《Fragility》 Prologue: From Ulysses Point Of View It began on a Tuesday. No, wait...It may have been Thursday. Losing track of time in a situation like this was easy. When dealing with constant stress and danger, it was almost too easy to-Wait no. I had lost my train of thought. It would be better to start with what the event which began actually was. I guess it began with the strange signals from space. A satellite which functioned to record black holes picked up on energy exiting a black hole, which was thought to be impossible, as nothing escapes from a black hole. While the news was incredible to the scientific community, it left more questions than answers. To those who lacked interest in science and preferred to waste away on their phones and fill their lives with superficial distractions, the news wasn''t exciting at all. They''d much rather hear about their favorite celebrities. A famous model with the IQ of an inbred child says she loves cats over dogs, how groundbreaking. Did the Black Hole discovery make the news? You might ask. Well to popular news stations, if they couldn''t put a "Gate" at the end it was pretty much worthless. I guess BlackHoleGate wouldn''t be as eye-catching as, DoggyGate, which wouldn''t surprise me if it actually was real. I personally hated people easily swayed by a reporter on a T.V screen. It was something I was all too familiar with. I digress. The point is, only the Government, Scientists, Astronomers, People interested in space, and Conspiracy theorists paid attention to the news. With no answers and no real progress on what it was, the discovery faded into the past. What came next was very minute changes in the Earth''s Magnetic Field. You can imagine how that went based on the black hole. Two stars suddenly disappear, hundreds of millions of light years away. At the same time, a new celebrity couple thought to hate each other emerged, and the internet went into an uproar over deciding the pet name, ignoring the space anomaly. Of course, these strange events were weeks, months, and even a few years apart, all in different locations of space. Gravitational anomalies in the middle of the sea, sinking airplanes and boats. Chalked up to the Mystery of the Bermuda Triangle. I''m sure I sound cynical right now, but the current situation destroyed even the most strong-willed of the self-proclaimed optimists. Which drew me to a question I was asked before all of "this" started. "Do you believe in God?", To which my reply was which one. An intentionally skeptical response, but it failed to elicit a response from the one who asked. So my next answer was "Yes, but not yours." Which was more or less the truth. I did believe in a God. An all power entity which created the universe as an architect would. One with intelligence beyond the fragile understanding of humans. I expected nothing from this "God" I had believed to be real. If it were true, why would it have a need for emotions and why would it pity humans? I thought it was perfectly fine for a God to give the sort of cold emotional detachment to humans as Corporations did to the people they screwed over. I think humans would waste away before said God appeared. As the human race as a whole operates much like a television remote does. In the aspect of the average person doesn''t know what makes it work. Then again, neither do I. So there in lies my true nature, a cynic with nihilistic ideals that somehow preserved the idea of a higher power. It was truly a contradictory existence. I wasn''t always like this- Oh yeah, I was initially speaking about anomalies. Well, a few strange storms, sudden death of migratory animals, and even more spatial anomalies later, black rain appeared. Now that was something to draw people away from their handhelds for more than a minute. Black Rain, which didn''t really soak anyone. Of course, Mass Panic ensued, people accused the Government of harboring aliens to secretly conducting weather experiments, to religious prophecy, and a few other ideas. While the events were laid out plain to see for everyone, people blamed their Governments for misinforming them. Well, by then it was too late. You see during the all these events, one thing remained constant. In a neutral country, a research project was funded by all of the World''s major superpowers. Its primary focus was- well I think that should be talked about later. I want to focus on what happened a few hours after "it" started. ........................ Beep! Beep! Beep! My digital watch had reminded me of the alarm I set. I zipped up the jacket of my black tracksuit and stood up. Currently, I was inside of a shopping mall. It was filled with the smell of blood which helped to disorient the senses. Though, when one got used to it, the feeling of nausea faded slightly. I reached into my pocket and retrieved some fishing wire I picked up on the way into the cozy little emergency stairwell that offered me temporary respite. My late father had been a military man, so I must''ve picked up a few skills right? No. My dad decided not to teach me as he didn''t want me following his footsteps. I admit that I didn''t plan on fighting for someone else''s selfish purpose, so he didn''t have to worry, but those skills would''ve been very useful for right now. I could only go off of video games and movies as my references, which obviously didn''t help much. Though I was briefly in a defense class, the free starter class. I entered out of curiosity, and what they showed was to make a few household items into deadly weapons. Leading to my current deadly equipment wholly consisting of fishing wire.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. As I left the confines of the emergency stairwell and stood on a walkway on the second level, I was upset to find the mall was on its backup generator and the lights were a dark red. The sound of hurried footsteps wasn''t too far away, but I refrained from investigating. I had no wish to encounter someone with hostile intentions and enter an early grave. I had some confidence in getting away, but I couldn''t be 100% sure. As the footsteps came closer, I hid under a nearby bench, the dim red lights would most likely obscure me from view, and it made for the perfect hiding spot. "Someone! Someone help!" The owner of the footsteps began screaming for assistance, a move which was very reminiscent of cliche horror films with overused plot devices. I often contemplated whether my own existence was that of a poorly written movie or book, but I''m sure that wasn''t the case. "Help me!" The voice sounded oddly familiar. It sounded like my former boss who owned a store in this now destitute shopping mall. "Auh-Auh-Auhk!" A monstrous sound responded to his screams, and soon a clicking noise was heard. "Oh God help me!" My former boss placed himself behind a vending machine across from me, which was a very terrible spot in my opinion. Behind him was a handrail and to his sides was nothing but open space. Indeed a terrible place to be. Click. Click. Click. It sounded similar to high heels if high heels were made of bone instead of whatever they usually were made of. "Oh God...no, no, no." My former boss clutched his sweaty face as he shook. It was the exact opposite of the appearance he showed me a few hours ago as he smugly fired me after finding out about a scandal which- "Auh-Auh-Auhk!" The clicking stopped as whatever was moving toward my former''s bosses location had ceased its actions. "Ulysses!" My former boss appeared to have seen me as he spoke in something between a whisper in a shout. I wanted to berate him for being an idiot, but panic makes people do strange things. In response to him, I put my finger over my lips to shush him, but it seemed he couldn''t see well under the dim red light. "Ulysses!" My former boss called me again, but I had no reason to respond. Maybe if I played dead, he would give up. Shlunk! A fleshy piercing sound immediately sent me on edge. As I looked over closely, I could see my ex-boss lifted in the air with a sharp curved spike sticking through his chest. I almost panic and make a noise, I was unprepared to see something that visceral. "Ugh...Ugh..." Blood poured from the mouth of my former boss as he quickly lost his life. Thump! He was dropped onto the ground and spasmed a few times before he becoming motionless. "shit." I cursed in a small whisper. I was beginning to shake in my panic and couldn''t calm down. I tried to steady my breathing as the murderer of my former boss crouched down and started gorging on his flesh. I hated my former boss, I even wish he would die, but I preferred him to die slowly of a fatal disease not in front of my eyes. My hands shook as I looked at the silhouette of what could only be described as a monstrosity. It had a round head, elongated limbs that looked similar to medieval pikes, and an overall thin physique. Splish! Glish! Crunch! The sounds it made while eating served as no comfort. It was downright gruesome. I felt nothing but fear, my palms grew sweaty, and I felt nauseous. "Auh-Auhk." The creature turned its head upwards, while its jaw opened and closed. Could it smell me? If it could, then I was already dead. I looked at the handrail and thought of making a run for it. Maybe I could jump over it and hope for the best. We were only on the second floor of the mall, it had to be a 30-foot drop give or take. The creature went back to eating but in a slightly more cautious manner. I would have to be a complete fool to not notice its behavior change. I had no other options, but to run for the handrail and jump over it. Before a scandal more or less ruined my life I ran obstacle courses, would I consider myself a free runner? No. I couldn''t do the graceful flips and maneuvers, but I could get around pretty quickly. I could run straight ahead, use the creature as a springboard and jump down while hoping for the best. Then what would I do if I was injured and the creature followed me down? It would all be pointless. I unfurled the fishing wire and began to wrap it around both my hands. If I could get it over the handrail with me, it might fall over and die, if not I would die. After my breathing finally calmed down, I slowly crawled from under the bench. While maintaining my crouched position, I moved closer to the creature who continued to eat. "Auhk-Auh!" It turned it''s head upwards. At this distance, I could see it lacked eyes. Now! I stood up and ran forward with the fishing wire ready. "Auh-Auhk!" The creature quickly reacted to my footsteps and began to stand up, but I was already there. I wrapped the fishing wire around its neck twice and then crossed my arms while jumping over the handrail. I shouted as I fell. "Aaaaah!" "Auhk!" The creature screamed as it was pulled by my momentum, its limbs were covered in fresh blood with made it hard for it to use to stop itself. Crack! A loud snapping sound filled my ears, I looked up to see the creatures stretched neck hanging over the handrail. Its body was arranged in a way that prevented it from falling over with me. "Ha!" I gave one satisfied laugh as the fishing wire painfully dug into my skin. The adrenaline rushed through my head and numbed the pain slightly as I hung in the air with elation. Who wouldn''t be? I was alive, and my almost-murderer was dead. Suddenly, the tension in the fishing wire began dispersing which woke me up from my brief moment of celebration. I was shocked to see the creature fading away like ash. "Shit." I could guess what would happen next. "Shit. Shit.Shit." Whiiish! The creature disappeared and I- "Shiiiiit!" Thump! I landed on the hard floor located on the first level of the mall and hit my head. As I began to fall unconscious, I could see a black mist taking shape in front of me. ....................................... *a/n: Still don''t have everything planned out for this novel, I''ll be doing planning and writing in my spare time, but right now I''m focused on finishing The Void Wolf. Some details are still subject to change which is why I didn''t elaborate on the character''s appearance or any would be major details. Its A New Day, Ulysses The year was 2020 when people all over the world heard the name Edwin Daltroy. Also known formerly as Major Daltroy. At the time he led a security team for the central Minerva facility. At that point, everyone knew of Minerva, but to get a clear idea of it, it was best to examine it''s origins.
Minerva was a private research and development organization, unaffiliated with any Country or World Superpower. Until 2005 its primary focus was on space exploration and space technologies, quickly rivaling and almost surpassing NASA. I use the word "almost" because in 2005 the organization gained a new director who changed its focus on the study of alternate dimensions and development of greater technology, this of course was the cover story. Many people laughed at the direction it took, it was thought the technological resources needed to undertake such research was still far off from the technology available in 2005. 2010. Minerva began recruiting top researchers from around the world, their research began to show surprising developments. At the same time, energy was discharged from a black hole. It wasn''t likely to be a coincidence. 2011. The World''s Major Superpowers and Corporations began contributing to Minerva research. Funding was just the cover story, in reality, it was more like a down payment for a part of the tech being developed. The U.S had already allocated half of the defense budget to Minerva contracts. $299 billion dollars and that was just the U.S, from that anyone could imagine what the remaining Superpowers paid. 2013. At that point, Minerva had received nearly 2 trillion in funding and investment. It had announced a variety of projects that would set it on the progress of becoming the most prestigious organization in the world. A few months after the announcement, the Earth''s magnetic poles experienced minuscule changes, negligible enough to avoid panic but strong enough to raise eyebrows. 2016. Minerva stood at the forefront of technology. From military to medical care and everything in between, Minerva was the most prominent name. Terrorist Insurgents were quickly crushed with the use of Minerva technology before they gained traction. Aircraft that could fly the from North America to South Africa in an hour. Advanced body armor that could protect from rocket blasts. Spy satellites that were equipped with minimal yet expansive A.I that, once authorized, could actively track targets and estimate their destinations with a 90% accuracy. Even prototypes of holographic displays for electronics. Comprehensive medical test that could instantly detect fatal diseases and infections, giving patients a high likelihood of survival. Renewable energy projects, which slowly began to reduce the carbon footprint. Yet, all of those things were minor to Minerva, they had a more ambitious project in the works. 2018. Minerva announces Project "New World," to the public, a comprehensive research expedition on planets and the discovery of dimensions. To those financially involved with Minerva it was the development of a Dimensional Gate. Shortly after the announcement, gravitational anomalies sunk a few boats and planes. A year later patches of the night could be seen in broad daylight. 2020. Former Major Edwin headed a security team of a Minerva research facility. He was accused of attempting to sell project research to a radical terrorist group that stood against and often attacked Minerva facilities. Edwin Daltroy, labeled by the media as "Daltroy the Traitor" was called back to the U.S to face trial for aiding and abetting terrorist. Almost everyone loved Minerva, their numerous projects saved lives all over the globe. Quickly a torrent of hate and threats poured into everyone involved with Edwin Daltroy, his life crumbled as he tried to defend himself, yet no one believed him. Mounting pressure from society threw him into the rungs of depression, and he killed himself before he made it to trial. No sympathy was given, and no guilt was felt by those who urged him to commit suicide. Some people went as far as to say "If he wasn''t guilty why''d he commit suicide?" The strange storms and anomalies still occurred all the while. The people held no regard for his wife, Rebecca Daltroy, who was in the process of getting her cancer treated which heavily relied on Edwin''s salary and medical benefits from Minerva. She died a few months after him, leaving their son, Ulysses Daltroy, alone. Forced to drop out of high school after constant harassment from journalists, students, and teachers alike. 2021. The first incidents of "Black Rain" occurred in Alaska and in some parts of Russia, causing mass confusion all over the world. A Minerva facility, off the coast of Antartica, announces its "investigation" into the matter. 2022. The current year. The black rain had become more frequent being spotted once every other month, and a few short recordings of it even managed to make it to the internet. The black rain only occurred for half a minute and didn''t leave a trace. According to those who witnessed it, the black rain didn''t feel like a liquid. Some people even attempted to collect it, but it evaporated almost instantly.
