《Last Stand》


 Prologue - Shadows of the Hallway

    Ah, it just had to be cold here.


    He kept walking towards his destination. The basement of the auditorium is large but documented well enough for him to keep moving forward.


    Damnit! What did they need the recorder to be that deep into this cesspool¡­


    Osborn, knowing that he was alone, kept rambling on and on.


    ¡°Why are they even hiding the stage instruments here? This place feels like it could kill a computer in a minute with the humidity!¡±


    The place reeked of the smell of mold. If it was anything, it would be one of those dark dungeons heroes go through when they get close to some underworld king. It even has some minions; insects were scuttling on the walls, minding their own business. However, that annoyed Osborn enough for him to stomp some of them before the rest scattered in fear.


    ¡°And they just had to send the guy who was actually working and getting something done for the project to get the instruments! What about Josh! He was doing nothing again! Sitting and chatting and laughing with his-¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    A muted sound suddenly echoed from the closest room. Osborn fell silent. It was a Saturday and he was definitely alone in the basement. Suddenly, the temperature of his surroundings dropped dramatically, causing him to take a step back while shuddering from the cold. The walls around Osborn started to become fuzzy. Quickly alternating between a normal state and an aberrant state of existence, resembling TV static. It became gradually faster, until the static took over, replacing what was once straight walls.


    And then it stopped.


    Like an illusion, the state of the world around him want back to normal. It became relatively warm again, and the walls transformed back to their usual state, leaving no trace of the mysterious occurence.


    Made completely numb in more ways than one by the last occurence, he stepped forward, forgetting for a moment that he was not alone. He started slowly walking forward, a step at the time, until he heard a sound again.


    ¡°Thump.¡±


    Osborn stopped dead in his tracks. It was a step, but it clearly was the back of a naked foot. And that made even less sense. He wished that it was just him hearing wrong, he wanted it to be nothing more than someone who lost his way into the auditorium¡¯s basement for a reason. A couple? A maintenance agent?


    Osborn did not want to walk back without the instruments. And he especially loathed the idea of telling anyone that he got scared by a random sound. His curiosity got the best of him, and the room kept getting closer with every step.


    He pushed the door, His eyes widened as the horror in front of him unveiled.


    ¡°Aaahhhh!¡±

 Chapter 1 - Bloodshot Reflection

    ¡°Aaahhhh!¡±


    What stood in front of Osborn¡¯s eyes was a mirror. Its glass was reddish, almost as if it was soaked in blood. The mirror showed more elements that the room contained, though. A gaping hole floated in the middle of the reflection.


    Osborn took a step forward. The rest of the contents of the room were abnormally few for the main storage room, with a metallic altar holding the mirror taking most of his line of sight. The metallic altar was definitely not crafted by a local, looking more like a Mayan monument than anything modern. The altar also has many cryptic carvings, further reinforcing the idea of an ancient artifact.


    Osborn carefully walked closer to the mirror until he could see his brown hair and some of his faces on it. The hole that was a moment ago well apparent in the center of the reflection disappeared behind him after an additional step forward.


    He tried to touch the mirror but was immediately stopped by a strong, odd feeling. Like a sixth sense tingling, he reflexly took a step back. He quickly looked left and right for what he came for and turned back towards the entrance of the room as fast as he could when there was no sight of it.


    As soon as he took his first step out, chills filled his back, followed by an impending sense of doom.


    ¡°Agheeeee !¡±


    A piercing scream echoed from behind a shocked Osborn, who took a hastened step towards the exit. Osborn wanted to turn his head towards to mirror again to exactly pinpoint the source of the scream, but felt as if he was sucked by the ground and was approaching it at maximum velocity. For a moment, he could see everything happening extremely slowly. It was there that he saw it: A pebble appearing at the limits of his peripheral vision, clearly nagging him.


    It then went totally black.


