《Life in the North (the System Apocalypse book 1) - An Apocalyptic LitRPG》 Chapter 1 - System Admin Windows Everywhere
Greetings citizen. As a peaceful and organised immersion into the Galactic Council has been declined (extensively and painfully we might add), your world has been declared a Dungeon World. Thank you. We were getting bored with the 12 that we had previously. Please note that the process of developing a Dungeon World can be difficult for current inhabitants. We recommend leaving the planet till the process is completed in 373 days, 2 hours, 14 minutes and 12 seconds. For those of you unable or unwilling to leave, do note that new Dungeons and wandering monsters will spawn intermittently throughout the integration process. All new Dungeons and zones will receive recommended minimum levels, however, during the transition period expect there to be significant volatility in the levels and types of monsters in each Dungeon and zone. As a new Dungeon World, your planet has been designated a free-immigration location. Undeveloped worlds in the Galactic Council may take advantage of this new immigration policy. Please try not to greet all new visitors the same way as you did our Emissary, you humans could do with some friends. As part of the transition, all sentient subjects will have access to new classes and skills as well as the traditional user interface adopted by the Galactic Council in 119 GC. Thank you for your co-operation and good luck! We look forward to meeting you soon. Time to System initiation: 59 minutes 23 seconds
I groan, freeing my hand enough to swipe at the blue box in front of my face as I crank my eyes open. Weird dream. It¡¯s not as if I had drank that much either, just a few shots of whiskey before I went to bed. Almost as soon as the box disappears, another appears, obscuring the small 2-person tent that I¡¯m sleeping in.
Congratulations! You have been spawned in the Kluane National Park (level 110+) zone. You have received 7,500 XP (Delayed) As per Dungeon World Development Schedule 124.3.2.1, inhabitants assigned to a region with a recommended level 25 or more above the inhabitants current level will receive one Small perk. As per Dungeon World Development Schedule 124.3.2.2, inhabitants assigned to a region with a recommended level 50 or more above the inhabitants current level will receive one Medium perk. As per Dungeon World Development Schedule 124.3.2.3, inhabitants assigned to a region with a recommended level 75 or more above the inhabitants current level will receive one Large perk. As per Dungeon World Development Schedule 124.3.2.4, inhabitants assigned to a region with a recommended level 100 or more above the inhabitants current level will receive one Greater perk.
What the hell? I jerk forwards and almost fall immediately fall backwards, the sleeping bag tangling me up. I scramble out, pulling my 5¡¯ 8¡± frame into a sitting position as I swipe black hair out of my eyes to stare at the taunting blue message. Alright, I¡¯m awake and this is not a dream. This can¡¯t be happening, I mean, sure it¡¯s happening, but it can¡¯t be. It must be a dream, things like this didn¡¯t happen in real life. However, considering the rather realistic aches and pains that encompass my body from yesterday¡¯s hike, it¡¯s really not a dream. Still, this can¡¯t be happening. When I reach out, attempting to touch the screen itself and for a moment, nothing happens until I move my hand when the screen seems to ¡®stick¡¯ to it, swinging with my hand. It¡¯s almost like a window in a touchscreen which makes no sense, since this is the real world and there¡¯s no tablet. Now that I¡¯m concentrating, I can even feel how the screen has a slight tactile sensation to it, like touching plastic wrap stretched too tight except with the added tingle of static electricity. I stare at my hand and the window and then flick it away watching the window shrink. This makes no sense. Just yesterday I had hiked up the King¡¯s Throne Peak with all my gear to overlook the lake. Early April in the Yukon means that the peak itself was still covered with snow but I¡¯d packed for that, though the final couple of kilometers had been tougher than I had expected. Still, being out and about at least cleared my mind of the dismal state of my life after moving to Whitehorse. No job, barely enough money to pay next month¡¯s rent and having just broken up with my girlfriend, leaving on a Tuesday on my junker of a car was just what the doctor ordered. As bad as my life had been, I¡¯m pretty sure I wasn¡¯t even close to breaking down, at least not enough to see things. I shut my eyes, forcing them to stay shut for a count of three before I open them again. The blue box stays, taunting me with its reality. I can feel my breathing shorten, my thoughts splitting in a thousand different directions as I try to make sense of what¡¯s happening. Stop. I force my eyes close again and old training, old habits come into play. I bottle up the feelings of panic that encroach on my mind, force my scattered thoughts to stop swirling and compartmentalise my feelings. This is not the time or place for all this. I shove it all into a box and close the lid, pushing my emotions down until all there is a comforting, familiar, numbness. A therapist once said my emotional detachment is a learned self-defense mechanism, one that was useful during my youth but somewhat unnecessary now that I¡¯m an adult with more control over my surroundings. My girlfriend, my ex-girlfriend, just called me an emotionless dick. I¡¯ve been taught better coping mechanisms but when push comes to shove, I go with what works. If there¡¯s an environment which I can¡¯t control, I¡¯m going to call floating blue boxes in the real world one of them. Calmer now, I open my eyes and re-read the information. First rule ¨C what is, is. No more arguing or screaming or worrying about why or how or if I¡¯m insane. What is, is. So. I have perks. And there¡¯s a system providing the perks and assigning levels. There¡¯s also going to be dungeons and monsters. I¡¯m in a frigging MMO without a damn manual it looks like, which means that at least some of my misspent youth is going to be useful. I wonder what my dad would say. I push the familiar flash of anger down at the thought of him, focusing instead on my current problems. My first requirement is information. Or better yet, a guide. I¡¯m working on instinct here, going by what feels right rather than what I think is right since the thinking part of me is busy putting its fingers in its ears and going ¡®na-na-na-na-na¡¯. ¡°Status?¡± I query and a new screen blooms.
Status Screen
Name John Lee Class None
Race Human (Male) Level 0
Titles
None
Health 100 Stamina 100
Mana 100
Status
Twisted ankle (-5% movement speed) Tendinitis (-10% Manual Agility)
Attributes
Strength 11 Agility 10
Constitution 9 Perception 12
Intelligence 16 Willpower 18
Charisma 8 Luck 7
Skills
None
Skill Proficiencies
None
Spells
None
Perks
None
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Unassigned Attributes: 1 Small, 1 Medium, 1 Large, 1 Greater Perk Would you like to assign these attributes? (Y/N)
The second window pop¡¯s up almost immediately on top of the first. I want more time to look over my Status but the information seems mostly self-explanatory and it¡¯s better to get this over with. It¡¯s not as if I have a lot of time. Almost as soon as I think that, the Y depresses and a giant list of Perks flashes up. Oh, I do not have time for this. I definitely don¡¯t have time to get stuck in character creation. Being stuck in a zone that is way out of my level when the System initializes is a one-way ticket to chowville. The giant list of perks before me is way too much to even begin sorting through, especially with names that don¡¯t necessarily make sense. What the hell does Adaptive Colouring actually mean? Right, this system seems to work via thought, reacting to what I think so, perhaps I can sort by perk type ¨C narrow it down to small perks for a guide or companion of some form? Almost as soon as I think of it, the system flashes out and only the word Companion appears. I nod slightly to myself and further details appear, providing two options.