1st of September, 2022. Being forced to drop out of high school was unfortunate really. My girlfriend had left me, my friends abandoned me, even my relatives didn''t want to be associated with me. With both of my parents dead, I was forced to strike out on my own with nothing more than a few hundred dollars. I had to admit, it helped to build resentment with the world. People who created a witch hunt and indirectly killed my parents. Though, I could blame my dad too. He never explained what his goal was when he was caught attempting to sell information to Anti Minerva terrorist. He claimed, "I don''t want you getting caught up in this" too bad I was already "caught up" in it. Beep. Beep. Beep. The alarm on the nightstand next to me went off and was quickly silenced, not that I got much sleep. I stood up and walked toward the bathroom. With every step, the floorboards creaked obnoxiously. I lived in a one-room apartment in Haven City, it was the cheapest I could find, and by that, it meant I had to pay the landlord double to not alert the press. I was basically being blackmailed. Report it to the police? With the last name Daltroy, the press would jump at the chance to make a story on me. I could only accept the hand I''ve been given. I entered the almost comically small bathroom and turned on the water. It came out with a yellowish color, the trick was to let it run for a minute before using it. I looked at my reflection in the shabby mirror. Messy chestnut brown hair, along with gray eyes. I would be twenty by the end of this year, and I began looking very similar to my father, something that quickly became a bad thing when his face was plastered all over the internet as a traitor. While the water continued to run, I walked over to the small fridge in the corner and opened it. I grabbed two frozen waffles and placed them in the toaster. After brushing my teeth, I ate the plain waffles and began to get dressed. Sitting on a nearby table were tracksuits and a few t-shirts, they were clothes I had kept since my days in high school. I learned it was never wise to trust anyone completely after those days in high school. Many of my "friends" sold my address to various media outlets. My face was shared around online, and groups of people continually gathered around my house. In school, the same students that I laughed with would assault me while the teachers turned a blind eye. In the end, who would defend the son of a terrorist? After a few well-thrown bricks to my windows and increasingly expensive rent, I took the initiative to move out. The majority of the money left behind by my dad went to my mother''s treatment which dropped in quality with the Minerva employee benefits. So with the few hundred dollars I had, I ended up here. I put on the black tracksuit and grabbed my watch and cell phone before leaving the small apartment. I stepped into the run down hallway to see my greedy landlord checking the mailboxes. He stood at 5''6 while I stood at 5''11, it was a noticeable height difference. He had a shaved head and a scruffy beard. Currently, he was only wearing a tank top, cargo shorts, and some flip-flops.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. "Ulysses your rent is due. I hope it''s no trouble if I get it a week before I collect the rest of the tenant''s rent." He turned to look at me and smiled showcasing his yellow teeth. "Ok. I''ll have it tonight." I said with no emotion. It was best not to play into his hand, if I spoke out he''d raise my already overpriced rent. "Good." He chuckled as he climbed the stairs and traversed the hallway with flickering lights. This whole building was out of place in the currently developing society, and I wouldn''t be surprised to see it demolished within another year. Especially with all the building code violations. I stepped out onto the street and walked toward the bus stop. With it being early I wouldn''t have to worry about heavy foot traffic. As usual, I waited for the bus while listening to the occasional car pass me.
An hour later I arrived at the sprawling shopping mall. It was hadn''t even reached noon, and people were already beginning to show up. I ignored the crowds of people and walked directly to the store I was employed at. "Ulysses, hurry and unload the boxes in the back!" A man yelled as soon as he saw me. It was my boss, Ronald. A man about as tall as me with a constant angry scowl on his face, that occasionally warped into an ugly smile when he went to greet customers. It became apparent to me that he was an insecure man who thrived on the need for power. He regularly cursed at his employees, and I heard he almost beat one up. He took pride in his store which sold general items. He probably equated it to his own personal kingdom and his employees as his subjects. If he died, I doubt many people would miss him, but the same could be said for me. Silently complying with his orders, I grabbed a blue apron on my way to the back and began working. Heavy labor was arduous, but I tried to see it as a form of exercise. After a long while, I finally finished unloading and taking inventory of the stock. "Ulysses. The boss wants to see you." One of my fellow employees came and spoke with a strange expression. "Alright." I took off my apron and hung it on a rack as I went toward my boss''s office. I knocked on the door and waited. I knew something was off when I say the expression of my co-worker. It was something between pity and gloating. I was usually distant toward everyone I worked with, but some people took it as me being stuck up and arrogant. They weren''t completely wrong though. They were all trapped in a perpetual cycle of materialistic worship, desperately seeking to one-up everyone. I can''t count how many times I''ve heard a conversation shift to a self-centered subtle brag. If I asked one of them "Do you have to work this weekend?" Instead of a yes or no, I''d get a "No, I have a real big party to go to." Or something along those lines, anything that allowed them to brag in some way. It was something I- "Enter." My boss shouted from the other side of the door. I stepped into his surprisingly neat office and stood near the chair. If I sat down without him telling, he would probably become angered. "Have a seat Mr. Daltroy." He said with a smug grin. I was getting fired, I could tell. I became pretty accurate at reading the body language and mannerisms of other, it was sort of a self-defense mechanism I developed when faced with the dishonest people who called themselves my friends. Everything about Ronald looked like the personification of the phrase "I got you right where I want you." Coupled with the fact that he used my last name when he usually calls me Ulysses. I sat down and looked at him with complete indifference. He either got tired of my "Pretentious" attitude, or he found about the trouble connected to my name. "I''ve found some startling information about you Mr. Daltroy." He said with a clearly fake worried expression. It was my father''s mistake following me. "About my Father." I said wanting to skip this sad display of mellow drama. Ronald''s face dropped. He probably thought he was a smart man and couldn''t wait to see me squirm and beg for him to let me keep working, at which point he would lower my pay and work me like a slave or fire me outright. "Oh, so you already know. Then it shouldn''t come as a surprise that I''m gonna have to let you go. I can''t have your bad name attached to my establishment." He had a very self-satisfied expression as he slid me an envelope across the table. "I understand." I took the envelope and stuffed it into my jacket pocket. I stood up and left without saying much more. I wouldn''t play into his game and turn into some emotional mess of tears and pity. If I were unprepared for hardship, I would''ve changed my last name a long time ago. I kept it, not out of pride, or to honor my Dad''s memory. I was no longer naive enough to use those as reasons as my continued existence. I kept it for the simple fact that it would feel as if I lost a contest if it were changed. My opponents were riddled with inconsistencies and clear mental flaws, Ronald being the prime example. I couldn''t live with myself if such a person made me completely give up on life. As I walked out of the silent, the sound of Ronald''s lips parting was barely audible. Maybe he wanted to say something smug and elicit a reaction from me, but before he could think of something I was already gone.
I went to the food court to get a small meal. Grabbing some cheap fries and a drink, I sat down in a back corner. From this angle, I could see everyone in front of me. I silently ate under the constant chirp of conversation. Almost everyone had a Minerva brand device, hell even my meal was cooked with a stove made with Minerva technology. My father was truly an idiot to go against such people. Every time I recalled my mother withering in a hospital bed because we couldn''t afford proper treatment, I felt nothing but hate towards him. "Do you believe in God?" I awoke from my distraction to see a homeless man holding a cup, standing in front of me. His question was clearly directed at me. His face was almost as unreadable as mine, a clear indifference circulated in his eyes. "Which one?" I asked attempting to seek a reaction. Overly religious people may take offense, while non-religious people wouldn''t be too disturbed. The homeless man said nothing as he continued to look at me. "Yes, but not yours." I said as I went back to eating my fries. "I see." The homeless man nodded and walked away from me and approached a different table with his cup out. He almost seemed like a different person after I answered him. I couldn''t help but contemplate two questions. Is God real? More importantly, did it matter? If God were real everyone would find out after death. If not, everyone would be dead anyway. "Haaaah." I sighed as I stood up and threw away my trash. The crowded food court continued with its activity. The multi-colored tables in the center each held a set of people, who may or may not have their own problems. A loud rumbling sound suddenly shook the entire mall. "Earthquake!" A man shouted as he ran underneath a table. "What''s going on!" "Is it a bomb?!" People began panicking and shouting loudly, pushing each other out of the way to take cover from the perceived threat. I ran past everyone and headed straight for the sports store. I grabbed a spool of fishing wire from the display, as the owner was nowhere to be found. I continued past the last few individuals who were looking for shelter as debris fell from loose constructs. I opened one of the first-floor staircases and huddled down. As the "earthquake" began to calm itself, screams could still be heard outside the staircase. It was probably people injured from falling objects. The shock dissipated and gave way to a cautious silence. I climbed the staircase and eventually got to the roof. "What the..." I looked up to see black storm clouds approaching, followed by ominous black rain. I stumbled to the edge of the roof''s guardrail and peered over into the street. Hundreds of cars were piled up as people began climbing out of the wreckage and looking at the sky. The Black Rain was never said to bring earthquakes, maybe it was the end of the world. As the clouds got closer, the visibility was lowered after everything was darkened a bloodcurdling scream rang out. "Aaaaaaaah!" It was hard to see from the roof, but something looked to be pulling a man from his car. I tried to look closer, but I could only see silhouettes. "Stop! Someone! Help!" Another yell came from the crowd of people. "Get the hell off of me!" "What the fuck is that?!" I could just barely see an inhuman shape attacking someone. I didn''t need any more signs to tell me something was wrong. I ran back into the stairwell and thought of the next step I should take. I unzipped my track jacket and took a few deep breaths. At that moment it felt as if I reverted to my former self. When I felt the constant pressure and hate of other people. "Shit." I collected my thoughts. I could only assume this disaster would be long-lasting and dangerous. My first step would be food and water. On the second floor, there is a health store, I''ll get as many protein bars as possible, and find some water containers. "Please stay calm. Please stay calm. Please stay caaaaaaalm." A robotic voice had echoed throughout the whole mall before it faded away. The whirring noise of the generator failing was next, followed by a loud click and dark red lights emergency lights. I set my watch for five minutes, at that time there should be some semblance of order, people would likely gather up. While they were still unsure of what was going on, I would take that chance to grab as much as I can and leave. The First Trial 1 "Ugh..." I groaned as I opened my eyes, slowly recalling the events that happened a few moments ago. I had set out to gather some supplies, but my journey was cut short by Ronald my now deceased ex-boss. I crawled to my feet and gently touched the back of my head. "Ouch." I wince in pain as I feel a small lump, but there was no bleeding, so I counted myself lucky. Next, I evaluate my hands, only to see cuts left from the fishing wire. I would have to find bandages and gloves. As I stood up, I noticed thick black fog shaped like a rectangle in front of me.
The First Trial starts in: 10 minutes. 1 reward ready, claim it?
"Huh?" I exclaimed aloud. At first, I thought that I suffered too much head trauma from the fall. It reminded me of those redirect ads that always proclaimed that you won a prize and had 5 minutes to claim it. I closed my eyes and waited for 30 seconds before opening them.
The First Trial starts in: 9 minutes. 1 reward ready, claim it?
The black rectangle remained in place. Whether I was hallucinating or not, it would be best to prepare for the "Trial." First I should pick get my reward. But how do I go about claiming it? "Uh...Yes?" I said questioningly. The words remained the same as before. So maybe I just had to think about it in my head. ''Claim it.'' I said in my head. The rectangle broke apart and reassembled into a semi-solid state with new words.
For killing one creature you have received: 2 Black Coins.
A small dart made of black fog shot into my wrist. I pulled my sleeve down and could see a tiny "2" just below my palm, after a few seconds it faded. If this represented a form of currency, did that mean there would be things for purchase later on? It had to, but it would be dangerous to have the amount of money you had. ''How much do I have?'' I thought inwardly. The "2" resurfaced on my wrist once again. So I was able to check the amount I had just by thinking about it. I had to admit it was convenient and safe. If people walked around with their account balance on their foreheads, they''d be more likely to be robbed. Still, I had no idea what these "Black Coins" were used for.
The First Trial starts in: 7 minutes.
As the black rectangle reformed, I''m reminded of the time remaining. I tuck the fishing wire into my jacket pocket and cautiously walked toward the Sports store. I didn''t know how many of those things were lurking in the mall, so I decided to take it step by step in spite of the time limit. I could see a group of people further down the long path. I thought it to be in my best interest to avoid them. I entered the sports store to see everything that wasn''t nailed down on the floor. Carefully watching my steps, I found a sling backpack and grabbed whatever was useful. A fighting and utility knife, which I fastened into my waistband. A couple of lighters, some black leather gloves, two water bottles, and a small pocket knife which I tucked into my sock. I checked my time.
The First Trial starts in: 4 minutes.
