《The Heroic Tales of Silas Horne》 Chapter 1 Smog filled a cloudless sky, a bleak visage framed by the window into a little girl''s bedroom. The current year was 2112, 254 years since the arrival of the system. The world was a peaceful place now, humanity had, had time to adjust to the changes caused by the system and the world had once more regained its dull, dreary monotony. But this was not always the case, and legends are still told of the time of upheaval directly after the system''s coming. One such instance was playing out in the before mentioned room. "Mummy, mummy, please tell me a story." Said a little girl as she bounded toward her bed, silk nightgown flowing behind her and twin pigtails bobbing with each movement. "Alright honey slow down." Said a worn out mother bemusedly as she chased after the small girl in a subdued manner. "What story do you want to hear darling?" She said smiling as she tucked her daughter into bed, her brown eyes sparkling with happiness as she looked at the smaller girl. "I want to hear the story of Silas Horne!" The girl proclaimed proudly, her eyes blazing with both wonder and curiosity in equal measure. With this proclamation, the face of the mother fell, her once happiness filled eyes were glazed over in worry and shock as she nearly spat out the words, "where did you hear that name!" The little girl looked startled at this, looking away and fiddling with her blanket before answering meekly. "I heard some of the bigger kids at school talk about him." She said softly, almost a whisper. With this, the face of the mother softened and she began to lovingly stroke her daughter''s hair. She looked at the little girl''s face and became conflicted, she is only a child, too young to be hearing such things. She thought before sighing loudly. I guess if she already knows then it can''t be helped. She thought. "Alright darling, I shall to you the tale of Silas Horne." She said with contempt, practically spitting out the final few words. ----- A man sat languidly at a bar, sipping a drink as if he had not a care in the world. He wore a beige duster coat and had a ten-gallon hat of the same colour resting on the bar''s counter, and along with simple leather breeches and worn leather boots with polished spurs, he looked the epitome of a cowboy. The fact that he was currently sitting in a saloon didn''t help the stereotype either. But there he did sit, his scarred, closely cut bearded face sporting a look of pure contentment, that was until...You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "Silas Motherfucking Horne, you remember me?!" Yelled a voice provocatively from the street outside the bar in a clear southern drawl. "Who am I kidding, of course, you bloody do! Anyway, for all those kind folks in the bar let me in-tro-duce myself." He said pronouncing all of the syllables of the word separately. "I am Bloody Bob Carwhittle, yup I can practically feel the recognition from all the way out here, that is what I love about you South Carolina folks, you know how to show respect. Now I am going to give you an offer, leave the saloon and me and my what, 20 friends here will let you walk free, all you have to do is leave that coat wearing fuck in there to me. Savy?" He said and the reaction was immediate. From inside the bar, almost everyone''s eyes swiveled toward the direction of U.S Marshall Silas Horne, as he sat there nursing his drink, then, almost all at the same time the got up to leave, mouthing various apologies toward the mysterious figure at the front of the bar. Silas put down his drink and brought out his single revolver, whatever people tell you about dual wielding don''t listen to them, it is highly ineffective and will probably get you killed, especially with the kick on these bad boys. Silas thought amusedly as he checked the bullets in his gun, waiting for the response from the Carwhittle Gang. "Poor, poor Silas, all alone, no friends to help him. You know what, I want you to know something before you die, that man you gunned down, he was my brother. Now we''re going to give you a choice, either come out here and let us shoot you down like a dog in the street just like you did him, or, stay in their, have a last stand, just know that if you choose that route we''re going to make your death slow and painful." He said eliciting a round of chuckles from the men around him. "So what is it going to be Silas, quick, or slow?" ----- "What happened, next mum?" Asked the girl with stars in her eyes, with such an innocent excitement for a murder that only a child could have. "Next? Oh yes, he walked out there and died, the end, story over, time for bed." She said waving the little girl under her covers while starting to stand up. "What, no that can''t be what happened Silas is a hero!" Cried the little girl before pouting, causing the mother to stop in her tracks before turning around to face her daughter, a grim expression on her face. "If I ever catch you using the word ''hero'' to describe Silas Horne again I will smack you do you understand?" She said as her daughter just looked at her hands not responding. "I said do you understand?" She said slightly more loudly, but before the girl could reply she was cut off by a bespectacled man currently leaning in the door frame. "Ah come on babe we can''t stop the story now can we?" Said the man with a slight smile on his face. "She is just a child John, I won''t have her hearing of these things." Said the mother with her best scathing glare focused on her husband. "Mary, we can''t let your political beliefs get in the way of the truth can we?" He said teasingly. "Yeah mum, please keep telling the story." Said the little girl now sensing that the argument was about to swing in her favour. The mother turned to look at her daughter, and then back to her husband before throwing her arms up and sitting back down on the bed. "Arrgh, I can''t win with you two!" She said in exasperation before her husband hugged her from behind while whispering in her ear. "We''ll tell her the story, the true story, unburdened of the political views that she would usually hear it with in school, and then, when we are done, she can form her own opinion on the infamous Silas Horne. Chapter 2 Silas stood up with an audible creaking from his muscles as they groaned in protest. Maybe the bastards will let me go if I ask em nicely eh? Silas thought in an amused fashion as he ran a hand through his coarse freshly cut black hair before donning his hat. Ha ha ha ha, he cackled madly while kicking over a table, pressing a booted foot against one end until it finally gave way and toppled onto its side, the thick hardwood furniture making a fine barricade. Can''t believe this, I come to town for a haircut and to rest between jobs and what happens next, ambushed by prairie scum. Ha ha ha just my luck. Silas rolled his shoulders as he readied his pistol toward the door, he and the men outside knew exactly which option he was planning to choose for say what you will about Silas Horne, he was a bastard, sarcastic arse, and a downright bad person sometimes but one thing is sure as shit, Silas Thorne was no coward. If these men wanted him dead they were going to have to work for it. "Ha ha ha ha, see you in hell Bob!" Silas cackled in his strong South Carolina accent, while loudly cocking his pistol. "Damn Silas, just come out here, make this easy on both of us," Bob called from outside the saloon. It seemed Silas''s reputation still carried weight, even outnumbered 20 to 1 they were still hesitant to fight him. "The only thing easy here Bob is your sister, now are we fighting or what!" Laughed Silas once more from cover, smiling even as he faced down death. Outside the bar, Bloody Bob Carwhittle''s face turned bright red in anger as he yelled orders to his gang to storm the saloon. Silas cracked his neck, sure he was probably going to die here, but would he give up? Never, not while he was still breathing, not while he still held a gun in his hand. Muscles tensed as several men prepared to storm the entrance, sweat dripped down their brows and they licked dry lips, it was time to dance with death, and with that thought, they char...