AI Spirit
I select AI but a new notice flashes up
AI Selection unavailable. Minimum requirements of:
  • Mark IV Processing Unit not met
I grunt. Yeah, no shit. I don¡¯t have a computer on me. Or... in me? No cyberpunk world for me. Not yet at least, though how cool would that be with a computer for a brain and metallic arms that don¡¯t hurt from being on the computer too much. Not the time for this, so I pick Spirit next and I acknowledge the query.
Companion Spirit gained Congratulations! World Fourth. As the fourth individual to gain a Companion Spirit, your companion is now (Linked). Linked Companions will grow and develop with you.
As I dismiss the notifications, I can see a light begin to glow to my right. I twist around, running a hand through my hair one last time and wonder who or what my new companion is going to be. ¡°Run, hide or fight. Ain¡¯t hard to make a choice boy-o.¡± Look, I¡¯m no pervert. I didn¡¯t need a cute, beautiful fairy as my System Companion Spirit. Sure, a part of me hoped for it, I¡¯m a red-blooded male who wouldn¡¯t mind staring at something pretty. Still, practically speaking, I would have settled for a Genderless automaton that was efficient and answered my questions with a minimum of lip. Instead, I get¡­ him. I stare at my new Companion and sigh mentally. Barely a foot tall, he¡¯s built like a linebacker with a full, curly brown beard. Brown hair, brown eyes and olive skin in a body-hugging orange jumpsuit that¡¯s tight in all the wrong places completes the ensemble. Ali my new companion has been here for all of 10 minutes giving me the lowdown and I¡¯m already partly regretting my choice. Partly, because for all of his berating, he¡¯s actually quite useful. ¡°Run,¡± I finally decide, pulling apart the chocolate bar and taking another bite. No use fighting, nothing in the store that could scratch a level 110 monster is going to be usable by me according to Ali and while there¡¯s no guarantee one of them will spawn immediately, even the lower level monsters that will make up its dinner would be too tough for me. Hiding just delays things, so I have to get the hell out of the park which really, shouldn¡¯t be that hard. It took me half-a-day of hard hiking to get up this far in the mountain from the parking lot and the parking lot is just inside the new zone. At a good pace, I should be down in a few hours which if I understand things properly means there aren¡¯t that many monsters. Once I¡¯m out, it seems Whitehorse has a safe zone which means I can hunker down and figure out what the hell is going on. ¡°About damn time,¡± grouses Ali. A wave of his hands and a series of new windows appear in front of me. Shortly after appearing he demanded full access to my System which has allowed him to manipulate the information I can see and receive. It¡¯s going a lot faster this way since he just pushes the information to me, letting me read through things while he does the deeper search. The new blue windows - System messages according to him - are his picks for medium and large perks respectively.
Prodigy: Subterfuge You¡¯re a natural born spy. Intrepid would hire you immediately. Effect: All Subterfuge skills are gained 100% quicker. +50% Skill Level increase for all Subterfuge skills.
¡°Why this?¡± I frown, poking at the Subterfuge side. I¡¯m not exactly the spying kind, more direct in most of my interactions. I¡¯ve never really felt the need to lie too much and I certainly don¡¯t see myself creeping around breaking into buildings. ¡°Stealth skills. It gives a direct bonus to all of them which means you¡¯ll gain them faster. A small perk would allow us to directly affect the base Stealth skill but at this level, we¡¯ve got to go up to its main category.¡± Ali replies and continues, ¡°If you manage to survive, it¡¯ll probably be useful in the future anyway.¡±
Quantum Stealth Manipulator (QSM) The QSM allows it¡¯s bearer to phase-shift, placing himself adjacent to the current dimension Effect: While active, user is rendered invisible and undetectable to normal and magical means as long as the QSM is active. Solid objects may be passed through but will drain charge at a higher rate. Charge lasts 5 minutes under normal conditions.
¡°The QSM ¨C how do I recharge it?¡± ¡°It uses a Type III Crystal Manipulator. The Crystal draws upon ambient and line specific¡­¡± Ali stares at my face for a moment before waving his hand. ¡°It recharges automatically. It¡¯ll be fully charged in a day under normal conditions.¡± ¡°No level requirements on these?¡± ¡°None.¡± I picked Ali because he knows the System better than I do, so I can either accept what he¡¯s saying or I can do it myself. Put that way, there¡¯s really not much of a choice. It¡¯s what we talked about, though that Perk Subterfuge isn¡¯t really going to be that useful for me. On the other hand, any bonuses to staying out of sight would be great and the QSM would let me run away if I was found out. Which just left my Greater Perk.
Advanced Class: Erethran Honor Guard The Erethran Honor Guard are Elite Members of the Erethran Armed Forces. Class Abilities: +2 Per Level in Strength. + 4 Per Level in Constitution and Agility. +3 Per Level in Intelligence and Willpower. Additional 3 Free Attributes per Level. +90% Mental Resistance. +40% Elemental Resistance May designate a Personal Weapon. Personal Weapon is Soulbound and upgradeable. Honor Guard members may have up to 4 Hard Point Links before Essence Penalties apply. Warning! Minimum Attribute Requirements for the Erethran Honor Guard Class not met. Class Skills Locked till minimum requirements met.
Advanced Class: Dragon Knight Groomed before birth, Dragon Knights are the Elite Warriors of the Kingdom of Xylargh. Class Abilities: +3 Per Level in Strength and Dexterity. + 4 Per Level in Constitution. +3 Per Level Intelligence and Willpower. + 1 in Charisma. Additional 2 Free Attributes per Level. +80% Mental Resistance. +50% Elemental Resistance Gain One Greater and One Lesser Elemental Affinity Warning! Minimum Attribute Requirements for the Dragon Slayer Class not met. Class Skills Locked till minimum requirements met.
¡°That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°No, you could get this too.¡±
Class: Demi-God You sexy looking human, you¡¯ll be a demi-god. Smart, strong, handsome. What more could you want? Class Abilities: +100 to all Attributes All Greater Affinities Gained Super Sexiness Trait
¡°That¡¯s not a thing.¡± ¡°It really ain¡¯t,¡± smirking, Ali waves and the last screen dismisses. ¡°You wanted a class that helps you survive? That means mental resistances. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be pissing those pretty little Pac-Man boxers the moment you see a Level 50 monster. You wanted an end-game? The Honor Guard are some mean motherfuckers. They combine magic and tech making them one of the most versatile groups around, and their Master class advancements are truly scary. The Dragon Knights fight Dragons. One on one and they sometimes even win. Oh, and neither, and I quote ¡®makes me into a monster¡¯. ¡°If these are Advanced Classes, what other classes are there?¡± I prod at Ali, still hesitating. This seems like a big choice. ¡°Basic, Advance, Master, Grandmaster, Heroic, Legendary,¡± lists Ali and he shrugs. ¡°I could get you a Master class with your perk, but you¡¯d be locked out of your class skills forever. You¡¯d also take forever to level because of the higher minimum experience level gains. Instead, I¡¯ve got you a rare Advanced Class - it¡¯ll give you a better base stat gain per level and you won¡¯t have to wait forever to gain access to your class skills. Getting a basic Class, even a rarer Basic class would be a waste of the Greater Perk. So what¡¯s it going to be?" As cool as punching a dragon in the face would be, I know which way I¡¯m going the moment he called it up. I mentally select the Guard and light fills me. At first, it just forces me to squint but it begins to dig in, pushing into my body and mind, sending electric, hot claws into my cells. The pain is worse than anything I¡¯ve felt and I¡¯ve broken bones, shattered ribs and even managed to electrocute myself before. I know I¡¯m screaming but the pain keeps coming, swarming over me and tearing at my mind, my control. Luckily, darkness claims me before my mind shatters. B2 Chapter 1 - New Beginnings ¡°This is a bad idea,¡± Ali, my two foot Spirt Companion floats next to me as he stares at the cave entrance cut into the river canyon¡¯s side. I crouch beside, glacial water flowing past my armoured legs. ¡°Of course. What exactly in the last 3 months has been a good idea? Taunting a Salamander? Hunting a drake? Clearing a monster lair? Ever since the damn System came into place, it¡¯s all been one bad idea after the next, it¡¯s just been a question of how bad we want to make it,¡± I point out as I check the readings from Sabre, my Personal Assault Vehicle. Normal humans would just call it powered armor, or maybe mecha. After all, a short half-hour ago it was a bike. What we¡¯re arguing about though is the floating System window that we haven¡¯t closed yet.