I still needed to grab some first aid and some protein bars. I saw a crossbow tied to a rack in the corner and grabbed it. I never shot a crossbow in my life, but I know you had to pull the cord to load it. There was an easily-to-follow instruction booklet taped to the side of it, I skimmed over it and tried to absorb as much as I could. It looked easy enough, so I complied with the instructions as fast as I could. I used the cocking rope which made it easy to load and put an arrow in. I kept the safety on as I made my way out the store. "Hey! What the hell are you doing?" The voice of a man entered my ears as I left. Behind him were nearly a dozen people who were either flustered or injured, in front of each of them were black rectangles. Did this have to happen to me? Were people this stupid? I thought of my options. I had no time to engage in a verbal debate on the morality of looting in this situation, and these idiots had likely avoided any creatures. I decided to check. "You all have screens in front of you, right?" I asked as I continued to step back. "Yeah! It''s probably some holographic display from Minerva that the emergency services are using because they can''t get to the mall. It probably talking about a trial because it''s in its prototype stage. So, you need to return those items and wait." The man who seemed to be the leader said with assurance. That was the conclusion they most likely came to when they were gathered earlier. It was also the dumbest fucking thing I had ever heard. I checked my screen.
The First Trial starts in: 2 minutes.
Click. Click. Click. Click. Not only did I waste a substantial amount of time, but the ominous clicking from before could be faintly heard. The dim red emergency lights didn''t provide much visibility. The group of people looked around at the clicking, I was right to assume they didn''t run across one of those things yet. "See, that''s probably the emergency services trying to get in now. Just put everything back and wait with us." The man talked in a patronizing tone. Did people think such a bullshit way of communication would calm anyone? The way he spoke was almost like he was reprimanding a child as gently as he could. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. "Fuck." I cursed aloud. I raised the crossbow and pointed at the group. Of course, I didn''t plan on shooting, I couldn''t waste an arrow on them when those things were around. They could easily swarm me after the first shot, and my accuracy couldn''t guarantee a fatal hit in the first place. "Hey!" "He''s crazy!" "Put it down!" "You''re insane." I aim the crossbow at each of them as I continue to walk backward. "Stay the hell away from me. You can only blame yourself for what comes next." I abandoned the idea of going to the Health store on the second floor. I would head to Ronald''s General Store instead. I knew what was kept in stock. Although the protein bars from the general store couldn''t compare to the one that cost close to $100 dollars, it was better than nothing. As for the group of people, I didn''t have time to tell them about the monsters running around. Even if I did, there was no proof and I suspected they wouldn''t believe a "looter" like me. "If any of you follow me, I''ll shoot." I bluffed. As long as I continued to be irrational, they would be too nervous to press the advantage in numbers. I turned and ran away, the Ronald''s General Store wasn''t that far I could make it if I hurried. "Hey!" The leader of the group yelled after me, but I paid it no mind. Those creatures were closing in, and I wouldn''t stay grouped up with people who lacked the ability to see a crisis.
The First Trial starts in: 1 minutes.
I ran past a few people sprawled out or laying under debris, I had no inclination to help, when I couldn''t even help myself. I raced into the General Store and opened my backpack. I dumped packages of chewy protein bars into my backpack along with plastic water bottles. I still had a bit of time, so I grabbed some ace bandages, gauze, duct tape, rubbing alcohol, a half face gas mask, and a small aerosol can. While everything was stored away, I opened an additional bottle of alcohol and poured it over my hands. I ignored the burning sensation and wrapped them in the ace bandage, before closing my backpack.
The First Trial starts in: 5 seconds.
"Aaaaah!" "Get this thing the hell off me!" "Wait! Don''t leave me!" "What is that thing?!" I heard screams off in the distance but ignored it as I counted down in my head. 4, 3, 2, 1. "What?" I looked around to see nothing had changed, so did that mean that-- Suddenly, a black circle appeared right under me. I gripped my crossbow and closed my eyes. Whoosh!
My sense of balance was distorted, but I quickly recovered. I opened my eyes to see a trashed room. A torn bed, broken window, rotted and splintered wooden walls. I was standing in a very small room, it looked like a scene from an old horror movie that dealt with an ancient haunted house. I looked out of the window and could see hundreds of thousands of other buildings, they all looked old and abandoned, but the craziest thing was that they all looked to have 100 or so floors. The sky was a dark orangish color, and a deathly silence pervaded the entire area. The black foggy rectangle re-emerged in front of me.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
Trial One: Leave the building.
Clearly, something was wrong. In no way shape or form would something be so easy. My intuition told me this building was littered with tons of those things or traps at the very least. Why would things be so easy? Anyone with a brain would know- Crash! I heard the sound of something being knocked over just outside the room. I grabbed the crossbow and turned the safety off while moving to the door. I carefully listened. "Who''s there!" A young male voice came from the other side. "Who the fuck are you?" An angry male voice responded. "Do you know what''s going on?" A panicked older male voice responded. "Stay back, gramps!" The angry voice shouted. "And you! Is that a fucking katana? Kid, do you even know what you''re doing? Are you one of those motherfuckers who roleplay." He continued. "I-I was at a pawnshop a-and this was the closest thing I could grab." The young voice said with a hint of embarrassment. I suspected he was lying. There were tons of things in a pawnshop that could be used as weapons. If it were me, I would pick a blunt object or small knife. Well, I already had a knife. I wondered how I should approach the people outside the room. "Hey, kid give me that." The angry voice grumbled. "My gun''s gone. I''m bigger and stronger than you, so you should hand it over." He said. It was a threat that was barely hidden, meant to intimidate. What caught my attention was the fact he didn''t have a gun. Were guns not allowed in these so-called "Trials?" "N-no way." The young voice said shakily. I wanted to pick the opportune time to interject in the conversation. If I waited for the right moment, I could get the old man and the kid on my side. Strength was an asset, but having someone unpredictable was bad. "Give it here!" The voice shouted with footsteps accompanying it. Vssshing. "Stay back-Ah!" From the sound of it, the kid had tripped and stumbled. "Shit! You cut me, you stupid fuck!" The angry voice roared. "Hey! Let him go!" The older voice said. "Fuck off old man!" The angry voice shouted in response. The sound of an intense struggle could be heard as I slowly opened the door, only to see three other rooms with doors already opened. I carefully walked down the hallway of this run-down apartment with my crossbow ready. "Hey." I said calmly as I took in the scene playing out in the living room. A large man, around 6''0, with tattoos covering his body used one arm to hold the shirt of a teenager, and the other arm was in the air ready for the next punch. The teenager had a busted lip and a bruised cheek, while an old man stood behind both of them. They all turned to look at me with surprised expressions. "Huh?" The tattooed man said with a startled tone. I saw he had a small wound on his side, which was good new for me, as long as he was weakened he would be less of a threat. I couldn''t see any redeeming qualities in his shaven face. He looked to be in his late thirties with a slightly wrinkled face, a receding hairline, and a few regretful facial tattoos. Blood stained his tank top where his abdomen was and dripped onto his big cargo pants. I could see he was wearing steel toe leather boots too. In my head, his threat level raised higher, but I didn''t let it show. "Let him go." I said indifferently. I would definitely shoot this man if he showed any resistance. Once he was hit with a crossbow bolt he would be an easier target, I didn''t necessarily have to kill him with the first shot. The man looked at me and mumbled before he let go of the teenager, but not before shoving him. See, that right there. That little shove at the end was the display of defiance I needed to see. The tattooed man was designated as bait in my mind. "Ugh." The teenager wiped his lip and picked up the Katana, he glared at the tattooed man, but ultimately sheathed it. He looked to be about 15 or 16, only standing at 5''8. He wore a button up embroidered with some sort of logo, a pair of khakis, and some loafers. He must have been going to a high school somewhere, but it wasn''t one I recognized. Lastly, was the short white haired old man. He seemed to be in his late 70''s and largely unaware of what was happening. He was wearing jeans and a plain t-shirt, and some casual sports shoe. "Anyone have a phone?" I kept the crossbow raised as I asked. "Yeah." "I do." "Me too." They all three responded simultaneously. "Check for a signal." I said with a bit of annoyance. Would I have to spell everything out for these people? The value of the old man and the teen dropped in my head. "None." The tattooed man grumbled. The teen and the old man shook their heads. "Alright. You''ve seen the message. We have to leave the building. Before we go, we should prepare first." I pointed my crossbow downwards as I took charge. In stressful situations, people were more inclined to listen to the calmest and rational person. It was sort of a coping mechanism I guess. "First, does anyone have any black coins?" I asked plainly, but inwardly I was hopeful. "I-I have two." The teenager said. "So you''ve killed one of those monsters?" I shifted my inquiry. Chances were he failed to see the significance of the coin right away. I planned to get the coins from him later on. Maybe I''d sell him some water or save his life and demand it as payment. Come to think of it, if I waited a bit longer before stepping in then maybe I would''ve actually saved his life. "Yeah. I killed one of those spike armed things when it went for the owner." The kid said with a little bit of pride. "Woah, Woah, Woah. I shot one of those things to death, how come I didn''t get one?" The tattooed man asked. "It seems like guns were frowned upon by whoever decided to make these trials." I responded to the man. I had medical supplies in my bag, but I decided not to use them on him. I had no way of knowing what would happen later on. I flick the safety on the crossbow and hold it in one hand, with the other hand I take off my bag. Zip. I opened it up and grabbed a water bottle and a protein bar before closing it. They all sent gazes toward my bag, maybe the wondered what else I had in it. I walked over to a table in the corner and placed the crossbow and my bag atop it. I opened the wrapper on the protein bar and ate it. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. The sound of me chewing filled the room. After I had finished it, I grabbed the water bottle and chugged half of it. "C-Could I have some?" The teenager asked a bit nervously. "Oh? Sure, but what do you have to exchange?" I said unbothered. I wouldn''t let him know what I want right away if I did he could try and bargain for more. "I..." He looked at the katana clearly misunderstanding me. "I can give you all the money I have." He pulled out a brown wallet and held it up. "Listen, as far as I see it..." I paused to add a little bit of an effect to my words. "...The world is over. There may not be any food or water available like it used to be. So money is completely useless." I took another big gulp of my water and looked at the kid. I faked a look of contemplation before speaking again. "How about two black coins for two protein bars and a water bottle? I asked. If someone offered me the same I wouldn''t hesitate to decline. "T-That is-" I could hear the hesitancy in his voice. Someone like him probably played a lot of games and read a lot of internet novels. Maybe he assumed they were for a skill tree or something. "You tried seeing if there was a status right?" I shook my head as if I had done the same. In my haste, I neglected to check out what the black rectangle could do. It was apparent that if he still had his black coins, then there was nothing to use it with just yet. I was willing to bet on that. "It just seems like a token for killing one of those things, if it becomes useful I''ll give it back." I lied through my teeth. To look thoroughly convincing, I exposed my wrist and showed him. ''Show balance." I thought in my head, and the number 2 appeared on my left wrist. "Ok. If it''s useful, you said you would give them back, right?" The teenager asked. I nodded my head, inwardly I was lowering the value of keeping such a person with me. Way too trusting. "How do I give them to you?" He asked. "Try to think withdrawal or transfer." I shrugged. I was guessing, I didn''t even know if they could be exchanged. "Ah." The teenager exclaimed as two shiny black coins appeared within his hand. I pulled a water bottle and two protein bars out of my bag and placed them on the table. The teen handed over his coins to me which I "deposited" by thinking about it. I could have robbed him with the crossbow, but he may have been stubborn and refused or plotted against me later. Right now the tattooed man received most of the animosity, which made it easier for me to take control of the group. "Now then, let''s give our first names. I''m Ulysses." I said as I put my bag back on and grabbed the crossbow. A few moments earlier, I noticed the tattooed man looking over a bit too long at me. I could only think he was calculating the distance from where he was to the table. "I''m Daniel." The teenager was the first to respond as he ate the protein bar. Clearly, he liked me the most out of the others. "I''m Paul." The old man introduced himself. "I''m Bobby. Ay, you got anything for this cut in that bag of yours?" The tattooed man who called himself "Bobby" asked. "No only food, water, and a couple other things." I responded almost immediately. "Wish I did though." I tacked on just to make it seem more believable. Once again, I raised his threat level. A man who didn''t panic when cut with a blade was bad news for me. "Tch." Bobby clicked his tongue as he looked at his wounded side. He then turned toward the teen. "Give me a sip, It''s only right after what you did to me." He snapped. "No, you attacked me." Daniel put on a bit of bravado as he sent me a glance. "That''s enough." I raised my crossbow and turned the safety off. "We should get out of here as soon as we can. Those things are probably all over the area, it''s best for us to move." I stood up and looked around the living room. There wasn''t much to be salvaged from here. "Excuse me, but do you have any idea what''s going on?" Paul asked. Maybe because I seemed to be the most knowledgeable he thought to ask me. Unfortunately, I had no idea. "Haah. If I had to guess, I''d say the apocalypse." I sighed. I saw a few wooden broomsticks in the corner and pointed. "Bobby, break that off and take the lead. Daniel, you''re behind him. Paul, you grab a broomstick and stand near me." I gave everyone orders, to which they followed without much resistance. Well, except Bobby, who mumbled under his breath. Snap! He broke the two broomsticks and handed one over to Paul while I watched. "Bobby, lead the way." I pointed at the door with the crossbow. He grunts as he opens the door and steps into the hallway. I gave Daniel a friendly nod, he returned it as he followed behind Bobby. "Paul." He looked at me and then followed behind Daniel, tightly clutching his broomstick. I move to step out, but then stopped as I turned to look at the rusted stove. I walk over to it and turn a dial. Fssssssssssh. Surprisingly, the building has functioning gas, but no electricity. I turned all the dials on low and walk away. The faint hissing of gas filled the room as I left.