System Initializing: Please hold for 3... 2... 1...
System Initialized: Welcome people of planet 66745 designated as "Earth" to the system, things are about to change for you all, drastically, please follow the instructions if you want to survive. Step 1: Survive the first night.
Quest: Survive The First Night To complete this quest you, the user designated as Silas Victor Horne, must survive exactly 24 hours. To do this please follow these helpful steps. Step 1: Check your "Status" you may perform this action by stating the word "Status" either out loud or in your thoughts.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
The fuck? Silas thought as he watched the blue screens hovering in front of his face with great superstition. He also noticed a distinct lack of bullets and death so he imagined his assailants were as distracted by this as he was and that he wasn''t just going insane. Well, this sure is a damn lick better than getting shot to death I suppose, might at least give it a shot. He though amusedly, if he was going to die he might as well go along with this little fantasy for a while longer. "Status." He drawled out in his southern accent before nearly falling on his arse at the sudden appearance of yet another blue screen.
Name: Silas Victor Horne
Level: 1 (exp toward level up 0/100%)
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Statistics: Str - 14 Agl - 15 Dex - 17 Cha - 7 Int - 12 Wis - 12 Con - 12 End - 16 Per - 15
Health - 120 - +1.2/second Stamina - 160 +1.6/second Mana - 90 +1.2/second
Skills: Select Here For Skills
Well slap me silly and call me Sally ain''t that something. He thought while performing a mental whistle, next he decided to check out his skills.
Skill List: Knife Mastery lvl 7, Pistol Mastery lvl 17, Rifle Mastery lvl 12, Tracking lvl 10, Riding lvl 6, Intimidate lvl 4, Foraging lvl 8, Herbalism lvl 3, Skinning lvl 4, Cooking lvl 1, Sneak lvl 3, Craft (basic) lvl 5
Once again Silas couldn''t help but be impressed by his own prowess, pistol mastery at level 17! Damn, I knew I was good but still, damn. He was broken out of any further revelry by the blood-curdling death screams and gunshots from the men outside the bar, and, after taking cover for several seconds, enough to make certain the bullets were not intended for him he hustled toward the outside of the building. Because even though these men had tried to kill him he was still a U.S Marshall, and he would be damned if someone stole his kills. He charged out of the swinging, gate-like entrance to the saloon pistol raised in front of him to be met with a grisly visage. The townsfolk, covered in blood were currently tearing into each other and the bandits. Pinning them down with numbers instead of skill and then tearing them apart with teeth and claw. Silas watched on stoically in the face of something most men would vomit at, for he had seen much in his time, and horrifying things seemed less and less horrifying. One of the female villagers looked up from where she had dragged a bandit off his horse and toward Silas, her eyes were bloodshot and devoid of any life, she was also currently juggling the intestines of one of the bandits in her hands in a futile attempt to raise them to her mouth. Reflex took over and Silas raised his gun, aiming for the center of her mass. "Now miss look, you don''t want to do this. Put the intestines down and lets you and me talk about this okay?" Silas said placatingly in an attempt to diffuse the situation. That was when the woman charged at him. She lunged for his midsection and on reflex, He put a bullet into her chest, she fell down from the recoil, but not for long. Silas was watching with abject terror as the woman he had just shot in the heart rose back from the grave, seemingly fine. "The fuck is this?" He muttered raising his gun toward her head and putting another bullet right between the woman''s eyes. It hit her right in the forehead, splattering bone and brain matter onto the dusty street, and this time she went down for good. Silas began to reload his weapon out of habit when yet another message interrupted him.
Congratulations on killing your first enemy 50 exp rewarded.