Dungeon Located! Warning! The current Dungeon has not been categorised at this time due to System limitations. All XP rewards are doubled. Successful completion of the dungeon by a System registered individual will generate additional rewards.
¡°You said it, these kinds of rewards can be quite profitable,¡± I point out, staring into the darkness and heft the newly integrated gun in Sabre. While I love my beam rifle, there are certain advantages to using good old solid weaponry including multiple ammo types. ¡°Still a bad idea boy-o. Could be a bunch of really high-level monsters in there,¡± points out Ali as he spins around in agitation. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Then we run. We still have a full charge on the QSM,¡± I reply. The Quantum State Manipulator is one of the first toys I acquired when the System kicked into play, Ali being another. It phases me partially into another dimension when activated which makes it incredibly useful for running away in most situations. It has its drawbacks including a long recharge time and a short use period, but it¡¯s saved my life more times than I care to count. ¡°Fine, fine. Light her up,¡± Ali mutters and I grin, pointing the barrel down the cave entrance. I cycle the ammunition and then open fire, embedding three glowing light sources into the cave walls in quick succession. I learnt my lesson about going into a dark cave a month ago. The cave entrance shows me nothing new, nothing special so I walk in full of confidence. Yeah, right. Instead, I launch one of my drones to check things out, sending it to the top of the ceiling before I step in fully, shrinking the feed enough that I can watch it and my surroundings at the same time. I keep an eye on the mini-map that Ali updates along with my own skill Greater Detection even as I do my best to keep hidden. I¡¯m a pretty good sneak if I do say so myself, though announcing myself with a bunch of lights probably takes away from the surprise factor. Still prefer it to running in blind. The first cave highlights nothing more than some deadly fungus. It shoots out spores that are probably poisonous but I¡¯m in a fully sealed suit so John 1, Dungeon 0. I can feel sweat running down my back though as I walk further in, cold sweat that even the environmental control can¡¯t fix. Fear courses through me, but along with it excitement. Yeah, I¡¯m screwed up in the head. I was before this started and now, I¡¯m probably even twisted. I actually like this. Risking my life, dancing along the knife¡¯s edge of danger. It wakes me up, thrills me in a way that nothing else I¡¯ve ever done in my life ever has and I¡¯ll admit it, I take risks that no one else will because that moment when everything tilts, when I could live or die, is when I finally feel truly alive. No more walls, no more contained feelings, perfectly in-control amidst the chaos. Crazy. Told you. ¡°Picking up two, nope. Three,¡± Ali mutters and I feel them a moment later myself. Damn, even now, he¡¯s better than I am. Then again, if the Spirit wasn¡¯t, I¡¯d feel like I wasn¡¯t getting my money¡¯s worth. Not that I pay him - not exactly at least. He was a Perk I gained for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and now, the System pays for his upkeep. If it didn¡¯t, I¡¯d have slowed my mana regeneration down even further and I¡¯ve got enough Skills that do that already. I send the drone ahead of me, high above in the ceilings while I get ready to lay down more light orbs. I wonder what I¡¯ll find this time? The answer is ugly, ugly monsters. Quadrupedal creatures with a face like a mutated rat with spiked bodies and a long stinger like a scorpion, the creatures are dark green with blotches of black across their bodies.
Kongorad (Level 28) HP: 480/480 Status Effects: None
I watch them for a few minutes, the creatures not noticing the drone. They don¡¯t do much beyond strolling around in curious circles, occasionally bumping into each other and play fighting. After I¡¯ve watched them long enough, I open fire and light up the rest of the cave as best I can including placing a single light orb in theirs. I watch as they startle, twisting to stare at the orb and I use the distraction to get moving, launching two more orbs to fully light up the cave while switching over to new ammo. I stagger the rounds in the loading chamber with a thought, high explosive, armor piercing and normal in order and then I send a single round into each of my opponents. Surprise is a wonderful thing. Even as the Kongorad are watching and trying to ascertain what the light orbs are doing, my rounds are impacting in their bodies. High explosive tears spines out, armor piercing drills all the way through and my normal round smashes into but doesn¡¯t pierce the spines. Armor piercing it is. Even as I mentally command the changes to Sabre, the Kongorad are reacting and returning fire with their spines. I duck behind a nearby outcropping but the spines move so fast and cover such a wide area, I get caught by a few. They drill through the nearby walls, the outcropping and my armor with ease, their mana imbued barbed bodies carrying poison into my body. I grunt at the notification though there is no pain, instead a comforting numbness. A light chime lets me know the gun is ready and I twist around the corner and open fire, concentrating on one monster and slamming three bullets into it. Each bullet smashes through its body, sending blood splattering around it before I duck back behind the measly cover provided by the rock. Thankfully, after drilling through all the rock, the spines can¡¯t penetrate my armor all the way. ¡°Incoming boy-o,¡± Ali calls out, happily floating in the middle of the room as one of the Kongorad attempts to kill him. He might be visible but he¡¯s not corporeal which means he¡¯s a very good distraction, leaving me only one more to deal with. I can see it creeping up to me around the corner, still firing its spines. Let it come.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Grinning in my helmet, I wait till it nearly turns the corner before slicing down with the sword I conjure into my hand. My personal weapon might not look like much but with my Advanced Class skills, I cut through the monster¡¯s head with ease, killing it. Not bothering to put the sword away, I spin out and send out a Blade Strike, a violet wave of energy rolling out from the sword and tearing into the last Kongorad. As it staggers back, I take a few quick steps and boot the creature over onto its back before impaling it. Monsters dead, I scan for any further surprises before slowly sinking down. My body is beginning to shudder slightly as it fights off the poison effects while I taste salt in my mouth from the sweat. I draw a deep breath and then force myself to my feet, looting the bodies and putting the System generated loot into my inventory before dropping the rest into my Altered Space, a dimensional pocket created from my class skills. I could store a bunch of things in there, but mostly, I use it for dead bodies. Shuddering one last time, I see the notification for the poison disappear and I stand straighter. Right, that wasn¡¯t so bad. They were tough but not out-leveled for me and with Sabre, I¡¯m at least another 10 levels higher than I should be. If that¡¯s all I¡¯m facing, this should be simple. ¡°Ali, this cave seems huge,¡± I mutter, kicking the latest victim off my blade and looting it. I¡¯ve switched to using my beam rifle for now, figuring if I¡¯m going to be walking around here for much longer, I better get the recharging started. I¡¯ve been down here for at least a good hour, walking through caves and killing Kongorad¡¯s and there is no way there¡¯s such an extensive cave system like this. It makes no physical sense. ¡°Dungeon,¡± Ali answers. ¡°That isn¡¯t an answer.