The First Trial 2 Bobby''s pov "Fucking kid ordering me around," I grumbled under my breath. I would''ve beaten his ass if he didn''t keep that crossbow so close. Hell, I still might if he slips up. We''ve only climbed down 3 floors. He keeps insisting on stopping at each one and checking for supplies, but in this shithole, there''s nothing but broomsticks and rotten wood. I want to leave as soon as possible but that kid ain''t having it. I can see that look in his eyes, my boss used to have the same look. The criminal underworld became less powerful than it used to be with Minerva outfitting police. As a result, the Underworld bosses became more ruthless and cunning, never taking the slightest chance. Minerva made it real hard for people of the criminal profession; Security cameras that could identify wanted criminals with ease, top of the line non-lethal police equipment and a whole lot of other shit. Didn''t matter what high-tech shit they used really, the point is it made my boss paranoid and cold. He looked at people that ended up "missing" with the same eyes that kid had. "We''ll see who goes missing," I mumbled to myself as I checked an empty room. Nothing but cobwebs and broken furniture. If I had my gun, I''d be the one ordering everyone else around, for now, all I had was a sharpened broomstick and a small cut on my stomach. As soon as he let his guard up, I would- "We''re leaving." An indifferent voice calls out from behind me. I spun around and turned to see Ulysses with his crossbow held tightly in his hands. I just noticed he had bandages wrapped around them. I nodded to him and walked past. The brat and the old man were already waiting in the hall, I would be taking the lead. We sauntered down the hallway and continued on with the same routine. Finding nothing in the rooms, but Ulysses seemed keen on checking each one. Did he know something we didn''t? Well, it wouldn''t matter once I got my hands on him. About 30 minutes later we finally made it down ten floors, but there was something on this one. "An elevator!"I shouted as I walked over to it. Ulysses, the brat, and the old man all walked over. I stepped in and looked at the buttons, but it only went from floor 90 to floor 80, and there was a coin slot. I pressed a few buttons, but nothing happened. Did I need to pay to enter? With what? The slot was too big for ordinary coins maybe those black coins would help. Above the display was an icon with four dim lights, I didn''t know what the fuck it meant. "It must take black coins, so there is no point. We don''t need it to get past 10 floors unless it gets too dangerous." Ulysses said to me. I looked at him only to see the crossbow pointed in my directions and his eyes completely focused on me. ''Damn.''I thought inwardly. It would be the perfect chance to catch him unprepared in close quarters too. Sucks that he must''ve figured that out. "We''ll continue, the same as before."He said as he shrugged. And so, the same boring ass routine continued. We went down to floor 89, and I almost shouted at what I saw. The old man and the brat were no exceptions. "Quiet," Ulysses said like he could read our minds. At the end of the hall stood a thin looking creature with long skinny arms. From here it didn''t look like it had any eyes and it''s skin looked like it was too tight on its body. With a weird shaped triangular mouth that constantly opened and closed. Ulysses crouched down, the old man and the brat followed him, even I did the same. "We''ll move slowly." Ulysses said as he pointed the crossbow, signaling for me to go forward. Is this bastard using me as bait or something? I''d show him. "Heh."I chuckled a little as I crawled forward with the sharp stick in hand. We crept along the hallway, but Ulysses would duck off into a room for a few moments and re-emerge. Looking for shit in a time like this? He wasn''t as smart as I thought. At this point, I could see the monster from up close. It didn''t look as dangerous as I expected. It seemed like a starved man from right here. A warped face with no features, a weird shaped mouth, five fingers with no nails. Nothing between its legs either. I could probably kill this thing and grab one of those black coins and then give Ulysses the slip when we reach the next elevator. I gripped the broomstick and got ready to move. I glanced at Ulysses to see him shaking his head. ''So you want it for yourself, huh?'' I smiled at him before I charged and stabbed the creature in the chest. The broomstick came out the other side of its back, but no blood spilled. "Eiii!" The thing screamed and thrashed wildly, but it only had the strength of a kid as the sound continued to pour from its mouth. I drove the broomstick in deeper and twisted it. "Eiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" A high pitched scream filled the hallways. Other than being annoying it didn''t burst my eardrums or anything. I pressed my foot into its abdomen and pushed it off the broomstick. It fell to the ground, and I stomped the fucker as it continued to scream. "Eiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" I stomped on its head until it finally stopped screaming and began breaking into black ash. A piece of it flew into my wrist and right below my palm was a small "1". "How''s that?!" I turned around asked Ulysses with a smirk. All of a sudden the dust falls from the ceiling and the hallway shakes every so slightly. I looked at Ulysses, only to see him shaking his head in annoyance. "Daniel and Paul, upstairs right now." He ordered as he looked at me with his emotionless gray eyes. They nervously ran up the stairs as he checked the crossbow and then aimed at me. "W-What the fuck?!" I jumped back, did he plan on shooting me right here and right now. I could hear a rumbling noise getting closer and closer. Something was coming. "Since this is your fault, we''re gonna kill whatever comes up." He said as he diverted his aim to the stairwell. "Fine." I said while trying to hide my anxiousness. I tense up as I gripped the broomstick with sweaty palms. It seems like he wants to get some more black coins, which is fine with me as long as he doesn''t leave me out here by myself- I hear the release of a string and before I can react, there is a searing pain in my left thigh. I drop my broomstick and fall to the ground without knowing what happened. "Fuck!"I look down to see a bolt sticking out of my leg. "W-Why the fuck did you shoot me?" I turn to see Ulysses loading another bolt into the crossbow. He didn''t even look sorry, the fucker. "Wait! Wait! Stop you fucking bastard! Shit" I panic and try to stand, but the pain is too much. I still can''t believe he shot me while I wasn''t looking, the people I worked with had the decency to look at you before they hurt you. He struggled with it, but ultimately finishes loading the crossbow and walked toward me. "I''ll give you my coin! Stop!" I still hear the rumbling, but as he closes in its pushed to the back of my mind. "Hand it over." He kicked my broomstick away and stood over me, continuing to aimat my chest. ''Withdrawl.''I say in my head, and one shiny black coin appears in my hand. Getting robbed by a fucking kid, my boss would get rid of me for incompetence if something like this happened before. "Here!"I extend my hand toward him. He snatches the coin out of my hand and then stores it. "N-Now help me!" I wanted to curse at him, but it''d probably make the bastard shoot me again. I could feel sweat poured down my forehead as I struggled to move my left leg. He kneeled down in front of me and without a word of warning, he yanked the bolt out of my leg. "Fuck! Fuck you! Fuck!" I squeeze my leg as blood pours out. "Tch. I think I hit an artery. Things aren''t looking too good for you, Bobby," he says sarcastically. I wanted to fucking kill him, and even though I had no choice, I needed to suck up to him. "P-please help me."I pleaded as I wore an entirely genuine expression of suffering. The shaking had increased and sound closer than before. I looked toward the stairwell and then looked back at Ulysses only to see him running away. "Hey! Wait!" I call out. I tried to stand up, but can''t manage to do it. "You motherfucker!" I curse at him as I crawl over to the broomstick. I grabbed it and used it to prop myself up. The rumbling gets closer and closer. I don''t know why, but the fact I couldn''t see what made the noise made it even worse.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it "You fucking bitch!" I curse at his back, he already was in the stairwell by now. I hobbled along like a miserable fuck using the broomstick, leaving a trail of blood behind me. "Ookht-Ookht!" I hear a weird shout behind me and turn around. A big glob of muscle that looked to be two feet taller than me stood at the end of the hall. Its arms were the size of both of mine put together, and its hands only had three thick fingers on them. Its face looked like the screaming monster from before, but it had two small button-like eyes spaced far apart and a huge mouth."Ookht-Ookht!" the guttural croaking of a cat choking on a hairball emerged from his throat. He locked eyes with me and then charged toward at a slow pace, but it was way too fast for the current me. "Shit! Help me! Fucking help!" "Shit! Help me! Fucking help!" I began hobbling away as the hallway shook with each of its steps. I could see Ulysses peeking his head from outside of the stairwell entrance, just watching me. "Help me! You bastard!" I cursed desperately and tripped. The heavy footsteps moved closer and closer toward me. I roll over and hold the sharpened stick upwards to defend myself. The flimsy stick breaks on his taut skin as it moves forward. "No! No! No!" I crawl backward while crying, but it grabs my ankle. "Noooooooooo!" I screamed. I was as scared as I had ever been in my life. Whatever pride, or dignity I had, flew out the fucking window when that thing popped up. I just wanted this nightmare to be fucking over. ................................................. Ulysses'' pov. "Noooooooooo!"Bobby issues a bloodcurdling scream as the brutish looking monster lift him up. My hands shake, but I continue to watch. I had to learn everything I could about the monster in case I encounter it again. I try to remain as calm as possible while mentally noting the characteristics. ''Strong but slow. A large target but thick skin. No sign of intelligence.'' I list them off in my head as I ready my crossbow. I highly doubt I''ll be able to hurt it with this. Aiming for its small eyes would be nothing more than a delusion. A loud crashing sound filled the hall as the creature smashed Bobby into a wall which instantly crumbled. "Argh! Ahhhhhh! No, no, no!" Bobby sobbed as he crawled out the room and back into the hallway., he was covered in dust, blood, and splinters to add to his pitiful snot covered face."Ookht-Ookht!" The monster came back out into the hall and grabbed him. Both of its arms picked him up, while its fingers curled around his torso. It exerted force causing his bones to snap. "Aaaaaaaah!" Bobby screamed in agony. The creature opens its gaping mouth, exposing jagged and mishappen teeth, which looked like it could just barely fit Bobby''s head in. Which was bad news for him. It crunched down on his head, sending blood and brain matter onto the floor. Bobby''s body spasmed before going limp. The monster continued to chew on his corpse, but it stopped at the shoulders. It adjusted his body to find a place to bite, I saw my chance and took a shot. The bolt grazed his head and struck a wall. "Damn it!" I cursed. I didn''t expect high accuracy, I wasn''t experienced with a using the crossbow, but I hoped to at least hit his body. "Oohkht!"The brute turned its attention toward my direction. Its tiny black eyes looked at me- no, towards me. It dropped the partially eaten corpse and moved forward. I stayed calm and put the crossbow on the ground. I placed my foot on the stirrup and pulled back the string. The huge creature began walking toward me with a gait that slowly increased in speed with each step. Hearing the mechanism, I lifted the crossbow and loaded the bolt. I aimed down the sights. The quiver under the barrel only had 6 bolts originally, but I already shot one, leaving me with 5. The brute began to speed up. I''m not sure if it could actually see me, unlike the other creatures I''ve seen so far, it had eyes. The hallway was about 60 feet in total, and the creature had covered more than half of that distance with a type of inquisitive uncertainty in its steps. I fired another bolt which hit the creature square in the chest. It didn''t seem to penetrate the muscle tissue and went in about a quarter of the way. I slammed the crossbow down and place my foot in the stirrup once again. "Oookht-Ookht!" I guess it was either annoyed or finally noticed me because it roared and charged forward. I loaded another bolt and then retreated up the staircase. The layout of this entire structure was weird. Each floor had one staircase up and one staircase down. As I climbed higher, I could smell the faint scent of gas. "Daniel! Paul!" I shout as I enter the 90th floor with the heavy footsteps behind me. They stumble out of one room and look at me with frightened eyes. I had four options at this point. One, create a makeshift spear using duct tape, the broomstick, and the katana hoping that it''s sharp enough to penetrate the layer of muscle protecting the brute and attempt to kill it. Two, try to use Daniel and Paul as bait and escape to the elevator. Three, create an explosion of the gas that I left running, even though I wanted to save that for later it would definitely kill that thing. Four, hide from the thing and slip behind it. One by one I evaluated the options as quickly as my mind could process. Making a long range weapon wouldn''t be smart. While it may stab the creature, it could easily break the weapon and kill whoever uses it. There was also the fact that no one was skilled enough to handle a makeshift spear. Leaving Daniel and Paul could come back to bite on the lower floors. There may be an obstacle which needed more than one person. Even if I did leave them, they might come back for revenge while I was vulnerable or if I incurred an injury. The gas should be prominent on the higher floors, but this one was still being filled. Then there was the problem of escape, the entire building was basically flammable, I''d be hard pressed to avoid the threat of flaming debris above me. The building may eve collapse in on itself and come crashing down on my head. So that left me with the fourth option. "Ookht-Ookht!" The roar woke me from my contemplation. "I''ll distract it, you two slip behind it, and down the stairwell, I''ll follow," I said to them. Daniel and Paul looked at each other and then nodded at me, before returning to the