because it wasn''t near anything important.


    "I''m about to lose my shit.." Dan mumbled to himself.


    "How much time do we have?" Dave asked.


    "Probably around 3 mins." Rob said as he said as he finally gassed it and smashed threw two cars in the way to start going.


    "Dude that car you just rammed, just hit that guy!" Dan yelled.


    "Well he shouldn''t have been standing there." Dave said laughing at his own joke.


    Glancing at the clock, Rob thought to himself, well if it''s all going to hell in a hand basket at least I get to go with these guys. If anyone is gonna be able to find us I''m sure it''s my brother. He would fight God himself to get the three of us out of trouble. I''m sure if the phones still worked he would have already called us by now.


    :Outer Space:


    1 minute before integration on an interplanetary ship just outside the solar system stood The Ten. Known as The Ten and feared across the multiverse, these were the first ten beings who made it to level 1000. The multiverse gifted them the right to rule. They all had they''re own factions to rule, millions sometimes trillions of cultivators to rule over. All of them a power in there own right. Each was allowed to pick a champion on a newly integrated world. Each allowed to pull there champion into a time dilation chamber and train them a bit before the integration happened. If the champion they choose was the first to level 100 there faction was allowed control over the planet. Torok was the first being to reach level 1000, however he had the smallest faction. Sometimes he wouldn''t pick a champion. He said only those with the spark would he pick, and the other 9 never truly knew what he meant. Of The Ten, Torok was the most feared because the others could feel his power. It wasn''t like any of other beings, it felt different, strange, foreign even. Only 5 times during previous integrations had he chose a champion and each time, the chosen was the first to reach level100. This being the 6th time he choose a champion had them all paying attention. Unlike the last times though, he wouldn''t let them see his champion. The others knew nothing about the champion, except he was pulling him in for time dilation training but wiping his memory after.


    "Torok, we have but a moment before the integration you must return your champion." Zellia stated.


    "I just wiped his memory again, he will be returned at the final moment. Worry about your own champion, she knows what''s coming but she still doesn''t stand a chance." Torok said with a hint of a smile.


    Zellia was confused, Torok never had acted this way before. Sure his champions were always the strongest but he always took a direct approach. Norbak was already betting against Torok for the first time. Telling them Torok had lost his touch. That they would finally witness one of his champions fall. Zellia knew him best and that was to say barely at all. Torok seemed never to want for anything he had immense power but the last few thousand years had seemed bored. What game was he playing? Why was he taking this approach?


    Torok looked out over the world and almost smiled. For the first time not only had he found a champion, but finally he found someone who may be able to actually challenge him one day. Someone whose spark burned brighter then even his did on the day the multiverse came to him. He also knew that to truly become a power house in the multiverse you needed to be challenged. With no memory of his help his champion would rise truly rise to be a powerhouse, or so we''re his hopes.


    :Back on Earth:


    God damnit D thought I blacked out again. These god damn panic attacks were turning into a shit show. This was the third one this week. He knew something was off soon as he came to. He had blood all over him again, and every time he blacked out from the panic when he came too he could think clearly again. It was like he knew deep down inside he was stronger, faster somehow. He felt different he thought he was losing his mind. Then the count down started.


    5,4,3. That''s when he knew he finally lost his mind not only was he hearing things he was seeing things too. When the countdown hit 1 a strange pulse flew through him and he saw all white.

 2. Trial by fire

    When the white light finally faded away D was standing in a completely black room with a strange being. It was somewhat humanoid shape, far bigger then D, that seemed to be completely shrouded in darkness. D couldn''t make out any of the figures features, it was if the figure was made of complete darkness with somehow an even darker outline. It first started to speak in what D thought might be French, then Spanish, then a profusion of different strange languages really quickly. D lost it and finally yelled "What the fuck is going on!?"


    "Oh English, I see, I''m here to oversee your pick of class, before you are sent back to Earth to compete for the title of world champion."


    "What like in boxing, or an MMA fight. Also what the hell are you?" D was rambling but extremely confused. The figure was animated like a living being. It spoke with its hands or what D assumed were hands. It even has some head movement. Either D had truly lost his mind or this was for real.


    "My name is Brava. I am an AI. You have been selected as a champion, you must remember your training?"


    "Training? What the hell are you talking about I blacked out and now I''m here. I haven''t received any training. Why was I selected as a champion?"


    "This is not a normal occurrence at all. Your spark clearly is marked as a champion, one of The Ten must have been in contact with you. Your spark glows bright, your mana is dense, someone has to have been training you." Brava said


    "Listen I can fight. I''ve been doing it my whole life but I have no idea what your fucking you''re talking about. What''s a spark? Mana you mean like a video game? Because I''m a beast at call of duty! What''s a class? Why don''t you just tell me what''s going on?" D was getting upset, he could see himself breaking this AI soon enough, if it kept up with these bullshit weird answers and questions.


    "Time is limited, we only are here to choose your class as a champion. As a champion you will start at level 5. You will be stronger then most of the people around you when you return to the start of this planets battle. Are you ready to choose your class? I have several million Terrans to go threw today. It will have been but a mere moment on your home world when you return. I suggest you go all out. For if a champion falls behind The Ten will push more challenges at you to force either growth or death." Brava didn''t mean to seem cryptic, but for the last decade he had seen this over and over. Plus AI''s could be wiped if they weren''t effective at their job.


    "Fine, I''ll choose my class but this is some bullshit. I have no idea what''s going on. How am I suppose to make a choice with no idea what that choice will mean for me?" D was pissed now. Any moment he was gonna lose his shit and see if this so called AI was breakable.


    Brava waved his hand and to D''s eye it was magic. Screens appeared in his vision. He blinked several times not quite understanding if this was real or if he truly did lose his mind. The screens were floating, but also somewhat transparent. As he read them, it was almost as if the screen knew when to scroll, the followed his eye movement, even when he turned his head or looked up and down. Technology like this didn''t exist on Earth, this was something D had never seen or heard of before.


    Class 1: Battle Mage


    Mana infuses your limbs and weapons. Close range attacks deal +n damage n= half your level plus strength. Battle mages can only use their personal mana type when attacking. Every level gained will allow you to choose 3 points to be added to your attributes. Class rank: Uncommon.


    D read the first screen and now he was totally lost. Brava said as a champion whatever that meant he started at level 5, but what were his attributes?


    "Hey how can I pick one of these and be sure it''s the right one I don''t know my attributes!" D asked.


    Brava almost looked like he was shaking his head as if the AI could think, this person is dumb. " Truly you are the worst trained champion I have come across. Think in your minds eye "STATUS SCREEN". The system will show you your attributes.


    D was about to jump across the room and show this stupid AL what he was capable of, but he took a breath and thought to himself "STATUS SCREEN". To his surprise it fucking worked. A new screen now appeared in his vision.


    Champion Daemon Bar


    Level - 5


    Strength: 6


    Dexterity: 5


    Perception: 4


    Mind: 3


    Mana: 10


    Health: 98/100


    Mana: 70/70


    After class selection all new stat points will be available for allocation.


    Holy shit! This is like a video game! He had no idea if his stats were good, bad, or average. At least he could figure out his damage output with the class he selected now. "Hey Brava that first class said uncommon. You said I have 5 classes to pick from as a champion. What''s the rarest class I have to pick from?" D knew class rarity in games could mean a huge boost. When he and The Crew weren''t doing all they could to keep control on there small portion of their shit hole city, they gamed just like a lot of other people. D thought the uncommon behind his first class choice meant he must be in for something better. Maybe being a champion actually came with some benefits, besides starting at level 5 and being pushed to the brink of death.


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    Brava waved his hand again "You have two classes at epic rarity...Error..." The Al started shaking slightly "The champion list should include only one Epic class..." More shaking and white lines appeared throughout the black figure "Class selection debug in progress...Error..." The white lines started traversing the figures body and the shaking intensified. Then as suddenly as it started, it ended and Brava was once again a solid black humanoid. "Class selections correct, choices will be allowed. Sorry, in all my time; champions have only gotten one epic class to choose from. Two should not be possible. Maybe it has something to do with your lack of training? This is highly unorthodox."


    Finally the first of the two epic classes popped up in D''s vision. D was pumped, this was like when he had his brother hack his game console so he could see threw walls. Maybe this was gonna work out in his favor. D finally settling down and started to read the class descriptions in his vision.


    Class 4


    Undying Assassin


    Mana can be used to stay undetected. First strike = 200% bonus damage. User has ability to shadow step, shadow jump, and shadow block. If user loses health from target of assassination when target is killed all health will be restored. 5 attribute points per level to be assigned.


    Class rank: Rare.


    D thought about it and it seemed like a badass class, but he wasn''t the covert type. He could be, he guessed, if he wanted to be. He had no idea what shadow jump or block or any of that meant. But he knew that 200% bonus damage for the first strike could come in handy. In most fights he and the crew got into he dropped most people with his first shot anyway. This would more then double his striking power, he would hit like a freight train. D didn''t like one thing though, he had to kill the target to regain lost health. The guys and D rumbled with other crews all the time and he was sure he had put people in the hospital many times, but kill someone, if he had to he guessed he could. But this sure made it seem like he was being forced to. He thought about it some more and decided to check the last epic class and compare the two.


    He mentally nudged that class over to the side of his vision and the final class appeared.


    Class 5:


    Void Demon


    Your mana is the void it will disrupt all mana attacks except attacks infused with light mana. Demon classes are unique. The more damage Demon classes take, the more damage they can output. Small chance during battle to go berserk. When berserk, Void Demon will not be able to tell friend from for. 6 attribute points per level.


    Class rank: Epic


    Hmmm D was disappointed it didn''t seem to have any skills like his other epic class started out with. Still 6 point per level and he was level 5 already so he would have 30 points to play with. The berserk seemed like it could be a problem if he was about to find the guys during this whole mess. Still he was pretty sure he knew what he was going to pick.


    " The classes seem to not give much information. Anything you can tell me about the different class ranks?" D asked Brava


    " Yes common classes will allow the user to select a new skill every 25 levels. Uncommon gets a skill every 20 levels, rare gets a skilled every 15 levels, and finally epic gets a new skill every 10 levels. The skills will be related to the class you select as well as the battles you engage in."


    "Anything else about classes I should know?" D asked


    "Yes after you select your class you will need Exp to level. You won''t know how much Exp you will need per level until a class is selected. If you reach level 100 you can upgrade your classes rarity. There is also racial upgrade shards that you will be forced to battle for at level 25 should you stay alive that long." Brava answered like he has said this same thing a thousand times.


    " So there is a better class then epic?"


    "There are several above epic but until your mana and body can handle the power of those classes without destroying itself you won''t be able to choose them and I cannot tell you about them." Brave said "Now please select you class as I said I have to do this many more times."


    D thought over his two options he didn''t know what type of mana the Assassin class used it didn''t say, but that class came with some skills at least. Still maybe it was because the Demon class was so close to what he was known on the streets as it had an appeal to him. "I choose the Void Demon class." Again, his vision went white but this time it was like his head was splitting in two. Information was just being thrown in there. He had a faint feeling of moving or traveling but that was it. He opened his eyes to find himself laying on the ground in what appeared to be a forest. He was still alone but he could see in several directions that there were beams of light shooting into the sky. The sky itself looked like a moving wave rainbow of colors, almost like rainbow fire. He wasn''t sure if he was still on Earth or if somehow he was on a different plant. The trees looked semi normal, they just were huge. Three times the size of a normal earth tree. No way he was in the city anymore. His hopes of finding his friends were getting slimmer then he liked. He could only hope one of the lights shooting in the sky was the correct direction to head toward to find his brother and friends. Slowly rising to his feet, D started heading towards the closest light pillar. After walking only a few steps D remembered he had stats points to use. He thought "STATUS SCREEN" making his stats appear in his vision again.


    Champion Daemon Bar


    Void Demon Epic


    Level - 5


    Free points available: 30


    Before his screen could load he threw them in 10 to strength 5 to dexterity and mind and 10 into mana. Then finally let his screen load.


    Strength: 15


    Dexterity: 11


    Perception: 4


    Mind: 9


    Mana: 20


    Level 5


    Experience required to reach level 6 - 1200


    He wasn''t sure if perception being lower then the rest was going to be a problem, but he knew maybe he could level soon enough. Well that was if he could figure out how to gain Experience. He looked back up at the beams of light and continued making his was towards the closest one. He had no idea what direction he was traveling in the sky was just a mix of rainbow swirls and he couldn''t see the sun. It must still be there though, it was as bright as if it were daytime. He only hoped the guys would do the same and make for one of these big beams of light. That was when he heard a roar coming from behind him. He spent some time in the woods growing up, but this didn''t sound like any animal he had heard before. Then the ground began to shake. D was always one to fight first and ask questions later but when the monster broke through the tree line, he thought "Nope!" and his legs were already moving, running for it.

 3. Damn What Class

    Dave was the last to drop back into what was now the real world. He could see Dan and Rob standing in the same clearing he found himself in, talking a few feet away. Clearly they weren''t in the city anymore. He looked around to realize they were basically in a forest, and the sky still looked like he had taken a bunch of mushrooms. The forest had trees three times too large, with tuffs of grass and bushes scattered around.  What seemed like well worn walking paths throughout.  Shaking his head to clear it, Dave rose to his feet and started walking toward Rob and Dan. Turning to see Dave walking up to them, Rob spoke.


    "Dave what class did you get? I got a rare class called Deadshot. When I asked about guns though, the AI told me all advanced Earth weapons were removed. Not sure what advanced weapons means but hopefully we don''t run into people with tanks and shit."


    "That''s bullshit Rob, my best class was an uncommon, it''s called Lightning Shield Bearer. My mana affinity is lightning and I get 3 points per level but I''m still level 1. What about you guys?"


    Dan spoke first, "Well I also got a rare class called Weapons Tech. It allows me to combine weapons we find to make special ones. I guess I could make a bow that shoots swords or I was thinking a staff that shoots needles. My mana affinity is light, not sure what I''m gonna do with that but I''m also level 1. My mind stat is my highest at 10 everything else was only 3 and 4. My status screen says I need 100 Exp to get to level 2 and I''ll get 5 points to assign"


    "Deadshot means I''m a long range specialist from what I got from the AI too bad there''s no sniper rifles; but I''m sure if we find a bow I''ll be able to put in some work. My mana affinity is Shadow and I already have a skill called Shadow blink. I can only use it twice within one hour though and it cost 3 mana to use. My mana is 10 everything else is a 5 or 4 except dexterity it''s an 8." Rob said


    "So we''re all level one, but how the fuck do we level and why are we in the middle of this strange forest, when we were in the city when this all went down?" Dave asked the question but they were all thinking the same thing.  Clearly they had been transported a different world or the Earth as they knew it had changed.


    "Shut up you guys! You hear that sounds like something''s moving in the trees over there?" Rob snapped.  Pointing to a patch of trees, with some rather large underbrush going back as far as they could see.


    Dave and Dan glanced at the same time toward the direction Rob had pointed to see 4 sets of eyes staring back at them. All four sets of eyes advanced out of the underbrush to reveal 4 boar. The boar almost looked like wild boar. Just with bulging muscles and anger in their eyes. Along with smoke rising from their eyes. It would have been scary as hell if they had time to think about it.


    While looking at the boar notification screens started popping into everyone''s vision.


    *Ding* wild boar level 0 ..*Ding* wild boar level 0...*Ding* wild boar level 0...*Ding wild boar level 1...


    "Umm guys can you see what they are and there levels or am I trippin?" Dan asked.


    "Yeah, we fuckin see them, but what are we going to do? We don''t have any weapons! Maybe we should book it?" Dave questioned.


    "No!" Rob said "Animals are normally faster then humans, they''d just run us down. But these boar are on the smaller side, probably not as strong as us, we could probably take them."


    The first level 0 boar charged Dan, he froze. It was small, but it had tusks but he was the tech guy, fighting wasn''t he strong suit. He did fight with The Crew all the time but he would rather not unless he couldn''t avoid it. The boar was closing in and he was still standing frozen, not in fear but just the sheer mind fuck of the whole situation. Just as the boar was about to ram him *Smash* Dave kicked the thing right in its head. He didn''t think he could kick that hard but the damn boar went flying a good ten feet blood pouring out of its month and nose. It was still alive but clearly it was fucked up.


    Rob thought to himself. He had Shadow Blink probably better use it but he wasn''t sure what to do. After he picked his class he knew how to use the skill like he had been born with it. It wasn''t using the skill he wasn''t sure about. It was how to use it to help everyone in this situation. Suddenly he realized they were just boar, he and his brother both hunted before, he should just try to take one out fast. Dave had just kicked one across the clearing maybe they were stronger then they knew.


    "Come on you fuckin punk ass pigs come get some." Dave yelled standing in the clearing between Rob, Dan and the Boar.


    "They probably don''t speak English genius" Dan laughed.


    Sure enough the other two level zero boar started to charge. Then Rob knew what to do. The level 1 was probably the leader of the group he Shadow Blinked behind it and before the boar knew he was there he grabbed its head a twisted with everything he had *Snap*. Holy shit he broke its neck in one try. Golden motes of light start to come out of the dead monster, most of it flew towards Rob but smaller amounts went towards Dave and Dan.


    Dave and Dan squared up as the other two boar were closing in. Dave knew he was gonna kick the shit out of one again and Dan realized after seeing Dave''s first kick he might be able to do the same thing. *Smash* Dave kicked his boar so hard, rather then fly away, its head snapped back dead instantly. Dan kicked out but missed. The boar clipped his leg it''s tusk opening a decent gash in the side of his calf. "Fuck No!" Yelled Dave and for a split second his eyes were lit with lightning! *Boom* a bolt shot from Dave''s out stretched hand and the Boar dropped to the ground. Rob Shadow Blinked again next to the downed boar and snapped its neck. Dave ran over the the first boar he kicked, which was still so messed up it couldn''t stand. Dave stomped its head so hard it''s skull cracked and then golden light poured out the remaining boar into all of them.


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    Dave''s whole body was glowing, when he looked over to Rob and Dan he could see the same thing happening to them. Then a message popped into his vision


    :You have reached Level 2 you have 3 attribute points to assign:


    "So I guess that''s leveling, man it feels good. Dan your leg healed too at least we know there some way to fix any damage we get." Rob said


    Then to everyone''s surprise a chest appeared in the middle of the clearing. *Ding* loot chest earned mobs cleared.


    "Loot chest, this is fuckin nice we level and get a loot chest, wonder what''s inside" Dave said "Better be something cool! I kicked the shit out of those things. Rob how did you like teleport like that?"


    "Me? Wow the hell did you shoot that lightning bolt thing? It didn''t kill it, but it fucked it up." Rob answered back


    "I don''t know. I got pissed when it hit Dan and it just happened. It was like, I knew I could do it somehow. I didn''t mean for it to happen, it just did." Dave answered shrugging his shoulders


    Dan''s eyes were white and when he snapped back to he told them "I assigned my points into my mind stat. If there are weapons in that chest, I want to be able to do something with them."


    "Well let see what we got." Rob said walking over to the chest. When he crouched down and touched the chest, he felt a slight tingling and a message popped into his vision


    *You have received 1 minor mana potion, 1 basic dagger. In your minds eye say INVENTORY to equip or select items for use.*


    "Holy shit! The chest doesn''t open it just give you stuff!" Rob said excitedly "Just touch it and it puts items into your inventory."


    "What''s that?" asked Dan


    "Just touch it." Rob said. "Then you''ll see, dumbass."


    Dan walked the few feet over and touched the chest. He didn''t say anything, standing back up and just looked to be in thought. So Dave walked over and touched it as well.


    "Nice! It gave me a mana potion and an item called steel toe boots." Dave said. "What did you get Dan?"


    "Just a minor health potion." Dan replied. "I bet the awards are based on what we did during the battle. Rob what did you get?"


    "I got a dagger and a minor mana potion" He said.


    "So you both got something offensive and mana potions. Probably because you did more damage and finished off the boar during the battle. I just got a health potion, probably because I only got injured and I didn''t really cause any damage." Dan said looking a little sad.


    "Still, we have to make a plan, I''m gonna use my dagger and slice these boar up because as of right now, we don''t have any food. I''m sure we could find water easy enough, but food may be rough in the middle of the woods. Don''t eat any berries or anything unless we''re sure what it is." Rob told them. Rob also realized none of them had there packs. They only had the clothes they were wearing when they had been transported into that black room with the AI to pick their classes. His truck was gone. Anything from the old world seemed to be gone also. They could see no houses, no cars, nothing just a wild giant forest in all directions.