¡± ¡°Yes, it is. The System designated this a Dungeon so it altered the physical space. It¡¯s now bigger on the inside,¡± Ali pauses at the last pronouncement, awaiting a reaction. Seeing he gets none, he mutters, ¡°God-damn muggle.¡± ¡°I think I liked it better when you were watching Reality TV,¡± I grumble while continuing to walk the cave. I should be able to sense further but the additional mana in the Dungeon is screwing with my Skill, reducing my ability to scan for threats to a bare 10 meters. Ali¡¯s got it better, but it still means we have to move carefully. I twist, spinning around and conjuring my sword into hand as I cut the Noxious Bat into two. Not it¡¯s real name but I had Ali change it for me since even through the environmental filtering I can smell it. Which of course makes no sense either since I¡¯m drawing from a secondary air source. Then again, it doesn¡¯t have to make sense if the System decides to break the rules. Again. I loot the corpse but don¡¯t bother sticking the body in my Altered Space, not wanting to contaminate my other goods. I have a theory that the System breaks many of the rules of physics because it is trying to balance both technology, magic and skills. So, if it gives a monster an environmental advantage, it wants it to be able to affect everything within a certain level. Thus, the System breaks other rules to make it work. On the other hand, I can punch through walls but not break the ground while doing so, so I¡¯ll take occasional weirdness. Not that I have a choice. It takes another half-hour of walking before I finally come to the end of the first floor. And I say floor since I find a straight chute going down, leading to what I can only assume is another floor. Fuck. ¡°How many floors do Dungeons have Ali?¡± I frown. I¡¯m confident but if I¡¯m looking at a dozen¡­ ¡°How long¡¯s the Ether serpent¡¯s tail?¡± I point the gun down, firing another light orb and then call back my first drone so that it can recharge while I send my second drone down. Hopefully, it¡¯s only these two floors - I only have two drones and their batteries take forever to recharge. Down, down, down we go. Wherever we go, that¡¯s where we kill. That doesn¡¯t work, does it? Fine, you put together a rhyme while fighting off spine monsters in packs. Here, I¡¯ll wait. Actually, no I won¡¯t because I¡¯m fighting Konograds. Ducking low, I grab a Konograd and pick it up, power armor assisting the lift as I use the creature to block the series of spines from its friends. I poke my rifle barrel around the twitching body, using the camera mounted on the barrel to target and fire. As I hear a distressed beep, I drop the rifle and throw the monster, taking a few further steps to reach the last of the still living monsters to stab it in the head. Monsters dead, I squat down as my head swims, my body shuddering as it continues to fight off the poison. Casting a Minor Heal helps a little so I do it again. The second level is taking forever. The Konograd move in larger packs down here and they have a friend, a tripedal creature skitters along the ground and releases beams of light that I have to dodge. Luckily, they aren¡¯t that common down here but between having to deal with increasing amounts of poison and greater swarms, I¡¯ve been having to take longer and longer breaks between each encounter. ¡°John, you sure you can do this?¡± Ali asks again and I nod firmly, slowly standing up and rotating my shoulders and knees as I check how far I¡¯ve recovered. I slowly walk back to pick up my rifle, sliding it back into its holster on my back. I check my ammunition, noting I¡¯m down to less than a dozen armor piercing bullets. I queue up high explosives next but I never bought that many of them - they are actually more expensive after all. Tackling these monsters head-on is not going to work. I¡¯m going to need to think of a new idea or pull back. I frown, feeling another shudder cross through me. I can¡¯t snipe the monsters, I don¡¯t have the line of sights. The monsters work in packs so trying to drag them out to kill one by one doesn¡¯t seem to work. So¡­ ¡°This is degrading!¡± Ali grouses and I chuckle, looking over the cavern that I¡¯ve altered. If I can¡¯t kill them one-by-one, I¡¯ll just pull them into a kill zone and force them to fight me in smaller numbers. I¡¯ve torn down some stalagmites and stalactites, piling them up to create a bottleneck while adding to it using some of the insta-cement I have left over. I¡¯ve got a small perch that has a little extra padding to slow down spines which will let me shoot at them in relative safety. I¡¯ve also added light orbs as far as I can to give me as much visibility as I can. After that, well, it¡¯s all up to Ali to play bait. ¡°Yeah, yeah, suck it up buttercup,¡± I grin, leaning back and checking the map again. ¡°Asshole,¡± mutters Ali as he heads out to the nearest group on the map, fully visible and glowing ever so slightly. The killzone works almost too well - pulling monsters to a fixed position and firing on them as they near me ensures I take out one or two before the pile arrives. After that, most initially try a long-range duel and when that fails, they charge the opening I¡¯ve left. It¡¯s so tight the monsters have to scramble and push to get through it, giving me more than enough time to line up a strike and kill them once they pop through. The monsters are so blindly aggressive and stupid, they keep coming because they¡¯ve got just that little chance to end me. After each group, Ali gives me a few minutes to rest and loot before we start the process again. Each break takes longer as he searches, drawing more and more monsters to us. The T¡¯kichik are the most difficult since they want to snipe and play at long-range. Unfortunately for them, I can use magic and I¡¯m more than happy to spam my Improved Mana Dart (II) at them, sending the trio of darts to bleed them. I almost feel bad for bullying the Konograd Alpha when Ali finally finds it. It comes rushing forwards, flanked by its guards and I greet them with a pair of plasma grenades, one after the other. The explosions rips apart most of my improvised walls but it is worth it, wiping out its guards. Facing the Alpha directly after that is way too simple as I duck, cut and shoot the monster to death. When I¡¯m done, I finally get what I¡¯m looking for.