    ¡°Uh...What the...¡±


    Osborn came back to his senses. His shadow was elongated on the same paintless wall in front of him, signifying that he was still in front of the storage room. He tried to move his body and was pleased to see that he was all right. No broken rib, no missing limb, everything was all right. However, his left leg felt a tad too heavy. He scrunched up and forced himself to stand up.


    ¡°Squish.¡±


    When his leg finally touched the ground, it touched something slimy. Osborn also started smelling a familiar smell, mixed with a faint, unknown stench.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Blood¡­. And?


    He looked down. The mutilated remains of what seemed to be a tiny face were stuck on his leg. Battling the sensation to throw up, he lowered his eyes towards the body of whatever baby he mistakenly stomped, but was surprised at what he mistakenly took the life of.


    A green creature, only wearing enough to hide belly and waist from the cold with a barbaric tunic made of leather and fur. It also had short legs but very elongated hands which were held together by a round belly that contrasted heavily with the girth of the rest of the limbs. A goblin.


    Osborn finally let go of his lunch, emptying the contents of his stomach on the dead body of the creature he was stepping on.


    After an additional moment of silence and contemplation. The adrenaline suddenly rushed to Osborn¡¯s head when he understood what has basically happened.


    ¡°Holy Guacamole! Did I just¡­ One-shot it?¡±


    With the rush of dopamine going through Osborn¡¯s head, he couldn¡¯t do much but jump in excitement because of what he has done. He not only met with a mythical creature but also killed it without any kind of specialized weapon!


    His happiness faded away quickly when he started to think about the consequences of his encounter with such a beast. Goblins are social, they never travel alone. That meant that if he met a goblin, many others were sure to follow.


    He turned his head to another horrifying thought. What if this bizarre, bloodied mirror was the reason such a creature was even there? Obviously intoxicated by too much video games and novels, Osborn decided to take his shot at breaking the mirror anyway. He picked up the rock that made him trip and threw it right at the center of the oval glass.


    The mirror exploded, letting an impressive amount of mysterious black mist seep through the remains of its support. Damned screams emanated from the same hole the explosion produced. Osborn, not expecting such a reaction from hitting a pebble on the surface of a mirror, put his left arm in front of his eyes to protect them from the mist. The whole artifact then imploded, sucking into itself all that it had let out, disappearing in the process.


    When Osborn dropped his arm, nothing was left of the Bloodshot Mirror.


    ¡°What the hell was that¡­¡±


    The goblin, however, did not disappear and was still at the same place it was left on, missing only the parts of his head that got obliterated by the lucky kick Osborn threw in by mistake.


    Probably sucked in with the mirror, huh...


    Osborn then felt the same chills descend on his back again, only way stronger. His gut feeling was not whispering for him to act, it was screaming at him to move as fast as he could.


    And he did.


    Rushing through the dim-lighted hallways, only a single thought was on his mind. And as he was panting as loudly as his lungs could let him, he focused on the idea that he just got.


    The world is changing. And Osborn knew that he held a rare chance to become what he truly wanted to be. Not a supreme leader, not a master of an art. He just wanted to be remembered as a great person to many.


    A wandering hero¡­ That would be cool¡­


    The stairs out of the basement showed at the end of the hallway, brimming with natural light. Osborn dashed towards it as fast as he could, yearning for deliverance from the dark dungeon as much as his excitement for what was to come. He quickly thought of the first step of his plan.


    I need something to defend myself in case those creatures become common. And fast.

 Chapter 2 - Sunny Day

    Today, the sun is exceptionally warm. He thought. Definitely a day where he could get things done. He slowly walked down the paved road, using this rare opportunity to meditate on some of the ideas he had in mind.


    What about a magician in a Superhero world? I gotta look for stories that already did that¡­


    He stopped walking for a moment and started whispering to himself.


    ¡°Unless I¡¯m into something that was never done before.¡±


    He kept going across the pavement. Lost in thought even more than before, Adrian Falkner quickly decided of the longest path he could to get to the cafeteria and it coincided with the academic part of the university.