    As Rob started to field strip and process the boar for meat, Dave and Dan looked around. Dan backed up to the edge of the clearing, looking up toward the sky. "Hey! There''s a beam of light shooting into the sky over that way. Maybe we should head towards it?" Dan asked pointing toward the beam of light raising into the sky.  With no sun visible they couldn''t tell what direction it was, but it was the only thing they could see beside forest and the trippy sky.


    "I don''t know if that''s a beacon or something, maybe other people or beasts will head towards it as well." Dave said.  Other beasts means more Experience and more levels, Dave thought to himself.


    "I don''t think we really have a choice." said Rob " We''re going to have to get some type of information on what''s happening, we can''t just stay here. Maybe we''ll run into someone on the way. Maybe D will be heading that way too. If we can all get together, I''ll feel much better about our odds of surviving this damn mess."


    Rob felt like his speed was already good and his Shadow blink worked great. His dexterity was already pretty high so he put all his earn stat points into perception. He figured it he could always be better to see or hear attacks before they came, while they made there way to whatever that light was. This should in his mind, make traveling a lot easier and safer.


    Dave decided to put his points into strength. He equipped his new steel toe boots and was surprised that they felt even better then sneakers he had been wearing. He also realized, when he identified them, that the boots added +2 blunt damage. He felt like they were a decent score for his first item, but he didn''t know enough to be sure.


    Dan was a little let down, he had only got that health potion but he assured himself if or when they had another fight; he would do some damage a get some better loot.


    "Rob where the hell did all the meat go? I thought you were getting us some food?" Dave asked.


    "This inventory shit is awesome! As soon as I get a decent piece cut the system just added it to my inventory. It says we have 15 pieces of Boar Ham. So at least we have something we can eat now, we just need to find some water. Hopefully on the way to that beam of light we find some." Rob answered.


    They had somewhat of a plan and decided to get moving.  Each looking around the clearing one last time, as one the started walking toward and down the path that seemed to head toward the beam of light.


    Maybe that beam of light is some more loot. Dave thought to himself. Or maybe it''s some more monsters and we can gain some more levels. Walking down the path in the forest.


    Rob, "I hope we level up some more on the way. I feel like a million bucks and we''re only level 2! Imagine what it''s gonna be like the higher we get."


    "For right now I think we should just stick to the plan and get moving. Lets try and locate some water." Dan said. "If we run into anyone or any trouble on the way, we''ll just have to handle it."


    "I hope we run into something. I''m gonna zap the shit out of it." Dave stated excitedly holding his hand out in front of himself, picturing shooting another blast of lightning.


    "Not if I Shadow Blink behind it and kill it first" Rob countered.


    "We''ve been in this new world for a half hour, you guys are already losing it." Dan said, clearly not as excited as Rob and Dave about their new abilities.


    "No, we''re just accepting our new purpose in life. Well same as our old purpose in the city. Kick the shit out of anyone or anything that gives us a problem." Dave said


    "Well he''s not wrong." Said Rob "Come on, time to move, who knows if it''s going to get dark anymore. But I don''t want to be in these woods if it does."

 4. First real challenge

    D was about to make his way towards the beam of light. The was just one problem and it was a rather big one. Charging into his clearing was a god damn Mammoth. When D glanced over his shoulder and took a good look at it *Ding* Mammoth level 4


    Holy shit he thought it really is a mammoth I thought they were killed off over thousands of years ago. He tried to run out of the way but the mammoth was already in a full charge before he realized what was happening. *Boom* the mammoth stomped him into the ground as it ran over him. D hurt like hell, but he could barely believe he was alive. He should be flat as a pancake that thing has to weigh over a ton easy. It hurt like hell but he pushed himself off the ground. The mammoth went to turn and finally D saw an opening. This thing maybe was fast in a full charge, but it couldn''t turn for shit.


    "Come on big boy, let''s see you try that shit again."


    The mammoth was in a full charge again but this time D was ready. When the mammoth was several steps away instead of turning and running he leaped and rolled to the side. D could barely keep the grin off his face. When he jumped he must have flown 15 feet and rolled to a stop easy. He was like he was an Olympian. As the mammoth charged past he dove at it''s side right hand cocked back.


    Time to see what type of damage we can do, he thought. He smashed his fist into it. He hit with such force the mammoth let out a loud cry. He had hurt it but clearly it was no where near done.


    Well I don''t just have strength maybe I''m going to have to give this mana shit a try. I hope this beast isn''t light based. The AI information said that was my manas weakness.


    The mammoth had turned for another charge this time it''s eyes were red. It also seemed to be moving faster then before. D was trying to get a read on the thing. Maybe these things had abilities of their own. As the mammoth came in D ducked to the opposite side as he did before no need to telegraph his attack pattern. This time when he jumped as it he tried to think about his fist being more powerful. He felt something stur in his chest, and if could have seen himself he would have noticed his eyes turned black with small amounts of purple for his pupils. His fist didn''t glow, in fact it almost looked like a black so dark nothing could be seen except for faint purple sparks jumping around it. When his fist connected this time it was like a bomb had gone off. D was thrown backwards with the force of the blast. He bounced off a thick tree and tasted blood in his mouth. For a second he thought he had internal bleeding. Then all he could see was black and he actually passed out.


    *Ding* Skill learned Mana Punch


    *Ding* Exp gained 1000 - 200 Exp to reach next level


    D was just coming to on the ground. He wasn''t sure how long he had been out but the blood on his lips was dry and crusted, so it must have been a while.


    He looked over to where the mammoth was but it was gone laying in the crater left behind was a chest. He took a good look at it and *Ding* Loot chest awarded for Level 4 mammoth kill.


    "Nice" he said as he pulled himself to his feet. His ribs on his left side we hurt bad. Every breath was like sucking on razor blades, but he made his way over to the loot chest. Once he knelt down and touched it a message popped into his vision.


    :Loot chest rewards added to INVENTORY: in your minds eye think INVENTORY to see items gained from loot chest.


    D thought INVENTORY to himself and sure enough just like his status screen another screen popped up. Three items that''s total bullshit, he thought. I just killed a mammoth with my bare hands. The items he received were minor health potion, minor mana potion, and a curved sword. He pulled the sword out of his inventory with an thought to equip it and it was in his hands. He studied it and was able to identify it. *Ding* mammoth tusk sword +3 slice damage.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Nice D thought any weapon is better then no weapon. He wasn''t sure if he could use his mana with a sword but that was a problem for later on. His ribs hurt so bad he decided to try the minor health potion.


    He popped his sword back into his inventory and equiped the minor health potion. He then chugged it down. It tasted like chalk but as soon as it hit his stomach he felt a warm tingle spread out. Slowly he could feel the pain in his ribs go away. Breathing didn''t hurt as bad, and he could walk without thinking he was going to topple over.


    Man, I hope the guys are doing better then I am right now. Time to get moving towards that beam of light.


    Torok watched the fight with the mammoth from his craft in orbit. He was glad D had returned to an area with bigger beasts then most others. The system that controlled the multiverse liked to challenge you based on your level. Torok could tell D didn''t remember any of his training in the time dilation chamber. He knew that if he did he would have put that beast down with one punch. He also knew if D were going to rise to the challenge and control the closest territory stone, he would need to be higher level then he was currently.


    Torok had almost choose Rob to be his champion. He fought well had a decent spark of fate in him like his brother. He was just more of a thinker than D. Still Torok was excited they were all actually headed towards the same territory stone. That meant things could get interesting. He was hoping to see them work together as a team. He knew most of the other champions were already in groups with friends or family. He also knew that meant they would come to depend on others before the could trust there own power. That made you weak. You could always use some help, but to know you own power trumped all was a bigger advantage in the multiverse. There was always power in numbers but he wasn''t the most feared of The Ten because of his numbers. He was the most feared because the power he could bring to bare all by himself. He decided to check on on D''s friends and see who was closer to the territory stone.


    Rob, Dan, and Dave had been walking for almost and hour and they hadn''t seen any more beasts. What the did see was a god damn minotaur that was level 4, and said fuck that and hid as it passed. Rob was glad he put some many points into perception. He had heard the thing stomping in the woods 100yards away, and was able to tell The Crew to move out into the thick tree line before it came into view. When the minotaur was well passed them Dan whispered " What the fuck was that thing"


    "Minotaur the thing from that energy drink in the funny ass movie. Minotaur hahah" Dave laughed


    Rob " I don''t think we could have taken that down. We''re going to need to find beasts or monsters closer to our level first."


    "Fuck that with these boots I would have lumped that thing right in the nut sack. He would have dropped like a little bitch" Dave said


    "We have no idea how to gauge our power based on our levels yet. We have to be smart and only pick fights we know we can win." Dan said


    "Just because we beat some boars doesn''t mean we can just toss ourselves in the ring with a monster like that" Rob agreed with Dan


    "You guys are such bitches, we could have taken it." Dave shot back


    Torok was beginning to like Dave. For one he was entertaining and two he seemed as though he was the one who was going to be pushing the group to fight more. He also knew that fight would have ended with all of them dead, but he was starting to like Dave all the same. "This is going to be a good integration" he smiled to himself. They had the makings of true warriors on a path to greatness. He hoped they would all survive long enough to make it to the territory stone. By his calculations they would get there just before D. Unless they ran into trouble.


    5 miles on the opposite side of the territory stone D was finally feeling almost normal. He never thought he would live in a world like this, but the truth was he never quite saw himself living in the old world either. D and the guys weren''t conventional by any means. They made their living practically breaking the law everyday. D and Dave would hustle pool most weekends as round the city. Rob and Dan made most of their money on the dark web. Growing up together they had been in more fights then they could keep track of. If D hadn''t been kicked out of the building they all lived in for knocking out the landlord, they would probably be in this together already. He just hoped they were ok. He knew he brother was a tough bastard and if he was with Dave and Dan they were probably fine. A smile crept onto D''s face.


    "Those guys aren''t gonna believe I took down a fuckin mammoth" he said to himself. Then he thought they better have a cool story of their own. I think I''ll make it to that light soon. Probably only a few hours away now.

 5. Getting the crew back together

    Rob and Dan guessed they were only a half hour from whatever that beam of light was. Dave was a few yards behind them. They were being more cautious ever since they saw that Minotaur. Rob heard some noises ahead. He quickly threw up his hand and Dan and Dave stopped.


    "What is it Rob?" Dave asked


    "Shhh something''s up ahead sounds like people talking maybe three of them."


    They grouped up and slowly worked their way forward. Then all of them heard a girl cry out and a man laugh. Shit thought Rob this better not be what I think it is. As they made it within view of what was happening Rob knew it was his worst case. There was a girl laying on the ground she was bleeding from a gash on her eyebrow. Her clothes were torn up and three men stood around her. The leader was the one laughing. " Come on girl play nice and it doesn''t have to be this way." The fat bald guy said.


    "Yea play nice we can protect you if you play nice" said the almost sickly looking skinny guy.


    The bald leader was a pretty big man but his two sidekicks were rails. They were all covered in tattoos and wore the same biker vests with a skull and cross bones patch on the back.


    Rob used IDENTIFY the leaders name was Paulo he was Level 2 while the two side kicks Carlos and Andrew were only level 1. The girl laying on the ground was also Level 1 her name was Leah. They had to come up with a plan fast. None of them liked where this was going.


    Rob spun around and crouched down next to them "Here''s what were gonna do. You two go around to the right so your closer to those two skinny guys. When you get in position whistle."


    "Won''t that draw there attention to us shouldn''t this be a surprise attack?" Dan asked


    "Oh it will be soon as they look towards you guys I''ll Shadow Blink behind that fat fuck and slit his throat." Rob said


    "Nice then I''ll use my new boots to stomp some assholes" Dave answered back with a smile.


    "We don''t know what their powers or skills could be. We should avoid this" Dan said


    "Fuck that look at these pricks. We let them get stronger they''re only gonna be doing worse shit then this soon enough. Now move." Rob said and from the look in his eye they knew if they didn''t help he was going to handle this on his own.


    30seconds later and Dave let out a whistle. As soon as they all glanced towards the sound Rob Shadow Blinked behind the leader. He drove the dagger into his fat chin before the man could even let out a scream. The girl Leah was the only one who saw what happened. Her face went ghost white, eyes as big as dinner plates. Gold energy started to flow from Paulo''s body into Rob. His two skinny friends turned back around and shock was plastered on their faces. Dave and Dan made there move. They had several yards to cover to get behind these two, but being Level 2 compared to these guys being Level 1 they closed the gap in no time. By the time Carlos and Andrew heard the foot steps behind them it was to late. Dave was throwing a roundhouse kick straight at Carlos ribs. Dan was airborne in a football style tackle. Dave''s kick and Dan body hit at the same time.


    *Crack* Dave''s kick did real damage he felt Carlos'' ribs crack. He could see the look of real pain across his face. Carlos dropped like a ton of bricks. Dan has speared Andrew to the ground landing on top of him. Dan started to rain down punches. In only three good shots Andrew was unconscious. Dave had no worries about stomping Carlos to death. Anyone who was out here ready to rape someone was a monster in his book. Two solid kicks to the head and Dave was covered in a golden glow.


    Dan wasn''t sure what to do killing beasts and monsters was one thing but killing humans, that was something else. Dan froze unable to finish the job.


    Rob walked over and slit Andrews throat like it was just another day at the office. Rob hated one thing above all else. Anyone who put their hands on women. Rob got most of the Exp but Dan got a little bit as well not enough to hit Level 3 like Rob and Dave.


    "What was that shit Dan? We''re not just back in the streets. These guys had it coming. If we left him alive he would have came back at us another time." Rob said seething with anger


    "Listen I''m fine with killing beasts and monsters I just don''t think I can kill another human unless he was trying to kill me. They didn''t have any weapons we took them down easy enough." Dan said


    The girl scrambled to her feet. She was still in shock. She must not know if she was in a better or worse situation then before.


    "Relax your alright now." Rob tried to calm her down. She looked ready to bolt


    "Can I leave?" Leah asked


    "You can do whatever you want" Dave started "but it''s not safe out here. Do you have a place to go."


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "My family and I were making our way towards that light. My dad thinks it was a good idea. I was getting some water at a stream about 300yards that way when these men came out of nowhere and attacked me."Leah answered


    "Well if you can make it back to your family that''s on you. But show us where the stream is and we''ll call it even." Rob said


    Leah still looked nervous. The three of them had just killed three other right in front of her. She knew one of them had some reservations about it but two of them didn''t seem to care.


    "Listen the stream is 300yards or so straight that way. I''m just going to go thank you for saving me but your not the type of people I can see my family traveling with." Leah said


    "We''re not the bad guys here." Rob replied


    "Maybe not but good guys don''t normally kill others without batting and eye" Leah said


    She turned to walk away and Dan, Dave, and Rob all looked at each other. This girl didn''t realize the new world they had woken up into today. This was it. A new might makes right world. Power made the rules. They let her walk away and headed towards to stream. They hadn''t had anything to drink in hours.


    :Other side of the territory stone:


    D knew he must be getting close he had been walking for hours. Along the way he ran into two level 1 boar and was able to kill them easily enough. He had made it to Level 6 but hadn''t gotten another chest. He put all his points into mana. He figured if void mana could do that to a mammoth he needed as much of it as he could get. He could see a change in the area around him the trees were getting less dense. Finally he came to a clearing and he could see concrete. The clearing was a wide open circle about a quarter a mile round. In the center was a stone glowing and shooting that beam of light into the sky. He decided to wait and see if anyone or anything else was near by.


    Good thing he waited about ten minutes later a god damn minotaur walked into the clearing. The thing was huge 8 feet tall. Shredded with muscle and hoofs as big as dinner plates. It''s eyes shinning with a red glow. D used IDENTIFY on it and it was level 4 just like the mammoth. D was never one to back down from a fight so he crouched low and waited to see if it was alone.


    After another 20 minutes D was sure the monster was alone. He was about to make his move and rush the thing when across the clearing he saw 3 shapes moving low in the tree line. They looked humanoid but who knows. He decided to stay put and wait a bit more.


    Rob had the guys crouch low as they finally made it to the clearing. They all were pretty shocked when they laid eyes in the glowing stone. Rob was even more shocked when he saw what was standing next to it.


    " Is that the fuckin Minotaur?" Dave asked


    "Shit it is" Rob said " plus were still only level 3 and Dan''s Level 2. We might not be able to beat that thing."


    "We should head back the way we came." Dan said


    "Fuck that I say we fuck that thing up." Dave said "There''s only one of it I''m sure we can beat it."


    "I think so too. Problem is that''s a good 1/8 mile gap it''s going to see us coming we don''t have the element of surprise like we just had." Rob said


    "So what''s the plan." Dan asked


    "Wait were not alone." Rob said "I can see another person crouched on the other side of the clearing. Could be a trap."


    "Where I don''t see shit Rob." Dave said


    "Your perception is still to low, trust me someone''s over there. They''re just sitting still. Maybe they''re waiting for us to get wounded by the minotaur then take us out and claim the prize for themselves." Rob said


    D was on the other side of the clearing he had no idea that was his brother and two best friends. He just knew there were people on the other side of the clearing. He also knew based on the wind the minotaur had caught their sent. The minotaur let our a loud roar and shifted it stance to face the direction of the 3 people. D wasn''t sure what to do. He hadn''t ran into any other humans yet, but he didn''t want to watch a monster rip them apart either.


    After the minotaur ended it roar it started to charge. Closing the distance fast with it''s giant hoofs. As soon as it took off so did D. He was trying to close the distance as fast as he could, maybe he shouldn''t have thrown all his points into mana. He was barely gaining any ground.


    Rob couldn''t believe his eyes the minotaur was charging right for them. How could it have seen them from the other side of that stone. Maybe it heard them he wasn''t sure. Then he glanced behind the Minotaur. The other person had made there move. Rob froze.


    " We should run." Dan said


    "Wait is that D." Rob asked


    "No it''s a fuckin Minotaur dumbass." Dave said


    "No behind the monster look." Rob said pointing


    "Holy shit I think it is." Said Dan


    "Nice let''s get it on!" Said Dave


    The three of them leapt up and charged. Yelling like lunatics as they sprinted out into the open.


    D saw the three people run out and yell then he heard the call. "Ohhhh Whooo" a huge smile spread across his face. Ever since they were kids they would all make that call to alert the others when a fight was about to break out. He knew it must be the guys. How they all ended up here was beyond him. He was just happy as hell to have found them in only half a day. D kept running and he was almost to the monster when suddenly his brother disappeared. Rob had Shadow Blinked right beside the Minotaur and with his dagger he cut right behind the knee. The monster stumbled and fell to the ground Dave and Dan were still closing the distance. D was on top of the beast first and smashed it in the back of the head with a right hook. That was not the move. He knuckles felt like he punched steel. Apparently these things had thick skulls.


    Dave couldn''t let Rob and D have all the fun. The minotaur was just picking its head up off the ground when he reached it *Boom* he booted it in the face while in a full out sprint. The monsters head jerked back but it still wasn''t dead.


    D wanted to impress the guys so he did the only cool thing he knew he could do. He thought about his mana flowing into his hand jumped as high as he could and landed on the monsters back fist slamming into its head again. This time the skull didn''t feel like steel. This time it felt like cardboard, and his fist went right down to the concrete. The sound was deafening. When he stood up to smile he could see Dave and Rob glowing. They must have gained another level from the fight. D had just leveled so he check his Exp and was still 400 away from Level 7.


    When they stopped glowing Dan had caught up. "Shit guys you fucked that thing up."


    "Told you we could." Dave laughed.


    Rob walked over to D they shook hands and hugged quick. "You''re not going to believe how our day has been so far." Rob said


    "Yea I got a cool story to, but it can wait." D smiled back "But let''s check out this glowing stone first."


    Finally with the crew back together they turned to make their way to see if this was a prize or something else.

 6. Territory Stone

    After finally getting together. The crew decided it was time to check out this glowing stone. Was it a prize or a trap? No one knew for certain but it defended by a level 4 Minotaur, so that had to count for something


    As they walked up to the glowing stone Dan said " I used IDENTIFY on it and we can''t use it. It says you must be level 5. We fought that thing for nothing."


    " I can use it" D said "I''m level 6"


    "How the fuck are you level 6? What were you doing out there all alone slaughtering beasts for fun?." Dave snapped


    "No I started at level 5 the AI told me I''m a champion or something. I''m not sure what it meant but I only killed a level 4 mammoth and two boar before this minotaur." D replied


    "You mean an elephant right?" Dan asked confused


    " No a fuckin mammoth, a big ass hairy mammoth. We just fought a god damn minotaur and you can''t wrap your mind around a mammoth." D laughed "Well let''s see what the glowing stone is all about."