Congratulations! Dungeon Cleared +5,000 XP
First Clear Bonus Having cleared the bonus for the first time, you have been rewarded an additional +5,000XP, +1,000 Credits
Ingles Canyon Dungeon classified as Level 20+ and above
Damn. That was a good haul. That¡¯s a huge experience increase, especially at my level. Between the two bonuses it gets me a third of the way to a new level. I bend down, looting the last body and dropping it into my Altered Space. Okay, time for me to head back. I¡¯m nearly out of ammo, I¡¯m tired and the after-effects of having so much poison pushed into my body can¡¯t be good. It might be psychosomatic, but I¡¯m still not feeling that hot. Home. Home is good. B2 Chapter 2 - Visitors Home is a two-storey log house set at the turn-off on the Klondike Highway between Carcross and Teslin. A former restaurant and grocery store, the Carcross Cutoff had clear fields of fire up to 50 meters away around its gravel parking lot and System cleared trees. In the past few weeks, John had paid to add reinforced System walls, windows and doors to the building to increase its security along with a simple Command Centre that provided him with a System enabled sentient tracking system along with System comptabile utilities. It made the once abandoned building quite livable, if lonely. I had a house in Whitehorse proper - okay, in Riverdale but that¡¯s a 15-minute walk to downtown for a slow walker - but being out here, a good thirty minutes away by bike, has been peaceful. I might return one day, but for now, my ex-party are staying at my house, taking care of the upkeep and ensuring monsters don¡¯t move in. Whitehorse has still not reached the threshold it requires to become a safe zone which stabilises the mana flows around the city and stops monster evolution within the city limits. Last I heard, they still had about 30% of the buildings in the city to be purchased. I can¡¯t even imagine the time it¡¯d take to get a place like New York completely stabilised. As I pull up on Sabre, I stand up and groan, stretching. I can¡¯t help but think about the hot shower that waits for me which is why I don¡¯t even see the giant, armored hand that appears and hauls me up into the air before it¡¯s too late to stop it. Reflexes honed through hours of battle kick in though and I¡¯m jabbing forward with my hand, calling forth my sword. My hand is grabbed and locked to my side in an iron grip. I don¡¯t stand a chance of breaking out of it so I don¡¯t even try, curling my body up around the arm that is holding me and kicking at the body with everything that I¡¯ve got. The impact is enough to rip me away from the arm, my body rolling and coming up by reflex even as my brain finally catches up. ¡°Stop!¡± the command is shouted and I freeze as my brain points out the many, many guns pointed at me. I¡¯m surrounded by armored attackers that are slowly shimmering into reality, cloaking deactivating. All of them are large, tusked and fully armored in black and green futuristic combat armor. Hakarta Lieutenant (Level 33*) HP: 4890/4890 ¡°Gremlin¡¯s Balls! It¡¯s a full Elite platoon John. This isn¡¯t even the right line-up!¡± Ali almost screams that out as he pulls the information up, displaying data above each of my attackers in quick succession. Lieutenant, a pair of Sargent¡¯s, four Privates and a Major. The lowest level come from the Privates and they are Level 17 Advanced Classes. I¡¯ve never heard Ali sound panicked before, not even when I was taunting and kiting a Salamander across kilometers of forested terrain but I can feel the cold pit of dread open in my stomach. Oh god, I am so out-leveled, it¡¯s not funny. The Cutoff is a System designated Fort which means that it has certain importance in terms of location and placement. When I first drove past it, I had been shot at by these guys - the Hakarta. Space mercenaries, most closely resembling our version of an Orc but with space armor, tactics and laser weapons. Not to say that they aren¡¯t armed with a series of nasty looking melee weapons either. ¡°Are you the owner of this Fort,¡± the Major speaks, making me turn slightly to look over at him. I keep an eye on my original attacker, noticing how he is leaning forwards, hands opening and closing. Trouble is going to come from there. The Major¡¯s voice is low, a growl more than a phrase but it is tinged with an upper-class British accent that reminds of my popular Victorian TV shows. The idiosyncrasies of learning a language from the System can be particularly amusing. ¡°Yes,¡± I reply, my hands twitching slightly by my side as one of the Hakarta picks up the sword I dropped when I was blocked. As a private comes up to grab my pistol I tense up and I watch as the rifles twitch, following even that slightest of motion. Arse. They don¡¯t bother touching Sabre, probably realising that it won¡¯t work for them without significant hacking. They do take my energy rifle from its holster on her though. ¡°What happened to my men?¡± the Major says. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± As I hesistate, the Lieutenant steps forward and throws a punch at me. I see it coming, in time perhaps to dodge it but under their guns I just take the punch. It slams into my stomach, forcing me to bow slightly in pain and exhale. ¡°Remove your helmet. And do not hesitate again at answering my questions,¡± the Major says once more and I comply, removing the helmet. ¡°Ali, glitter ball special on my command,¡± I think to him while answering. ¡°They are dead.¡± ¡°You are their killer?¡± the Major asks again and I can¡¯t for the life of me read him. It¡¯s not just the alien body language or the armor that covers his body, it¡¯s that he isn¡¯t giving away anything. I consider very briefly and very quickly lying but considering the Yerick and Roxley both had ways of telling if someone lied, I was willing to bet so did he. ¡°Yes. They attacked me first,¡± I answer, ready to let Ali know and trigger my QSM. The last time I fought these guys, they had quantum grenades that ripped through me even while I was in that state, but any chance is better than none. The Major looks at me for a time and then nods to the Lieutenant who steps back, away from me. ¡°Explain the incident to me. In detail.¡± I cough, rubbing at my neck and as the Lieutenant begins to move to hit me again, I start explaining. I detail how I was looking for survivors after the System came into place, how I was attacked while driving here, my tactics and finally, how I finished the matter. When I am done, the silence lingers for a time before the Major reaches up and makes his helmet disappear too, an act that is followed by all his men. ¡°They hid in the command room?¡± I nod slowly, fear slowly replaced with burning anger. I flex my hand, letting my gaze wander once more as I try to think of a survivable way of fighting back. I come up with nothing even as the Major¡¯s face twists and he spits on the ground. A few moments later, the other Hakarta around me follow his example. Interesting fact - Hakarta spit is green in colour. ¡°I am Labashi Ruka, Major of the Sixty Third Division. It is a pleasure to meet you, warrior,¡± the Champion answers. As he introduces, the Lieutenant twitches again, purple eyes narrowing. I stare at the Lieutenant for a moment before turning to Labashi. First, they attack me, then they beat me and then they introduce themselves? You know what, this is insane but that¡¯s been my life for the last few months. So, fine, insane it is. ¡°John Lee. This mean you decided not to kill me?¡± ¡°No, but I have decided not to do it yet,¡± the Major answers. ¡°Your actions have cost the Sixty Third Division a decent supplementary bonus.¡± I can feel my grin widening as he so casually mentions my death. Well, okay then. I keep my voice level as I buy time with another question, furiously trying to figure a way out. ¡°Supplementary bonus?¡± ¡°Information about the city of Whitehorse was requested. As the information was not part of the original contract, the bonus is supplementary. It was, however, substantial,¡± Labashi continues and just stands there, staring at me. ¡°Right¡­¡± I stare at him and then flick my glance to Ali. ¡°Ali, is he hinting I should give him that information?