    ¡°Hey, Adrian! How are you doin¡¯?¡±


    A distant silhouette drew itself in the horizon to the left of Adrian that recognized the voice almost instantly. He waved back while screaming even harder, almost as if it was some sort of competition.


    ¡°I¡¯m good! What about you?¡±


    While frantically screaming, Adrian already untangled his earphones and connected them to the phone. Blasting some original soundtrack from a plethora of video games and series he loved, He then turned away and started walking in the opposite direction.


    Gosh, what an asshole.


    Adrian immediately recognized the silhouette, after all, Josh was the grand parasite of the campus. Only appearing when he needed help from people and then completely vanishing when his was required. He was talentless, hobbyless, and essentially bad at anything he tries to do alone, Adrian even briefly questioned how in the world did he even manage to stay in the university that long.


    He could make a good comic relief in a high school environment, if I write him in, that is.


    The music was getting to his favorite part, urging Adrian not to think of Josh anymore.


    As if acknowledging him in any way was the way to go¡­


    The cafeteria was the usual choice for Breakfast on campus. Orders were processed as fast as possible, and an impressive amount of items were available. The real problem with the place was the lack of spoons and was a true issue to Adrian who eats cereals for breakfast. But as he was about to enter the cafeteria to eat, a sudden apparition made its entrance.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Osborn, still panting from his rush from Auditorium 17, raised his hand in the same fashion that aliens present themselves in Hollywood blockbuster movies.


    ¡°Hi.¡±


    Adrian raised his eyebrows, looking like a mix between a perplexed face and an amused one.


    ¡°You really look bad dude. Did you meet a devil?¡±


    ¡°More or less¡­ But-¡±


    Osborn stopped because he knew how his friend would react to what he was going to say. Not only did he know that Adrian would never, ever, leave his breakfast for anything ever in the world. He would probably be completely unfazed by a worldwide war unless his belly was filled. But that also meant Osborn knew what button to push.


    ¡°What about breakfast at the Ethereal? My treat.¡±


    He stopped in front of the cafeteria¡¯s door. And faced his friend.


    ¡°It¡¯s free food, You know I can¡¯t say no to that.¡±


    Osborn started walking as fast as possible, to a rate that Adrian, who was noticeably shorter couldn¡¯t follow through. Adrian did not complain and followed as fast as he could through the long horizontal path that led to the exit of the campus. He was already tired from his run from the auditorium and was soon forced to walk at a more bearable rate for Adrian, who slowed down.


    ¡°You wanted me to tag along.¡±


    ¡°What? No! I just wanted to treat-¡±


    ¡°Spare me that please. I know you enough to read your intentions.¡±


    They both fell silent. It gave both of them a little time to appreciate the sight that the town they were strolling through had to offer to them. Trees were everywhere, revitalized by the coming of the spring season. There was however a slight downside to all of this, and it was the comeback of Adrian¡¯s heavy allergies, which pushed him each time they came back closer to the brink of death. Between the store and the campus grew many allergic plants, and Adrian discovered it the hard way too.


    ¡°I wanted to tell you-¡±


    ¡°Atcha!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about why we are-¡±


    ¡°Atchoo!¡±


    ¡°Rah¡­ Nevermind.¡±


    The Ethereal was not really a luxurious location, it was actually a very mundane place. But to eat well in the town they were in was a luxury of itself and the owner of the location clearly knew how to capitalize on the lack of real options for good food. Adrian, now sitting at one of the pompous yet cheap tables of the caf¨¦, was outraged at what he was reading on the menu.


    ¡°Who the hell sells a croissant for 12 bucks?¡±


    ¡°Someone who knows that idiots like us would but them.¡±


    Adrian consumed the food at an admirable rate, leaving him perplexed at the fact that he can even chew that amount of pastries without his jaw dislocating.


    ¡°Adrian, there¡¯s a reason I brought you here today¡­¡±


    He was not slowing down at all, still stuffing his mouth with everything edible at his reach.