    They gathered around the stone as D touched it and a message became visible in his minds eye.


    : Territory Stone:


    Claiming the territory stone will allow the claimer to set up a 1/4 mile defensive parameter. No monsters will be able to enter this area. Defenses will be available after completing the random quest to claim the stone. Awards based on performance. Do you wish to claim the territory stone Yes /No


    D "guys it''s called a territory stone. If we claim it we will be able to set up a safe zone of sorts where monsters can''t spawn. It says we will be able to set up defense''s after we complete the quest to claim it. Rewards will be based on our performance."


    "A safe zone would be nice. We have some food access to water that''s not far away. Having a place to sleep we could defend would be beneficial." Dan said


    "Agreed. I think we should go for it. How hard could the challenge be? We just fucked up a minotaur." Dave said


    "Ok I''m gonna do it." D said "Everyone out their hands on the stone Incase there''s a reward or it moves us somewhere remote for the challenge."


    "Good idea" Rob said "See if we can play the system. We just got back together don''t want to get split up again so soon."


    They all placed their hands on the stone and D sent a mental command for Yes to start claiming the stone. A new message appeared


    :First to claim a territory stone on newly integrated planet. 10% bonus to all stats. Random challenge selected. 15 min beast horde survival. Challenge starts in 5 minutes. Rewards based on performance and completion.


    "Shit 10% that''s a nice bonus, I mean not now. Image when we have stats around 100 we get an extra 10 as a bonus this is going to be huge later on." Dave said


    The next 5 minutes were what felt like the longest of their lives. Rob was analyzing the opening in the tree lines and brush in the area that surrounded them. Dave''s eye we slightly glowing with electricity. Dan was shifting his weight from on foot to the other. D seemed to be just standing there with his eyes closed. He was always able to go from normal to fight mode in the blink of an eye.


    "We have about two mins left. If we get split up Dave and I will stay together. We''re both level 3. Dan stay with D it''s helps our level average. Hopefully they come in waves and not all at once." Rob said


    "Sounds like a plan. We all know plans goto shit with first contact but atleast we have something we can try and stick to." D said


    As the last two excruciating minutes passed Rob noticed sounds and movement to his 2 o''clock. He pointed "We''ve got movement coming from over there."


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    Everyone tensed up and got ready. Then slowly a pack of wolves came through the tree line. These weren''t just regular wolves they were huge like Dire wolves. 5 in total and the one at the front of the V shape formation was the biggest. It was all black with huge teeth, mouth dripping with drool. It''s paws were the side of a bear, and it had a look of intelligence in it''s eyes.


    D used IDENTIFY on the pack.


    *Ding* Alpha Wolf level 3


    *Ding* wolf level 2


    *Ding* wolf level 2


    *Ding* wolf level 1


    *Ding* wolf level 1


    Ok so a pack of 5 beasts to start atleast it''s only level 3. We got this D thought to himself.


    The wolves chargers out of the clearing. They were clearly smarter then the boar. They circled the group. Everyone scanned around so far they only had these wolves to deal with. Must be they''re going to come in waves. Most likely getting harder as the waves came.


    The Alpha hung back but the 4 other wolves leapt into action. Then the Alpha let out a strange growl. It must have been infused with mana because for a split second they all froze. It didn''t last long but it was still a shock to their pride.


    The first level 2 wolf came for Dave but he had a nice electric bolt charged and ready for the last 5 minutes he released it. The level 2 wolf let out a loud yelp and the smell of burnt hair filled the area. The other level 2 wolf was headed for Rob. To Rob it was almost in the air in slow motion. He was able to easily dodge the jump for his neck and land three quick stabs to the wolfs side. Dan landed a decent uppercut to the level 1 wolf jumping for him, and was able to send it flying back passed where it had jumped from. D had a Void punch ready. As soon as it connected with the level 1 wolfs head the head exploded. Then some golden Exp spread into all of them. Dan was the only one to level finally making it to level 3.


    The Alpha seem more pissed then it had been moments before. Dave stepped out of the circle. The wolf he had shocked was laying limp on the ground a few stomps with his boots should finish it off. The Alpha dove for him moving faster then Dave had realized. Dave was barely able to duck under the leapt and soon he felt a warm liquid all over his back. He jumped up shocked.


    "You''ve had a sword this whole time D, and your just wiping it out now?" Dave yelled


    "Forgot I had it for a second. Sorry, quickly finish off the rest of the pack before another wave comes." D answered


    As a unit they all jumped towards the remaining wolfs. Finishing them off easily as the Alpha dieing seemed to crush the fighting spirit of the group.


    They all back up towards the stone as more Exp flooded into them. They were going to gain some levels of they survived this mess. That was sure as shit another bonus they hadn''t counted on.


    Only seconds later Rob pointed behind himself "Movement coming from that direction."


    They all turned to see a group of 10 small monkeys leap into the clearing. The monkeys we tiny almost like lemurs. The were mostly white with green rings on their tails. No claws really and the teeth didn''t look very dangerous.


    "What the fuck are these little monkeys going to do?" Dave laughed


    "Oh shit there all level 3" Dan said "They''re called Acidic monkeys. Wonder what that means?"


    It didn''t take long to figure out what that meant as the monkeys all started to shit in there hands. The shit that landed on the ground started to smoke. Then they all realized what it meant. No only were they going to get monkey shit flung at them it was acidic shit. Definitely worse then regular shit. Being level 3 this was going to be the biggest challenge for them so far.


    Rob didn''t want to waste his Shadow Blink he had cool down longer then this whole challenge would take he would only use them if he had to. As the monkeys got ready to hurl the first barrage of acid shit, the crew spread out. Dan dropped behind D, and Rob and Dave stepped a little to the left. Everyone had more room to maneuver this way.


    At once all 10 monkeys let the attacks fly everyone tried to dodge but there was so much to block. D took two hits to the chest and it burned like hell. Then he remembered his class ability. The more damage he took the more damage he could deal. He threw himself into the fray. He grabbed one monkey and broke its neck using it''s body as weapon to throw towards the next monkey. Dave had let a bolt fly and burned the hair off one of the monkeys. 3 wounded but still 7 to go. D felt and odd sensation. He turned to see Dan''s eyes glowing white and felt a soothing feeling in his chest.


    "I know what my mana does now it has a healing effect. I don''t think I can use it on myself yet but it was the first time I felt it so anything when you were hit D." Dan told them. Now knowing they could somewhat heal they went to work on these little shit flinging monkeys. Rob sprinted into the group slashing left and right with his dagger some wounds more brutal then others. Every monkey he slowed down Dave was able to land a decent kick on. D was in the center of the group of monkey throwing mana punches left and right.


    D glanced at his status screen and realized he only had 10/70 mana remaining. He wouldn''t be able to throw void punches forever. His health was back up to 89/100 with Dan''s heal. Rob had yet to take a hit. He dexterity was just to high for this group of monkeys. Dave had a huge burn on his left thigh. When the last of the monkey fell to Dave''s boot the were all showing signs of being winded. Dan threw Dave a heal. They regrouped at the territory stone. It had only been almost 5 minutes, but they were almost spent. If the waves were going to get harder they might have bit off more then they could chew. It was to late now they were committed. The second half of this battle was going to make or break them

 7. Round 2 Fight

    The crew was beat. D drank his minor mana potion. He knew he needed to conserve mana if the second half of this battle was going to be harder then the first, they were going to need it. Atleast Dan figured out light mana could be used for healing.


    "This shit is rough. This isn''t like a rumble back in the city. I didn''t realize how much life or death battles would tire me out." Dave said


    "I still have my two Shadow Blinks in my back pocket but I believe we''re going to have 2 or 3 more waves so I''m saving them until we need them." Rob added


    "I''m going to hang back and see if I can be more useful as a healer. I''ll attack anything that makes it close to me but we haven''t come across any weapons I can mess with yet so my skills arent doing much to help us at this point." Dan said


    "Just keep doing what we''re doing. Dan being able to heal is a huge boon we weren''t expecting. That maybe how we survive this mess and don''t get our asses handed to us." D said


    "Time to get back to work" Rob said " I can hear two groups coming one from that way and one from over there." He pointed in opposite directions. This was going to be the first time they had to actually split up so far in this battle.


    "Dan stay in the middle a little behind me keep and eye on Rob and Dave for any heals you can throw out. Anyone else have a mana potion?" D asked


    "I got one minor but I''ll be happy to give it to Dan I do more work with my boots then I do with my lightning." Dave said. He took the mana potion from his inventory and tossed it to Dan.


    The groups of beasts finally came into view. D was looking at what appeared to by 3 orcs. Rob and Dave looked out at 5 goblins. The orcs were huge hulking beasts grey skin and tusks from the lower jaw coming out past their lips. Mostly naked except for a loin cloth covering their junk. The goblins actually had what looked like leather armor. The also appeared to be more intelligent than the orc''s.


    D decided now wasn''t the time to hold back he charged at the orc''s as soon as he used IDENTIFY on them they were all level 4. He would need this Exp to get to level 7. He was so close he could taste it, and he knows at 10 he would be able to choose a skill. One orc held a club but the other appeared to just want to fight with their nails as claws. They charged at the same time the goblins pulled out simple bows. This battle was going to be anything but easy. Ranged fighters weren''t anything they had encountered so far.


    "Don''t destroy those arrows Dave. I''m going to need to fabricate a long range weapon for my class to be worth it." Rob said


    "Fuck that I''m not ninja if they shoot them at me I''m not going to be able to catch them." Dave replied "I''m not Bruce Leroy man."


    "Just do what you can there all level 3 we should be able to take them. They seem skinny if we can close the distance the fight should be in our favor." Rob told him


    D had just made it to the group or orc''s. As he dodged the swing of the giant club he was able to use his mammoth sword to slice the thigh of an orc. As he was sliding across the ground on his knee he wasn''t able to put much force behind it. It must have done some damage though as the orc let out a strange growl. He quickly sprung up to his feet and took an overhand swipe towards the other unarmed orc. He knew they appeared dumb, but he didn''t think they were that dumb. It put up it''s hand to block and lost it in the attempt. Blood gushed from it''s wrist and it tried to stop it with it''s other hand. D acted quickly thrusting his sword into its chest finishing it off. To bad he wasn''t paying full attention.


    "Watch out D!" Dan yelled


    It was too late the club cracked D right in the side of the head. He saw stars and dropped down to one knee. The orc raised his club and was ready to swing for the fences. D was having none of it. He filled his fist with Void and dropped his sword to the ground. Before the orc could connect with his blow D drove an uppercut straight into the orcs chest. There was no boom just the sound of a watermelon squishing. The orc didn''t even know what hit him as he feel back lifeless to the ground. His club clanking against the ground. D spun to try and get the last orc but he had backed up after seeing his two friends die.


    Dave had let a lightning bolt fly it was their only ranged attack so far. The goblin let out a screech. Rob didn''t see a choice he had to Shadow Blink into the group. He was trying to save them but he didn''t see another option. The goblin Dave hit was stunned so Rob blinked behind it and finished it off with a stab of his dagger into the base of its neck. Dave tried to dodge the arrow that was flying towards him. He was too slow it went right into his leg. He was no hobbling towards the group, and let loose as much lightning as he had left. Anger swelling inside him. Rob had been able to take the attention of the other goblins, as he was now their biggest concern. Two swipes of his dagger and he was able to injure the two closest to him. Dave had stunned another with his lightning. Rob stepped in with a quick thrust to its throat to finish it off. 3 remaining. Dave had taken some damage but Dan was watching D rather than throwing the heals he was supposed to.


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    "Dan my leg you fuck!" Dave yelled out


    Dan turned and threw him a heal, but it didn''t do anything. "It won''t work take the arrow out!" He yelled back


    Dave grabbed the arrow and ripped it out. It wasn''t in that deep, but it did way more damage coming out the going in. He let out a howl of pain. He was super fuckin pissed at these goblins now. Dan threw another heal his way and it started to mend his leg. Dave started to run at those little green bastards.


    Rob had the goblins on the back foot dancing among the group slashing out with his dagger. He could see Dave getting close. The rage on Dave''s face was all he needed to see to know they would finish this group off soon.


    D was able to get right in range on the orc with the leg wound. It couldn''t do much with only one good leg. He hadn''t bothered to pick up his sword yet, he knew he could handle this orc easy enough. He threw a flurry of punches at full power not using any mana. D and Dave had boxed for years when they were younger and it showed now. He connected with a devastating combo of straights and hooks. The orc was ready to fall over. D connected with one last sickening uppercut, and the orc flew backwards to the ground. D ran over grabbed its arm twisting it up and around while kicking down on the orcs head. *Crack* The orcs next broke like a twig and Exp started to flow into him. Finally enough to get him to the next level " Level 7 here I come" D grinned


    Once Dave made it into the group of those little assholes he leg was at 90% so his first two kicked basically were organ crushers. The last goblin froze and Rob slid he dagger in behind it''s ear killing it instantly. Both Rob and Dave started to glow leveling up to level 4. Some Exp flew towards Dan not much probably because he only threw out the one heal but the multiverse must have realized he was apart of the fight.


    D picked up his sword and grabbed the club to give to Dave. They regrouped at the territory stone. Everyone was spent. D opened his mouth to spit out a good job or something to boost moral, but it too late a giant roar erupted from the sky. They all turned up to see a wyvern flying into the clearing.


    "You got to be shitting me."Dave said


    "Rob run over and grab those goblin bows and whatever arrows you can find. We''re going to need some type of range to take that thing down." D was still out of breath from his fight with the orc''s. Rob sprinted over and grabbed two bows and found about 4 arrows. Not nearly enough to do any damage to the beast in the sky


    Dan was able to use IDENTITY on it a level 6 wyvern. This was going to be rough. Rob shot an arrow at it, but it only seemed to pissed the beast off more.


    "We need to finish this thing off quickly or were in trouble." D said " I got a plan but it''s risky. It''s gonna be the only way I can land a solid hit on that beast."


    "Well I''m open for ideas." Dave said "Cuz I ain''t got shit."


    D quickly relaid his plan to them. They really only had one shot at this. Dan thought it was suicide. He was ready to except his fate.


    They had to act fast. So Rob shot his first arrow just as D told him to do. The beast swooped in lower. Dave let loose a lightning bolt. Angering the beast even more. It was now or never the wyvern was almost on them. D threw Rob his sword and Rob Shadow Blinked onto the back of the wyvern sinking the sword in deep. It let out a painful sounding roar.


    "Now Dave hit it with everything you have. You have to lock it up even if that means Rob gets jolted too!" D yelled


    Dave''s eyes glowed brighter than ever before and the lightning blast dropped Dave down to his knees. The blast hit true and the wyvern locked up it was only about 10 feet from the ground mouth open. Rows of razor shape teeth gleaming at them. D put ever ounce of Void mana he had left into his fist and jumped up with all his might. Rob dove off the beasts back just as D was about to connect with his punch. D''s fist landed in the inside of its mouth his fist pushing threw right out the top of the beasts head. The wyvern came down on top of him. Dave, Rob and Dan ran over to pull the wyvern off him. Only to find him laughing underneath it. As soon as he pulled his shredded arm free, Dan casts heals on them all. Then the beast exploded into a huge cloud of Exp. Dave and Rob got another level reaching 5. Dan was pushed up to 4. D was pissed he didn''t gain another level but he checked his status screen and he was only 300 Exp away. They all dropped to the ground spent more then ever before in what was really only a 15 minute battle.


    The beam of light that had been shooting out of the territory stone reversed. It shot back into the stone with a resounding boom. They all shared a look. They had done it. They would have a safe place to sleep, as soon as they figured out what to do with the stone.


    They needed some time to regain some strength and mana, but all of them were beaming with pride. They had done what yesterday would have seemed impossible. All in all they were adapting to this new crazy world rather quickly.

 8. Toroks attention

    Torok let out a laugh. He had watched the whole battle for the territory stone. He expected them to be challenged more. It was a good showing of team work, but he wanted his champion to be challenged more. Being the first to claim a territory didn''t mean much in the grand scheme of things. Torok knew without his memories of training they wouldn''t know the importance of continuing to claim more.


    Norbak entered the Torok''s viewing room. "Someone had claimed a territory stone already. This planet will be a fun one to keep an eye on."


    Torok "why have you entered my personal space Norbak? I could end your existence with a glance should I wish "


    "So touchy Torok always thinking your the best of us. I came to offer a blind bet. I know your faction is the smallest. Yet somehow you believe it to be the best. I know not who your champion is but would like to set forth a challenge." Norbak said with a sneaky grin.


    "Always one to play games Norbak. I remember when you were crawling your way up the ladder. You gained most of your Exp off others bravery never your own." Torok replied


    "Intelligence is not something to be looked down on. I didn''t need to sacrifice like you. A life of constant pain is not the only way to rule. Will you here my challenge, or are you afraid my intellect is more then your might can handle." Norbak said


    "I fear nothing. You know this to be true deep in your soul. What is it you bring to the table?" Torok answered


    "If my champion takes this planet you must leave the counsel of The Ten. Your an outlier among us. You do nothing to help further the multiverse. You chose a champion only when it suits you. Your small faction means nothing in the face of the odds against us. I should be the leader of The Ten my faction is the largest or all." Norbak said hoping to draw a response from the normally stoic Torok


    "I accept your challenge, with only one condition. If my champion should be the first to 100 and claim this planet, you and I will battle to the death. If I win your faction will be divided amongst the rest and a new member will be appointed in your place." Torok said


    "Agreed." Norbak said and then as quickly as he entered he left. He believed his plan was falling into place perfectly. Torok couldn''t know Norbak knew who his champion was. He would have that fool killed before he was even close to level 100. He would be rid of Torok without having to lift a finger in battle. He always believed it was his place to rule.


    Zellia stepped out from the shadows behind the terminal in the rear of Torok''s viewing chamber. "So it is as you say. Norbak believes he can gain control of The Ten he will push us to fight the Ascended Ones."


    "Yes Zellia, he believes he has the power to challenge, because he has to numbers. Quantity does not make quality. He does not realize I could have ascended decades ago. I have wait to rid us of his schemes, but he has sways Jelen and Huron to his side. He has 6 members who believe in his schemes now. I have something important I must confess Zellia." Torok spoke but the look as face was something Zellia had never seen. There was a gleam in his eyes as if he''s been waiting forever to say these words.


    " You know I was the first of us to reach level 1000. What you don''t know is that my father is an ascended. When I was getting close to level 1000 my father was last of The Ten who had yet to ascend. He waited for me to get close before he told me of The Path to Freedom." Torok spoke in a quite tone


    "So we are not the first to rule the multiverse? We are just pawns in the ascended ones plans?" Zellia asked confused. She thought the ascended were being beyond space and time a force trying to destroy the multiverse not beings who had once been a part of it.


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    "Champions, The Ten we were not meant to be. The ascended keep the beasts of the void at bay until the true warrior will arise. It was believed that one day a true warrior would rise up in the multiverse. One strong enough to destroy the Void and bring order to the chaos outside the multiverse. I was not arrogant enough to think I would be the one to find him. I started The Ten with the hope one of us would before the ascended could no longer hold back the Void." Torok said


    "This new champion, you believe they could be the one? Is this why you have kept there training so secret why we don''t know who it is? They will only be level 100 how could they be the one you''ve been waiting for?" Zellia asked more shocked then confused


    "Norbak knows who my champion is. I''ve let enough be gleaned by him to put the pieces together. With his challenge I have no doubt my champion will be put to the test. A true trail by fire. Something that will ignite his flame of destiny more then any before. When I offer my champion this world I will tell him not that he must join the faction, but that he must train under me personally until I feel he is ready." Torok said still staring straight ahead.


    "You''re playing a dangerous game we can not appear on a newly integrated world out power is to much it will destroy the world. What if this champion falls? What will happen if the Void wins." Zellia asked


    "That''s why I''m doing this Zellia the Void is winning. The ascended are not a challenge we are supposed to over come they are the stop gap holding the multiverse together. Every decade we get closer to losing the fight. We have but only 100 years left. If we don''t find a way by then, we will all have to ascend and only then we will just be buying more time." Torok finally looked her in her eyes.