¡± ¡°YES!¡± Ali bounces up and down, shaking his head. ¡°If you aren¡¯t, I will!¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Well, perhaps I can help with that,¡± my smile widens, becoming all teeth. Alright, let¡¯s see how this dance goes. ¡°What did you need to know?¡± Labashi returns my smile, all toothy grin and all and then flicks his gaze over to the Lieutenant. The Lieutenant makes a slight motion and a blue screen appears in front of me, detailing the information they wish. Current owner, political situation, individuals in power, notable parties, defenses¡­ I shake my head, looking the list over. ¡°I know some of this, but I¡¯ve not really been plugged in for the last few weeks.¡± ¡°Plugged in?¡± Labashi snorts slightly, large green nose flaring around his tusks. ¡°Uhh¡­ been in touch. I moved out here a few weeks ago and not been talking to people as much,¡± I explain and Labashi nods. ¡°That is acceptable. Tell us what you know,¡± Labashi says. ¡°Right, let¡¯s see. Lord Roxley is the current landowner. There¡¯s a Human City Council that was put together that sort of but not really works with him about running the house. Some Yerick arrived a few months ago and moved in too. No one truly notable beyond Lord Roxley and the Yerick First Fist, everyone else are humans with low-levels compared to you guys. The city still doesn¡¯t have a stable mana flow so safe zones are rather nasty, human population is just above two thousand if I recall correctly.¡± As Labashi continues to nod, I continue to speak, digging through my brain for the information he wants. ¡°Security includes gate guards, a stone wall and I believe technological shielding on the walls though I¡¯ve not seen them in play. Guards are of course Lord Roxley¡¯s men and some human guards.¡± ¡°Good. Tell me of these Lord Roxley¡¯s men,¡± Labashi says and I grimace but settle in, detailing who I recall seeing. The only thing I leave out are Levels. No reason for him to know that I can read them and I ain¡¯t offering that information up. For what seems like hours, the questioning continues. Once they realise I¡¯m willing to talk, the guards relax slightly and we end up on my porch, drinking and snacking. I introduce the Major to chocolate which he seems highly appreciative of and he introduces me to a fruit drink from his home world. It¡¯s a very friendly interrogation, but it¡¯s an interrogation nonetheless and he pulls a ton of information from me. Outside of my own abilities, I don¡¯t bother hiding anything if he asks though I try not to be too helpful either. All the while, the Lieutenant stands directly behind me and if looks could kill, I¡¯d be a laser riddled corpse. Along the way, I do learn why it took them so long to come check on the fort. It seems their employer was a bit of a cheapskate and since each confirmed death of one of the Hakarta had a blood price, so long as the Hakarta were marked as ¡®missing¡¯, he would not need to make final payment. This little journey was actually off-the-books and completely on Labashi¡¯s time. ¡°I do like these Belgian chocolates best,¡± Labashi pops one last piece into his mouth before he stands. ¡°However, I must return to my Division. Would you prefer the blade or the beam?¡± I stand too, offering my hand once again. When my brain catches up I freeze, staring at the hulking brute before me. Shit¡­ ¡°John?¡± Labashi asks again, his voice calm while in my peripheral vision, I see the Lieutenant has already drawn his blade. I shake my head, then slowly speak. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Blood must pay in blood,¡± Labashi answers simply and I gulp. ¡°Bullshit!¡± Ali pops into existence, glaring at him. He¡¯s been quiet, invisible the whole time and working furiously on his own screens while we talked. ¡°Ah, the Spirit makes his appearance,¡± Labashi¡¯s lips pull apart again, widening into what could charitably be called a grin. ¡°And why would I shit with a bull?¡± ¡°Bugger that, you¡¯re just angling for something again with boy-o here. Why don¡¯t you just say it,¡± Ali states, tapping his foot. ¡°You boys aren¡¯t that bloodthirsty and the fight was fair so there¡¯s no blood debt.¡± Labashi continues to grin, staring at Ali before he laughs and then nods, ¡°Very well Spirit. I shall stop pulling the leg of the Adventurer. We stand to gain additional Credits for continued information about this White Horse. I desire John to provide that information.¡± I grunt. Now that my heart isn¡¯t thundering, that makes a lot of sense. In fact, I was pretty sure he was going to ask me to do this from the way he was speaking during our interrogation, not threaten me. Then again, I guess this is what they call blackmail. The word, the thought sets off that slow kindling flame of anger in me again, the one that¡¯s been trying to get out since I got attacked in my own home. I really, really don¡¯t like getting pushed around. ¡°Can do.¡± Labashi grins again, clapping me on the shoulder and gesturing for his people to get together. ¡°We will provide you a list of what is required.¡± I just nod and wait till they¡¯re gathered and walking away a bit before I call out, ¡°So, what am I getting paid?¡± They turn as a group and even Ali spins to stare at me. Labashi opens his mouth and I continue, ¡°Don¡¯t bother with threats. If you kill me, you get nothing so that doesn¡¯t work out for you. Of course, I¡¯d be dead but it still doesn¡¯t help you.¡± The Lieutenant shifts, taking a step towards me and I shake my head. ¡°Last warning, don¡¯t try it.¡± ¡°Kyroc,¡± Labashi just says his name and the Lieutenant steps back. Good discipline. ¡°Do you believe you can beat us?¡± ¡°No, but I¡¯m really good at running. I just need a little head start,¡± I smile slightly, gesturing to where they are, letting just a little of the anger reach my eyes. ¡°That¡¯s about enough.¡± ¡°I see¡­. And what do you desire?¡± Labashi answers, sharp teeth beginning to show again as he looks at me. ¡°Payment of course. You want me to be a spy, well, spies get paid.¡± I shrug. ¡°We¡¯ll call it oh¡­ 20% of the System price. And a guarantee we don¡¯t ever have this conversation again.¡± ¡°Impossible! 20% is too high,¡± Labashi states immediately and I glance at Ali who doesn¡¯t make a move. ¡°What¡¯s your number?¡± ¡°10%¡± ¡°25.¡± ¡°¡­ that is not how you negotiate,¡± Labashi replies, eyes narrowing. ¡°It is when you give a too low number to begin with,¡± This is stupid, but that¡¯s okay. I¡¯m about 50% sure I can get away from there before they can kill me. And if not¡­ well, fuck it. I was dead as of 4 months ago anyway. ¡°Shall we try for higher?¡± ¡°25.¡± Labashi answers, nodding. ¡°And a guarantee of immunity from prosecution from the Hakarta,¡± I add. ¡°I can only guarantee for my division,¡± Labashi says. ¡°That¡¯ll do.¡± ¡°Then the deal is done.¡± ¡°One thing - I don¡¯t guarantee I¡¯ll be able to get all the information you want,¡± I add. ¡°Then the deal will be voided if you do not treat fairly with us and attempt to learn the requested information,¡± Labashi adds and then his grin widens. ¡°And I will find you and show you how we feel about deal breakers.¡± ¡°Fair enough,¡± I smile back at him, the pit of anger still burning away. ¡°Then deal is done,¡± Labashi repeats again and the way he says makes me think it is ritual so I repeat it myself. Contract Initiated and Agreed Upon by Labashi Ruka and John Lee. Further Details? (Y/N) I blink and eyes narrow slightly, looking at the Orc. He just flashes me another toothy grin, pulling on his helmet as the group turn and walk away. I watch them leave, waiting for them to move a distance away before I retrieve my weapons and dismiss my sword. I have a feeling I somehow got played¡­ ¡°Well, that was fun,¡± I mutter and slump down next to the door, letting out a long exhalation when I finally decide that they really are gone. ¡°What the hell, John!¡± Ali mutters, shaking his head. ¡°You had to challenge him?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t like being pushed around.¡± ¡°Fuck! And he got you into a contract. You sure you up to this boy-o?