    ¡°Which ish?¡±


    Osborn¡¯s felt a huge ball forming in his mouth, he was about to say something that could destroy one of the rare friendships he had on campus.


    And I¡¯ll look like I finally lost it.


    He was hesitating and felt as if the temperature was rising. His skin slowly became more and more sweaty. Gathering all the little courage he had, he breathed in.


    ¡°Adrian, I-¡±


    Adrian suddenly gulped all of the food he had in his mouth and violently stood up, dropping the chair he was sitting on in the process.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a green shaved monkey I see in the square, isn¡¯t it.¡±


    Osborn turned around and saw it. Another goblin, wandering in the town. It was definitely happening faster than he thought.


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ That¡¯s no monkey. That is a goblin.¡±

 Chapter 3 - Hot Headed

    Adrian and Osborn were watching the beast calmly making its way through the square, not really knowing what could be an acceptable plan to follow. The goblin did not notice them and kept on walking straight without stopping. Even if a window was between them, Osborn did not try his chance and, while crawling very slowly towards his friend, started whispering.


    ¡°Okay, hear me out.¡±


    Adrian, not understanding Osborn¡¯s motives, answered way too loudly.


    ¡°Whaddaya say?¡±


    ¡°Shhhh!¡±


    Adrian nodded. Although it could have a tad too late, he got the message. and started whispering


    ¡°I think he was alone.¡±


    Adrian was less of a fan of MMOs than Osborn was, so he did not really understand the problem that arose with the appearance of one goblin. Social creatures, akin to wolfs, who never stay alone, they move in packs, decimating anything they come in contact with sheer number force. That was Osborn¡¯s idea of goblins. But this one the second time he saw a single one of them alone.


    ¡°They are never alone¡­ There is one somewhere close, I¡¯m practically sure of it.¡±


    Happening in a flash, a rock of the size of an egg came flying towards the window that stood between them and outside, causing a sharp, crashing noise. The crashing noise was followed immediately by an animalistic scream.


    ¡°Raaaaaah!¡±


    A green creature, resembling the two others, leaped into the cafe. Osborn¡¯s eyes went round. It was the first time he got to see a live goblin from so close, and it caused a mix of terror and interest that momentarily shook his soul. Adrian, however, did not wait for the creature to move any further. He ran towards it and threw a punch so powerful it sent the goblin flying back to where it came from.


    ¡°That settles it. I knew something was weird.¡±


    He turned over to Osborn, holding his wrist and moving it circularly in the same fashion professional fighters do while preparing for combat. He smiled at him when he finally saw how low his jaw was.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be a good game if we only got the monsters, right?¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    What does he mean? Does he really think¡­ Well, he did just punch-


    ¡°You can think later. We¡¯re not alone yet.¡±


    Multiple growls rose from behind Adrian, who knew what was happening. His hero act dropped immediately as he slowly turned his head towards the broken window.


    Three of those things¡­ Oh boy.


    ¡°Gulp¡±, he swallowed. The three goblins walked slowly towards him. For each step they took, Adrian took a step back. Osborn mimicked his friend, slowly heading for the counter. Adrian, from the steps of his friend, understood his aim. He kept on walking backward until he heard the metallic sounds of cutlery tingling behind him. The goblins, also feeling the incoming attempt at their life, growled loudly and rushed towards the two friends.


    ¡°Now! ¡±


    Adrian ducked, letting a small butter knife fly above him. It did not reach destination, however. Clearly lacking momentum, the small blade stopped a little further on a bear carpet. If anything, it simply showed that Osborn wasn¡¯t really accustomed to wielding weapons. He thanked God for his father¡¯s exotic tastes.


    Seems like Aikido and basic military training will come in handy.


    He blindly rushed to the carpet, not even raising his head to see where were his opponents now. He focused on one of the many rules his father kept telling him.


    One thing at a time, don¡¯t overanalyze.