room they hid in earlier. "Ookht-Ookht!" The massive creature climbed the stairwell with some difficulty and charged toward me. "Come on." I urged it on with impatience, but I''m sure it didn''t understand. As it moved toward me, I ran into a room at the opposite end of the hall and closed the door. It would offer little protection against that massive creature, but I needed the time. Even if the door obstructed it for a few seconds, it would be helpful. I moved a torn couch and old wooden tables in front of the door for extra precaution."I need somewhere to go." I mumble aloud as I scan the room, I think it''s pointless to go into the bedrooms and attempt to hide, so my next step is... "Window," I exclaim as I dash over to the kitchen window. Right above the sink was a window large enough for me to fit through. On the outside there appeared to be something that looked like a fire escape. I didn''t trust its stability and wasn''t even sure if it was suitable for standing on but it didn''t matter. I turn the safety on the crossbow and toss it over my shoulder before opening the rusted window. With a bang, the brutish monster smashed down the door. "Ookht-Ookht!" It announced its arrival with the weird regurgitating-like roar. I send a single glance towards it as it starts to push past all the obstacles I placed, without wasting any more time, I climbed out the window. "Shit!"I feel a sense of vertigo as I look down, a drop from here would definitely kill me. What I thought to be a fire escape was nothing more than a solid, but rusty, railing, I would have to stick to the wall to get to the other room. "Ookht-Ookht!" I could hear the creature moving closer and shimmy away from the kitchen window. Just in time too, a massive hand came out of the window and grasped around blindly. The walls shook, and I could hear the snapping of wood, luckily it either grew bored or tired out and stopped altogether. I listened carefully and could hear the heavy footsteps of the thing retreating. It seemed to lack a lot of basic intelligence which was beneficial to my survival. I erased all notions of killing that thing and continue to hug the wall while slowly moving toward the next room. While I edged closer to the room, I looked out on the unfamiliar cityscape. Hundreds of thousands of dilapidated apartment building similar to this one, all arranged in parallel order. From the closest one, I could see a long rope made of dirty bed sheets hanging down to the 80th floor. "I should''ve thought of that." Maybe there was some sort of special reward to be had for making it down first, similar to killing one of those creatures before the trial started. I finally arrived at the third room from the exit and pry open the window. Then I climbed into the room trying to be as quiet as I can. After I entered I crouched down and moved slowly to the other side of the room and quickly reached the door. I opened and peeked into the hallway to see it empty, there is still the faint hissing of gas from the old stoves, but nothing else. I entered the hall, still crouched, and make my way back to the stairwell. I could hear the slow but heavy footsteps behind me, I looked back and saw the brute exiting the room and walking back from where he came, most likely coming back for the corpse of Bobby. "Ulysses, over here," Daniel whispers. I see him and Paul cautiously waiting at the bottom of the stairs with pale expressions. They had probably seen Bobby''s corpse and heard his screams from earlier. "Let''s go." I stood up and began walking briskly. On the way to the end of the hall, I grab the bolt I fired earlier and walk past the headless corpse. Daniel and Paul follow behind me, probably restraining the urge to throw up. Just like that, we had our numbers reduced to three. Weirdly enough, I felt no guilt from causing Bobby''s death. He was dead and I was alive, it seemed natural. Not because of his problematic nature, or his inclination toward violence. It just felt like it was supposed to be this way. I drew no enjoyment or excitement from his death, and I didn''t naively hide behind a guise of righteousness as an excuse. It just became a fact. And so we continued on. The First Trial 3 Taking a step back to look at the recent events that have occurred, It became clear that there was a need to reevaluate the meaning of "A Bad Day." I mean, I''m sure everyone in the world would agree with me. From emotionally scarred teenagers to those with terminal illnesses, they would all nod their heads vigorously agreeing with me. Today was a bad day. Well, that was a given seeing as the Apocalypse was also referred to as "The End Of Days." It was just too bad the End of Days had to end on a bad day. But for me personally, the past few years have been full of bad moments. One day, you''re at school, friends, girlfriend, plans for the future. The next? Well...The next day you''re undoubtedly fucked over for no real reason. At least, that how it went for me. "Up ahead," Daniel called out, interrupting my thoughts. I looked up to see a familiar creature with sharp limbs. A thin body, limbs reminiscent of pikes, and only a mouth as a facial feature. It was the same one I ran into at the mall. ¡°I see.¡± I lifted the crossbow and took aim. As we inched closer the creature, in turn, opened its mouth and tilted its head upwards. Just like in the mall, this creature seemed to rely on smell or taste to locate its prey. I squeezed the trigger and fired a bolt before it could do anything. Even though my usual accuracy is far below average, I luckily managed to shoot it in the head. The creature dies before it realizes what even happened. A wisp of black smoke flew into my wrist causing my total number of black coins to reach 6. My expression crumpled which cause Daniel and Paul to take notice. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Daniel asked nervously. Come to think of it, he¡¯s been nervous ever since Bobby died. Even Paul showed nervousness, I could see it on his face. It was similar to the faces people would show me as they attempted to stall for time. The reason why someone would stall for time? A few years ago, a ¡°vigilante¡± group used to pay people for info on me. They would harass and attack me with the mistaken belief that it was justice. My first run-in with those ¡°vigilantes¡± was when I attempted to stay with who I thought was a close friend. He made the expression Daniel and Paul had when he insisted I stayed. Long story short, waking up with pepper spray to the face and a baseball bat to my ribs wasn¡¯t an experience I was too keen on revisiting. Even when I reported it to the police, all they received was a slap on the wrist that was more of a congratulatory pat on the back if anything. What can I say? The world loved Minerva and hated my father who attempted to ally with anti-Minerva extremists. ¡°...¡± I stayed silent for a few moments as I alternated my gaze between the two of them. In my personal opinion, plain silence was the best tool for intimidation. It gave way to a crawling sense of uncertainty which was easy to exploit. As if to prove me right, they show signs of discomfort as I continued staring before I finally spoke. ¡°They only give out one coin now.¡± Daniel awkwardly chuckled before speaking, ¡°I guess it was a bonus if you managed to kill one before we got to this place.¡± I could only shrug at his statement, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± We were currently 60th floor and the general pattern became clear. Those monsters randomly appeared once or twice for every twenty floors we descended. So from 1-20, there was a guaranteed monster somewhere. At least, that was the pattern so far. Our pace was slow due to me stopping to turn on the gas in each room. I was under the assumption that there had to be a reason for the gas to work in the first place. After a while, we arrived on floor 47 and was met with another creature. It¡¯s appearance put me at a loss for words, it looked like a something straight out of a cheap science fiction movie. Like all the other creatures so far it was also hairless. Its head was mostly made up of a crocodile-like snout. Its black beady eyes rapidly blinked as it looked at us. It stood about 4 feet tall and from what I could see was as least 5 feet in length. ¡°I¡¯ll distract it and you both attack when you see an opening,¡± I say as I readied the crossbow. Daniel and Paul moved to the sides of the hallway to make their presences less appealing. This was the tactic we decided on as we continued moving further down. I fired off a bolt from the crossbow and miss completely, but it gets the monsters attention. It turned toward me and began running at me. I raise the crossbow to defend myself as it leaps at me. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Shit!¡± I cursed as we tumbled to the ground. Its snout bit down on my crossbow causing it to bend from the stress. It didn¡¯t take much to guess what would happen next, it snapped the crossbow in half. The creature snapped its jaws toward me in a vicious manner. I reach for the knife in my waistband while I look to Daniel and Paul for a moment only to see them hesitating with their weapons raised. I pull the knife and stab it into the monster''s neck as hard as I can, eliciting a pained yelp before it slumped over. A black wisp flew into my wrist, setting my total amount of black coins at 7. ¡°Fuck! What the hell was that?!¡± I shouted at Daniel and Paul. The half crocidle, half dog like creature was easy to kill, but hard to deal with. It was only natural that I would be angry. ¡°Y-You were in the way,¡± Daniel said with a sense of bravery he seemed to have gained from thin air. ¡°In the way?¡± I repeat with disbelief. I looked at paul only to see him look away with a sense of guilt. They must¡¯ve noticed I killed Bobby and thought that I would kill them next. I look at Paul with my hand held out, ¡°Give me the broomstick.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Paul trailed off with a reluctant expression as he looked at Daniel. ¡°You haven¡¯t killed anything with it at all,¡± I say before Daniel could speak. Paul tightly clutched the broomstick as he looked at my knife. ¡°It¡¯s the only one I have.¡± That was a lie. I had a small pocket knife tucked into my sock, but I can¡¯t trust the two of them so it''s better to have some sort of insurance. Paul finally handed over the broomstick, which was good for him, because if he didn¡¯t I would¡¯ve taken it. ¡°Thank you.¡± I reached in my backpack to retrieve some duct tape before using it to tape the knife on the end of the broomstick, giving me a makeshift spear. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± I take my wooden spear and go into one of the rooms. I lay my spear against a wall and turn on the stove before heading to a bedroom and climbing out of the window. It really never gets easier to do it. I look at the long drop that awaited me if I slipped while doing my best to shimmy my way across the ledge. I pry open a window to an adjacent room and crawl in while being as quiet as possible. My real purpose in entering a different room so covertly was to eavesdrop on Daniel and Paul who were having a quiet discussion just outside of the door. ¡°...I don¡¯t know, he doesn¡¯t seem much better than Bobby. If I¡¯m being honest he seems worse, I trusted him in the beginning, but something¡¯s off about him,¡± A voice that could only be Paul¡¯s spoke. ¡°At least Bobby was straightforward...Ulysses seems like he¡¯s the type of person to backstab us. We heard Bobby¡¯s screaming earlier. I think...I think Ulysses let him get killed by that monster,¡± Daniel said. ¡°So what should we do?¡± Paul asked in a concerned voice. Since he was pretty old he was the most at risk. It was true, if I had to I would get rid of him first and then focus on Daniel. ¡°I thought we could talk things out, but he might pretend to and then kill us later. Maybe we should let him get killed by a monster...I¡¯m not sure if I could kill someone just yet.¡± Daniel said. ¡°...I think you¡¯re right. I¡¯m too old to fight with him so the best course is to let him get killed by a monster,¡± Paul agreed. I nearly let out a sigh, thinking back on it, I should¡¯ve let Bobby hurt one of them more. Then at least I would¡¯ve had more of a reason to kill him and they wouldn¡¯t be as quick to lump me in the same category with him. I would have to kill them before they let me die, or at least I would have to slow them down. I crawl out of the window and make my way back into the room they saw me enter. I kicked a few things to make some noise, in order to let them think I was scavenging. What I really was doing was digging through my backpack to get the rubbing alcohol and the aerosol can I looted from the convenience store earlier. I gathered up some of the dry items in the room and made a trail leading to the far corner. I doused some of the items in alcohol and left others untouched. The hope was that the dry items would burn a bit slower before reaching the accelerants. Once it reached the items drenched in rubbing alcohol it would speed up. Shifting my focus, I taped the nozzle on the aerosol to allow a continuous spray. Seeing as everything was in place, I pulled out a lighter and held it near the can before I changed my mind. The sound might be too loud, so I took it into a bedroom and lit it there. As expected it would¡¯ve been to loud if it was in the kitchen. I place the aerosol can near the edge of a dusty bed before closing the door behind me. The last was to burn the trail of items that led to the corner. The small fire started up and spread quicker than I thought, but it still had yet to reach the soaked items so there was time to lead Daniel and Paul away. As for the smoke? I stole a half-face gas mask from the store earlier so I thought I would be ok. There was a question of whether it was the proper type of gas mask to protect from smoke, but it looked pretty expensive so I took it as a sign that it was. The only worry would be my eyes if I took too long to get exit the building my vision would be hindered. I now had to do two things I wished to avoid. The first was to make a spear out of the broomstick out of fear that it could break, but the crossbow was destroyed so I had no choice. The second was to prematurely set the building aflame. I would have preferred to make it to floor twenty before burning anything, but Daniel and Paul gave me no choice. I step out of the room and close the door behind me with a calm look. Daniel and Paul aren¡¯t surprised since I made noise on my way out. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find anything that could be used as a weapon in there. We should keep a lookout while we move to the other floors,¡± I said without giving the slightest hint to what I had done. They both gave somewhat delayed nods as they acknowledged my words. We started to move again under a grave silence. ¡­ The First Trial 4 In a life or death situation, one would be surprised at what humans could tolerate. Aversion to murder and brutality was something reserved for an orderly society and when that order broke down it was obvious what would happen. I often thought that the laws aren¡¯t enforced by the authorities but rather by the people. Seeing as the number of police were dwarfed by the population it made sense. While I wasn¡¯t cynical enough to say that everyone would be ok with murder, I was aware that everyone had the capability deep down. Some people were more active in carrying it out while others would rather someone else do it for them. Daniel and Paul were the latter and which happened to be the ones who slower to realize what the world would be from now on. They planned on letting me get killed by a monster which would¡¯ve been very ironic considering that I did the same to Bobby. Of course, I had no plans on letting that happen since I was stubborn about keeping my life. Although they had good reason to plot my death, I couldn¡¯t just accept it and I couldn¡¯t trust them to walk away as if nothing happened. They began to distrust me almost as much as I distrusted them and it was obvious what the next step would be. The growing paranoia among us came to a climax as we reached floor 38, exactly 9 floors down from where I started the fire. ¡°Do you smell that?¡± Paul sniffed heavily as he addressed the growing smell of something being burned. ¡°Yeah...You think it¡¯s another monster?¡± Daniel asked. At some point, they unconsciously stopped speaking to me directly in what must¡¯ve been an attempt to avoid any guilt for wanting to let me die. I sighed aloud as my heart began to be faster and adrenaline filled my body. Killing Bobby was easy, he was obviously a terrible person and had likely deserved it. Daniel and Paul were different, they were scared and if I had explained why I let Bobby die I¡¯m sure we could¡¯ve avoided the current situation. No. That same line of thinking gave me nothing during the first few years of being known as Richard Daltroy¡¯s son. There was a mob forming around me and everyone close to me wished to avoid it so they distanced themselves in any way they could, even if that included reporting my whereabouts or joining the witch hunt. It was understandable why they did what they did and I may have done the same if the situation was reversed, but that didn¡¯t mean I had to like it or put up with it. I hold the same selfish desire to live as everyone else and because of that, I can¡¯t let Daniel or Paul live. ¡°It¡¯s about time,¡± I put on the half-face gas mask as we walked forward causing the suspicion of the two behind me to rise. Before they could react, I spun around and thrust the makeshift spear into Daniel¡¯s leg. ¡°Ahh!¡± Daniel fell to the ground and Paul was obviously lost at how to react. He moved toward me, but I pulled the wooden stick back and struck at his stomach. ¡°Hey!¡± Paul shouted as he jumped back in an attempt to dodge but the knife cut into him deep enough to do some damage. ¡°Remember, you wanted me to die first,¡± I pull the makeshift spear back as I slowly move away from them. After I was out of striking range, I turned around and began to run. ¡°Ulysses!¡± Daniel shouted at me, but I didn¡¯t turn back. ¡­ I continued running while on the lookout for any monster that might ambush me. After I reached floor 34, the building shook and the sound of consecutive explosions filled my ears. I was panicking inwardly and outwardly. I knew it was a biological response, but that didn¡¯t help anything. There was a reason people became adrenaline junkies and it probably due to the vividness of everything. I guess one of the greatest ways to feel alive was to put yourself in danger. I was of a mind to disagree, going days on end being on high alert left me stressed out beyond belief, but at least it turned out to be perfect preparation for the end of the world.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I calmed down but didn¡¯t slow my pace. Since I killed the monster on floor 47 that meant there was one anywhere from floor 29 to floor 1. I heard the creaking of wood and ran even faster, the possibility of the building collapsing scared me and I wanted to avoid being crushed to death at all cost. I leaped down the stairs and stumbled but never once paused, I had no time to. Although I could¡¯ve set an ambush for Daniel and Paul it would shorten the amount of time I had to escape. The fire was probably right behind them. I wounded Daniel since he was the biggest threat and Paul wouldn¡¯t make it very without him. I arrived at floor 22 and finally started to slow down as I took deep breaths. My sides ached and my chest hurt, so I decided to finally slow down. Realistically there was no way that Daniel and Paul would catch up to me in such a short amount of time. I removed the gas mask and placed it in my bag. After catching my breath I maintained a quick pace as I continued on. There had been an elevator available every 10 floors but I hadn¡¯t even thought about using it once since it was essentially a waste. Once I stepped foot on floor 13 I saw what I thought was the last monster. It looked like a giant fleshy centipede with a human body attached. Its head was sort of dog-like, with a strange snout that was the most prominent feature. The eyes were the same as the previous monsters, beady little black dots. It turned to look at me before it skittered forward. I moved into a room and closed the door behind before blocking it with whatever I could, but the rotten wood wouldn¡¯t hold for long. ¡°Damn it,¡± I exhaled as I calmed down. I thought I pretty much had figured out this entire ¡°trial¡± so I didn¡¯t panic. I opened the window and climbed out before slowly creeping across the ledge, it was much harder to do with the spear in hand but I managed it. I pried open the window to the adjacent room and tossed the spear in before I climbed in. I tiptoed toward the door and cracked it open only to jump back after seeing the same monster looking at me. ¡°Shit!¡± I reflexively stabbed at it with the spear. The blade sunk into its torso, but it responded with silence as it grabbed the broomstick and snapped it in half before reaching out to me. ¡°Fuck! Get off me!¡± It grabbed my arms and lifted me into the air which caused me to panic. Without a sound, it opened its mouth and bit into my left shoulder which hurt like hell. Its needle-like teeth dug into my arm before I raised my leg and kicked the knife deeper into its torso. ¡°Ah!¡± It dropped me and I tried to ignore the pain while scrambling away. As I retreated down the corridor I was honestly amazed at how much blood was coming out of my arm and how much it hurt. I could hear the monster crawling behind me and running away wouldn¡¯t be a good idea since I would only get weaker. As soon as I entered floor 9 I dropped to the ground as if I tripped and reached for the pocket knife tucked into my sock. The centipede-like creature shuffled up to me and I let it grab me without any resistance. It lifted me up to bite into me again, but I shoved the pocket knife into its mouth as it bit down. The knife went straight through its snout and became lodged which caused it to let go of me as it struggled to get rid of it. My left arm was numb so I used my right to pull the knife out of its abdomen and stabbed it again and again. Everything that happened next became a blur and I blinked a few times only to realize the thing was dead. It faded into black particles and my spare knife became visible. I grabbed it before folding it and tucking it back into my sock, after that I took off my backpack and pulled out some gauze before wrapping up my left shoulder to stop the bleeding. Every time I moved I felt a sharp pain that made me suck a breath of air in. After I completed my patchwork job of bandaging, I tucked the larger knife into my waistband and continued on. I checked the balance of my black coins and was surprised that my balance was resting at 12. It seemed that I recieved a bonus for killing what could¡¯ve been from killing what might have been the last enemy or completing the trial, It was hard to tell. I trudged down the stairs of the 7th floor and to be honest, I was satisfied. Although I was worse for wear, I didn¡¯t die, but I didn¡¯t celebrate prematurely in case something were to happen for those who let their guard down. As if to prove me right I heard a set of footsteps coming from behind me. ¡°Ulysses!¡± I looked at Daniel who was shouting at me with the thought of revenge clearly on his mind. There was no way he could¡¯ve made it down with his injured leg¨CThe bonus for killing the last enemy must¡¯ve gone to all surviving members. If he received 5 that meant he could take the elevator on floor 20 and would¡¯ve been on floor 10 while I was resting. ¡°Fuck my life,¡± I whispered to myself as I looked at the katana-wielding teen. I pulled out the survival knife that was tucked into my waistband and firmly grasped it in my uninjured hand. The First Trial 5 ¡°So Paul¡¯s dead?¡± I taunted him which caused the reaction I wanted. ¡°You killed him! You burned everything up!¡± Daniel shouted as he limped forward. He used some sort of cloth to slow the bleeding, but it was soaked through. ¡°You were going to kill me first, so can you blame me?¡± I asked. I did what I needed to ensure that I wouldn¡¯t die, it was common sense. ¡°You killed Bobby didn¡¯t you?!¡± Daniel raised the katana in a sloppy stance that made it seem more like a bat than a sword. ¡°Bobby wasn''t someone worth saving and he probably would¡¯ve killed you. I saved your life and had ample opportunity to shoot you in the fucking back before killing Paul, but you still found a way to be suspicious.¡± I smiled at the situation but not out of delight but rather it was fitting. I was starting to think my Father¡¯s death gave me incredibly bad luck. ¡°Shut up!¡± Daniel moved closer and swung the katana wildly. His leg injury limited the actual reach of his swings so I could dodge pretty easily. I saw an opening and kicked him in his leg which made him stumble. Seeing my chance I tackled him to the ground before climbing on top of him and stabbing the knife into his right bicep which made him drop the katana. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± Daniel¡¯s face contorted in pain as he used free to claw at me before he dug into my wounded left shoulder. I grunt in pain and twist the knife which caused him to claw tighter and I let go after it hurt too much to ignore. ¡°Fuck!¡± I stood up and kicked Daniel in the face as I held onto my wounded shoulder. Daniel blocked my foot with both his arms as I continued to viciously stomp. Seeing that it wasn¡¯t working I moved to grab the katana but he grabbed my foot and tripped me. ¡°Get the fuck off me.¡± I moved to stand up and he does the same. I don¡¯t know where he got his second win but he yanked the knife out of his arm with a scream before charging into me causing both of us to fall again. Now I was the one under assault as Daniel tried to stab me with my own knife. He held the knife with two hands as he put all his weight on it and it took everything I had to hold him up. We stood at an impasse as I slowly directed the knife toward my collarbone. It was the best idea I had since bone was hard to cut through. As soon as the knife touched me I knew I had overestimated myself. It fucking hurt as it dug into my bone, but I used the chance to knee Daniel in the groin. He groaned and slipped up letting me shift my weight before letting him go. Since he was pressing down so viciously, the knife went straight into the floorboards. I reached into my sock while kicking at his stomach with my other leg. I retrieved the pocket knife and flick it open with trembling hands. Fights in real life were nothing like the movies, you barely had any time to think and most of the fight was done through reflex, muscle memory, and human instinct. I stabbed at Daniel but he raised his arms to block most of it. Although he tried his best, he couldn¡¯t cover his entire body so I stabbed him in thigh hoping to hit an artery. ¡°Aaaah!¡± Daniel cried out again. I stab a few more times to make sure he doesn¡¯t try to get up again before I raised my foot and pressed down on his wounds. ¡°Stop! Stop! Stop!¡± Daniel was in tears as he tried to get my leg to move but I pressed down harder. Just as I was about to go for the knife or his katana, something hit me in the head. ¡°God fucking damn it!¡± I don¡¯t know if God was watching, but he surely favored Daniel over me. I stumbled back and fell and looked at the culprit which was a loose brick that had fallen from the ceiling. Blood dripped down my face and I had to squeeze one of my eyes shut to avoid it. I picked up the brick and move over to hit Daniel with it. Even though he had a chance to reverse his situation, he was in no position to do it. I raised the brick high and bring it down on Daniel repeatedly, ignoring every sound that came out of his mouth. The smell of smoke stopped me and helped me realize I needed to leave. Daniel¡¯s face was swollen beyond recognition and he made miserable groans which told me he was still alive. I grabbed the Katana and moved back toward Daniel. ¡°D...on¡¯t¡­¡± Daniel held his hand up for mercy, but I couldn¡¯t let myself show any. I was fearful of letting him live and having him come back for revenge. ¡°...I have to.¡± I raised the sword up to Daniel¡¯s head and press down with all my weight. In an instant, he went from being alive to being dead and I was the one that caused that transition. When I killed Bobby I felt nothing. When I left Paul and Daniel to burn to death I felt nothing in particular. At that moment I felt a strange guilt or maybe regret after killing Daniel. I picked up my knives and sheathed them before grabbing the katana and its scabbard. I had no way of using it properly, but it could be used to trade for food or supplies. I moved in an exhausted daze before I arrived at the exit of the bottom floor. The building rumbled as if urging me to speed up my departure and I obliged i., I stepped out and turned around to survey what I had done. A huge flame raged on and bits of burning debris fell toward me. I looked at all the other high rises that stretched for miles, but my building was the only one on fire. It seemed if no one was brave or stupid enough to set the building on fire while they were in it. ... I walked toward a rusty car and sat down, resting against it as I waited for some type of notification to confirm it was over.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Congratulations. The First Trial has been completed. Introductory Phase Complete. Calculating Rewards...