    "Your saying if this champion is not the one, that if in a only 100 years we will all have to ascend just to take the place of those who have before us. If that is true we have already lost. The time frame is to short, it is not enough time. No one has leveled that fast. You think if you take your champion and train him it will somehow be enough. How can you know all this. How long have you known all this and kept it to yourself?" Zellia was on the verge of breaking down


    "My first world is on the edge of the multiverse. The membrane between the void and the multiverse is thin there. My father can send word to me there. It is why I check a new planet for those with the spark of fate and if I find none, I chose no champion and return." Torok kept looking into Zellia''s eyes "this time it''s different. I''ve found someone''s who''s spark is greater then even my own. I believe they are the one. It''s taken thousands of years to find them. If they refuse my help to train I have another way to force them to grow strong. It is cruel and a punishment to most but it is something that must be done if we are to save the multiverse itself. Norbak is a fool he believes we grow strong to fight the Ascended, to take their place and rule a realm beyond our own. All he can see is power for the sake of power he does not know the truth."


    "Why don''t you tell them all? Why are you telling me this now? The Ten could work together we could push back the threats in the Void." Zellia said


    "No we cannot we would only do as those before us have done we will be buying time nothing more. I felt my father''s power before he ascended it was greater then even my own is now. If they could not do it we cannot." Torok said "This is the multiverses last hope. The system is cruel the balance has always been on a knifes edge. We must finally tip the scales. I tell you this now because if my plan does not work, I must ascended to buy us more time. You will have to see my champion rise to be the bringer of fate to the Void. Can you do this?"


    "How can I make sure your champion rises I''m not as strong as you are?" Zellia said


    "If he does not except my offer, you will banish him to the Absconda prison dungeon. The time dilation there will see him grow to new heights. It will buy us the time we need and give him the rage he will need to become what he must." Torok said "his fate will be worse then death but his power will be beyond measure. I know you are always caring with your champions, but I need you to do what must be done with mine."


    Zellia thought of what Torok was saying to banish a level 100 into Absconda prison was basically a death sentence. The worst and most ruthless of the multiverse were banished there. Only those unfit in the mind who chose chaos over life were sent there. Only one of The Ten could let them out. Zellia knew this was not the way to bring up a champion. This was only the way to see one fall. Yet the look in Torok told her he was speaking the truth. That they truly did not have much time left. That he would have to ascend just to give them a chance. It almost seemed like to much to comprehend. Still Torok was the strongest of them, and if this was his wish she would see it done.


    "I will do as you ask Torok. I don''t feel as if I have a choice. This is a lot to take in." Zellia said

 9. Providence

    When the crew was finally somewhat composed from the fight ending, they made their way to the territory stone. Not sure how to use the thing or what was going to happen, they were a little on edge.


    "You think we should just touch it and claim it so we can see what happens?" D asked them


    "Well it said we would get awards based on performance. I know I kicked some ass so I say we go for it." Dave responded


    "Hold on a second we should be more cautious. We almost died a few times in the last 20 minutes. I''m not sure I''m ok with just getting to it right now." Dan said


    "I''m with Dave I think we need to get to it. It said we could establish a safe zone. With that and the rewards I think we need to go ahead and claim it." Rob added


    "Well that''s three against one sorry Dan." D said


    D walked over to interact with the stone. It was not longer shooting a beam of light into the sky, but who knows if that was the only trial. When he touched the stone a message appeared.


    : Territory Stone Claimed:


    State the name of your territory.


    Contribution points available 15000


    Points can be used to purchase the following:


    Border wall Wood 1000 points


    Border wall Stone 5000 points


    Border wall Steel 10000 points


    Town hall 1000 points


    Blacksmith shop 2000 points


    Barricks 2000 points


    Alchemy shop 2000 points


    Guild hall 3000 points


    Training hall 3000 points


    Are you ready to proceed Yes/No


    D let his hand fall from the stone. He had to get some input on all of this. "Guy there''s a bunch we can do with these points. First we need a name for our territory."


    " Easy Territory McTerritory Face." Dave said


    "No I''m not naming it that you jackass." D said "Then we can set up a defensive wall of either wood, stone, or steel. Problem with that is steel uses up most of the points."


    " And a place we could sleep." Asked Rob they all looked tired


    "Yea there''s a barricks for a few thousand points, there''s also a blacksmith, a town hall, an alchemy workshop, and a few other choices." D told them


    It took a few minutes to come up with a plan that satisfied everyone. Dave was the hardest to get onboard he felt his ideas were the best. Dan was more logical about his approach to maximize point value and get them what they needed. Rob was in-between. He felt strong walls were important but maybe not at the cost of losing out on other buildings. None of them were sure how to gain anymore points.


    D touched the stone again. He named their territory Providence after the city they grew up in together. Then he selected each building and the wood border wall. That left them with 1000 points Incase they ended up needing them for something in the future. The stone asked for him to accept his selected options. Mentally he told the stone he accepted.


    A message appeared in all their visions.


    Welcome to Providence. As founders of this territory you will be able to control who has access. You will be able to select professions and level those professions by completing tasks related to them. Leveling in your profession does not enable a level in your class. A message will be sent out in a radius of 100 miles. This message will allow anyone to see the location of your territory. Those who come may seek to become members or challenge for leadership of your territory. A challenge to leadership must be accepted within 10 days or leadership will default to the challenger.


    A pulse exploded out of the stone and a loot chest formed. All around them buildings started to appear like magic. Walls were being erected around the entire clearing. The buildings looked like they would be completed in minutes.


    "This is fuckin awesome." Dave said "I thought we were gonna have to build this crap ourselves. This is way better then I hoped."


    D couldn''t take his eyes off the loot chest. It was different then the one he got from the mammoth it was much larger and had gold lining on the outside. He hadn''t even realized he was walking towards it. He just put his hands on it without thinking.


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    For completing the territory challenge with no lose of life you have been awarded the following:


    2 minor health potions


    3 minor mana potions


    1 set of basic leather armor : Armor of the dragonslayer : Adds 25 points to health


    Sword of the dragon : +5 slicing damage, adds bleed effect


    +100Exp


    "Hey come touch the loot chest you won''t believe what I got." D said excitement in his voice


    Dave rushed over to claim his rewards next. When he touched the chest he was also shown a message.


    For your contributions for claiming the territory stone without lose of life you have been awarded the following


    1 minor health potion


    3 minor mana potions


    Dragon scale shield : 200 durability when damaged only a blacksmith can restore lost durability. Able to withstand the force of a level 8 foe


    Glove of the lightning mage : this glove allows lightning mages to cast at a 20% reduction in mana used.


    "That what I''m fuckin talking about." Dave said.


    Rob looked at Dan who just shrugged so Rob touched the chest next.


    For your contributions to claiming the territory stone without lose of life you have received the following rewards.


    2 minor health potions


    2 minor mana potions


    Dragons Bane Compound Bow: Bow fires mana arrows attack damage equal to 2 + n. n=to 1/2 current level


    Goblin slayer dagger: A dagger with a durability enhancement. +20 durability if damaged will need a blacksmith to repair.


    "Holy shit finally something I can use at range. Deadshot doesn''t feel like a terrible class pick anymore." Rob said


    Dan walked up to finally touch the chest.


    Awards for helping claim the territory stone without lose of life:


    4 minor mana potions


    2 health potions


    1 dagger


    1 short sword


    1 staff


    1 simple bow


    1 mace


    "Nice finally I can use my class, and see about making some type of custom weapon. Dan said


    D asked everyone what they received as rewards. After everyone tried talking at once they calmed down. Rob went first, followed by Dave and finally Dan. D explained what he received and gifted the mammoth sword to Dan seeing as he was the only one without more than a basic weapon. They looked around. The settlement was finally complete. "So let''s go check out what our hard work paid for." D said with a smile. It hadn''t even been a full day yet, but it felt like a lifetime had passed already. One thing was certain life was only going to get more interesting.


    The guys decided to make their way around what would be their new home for a while. There was tons of open space. The whole area looked like wooden structures from the mid-evil times. Closest to where the stone had been was the Town hall. They decided to check that out first.


    "Doesn''t look like much." Dave said


    "Maybe we can upgrade as we go along. Let''s see what the inside holds." D responded


    They made their way inside and it was a little bit shocking. Some type of space magic must have been in use. The center area they entered into was about the same size as the outside. There were three hallways that appeared to be blocked off by a shimmering light. Above the first hallway was a sign that said cultivation. D walked up and put his hand on the shimmer. A message popped into his vision.


    : Cultivation not yet available reach level 10 and have a population of 25 to enter this area :


    He stepped back and told everyone what the message said. Rob and Dan had wondered over to the area that said Library of the multiverse. Rob touch the barrier for the same message to appear.


    Dave had wondered over to the last area named Mayors staff and offices. When he touched it his message was different.


    :Mayor must be appointed by territory founders. Mayors position will be held for 1 cycle or until death. If territory is lost new mayor maybe appointed by new ruling founders.:


    He stepped back and explained his message to everyone else. Still unsure what to do they left the town hall to continue to explorer the rest of the settlement. The blacksmith was what you would expect except there was no fire going on. There were hammers and tongs an anvil and quenching station. There was also a wall of different stock of steel and other metals. Not sure what or how to use them they left for the alchemy shop.


    When they walked in the air smelled odd. There was a wall of dry looking herbs, jars of what looked like beast parts, and bottles of different liquids. D was sure they were going to need access to that library to figure this stuff out.


    They left and went over to the barricks. This looked like where they were going to spend the night. There was a row of 50 bunk beds. A kitchen area with a wood stove. A bathroom and what looked like a shower. Well it was a shower but not with running water. It was a huge caldron with an area under it for wood to be burnt to heat the water. A small drainage area below grates in the floor.


    Rob pulled out the boar from his inventory and asked the guys if they were hungry. Everyone was they hadn''t eaten in half a day. They didn''t have any water, but knew the location of the stream. Dan was about to volunteer to head back to the stream when D said they should keep looking around as Rob got the food ready.


    Outside the barricks they check the guild hall which was basically a large open building with large round tables and chairs. To everyone''s surprise the training hall had a well for water. Dan rolled the handle and the bucket dropped down and came back up full of water. He took a sip. "Tastes fine to me. Atleast we won''t have to go beyond the wall everytime we need a drink." Dan said


    They had unhooked the bucket and returned to the barricks where Rob was cooking up the boar. They didn''t have any seasoning but atleast they had some meat and water. It would be enough to get them by for today. The rest was a problem for tomorrow. They used a large spoon to take drinks from the water, and stuffed themselves with as much boar meat as they could handle. It wasn''t night time yet but they had already had an exhausting day.


    "You guys get some sleep. I''m going to walk along the perimeter and see how the wall covers us. I''ll make a few rounds. I''ll stay awake for a few more hours and I''ll wake one of you guys up for the next watch. If we knew it''s truly safe then we''ll rest at the same time, but until then one of us has to always be on guard." D said


    "Wake me up for the next shift I''ll be alright in a few hours." Rob replied


    D left the barricks with a full stomach and a hell of a lot on his mind. How were they suppose to get enough people to gain access to those other areas in the town hall? Who was going to be the blacksmith or the alchemist. Who wanted to be the mayor. If you were the mayor you were trapped running this place and that wasn''t what he wanted to do. He wanted to go out and grow stronger. He felt a burning need to be more then they were right now. He couldn''t put his finger on it but it just didn''t seem right. Why be content to just sit here. He was only going to go stir crazy. He needed to know what happened around the rest of the world. Adventures await and staying here was going to be dull. Still that was a problem for another time.

 10. Leah

    : Just as the crew claims the territory stone:


    "We''re almost to that beam of light. Let''s hope something good is there. We can''t be trapped out in the wilderness forever." Joe said


    Joe was Leah''s dad. Leah was the only one to run into any other humans since this all began. It wasn''t a pleasant run in. She had told her family all about it. 3 men tried to rape and attack her. Then out of nowhere 3 other men showed up and killed them. Her older sister Kim kept asking about the 3 hero''s. Leah would not call them hero''s just yet. They did save her but they killed those other 3 men like it was nothing. Hero''s shouldn''t kill without remorse. Atleast she thought so anyway.


    Gina, Leah''s mom let out a gasp. "The light just went away. You think that''s good or bad?"


    "No idea." Said Joe "Were only a half hour away from where it was. We should keep going but be careful."


    "Dad we shouldn''t those men I told you about we''re heading in that direction. Trust me they were dangerous." Leah said


    "I understand but we don''t have many options. Well scout it out and if it seemed dangerous we''ll run." Joe replied


    *A pulse went through them and a message appeared*


    The settlement Providence has been founded. Within this settlement monsters and beasts can not spawn.


    "We need to check it out now for sure. If I''m going to keep you girls safe we need something like this " Joe said


    "I can keep us safe Dad." Leah said "My light mana is strong and my class as a blessed warrior, lets me sense when monsters or beasts are nearby."


    " It doesn''t let you know when other humans are near by though. So we''re going to go scout this settlement and see what we see. If it looks safe we''ll make an approach." Joe shot back


    The family hiked in silence for the next half hour. They thought they were close to the settlement but it was hard to keep your bearings when there was no sun in the sky, and the beam of light was gone. The woods were changing a little bit. The giant trees and foliage was thinning a little. The trees were starting to space out more and rather then just dirt and large roots there was actual grass on the forest floor now.


    Joe has been leading the family. He was sure they were going in the right direction. He used his old army training to keep his foot spacing even and stay on the most direct path towards where he wanted to go. Leah held up the rear using her senses to pick up and beasts or monsters in the area. Joe put up his hand indicating they all stop.


    "What is it?" Kim asked


    "Do you see anything honey?" Gina added


    "I can see a wall made of wood. It''s about 30 yards ahead. Be quite as we approach. Well scout it out and decided if we should find a gate or something." Joe told them


    They were all very careful as they made the last leg of the trip through the forest. No one wanted to be the one to step on something that made noise to alert whoever was in this place to there presence. When they made it to the wall they could see the wall was huge. It was easily 20feet tall and looped around what must have been a quarter mile.


    "Well circle this wall see if there''s a gate. There must be a point of entry." Joe told them


    "How do we know people did this, maybe it''s monster inside there." Kim said


    ""I don''t think we would have been notified of a monster settlement. It must be people. I have no idea how many it could be. There must be a few hundred to build something like this." Joe said


    They must have circled in the wrong direction. They had been taking it slow and quite, and had walked for over an hour. It''s was starting to turn into night. By the time they found the gate it was almost dark. They had now gone a whole day without eating.


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    "Well camp outside of the gate tonight and try to make some type of contact in the morning. I haven''t heard any sounds." Joe said "If there''s people inside it can''t be as many as I was thinking we would have heard something by now. It''s almost too quite."


    Gina and Kim decided to flatten some grass on the opposite side of a large tree near the gate. Joe and Leah were trying to peer threw the small openings. They still had not seen anyone when they heard footsteps from the inside. They dropped back a few feet still trying to peer threw the opening in the gate. A man walked into view. He was wearing jeans and a white Tshirt. Over his Tshirt looked like a bulletproof vest, but it almost appeared to be made from snake skin. Slung over his shoulder was a sword that has the shape of a katana. It had a two handed handle with the same looking snake skin as his vest. The man was tall easily over 6ft. He was a slim build but fit. He has black heard and a short beard. He glanced out the gate for a breef moment and kept walking.


    When they knew he was far enough away Leah whispered to her dad " that''s not one of the men who killed those guys attacking me. It''s someone else. Where do you think he got the sword from?"


    "I can see building in there but it''s took dark to really make out any details. Well wait till morning and try and make contact." Joe replied


    Leah and Joe made it over to Kim and Gina. Joe woke them up "We''ve just seen a man inside. He''s armed. Leah says it''s not one of the men she saw earlier. We''re going to wait until dawn before we try and make contact."


    The rest of the night went by relatively smooth. They took turns waking each other up. No one noticed anyone else walk by the gate. They each took what they thought was a 4 hour watch and then would switch. Finally on Joe last watch the sky began to lighten a little. He could tell dawn was coming. He went over to get the rest of the family up.


    "Everyone wake up it''s almost dawn." Joe said


    "Have you seen anyone else Dad?" Kim asked


    "How are we going to make contact?" Leah said


    " We''re going to wait until we see someone by the gate again, or if we hear footsteps well yell to get some attention. We don''t want anyone to think we''re there enemy. Let me do the talking when it happens." Joe told them


    Dawn came and they still hadn''t seen or heard anyone. Everyone was on edge clearly there weren''t as many people inside as they first believed.


    "Should we just start shouting? It''s been hours and we''ve only seen that one person. Maybe they don''t check the gate often." Leah said


    "No we may not be the only people who''ve made it to this settlement so far. Let''s wait a bit till we know someone''s close to the gate and then make our move." Joe said


    "True if those men are around I don''t want to bring them to us just yet. They would probably storm this gate. You didn''t see them dad. They killed those men like it was nothing." Leah said


    "Would you stop already. They saved you. Would you rather they hadn''t shown up when they did. You said you would be safe going to grab more water. If they didn''t show up you could already be dead." Kim said


    "Leah''s right we need to be careful the world has changed, and so has civilization with it. Your father''s right we need to wait until someone''s close then grab there attention." Gina said


    "Do you sense any monsters or beasts near by Leah?" Joe asked


    "No and I haven''t since we got close to this settlement. Maybe the message was telling the truth were safe around it they can''t spawn nearby." Leah said


    "Ok spread out a little stay close to the wall. If anyone hears any footsteps come back this way. I''m going to stay closest to the gate keep looking inside." Joe said


    They spread out around the wall not going to far from Joe. Finally Kim heard foot steps. She was the farthest from the gate on her way back she hurried while trying not to make any noise. She came across her mom and signaled she follow her. They made it back in to the gate but Leah has gone the opposite direction as them.


    "Dad I hear footsteps coming from my side. They were walking at a slow steady pace. I couldn''t see anything between the cracks of the wall it''s to tight " Kim told her father


    "Go get your sister and come back this way. It''s time we see what this settlement is all about." Joe told her


    Kim went off to grab her sister. At first she couldn''t find her then she heard her call out from behind a tree.


    "Kim what is it why are you running?" Leah said


    "Someone''s about to make it to the gate. They were coming from my side dad told me to come get you." Kim said


    As they were making their way back they heard there dad call out. "Hey, Hey"


    They picked up the pace the both wanted to see who was in the other side of the gate.


    Joe has seen a man on the other side. He had long hair pulled back. He was carrying a shield strapped across his back. The shield looked amazing. The same style as the other mans vest but clearly steel or some type of metal was reinforcing it. He wore jeans and a black Tshirt with what looked like cartoon characters from a show his daughters watched. Nick and Borty or something like that. He knew now was a good a time as any. "Hey, Hey" he yelled out.


    The man froze. He ran towards the gate an looked out. "Listen I''ll be back in two seconds just wait right here ok." That was all he said when he ran off towards one of the buildings. Joe was a little surprised at how fast he moved.


    "What was it dad?" Kim said as Leah and her made it back to the gate.


    "It was a man with a shield. He just said wait here two minutes and ran off. I''m sure he will be right back." Joe said


    They were all anxious now who knew what was going to happen next.

 11. First guests

    Dave ran into the barricks "Yo everybody get up there''s some dude at the gate." They all popped up at the same time weapons ready.


    "What did he say?" Rob asked


    "Well he said hey and I looked and it was a dude and a lady. I said hold on a second and ran over here." Dave answered


    "So you just said wait here? You didn''t say what do you want? Are you okay? Nothing just wait right here?" Dan asked


    "Fuck you Dan alright it got flustered. Now come on let''s go!" Dave said


    They sprinted back towards the gate. They had all done a rotation on watch, so they all knew where it was. D being the fastest was the first one there.


    "Sorry about my friend keeping you waiting can I help you? Wait Dave said it was only a man and a women, there''s four of you? D asked


    "Sorry we didn''t get to chat much he said wait and ran off." Joe said "this is my wife Gina and my daughters Kim and Leah."


    Right as Joe introduced them the rest of the guys were closing in. Leah''s eye grew huge when she saw them running at D''s back. "Watch out!"she screamed


    D spun around only to see the guys running at him so he spun back around a look of confusion. "Those men are dangerous." Leah said


    That night they had shared the stories from the time they were apart. D had learned about the fight with the boar and the 3 guys they encountered attack a girl. He put two and two together and realized this must be the girl.