    He grabbed the knife backward and got ready to fight. Sidestepping one of the short creatures¡¯ rush with a Tai sabaki, he hit the back of its head with an uppercut-like motion. The impressive blunt force he demonstrated before helped a lot overcome the lack of sharpness of the knife, that cracked its head open like an egg.


    Osborn just stood and watched. He did not understand the power spike his friend was showing. He knew about Adrian¡¯s father, but he didn¡¯t think that Adrian himself was trained.


    ¡°One is coming your way! Snap outta it!¡±


    He started breathing very fast, clearly panicking. The goblin was showing a smile that spanned all of his small face while walking towards Osborn. He looked a little further, Adrian was struggling with the third goblin now that he lost the element of surprise, leaving Osborn alone for this fight.


    ¡°Think about what you can do! Os-¡±


    The beast was dodging all his hits, truly showing that he lacked training. After all, it has been more than 3 years since he last stepped inside of the gym he frequented.


    ¡°Look, just ask yourself the options you- Goddamnit!¡±


    He kicked in an arc with all his force, raising the glass that was on the ground. The goblin screamed from the deep cuts the glass gave it. Adrian threw his second leg on the goblin¡¯s mutilated face, sending him again flying outside.


    What did he mean with options? Fireball¡­ Fireball?


    As soon as he thought of a fireball, a flame started forming in his hands. The goblin¡¯s grin disappeared, replaced by a fearful face. However, what was his death was not Osborn¡¯s Fireball, but Adrian¡¯s fist that made it collide with the closest table. The fire in Osborn¡¯s hand slowly vanished.


    ¡°What was-¡±


    ¡°You just think about stuff and a voice inside your head answers. I would like to try the extent of it but for now...¡± He looked towards the sky, no longer covered by glass. ¡°I think we need something to protect ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Anything better than a butter knife would do.¡±

 Chapter 4 - Drop Chance

    ¡°But I don¡¯t really get it? What was that?¡±


    ¡°Dunno. I just got the hang of it while looking at the goblin in the square honestly. Something happened... I don¡¯t really know what, but things are now a half fantasy. Wait.¡±


    Adrian was until now looking outside for any sight of a new goblin, and saw something in the corner of his eye that shined.


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    He stepped back into the cafe. The last goblin he punched was still lying there, his back on the wall. Empty eyes decorated the remains of its face while blood was slowly dripping away from its mouth. Osborn felt the urge to throw up again but held it in as hard as he could.


    Dammit¡­ I don¡¯t even have anything to vomit right now.


    Adrian walked close to the creature and crouched. Next to the creature, obscured to Osborn by its body was a small black dagger. Adrian held it in the same way that he held the butter knife.


    ¡°Hum, a drop.¡±


    ¡°You mean they drop items like in a-¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t get it either, but it¡¯s like these things are straight out of a video game. They behave very mechanically too.¡± He shrugged. ¡°It could also be because they are just very dumb. Who knows...¡±


    Osborn looked at the small blade Adrian held. He then tried to ask himself about the properties of the dagger like he did before, and heard a voice akin to his speaking inside his head.


    Rock Dagger: A rudimentary dagger created by a primitive race for self-defense. It is not very sharp but can deal considerable damage to weak creatures in good hands.


    Osborn couldn¡¯t help but whisper a ¡°huh¡±. This was a very otherworldly experience, but he shrugged it off. If that was the new state of the world, he had to get accustomed to it in a way or another. He also couldn¡¯t help but notice that there were no numbers associated with the description of the item, leading him to a conclusion.


    Even if we have multiple elements that look like those of a video game. Some are missing¡­ Or are they?


    He asked himself about his stats, but nothing happened. He then remembered the fireball and asked himself his class.


    I¡¯m an Elementalist. My affinity is towards¡­ Heat¡­?


    Osborn looked at Adrian, who was inspecting the dagger he found, he held his chin and flipped the weapon like he was looking for some imperfection.


    ¡°Adrian, can you ask yourself for your class.¡±


    Without hesitation and without breaking a sweat, Adrian answered.