Silas stared at the screen for a few moments before uttering a phrase he had said far too many times in one day for his liking. "The fuck is going on?" Chapter 3 Silas looked at the corpse of the woman, her brain splattered in a halo surrounding her prone form''s head. He was still slightly shell-shocked, sure he had killed before, even killed women before. But never had someone so blindly charged toward him, the complete disregard for one''s own life was truly something Silas couldn''t reconcile, he enjoyed living. As he thought about his new-found lease on life a plan began to form in his head, he needed to get the fuck out of dodge. From what he had seen the bites of these... Things were turning the townspeople into monsters and Silas did not very much fancy being some dirt farming hick from buttfuck nowhere South Carolina''s food. He needed to leave fast. He holstered his pistol and began to frantically search for his horse, his plan was to leave town for a couple of days, wait for this to blow over then go back to the Marshalls office, they were bound to have some choice jobs after a fiasco like this. Where the fuck is the bastard?! He thought angrily, forgetting completely where he tied it up. He ran around to the back of the bar before he found the makeshift stables where travelers could house their mounts, and lo and behold there stood his horse, Prometheus. And on his back was a man who was definitely not Silas, this was going to be a problem. Prometheus was one of the few things Silas could be proud of in this life, a massive black war-horse that Silas had "acquired" after raiding a horse thief''s lair. He pulled out his revolver and leveled at it the man and all though he had no intention of shooting him he did need to make a point, time was of the essence. "You have 5 seconds to get the fuck off my horse boy," Silas said in a low threatening growl, pulling back the hammer of his revolver as he did so. The man turned around and his eyes widened as he stared down a barrel of fiery death, he gulped loudly slowly lowering himself off the horse, he paused suddenly when the back door of the saloon, leading into the stable burst open with a horde of the ravenous townsfolk. "I ain''t dying here, mister!" The boy declared with new found resolve as he spurred Prometheus off into the dusty streets and out of town. Silas watched as his prized horse ran off without him, looking around desperately for anything to help him retrieve it or, slightly more importantly, help him escape the monsters.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. He found both. A white mare stood in the stable, unsaddled but in a good condition. Silas had no time for pre-riding preparation as he ran desperately toward the horse, swinging himself over its side and clutching onto its mane for dear life. He kicked his spurred heels into the beast''s side spurring onwards toward the horse thief and away from death. He burst out of the stable at a high speed and onto the dusty street of the town, he looked around spotting the boy heading toward the mountains to the north. he rode the mare like a demon, streaking past the tows folk, their scenes of suffering barely registering as he tried his hardest not to fall off the white mustang. Silas left the town without looking back, survive the quest said, ha ha ha ha how do they expect anyone to survive this? He laughed sardonically as he drew nearer to his quarry. Him catching up was a mixture of the mountains slowing down the inexperienced horseman and the fact that Silas''s current horse was far more suited to thundering these plains than Prometheus was. Sure if he got into a battle with it he was damned sure it would bolt, but right now, out here on the plains the Mustang was king. Or queen? Whatever! He reached about 10 meters behind the boy before drawing his pistol once more, its weathered steel frame sliding smoothly from its holster. "Boy, I swear to god I will shoot your ass! Now get off. My. Fucking. Horse!" He yelled in a rage. Silas was having a shit day, first, someone tries to kill him, then this craziness with the system and now this?! The gods must truly be mad at me, he thought. "Get away from me you bastard!" Yelled the boy as he turned back toward Silas, that was probably what did it, for as the thief turned his eyes away from the track Prometheus reared, annoyed at having an unfamiliar rider on his back. Prometheus veered off the track and caught his foot on a root, the inertia of his motion ripping the leg straight out of the joint. Silas winced as he heard the sound. His pride and joy... Gone, if he found that boy he would do unspeakable things to him. Fate, it seemed had other plans for him, as Silas, not having enough time to steer his mount away went crashing straight into the tangle of limbs and flesh that was the thief and Prometheus. But as he wasn''t strapped into a saddle he went flying, tearing large handfuls of hair out of the horse''s mane as he did so. He sailed through the air with all the grace of a blue whale, flailing about in a futile attempt to right himself with the ground. He stopped when his head smacked loudly against a tree mid flight knocking him into blissful unconsciousness. Silas wasn''t sure how much time had passed between then and now. Only that when he woke up he was greeted with two unfamiliar system messages.
Your actions have caused the death of the mare Dalmay +10 exp
Welcome to the Howling Caves Dungeon, all exit will be restricted until the dungeon is cleared, time is dilated in a dungeon so please plan accordingly.
"Well Shit." Chapter 4 Silas''s eyes fluttered open weakly to the sight of a pale blue glow. He sat up, remembering reading several notifications before sleep took him, it had been a stressful day and at the time he was fatigued. His muscles ached all over, they felt as if they had been pulled by the hands of giants over and over again, and coincidently they were currently being pulled. Silas felt a tugging sensation on his left pant leg and squinted his eyes in a pained manner to examine. Pulling on his leg was a small humanoid creature. It stood at about 3 feet off the ground and had thin red skin pulled taught over its entire form. It cursed in a harsh guttural tone as it attempted to, with all its might, pull Silas further into the cave system he now found himself in. It wasn''t having much luck. Silas was a large man, standing at 6''3 with a muscular build and broad shoulders, his mass seemed to be too much for the small creature. Silas, feeling safe in the knowledge that the creature likely thought him dead and as of yet his weight was an insurmountable challenge for the red-skinned fellow he set about scanning his current surroundings.
Congratulations, after repeated use you have learned the skill "Identify"
Identify: A skill that allows the user to glean information by visually examining objects
Silas tried his hardest to contain his excitement at the recent development lest he disturbs the monster. And continued his scanning of the surrounding environment. He was in an enclosed cave, how he managed to fall into a cave with no entrance is beyond him, probably some kind of system fuckery, he thought in an annoyed fashion. The walls, roof, and floor of the cave were comprised of jagged and uneven stone covered in a slight sheen of dry moss, it was damp, cold and quite uncomfortable but the strangest thing about it was the fact that the rock was seemingly the light source of these caverns. The stone gave off a pale blue glow that illuminated the cave system in a cold light, at least I won''t have to fight in the dark, he mused. And fighting was exactly what Silas expected to do, the message when he first arrived had told him there would be no escape until the dungeon was conquered and, believe it or not, Silas was in no mood to trifle with something that can bend the laws of reality to its will.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. He was a survivor, he had survived time in the desert, being hunted by Indian war parties and various vicious skirmishes with bandits, he wasn''t planning on dying of starvation in some damn cave. Speaking of starvation he hadn''t eaten since yesterday and he was famished, luckily the food seemed to have come to him. He looked at the red creature, slowly trying to draw his gun without being noticed, I hope this thing doesn''t turn out to be super tough, he thought nervously. Then he remembered his new skill.
Imp lvl: 1 Imps are small demonic creatures and are considered the bottom of the demon food chain, they are often used as errand boys for larger, more powerful demons. One thing is certain, an Imp cannot come into this plane alone, they are not strong enough. Where you find an Imp larger demons are probably close behind.