¡± Ali answers and I chuckle. ¡°Why not? Aren¡¯t you the one who is always saying everything has a price on the System? If they really wanted to know, they could just buy it. Might as well get paid,¡± I answer and shake my head. ¡°Anyway, I never said I wasn¡¯t going to tell the others about this.¡± ¡°Playing both sides?¡± Ali says and I shrug. ¡°No idea, we¡¯ll play it by ear,¡± I rub my temple before I tilt my head to Ali. ¡°I wonder who their employer is.¡± ¡°You could find out,¡± Ali points out and I consider it for a moment before shake my head. I really am not that interested in wasting good credit. I look down at my hands, seeing that they¡¯ve stopped shaking and I nod slowly. God, that was close. ¡°Could I have escaped?¡± I wonder aloud. ¡°No idea. Probably not,¡± Ali adds, shaking his head. ¡°You don¡¯t become a Major without at least a few tricks up your sleeve.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I shut my eyes, shaking my head. ¡°So, care to explain contracts?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a Skill,¡± Ali explains and frowns, shaking his head. ¡°I guess it¡¯s not surprising Mercenaries have it but fuck, sorry. I should have warned you - I just didn¡¯t realise it. The Skill binds the user and other parties into the deal they agreed upon. If you fail to live up to your side, it not only notifies him, the System will also impose a penalty upon you. Mostly a mana tax and the ability for the user to track you. Which can be transferred.¡± I nod slowly, grimacing. Great. And the deal¡¯s open-ended¡­ The only advantage is that like any permanent alteration in the System, the Major¡¯s got to be paying for the contract through his mana so it¡¯s not something he¡¯d want to keep forever. ¡°Alright boy-o. Up and at them, you need a bath,¡± Ali says after I¡¯ve been sitting there for a bit. ¡°I¡­¡± I frown, and then shake my head. ¡°No. Let¡¯s head in. I think, I think I need some company,¡± I slowly stand up, looking back at the fort. Company, safety, perhaps just a place to put my head down. They aren¡¯t likely to come back, not really, but¡­ tonight I¡¯ll sleep in my house in Whitehorse. B3 Chapter 3 - Evening In ¡°John!¡± Xev chitters at me, hunched over and waving her claws in my face. I plaster a smile on for Xev, looking it over again. Six legs and a pair of three-fingered hands on a black, hairy body with a bulbous abdomen and front, Xev looks like a giant black spider with hands. It¡¯s just a little disconcerting and the first time I saw it, I had to work really hard at not shooting it and I¡¯m not even scared of spiders. ¡°Is Sabre good?¡± ¡°Not bad, just some minor structural damage,¡± I gesture at the bike as I turn it off in the parking spaces outside its workshop before pointing out the damage. It chitters angrily, waving me away. As Xev scrambles around the bike, fitting a variety of wires into the bike, it pokes at one of the armor points and peels it away, staring at the insides. ¡°This is old! You should bring in faster even if your nanite upgrades fix the armor.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± I apologise automatically. Really, the structural damage was so minor it didn¡¯t seem to matter. Putting all that money into the Omnitron Class II Nanite Armor Upgrade had saved me a ton, even if the armor class hadn¡¯t gone up. As Xev mutters to itself more, I have to clear my throat to get its attention. After a quick discussion, I leave Sabre with it for the evening and start walking, heading for the butchering yard. The butchering yard is what used to be the Old Firehall, a single story large building with wide barn doors with the old train tracks running next to it. The entire area from the Firehall to the old tourist train station is part of the yard, with the newly made compost piles making up the third portion of their rather smelly triangle that sits next to the river. Thankfully, low level enchantments keep the wind blowing from the yard and the compost heap into the river, keeping the smells away from the downtown itself. Of course, that brings its own problems and they¡¯ve recently had to add guards to deal with monsters drawn to the smell. At the yard, I follow directions and watch as the bodies are pulled apart, weighed and portions of the body separated for both Sally and Xev. As usual, I get a Quest completion with a small amount of experience and Credit bonus for turning in the meat which is partly why I do so. The other reason being that while we¡¯re doing well with food for now, come winter food is going to be significantly more difficult to acquire and the city is desperately attempting to stock up for the winter. Shaking my head, I dismiss the thought. Not really my problem. I stand and watch the men and women swarm the bodies, harvesting the body parts and dumping them into carts, moving with both grace and strength that would have been impossible even a few month ago. I watch for a few moments more, the last of the corpses I deposited from my Altered Space weighed, tagged and priced before I turn to leave. As I turn away, my eye is drawn to the futuristic, towering silver monstrosity of an office building that sits smack, dab in the centre of the city at odds with the quaint two and three storey 1920¡¯s era commercial buildings of the town. It¡¯s a building that I know well - it¡¯s where the Shop is and where Lord Roxley both resides and reigns over us all. Once upon a time I was a regular visitor there, till things fell apart. Once upon a time¡­ I shake my head, dismissing the matter. As I walk up Main St. I notice that more and more buildings are coming back to life. We have a grocery store with handmade local luxuries, an armourer with locally crafted low-level protection, a couple of competing alchemists, a pair of clothing stores, the Guild, the hotels that have been purchased and of course, the pub. As always, the pub is noisy and busy. Why wouldn¡¯t it be? It¡¯s not as if the Yukon led Canada in the highest alcohol consumption per person. Or that our local brewing company had been set-up two weeks ago as one of the first major private enterprise. Of course it would be busy. \What kind of Adventurers would we be without a pub? I can feel my lips twist as I stare at it, wry humor and irritation sparking along one another. I don¡¯t even know why I¡¯m angry¡­ I shove it aside, bottling up the anger as I head in. The inside of the Nugget is all dark faux wood and worn, mismatched furniture. The Apocalypse had come fast, and rampaging monsters and panicked humans had destroyed the old sets. Now, it was catch as catch can. At eight in the evening, the Nugget is busy and noisy, filled with people resting, eating and drinking. Mostly drinking. All around me, people sit and the grouping is easy to tell. Hunting parties sit together and dominate the room with only a few craftsmen present. Skimpily dressed young women do most of the serving to the majority male-dominated group among the hunters, dropping off beer, steaks and fish and chips in large quantities. As I survey the insides, a waving hand catches my attention. Jason. I walk over, letting my gaze slide over the group with him. Richard, redheaded and dashing with a new young lady on his arm and Shadow curled up at his feet. Mikito, her ever present naginata resting against the wall behind her, a strained look of patience plastered on her face. Jason, thin, weedy looking and oh-too-young and Constable Gadsby with his metal arm. Half were my former party members, the other the leaders of Carcross. Jason Cope (Level 38 Elementalist) HP: 230/230 Constable Mike Gadsby (Level 37 Guardian) HP: 940/940 Mikito Sato (Level 36 Samurai) HP: 530/530 Richard Pearson (Level 34 Beast Tamer) HP: 250/250 I look around, spotting Rachel seated with the Brothers of the Wolf, the First Nation exclusive group of teenagers and my eyes narrow. I wonder if she quit to join them or¡­? I shake my head as Jason squeezes a chair next to the table for me, taking a seat. I get my back to the door which makes me twitch slightly, but I¡¯m the last to arrive so beggars can¡¯t be choosers. ¡°Evening.