《Spirit Warrior: Crumbling World》 Eyyyyyyy, An Announcement! Hey guys, Kuro here! So, sorry for being the bearer of bad news, but I¡¯m scrapping Molten Core for the moment. This story isn¡¯t really going anywhere at the moment, I feel that the plot that I worked is uninteresting, the characters are weak and the events are barely connected. I fell no will to correct any of that either, so I¡¯ll change the story for a better idea. A much better idea that I hope it¡¯s fun. I¡¯ll still try to take a stab in sci-fi in the future, but for now I¡¯ll stick with fantasy, my strong point. More specifically, modern fantasy.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. As for what I¡¯m planning¡­ it¡¯s a mix of shadow of Mordor/war and a fiction that exists here on RRL, Once a Hero, an amazing read that I recommend you to check out, although it hasn¡¯t been updated in whole three years, unfortunately. I do not plan on cloning it, I¡¯m writing it from the top of my head, so I admit that I¡¯ll direct copy some of the aspects of the story, like the age regression thing for example. If you¡¯re lost on what I just said check out Once a Hero, it¡¯s a really nice fiction that deserves some love even though I think it¡¯s discontinued. So that¡¯s it, expect a new chapter for this new fic soon. I hope you guys like it, and one day Molten Core will be back on it¡¯s full glory. Prologue: The World Changes (Katze¡¯s POV) I touch my hair as I look in the mirror. - You fucking kidding me, white hair already? ¨C I said to myself as I run my hand through my hair, a few strands of white showing on the black short strands. ¨C Ugh, age does really catch up¡­ - say, looking down to my body. Although my hair is starting to gray, my body is in perfect shape due the several years of training. I lost the thin body that I had n my youth, becoming more the bulky guy type. I have a six pack and thick, muscular arms and a body covered in small scars of several cuts and bullet holes and even a big scar on my back. My height is good too, around 1,80, and I have a reasonably good face with green eyes, not that I¡¯m overly handsome or something like that. I should shave, my beard is starting to grow again. I start shaving, taking care to not cut my pale skin. What should I do today? it¡¯s still early in the morning¡­ ugh, life has been so boring recently after I left the Secret OPS. Life has been peaceful, which is nice, I suppose. I spent all my life in battlefields, even when I was young, so I¡¯m having a bad time adapting. The sewing helps when I¡¯m feeling restless, but I¡¯d like to get a wife, even though I¡¯m a bit old¡­ well, not that much, I¡¯m just a middle-aged man. I guess marrying and having a kid isn¡¯t an impossible dream, but I¡¯d need a girlfriend to marry first, right? Well, there¡¯s that hot babe that I jog with during the morning, Cassidy. We jog together at the park almost every morning. I put on my jogging clothes, take my bag of emergency medical supplies if I scrape something or twist my ankle and go to my truck that I bought some time ago. The color is red, quite a nice look to it. The container that I usually leave at home is black, to a nice contrast with the red cabinet. I turn on the truck and get it out of the garage, the container not attached. Since it¡¯s just a medium-sized truck, it isn¡¯t too big and cumbersome to drive. As I wait for the garage¡¯s door to close, my neighbor, Mr. Clyde, a kind old man, greets me while trimming his rose bushes. I down the window and wave to him, the motor of the truck not as loud as it would be because of some modifications. - Good morning, Mr. Clyde! How are you doing in this lovely morning? ¨C ask with a smile. - Just tending to these rose bushes, young Kat! ¨C he said, calling me by the nickname that I usually go by. ¨C Going out for a walk in the park again? - Yes sir, indeed I am. ¨C I say with a nod. - Good, it¡¯s nice to keep your health. Now you just need a girlfriend! ¨C he said with a good-natured laugh. - I¡¯m working on that, Mr. Clyde, I¡¯m working on that. See you later! I say, waving to him. He waves back with a smile as I drive off. As I drive, I turn on the radio on the morning news, as per usual. As always, the world seems peaceful, except for any middle east country. The unusual thing is that there are some earthquakes happening in USA, which is unusual¡­ Apparently, we have nothing to worry about, it seems that¡¯s just light tremors. There is some panic, but everything seems fine for the time being. At least I hope so, even in my whole years of live I heard of light earthquakes on USA, even less of an earthquake that travels from east to west.