I felt relief wash over me and I was just about to close my eyes when I heard a long whistle. ¡°Boy, do you look like shit!¡± A pale girl with curly ginger red hair peeked over the car to look at me. She was wearing an orange prison jumpsuit stained with blood that missed her hair color by a few shades and the metal pipe she held onto wasn¡¯t very different. The knuckles on her free hand were swollen and bloody which told me all that I needed to know about her. I looked up at the girl with tired eyes in an attempt to show that I really wasn¡¯t in any condition to fight. ¡°Woah, sweet fucking sword...Wanna trade?¡± She offered the bloody pipe. I handed over the sword and she dropped the pipe at my feet before drawing the sword and swinging it a few times. Although she didn¡¯t appear to be a master she clearly had some foundations and knew what she was doing. ¡°This thing is fucking awesome!¡± The girl who appeared to be around my age shouted excitedly as she placed it on her shoulder. As I looked at her I realized she was sort of familiar, ¡°Do I know you?¡± I asked as I adjusted my position. ¡°Me? You¡¯ve probably heard about me on the news.¡± The girl pointed to her prison jumpsuit. ¡°News?¡± I was completely clueless since I never really had access to television or social media while living in that decrepit apartment. ¡°Come on, you¡¯ve heard of me. I was pretty famous in the junior mixed martial arts, ya know. I just ended up accidentally killing someone and it didn¡¯t end too well.¡± The girl said it was an accident but her bloody knuckles didn¡¯t exactly illustrate her unwillingness to kill. I unconsciously gave her a skeptical gaze to which she laughed, ¡°Alright, it wasn¡¯t really an accident and it wasn¡¯t just one.¡± I hated my father more than anything, I truly did. It must''ve been because of him that I received terrible luck which would lead me face to face with a psychopath. ¡°Hey, you look kinda familiar yourself...What¡¯s your name?¡± The girl¡¯s eyes narrowed as she examined my face. ¡°...Ulysses.¡± I debated on whether or not I should be truthful, but my face was recognizable to anyone who kept an eye on the stories surrounding my life. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the guy who blinded himself after banging his mother?¡± The girl looked at me weirdly. ¡°That was Oedipus,¡± I corrected her and watched as she showed some astonishment. ¡°Ah, you learn something new everyday¡­¡± The girl stroked her chin, ¡°Oh, my name is Red by the way. That isn¡¯t my real name, but since it¡¯s the end of the world I can choose whatever I want, right? So Red''s the name I''m going for today.¡± ¡°You seem oddly calm about this.¡± I decided to stay on her good side until I was safe since I didn¡¯t want to be beaten to death by some random girl, no matter how pretty she was. ¡°You may not believe me, but I think I¡¯m the one who did it,¡± Red said with a serious look as she jumped onto the car and gazed up at the burning building. ¡°Somehow I highly doubt that''s true,¡± I said reflexively before instantly regretting it. ¡°No, I was stuck in that tiny little cell and I kept wishing something would happen. Next thing you know, it''s a prison riot. They threw in the tear gas and made us all get down, and you know what I did next? I wished for something else to happen and a bunch of fucking monsters came out of nowhere and then boom, I¡¯m here. I''m leaving that highrise and I look at that rusty pipe and I wished for a better weapon and what happens then? There''s you with this sweet ass sword.¡± Red seemed very convinced and even spoke as if she feared herself a little. ¡°That¡¯s all just a coincidence,¡± Since she didn¡¯t respond with aggression, I continued to voice my skepticism. ¡°Your not a man of faith, Ulysses. I would wish for your wounds to heal, but you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Red jumped up and down on the car before she plopped down on the roof and looked down at me. Her long curly red hair obstructed my view. It seemed she had Celtic roots in her family that were very prominent. ¡°You know what, you''re starting to look very fucking familiar, Ulysses.¡± Red hopped down from the car and crouched in front of me. I felt nervous as her blue eyes scanned over me, I decided to be honest since it didn¡¯t have a negative effect so far and Red seemed to be different from normal. ¡°I¡¯m Ulysses Daltroy, my father was Richard Daltroy. He was caught attempting to aid Anti-Minerva extremists and after he died a lot of people attacked me online and in real life.¡± ¡°Wow, someone people hate more than me. All they said about me was that I was a disgrace to the world of mixed martial arts and a few people sent me some hate mail while I was awaiting trial. You, on the other hand, you take the cake. I heard about that shit they did to you, that online group of vigilantes used to beat the shit out of you and post videos, right?¡± Red seemed excited to talk about my terrible life so I humored her. ¡°Yeah, that sounds about right,¡± I answered with a bitter expression. ¡°Oh boy, that must¡¯ve sucked for you. Wouldn¡¯t have happened to me though, I was so good at fighting that I almost had a fucking sponsorship and everything. This company was going to give me these free cereal bars for life, but I killed a few people so they changed their minds for life. It sucks because those cereal bars were delicious as hell, I wish I had one.¡± Red spoke with a vivid passion. ¡°Hey, I think I know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± I used my uninjured arm to lift my backpack and opened it before handing over a cereal bar to Red. ¡°Fuck yes!¡± Red smiled brightly as she snatched it from my hands and exmained it. ¡°I fucking told you, Ulysses! I wish for it and then wham! It happened. Thanks by the way.¡± I slightly changed my opinion on Red as I watched her devour the cereal bar. Psychopaths like her would be the most dangerous, but they would also be the ones who were the best at surviving. If we met again after the trial I could ask for help. She even knew martial arts and seemed to be at a skill level where she could teach me a few things. I couldn¡¯t tell if she actually believed she was the cause of the apocalypse or if it was just her way of coping, but she didn¡¯t seem like someone who would stab me in the back. Red finished eating and smacked her lips before taking a seat next to me and throwing an arm over my injured shoulder, ¡°You know, I know a lot of people said you were an asshole online, but I don¡¯t believe it. You¡¯re pretty ok in my book.¡± I winced in pain as I spoke, ¡°Thanks, I guess.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Red climbed to her feet before looking further down the road. ¡°Hey, we got a few people approaching.¡± She began to stretch which told me she was prepared for a fight. Or maybe she wanted to iniate the fight. I lifted my head to peek over the car door and saw a group that seemed to have worked together and survived. All four looked worse for wear, but they weren''t injured. ¡°Hey! There¡¯s a survivor!¡± A man pointed toward Red who still stretching. His reaction informed me know that Red¡¯s orange jumpsuit didn¡¯t register in his mind or it was obscured by the car. The group of three men and one woman approached and when they went around the side of the car, they saw Red¡¯s prison jumpsuit up close. ¡°Back up,¡± The man put his hand out to block his group from advancing as they looked at Red who was absorbed in her calisthenics. ¡°You''ve got the right idea.¡± Red finally finished stretching and cracked her neck. I finally understood that Red was the one who purposefully went seeking trouble. The First Trial 6 The group alternated gazes between a wounded and bloodied me, a pipe covered in blood at my feet, and the blood covering Red. Blood was essentially everywhere which made it obvious that they would assume that she attacked me. ¡°It¡¯s not what it looks like.¡± I wanted to erase any semblance of a misunderstanding so I spoke up in order to avoid conflict. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± The man at the lead didn¡¯t seem like he believed me. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s obviously fucking hurt, dumbass.¡± Red cursed at the man which caused him to turn his attention to her. He was instantly cautious of her and kept his distance. ¡°Did you do that to him?¡± The man asked. The group had their own makeshift weapons and the numerical advantage so it was obvious they wouldn¡¯t be scared of her. ¡°My memories a bit foggy.¡± Red shrugged. I don¡¯t know why she was being so confrontational, but I decided not to intervene. I had already told them she didn¡¯t harm me and she seemed dead set on fighting the group so I stayed out of it. ¡°You can¡¯t just hurt people!¡± The woman shouted at Red. ¡°How do you think I got this nice jumpsuit, lady?¡± Red pulled at the bright orange prison jumpsuit. ¡°We won¡¯t hurt you if you just go about your way.¡± The man in the lead decided that he had heard enough and finally moved toward Red. Whether he was aware of it or not, he stopped within arms distance of her. She looked up at him while smiling before she suddenly punched him in the nose, breaking it and knocking him to the ground. ¡°Hey!¡± His two friends swung their wooden stick at Red but she nimbly avoided them. She threw a fierce right hook and instantly dropped the closest of the two which surprised his remaining group. Taking advantage of his brief opening, she delivered a ruthless kick to the last guy¡¯s groin. ¡°Fuck!¡± The man shouted as he fell to his knees. Of course, Red being the person I thought her to be, didn¡¯t let him off with just that. She aimed another kick at his jaw and watched as he fell motionless. The only person left was the woman who attempted to fight, but Red grappled the woman and lifted her into the air before slamming her head first onto the cracked asphalt. ¡°Whew!¡± Red was breathing excitedly as she looked at me, ¡°Told you I fucking was good. Did¡¯ya see that shit?¡± The leader struggling to his feet while holding his bleeding nose, but Red wasn¡¯t about to let him recover. She kicked him in the ribs before flipping him over and straddling his chest. Then, she began to punch him repeatedly with complete viciousness. It was far better than what I tried to do to Daniel. After adding more blood colored stains to Red¡¯s outfit, he looked to be out for the count. Red stood up and drew the katana. I realized at that moment that there were people like her all around. People who were hard-wired for violence. Whether it be a shitty childhood or a developmental issue, they existed just like everyone else and they¡¯ll probably become more prominent from now on. ¡°Hope you aren¡¯t squeamish, Ulysses.¡± She tried to stab into the man¡¯s neck, but an invisible force stopped her. A black screen appeared in front of her face and she shouted, ¡°What the fuck does that mean?!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± I was curious about what caused her to stop. ¡°You can¡¯t kill after the trial is over, but you get their Black Coins if you can beat them up.¡± Red showed off her wrist which showed 36 coins. I checked my wrist and saw that I had received Daniel¡¯s portion, putting me at 17. So I guess killing was a valid way of receiving someone else¡¯s coins instead of making them hand it over. Since Red didn¡¯t have a higher amount I guessed she killed her group before they could reap the bonuses at the end. Red looked at me and narrowed her eyes, ¡°Maybe I should beat you up too.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± I said but I looked at her with resignation. I¡¯d rather just hand over my coins than to go through the trouble of fighting her. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding, Ulysses. Learn to take a joke, alright?¡± Red clicked her tongue as she sheathed the sword. I was thankful I didn¡¯t try to sneak attack Red when she was moved close to me if I used the knives I had to try and stab her I would¡¯ve been met with the same notification before suffering a harsh beat down.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Red hopped on the roof of the car once again as she searched for her next victim. ¡°How¡¯d you clear the apartment anyway?¡± ¡°...I shot one guy in the leg with a crossbow before letting him get eaten by a monster...The remaining two members of my group didn¡¯t like it and thought I would turn on them too so they planned to let me die...I ended up burning the entire building down to get to them first. The one who originally had that sword managed to survive and wasn¡¯t too thrilled about it. That¡¯s basically how I ended up like this.¡± I summed up the events without getting into too many details. ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡± Red looked up at the burning apartment while appraising my handiwork. ¡°It¡¯s flashy for sure, but not as cool as me. I popped up with this jumpsuit on and I automatically knew it wouldn¡¯t work out too good for me so I hid myself until they left. After, that I followed them down for a few before I made a sheet rope and climbed ahead. They were fighting one of those monsters and then wham! I came up from behind them as soon as they got comfortable and got rid of them. Because of that I kind of struggled with killing the rest of those monsters, especially that roided out fucker.¡± Red complained and bragged at the same time. ¡°Yeah, I couldn¡¯t kill it either.¡± I shook my head. ¡°No I killed it, it was just hard as fuck to do. I had to run around a lot before I finally shoved a broomstick down his throat.¡± Red sighed. I really wanted to have her as a partner no matter how unpredictable she was. I felt like that would be the smartest decision for me to make. It would be hard not to think she was going to bash my skull in at any given moment but if I could get past that I would be ok. ¡°Hey, why didn¡¯t you attack me like you did those people?¡± I asked. ¡°I dunno, I thought that you were about to die anyway so I was going to just wait it out while making conversation. Halfway through I noticed that you weren¡¯t injured that badly so it would¡¯ve been awkward to just start beating the shit out of you¡­And you were alone so you must¡¯ve fought your group like I did.¡± Red¡¯s words let me know that she was honest at least. It was a good trait to have if you could overlook her some violent tendencies. ¡°That¡¯s...comforting,¡± I instinctively said in a sarcastic tone. She didn¡¯t seem to care much about how I spoke but I didn¡¯t want to find her limits. I made a mental note to try and keep my responses a little less confrontational, at least, around her. Still, I guess my luck wasn¡¯t completely terrible since she didn¡¯t beat me unconscious.
Calculation complete...You have received a reward of 30 Black Coins for your actions.
Spectator One has taken an interest in you. Spectator One has chosen to sponsor you. Spectator One has sent you 20 Black Coins. Spectator One has requested a meeting with you.
Error. Meeting prohibited until after you arrive at the Broken City.
¡°So we¡¯re being watched,¡± I mumbled aloud. I looked up at the sky for some reason as if the only way for someone to watch was from above...I didn¡¯t even know what to think after reading the messages. ¡°What?¡± Red looked around in search of a new target but she didn¡¯t find anyone nearby. ¡°The fuck did you say that for? I don¡¯t see anyone.¡± ¡°It was nothing.¡± I closed my eyes. I had a few strange thoughts. Aliens? A Bored Deity? Something was watching me. No, was the title ¡°Spectator One¡± indicating that there were more? Or maybe it was just a name of a single entity? Whatever the case was, it meant that we were either being watched for amusement or being judged, probably both. We received compensation for our actions and for surviving but what was the end goal? ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Red¡¯s face appeared in front of mine, knocking me out of my thought process. ¡°I was trying to figure out what all of this is about. The coins, the messages, this place.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s no point in worrying about that now. You should just be focused on living as long as you can since it¡¯s going to get a lot worse. Especially for you, Ulysses.¡± ¡°What makes you say that?¡± I examined my bandaged hands. The blood and soot that covered them. The dirt underneath my fingernails as well as small scratches I didn¡¯t realize I received. ¡°Well, everyone hated you right? I bet they still do. And in times like this, you have a bad day and want to punch the first person who gives you an excuse. You¡¯re the excuse in this case.¡± I had to admit that she made a really good point. I knew people hated me for no other reason than what my father did and the fact that I didn¡¯t go out of my way to apologize on his behalf. But now, as long as they recognized me nothing was stopping them from actually trying to kill me. ¡°I almost feel bad for you,¡± Red spoke like nothing could be done. I let out a dry laugh full of contempt for the ounce of pity. I felt her eyes on me but she didn¡¯t say anything else. After that, we both kept silent. I guess the start of the apocalypse didn''t leave much for things to talk about.
Transportation to the Broken City will now commence. Evaluating the status of participants...Evaluation completed.
The alert appeared in front of my eyes as well as Red¡¯s judging by how she reacted.
Outside objects will be removed in order to ensure that there is no distinct advantage between participants.
Transportation will begin now. Please prepare yourself for the transportation process.