    "You must be the girl they saved in the woods. Listen my friends and brother aren''t dangerous. Well they are but your getting it twisted. They killed those men for what they were going to do to you. We don''t just kill people, but I''ll tell you now rapist, women beaters, and murders aren''t welcome here." D said


    "They''re murders, they killed 3 people." Leah shot back


    By now the guys were at the gate with D "Oh listen here genius. We could have left those man to do what they wanted with you, but we didn''t. Rob over here has a real problem with rapist. He would have smashed there faces even before the world went to shit." Dave said


    "Listen everyone calm down. Why don''t we let you inside we can take for a bit. If you don''t like the settlement we''re setting up your free to leave. If you have any weapons you can bring them in." D explained


    "We don''t have any weapons. I would like to get some though." Joe said


    D finally used IDENTIFY and realized they were all level 1 except Joe who was level 2. How did they survive the night without killing or running into any beasts he thought


    "We have a blacksmith shop and Dan has some extra weapons we could work out a trade. We''re trying to start something here. Someplace safe. If you like what we have to say I''m sure we can work something out." D told them


    "Ok but I have your word you won''t do anything to me or my family." Joe asked


    Rob was looking at Joe threw the gate he had the standard high and tight fade and a drab green t shirt. Rob had been in the navy so he knew nother service member when he saw one "where did you serve?" Rob asked


    "Army, desert storm. Why your were in the army or were you eating crayons?" Joe said with a laugh


    "No I was a sailor in the navy for 6 years. Did my time all over really." Rob replied


    Kim stepped up "I was in the navy as well my dad hated it. When did you get out I just got out 2 years ago after doing 4."


    "Oh I got out about 8 years ago we wouldn''t have crossed paths then." Rob answered


    "Help me open the gate talking threw the damn thing is stupid. Let''s get them inside. Rob you got anymore meat left?" D asked


    "Yea a bit but if we give it to them were going to have to go hunt at some point today." Rob said


    They opened the gate to let the family inside. The father Joe was a dark skinned guy with a high and tight fade. Not jacked or anything regular build. He did have a braided rats tail which was only in style in the early 90s but he seemed normal enough. Plus being ex-army he could probably help with some things. The mother who D IDENTIFIED as Gina was an average red headed women regular height. She was pretty for her age. She hadn''t said much yet but she looked excited when they said they had food. The two daughters we both above average in terms of looks. Kim looked to be about the age as everyone in the crew where as her sister Leah looked the be a year or two younger then all of them.


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    "We''re going to go-to the barricks and get you all feed. There''s only one rule. According to the territory stone we claimed you can become residents of the settlement. Which is fine we''re all for that. Or you can challenge for leader ship which means we will have to fight. I don''t think you want that." D said


    "No listen we just want a safe place for our family." Gina spoke up quickly


    "Well listen there''s a lot to be done to make a settlement apparently. There''s jobs that you can level there''s areas we can''t even get into yet. Let''s just get you guys feed for now." Dave said


    They lead the family into the barricks and gave them a break down on all the buildings so far. Joe was taking back when they told him everything they had to do to claim the territory stone.


    "So your saying not only did you guys kill a Minotaur, but orc''s goblins and a dragon." Joe said


    "Oh don''t forget about the wolves. They were no joke either." Dave said


    "Sorry, and that''s how you guys got the gear and weapons you have? I killed two boar in the forest and I didn''t get a loot chest." Joe said


    "I killed two boar that didn''t give me a loot chest either." D told him "Not every kill gets you a loot chest we guess. The minotaur didn''t give us one either. It wasn''t till we completed the quest to claim the stone did we get this gear." D explained


    The girls were being quite for the most part. This was all a lot to take in boar out in the forest was one thing, but these type of monsters was something else.


    "Listen ill give you guys the grand tour of the place. It''s still not much but I''ll show you were you can water. I''ll show Joe some of the weapons in sitting on and what we have here." Dan said


    The family having finished eating all nodded and stood up. Dan lead them out of the barricks towards the training hall for some water.


    "Yo dibbs on that Leah girl. She''s smoking."Dave said


    "No we are not making any moves on those girl right now. Who knows what''s going to happen. We are two days into the god damn apocalypse and your calling dibbs on girls we meet." Rob said


    "Yea ok I see how your looking at that Kim girl. We all know you got a thing for chicks we serve." Dave shot back


    "Chill out you guys. Let Dan show them around." D said " We need to ask them there classes. We need to know how they fit in to the equation. Can they be helpful to gain levels or are we going to just let them get professions and level those. Just because Joe use to be in the army doesn''t mean he wants to go fight by our side."


    "True , we did sleep inside last night they slept in the forest. Let''s give them some time to relax for a few hours then we''ll talk with them some more." Rob said


    "Well Rob with that new bow you think you can grind out some more food? Dave and I will go with you. Well grab some food and some Exp at the same time. We shouldn''t waste anytime. Who knows when someone''s going to show up and try to claim what is ours." D said


    "Bro with this bow and my Deadshot class, I''ll know when something''s near and be able to kill it before it knows we''re around." Rob said


    "Nice let''s wait for Dan to get back and tell him the plan for the day." Dave said


    It took Dan about half and hour to show the new quests around. Hopefully they liked what they saw. When they came back to the barricks Joe looked like he had something he needed to say.


    "What''s with the look Joe?" D asked


    "Listen this is a decent place you guys have here and we are interested in staying we don''t want to push but we need a few things done though." Joe said with almost a strained look on his face.


    "What do you mean by things you need done?" D asked


    "Well it''s mainly for the girls. There''s only bunk beds no real sleeping quarters. The shower has no curtain. I can''t let them live like this." Joe said


    "Damn we didn''t think about that. Sorry Joe. How about this we will let you take some beds into the training hall. Don''t clean up with our drinking water though. When someone needs to shower you come with them and can post up so no one walks in on them." D said "Fair deal?"


    "Yes thank you. I was sure how you guys would react to my demands." Joe turned to his family. "Can you guys all wait outside one minute?"


    Gina, Kim, and Leah looked shocked they didn''t know why he asked them that but they nodded and did as they were told


    Once they were out of ear shit Joe started again "listen I know what you three did for my daughter. I just wanted to say thank you. If I was there I would have killed those bastards myself. She thinks you dangerous, but I wouldn''t know how or where I would be if you guys weren''t there." Joe said like he was dropping a weight off his chest


    Dave stepped up with his hand out to shake Joe''s. Joe took it. "We killed those men not to scare your daughter, but if the worlds going to hell we have to do all we can to hold onto what we had. You''re a good man Joe welcome to our settlement." Dave said


    "Listen Joe we need to go out to hunt and no offense but we''re going to leave Dan here to watch you. Until we build some trust please don''t do anything anyone might regret. Got it." D said with a serious look on his face.


    "Hunting you say. Well listen as a show of good faith I''ll see if I can convince Leah to go with you she can sense beasts. It was how we were able to stay somewhat safe out there." Joe said "it''s up to her though I can''t make her go if she doesn''t seem willing."


    "Talk to her she if she''s up for it if not we''re going to head out anyway. We will be back well before night fall. Dan knows the call. When he hears it you can help him get the gate open." D said


    With that Joe left to go talk things over with his family and the crew needed to talk over the arrival of the new guests.


    Things for Providence were moving slowly or quickly depending how you looked at it. The population had doubled in size in only a day. 8 people wasn''t much though, but atleast they were making some headway towards opening those areas in the town hall. There was still a lot to do.

 12. The Hunt

    "I''m not going out into the forest with those psychos Dad!" Leah said


    "Listen they seem like decent people. Any of them could wipe us out. They took us in they didn''t hide anything. We got a full tour. If we don''t pull our weight they may kick us out." Joe tried to explain to his daughter. In this new world it wasn''t who you were. It was what your brought to the table. Power seemed to be the new currency. His daughter has a good class. It would help them in a hunt.


    "Fine I''ll go but if they kill me or try to say some beasts killed me it was them. That means it was your fault for making me go out there with them." Leah snapped back


    "Just help them bag some game so we have some food. Show them you know what your doing. I thought you how to track and hunt when you were a girl. You can do this. Tell them you need a weapon so you can protect yourself." Joe said


    "Ok good idea." Leah answered


    Leah walked back towards the barricks with her father. They knocked on the door and heard someone yell come in. When they went inside they could tell the others were just about ready to leave. "Hey you coming along for the ride?" Dave asked


    "I''ll come but I need a weapon to protect myself." Leah responded


    "What kind were you thinking. Dan has a few basic weapons he can loan out. We may even come across a loot box out there and you can get yourself something better." D told her


    "A decent size knife or a not heavy sword. I''m still only level 1. I won''t be able to swing around something heavy." Leah said


    Rob pulled out his old dagger. It had worked well for him but now he was going to focus on using his ranged skills. He was planning on slaying most beasts before they knew what hit them. "Here." He reached out with the dagger handle first.


    "Thanks." Leah said timidly


    "Before we go we need to know your class and mana type." D told her


    "I have an uncommon warrior class that uses light mana." Leah said


    "Nice she can throw out some heals then it''s fine if Dan stays she can run the healing. Her manas low now but still any heal is better then using the potions. We only have so many of those." Dave said


    "I don''t really know how to heal." Leah said her cheeks getting redder.


    "Well we are gonna have to have Dan show you before we go then." D responded.


    They went outside. The barricks were close to the town hall. It was within ear shot so D just yelled out a "Hey" and all 8 of them got together. Before Dan could start the training D decided they should all share how they learned to use their mana. Maybe everyone was a little different.


    Dave went first. "For me it was like I just had to push it towards my hands. Dan had just been clipped by a boar. I was pissed to see my friend hurt and I just kind of pushed it from where I felt the rage in my chest out to my hand. Then boom a bolt shot out."


    "Mines a little different." D started "I have to kinda focus almost visualize what I want it to do. I think Dave and my mana are really only offensive. They don''t seem to have any healing benefits that''s we''ve found yet."


    "I don''t really think about mana yet. My class came with a mana skill called Shadow Blink. It allows me to teleport a short distance about 20 yards. I just kinda think the words and it happens as I want it to." Rob said


    "Well when I heal someone I feel like I''m thinking about what just happened to them reversing. I''m not sure if that makes sense. I''m looking at the cut and kinda visualizing it closing in reverse. While I do that I feel my mana stur in my chest. Then I just will it to my arm." Dan said


    "We''re gonna have to hurt someone so she can give it a try. I''ll cut Dave on the arm and she can try to heal him. If she can''t we''ll have Dan heal him." D said


    "What the fuck man! Why can''t you cut Rob! Why do I gotta be the one who gets cut this is some bullshit!" Dave said


    "Don''t be so dramatic. Dan can heal you. Worst case is you have to wait an extra 30 seconds I''m not chopping your arm off. I won''t use my sword I''ll use the dagger no bleed effect." D said


    "Again this is some bullshit. Fine go ahead and cut me, but like don''t really cut me you know what I mean. Make me bleed but don''t like stab me just slice me enough to bleed. No need to do any real damage." Dave said


    Even Leah could tell he wasn''t the maniac she had first thought him to be when he first helped kill those men. Him not enjoying pain made her see him as a more regular person. Before they started she tried to feel her mana inside. She tried to touch it. To move it. When she felt like she was doing something she opened her eyes to see D smile. "She''s doing it. You see her eyes glowing like Dan''s does. She''s got this. Hold out your arm Sally."


    Dave held out his arm but turned his head away and closed his eyes. D cut a quick thin line on Dave''s forearm. Dave winced in pain and started to grown. You would think it was a fatal wound. Leah focused inward and did as Dan said she willed the cut to reverse to go back to how it was before it was an opening. She felt her mana shift and she pushed it towards her arm. Then down to her hand. She almost squeeked in surprise when golden light flew from her palm over to the cut. It actually started to close. She stayed focused and was able to heal it. She felt a little drained but that was all.


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    "See I knew you could do it." D said


    Leah was proud of herself she has used her mana. She was using magic basically, the smile on her face was huge.


    " Ok the rest of you are going to practice with Dan using whatever mana type you have while we go find us some food for the day." D told everyone.


    They made there way towards the gate. D was excited they hadn''t fought anything all day. Sitting still wasn''t he cup of tea. Finally they would be getting into a fight. Well a hunt but who knew what lurked out in the forest. They could run into anything, maybe get a loot box of some more gear.


    "We''re going to hop down over the wall. I don''t want to leave the gate open. We should have brought Joe and Dan over here with us. Well just keep that in mind next time." D said


    They were able to hang and drop down from the top of the wall. No one was hurt from the drop so they started to make there way into the forest. "Your dad said you can feel beasts and monsters. I''m going to mark these trees as we walk to we can find our way back easily. Tell us when you think something is near by." D said


    They had to walk about 20 minutes into the forest before Leah felt her first beast near by. "I feel something. There is maybe 4 of them to our 3 o''clock. They seem to be staying still."


    "Nice this is going to make leveling a lot easier. Leah what we learned is that you have to contribute to the fight to get more Exp. If you just stand back you will get some but less than if you were fighting." Rob explained


    "Yes what well do is I''ll smash one with my shield. When I do and it seems dazed run over to it and stab it somewhere vital." Dave said


    They all started to crouch and walk slowly through the forest. This far away from the settlement, the woods were pretty think. Rob could see a clearing a head and hear faint noises. He held up a hand. "I can see a clearing ahead. Well spread out a little and make our way to it. Well try and surprise them. If it seems like a losing battle when we IDENTIFY them. We will back off."


    Rob was the first to get a good line of sight on the beasts. 3: level 2 wolves and 1: level 3 wolf. He knew they could take them. He just wasn''t sure how wolf meat was going to taste. He glanced around and realized everyone was in position. He summoned his bow and drew back. As soon as he released the arrow, Dave ran into the clearing. D and Leah were pushing forward too. Rob arrow slammed into the side of the level 3 wolf. It dropped where it stood dead from a single shot. Dave let out a cry and bashed a level 2 with his shield. Leah did as she was told she ran over to it and started to frantically stab it until it stopped moving. D unleashed a massive slash with his sword and lobbed the head off another wolf. The final wolf froze. Dave decided to utilize his boots. He ran towards it closing the distance fast. The wolf crouched low as if ready to run. Before it could Dave spun a roundhouse kick for it''s face. The kick landed hard dropping the wolf to the ground. With one solid stomp to the head it was dead. Exp flowed from the beasts towards all of them. Leah gained a level and started to glow.


    They all looked towards her when the glow faded away. "Wow what a rush! Does it feel like that every time?" She asked


    "Sure does makes you want to keep going right?" Dave replied


    "Yea it does. Where should I put my 3 points? Leah asked


    "Well as the new healer, I think you should put them in mana for now. Let''s make sure you can cast a few heals before you tire out." D told her


    "Ok, but I also want to get my strength up." Leah added


    "That''s fine next time you level put 1 into mana and 2 into strength. We don''t know much about stats yet. We''re hoping to get into the cultivation area of the town hall before we make mistakes just throwing them in at random." D said


    "Let me have my dagger back I''m gonna grab us some meat. Then we''ll head back to the settlement and see if everyone has been able to make progress with mana usage." Rob said


    Leah tossed him the dagger. Rob made short work of processing the meat. They had been out about 45 minutes now and it would take another 20 to get back. Leah was surprised the hunt went to well. She had these guys all wrong. They clearly weren''t the psychos she thought. She just encountered them at a bad time. The group was growing on her. If they could keep teaching her how to level she felt it was a great trade off. She was having less regrets with choosing Providence as a settlement. She just hoped anyone else who came fit in well too.


    They made the way back to the settlement following the marks D had made. They were almost back to the gate when they saw a man who looked to be bleeding and hurt by the gate.


    Rob had the best perception of the group he could tell the man was injured. He also got a faint hint that there was something familiar with this man. His back was turned to them so he couldn''t put a finger on it.


    "Weapons ready this could be some type of ambush." D said in a quite voice. "I''ll take point and see what this is about."


    They crept up behind the injured man. He was clutching his side. Clearly in pain. He was just starting threw the gate. Dave was about to shield bash him when the man slowly turned around.


    "Holy shit it''s Mike." Dave said


    Mike was a few grades behind them in school but Mike had an older brother they all use to be good friends with. Mikes brother ended up going to a different highschool when there family moved to another part of the city. He has grown up alot. He was taller then Dan at about 5''9" and a little husky. His hair was a mess. Some dried blood on it. He was wearing sweatpants and a ripped and bloody Tshirt.


    "Dave is that you?" Mike answered back


    "Leah heal him please. We know this guy. Well we did. Haven''t seen him in a while but he''s a good person. Heal him if you can." D told her


    Leah focused and sent out a heal. Mike had a few different wounds and it used a decent amount of mana. When she was done she could see a grateful look on Mikes face.


    "Wow that''s amazing. Do you guys know how we get inside this place. I''ve been waiting here for about 30 minutes I think and I haven''t seen anyone." Mike asked


    Dave smiled and shot a bolt into the air. The boom was loud and they knew Dan would be coming.


    Mikes face was in awww. "Do you guys know who is in charge here. I was a days travel away when the message hit me. I''ve had some bad luck with beasts and had to just keep running away."


    "Yea were in charge here, and don''t worry we''ll get you settled. It''s gonna take a bit to fill you in on everything though." D said with a smirk


    Dan and Joe ran over to the gate. Joe looked nervous at the new man who had blood all over him. Dan didn''t seem nervous. They opened the gate to let them all inside. For a short hunting trip it turned out to be turning into a hell of a second day.

 13. Enemies

    Chris was loving this new world. He had a thirst for blood. He had been in prison when Norbak first took him for training. Chris was a skinny guy. Long unkept hair. He was fairly short but he used death mana. He had a class called Necroslayer. He could bring back monsters and people from the dead to fight on his behalf. His own stats weren''t high, but Norbak said he would always have a number advantage. With Chris we''re 3 other prisoners. They had all been sharing a 4 man cell at the prison when the integration began.


    Derek had a class called Titan. He was already a big guy. He was 6''5" and weighed about 245lbs. Now at level 3 he was close to 260lbs. His mana was Earth. They found he could move stone in the ground or air around them. Derek was in prison for armed robbery. He had robbed a liquor store that was next door to his apartment. The owner knew who he was and he didn''t even wear a mask. Derek wasn''t smart he was pretty much a dumb brute. Still he could tank a lot of damage. They were about to try and claim a territory stone.


    Vlad and D''Vok were brothers. Their parents came from Russia when they were 8 and 9. There dad had fled the Russian mob. He took out a loan he never intended to pay back. Both of them had fire mana. Vlad had a class called Blazing warrior. And D,Vok had a class called Inferno mage. Together they could do a huge amount of damage output. They were in prison for a huge fraud scheme. They would call old couples and demand money for kidnappings that hadn''t actually happened. Most of the time the old couples paid quickly. They were only caught when they tried the scheme on a retired army vet who didn''t actually have a grandson. He knew it was bullshit as soon as the call started. He played dumb and said he would meet them in a park nearby, and pay them 3000 dollars. What he really did was call the cops and set up a sting before he went.


    These 4 had been killing off beasts and monsters just for fun on the way to a beam of light that was nearby. They had ran into two people and Chris had killed them both to add to his ranks. Norbak had explained the importance of territory stones. Chris knew you had to claim as many as possible in the first month to get buffs. Norbak also explained that there was a group about 200miles south of them. Norbak said he wanted them killed as soon as possible.


    The 4 of them were watching a pack of wolves surround a glowing stone. They were just waiting for the right time to make a move. They had only been able to get one loot chest so far. Only Derek had gotten a weapon it was a mace. It was about 3 feet long with spikes on the ball end. Good thing he had the strength to use it. Chris wasn''t worried about the wolves. The brothers could fry them to a crisp as soon as he gave the word.


    Chris had enough of this waiting and decided to just step into the clearing. As soon as he was visible the wolves started to growl. Chris just kept walking forward. "Light them up." he said casually. Fire started to swirl towards them. In less then a minute they were no more. "To easy" Vlad said


    "Yea I was hoping for a real fight" Derek said.


    Norbak had explained to Chris how to claim one of the stones when he was in training. He was told not to share the rewards with anyone from his group. Chris walked up and placed his hand on the stone.


    *Ding* Do you wish to try and claim this territory stone. Yes / No


    He selected Yes. Rather then a beast wave like The Crew had, they had a puzzle quest they would need to solve. Around them 5 broken pillars rose into the air. Each pillar had odd runes carved into them. Some parts weren''t aligned. If Chris has to guess they were suppose to solve each puzzle and something from the pillars would let them know they had succeeded.


    "Derek spin that piece of the pillar right there." Derek grabbed the stone that was out of place and turned it. "Fuck he said as a blade slashed out and cut his hand."