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. I stop listening to the radio when I get to the park that I jog at, I get out of my truck, taking my bag and putting over my shoulder, since it¡¯s one of those diagonal bags for carrying some small stuff. There isn¡¯t much, just some basic stuff for disinfecting wounds and sprains. I lock the door of my truck out of precaution, making a final check on my running shoes before starting to jog. I run on the sidewalk, wide enough so that joggers can go around safely. Since it¡¯s early in the morning, around 5:30 am, there isn¡¯t anyone around, which is fairly nice. I like the cold climate and the morning mist as the sun raises. It¡¯s quite surprising that I met Cassidy here, I didn¡¯t expect her to jog here. I run on my usual pace, which is fast for the usual runner. After all, I¡¯m an athletic monster, veteran from special forces. And soon, I spot the person I¡¯m looking for. Red hair tied in a ponytail, bobbing up and down. from here, I can see her pale arms and nice figure, and I know that there is a pretty face with blue eyes hiding from me. I smile, increasing my pace to catch up to her quickly. When I¡¯m close enough, I say out loud in ma mother tongue: - Guten morgen, meine Dame!(Good morning, my Lady) She jumps, startled, looking at me surprised as I reduce my pace to hers, jogging besides her. Cassidy blushes, flustered. - Goddammit, Kat! ¨C she says, frowning. ¨C can you stop that? It¡¯s every morning! I smile to her. - Oh, I apologize, Milady. ¨C I say, smiling. ¨C I didn¡¯t realize that you had such poor health. Do you need any medical assistant. She rolls her eyes on me, the link lips twisting in a light smile. - Do I look like a frail girl, old fart? I raise an eyebrow at her jab. Sher herself must be in her early thirties, so calling me old fart is somehow accurate, except for the fart part. - Oh, then don¡¯t let this old fart slow you down, young lady. Now if you excuse me. I say, picking up my pace, quickly leaving her behind. - WAIT! ¨C she called, making me slow down my pace and looking back with a raised eyebrow. She smiles to me. ¨C Will you let a young lady alone in tis park at this hour? I smile and slow my pace to match hers, jogging by her side once again. She smiles to me and I smile back, saying: - A lady sure, but young¡­ I make a doubting face. She blushes and hits my shoulder quite strongly. I laugh out loud, seeing her smile as well. Ah, this is nice. It has been two years since I retired already, meeting Cass as a nice change to the routine. Besides speaking with Mr. Clyde, I haven¡¯t met or spoke with that many people. After all, I stated on battlefields when I was 15, and haven¡¯t stopped till I retired. So my social experience around this city was greatly damaged by that, as well me being a retired military middle-age with a truck didn¡¯t suit well the peaceful sight, even worse with me being single. Apparently, I¡¯m intimidating to the neighbor¡¯s kids. - So, Kat. ¨C starts Cassidy, interrupting my train of thoughts. I glance at Cass, her face flushed and breath rough. Noticing my blunder, I slow down my pace, since I picked up a little while lost in thought, as she tried to follow me. ¨C What are you doing today? - Well, I was thinking of checking out the new shopping that opened recently. I¡¯m going more out of curiosity though, since I don¡¯t have anything to do there. - Do you want company at the mall? ¨C she said, her breath normalizing a bit due the fairly reduced pace, sweat starting to form in her forehead. ¨C I could use a new dress. I smile widely at her proposal, nodding. - Alright. we can also grab something to eat if you want and do some more shopping if you want. We meet at ten? ¨C I ask, looking at her. She smiles to me. - Sounds good to me. I nod to her, ad