    ¡°Physicalist. And I think you already saw enough of a demonstration. Also, it seems that I can¡¯t think on how to get my stats if that¡¯s even a thing.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°Me neither. I don¡¯t really get it. But perhaps it is not quantifiable.¡±


    Adrian started walking towards the door. He stopped when a scream echoed behind him and Osborn.


    ¡°Wait a second¡­ Where do you think you¡¯re going, sonny?¡±


    He turned around and found a weirdly dressed man fixating him angrily. The way he was dressed reminded him of a painting from the Victorian era. His tight brick red suit was decorated with cravat at the level of his neck. His mustache also put Salvador Dali to shame while simultaneously resembling that of a villain straight from a movie made at the time of the Lumiere brothers.


    ¡°What is this mess you made? Do you really expect me to just let you go?¡±


    ¡°You can put it on the tab of the people who caused it. Or would you have liked these little guys to cook you up better than the minced meat you serve to people here?¡±


    The man stood there, dumbfounded, while Adrian turned his back and hopped to the other side of the broken window. He cleared his throat, regaining his composure in the process.


    ¡°My name is Thomas, Thomas Damon Robertson.¡± He then bowed while still looking towards Adrian, who sighed. ¡°What is the name you gentlemen were given by your caretakers?¡±


    ¡°Why do you even care? You were just screaming that we made a mess!¡±


    ¡°I am very sorry sir. It is a misunderstanding that will not happen again.¡±


    Adrian turned towards Thomas and complied, answering the question.


    ¡°Adrian. Adrian Falkner. And your croissants are way too overrated.¡±


    He then took a step away from the window. Osborn took this occasion to also move away from the counter, while repetitively whispering ¡°Sorry...¡± to Thomas which just stood there with a mix of anger and astonishment decorating his face. Osborn opened the door, closed it, and then opening again, remembering what Thomas was asking for.


    ¡°V-Very sorry! My name is Osborn Esteban Armstrong! I left the money on the counter.¡±


    Osborn hastily walked towards his friend until he caught up with him. He was slowly moving across the square, going for the convenience store on the other side of it. Adrian was lost in thoughts, hands in his pockets.


    ¡°I heard that this square is as old as the town itself.¡±


    He knew that Adrian¡¯s weak point was concentration, he was repetitively shunned by multiple of his teachers for it. He could definitely not explain how did he stay so carefree after discovering that the world itself was on the verge of crumbling on itself. However, Adrian still made sense in what he usually said, prompting Osborn to ask for the meaning of the words he just spoke.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know, why the question though?¡±


    ¡°Ever played a Single Player Fantasy game?¡±


    Osborn shook his head, even in gaming, the two were fundamentally different. Adrian preferred Single Player games while Osborn could not imagine the thought of playing alone.


    ¡°Towns never end well. They become the den of either monsters or get deserted for cities.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. I... ¡°


    Osborn suddenly thought about trying something he learned lately.


    ¡±I think I got an idea. Remember the Lunix class?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what about it?¡±


    ¡°What if we treated the thoughts as Lunix commands?¡°


    Adrian held his chin, clearly pondering about what Osborn just said.


    ¡°So in your opinion, those thoughts can be more complicated than just a single word?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we gotta add up words to specify more details after thinking about a command.¡±


    He then stood still.


    Okay¡­ Let¡¯s try that¡­ Dagger Properties Details.


    Rock Dagger: A rudimentary dagger created by a primitive race for self-defense. It is not very sharp but can deal considerable damage to weak creatures in good hands.


    Converts Blunt to Sharp.


    Higher damage to creatures of Alpha to Beta stature.Breaks easily.


    Alright! That¡¯s more information! Now for something else¡­ Class details.


    Osborn Esteban Armstrong


    Concentration: Elementalist - Stature: Beta


    Moves: Fireball - Inspect


    Affinity: Heat - Epsilon intelligence - Faith: Delta