Well, that wasn''t foreshadowy at all was it, fuck more powerful demons. Silas examined the Imps level, it is the same level as me putting me on the approximate level of the bottom of the food chain of this place, this is going to be difficult. Silas had mused that you probably got strength through killing things, so if he wanted to get out of here alive he was going to have to kill a lot. Silas never enjoyed killing, didn''t mind it but never got sucked into the bloodlust that so many in his profession did, he was a survivor, not a killer. That being said in situations like these he didn''t shy away from it. He was hungry, desperate and pissed off, this imp was going to die. Silas had been staring at the imp for a few moments now and it started to notice him. It dropped his leg with an incredible amount of agility then it screamed bloody murder and began to draw a crude stone knife hanging from its belt. Ha ha ha ha, Silas cackled so that''s how you wanna play it eh? He thought. All right then, let''s draw. He pulled his pistol from where he was lying on his back, drawing it out in a smooth practised motion, beating the imp to the punch with seconds to spare, those pistol masteries aren''t just for show, he thought happily. But neither was the agility of the imp, it saw the bullet coming and managed to twist out of the way, turning its body to avoid a direct hit to the chest, taking one to the right shoulder instead. The Imp spun from the force of the blow, its lack of mass truly being a disadvantage, it was quick to recover though and the follow-up shots Silas fired hit the stone floor as the red humanoid scampered away and then toward him. Silas watched grimly as the imp raised the knife above its head and charged for his leg, he kicked out, not nearly fast enough to hit the creature and it dodged to the left grabbing his leg with one arm and raising the dagger with the other. This is going to fucking hurt, Silas thought as he watched the knife pierce right through his pants and deep into his calf muscle. It felt like the world was set on fire and a hundred burning needles were inserted into his leg, Silas didn''t let it phase him, he was used to pain. He used the fact that the knife was lodged in his leg, cant dodge when you''re attached to me can you fucker! He thought hungrily as he blew the Imps head of, spraying a cloud of red mist onto the previously pale blue cave walls. Silas laid back down breathing heavily before sitting up to staunch the blood in his leg. That was just a level fucking 1! he thought, truly questioning whether or not he was going to die in this cave.
Congratulations you have leveled up, you now have two distributable statistic points.
Fan-Fucking-Tastic, he thought mockingly. Cause that just makes it all worth it doesn''t it. Chapter 5 The last few days had been quite eventful for Silas, as of right now he was still stuck in the cave system but had managed to drag himself to a more defendable and secluded cavern. He had been sustaining himself off of roasted imp and the light trickle of fluorescent cave water that ran down from the uneven stalactites. The water may have tasted like sucking on a lemon but at this point even if it was dripping horse piss Silas would treasure it like any hoard of gold and jewels. So far for the last few days, he had been secluded to this small cavern, killing anything foolish enough to come by, to wounded to move but not wounded enough to warrant giving up he was trapped in a sort of hellish limbo. That all changed today. For during the past few days and the battles that had ensued Silas had accumulated much experience and skills, changing both the status screen and skill tree immensely.
Name: Silas Victor Horne
Level: 4 (exp toward level up 37/100%)
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Statistics: Str - 16 Agl - 15 Dex - 20 Cha - 7 Int - 13 Wis - 12 Con - 12 End - 17 Per - 15
Health - 120 - +1.2/second Stamina - 170 +1.7/second Mana - 90 +1.2/second
Skills: Select Here For Skills
Skill List: Knife Mastery lvl 9, Pistol Mastery lvl 19, Rifle Mastery lvl 12, Tracking lvl 10, Riding lvl 6, Intimidate lvl 4, Foraging lvl 8, Herbalism lvl 3, Skinning lvl 5, Cooking lvl 3, Sneak lvl 3, Craft (basic) lvl 5, Pain Tolerance lvl 3, Passive Regeneration lvl 2
Passive regeneration was the skill that had gotten him so excited, he had earned after sitting here waiting for his leg to heal for three days straight and now, finally, he could visually see the wound stitching itself together. It brought a tear to his eye, both from the knowledge that he would finally be able to leave this godforsaken room and in the fact that accelerated healing hurts as much as the initial wound did, it just lasts longer. Silas stood up after a few minutes and stretched his leg, feeling the pops from his joints after days of inactivity was an almost orgasmic sensation. He checked everything was in place, his gun, knife, and hat were all accounted for. Time to explore. Since his recent growth in levels, Silas was now able to take on a group of 2 imps with no problem and could probably scrape by with only a few injuries against three, but now was not the time for fighting, now was the time for scouting!This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Silas crept silently around the corner of his room and peered into the hallway beyond. So far of what he had seen of the cave, there was the room he had initially found himself in, which he now believed to be the beginning of the dungeon. This room then led off into a long winding hallway that turned sharply to the left after 100 meters obscuring his vision of it. About 20 meters down this same hallway was where his current room was located, the entrance to which was a small crevice in the wall leading into a larger cavern. Silas crept down the uneven cave hallway, curious as to the sights that had been alluding him for many days. He stopped at the turn and peered around carefully, cockiness was the domain of young men and fools he told himself before continuing down an equally boring hallway. After about 3 minutes of tense hallway exploration, Silas began to become increasingly bored with his current station. There are only so many cave moss clumps that you can admire before things become more and more of the same. This trend of boredom and the subsequent erosion of his alertness continued until he reached an unfamiliar hallway. The strangeness of it set off alarm bells in Silas''s head, alarm belles made by years of hard life on the trail. The hallway began to grow larger on all sides, widening until it was about 4 meters tall and the same distance wide. Even more worryingly was the fact that it seemed to bear the telltale marks of tool scraping. It was man-made. The strange hallway continued until it opened into a truly immense cathedral-like cavern. It was a hemisphere, with an unnaturally flat and level floor and had a diameter of approximately 300 meters with a set of columns ringing the outer edge. The columns held up a raised platform that was about 10 meters off the floor and acted as a sort of bypass. Allowing people to pass through the room without disturbing the residents below. The walls that ran along the far edge of the raised platform opened into rooms and other hallways at set intervals, it was one of these alcoves that Silas entered from carefully. He crept to the edge of the raised platform, wary of any watchers and when he peered over the slight stone railing that kept people from falling he was truly amazed at what he saw. It was like nothing he had ever seen, in the center of the room was a large gate, easily 5+ meters tall and instead of being vacant like a gate without a door should be, it seemed to open into another realm. Purple and red hellish energy spilling out from its maw. Standing in front of the terrifying structure was a large, grotesque mass of fat and tumorous skin, if it had a face Silas could not find it and its booming voice seemed not to emanate from one place but from the entire being equally. Surrounding the creature were hordes upon hordes of demons, he counted hundreds of imps and several horned things, winged things and things he cared not to recall or see. It was at this point that his hardships and tribulations were rewarded with a new message from the system he was sure was mocking him. Congratulations my arse!