we chat a bit more while running for the remaining hour of running. After that, I head straight home. I take a good, warm bath and prepare my breakfast. Some bread, sausages and bacon with a mug of coffee. After eating, I go to the living room, and watch some tv, catching the last part of the morning news. - Although their origin is unknown, monsters infest the east coast. We don¡¯t have the exact number of casualties, but the army has assured us that the situation is under control and everything will be solved. It then proceeded to show some images that I could barely believe. Small, red creatures running on the streets, causing crowds of people to run away. Big, ugly man dressed in scarce armor with skin ranging from faded yellow to green and pitch black. it also showed some soldiers shooting these monsters before cutting away. After that, the news changed to other things, so I turned off the television¡­ this¡­ is messed up. Monsters? Seriously? What the fuck¡­ the east coast isn¡¯t that far from here, just a couple of states away. I don¡¯t like this¡­ I guess I¡¯ll be taking my container to the shopping when I go to my date with Cass. I just hope that nothing serious happen. Chapter 1: Beginning of The End (Katze¡¯s POV) I park my truck on the park that I usually jog with Cass, half an hour before our time of meeting. The climate today is fairly cold, so I¡¯m dressed in black jeans, black leather combat boots, white shirt and black leather jacket with inner fun padding, my dog tags hanging from my neck. my beard is well shaved, and my hairs is well combed. I¡¯m even using something that I rarely use, colony, a good and popular one. Against my best judgement, I decided to leave the container back at home. After all, it will look a bit excessive if I bring my truck together with a black container, it would kill the mood completely. I get out from my truck, leaning on the front, recently washed since it needed a wash today, since I took heavy rain and mud with it yesterday. After a few minutes, still twenty minutes before our meeting time, I see Cassidy walking towards my direction. I wave to her when she notices me. She smiles, waving back and picking her pace. She¡¯s dressed in blue jeans, with white shoes. She¡¯s also using a white shirt, with a red coat, her red hair tied in a ponytail again. - Wow, I didn¡¯t know you could look so good in simple clothes, old man! ¨C she said, trying to provoke me. I just smiled. - And you look pretty on your normal clothes too, surprisingly! I thought the yoga pants were holding everything together! ¨C although the joke is fairly offensive, she laughs at loud, since it¡¯s the type of joke she likes. I point to the truck behind me. ¨C Should we get going then? We¡¯re already here after all. She nods, going to the truck. I help her to get in by holding her hand and giving her support. After that, I go to the driver¡¯s side and enter the truck, turning it on. Cass look at me surprised. - Did you modify this truck? It¡¯s much quieter than I expected! I smiled smugly. - Military brand, Cass. I wanted the truck for the size and for the container, but I didn¡¯t like the noise. Si I requested a silent truck as my retirement present. I start driving off. It¡¯ll take a few minutes, the mall is on other side of town after all. - Now that you mentioned it, you were from the army, right? Is army retirement that good? ¨C she asks curious. She¡¯s technically right, I retired through the American army. After all, they paid me a lot to join them. - Not that good, I¡¯m a bit of a special case. Let¡¯s just say that I did a lot of contribution to the American government. Cassidy frowned at that, - Wait, now that I think about it, you¡¯re German, right? You even have the accent and all of that. I smile, paying attention to the road. - That information is classified. ¨C I answer mysteriously. - Oh? So where you were? In the marines or something like that? Special forces? ¨C she asks, genuinely curious. I smile wryly to her questions. - I can¡¯t really answer most of those questions¡­ well, at least I can talk a little about myself, is that ok? - Please do so! Your story seems really interesting! She says, excited. I smile to that, making a turn in the