    "Ok so we have to figure out what is the right way to fix these things or were going to get hurt everytime we make a mistake." Chris explained to them


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    "Well make your zombies do it then." Derek said holding his hand to his shirt, trying to stop the bleeding.


    "We need to look at them all maybe there''s a pattern or something. Then I''ll have my zombies move pieces for us." Chris said


    Vlad and D''Vok looked at the two near them. They weren''t the smartest criminals but they weren''t brain dead either. Chris was checking out another on a Derek was looking over the one that had cut him. This was going to take more then then they thought.


    They argued more than they solved the puzzles for the first 20 minutes. These guys were half ready to kill each other over working together. Chris thought about killing each of them, and adding them to his undead ranks. Chris was your garden variety psychopath. The only reason he hadn''t killed them yet was Norbak explaining they would be better for his undead horde if he waited to kill them when they had higher levels.


    Finally they had started to make progress with these damn puzzles. Their clearing wasn''t truly in a forest type area like Providence. They were in a semi swamp. The beasts they mostly encountered were rather large black spiders and several types of lizards that were now ten times larger than they had been before the integration.


    Chris was getting pissed off. He hadn''t been able to kill anything in hours. The others weren''t aware of him being a champion. He was holding that card close to his vest. He thought it was better they just saw him as being stronger than them. This way they wouldn''t try for a power grab. He also made sure to seem like he knew more about the new world then they did. This was true but only for the fact he could remember his training in time dilation with Norbak. The rest of the prisoners also weren''t aware that they were suppose to go kill this other champion. Chris would set it up like he found a golden ticket. He knew the guys craved female attention. He would make sure to kill any he came across to make sure his settlement was almost all male. Then when the time came he would show them that all the females were being horded by this other settlement. It would be easy to push them to attack by then.


    After so more painful trial and error they were able to get all but two pillars finished."So what we need to do is make sure every pillar as the runes alternate from top to bottom. It needs to start one place different from the pillar to its left in the circle." Chris said


    Now that they had cracked the code it would only be a matter of minutes before the territory stone was captured. They went ahead and compared the final two pillars to the ones next to them. It was easy enough just alternate runes starting at position 2 compared to the one on its left. They were completed in 3 minutes. Then the beam of light reversed direction and flew back into the stone.


    Chris knew this would happen. He didn''t wait for the others to ask any questions. He didn''t care what they had to say. As far as he was concerned he was their boss until they became his zombie slaves. Chris touched the stone to finish taking the territory. He named the settlement The Evil Dead. He felt that gave it a scary appeal. Plus he always liked that movie. He didn''t care much about the points they had accumulated. They only has 11000 points. They must not have done well with the challenge. He decided to put up a stone wall for 5000 points. A town hall and a barracks. He didn''t see the need for any of the other buildings. As the area surrounding then sprang to life with the buildings coming into being with magic, the others seemed blown away. When they looked to Chris he said "I''ve used a bunch of my mana to make this happen. Just like I told you guys. Stick with me and we''re going to rule this world." It was a bold lie but the others had no way of knowing. He did anything he could to make sure to them he was the most powerful. Somewhere in his messed up mind he truly believed he was the most powerful.


    There just happened to be a group of 10 people not far from The Evil Dead settlement. When the pulse went out they all froze. "Doesn''t sound like a good place to me Drew." Kevin said


    "Your right it doesn''t. Let''s back track back out of this swamp and head back towards that forest. Yes we had plenty of water here, but I don''t want to run into a group of people or anything that calls there settlement something crazy like that. Drew replied


    Drew and Kevin''s group was an odd lot. Drew and Kevin were the only adults. They had been taking these 8 kids to a baseball game for big brothers and big sisters when the world went to shit. They weren''t going to abandon them. It was getting hard though. Food was lacking they hadn''t eaten in almost two days. Water could only take them so far. They needed to get some shelter and some food soon. If only to improve the kids moral. They were breaking under the pressure. Drew and Kevin had classes, but apparently the kids were to young and would have to wait until they were 15 to pick a class. They turned back away from the light they had been following and hoped to find someplace decent in the near future.

 14. Improvements and setbacks

    Back in Providence The Crew had another new arrival. Mike was someone they knew but not someone they had seen in quite a while. Leah had shown her usefulness during the hunt. As a whole they were a long way away from where they needed to be. D knew he couldn''t expect to gain levels as fast as they had the first day. Still he felt the constant need to improve. There was something scratching at the back of his mind telling him he needed to move forward faster. He just didn''t know why. D knew there was important information in that damn Town Hall. They just couldn''t access it yet. None of them were a high enough level and they didn''t meet the population requirements.


    "I healed Mike a little more he is resting in the barracks now." Dan walked over to D and said. "What''s on your mind?"


    "I can''t place it but I just feel we all need to grow stronger faster. Rather then go hunt I think we need to take a trip to another territory stone. We got the most loot and the most Exp claiming this one. We need to be more in a fight then just hunting in the forest." D said


    "Listen I get it but out there who knows what dangers await. Maybe let''s take it slow. We can wait for more people to trickle in get our base camp all set then venture out." Dan replied


    " I can''t explain it but it''s like an itch I can''t scratch. We need to be doing more. My gut has a bad feeling. So far we''ve been lucky. What are we going to do when a monster or person shows up who''s so much stronger then us? How can we protect what we have if they could wait us out at the gate or challenge us for the settlement." D responded


    "Well how do you plan on gaining levels. Joe noticed last night that one of the lights disappeared. That means there''s another settlement not insanely far away. Maybe we could see what they''re doing?" Dan said


    "Still there two more within eye sight. Mike should be someone we can trust. We''ve known him since we were kids. How are you and Joe getting along?" D asked. Joe seemed like a reliable guy. He protected his family he was trying to help not just be a burden. D was hoping Joe and his family would become a part of what they were building here.


    "Joe has a noncombat class. He has an earth mana. It seems he can manipulate wood. His class is called Earthen Druid. He can feel if the area around him is healthy. He can stop other earth mana attacks with a skill called Gaias Might. He''s older so he''s not going to be much help in a fight. He was a logistics guy in the army." Dan was filling D in on how the mana training went with them when they were out on the hunt. "Gina was a counsel woman before the integration. She might be a good fit for Mayor. She has a semi combat class called. Truth Seeker. She also has light mana like me and Leah. I say it semi combat because she has a skill called Truth Hurts. If she uses it on someone and they are lying it does damage based on how many times they lie. She can stack the damage and let it all hit at once."


    "That''s an interesting skill and class. What about the older sister Kim?"


    "Oh she has a combat class alright, she just doesn''t seem like she wants to be a fighter. She has fire mana and her class is called Flame maiden. She can cover her body in flames that don''t burn her with her mana. We tested it and she could burn wood with it some I''m sure it would burn a beast or a monster." Dan said


    "Well get The Crew together have Joe, Kim, and Gina meet us at the town hall building in 5 minutes." D told Dan while turning to walk towards the town hall himself.


    D was lost in thought. Gina seemed like a kind women. She raised two badass daughters from what he could tell. If they made her Mayor they wouldn''t have to worry about someone new showing up alone and trying to push for the position. Joe being able to manipulate wood was great. D wanted to have the barracks divided into more smaller rooms. If Joe could manage that it would be a huge boon. Kim having fire was a bonus too. Dave wouldn''t need to start every fire. Still there was so much to do. With Mike showing up there was another mouth to feed. How would they start to feed everyone when the population grew? What would they do to keep food coming in there was no refrigerators. They hadn''t be able to plant any crops. D then realized the settlement was concrete. They would have to plant crops outside the walls. To much to think on he had to divide this all up.


    D had been waiting in the town hall racking his brain for ideas. When it came to a fight he could get the job done without question, but run a settlement wasn''t who he was. Finally the rest of them started to arrive. Dan walked in first with Joe, Kim, and Gina. Rob and Dave came in a minute later.


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    "Ok now that everyone''s here we have a few things we need to discuss. Joe how do you feel about helping turn the barracks into more of an apartment style area? Dan says you can manipulate wood."


    Joe " I''d be ok with that. I want to pull my own weight."


    "Good now Gina I hear you were a counsel women before all this. I was hoping you could be our Mayor and as more people come help organize food stores, hunting parties, and try and figure out if anyone is coming with bad intentions."


    Gina "I''d be happy to take over the Mayors roll. There are thing we would need you haven''t thought about though. We need something like a police force once we have a decent number of people here. We also need to start using the blacksmith and alchemist shops. Trade may become useful in the future. There''s a lot to plan and do. I would need an assistant."


    D hadn''t thought about any of those things. His mind was mostly focused on how to grow stronger who or what to fight next. This all seemed like to much. Maybe they shouldn''t have claimed this territory stone. His head was hurting already.


    "I would like to try my hand at blacksmithing." Dan said


    "Really why''s that?" Rob asked


    "Well I feel it goes well with my class. So if I can get my profession and my class to kind of go hand in hand I think I could make some awesome weapons and armor for everyone." Dan said


    "Go ahead then give it a shot. You''ve watched enough episodes of that damn knife making show. You must have some idea how to do it. Just don''t ruin all the metals we have in there messing around. Start small and work your way up." D said


    "Rob and I were talking earlier we want to try alchemy." Dave added "Potions are hard to come by if we can learn how to make them we don''t have to worry about always having a healer with the hunting party."


    "Yea we don''t know anything about it yet but we''re sure once we can get some information on it we will be ok. Dave''s always been good with plants." Rob said


    "Alright let''s go check on Mike and see how he''s doing. I want to go scout the surrounding area some more today before dark." D said


    With that being a wrap on the first unofficial meeting they all left the town hall. Dave and Rob stopped to talk amongst themselves. Gina, Joe and Kim went towards the training hall where they had been staying.


    D was almost to the barracks when he heard a loud boom come from the area near the gate. He took of running. As he glanced around he caught sight of Rob and Dave running towards the gate as well. They knew more people were going to be coming but they didn''t think something like this was going to happen so soon. They reached the gate together. D looked back and could see Dan and Joe hanging out of sight of the opening in the gate. Dan must have given Joe a sword. Dan has the mammoth sword out and ready Joe was holding a standard sword at the low ready. D nodded to them both.


    "What the fuck was that." Dave said


    Two ugly men stuck there faces into view. "Open the gate were taking control of this settlement." One of them said


    "Eat a dick bitch this is ours if you challenge us for it. Go ahead it''ll be your death." Rob said


    D could see more movement on the other side of the gate. These men weren''t alone. He wasn''t sure how many there were in total.


    "We have a group of 12 with us. They do what they are told. Soon you all will too." The man told them


    D used IDENTIFY on him and saw he was a level 5 named Artak. He had dark hair and a rather plump build. D decided it was time to put up or shut up.


    "Open the gate Rob I accept his challenge." D said


    *Ding* a challenge for the settlement Providence has begun. This challenge was proposed by Artak and accepted by Daemon. This dual will start in two mins.


    Rob and Dave looked a little taken back by how quickly this had all started. They went from a meeting to a fight to the death in a matter of minutes. Artak and his friend entered the gate. Following them was a mix of Men and Women. The followers didn''t look good. Most of the men had recently taken a beating. Some of the women seemed to have been slapped around as well. These men didn''t control this group with respect they did it with fear. D used IDENTIFY on Artaks friend he was a level 4 named Erik. These two screamed asshole just by looking at there faces, and the way they held themselves. D had planned to slap that right out of them. After he was done with Artak he would let Rob or Dave handle Erik. This place has only been there home for 2 days, but no one was going to take that from them.


    Artak started to walk forward and pulled a pair of daggers from his inventory. Now he had a extra smug look on his face.


    D equipped his chest armor and sword. The look on his opponents face changed. He either finally used IDENTIFY and released the level mismatch or he could tell D''s weapons weren''t of the normal variety. Either way he must have known he bit off more then he could chew. It was to late it seemed. A challenge was set and answered


    *Dual will begin in one minute*


    D was ready he could feel his blood pumping. He would get some decent Exp from this. He was sure as shit going to make a fool out of this asshole. Make sure this man knew the error of his ways. Then he would allow Rob or Dave the chance to finish off Erik. These two needed to be wiped out. Men like this were sure to treat people poorly and the stronger they got the more they would take from the people around them.

 15. Stepping up

    Artak and D circled each other. Both has fierce looks in there eyes. D was waiting on his opponent to make the first move. He liked to let who he was fighting think they had the upper hand. It worked in many fights in his life. D also knew nothing about the mana Artak could use. D had a sword which gave him more reach. D flinched forward and the fight was on. Artak tried to come in quick and low slicing one dagger towards D''s left leg. D was able to dodge and spin around to fake Artak as he swung his other dagger towards D''s rib cage. D let the blade sweep across his chest armor. It did not damage. D was getting confident. He pretended to dive forward towards Artak. Artak reacted again. Trying to come in low and slash for D''s legs again. This time D read the move like an open book. He side stepped so the blade would miss by a hair and planted his foot right into Artak''s face. It was a brutal kick. D could have easily used this moment to capitalize and finish this here and now. Problem was D had already decided to crush this mans spirit before finishing him off. He allow Artak to stand and regain his bearings. The man looked pissed. Probably the first time he felt outmatched, or the first time he couldn''t inflict any damage. Artak glanced at Erik and suddenly they both dove for D.


    D could see both men diving for him but from the corner of his eye he could see Dave flying in mid kick. Dave''s boots were fuckin awesome so whoever he kicked was going to be in for a world of hurt. Right as Dave was about to land his kick on Erik, D and Erik magically switched places.


    *BOOM* Dave accidentally landed a solid push kick right into D''s chest. Dave''s eye''s went wide what the hell just happened. Erik must have some type of swap skill or switch teleport skill. He must be able to utilize shadow mana like Rob. D was hurting from the kick to his chest he could taste blood in his mouth.


    Artak and Erik were grinning like they just won the lottery. D had enough of this bullshit. It was time to get serious. He knew when he took damage in combat he could dish out more. He forced some Void mana into his fast and leaped for a superman punch. Artak was shocked by the quick movement. Even more he seemed to be staring at D''s fist. A fist so black you couldn''t really see it. "Watch out!" Erik yelled out. It was to late. When D''s fist landed Artak head just turned into a mist. There was no gore no bone fragments, nothing. Just one second he had a head the next there seemed to be mist of red in place where his head had been.


    Artaks body dropped to the ground lifeless Some Exp flooding into D. Erik was still in shock. The Crew wasn''t sure about this mans class or his mana but that swap places skill made him dangerous.


    Rob decided he would take him out before Erik knew what was coming. Rob used Shadow Blink and was behind Erik in an instant. Rob had his bow already drawn back mana arrows at the ready. Rob thought to himself "I''d like to see you stop this". At point blank range Rob shot the arrow into the base of Erik''s skull. It all happened so fast he must not even have known what happened. Erik''s body dropped forward, his face hit the ground before the rest of his body.


    The group of people with Artak and Erik all gasped. Dan and Joe came out from behind Dave, Rob, and D. They had their weapons at the ready. Suddenly a women spoke up. "Please don''t hurt us. My name is Ana were not really with them. They basically captured us on the way here."


    "Yea said one of the men. My name is Ralphie. We had tried to fight back. They were just to strong. They would beat us if we didn''t do anything they asked."


    *Ding* Settlement challenge complete. For maintaining control of your settlement you have been awarded 3000 settlement points.


    "So there is a way to upgrade the walls and stuff and gain more points." D said


    "What are we going to do about all of them?" Dave asked.


    "Not sure yet. Well have to check them for weapons. Hold them somewhere safe until we figure out if we can trust them. They look to be in rough shape." D said


    "How about we let Gina ask them some questions. She will be able to tell us if they have any bad intentions and if there story is the truth." Rob said


    "Good idea." D turned to face the 12 ragged looking people. He wasn''t sure if there was a sleeper in the mix someone who was a true friend to the men they had just killed. Before he would allow them to become part of the settlement he had to be sure. "Listen if you have any weapons drop them now. If your found to be trustworthy you will be allowed to stay if not you will thrown out. If you try to hurt anyone here the punishment will be severe."


    The group nodded as a whole. The first women to speak Ana was standing close to a rather pretty women. She had dark hair and dark eyes. D was taken back by her beauty but also the calmness she showed. He felt bad for singling her out but he wanted to know her name. He used IDENTIFY on her. She was level 1 her name was Tiffany. D was going to try and talk with her later.


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    D wasn''t sure if the days were getting longer or if it was just in his head. They couldn''t really see a sun. Still for it being just a few days from this all happening it was starting to feel like a life time. He guessed living moment to moment with violence or death around the corner could do that to you.


    They moved the new group close to the town hall. They were all low level. No one seemed to be wanting to fight. They would send them in one by one to talk with Gina. If things worked out they would be allowed to stay. More mouths to feed. Also more people to help maybe. The Crew had always looked out for themselves, but they weren''t ready to turn there backs to humanity.


    Rob and Dave went to go check on Mike. When they arrive at the barracks, Mike was looking a lot better.


    "What up Mike. Long time no see how the hell did you end up around here?" Dave asked


    "I just got a new job in the city I was driving to work and stopped to grab coffee. Then the damn message popped into my vision. I didn''t know what to do but I went back towards the old neighborhood to just look for anyone I knew. It was so hectic I gave up. My phone wouldn''t work so I just waited for it to end."


    "That''s rough man glad you''ve made your way here though. We could use your help we need all the people we can trust right now." Rob said


    "What''s your class and mana Mike?" Dave asked


    "That''s the thing I have a class but I don''t technically have mana. Well I do in not sure. My class is called Borrower of Change. I don''t really have mana because I can only use the last mana I was hit with as my own until I''m hit by a different type. It''s an uncommon class." Mike said


    "Well that could be great but also be terrible." Rob said "You could borrow a really strong mana but what if you get hit with a heal now you can''t attack."


    "That''s how I got messed up getting here. None of the monsters had mana and I had to fist fight or run to make it here." Mike said "You guys are all still hanging out together I see. Man it''s so crazy to run into you all but I''m glad. All the crazy stuff we did as kids, I still tell those stories today."


    "Yea we had a wild life, but the futures looking crazier then I expected. We just had an influx of people. You feel good enough to come over to the town hall. We gotta show you around, get your level up." Rob said


    "Hell yea I am. I''m not going to be of use just staying here. I feel fine now. I owe Dan and that girl a lot for helping me." Mike said


    "No worries let''s go see how these new people are panning out." Dave said


    The three of them left the barracks to walk over to the town hall. When they walked outside they noticed Dan and Joe bringing a group over towards them.


    "These people here were captured by those two assholes yesterday. Gina said there stories checked out. I was going to let them sleep a bit. We need to do something about food though." Joe said


    "I''ll talk to D see if he wants to go out for another hunt or if we''re going to send out some people. Might as well make use of the new helping hands." Rob said


    "Excuse me!" The girl Ana said. "I''ve been trying to tell anyone who will listen I can help with that. I can control plants. My class is called Earthen Witch. I know it sounds bad but basically I have Earth mana and can control the growth of plants."


    "Well damn that will be a huge help really. Do you need seeds to start them or anything." Rob asked


    "No I had a real green thumb before this all happened I was able to grow an apple tree with my mana to feed us a few times as we were marched over here. I just need some soil and time to get to work." Ana said


    "Mike take her towards the gate. I''m going to find D and Dan see what they want to do. Maybe we can get some crops growing ASAP. Then we could hunt less and still have some food on hand." Rob said


    Joe took the rest of the people into the barracks to get some rest. Rob and Dave were walking back towards the town hall to inform Dan and D on how the food situation was about to be less of a burden.