Dungeon Quest: Congratulations, you have found the cause of the demonic incursion into the Howling Caves Dungeon. To defeat this dungeon you must close the summoning portal and kill the Demonic Foulspawn Summoner (lvl 27) Good luck hero!
Well fuck me, getting on that level is going to take some time. He thought shaking his head as he crouch-walked to the nearest exit to the summoning chamber. Chapter 6 Silas crept silently through the hallway as an acrid stench began to waft from its depths. The smell of sweat, shit, and blood began to burn his nostrils evermore as he continued down the path, this meant one thing. People were living there. He took greater care to mask his presence after that, breathing softly and walking on the balls of his feet he continued further into the room. It was a narrow rectangular setup, with rows of beds lining the walls of each side. The beds were crude things made of both straw and stone. And littering the floor was a smattering of bones and other detritus of life. Silas set about examing the room as it appeared to be empty, he searched the bed and the floor eventually gaining nothing but blood and shit on his hands for his troubles. He stood up annoyed and sat down on one of the putrid straw beds to think. It had been a crazy few days, the system, the monsters and now this dungeon?! Silas was sure not all people could have the resolve to carry on, and now that he really thought about it, did he? Silas had entered that tavern back in town for the express purpose of drinking himself to death, he knew god frowned upon suicide but with all the things Silas had done he was going to hell anyway. But after these last few days with the system, he had begun to regain the previous lease on life that he possessed during his youth. The system had destroyed his plans for suicide so maybe that was it, maybe that was the reason for his acceptance of it? No, it was something else, something more primal. Speaking of the system, what was with that? It had come so suddenly to this world with absolutely no warning, turning so many lives on their heads. But instead of being fearful like he should have, Silas had accepted it, took its road toward easy power with open arms. Why? He pondered that question for a few minutes until he heard voices coming down the hallway. They spoke in the harsh language he had come to associate with demons and were approaching the room at a steady pace. Fucking damn it Silas! Now was not the time to have a god damn existential crisis. He raged in his mind as they drew closer. Fuck me! He thought self depreciatingly as he flipped over one of the stone beds and took cover behind.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Deja vu, he thought as he readied his pistol toward the door, and 5 imps entered through at a slow walking pace, maybe the system will help again? He thought sarcastically while preparing to fire on the imps before they left the enclosed hallway.
Congratulations, you have unlocked the active skill, "Stand Off" active skills have now been unlocked on your status please go there for further information.
Active Skills: Unlike masteries, active skills can be triggered to cause a temporary effect such as a fireball or increased speed for a time.
Stand Off: A skill that allows the gunslinger to slow down his/her perception of time for exactly 5 seconds, giving them an edge when needed.
Silas stared at the messages in disbelief for a fraction of a second, can the system hear me? He thought in wonder. But never one to look a gift horse in the mouth Silas turned back to the imps with a smug smile on his face before activating Stand Off. Time slowed to a crawl and he could see the individual muscle twitches of the imps as they attempted to move, and for once while fighting these things Silas was faster. He drew his pistol at blinding speeds and blew the lead imps head off before it could even blink, splatter gore onto those behind it. The second suffered a similar fate, taking a round to the chest and falling down successfully blocking the hallway, now even with standoff, the imps began to adapt. The third one he tried to shoot twisting its body out of the way, dodging the shot and letting one of the imps behind it get hit in the jaw, it died from the shock. Time began to bleed back toward its previous speed and Silas began to suppress the imps in the hallway, that was until he heard the sound. Click. Click. Click. He was out of ammunition. Silas visibly blanched as he reached for his belt to find nothing there. Fuck me I should have been conserving ammo! He thought angrily as he holstered his pistol and drew his bowie knife. It came out of the sheath with an audible noise, and the imps, no longer faced with a wall of gunfire began to charge down the hall once more. Silas vaulted over his cover to meet them. He barreled into them, using his greater weight to knock all three into a tangle of limbs on the floor. Silas grinned hungrily as an imp cracked his head on a stalagmite, dying instantly. Silas engaged in a grappling match for a few seconds with the imp before its high dexterity and agility managed to disarm him, Silas didn''t give up though and managed to take the imp''s head in his hand and then smashed it against the floor until it was no more than a bloody smear. Silas rolled off the pile of corpses and rested, breathing heavily as he scanned the cave roof. I think a figured it out, he thought while cackling madly in his mind, why I so readily accepted the system. I wanted, no I needed a change, a way to gain more power, more strength. And he would be damned if some demon, big or small would take that from him. Chapter 7 Silas sat on a rough-hewn stone ledge, his eyes stinging with pistol smoke and his body covered in a multitude of scars and scabs, the proof of a hard-won survival. For the past three weeks, Silas had been fighting for his life in these caves, hunting his prey, stalking them through the dark. He had risen his stealth skill to level 20, becoming like a shadow, a specter, the afterimage of something you think you saw, the terror of the caves. He held aloft the knife he had stolen from a War Fiend, raising it and continuing to give his skin a rough shave. Usually shaving without a mirror would produce many cuts and injuries, this would be the case for a lesser man, one without insane dexterity. The knife glided seamlessly across Silas''s neck, slicing of the hair and giving him a shave that few barbers could match. Silas stood up and examined himself in the clear water of the pool next to him, he had changed in these few weeks both in body and soul. Physically his body had grown larger, now standing at an impressive 6''5 he towered over most men, he had also become more muscular. His shoulders had broadened and his limbs had widened making him cut an intimidating figure. He reached a muscled limb behind him as he picked up his hat, running a hand through his hair before donning it in an old ritual he had developed, he always did it before battle. Silas took note of the psychological changes he had undergone as he said that, no longer did he feel nervous before a fight, now? Now he just felt anticipation, a kind of cold hunger waiting to be let loose. Silas had learned to harness it now, instead of suppressing the bloodlust he owned it, using it to strengthen his actions and moves. Today that anticipation was at its greatest peak, for today he would take on the boss, the Foulspawn Summoner. He had learned something in the weeks of fighting, after gorging himself on the strength and flesh of the demons, making it his own he had found that they had an elemental weakness to the water of these caves, it burnt them, sapped their strength much like Silas in that regard. God damn, that makes me sound like a bloody tapeworm! He thought sardonically, the caves had done nothing to dull his wit. He picked up his blades and walked into the pool of luminescent water, letting it drench every pour and crevice of his being, then and only then did he receive the message he had been waiting for.