street. - Well, I was born in Germany, and I was an orphan for as long as I could remember. When I was 13, I was involved with some bad people, and ended up smuggled to Africa during a struggle of power with some local warlords. ¨C say, telling her my earliest recollections of life. ¨C from there I worked as a mercenary until I got old enough to buy my way back to Germany, where I joined the army. - ¡­ Wow, that¡¯s¡­ unusual¡­ - she said in disbelief. I just smiled at that. - I know it¡¯s hard to believe. It seems like the stuff of movies, right? But that¡¯s what happened to me. It wasn¡¯t a peaceful start¡­ and from there things didn¡¯t change. I dedicated myself to the army and ended up in special forces. But I was dispensed from a battle injury during a hostage rescue. ¨C I say, taking one of my hands of the steering wheel and raising my shirt on my left side after pushing my jacket out of the way, revealing a big scar right above my waist. ¨C This is what is left of the wound that made me retire. I say as I take a glance at her, since the road is clear. She¡¯s looking at my scar, shocked. She knows I have scars, when I jog with her with short sleeves, she commented once on the few scars that I had in my arms. That¡¯s how I told her that I was retired from the army. - After that I struggled with money for a bit, the payment from the government wasn¡¯t enough to get by. So, I went to mercenary work again. After all, that was all that I could do. After that, it¡¯s history, I was eventually hired by the American government and retired through them. I really can¡¯t tell you what I did most of the time though, it¡¯s confidential for real.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. She looks at me, shocked for a moment and speechless. After a few minutes, she finally talked. - Wow, you had a hard time, didn¡¯t you? - Yeah. ¨C I say, the tone in her voice letting me a bit more insecure since she didn¡¯t sound that pleased. I thought she would like it, since she pestered me a lot for wartime stories. - That¡¯s¡­ so cool¡­ I frown, taking a look at her to be met with sparkling eyes of excitement. - Goddammit, Kat! You¡¯re way cooler than you let through, you know? I laugh out loud. - Well, thank you! Most people don¡¯t really like when I speak about my youth. - Are you kidding me? ¨C She said, excited. ¨C That¡¯s so cool! It¡¯s the first time I ever talked with someone that has a cool story like yours! I smile, entering the parking area of the mall. - Well, that¡¯s the first time someone that I¡¯ve met didn¡¯t get awkward from hearing my story. ¨C I turn off the truck, looking at her. ¨C So, I guess we¡¯re even on that. ¨C And then I smile. She smiles back, and we get out of the truck. After I lock it and we start walking to the mall, she approaches and hugs my right arm. I look down at her, since I¡¯m around twenty centimeters taller than her. She looks up to me and similes widely. I smile back, and we walk silently to the mall. The new mall is big, and it¡¯s extremely crowded. We walk around for a bit, taking a look at some stores as we talk. - So, Kat, do you have any interesting stories about your time as a mercenary that you can share? ¨C se asks, curious. I think for a second before answering. - Well¡­ there was that time I captured 50 enemy soldiers and rescued 20 hostages while naked. ¨C I say, making her look at me with a weird face. - Please tell me, I have to know it now. ¨C She says, squeezing my arm, making me thing that they¡¯re fairly big and soft. - Well, I was on the middle east on mission. I was supposed to make a recognition for my team so that we could do a hostage rescue on a warehouse. And that was to be a three days mission. ¨C I say, remembering the hot days in the middle east. ¨C on my second day I was getting near the warehouse in the middle of the rocky desert, and it was extremely hot. Since I was still far from the area that the warehouse was supposed to be, I took a break near a river. She nods, completely interested on the story. Since she didn¡¯t stop me, I continue. - So, since it was hot as hell, and there weren¡¯t supposed to be any enemy troops in the area, I decided to take a bath. ¨C She smiles, seeing where this is going. ¨C I left my