    Mike was walking Ana towards the gate. "How do you know these Men? They seem to trust you?" She asked


    "Well we kinda grew up together. When we were kids we would all meet up to hang out. We went to the same elementary school. My older brother was in their class. As we got older, we kind of formed our own click. We would have each other backs. We lived in a shitty part of the city. Someone was always trying to mess with someone else. You didn''t have to find but that would make you a target. D and Rob are brothers, Dave has been there best friend since first grade. I knew them before they met Dan but I know him too. We''ve been in some pretty crazy fights in our lives. D once wiped out a house of college kids when he was only 16. Rob once hit a kid so hard it put him in a coma for 3 days. Dave doesn''t take shit from anyone. Once your apart of the group they would have done anything for you. I was just lucky enough to be a true friend rather then an enemy." Mike said


    "So basically you guys were like a gang?" Ana asked


    "No not really I mean we were out own thing. There were gangs we didn''t have bandanas or anything like that. People just knew it was a mess with one of us mess with all of us type thing. It made us all safer. I''m not an angle I''ve been by there sides fighting and had a lot of my own fights. I''m just glad we''ve met up during this whole mess. Once you get to know them you''ll see." Mike said


    "Well they are already treating us 100 times better than Artak and Erik did. So I''d say it''s all going to work out I hope." Ana said


    "I''m sure it will, if anyone''s going to do great things in this mess it''s those nut bags." Mike said with a laugh

 16. The Ten start to play

    Sical had been watching his champion over the first two days. Things were progressing well. His champion was level 8. They were a long way from a territory stone, but the horde of monsters around them was great for Exp. The first few days could always make or break a champion. They either embraced the change or went borderline crazy. So far Sical''s champion had embraced the change. Fighting with pride and challenging themselves. Sical''s champion was an Asian man named Ty Wen. Though he was the farthest from any other champion that was Sical''s goal. To help his champion raise without having to fight another champion. Most champions were lost when they had to battle another champion. He had several worlds to his faction because of this strategy. He would play his hand and let the others play there''s.


    Torok had heard from Zellia''s camp that Norbak had made sure his champion was within striking distance of D and The Crew. Norbak didn''t know Torok knew of his plans, but the reality was that Torok was counting on this type of pressure for his champion. One could not gain true power without a true challenge. Torok wanted to reach out to D. He chose to wait until D unlocked his memories. If he was able to push past that mental block it meant he was truly a worthy champion.


    Any one The Ten could reach out and communicate with their champion for a total of 5 minutes a day. Torok had done this in the past with several of his champions. He would guide them to greatness. He was trying a hands off approach. He and most of the other Ten had to find greatness for themselves. To be a true force in the multiverse you had to walk your own path. He hoped D would do this. He also hoped he took a few along for the ride.


    Zellia was watching her champion. She was a Spanish girl from South America. Her name was Esmeralda Ramos. She went by Ezzy. She was one of the best female MMA fighters before the integration. Zellia thought that would pay dividends, but Ezzy was struggling with leadership. She couldn''t gain traction to have the people with her now work as a cohesive group. Sure she was already level 7, but they spent most of the first two day arguing amongst themselves.


    Norbak had just finished filling in Chris on the plan for today. He wanted Chris to fight some more beasts and monsters. He also wanted him to check the area around them for more people. If he found any above level 2 he was to kill them and add them to his horde. Norbak felt his plans were going well. It was going to be easy to take out Torok''s champion. D was gathering to many weak people around him. Norbak felt his soft spot for people would be his undoing. It would only take Chris a chance to capture one of D''s friends to force a fight D wasn''t ready for. Chris and his gang of prisoners were a blood thirsty bunch. It was easy to keep the violence going. He would wait until after the champions had their level 10 trails. Then be would send Norbak towards D and his camp.


    Torok thought that The Ten would start with there games soon. It was always before the first week was over that the games started. Sending a champion to kill another, or sending strong allies to weaken a champion and then take there settlement. It was always a variation of the same moves, the same thing over and over. It was now becoming so boring. All Torok wanted was a chance, a real chance to find someone who could one day be as strong as him or any of the other Ten. This was the first time he had found someone who''s flame burned so bright he had real hope. D could be that champion and with his brother and friends they could one day be a true force in the multiverse. He just hoped the other Ten didn''t figure it out before D and the Crew were to weak to do anything but roll over and day. It was against the rules to kill a champion before they claimed a planet, but after they had it was fair game. Still day 3 was shaping up to be a good day. D and the Crew weren''t aware but two beast swarms were getting close to Providence. The beasts wouldn''t be able to get within the walls, but they didn''t mean it would make life easy. Torok hoped D would welcome the challenge. He hoped The Crew would band together and use this as a nice push of Exp. Torok had watched as his champion and friends had taken in more and more people for the settlement. He was worried to many people in one place would slow down leveling for everyone. He was hopeful that atleast with the town hall being unlocked his champion would see a huge boost in mana cultivation and power.


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    Norbak had his spies lurking around gathering information on whoever he could. Norbak hated Torok. The man seemed to be so powerful but also so useless. Torok only worked to make himself stronger and Norbak just didn''t understand why. He was already the strongest. A part of Norbak hated to admit that. Norbak hated himself for being jealous of anyone or anything. He would prove himself now. He would show the rest of The Ten that he was the one they should listen to. That his plans were the best in the multiverse. Soon he would have his champion crush Torok''s. It would the first champion Torok lost and would show them all Norbak was the smartest of them all. Power shouldn''t make the leader, intelligence should.


    Most of The Ten were all doing similar things. Coaching their champions. Helping them grow stronger. Readying them for the challenge to come.


    Torok and Zellia were the only ones who knew the truth. This would be Torok''s last integration. He would need to ascend and hold off the Void. Someone would be voted into his place.


    : Back on Earth:


    "So you think we can get enough power to rule this world?" Vlad asked Chris


    Chris had his own plans to rule this world. He knew one day he would add Vlad and his brother to his undead horde. I guess that meant he wasn''t lying when he said. "Yes we will."


    "Why do you think we haven''t got any people to come to our settlement." Vlad asked


    "I have no idea maybe they can''t make it past the beast in the swamp." Chris replied. That wasn''t the truth though. They had about 5 men and 6 women make it close to the settlement. Norbak informed Chris and he went out to get some easy kills and Exp. Chris enjoyed the thrill of watching his prey scared to death knowing there was nothing they could do to save them selves. He enjoyed it. If the world hadn''t forced this type of isolation Chris could have killed thousands already. He knew one day he would get that chance. He just wanted it to come sooner rather then later. There was only one obstacle in his way. This other champion Norbak wouldn''t shut up about. He was constantly telling Chris to go finish him as soon as possible. Chris would happily kill this man just one his own time. He would let Norbak think he was in charge. He would feed him lies that were mostly truths, and then when he was strong enough he would do whatever he wanted. Chris envisioned himself as the king of earth. He could feel it. One day he would have anything he wanted or just take it. There would be no one to stop him.

 17. A Good idea turns bad

    "So were going to go level some of the citizens." D started to explain. "We need the new girl Ana to get stronger so she can keep adding points to manam that will help keep food production up. We''re going to take Joe and Mike out to power level then a bit."


    "Why they can level themselves in a safe way." Rob said


    "I''m on edge we need to get back out there ourselves. Dan''s going to stay and hold down the fort with Joe and Mike. Ana and the other girl Tiffany are going to be in charge or growing and protecting the food outside the gates." D said "In 5 days were going to move south to that territory stone and claim another one. We need more quality gear. We need more Exp."


    "Ok so what''s the plan for today then?" Rob asked


    "Today we''re just going to hunt for a few hours. We''re going to do some damage but let Mike and Joe get the kills. We''re going to have Dave stay with Ana and Tiffany at the site Ana picked out for food. If any beasts come Dave will do the same for them." D explained


    "What about the report of the beast noises increasing all last night?" Rob asked


    "I''m counting on them being there. We need to get some Exp and hopefully some loot. We won''t do anything to crazy, but we need to start fresh. Grab Dave and Dan, tell them the plan for today. Have Dave inform Ana and Tiffany. I''ll grab Joe and Mike." Dave said. "We meet at the gate in 15 mins."


    Everyone met at the gate 15 minutes later. Everyone came prepared. Dan had some extra weapons to loan out. Mike and Joe were yet to get a loot box. Ana and Tiffany also had zero kills under their belts.


    "Ok so Ana you and Tiffany are going to stay with Dave find a spot you believe you can really put in some good work getting food production going. Tiffany what''s your class and mana type?" D asked


    "This might sound bad but I picked it because it was strong not because it reflected me. My class is called Fire Demoness. And obviously my mana type is fire." Tiffany said


    "That''s pretty awesome actually. If any beasts come I''m sure Dave, Ana and yourself will be just fine then." D said with a smirk


    "Joe, Mike your with me and D. We''re going out to level you guys and hopefully get a loot chest." Rob said


    At the gate Ana, Tiffany and Dave went right. There was some thicker foliage that way. Ana said that meant more furtile ground. Dave was going to help clear the area of larger trees. Then work with them on their mana manipulations.


    Rob, Mike, Joe and D headed left out of the gate towards the area everyone said the beast sounds were coming from the night before.


    Rob was level 5 and D was level 7 they need to push themselves, but also keep Mike and Joe safe. The plan was to stay out for 5 hours. Hunt and kill any beasts they came across for food. If they were lucky enough to come across a monster even better for the Exp.


    After about 25 minutes of walking Rob caught some movement ahead in the clearing. For a second he wished they brought Leah to help determine the numbers they were up against. They were just going to have to make due with Rob''s high perception for now.


    As they entered the clearing they noticed something was off. Like really off. Different from any beast packs they had seen. The ground had been trampled so much it was dirt. The number of hoof marks was insane. This wasn''t just a dozen beasts this was around a hundred. It was the only way this much damage could have happened so quickly.


    "This doesn''t seem right. What do you want to do D?" Rob asked


    "I''m not sure it appears they''re circling around the settlement opposite the way we came. We have to follow these tracks and see what''s going on." D said "I wish we had a way to tell Dave to keep an eye out."


    In the clearing there were still 4 boar rummaging around. Just kind of lingering and digging with their snots. D called Mike and Joe over. "This is your chance there''s only 4 of them time to put in some work. Plus we need the meat. You guys ready?" D asked


    "I guess." Said Joe


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    "Of course." Said Mike


    D and Rob hung back. They needed to see these two in action make sure they could handle themselves. D had used IDENTIFY on the boar and they were all level 1 except the farthest it was level 2. Mike has a spear and Joe had a standard sword. Mike was able to get within striking distance first. He jabbed out with his spear and the level 1 boar let out a small squelch grunt. Then shook and dropped where it stood. Exp, flowed into Mike. The other boar all turned at the noise. Joe was now almost within range. He sprinted forward and the level 1 boar charged right back at him. Joe side stepped the charge and raked his sword down the board exposed flank. It tore wide open have it''s guts spilling out the side. It was a bloody mess. It dropped to the forest floor dead in just a few moments. Exp flooded into Joe and he leveled. Joe has killed some boar before he seemed confident with his strikes.


    The level 2 boar looked engaged it started to charge at Joe who was now engaged with the last level 1 boar. Mike took a several step drop and threw the spare at the charging boar. D had to be honest, it was a fuckin great throw. It slammed into the Boars neck dropping it to the ground. Joe was quickly able to take out the final boar, with two slashes of the sword. The first across the snout froze it in place then a quick overhead downward slash to the side of its neck and it was finished. Mike had got enough Exp to level. A loot box appeared in the clearing. Just then D and Rob stepped out. "Nice work guys you handled that really well. Go claim your loot and I''ll get some meat ready to be takin back." Rob said


    Mike walked over staring at the loot chest. Joe did the same. It was the first time either had seen one, so they were unsure what to do.


    D realized this and spoke up." You just touch it and your items will go into your inventory."


    Mike reached his hand out an touched the chest. He was still in awe of the feeling of gaining a level. This was turning into a great day. When he touched the chest a message appeared in his minds eye.


    :You have reached The Tusk War Hammer. When in a charge or sprint war hammer does +2 blunt damage to enemies. 1 minor mana potion: Mike was pumped he had his own weapon now.


    Joe received only 2 minor mana potions. If he was let down it didn''t show on his face. Joe turned back towards the group when disaster struck. A large jet black Dire Wolf materialized out of thin air just behind Joe. Mike started to yell, but it was on Joe in a heartbeat. The Dire Wolf sunk his fangs deep into Joe''s upper leg. Blood was spurting out everywhere.


    This was really bad they were a good 25 mins from the settlement. They had no idea about all the other beasts and now someone was wounded. They should have taken some healing potions or atleast someone who could heal.


    Mike pulled out his new War Hammer and sprinted towards the Dire Wolf now clamped onto Joe. Mike let lose with a powerful swing at the Dire Wolfs flank. It hit so hard the Wolf let go of Joe immediately. Now the bleeding was much worse. Rob used Shadow Blink to jump into the tree behind the wolf. He pulled back his bow string and let an arrow fly. It caught the wolf in the front shoulder. It still wasn''t down. Rob was shocked at the abuse this wold seemed to take. He used IDENTIFY on it and his mouth dropped open. It was a Level 6 Dire Wolf Alpha. His pack couldn''t be to far away. Rob yelled to D "it''s a level 6 alpha! We gotta move now."


    D heard Rob yell and sprinted into the fray. He pulled his sword from his inventory and let a downward slash catch the wolf in the neck. It finally dropped down to the ground. Down but not dead yet. It took D another heavy overhead chop to kill it.


    Joe was bleeding bad. Things weren''t looking good for him. Mike pulled off his shirt. Trying to stop the bleeding. "Wrap it like as tight as you can. We have to move him." D said


    About 2 miles away just outside the gate. Dave had cleared a good half an acre of land. He found that Tiffany was really good with her fire. She would torch the land he would use his lightning to exploded trees right down to the roots. Ana was just about to start growing some fruits and vegetables, when the felt the tremors in the ground.


    "Are you doing that Ana?" Dave asked


    "No not at all I haven''t started yet." Ana said


    "It almost feels like an earth quake." Tiffany added. They were all looking around but couldn''t figure out where the rumbling was coming from. All of a sudden they could hear someone yelling. It was coming from the area near the gate.


    "I''ve got a bad feeling come on we have to go now. Something strange is going on." Dave told them.


    They all turned and started to sprint towards the gate. As they got closer Dave could make out it was Leah who was yelling. "Get inside, there''s beasts all around hundreds of them." Leah yelled "where''s my dad and the others?"


    "We''re not sure they went out for a hunt. They said they were going to be gone for about 4 or 5 hours. I''m not sure when they''ll be back." Dave told her


    "My senses are going crazy the whole south side of the settlement has hundreds of beasts. They''re either fighting or traveling together. What should we do?" Leah asked


    "Get inside and close the gate. The beasts can''t come inside. We''re going to have to figure out a way to mount an offensive attack from the walls." Dave said "Grab Dan and anyone able to do damage at range. Gina should have a list of classes and skills for the new comers."


    "Tiffany we are going to need you to use your fire. I''ll see what I can do with some lightning bolts. We''re going to be in for a long day. If only Rob was here we could use his bow." Dave said shaking his head. This was the last thing they needed right now. They were trapped inside with a little food and no ranged weapons." He knew trying to send a bolt of lightning may not even warn D and Rob. He had no idea what direction they were in or how far away. Dan, Gina, Kim and himself were going to have to figure something out. They were going to have to figure it out fast.

 18. The horde

    The citizens of the settlement we''re terrified. The number of beast outside the settlement was huge. This was the first time anyone had seen numbers like this.


    "Grab the bunk beds from the barracks. Set them up a long the south wall. We need anyone with any type of ranged attack over here now!" Dave screamed trying to get them on the offensive. People were scrambling around trying to help with what they could. Dave was worried himself. This was beyond any challenge they had faced so far and he was here with just Dan and some very low level fighters. Tiffany''s flames were going to be a huge help. Dan could heal but other then that he wasn''t sure what to do.


    Dave was looking out the gate while everything was getting set up. It had been about 10 minutes and everything was almost ready. That when he saw it. The beasts appeared to be chasing a small monster. It looked almost like a lion cub. Three Dire Wolves were trying to pin it down just outside the gate. Dave wasn''t sure why but something about this enraged him. "Dan get over here quick! I need your help!"


    Without thinking Dave opened the gate just enough to squeeze out. He then sprinted towards the monster cub. It was so small maybe only 15 pounds. Dave used his shield to bash a wolf away. He let loose a bolt and burned another. The monster froze as Dave got close. He didn''t even think he just scooped it up and ran back towards the gate.


    "What the hell are you doing Dave?" Dan asked "that things monster"


    "It''s just a baby those beasts were attacking it. It''s not apart of this horde. I don''t know why I just had to save it open the gate." Dave said


    Dan opened the gate just enough for Dave to slide back in. They closed the gate and put the huge locking wooden plank back in place. Both of them staring at the cub. It was golden and looked like a small lion cub. It appeared to have feathers on its side. It was injured. "Heal it Dan." Dave urged


    Dan cast a heal and the cub looked up at Dave. Dave could see intelligence in it''s eyes. "It''s gonna be ok little buddy." Dave told it. He pulled some meat from his inventory and feed it to the monster. The cub looked even more pleased. This would have to wait. Dave ran towards the town hall and burst inside. "Gina watch this cub for me. It''s mine I''m gonna train it. It''s still a pup." He didn''t wait for an answer he just ran back outside. Heading towards the south side of the wall he could see everything was finally set up.


    "Anyone with a ranged attack climb up so you can see and start killing any beasts you can. The Exp will help you level. Most of you don''t have enough mana to do much but anything will help. If you have no idea how to use your mana go see Dan by the gate he will give you some pointers." Dave said while climbing up so he could look over the wall. What he saw shocked him it had to be hundreds of beasts. All looking pissed off.


    :Now about 15 minutes from the settlement:


    "The trail left by these things is huge. Who knows how many beasts are in total. I don''t think Joe has much time left. He''s lost a lot of blood. He is still breathing but I can''t get him to wake up anymore." D said to Rob and Mike


    "What do you want to do?" Rob asked "We can''t just leave him."


    "You and Mike are going to keep carrying him. I''m going to run ahead and grab Dan or Leah. Bring them back this way. Stay on the path cleared by the beasts unless you have to leave it. I''ll be back as soon as I can." D said turning to sprint ahead. He equiped his sword and armor and started to run full out. Hoping he could make good time.


    "I hope he makes it back in time." Rob said


    "Me too"Mike said. They continued on carry Joe was slowing them down. They hoped to not run into to much trouble while it was just to two of them. Before D left they had killed a few more stragglers but nothing that Rob couldn''t handle with his bow from range or D couldn''t kill quickly with his sword. Mike even killed two boar with his new War hammer. Still they could tell by the prints the beast in front of them was an enormous amount.


    D had ran for about 5 minutes at full speed. At his level he was faster then most Olympic athletes. As he was closing in on Providence, he caught his first glimpse of the horde. About a thousand beasts ramping around. Then he could see attacks. The citizens were fighting from the top of the wall. He felt a glimmer of pride that they would hold down the fort while some of the strongest were away. With this pride he sprinted even faster, ran two steps up the wall and launched himself into the air. He came down inside the settlement with an almost superhero style landing. Two men he didn''t get the chance to truly meet yet we''re scared shitless but his sudden appearance. "Where Dave and Dan?" D asked


    "Umm at the south wall area fighting the horde outside." One of the men mumbled


    D sprinted towards the wall. As he closed the distance he could see they were using the beds as make shift platforms to be able to see over the wall. He heard a blast of lightning and knew Dave was close. As he was closing in on Dave about to grab his attention he caught sight of Leah. She was hanging back helping rotate people in and out of the attacking groups. D didn''t have time to talk to Dave just yet so he ran over to Leah. He was half out of breath. "Leah you have to come with me your father has been injured we don''t have much time." D choked out


    "What do you mean where is he?" Leah asked in a panic


    "About 5 minutes away but we have to go now he''s in bad shape." D said already turning to run back the way he came.


    Leah was right on D''s heels as they made it back to where he cleared the wall. Those two men were still there. "Boost us up to the top of the wall now. We have something we have to do and it can''t wait." D ordered them


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    The men shared a look of confusion, but did as they were told. They boost Lead and D up so they could clear the wall. They were closer to the horde then D wanted, but he needed to find the tracks and stick to them. They had to get back as soon as they could. Joe didn''t have much time.


    Dave turned from his spot on the wall to tell Leah to rotate in some fresh attackers. Everyone was gaining Exp. Soon the whole settlement would be leveled enough to keep these attacks going. He couldn''t see Leah anywhere. "Damn where did this girl go." He said to himself. "Rotate in fresh attackers now!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. The people started to switch out positions. Dave was practically spent, even he would need a break soon. Hopefully D and Rob would get back soon. If not they would have to let the horde fully circle them. Dave was doing everything he could to keep the gate area clear. He had dropped a few big trees in the way with his lightning to make such the horde didn''t move in mass over to the gate. Dan had gotten about 12 people to start to using their mana in an offensive way. Still things weren''t looking good.