Congratulations, you have been granted the blessings of the Goddess of water, Aquaria. The blessing conveys an 80% resist to both the fire and demonic damage types.
Silas was giddy as he exited the pool, practically salivating at the knowledge that his plan would work and that he may be able to finally leave this godforsaken cave.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. He readied himself and then walked to the balcony of the summoning chamber, live or die he would make his move today and then leave the result up to god. He crept to the balcony''s ledge and peered over, registering the hordes of demons below, yes this will work perfectly. He thought. For his plan, he had needed two things the water, and one other thing he had found weeks ago, explosives. Silas knew that before the system these caves had used to be a mine and as such contained dynamite, Silas had found this valuable material and put it to good use. He had discovered that at the back of each of the upper hallways was a river of water, Silas had dammed these rivers, forcing them to flow over and flood the caverns, then it was all a matter of letting the pressure build and build waiting for his moment, it had finally come. He lit the fuse at his feet and watched with a sick sense of satisfaction as it forked off equally and ran down into the other hallways, then. BOOM! The deafening crack of the explosion echoed into the cavern and the water followed, flowing down into the strangely bowl-shaped summoning chamber like water from a faucet. He waited for a minute, dismissing a torrent of notifications before peering down into the chamber. The floor was littered with drowned and half-dissolved corpses, the result of the waters acidic properties toward demons, they lay prone in a pool of gore and mushy flesh, like a swamp from the pits of hell. At the center of the carnage now stood the short-circuiting hell gate, its former seamless pits of abyssal purple energy now flickering and sputtering before eventually giving out, shutting down. Silas smiled, he didn''t think the gate would close from the water and thought he would have to go down and dismantle it himself. Now all that needs to be done is to kill that fat fuck and then I can finally leave! He mentally yelled in exasperation, he was ready for a hot bath and some disappointingly less hot country whores. His smile grew even further as he heard a familiar booming voice coming from further in the dungeon. He jumped down, eager to face his adversary all though the fight would be hard and he would need to use every trick at his disposal. He still smiled through this though as it was sure to be a great battle. The bloodlust was hungry for carnage. And for once Silas agreed with it.
AN: this is Silas''s Status
Name:Silas Victor Horne
Level: 23 (exp toward next level 17/100%)
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Statistics: Str - 20 Agl - 25 Dex - 30 Cha - 7 Int - 13 Wis - 12 Con - 12 End - 17 Per - 21
Health - 120 - +1.2/second Stamina - 170 +1.7/second Mana - 90 +1.2/second
Skills: Select Here For Skills
Active Skills: Click here for active skills
Skill List: Knife Mastery lvl 21, Pistol Mastery lvl 22, Rifle Mastery lvl 12, Tracking lvl 15, Riding lvl 6, Intimidate lvl 7, Foraging lvl 8, Herbalism lvl 3, Skinning lvl 7, Cooking lvl 7, Sneak lvl 21, Craft (basic) lvl 7, Pain Tolerance lvl 9, Passive Regeneration lvl 4
Active Skills: Stand Off
Chapter 8 Silas landed in a crouch, his tall frame standing up to his mid shin in gore and death, this was when the grotesque summoner entered the room. Its form was even more putrid up close, with calloused growths in the form of armour covering its vital areas such as its midsection and its stubby pig-like limbs sprouted from somewhere within the vile mass. "How dare you heathen! How dare you defile this sacred place with your presence!" The beast roared, echoing vastly through the chamber. "Yeah, yeah calm down son. Look I don''t want to fight you, just let me go and we''ll be all peachy." Said, Silas, whilst smiling sweetly, attempting to disarm the beast. "Creature I wish to fight you, now prepare yourself for the fight of you li-!" It started before being cut off. Literally. With lightning speed, Silas had drawn one of his knives and launched it into the writhing mass of fat and horror. Plunging it down to the hilt. "You coward, attacking me before I am ready! You will pay for that-!" He started again before once more being cut off by a throwing knife. You think he would learn. It didn''t attempt to speak again and just began to flail its arms in a slightly rhythmic fashion as Silas ran toward it, final and original knife in hand. Several large boils began to sprout at an astonishing speed from the creature''s mass before bursting in a tempest of pus and filth. And from these diabolical vessels crawled several imps, still slick with the fluids of their maker. "Ha, fight the hordes human, fight them and die!" He laughed, each sound managing to send ripples along his entire form. Silas cackled internally, knowing that these imps would fall before him just like their brethren. He was so confident because as of a few weeks ago he decided to use "Stand Off" with something other than a pistol and surprisingly it worked. he activated the skill and felt as time slowly came to a crawl as if it was stuck in some viscous material. Silas moved like the wind, his agility and dexterity both over double that of normal humans. He danced between his prey, swiftly opening arteries and spraying red in a near stationary scene onto the battlefield. He was a painter, and they were his canvas.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. He finished the final one by ducking beneath a wide slash and slicing it from navel to neck, opening it for the world to see. It was at this point he noticed his mistake for just in front of the summoners vile hands was a smattering of sparks, weak now but he knew from experience what they turned into. It was a force bolt. Time began to bleed back to its regular speed and ever so slowly the force bolt began to form and fire at the helpless Silas, still over-extended from his last attack. The bolt hit him like the hammer hits the anvil, smashing him in the midsection and sending him sailing through the air before colliding with one of the chambers far walls. Silas groaned in pain, wheezing at the fact he probably had several broken ribs while attempting to sloppily take off his jacket. The foul blob began to waddle slowly toward him, doing as close to a victorious strut as a being of its size and dimensions could manage. Silas fumbled desperately with his duster, managing to take off the soaked garment as the summoner appeared next to him. Looming over his prone form while savouring the victory. It was short lived. Silas threw his still drenched coat over the head of the demon and watched with grim satisfaction is it wailed in pain and tried to take off the corrosive water. Silas hobbled around and to the back of the creature, drawing his knife and steeling himself for what was to come. He plunged the blade down to the hilt in the beast''s flesh and began to cut into it. He sliced through the calloused exterior and cut deep into the summoners fleshy core, hollowing out its very insides. It gurgled before falling down, having used every last ounce of its strength to attempt to reach the coat with its hideously stubby arms. Silas stood over the beast, savouring his victory before plunging the knife deep into the summoner over and over again. Continuing until nothing was left of the demon but a bloody smear on the pavement. He fell back panting, leaning on the beast''s flesh exterior as to keep his head out of the pool of filth and death. And after a minute of profuse bleeding from the Foulspawn, it finally died, wheezing out a final breath and then deflating like a popped balloon. Silas was too tired to cheer and instead opted to wince in pain from his slowly healing wounds, this was when he received the notification he had been waiting weeks to see.