equipment on the edge of the river and took a dive. However, - I say, scratching me head. ¨C The imbecile who gave me the map messed up with his calculations, and I was much closer that I was supposed to be from my objective. So, a patrol caught up to me. - Oh no, what happened? I smile, remembering what happened. - I hid under the water, and when they got close to my stuff, I took them by surprise and knocked out two of the three soldiers. The last one managed to shoot his gun but missed horribly and I took him out. but that was enough, the others heard the shots. And then I paused. Curious, she urged me. - Then what? What happened? - Well, they started to surround me, and since I didn¡¯t have time to put on my stuff, I just took a weapon and started picking them off. It was surprisingly easy, actually. They didn¡¯t expect a naked German mercenary, so they didn¡¯t take me seriously immediately, and with some surprise grenades, they surrendered. She looks at me with wide eyes. - How that even happen? - Well, they were a just formed terrorist group, so they didn¡¯t have any good equipment, that kidnapping of hostages was supposed to be their big hit of money¡­ - Well, what they got was a hot naked German! ¨C She said, poking my arm. I laugh at her joke and we chat a little bit. - So, want to buy something? ¨C I ask. ¨C You can get anything, on my tab. Her eyes sparkle. - Oh my, such generosity, my War Hero! ¨C she looks around for a second, spotting a store. ¨C how about that one? I¡¯m really needing a new set of lingerie. She says, pointing to store. - Oh, that¡¯s a good idea. ¨C I say, nodding seriously. She laughs, hitting my arm lightly. - Well, not that you¡¯ll get to see it! at least not now¡­ - She says, looking at me with a sly smile. I smile back as we walk to the lingerie shop. Cass walks around for a while, dragging me around and making me hold her underwear, making me receive weird gazes from other people in the store. After a few minutes, she enters the booth to change, taking the underwear with her. Without much to do, I stand not too far from the changing booth. I take a look at my wristwatch and fiddle around with my phone a bit before I lose my balance. I don¡¯t fall to the ground, since I¡¯m used to shaking surfaces. It takes me a second to realize that it¡¯s an earthquake, quite a shaky one at that. The whole building shakes, knocking most people off their feet. After a few seconds, the tremors suddenly stops. What the flying fuck? - Kat? ¨C I hear Cass calling from inside the booth. - Don¡¯t worry Cassidy, it was just a tremor. ¨C I say, getting close to the booth. - KAT! ¨C she calls with a lot more urgency this time. I hurry to open the door of the booth as I hear a weird sound. The sight before me shocks me. Cassidy is falling on my direction, completely naked, a short sword stabbed to the hilt on her belly. The preparator of the stab is a small, humanoid red creature with white belly and a scaly skin. It¡¯s extremely ugly, with a large mouth with sharp teeth, with a skinny but lightly muscular body, dressed only in a loincloth with four pair of thumb sized horns on the top of its bald head. I caught Cassidy, stopping her from falling. She looks at me weakly, her hand weakly holding her wound. The small creature tries to attack us, but since it¡¯s disarmed, it¡¯s attacks with its fists. Since my right arm is busy with holding Cass, I extend my left hand quickly, too fast for the creature to avoid, grabbing its thin neck. With a mighty squeeze, I break the neck of the creature, its corpse falling limp on the ground. I also crouch with Cassidy in my arms, holding her gently. She raises her left hand, and I hold it gently. - Am I¡­ going to die? ¨C she asks meekly. I hold her hand firmly. - Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take you to a hospital. The wound is bad, but not lethal, we just ne- My speech is cut when my body paralyzes, a light glow starting to emit from my skin, a painful tingle going all over me.
Notice
Welcome to the World Management System! You have been introduced as the First Player to kill a monster barehanded! A bonus skill will be given as a bonus! For now on, struggle and survive for new experiences and adventures!