¡°What the fuck?!¡± Red yelled. I didn¡¯t get see her face as I vanished almost as soon as I finished reading the message. The Broken City 1 When I opened my eyes I was in the middle of a crowd. Red was nowhere to be seen and a loud, nervous, murmuring filled the air. The strangest thing was that all my wounds were healed and I felt much better than before. ¡°Where¡¯s my son! Jonathan?! Jonathan!¡± An aggressive man with grey-haired moved through the crowd without care for who he pushed past. It was the same wherever you look, everyone seemed to be searching for someone they knew. ¡°We¡¯re in Purgatory!¡± A man yelled and the crowd went quiet. ¡°Don¡¯t you all get it?! Wretched demons have risen out of hell to harvest the unworthy! Our souls are being tested in order to see if we''re worthy of salvation! Pray with me! Repent now and hope to find salvation!¡± He shouted fervently sending spit everywhere. After his short outburst, he knelt on the ground and began praying. A few traumatized people seemed convinced and followed right after him causing a sort of ripple effect with more and more people prostrating themselves to pray. I understand why they would do it so easily since this was clearly an apocalypse. I took this time to examine our location and saw a destroyed skyline of buildings that were shaped weirdly. Several dark spiral towers could be barely seen in the distance, nearly hidden by wrecked buildings. We were in a city of some sort. I remember the notice telling me that it was called the ¡°Broken City,¡± a name I found quite fitting. The crowd was gathered somewhere within a small park or square in the city but there were less than two thousand people gathered at the most. It was impossible to count from where I stood. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re somewhat mistaken.¡± A loud voice broke up the prayer circle and drew everyone¡¯s attention, including mine. ¡°What the hell?¡± I watched in pure shock as a floating rock hovered toward us. If someone recorded a video right now it would be praised for its realistic special effects but the rock in front of us was no doubt real. Atop it was a man whose face, arms, and legs were covered in old bandages while a dingy brown coat hid the rest of his body. A single eye and a pair of dried lips were the only features revealed on his bandaged face. A single rotten eye that had more in common with the eyes of a dead fish. The rock lowered itself right in the middle of us causing people to move out the way. It was then that I was able to notice a golden brooch on his coat. I squinted my eyes and since he was close to us I could see that it depicted two scales and an olive branch. ¡°This is no hell or purgatory, though it may feel like. At this moment, in this place, you are indeed alive. Now, as far as being tested...Kekekeke.¡± He trailed off with an eerie laugh as his still eye remained unblinking and unmoving. His lips peeled back exposing yellow teeth that held an unnatural sharpness to them. ¡°Where¡¯s my son?!¡± The disgruntled man from earlier yelled out causing the bandaged man to stop his laughing abruptly. ¡°I realize you may have questions and I have answers, but questions such as those cannot be answered with compensation. And you do not have nearly enough to ask so I¡¯d ask you to remain silent.¡± I was sure he was talking about black coins since it was the only form of currency we received all this time. I remained silent with my theory since I couldn¡¯t bring myself to speak to him. His smile seemed...off. It was like he was waiting for something to happen and it made me want no part of it. ¡°Tell where my son is?!¡± The man shouted once more and the mummy-like man snapped his head toward him before slowly reaching in his coat with rigged movements. ¡°It appears that you all do not understand your predicament.¡± When he finished speaking he pulled out a shrunken head that rested on his palm with sewn eyes and lips. ¡°Go.¡± He ordered and the shrunken head burst to life. It¡¯s eyes caught on fire and it mouthed opened wide as it giggled ominously before rushing toward the man who was looking for his son. As it closed in, it¡¯s jaw stretched to unreal proportions and it bit down on the man¡¯s head before he could even react. I felt sick to my stomach as I watched his body fall to the ground lifelessly. Blood gushed out of his neck until it slowed, spilling to the ground in small amounts. Realization set in and screams filled the air while people scrambled backward. I couldn''t even move as fear filled my bones. I didn''t want to make myself a target for the bandaged man so I just stayed still. ¡°Quiet!¡± The bandaged man barked in a monstrous voice. The screams turned into silent whimpers. He cleared his throat and stretched out his palm causing the shrunken head to return to him. It landed in his hand and opened its mouth, spitting out a similarly-sized shrunken head that had comparatively fresher skin. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll assume that you all understand the consequences of disruptions and will allow me to continue.¡± His voice went back to its normal, dry and harsh tone. ¡°The few of you who are smarter than your peers may have realized the truth but for those who haven¡¯t let me explain. The entire human race has been selected to participate in a series of trials to deem whether or not you¡¯re worthy of...continued existence. Of course, the trials have been altered for fairness so those who are deemed too young or too old won¡¯t be involved in the trials.¡± Someone raised their hand and the bandaged man seemed satisfied, pointing to the person. ¡°If they aren¡¯t participating are they dead?¡± I could now see it was a woman who asked the question. ¡°No, they¡¯re with the Caretakers. You¡¯ll find out who those are at some point so fret not. And while I appreciate that you raised your hand, I ask that you wait until the end for your questions.¡± The bandaged man sported a creepy smile. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll explain to you my role in this. At some point, you should have received a certain number of black coins during or after the completion of the trial. Those coins can be used to purchase certain goods or services. I serve merely as someone who oversees the transactions.¡± He continued on. ¡°Now, while outside the trials, any actions that would be considered a harsh crime in your normal lives is not allowed in the Broken City. I¡¯d strongly advise that you don¡¯t attempt to break the law lest you draw unwanted attention from the Lawbringers. Once again, you¡¯ll most likely get acquainted with them very soon as I know you humans can¡¯t resist doing things you ought not to.¡± ¡°Moving on, it¡¯s time to tell you about the Broken City, your new home. There are five neutral zones around the city where you can make purchases and find housing. Outside those neutral zones are various hostile entities and killing them will earn you black coins. Exploring locations outside of the neutral zone will give you the highest rewards but they are not without their own dangers. In addition, there are also non-hostile entities within the city and certain interactions with them will allow you to earn black coins or items that couldn''t otherwise be purchased. I think that about sums that part up.¡± The bandaged man looked around to make sure everyone heard him properly and then spoke once more. ¡°Finally, I¡¯ll inform you of the most important aspect of the trial and that is receiving a sponsor. A sponsor can periodically give you black coins with no effort on your part. You¡¯ll also receive a discount on things you purchase for as long as your sponsor keeps you as their selected. Higher ranked sponsors can also give you special items that only they possess. You should all aspire to be selected by a sponsor but know that it¡¯s not without its dangers. Certain sponsors are in conflict with each other and may force you to take part in those conflicts. These...sponsors...are very powerful so you shouldn¡¯t be surprised if you¡¯re given some impossible task to complete as they would have very high expectations and an image to uphold. You may also find yourself a target so be aware that a sponsor¡¯s assistance only stretches so far.¡± The man spoke carefully when mentioning the sponsors. He seemed to even be cautious toward them. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Tension left my body and my mind began to race. Could I use that cautiousness to gain something? The only way to find out would be to probe further. ¡°Any questions?¡± He added. ¡°Do sponsors have names?¡± I asked while raising my hand. I didn''t want to be too direct and run the risk of upsetting him so I asked a basic question. ¡°Yes, some sponsors go under different aliases while others will reveal their names outright. There are also the rare cases where certain sponsors can¡¯t reveal their names because they can cause insanity if read or pronounced incorrectly.¡± ¡°Can you have multiple sponsors?¡± I asked again while I had his attention. The man sounded annoyed but I made a gamble and decided to continue. ¡°No. You cannot. High-ranked sponsors can select multiple people but you will never be able to have multiple sponsors. Any other questions?¡± The man searched through the crowd and their were obviously hands raised but I skipped over everyone and spoke again. ¡°What happens if a sponsor requests a meeting?¡± I asked. The bandaged man was about to reach into his coat when his hand stopped and his body shook. Good thing too because I was only a second away from begging for forgiveness if he produced another shrunken head. ¡°You...how did you know that it was possible for a sponsor to request a meeting¡± He sent me a look of scrutiny before drawing a magnifying glass with a carved wooden handle and looking through it. ¡°You¡¯re not someone pretending to be a human,¡± He mumbled just loud enough for everyone to hear before putting his magnifying glass away. ¡°So that means you have a sponsor which isn¡¯t unexpected since a few hundred people in this city should be sponsored by now...but the only sponsors who can request meetings are the highest ones. Hey, kid, what¡¯s your sponsor¡¯s name?¡± His tone became polite and he showed a noticeably less hostile grin when looking at me. He almost seemed like a different person entirely. I could also feel the heated gazes of those around me and since no one spoke up I guessed I was the only one in the crowd of a thousand or so people who had a sponsor. But I couldn¡¯t be sure, someone else could be waiting for me to reveal information about my sponsor and target me. ¡°Do I have to tell you? You said that some sponsors are at odds with each other and giving out information like that would put me at risk, right?¡± I held back my nervousness and put on a facade of confidence. ¡°No, I can¡¯t force you to tell me. But if I can guarantee your privacy in the matter would you be willing to? I¡¯ll also compensate for sharing the information with me.¡± The bandaged man seemed a bit desperate to know and I didn¡¯t want to go overboard and make demands without knowing what would happen so I nodded in agreement. ¡°Good.¡± The bandaged man went into his coat and retrieved a ring before tossing it to me. Weirdly enough, the ring floated through the air and stopped in front of me and once I raised my hand it slid onto my pinky finger. ¡®Can you hear me?¡¯ ¡®Y-Yes.¡¯ I was flustered by the unexpected voice in my head. I could immediately see how useful the ring would be. It was like a cellphone but far better and if a technology was introduced that replicated its effects was introduced it would changed the world. ¡®Ah, then would you like to tell me the name of your sponsor. I will warn you ahead of time that lying about the name of your sponsor won¡¯t end well for you. Certain sponsor¡¯s take offense to actions so act carefully until you understand their nature.¡¯ ¡®I understand, thank you for the advice...My sponsor¡¯s name is Spectator One.¡¯ ¡®...¡¯ The bandaged man didn¡¯t respond to me. I looked at him closely and he seemed to be completely shaken. His decaying looking bloodshot eye showed signs of life as it slightly trembled. ¡®Is there something important about my sponsor?¡¯ I asked and the bandaged man was shocked back to life. ¡®I can¡¯t divulge that information but you¡¯re either extremely lucky or extremely unfortunate. I''d be willing to bet it''s the latter.¡¯ The bandaged man snapped his finger and the ring slipped off of my pinky and returned to him. ¡°For your troubles.¡± A black dart shot into my wrist and when I looked my black coins increased from 67 to 117. My eyes widened at that number but I quickly hid the amount with a single thought. I only earned 17 from completing the trial and stealing some from the others. 30 came from me burning down the entire apartment and another 20 came from my sponsor, Spectator One. It appeared that my information was worth 50 coins and that was the highest amount I received at once since this entire thing began. While the bandaged man started answering other questions, my head was spinning. I had to wonder if the danger of having a high-ranked sponsor outweighed the gains. Without seeing the costs of the things we could buy, I couldn¡¯t say for sure but the additional coins definitely seemed useful. I also didn¡¯t know if I could remove my sponsored status without facing repercussion but based on what the man said it wasn¡¯t likely. If I had a prideful sponsor, I¡¯d be in trouble as soon as I got rid of them. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it ended with someone else being sponsored and tasked with killing me. While I thought about it, the presence of sponsors also seemed a bit strange. Outside items were removed to ensure fairness and certain ages were barred from participating but sponsors broke any balance of the trials especially since they were separated into different levels. So did that mean that sponsors were the ones responsible for the trials? If that was true why would they have different ranks since it meant that they all weren''t on the same level? And my sponsor¡¯s name was a clue. ¡°Spectator One¡± implied that they were the first observer and with how the bandaged man reacted it supported my theory. I couldn¡¯t figure an exact answer but I calmed down when realizing I at least knew more than what I started with. ¡°What do we call you?¡± A man¡¯s question redirected my attention. ¡°Representative Twelve Thousand Two Hundred Forty-Three. Of course, Twelve K or Twelve Grand is also accepted,¡± He said. ¡°Now, I¡¯ve answered the most common questions, it¡¯s time for you to enter the safe zone.¡± He went into his coat again and took out a clay miniature of a cabin. He crushed it in his hands and then scattered it in front of him causing the ground to shake. Three large buildings rose from the ground around us with a fence enclosing all of them. One looked like a shabby motel you would pass on the road without a second thought. The other building looked like a convenience store that was close to being run down. And the last appeared to a be small directory booth with a map posted in front of it ¡°Don¡¯t let the size of the buildings fool you, the inn, or motel as you humans like to call it, is big enough to fit all of you so make yourself at home.¡± With those words I immediately headed for the motel. ¡°Hey! Do you want to work together?¡± A young guy tried to approach me but I coldly brushed him off. ¡°No,¡± I answered while speeding up my stride. ¡°Wait! We can help each other!¡± ¡°Please, let me join you.¡± ¡°Hold on, kid. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being a little selfish?¡± People gave different excuses or spoke different words but I know they wanted to take advantage of my sponsored status. Since the law couldn¡¯t be broken and no one would do it so blatantly in front of 12k, I didn¡¯t have anything to fear. But I still didn¡¯t want to deal with them after what I just went through. I went to the main lobby and I found myself speechless once again. Just as 12k said, the inside was a massive hall with expensive looking chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The carpets looked imported and even the furniture on display seemed to cost more than I could hope to make in my life. "Over here, Sir." At the desk was a deathly pale man. His hair stuck to his head with what seemed like an unnecessary amount of gel as it shined from the light above. His mustache was also curled in a peculiar way. Looking at his entire outfit, he seemed to have stepped out from the 1800''s. A white shirt, red ascot, and embroidered red and black vest. "...Can I have a room?" "Why certainly," He spoke warmly enough but his eyes remained shut and his face seemed to be stuck in a permanent grin. Were his lips even moving? His strange mustache obscured his lips so I couldn''t tell. The longer I looked the more my spine began to shiver. "Sir?" "Oh, sorry," I mumbled awkwardly. "There''s no issue, Sir. Due to your sponsored status, you are entitled to our best rooms, the finest meals, and a discount to top it off." "How much will it be?" I asked cautiously. "One coin a night, Sir. Those without sponsors will most likely spend three coins a night if you wanted to compare." "Oh...Then I''ll have a room for one night," I raised my wrist and a black coin fell onto the table. "Certainly." The attendant''s face seemed to become even brighter once he received the coin. "Here''s your room key, if you need me to show you there please let me know." "I''m fine, thank you." "Well, someone will come by shortly in order to listen to any dinner requests. You must be famished after a long day." "Ok." I took the key and headed toward an elevator just as people started to pour in, shouting in awe at the interior of the "motel". As I entered the elevator, the attendant''s expression warped into one of repulsion as he looked at the people entering. "Line up and have your coins ready." The last thing I heard him say before the doors closed. His voice was practically dripping with venom and I became a bit more thankful for my sponsored status.