Congratulations on completing the Howling Caves Dungeon! You may now use dungeon transport to return to the outside realm. Dungeon transport can be activated both orally and mentally.
Silas deflated much like the monster did, after this he would have to go back to the Marshalls office and give his report, they would want to know of these places. But that could wait, for now, Silas needed to rest. Chapter 9 Silas woke up to the tranquil sound of chirping birds. His eyes fluttered opened tiredly and he took stock of his surroundings. He was in a dingy, dank and dirty mineshaft. Probably not having moved since his original fall. I Must have accidentally activated the leaving sequence in my sleep? He thought while looking up blissfully at the morning sky. Wait... Morning? It seems that the time dilation truly was something, he had seemingly only been in the cave for a few hours. Actually, he had no idea how long he had been laying there. It could be a week, or two?! These theories were quickly put to rest by the comforting message of quest completion.
Congratulations user Silas Victor Horne on the successful survival of the first day in the system. Not only have you managed to survive but you have done so by becoming the highest leveled individual in your species! As a reward for your prowess, the gods have deigned to reward you with a permanent increase in statistics by 10 each. Use the gift well child.
Silas stared at the message for a few seconds before feeling the telltale sign of a stat increase, his bones became denser and stronger. His muscles now no longer felt like flesh but like wood, strong and unyielding. His dexterity to was extraordinary and so was his speed and agility. Good thing too as it looked like he was walking back to town. He thought while looking at the dead forms of two horses and the distinct lack of horse thief. The horse thief! Silas fumed, it was that bastard''s fault all this happened in the first place, me getting thrust into the dungeon and the murder of my beautiful horse Prometheus... He couldn''t finish the sentence, choking up as he saw the dead form of his former pride and joy. If I ever find that bastard I''m going to make him pay. He resolved after a manly bought of trying not to cry. Silas set out walking back to town and, having a fair amount of distance to cover before arriving he decided to assign his stat points for leveling which he had obtained during the battle with the summoner. By the time he had finished furiously deliberating and weighing the pros and cons of each move he was nearly to town and his Status had changed completely.
Name: Silas Victor Horne
Level: 26 (exp toward next level 17/100%)
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Statistics: Str - 30 Agl - 37 Dex - 42 Cha - 17 Int - 23 Wis - 22 Con - 22 End - 27 Per - 33
Health - 220 - +2.2/second Stamina - 270 +2.7/second Mana - 230 +2.2/second
Skills: Select Here For Skills
Active Skills: Click here for active skills
He was proud of his achievements, being over four times as dextrous as a normal human had become a new point of pride for him over the last few weeks. Well day for most people, he had, had a lot more time to adjust to this than most. He would have to keep that in mind when dealing with others, speaking of.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "Listen, children of God! Listen to me for I will tell you the word of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!" A preacher yelled from a church porch to large gathering of bloodstained masses, nearly singing the final words. Usually, Silas would stop and say a prayer, it was his way of cleansing himself whenever he had the time, he wouldn''t go to mass but if the opportunity presented itself then he would try to be pious. But today he couldn''t find the strength to face god. He had turned his back on these people, he thought as he looked on the piles upon piles of burning bodies. He had turned his back on them and they had suffered for it. He felt ashamed, he felt a burning shame at the core of his being for when push came to shove Silas had been cowardly, something he had detested for so long. He had felt pride as he walked into town damn it! Pride at getting stronger, stronger when he had left these people to fend for themselves, to die alone and scared. Never again. He resolved, Silas would never be a hero, he had already done to much bad shit for that, but he could help them. And deep down inside he knew that these people didn''t need a hero. They needed vengeance. One thing was for sure though. For in every gaze he felt judgment that wasn''t there, he felt their disgust in his actions when there was none to be had. He knew it was an echo of his own feelings toward himself. And he would give anything to not feel this way again. He stopped around the back of the Marshalls office before crossing the threshold, inside was utter turmoil. Men and women ran about, carrying paperwork and guns before saddling up and leaving on some job or another, it was chaotic, it was unforgiving, it was home. Silas walked to the lock-up and reloaded his pistol, taking a full load of ammo and then some before continuing, he would never be caught with his pants down like in that cave again. Next was his rifle, it was a long sleek killing machine with a beautifully engraved wooden finish, if Prometheus was one of the things in this world he took pride in then the rifle was the other. It may have cost him a fortune but in his opinion, it was worth every penny. "God help me if that is Silas Fucking Horne!" Spoke a nasally voice from the counter before walking as angrily as his short stature would carry him into the weapon lock-up. "By God all mighty it is. Damn it, Silas, where in the fucking fuck have you been?!" He started before noticing Silas looking sheepishly at his feet, ashamed to tell all before the older man who had raised him as a son. "Actually I don''t want to hear it." The man said more softly after seeing his pseudo son''s reaction, he learned long ago if Silas didn''t want to talk about something then it was best to let sleeping dogs lie, he always worked through it himself in time. It was just the man he was. Anyway, he had more important things on his mind. The older man sighed heavily before continuing. "C''mon boy, I got a job for ya." He then turned on his heel and left Silas in the weapon locker. Alone with his guilt. He made off to follow soon after, hopeful that whatever the job was it would let him redeem himself. Little did he know that this would trigger a chain of events that would shake the world, and that the legend of Silas Horne had just begun. Chapter 10 Silas obediently followed the shorter man throughout the small complex that was the Marshalls office. And as