Age parameter recognized, inefficient age. Resetting Avatar¡­
The light shine turned into a violent pain, but I could not move. Under the shocked gaze of Cass, I watch as my body changed painfully. I could feel my clothes turning a bit baggy, and some of my old pains simply disappearing, like the wound that I got years ago on my left shoulder that stopped hurting simply disappearing. After a few seconds, the light stops, and the pain on my body disappearing. I hold myself from falling over Cass due the sudden release. I also feel an extra weight on my head, something brushing against my neck and falling over my forehead and the sides of my head, bothering my skin. - Sorry about that, I have no idea what happened to me. ¨C I told her. She looks at me shocked for some reason, staring at my face, her own getting paler by the second. She weakly points to the mirror, making me confused. I glance at the mirror, shocked at the sight. It¡¯s me¡­ an 18 years old me, with thinner body, at the peak of my youth, the body still muscular. The younger face without any traces of a beard looks good, with green eyes and longer, black hair falling over my neck with some white strands still, the skin pale and the same height. - What in the flying fuck? Chapter 2: Escape The Mall! (Katze¡¯s POV) You know what, fuck it! I have other priorities other than my appearance! I look down to Cassidy, gently holding her hand. - Don¡¯t worry, Cass! It¡¯s still me, Katze! You¡¯re going to be fi-?! ¨C I was interrupted when a¡­ what do I call it, floating square? Window? Appears in front of me.
Cassidy Redcliff
Hp:37/70
Under the effect of Bleeding(-1hp/s)
What the fuck¡­ before I could say anything else, the small creature that stabbed Cassidy start to glow lightly, its corpse disappearing in particles of light, leaving behind a small, glass bottle with a cork sealing it, filled with a red liquid. Wait, these¡­ windows, or whatever they¡¯re called¡­ they¡¯re similar to games, aren¡¯t they? I extend my hand and pick the bottle.
Lesser Healing Potion
The lowest tier of healing potion. Uncommon drop from goblins.Heals 50-60 HP.
Shit, Cassidy¡¯s health is dropping, if this is holds true she will die in a few moments. I have to risk it. I look her in the eyes. She looks back, fear in her eyes. - Cass, I can save you, but you will have to trust me. ¨C She nods weakly, her complexion paler than usual. ¨C I will have to pull out the knife. It will hurt. ¨C I say seriously. She only looks at me. I take hold of the hilt of the blade, making her whimper lightly. I pull it out quickly, making her moan in pain. I can¡¯t pull it out too quickly, or the wound will be worse. I throw away the knife with haste, biting off the cork of the bottle, her hp reaching 28. ¨C Drink. ¨C I say, putting the bottle on her lips, spilling the contents on her mouth. Cass manages to drink the potion, and before my eyes, I see her wound closing, the window in front of me showing her health returning to full HP and the bleeding status disappearing. Her breath stabilizes, and her skin regains color. Se opens her eyes, confused, no sign of a wound or blood on her. - What the- She starts, as shocked as I am, but is interrupted when a light glow similar to the one that happened to me. Similar to me, she seems frozen in place. After a second, the light intensified, and she screamed in pain, but wasn¡¯t able to move at all. I feel her getting lighter in my arms, her body getting a bit smaller and a tad bit slimmer. After the light dies, I see a shocking vision. Straight beautiful, shiny red hair, pale and young skin with a soft feeling to it. Her face is even more beautiful, all the age previously on it gone, receding to younger days. As for her figure¡­ well, it¡¯s everything on it¡¯s peak¡­ Cassidy opens her eyes, surprised, staring at me. - Well¡­ that¡¯s¡­ you turned younger then? ¨C She asks, completely confused. I smile back to her, relieved that she is fine. - It appears to be the case, although I still am struggling with white hair. ¨C I say, touching my hair. ¨C But Cass, I have to say, you¡¯re looking really nice. ¨C I raise my hand, making a thumbs up. - hervorragende kurven (outstanding curves) She looks down to her body, realizing the situation that she is in. Cass covers herself with her hands in a haste, failing marvelously to hide anything. - Get out! ¨C she says to me, avoiding a scream, but clearly not calm either, her face in a shade of red that I didn¡¯t knew people could get to. I help her sit and get out of the booth, and just now I notice the sound of chaos outside. Screams from humans and other¡­ things. What appeared inside the booth was a monster, clearly. It was similar to one of the tv that I saw earlier before my date. More than obviously, that earthquake is related to this. And that¡­ window¡­ makes me think of games, mainly of RPGs that I have played in some occasions. Also, it mentioned resetting my avatar¡­ so do I have something like a status table?