    D and Leah has been sprinting through the forest down the path made by the horde. All of a sudden D heard a whistle. He glanced into the foliage and could see Mike has leaned Joe up against a tree. Leah ran over and cast a heal as fast as she could. Joe was in rough shape. He was pale and barely breathing. Leah cast another heal, his wounds closed up but he didn''t appear to be improving. "Where''s Rob?" D asked Mike. "He went ahead to scout the horde." Mike replied


    "Shit!" D said taking off running. Rob was going to engage them outside the walls he just knew it. D flew down the path until he could see the edge of the horde. A few beasts bodies lie in the path. He could see Rob anywhere. Then he could sight of a mana arrow flying down from a tree. Smart he thought. Firing from an elevated position good move brother. D ran to the edge of the horde and equiped his sword and armor. It was time to dive right in. D started to carve a bloody path into the beasts. Rob was dropping more then his share and had been watching over D. Together they were a wrecking ball of damage. D was covered in blood. Not his but still it was gross.


    Rob and D were slaying beast left and right. Finally Mike had ran into the mix. Swinging his Warhammer with fury. They were getting closer to the settlement and the sounds of mana attacks were growing.


    Dave was looking over the wall when he heard a loud boom and could see the explosion of D''s void mana. Finally some relief hit him. He knew everyone was bringing there force to bare. Dave yelled to Dan "Hold my section cast heals as you can. Tiffany how''s your mana?"


    "Good she replied I just hit level 3 and used all my points into mana why?" Tiffany asked


    We''re going over the wall D, Rob and Mike are out there were going to help." Dave said


    "That''s suicide, are you sure that''s smart we''re doing just fine here and gaining tons of Exp." Tiffany said


    "Fine you stay but don''t hit me with your fire while we''re out there." Dave responded while jumping over the wall.


    Dave flanked to the right of the horde. He could tell the direction the fighting was coming from and he wasn''t going to be outdone by his friends. It only took two mins before he could see the battle in front of him. Mike and D were in the thick of things while Rob was sending arrow after arrow into the horde. Dave ran up to the group. "What your not gonna save any for me?" He laughed


    "Get into the fight already I''m getting winded but I''ll hit level 10 soon and be good to go." D yelled over swinging his sword at a large Dire wolf.


    Dave ran into the fray with D and Mike all of them carving a path through the horde of beasts. Within just 5 minutes they laid down almost 200 hundred beasts. Then something happened. D started to glow extra bright. His whole body pulsing with Mana he rose slightly off the ground and yelled. Then he froze. It was only a split second but it seemed an eternity. A large pulse of power exploded out of him and he hit the ground and dropped to one knee. The power coming from him was insane. He equiped his sword and he sword had his void mana swirling around it. Dave knew he must have hit level 10 and gained a new skill. He didn''t want to be left behind and started to fight with even more fury. After another few minutes and atleast another hundred beasts the same thing happened to Rob. He hit level 10 and Dave watched as the same power seemed to pulse out of him. After he jumped up from the ground he threw his arms out wide. A wave of shadow mana rolled out of him towards all the closest beasts.


    "They''re blind for the next 20 seconds make it count." Rob yelled. Dave and Mike started to hit anything they could. A spell like that had to have a cool down and they weren''t going to waste the opportunity. Every level Dave gain he put a point into strength and the rest into his mana. His lightning was getting stronger and stronger. Mike had gained several levels as well. Dave had seen him glow with Exp several times. He was now swinging his War Hammer like it weighed nothing.


    D wasn''t sure how much time had passed when the horde was finally on its last leg. Almost a thousand beasts laid dead all around. It would be enough meat for weeks atleast if they could harvest enough of it. Rob''s mana arrows were now one shot killing most beasts he hit. Dave was closing in on level 10. D could feel his power swelling. Mike was like a tornado with his weapon using the momentum from one swing to help deliver the next. This is what they were meant for in this world to do damage. To stop threats to there settlement to grow as strong as possible. D could hear cheering and hadn''t realized how close to the settlement they were now. Still the occasional offensive attack came from the walls, but they were finishing off the horde. After another several minutes of battle it was finally done. The horde had been laid to waste. They had gained so much in such a short period of time. D couldn''t believe it. What started out as a nightmare turned into a huge boon of Exp. He regretted Joe being so badly hurt. Still he almost wished the battle wasn''t over. He called to Mike, Rob and Dave "This battle is over let''s get back inside the settlement and take a rest." We have to do a damage report and check on everyone. Rob backtrack with Mike make sure Leah and Joe make it to the gate ok."


    "We''re on it. Well be back within the walls in a little while." Rob replied. He jumped down from the high branch he was using to lay waste to the horde and Mike ran over to him. They both smiled. Proud at what they were able to do today. They set off back down the path around a bend and out of sight.


    "How you feeling Dave." D asked


    "A little tired but I''m so close to level 10 I can taste it. What happened to you when you hit level 10? It was different I could tell." Dave said curiously


    "You go back before the AI and get to pick a new skill. I chose Void mana infusion so I can infuse mana into my weapons not just my body. It was a huge boost to my killing power." D said "When Rob and Mike get back call a meeting at the barracks. I want to know everyone''s level and stats. We did good today. As long as Joe is okay this turned into a huge benefit not a death trap." D said. As D turned to walk to the area of the gate he could see the amount of damage they had done out here. He couldn''t wait to see what they would be capable of doing soon.

 19. The Aftermath

    With a few members of the group making it to level 10 there was much to go over. Rob and Mike hadn''t made it back yet, but D went to grab a drink of water. He had grabbed two men he didn''t know from the latest group and sent them out to gather some meat for everyone. It was getting late in the day, but there was still much to do.


    Everyone was smiling and waving. Sending praise. D just knew they were lucky the horde was of rather weak beasts. He knew the longer this world went on the stronger the beasts would get. Power was what mattered now it seemed. He finally caught sight of Dan rushing over to him.


    "That was an interesting battle. Most all of the citizens who have offensive mana, are able to cast now. With the meat we gather today we should be ok on protein. We need to get Ana out there to do her thing and get a garden growing." Dan said


    "Did Dave tell you I want everyone involved in the battle to meet at the barracks I want to know how many levels everyone gained and how the stats are improving. I hit level 10. I was able to gain a new skill. We need to get you power leveled up to 10. Your healing will be much strong then. I bet you could even get a group heal skill or something that will upgrade the weapons you make." D told him


    "Dave''s telling Gina what to do. Where''s Rob, Mike and Joe? Why did you grab Leah and run off?" Dan asked


    "Joe was wounded badly. He was bleeding out. We can''t go out to hunt without a healer or health potions. That was proved today I just hope Joe is alright. He was still in rough shape when we got Leah to him. I thought we were going to lose him." D said "Be at the meeting at the barracks in a few minutes. I have to wash some of this blood off me. Send someone to man the gate for when everyone gets back." D said turning to walk towards the training hall to fetch some water.


    Dan yelled for two newer members to head over to the gate. He walked towards the town hall knowing Dave was still inside. Today was crazy but gaining levels like this was worth it. Plus the food they would get would be one less thing to worry about. Dan hoped Joe was ok. He was a good man. They hadn''t lost anyone yet but the odds of keeping everyone alive was slim. This was a dangerous world. He thought just as he made it to the door of the town hall.


    "And so we finished off the horde and D sent Rob and Mike back to get your husband and daughter. He said Joe was hurt pretty bad, but he didn''t say anything else. Just that he wanted anyone who was part of the battle to meet at the barracks to go over level and stats. He didn''t say why. Sorry Gina that''s all I know for now." Dave was finished his recap for Gina as Dan walked in.


    "What''s the deal Dave" Dan asked


    "Gina will explain it to you, but be over at the barracks in a few mins D has called everyone is the settlement over he wants a run down on levels and stats." Dave told him before walking out of the town hall.


    About 30 minutes later everyone was assembled in the barracks. D was taking charge of this meeting even though Gina was the mayor. It was time to learn the settlements strengths and divide into more effective hunting parties. "Listen up most of you know who I am. Everyone calls me D. I''m one of the founders of this settlement. Right now we''re a disgrace. We were almost done in by our first horde of beasts. Things will only be getting tougher the longer things go. So what I would like is for everyone who helped in the attack to step forward. Then we will all disclose our levels and stats. You don''t have to go crazy just a quick rundown so we can start to plan for the future." D met there eyes. A lot of them seemed unsure what to do. No one seemed to want to go first. Maybe embarrassed by there level, maybe just nervous around all the people. D decided he would go first the break the ice. " As I said my name is D I''m now level 10 only 500Exp from level 11. My stats are all around 15 except for my mana which I''ve pushed up to 22. I''m trying to keep an even distribution with each level. Anyone want to go next?" He asked


    "I''m D''s brother Rob I''m also level 10 my highest stats are both 20 in perception and dexterity. My other stats are around 12 and 13. I''m also one of the founders of this settlement." Rob spoke looking to Dave as if telling him to go next.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "I''m Dave. First of all thanks for listening to my when the time counted. I''m level 9. Only 300Exp from level 10. Like D I''m keeping my stats pretty rounded all are at level 12. I have an uncommon class so I don''t have as many points per level to use." Dave said


    Then there was silence. No one else seemed ready to speak. Mike stepped up. "I''m Mike. I''m not a founder but I''m level 6. My stats are all pretty low right now around 5 to 7." Mike then stepped back into the group before Tiffany stepped forward.


    I''m Tiffany as most of you saw I''m a fire mana user. I''m not level 5 after the horde battle. My stats are all pretty low around 3 but my mana stat is at level 8. It seemed the best usage during the attack." She stepped back. Slowly but surely the rest stepped forward gave their name and a quick overview of where they were. Many who didn''t have offensive mana were still level 1. Probably why they didn''t want to step forward and expose themselves. Still D had a good idea of the power of the settlement. They still were a few citizens away from unlocking the town hall. He couldn''t see a way to recruit people only time would tell. Still with a rough estimate of everyone''s skills and stats it was going to be easier moving forward.


    "One last thing I would like to add." D said "when I reached Level 10 I was offered a new skill. I believe that will be the same for most of you as well. If we''re going to grow and have a good life here, we need everyone to level as much as we can. We''re only as strong as the weakest link. Over the next few weeks I will be sending out lower level citizens with higher level to gain some Exp. We will also be sending out some of you to look for other survivors in the area. If you find anyone bring them to Gina for questioning before they can be allowed to join the settlement. We have a lot of meat to harvest so let''s get to it and have a nice meal tonight. Also great job everyone coming together for our first challenge." D said. He could see everyone brighten up a little bit. The horde was dead food was aplenty and they had a plan to move forward. D left to check on Joe and Leah. He hadn''t seen them at the meeting so he assumed Joe still wasn''t awake.


    D left the barracks it was a few hours till sundown. There was just always so much to do. Soon he hoped to have a routine in place to change that up. As there were more people and trust was being built, he could see things getting easier.


    Joe walked over to the guildhall. It was only a two min walk, he dread every step. He had no idea if Joe was ok. Seeing as Joe and his family were some of the first people here he hoped everything would turn out for the best.


    D knocked quickly on the door and walked inside. Joe was still unconscious. Leah was sitting over him. She looked in rough shape, tired and on the verge of passing out. "How''s he doing?" D asked


    "He hasn''t woke up yet. I''ve used all my mana to heal him. The wound is closed, he seems stable but he hasn''t woke up. I''m starting to get nervous." Leah said tears in her eyes


    "Listen we don''t know much about this new world. I''m sure if he''s alive still he''s going to wake up. Let''s leave him to rest. Have your sister Kim come watch over him. Get some rest you look like you need it. Well have food ready soon enough. I''m sure you don''t feel like celebrating, but everyone needs a moment to relax. It''s been a nightmare of a day." D said


    Leah nodded in agreement. She didn''t stand to leave just yet but D knew she would soon. He turned and left walking back outside. The air smelled heavy of blood the wind pushing the stench of death over the walls from the dead beasts.


    Today has been a tough day, but D knew there was going to be many more to come. He had plans he would need The Crews help but in a week or two things would be better. D was aimlessly walking around by the walls. A plan slowly forming in his mind. He was setting dead lines, coming up with plans. Rob was going to be a big part of his plans he needed his brother close. His range attacks were perfect when working with his close range damage. Mike had shown his worth out there. Dave as always was ready to go. Dan had really stepped up to get the citizens into the fight. He knew they could do this. Only one thing was nagged at him. When he went before the AI for his new skill he found out he was not the first to reach level 10. He wasn''t even second. That meant people out there were ahead on them. Had put in more work had gain more power. In his mind this was not acceptable. If Providence was to succeed they needed to be at the front of the pack, not trailing behind. The next two weeks he thought that''s going to make or break us. Either we hit the goals I''ve set, or we leave this place to go out for a real adventure. He knew Rob and Dave would be on board. He hoped to talk Mike into coming along as well. He didn''t think Dan would go to travel when they were building something of a safety net here, but he hoped he could convince him if the time came.


    It was time to gather The Crew and go over his plans. In his mind there was no time to waste. The sooner the better. Maybe he was nuts, but he still couldn''t shake that need to grow stronger. Something constantly nagging in the back of his mind. He was missing something. He didn''t know what it was, but he was going to push to get there.

 20. When a plan comes together

    Over the next week The Crew had sent out the weakest citizens to power level with stronger more offensive ones. The lowest member was now level 5. D and Rob were both level 12. Dave had hit level 10. He was still trying to train that animal with minimal success.


    Joe had woken up two days after he was healed. He didn''t remember much from the attack, but everyone could tell his family was happy he was still alive. Leah seemed the most reliable healer they had, D would have hate to lose her to sorrow while everything was coming together.


    Dan had taken charge of the blacksmith shop and to everyone''s surprise he was actually getting pretty good at making bladed weapons. Dave had been either training out in the forest or working with his beast. Rob was now able to scout farther then anyone else. His speed and senses allowed him to travel out alone and come back in one piece. He had found a group of 4 people lead by a women who went by the name Reez. She was level 4 when Rob found her group fighting wild boar for food. They had a small camp set farther down stream from the settlement. D was happy when he brought them back. It was enough to open the rest of the town hall.


    The Crew had only briefly explored the contents but Gina was really working hard to get a grasp on what they had. The first parts of the plan were coming together. The settlement as a whole was improving quickly. Ana had crops growing. They still had tons a meat from the horde, the next phase of the plan was where things would get tough. D had explained to The Crew that he wanted to explore father from the settlement. Rob''s scouting had brought back some different information. There were strong beasts and monsters out there. Some now we''ll above level 10. D hoped to be able to start to bring them down. He wanted to assemble as strong team to go out for a few days. They needed better loot, more powerful weapons and armor. It was hard to gain Exp killing anything below your level they had figured that out pretty quickly after everyone got to level 5. The beasts in the area just weren''t enough to keep up the pace D had set in his mind.


    Tonight after dinner he would gather Rob and Dave and get some input on who they wanted to work with. It was time to push themselves again. It had been almost two weeks now in this new world. D wanted to push them harder. He just knew more dangers were coming. He wanted to be able to handle them. He wanted to be able to crush monsters or enemies. Crush them not just be able to win, but win so easily it would deter anyone from trying to mess with the citizens of Providence. This was the only way they were going to be able to travel and gain more levels and more power.


    D had sent one of the newer members of the settlement to gather Rob and Dave. They met in the barracks. With Joe bad up and able to work he had been building smaller homes for people. They would be ready in the coming weeks. Dave arrived first and sat down waiting on Rob who came in a minute later. D asked anyone else to leave the barracks. It was time for a hard decision.


    "I want to go claim the territory that we can see. The others have been claimed. We got our best loot from claiming this one and we need more then that if we''re going to thrive. I want both of you to gather two citizens you trust. I''m going to ask Leah and Tiffany to join my group. I suggest you both bring a healer and someone with offensive mana." D said


    "Why are we heading out so soon? Things are barely settled here?" Dave asked


    "Soon either monsters or beasts will try us again or worse a group of people who could be in our levels. We need to do something big. A few days travel will net us a few levels and also some well needed loot." D responded


    "You know I''m down to go but we don''t have people to hold another settlement." Rob said


    " That''s not the plan. We''re just taking this one for the rewards and buffs. Then we''ll set some traps around it and abandon it. By how far the light is I think we''ll be gone for about a week and a half. I''m going to have Dan get everyone ready. We''re leaving tomorrow morning. Round up your teams. We need to take steps to always be at the front of the pack. I wasn''t the first to reach level 10 but we will be first to all other milestones." D said


    "Give us a few hours and we''ll report back." Rob said. Rob and Dave shared a look, then stood and left the barracks.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    D went over to the town hall to check Gina''s progress on the new areas open to them. As he walked towards the town hall people nodded or waved. The citizens were settling in well for basically an apocalypse world. Everyone was missing family or friends, but they knew this was just how it was going to be now. As D neared the town hall he hoped Gina had some good news on mana cultivation. It was the one area D was pushing for them to grasp more then anything. D didn''t knock he just entered the town hall.


    "Gina how''s it going so far?" He asked


    "The cultivation manuals are a little hard to grasp, but we have learned that there are fighting and attack skills people can learn from scrolls we''ve found. I''m going to put them aside for now. We will be able to get those with non offensive mana to be able to help if we''re ever attacked again." Gina said


    "We will be attacked again it''s just a matter of time. This is now a might makes right world. Someone or something is going to want what we have here and we need to be ready. I would like 3 of the cultivation manuals. One for myself one for Rob and one for Dave to study while we travel." D said


    "Travel where? Things are going well here why would you leave?" Gina asked


    " We''re going to claim the territory stone that''s still visible. We need the buffs and loot were going to get from it. I''m taking a team of 9 people only to help with this. Everyone else will be here under your and Dan''s lead." D said


    "Do you truly think that''s wise. If the citizens see the most powerful people leave it will hurt moral." Gina responded


    " We have no choice we need more Exp and levels and we''ve secured the area the best we can. Things are slowing down. We can''t stagnate, we have to continue to advance. I can feel it. A challenge is coming we will have to be ready." D said. Gina didn''t look pleased but D had saved her family and given them hope in this mess of a world she wouldn''t stop him from doing what he felt was best.


    D was hoping to take a solid team on this expedition. He knew trouble could pop up at anytime and they would need to be well rounded to handle any threats. As he left the guild hall to walk back to find Rob something strange happened. His vision blacked out and suddenly he could hear a voice.


    "My chosen it is time you remember what I have taught you." The voice said


    "What the fuck is this who are you? How are you invading my thoughts?" D thought. He was unable to move time seemed to have grinded to a halt and nothing around him seemed in motion. His vision was still dim, but he knew this was real.


    "My name is Torok and you were chosen to be my champion. You have done well and your plans are on par with what I would have expected, but I must step in now before you make a mistake. Taking another territory is a good idea, but first you must cultivate your mana. It''s strength is greater then you realize. In a moment I will unlock the hold I have on your memory. It will be painful but it is now the time you remember what I taught you."


    "Is this what the AI meant by I must have received some training?" D asked


    "Yes your spark is strong as it that of your brother and friends. Before you set out you must strengthen your core and brighten your spark. Soon another will come to challenge you. He is of a similar level but his core is stronger. You must defeat him in battle. I expect in three weeks time you will make level 25 and upgrade your race." Torok said


    "Listen I dont know how your doing this, but I don''t like being controlled. I walk my own path so go ahead and unlock my memory and it seems important I''ll do as you ask. If not you can fuck off. No one controls my destiny but me." D said anger fueling his words


    D thought he heard a laugh then it felt as if his head exploded. He fell down to his knees. Suddenly his memories flooded back. All his time training in the time dilation chamber. The ways he was taught to see the weakness of beasts and monsters he fought. Then all the pain he had been subjected too. It was as if he could see himself living another life time. He finally could see the face of Torok the one who trained him. He was humanoid but covered in what looked like scales. He remembers the power that radiated off of him. The power he could bring to bare with minimal effort. D could only think of one thing, that one day he would be stronger then this being. That one day they all would be.


    The world suddenly came crashing back to normal. D immediately turned around and went rushing back into the town hall. "Gina we should have books on strengthening your mana core. I need them now. I just remembered something important something I should have known from the beginning. Please grab them for me."


    "Give me a few minutes I''ll get them, are you okay you seem a little off?" Gina asked


    "No time to explain please hurry." D said


    He ran to the door opened it and yelled to the first person he could see. "Get Rob, Dave, and Dan over here now!"


    The man looked shocked to be yelled at. He froze for a moment then jumped to do as he was told. Things were about to change. D knew now that they could fight much stronger beasts and monsters. That soon they would be able to do things they didn''t think possible before. A smile crept on his face. This was what had been in the back of his mind eating at him. The pain of remembering was nothing compared to what they were about to do this week. It was going to be painful and exhausting, but it was going to be worth it.