he walked he took some time to reflect on the current turmoil that was his emotional state. He was feeling many emotions at this time. Shame, for leaving the villagers. Anger, at his own weakness. But at the moment the most overpowering feeling that he felt was curiosity. Curiosity at the world, at his newfound prowess and at this mystery job he had been granted. And so he followed, putting himself on auto-pilot and zoning out of his worries for the briefest of moments and immersing himself in the song of the town. Floorboards creaked slightly under his large frame, a testament to the sturdiness of the structure most would be making much louder and more pained noises. People hustled and bustled in the rooms around him giving the song a fast and urgent tempo. And then, underlying it all was the sorrowful lament that was a town in mourning. It was a suffocating sound that did nothing to aid his current attitude. He was anxious to leave. To be submerged once more in the peace of the wilds and it would seem that he was about to get his wish. Silas walked outside the building and into the hot noonday sun, the older gentleman pointed animatedly at a board Silas had come to know all too well over the years. It was the bounty board. It was made out of roughly cut wooden logs for a skeletal structure and with several thin wood planks of what Silas assumed was the same wood making the center and the actual board. But on closer inspection the small man wasn''t pointing to the board, he was, in fact, pointing to a notice attached to it, one depicting equally familiar face. Robert Clark Carwhittle, or as he was better known to the world. Bloody Bob. Silas stared at the new notice in a mixture of subdued respect and annoyance. Not only had the man managed to survive the town considering the fact that this notice was new. But he had also managed to go to the next town over and cause havoc. None could say he wasn''t committed. "I believe you two are already acquainted." Drawled out the other man in an amused fashion. "Yeah, I s''pose you could say that." "Well, the bastard has managed to get himself in some more trouble." He said while lifting his finger momentarily from the notice before pointing at a different part of it. "See this reward." He said before waiting for an affirmative nod from Silas. "Jesus, $5,000!" Silas exclaimed excitedly. Money being worth what it is right now that could be considered a small fortune. "Yeah, breathe it all in. That reward is being posted by the whole town of Claxon. Apparently, Bob here after trying to shoot your sorry ass skipped town and has presumptuously declared himself the warlord of all South Carolina." The other man paused to take a breath having gotten to carried away in his own explanation. Silas just watched on amusedly. "Now, as you can imagine people are quite annoyed at this development so they have decided to give the matter to us, the U.S Marshalls." He said proudly while pushing out his chest with the badge of office on it. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "And we have decided to give it to you, so what do ya say Silas, you in?" The man looked at Silas expectantly, pronouncing the word ''we'' in a fashion that gave no illusion of who had truly pushed for Silas to have this well-paying job. For several tense seconds as Silas deliberated. Of course, he was in, his whole reason for going to the marshalls today was to get out of town and this would do that and let him settle a score with that scumbag Bob. "Reuven you had me at ''self-proclaimed warlord.''" Silas spoke with a sly smile, he was excited. "Alright then son, you ride in the morning cause my wife wants ya to stay for dinner. Also, don''t arrive drunk or I''ll have to shoot ya, ok. Until then I don''t care where you go but you can''t stay here. It''s a place of business not for loitering." The man who was apparently named Reuven said hurriedly as he ushered Silas outside. And that was how Silas found himself standing in the middle of a dusty South Carolina street in the middle of the apocalypse, half listening to a doomsayer priest who had somehow segued from the recent loss of many children and families into a tirade about the obscene nature of masturbation and the likelihood that many of the people struck down were done so because of that very reason. Silas shook his head in disapproval and walked toward his favorite place in the town. Barbara''s Bar the name was a pun and Silas knew for a fact that the place was no longer owned by a ''Barabara.'' The last person to own the place of that name having been killed by a freak shot in a duel in town. It was a truly sad day. Silas walked into the wooden structure whilst throwing open the saloon doors proudly, trying his hardest to shrug off the negative feelings of earlier he walked directly to the bar hoping to have a few drinks before going to Reuven''s house for dinner. Silas was already salivating, the woman was an amazing cook. Silas walked into the bar and was met with a distinct lack of dirty looks. Odd, usually when you walk in here several bums, still drunk from yesterday glare at you for a couple of seconds, today there was none of that. It wasn''t too suspicious, because of the whole apocalypse and everything but the fact that the bartender was not there was truly something, the man was a grade a shut-in, and Silas doubted that even the apocalypse could make him leave his bar. Something suspicious was going on here. He was proved right by a scream wafting upward from the second story. Silas ran up the stairs as fast as his large frame would let him. The reason for his current urgency? Was it some kind of random act of heroism brought on by his new guilty disposition? Maybe. But it was far more likely the fact that Jim the bartender made some of the best drinks in town. And this was confirmed by the hungry glint in Silas''s eye. Woe is the man who tried to get between him and a good drink. Notice Alright, this story is dead. I would like to apologise first to all those who liked the story but yes, The Heroic Tales of Silas Horne is gone. It is for the best probably it wasn''t well written, didn''t have enough plot or character development. Anyway, now that that is out of the way I have an announcement to make. I have started a new story on a different account. It is a dark fantasy unlike this one but I have tried to add a detailed plot, character development and mystery into it. It also contains gore and killing if you were wondering. Anyway if you want to read a story that is, in my opinion, better written then this was the link for it is below. I hope to see you there ">If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. http://royalroadl.com/fiction/16368/sins-of-the-fathers-a-dungeon-story