Status
Name:Katze Black(fake)Level:1
Parameters
Strength:15Agility:12
Spirit:20intelligence15
Unarmed Combat(¡°New¡±¡±Bonus¡±)
Tier:Master
Since ancient times, humans have fought with their fists. The art of fighting has evolved for millennia, being mastered by man across all ages. Raises efficiency of unarmed attacks greatly.
I see, I have a status table and skills as well. Apparently, the bonus that I received from the¡­ system? Is unarmed combat on an already high level. I wonder if I get skills that I understand about would gain any bonuses as well. I look out to the immediate outside of the shop, since this is the fourth floor, there is only the way from shop to shop, not a full floor.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I can¡¯t see any monsters from here, but from the dwindling screams in the distance I can say that there are still monsters inside the mall, although none in the immediate vicinity from this shop. I should get us both out from here and look for a safe place. from the news this morning, it seems that the east coast was resisting, but if the shaking got all the way over here, and monsters started appearing out of nowhere, that means that they must have appeared behind the lines of the soldiers and it won¡¯t be long until the entire country is overrun with monsters. So for now, get out of the mall and head back home, I¡¯ll need my container. It¡¯s loaded with memories from my war times after all. As I think our next plan of action, I hear a noise behind me. I look back to see Cassidy getting out of the booth, dressed on her clothes, now slightly bigger to her body than necessary due her unexpected reducing in size. She looks at me, her eyes uneasy as she approaches. I gently hold her arms, and she holds my arms back. - What we do now? Is there more of those things outside? ¨C she asks, concerned. - Unfortunately, I think there are. ¨C I say in a low voice. ¨C Try to keep your voice down, okay? Did you see the news this morning? - I only saw the last part. I didn¡¯t believe it though¡­ but now, I have no option but believe that. ¨C She breathes in, closing here and releasing my arms. I let her go, and after a few seconds breathing deeply, she looks at me with resolution. ¨C What do we do now, Kat? ¨C Her voice almost a whisper, but still full of will. - Firstly, we need to get out of the mall. After that, we¡¯ll go to my house, I have some things that can help us to survive. She nods to me. - We¡¯ll get your truck? - No, it¡¯s too risky. According to the news, the monsters appear out of nowhere, so they I¡¯ll assume that they¡¯re all around the town. We¡¯ll go on foot, it will take some time to get to my house but we¡¯ll be alright as long we keep our heads down. She nods again. - Why your house though? It isn¡¯t better to get to a police station? I shake my head, denying her words and walking to the booth. As I walk with her on my heels, I tell her: - Although it would be a good decision, everything is probably too chaotic outside at the moment. We should go to my home, where I have stuff that can help us defend ourselves. ¨C I enter the booth, picking the dagger that was stabbed on Cassidy earlier. ¨C We can lay low there for a day or two and then get out to find other survivors. I look at the dagger, wondering if another window would appear, when it surprisingly did.
Worn Iron Dagger
Damage:7-10
A worn iron dagger used by a goblin. It can break at any moment.
I look at Cassidy, standing in the entrance of the booth. - Did you see anything different while you were¡­ changing? Like a floating blue screen or something? She raises her eyebrows, surprised. - Well, yeah, I did. Something about welcoming to the system or something. - Well, - I extend the dagger to her. ¨C take a look. Something¡­ fundamental changed about us or even this world. She picks the dagger, hesitant. She stares at it for a moment, before making a surprised face and looking at me. I nod to her as she gives it back to me. - We have some things to talk about when we get to my house. Let¡¯s go, keep your hand down and stay silent at any cost, ok? - Ok, I¡¯ll follow you. ¨C She said, a bit nervous. I nod to her again, walking to the entrance of the store, crouching cautiously to avoid being seen from the outside, helped by the several mannequins on display. Cassidy crouches behind me, staying silent. I take a cautious look on the corridor outside, and there seems that are no monsters on sight. Thankfully, the clothes store is on the back end of the mall, allowing us quick access to the stairs. The lights seem out, creating some darkness in the day which will help us to hide. The screams have mostly stopped, and I can feel the faint smell of blood in the air. Before we proceed, I turn back to Cassidy. - How you are with gore? ¨C I ask suddenly. She looks at me stunned for a moment. - I¡¯m good with it¡­ I¡¯ve never seen anything graphic live before. - ok, whatever happens, don¡¯t scream, and try not to vomit. ¨C It takes a second before she nods back. I turn around and while crouched, walk out of the store with care. I remember seeing a sports store and a variety store in the way here, on this floor. I¡¯ll probably be able to find something better than the dagger. I check the side stores, making sure that there are no monsters inside before proceeding. After confirming that we are safe, I approach the guardrail to take a peek at the lower floors. Umm¡­ it seems that the second floor is occupied. I can see monsters that aren¡¯t goblins, they¡¯re tall, black skinned, green-skinned and yellow-skinned humanoids. They¡¯re dressed in better equipment than the goblins, some shabby armor and swords. I can see the first floor, completely infested with monsters and corpses of several people, and these corpses start showing from the third floor onwards where most people fell dead to the monsters. The smell of blood is getting stronger. The monsters are guarding the fontal exit, so that exit is completely scrapped. I look back to Cassidy who has been following me in silence, whispering to her. - Cass, we¡¯ll go to the sports store and the variety store that are close. There, we¡¯ll try to get some weapons, ok? She nods back to me. We sneak to the other side of the mall, and unfortunately have to walk to the middle section of the mall, where the sports and variety store are. The variety store is full of military trinkets, even some knives that usually are sold already sharpened. I make sure to take a peek inside and see no monsters. I use my hand to indicate to Cass to stay put and go inside, taking care to net alert any unseen monsters. After a quick check, I see nobody, so I get up and fetch Cassidy. - Take anything you want, but don¡¯t overload yourself. - Okay. I¡¯ll just get some knifes. I nod to her and we raid the store. I take two military knives and Cassidy takes three. Since they¡¯re the same model, they look the same and have the same stats. I also take a pair of fingerless combat gloves and a flashlight if needed. I also take a belt from the store to put the knives and a pouch for the belt.
US Military Bayonet(black)
Damage:20-30
This knife in a discreet black is made to be attached to the end of a gun for close combat, but works fairly well in heavy duty tactical work or close quarters combat. It¡¯s quite sharp.
Combat Gloves
Damage:10-15
Gloves made for close quarters combat, enhancing punching damage.
I¡¯m, ready for combat if it comes to that, but I don¡¯t have the confidence of fighting several of them at the same time. Maybe four or five, but more than that will be lethal for me. Next target, the sports store. We crouch again, sneaking out from the store and going to the store not far from here, when I hear some noise coming from inside the store. I stop, raising my hand so that Cass stops at the same time. I make her stay put again, hiding inside the variety store, and then sneak inside the sports store. The noise came from the back¡­ I take out a knife from its scabbard, ready to slit a throat when I hear whispering voices. - Is it safe to go out? ¨C Asks a female voice. - I don¡¯t know. We should stay here for some more. ¨C Answers a male voice, also whispering. It seems that I found other survivors hiding inside the store. Doesn¡¯t seem that there are monsters here, so I¡¯ll talk with them. I sheath the knife and get up, saying a bit louder so that they can hear me. - Hey, you two, it¡¯s safe to come out. After a startled sound of one of them hitting something, a head peaks out from the back of the store from behind the counter. It¡¯s the woman.