¡± ¡°John, we wanted to ask Ali about something,¡± Kevin says immediately, not even bothering to greet me. A passing waitress drops a pint of beer on the table for me, presuming I¡¯ll be drinking. No need for questions - it¡¯s water or beer and I¡¯m not drinking water. ¡°Questions are 5 Credits, answers are 10,¡± calls out Ali as he floats after one of the waitresses. ¡°Toots, I need a drink too.¡± I see the quick flash of irritation before the waitress nods, returning to drop a glass from her tray before she heads to get more. ¡°You drink?¡± I blink, staring as Ali proceeds to pick up the pint glass, holding it up to his three-foot figure before chugging it down. ¡°I do now,¡± Ali smirks, proud of himself. Jason blinks, staring at Ali before he shakes his head. ¡°It¡¯s about Stats man. We¡¯ve been talking about it and I¡¯ve been charting the growth and it just doesn¡¯t make sense. Like, I¡¯ve got a Strength of 20 now. So that should mean I¡¯m like twice as strong as a normal human or maybe double the peak? However, it doesn¡¯t seem to work like that. ¡°Worst, the non-physical ones don¡¯t even make sense. I¡¯m smarter then before but I¡¯m not, you know, making physics breakthroughs. Richard¡¯s all kinds of sexy and all, and he¡¯s getting laid, but for the level of his Stats, I should be wanting to sleep with him and I ain¡¯t. No offence.¡± ¡°None taken. I don¡¯t do kids,¡± Richard replies and the girl next to him frowns, looking at Richard and then Jason. ¡°So, what the hell? I don¡¯t get this shit,¡± Jason waves his fingers. ¡°Ali, I got this,¡± I think to my friend and then as the waitress comes up, I point to the chalkboard menu. ¡°One of everything.¡± Having delayed it long enough, I turn to Jason and grin at him, a little cruel streak popping up. ¡°First, stop swearing. Your mum would be angry. Second, you sure you old enough to be drinking here?¡± ¡°Har, har. Funny. I was talking to Ali,¡± Jason replies, prodding at his nose as he attempts to adjust non-existent glasses. I chuckle, leaning back and pull a chocolate piece from my inventory as I continue, ¡°Seriously though, I can answer this. It¡¯s very simple - it¡¯s the System.¡± Richard groans as I say it and Mikito snorts, sipping on her beer. The others just look puzzled at the inside joke before I elaborate. ¡°The System¡¯s the System. No use trying to figure it out, it doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± ¡°Oh, come on! I know you said this isn¡¯t a game, but we still need to understand this!¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. I grimace and then glance at Ali who sighs, putting his third pint down half-finished. He lets out a large burp before he waggles his fingers, a glowing blue screen appearing. It¡¯s filled with symbols, circles, dashes and dots that combine together in distinct groupings much like Egyptian hieroglyphs. ¡°Right, System basics 101. 100 Credits. And I won¡¯t ever give this talk to you again.¡± ¡°100!¡± Jason sputters, glaring at Ali who just nods before he finally relents, sending over the payment. ¡°Right, good man. You see that? That¡¯s what it actually says for ¡®Strength¡¯. That¡¯s in System,¡± Ali points. ¡°That gets translated to this,¡± the screen shifts, the language changing to a series of scrawls now, ¡°which is Galactic Script. That then gets translated to your respective human language. As you can guess, the translation is actually a lot more complex. ¡°When you increase your Strength, you are actually adjusting the way you manage Mana via the System. For example - Gadsby, you probably could shatter the table you just put your glass on and the glass itself by being that rough normally. After all, you could punch through steel right now. However, because you adjusted your Strength stats via the System, the System alters the density and strength of things you interact with for you. Thus, non-breaking tables, ground that can handle movement, hell, Mikito even bends beam weapons ever so slightly around her as she dodges. The System ¡®helps¡¯ all of you without you consciously knowing it.¡± Jason opens his mouth and then shuts it while Gadsby and the girl look on in interest. Both Richard and Mikito look bored, having heard this before. Me? I just get to eating as the first plate arrives. Funny thing about Adventuring - you end up eating a ton. ¡°So, your points aren¡¯t a straight line. They literally are a kind-of-approximate tool to let you understand the System better and one that the Council cobbled together from the way you guys understand the System and what it¡¯d bring about. ¡°As for Intelligence and the other intangibles - well, as I told John a long time ago, Intelligence increases don¡¯t necessarily make you much smarter. Physically, you¡¯ve been changed, but you can¡¯t do higher Physics because you never learnt the basics. You have faster neural processes, but it¡¯s like a muscle. If all you¡¯ve done is fight with it, you might think and react faster in a fight but that won¡¯t translate much outside of it. Also, don¡¯t forget that much of those increases and changes are going to help you control and manipulate Mana itself,¡± Ali shrugs. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of a few people who have managed to become super-geniuses from increasing their intelligence, but most of them were already on the borderline anyway.¡± I watch as Jason shakes his head, trying to put it together, ¡°What are you saying? That Intelligence isn¡¯t intelligence? That it¡¯s more Mana pool?¡± ¡°Yes. No. Maybe,¡± Ali answers and mutters, shaking his head. ¡°Look, think of it like your earth computer. You got a motherboard - your body. Intelligence increases help adjust the motherboard and the RAM, increasing both. Sometimes, it upgrades your motherboard, sometimes it upgrades the RAM. Sometimes it adds a new graphic card or new slots so you can plug in more things later like Psionic powers. However, you still need to run the right programs to make your computer work better and that means getting the right Skills. Doesn¡¯t matter how good a computer you have, if you are doing 1+1, it¡¯s still 1+1.¡± I see Jason frown and then open his mouth before shutting it, thinking hard. Kid¡¯s trying to game the System again, just like he did when he started. Still, the fact that he¡¯s filled out a bit and doesn¡¯t look like a stiff breeze will send him over probably means he¡¯s been putting points into something other than Intelligence. Which is good. ¡°How about Charisma? Am I sleeping with Richard because I want to or because he wants me to or because the System does?¡± the girl queries, a brow furrowed as I push my plate aside and tackle the next one. I tilt my head, curious about the answer to this one. I know I have¡­ issues, with that ability. It¡¯s part of why I turned down Roxley. And Lana. I don¡¯t like the idea of being told to like someone. ¡°Sort of,¡± Ali shrugs and opens his hand. ¡°It¡¯s the same answer. Yes, his Charisma trait makes him look better looking to you, makes his pheromones more powerful and enticing. No, it¡¯s not directly affecting your emotions or thoughts, you need to use a Skill for that. Maybe the System is affecting things to some degree, but then again, if Claudia Schiffer came along, I wouldn¡¯t say no.¡± The girl opens her mouth and then shuts it, looking at Richard and then back to Ali. Unconsciously, she edges away from him, putting space between the two of them. Richard just rolls his eyes at Ali, mouthing ¡®Thank you¡¯ to the Spirit as he leans back and folds his arms. Mike on the other hand is frowning, rubbing his chin in thought. I guess the question of consent really bites considering his former profession. I push my other plate aside, grabbing the third and last bowl of stew. Not much choice yet, but what there is, is good. As the others devolve into discussing the details, forcing Ali to pull up the descriptions and going into them line by line, I turn back to my own thoughts. One thing I don¡¯t add is that it¡¯s quite likely whoever created the System is purposely nerfing Intelligence in particular. I¡¯d lay good money that whoever built this didn¡¯t want a bunch of super-intelligences running around. After all, if we got too smart, we might figure out a way to survive without the System and that, I know, is something the creators don¡¯t want. I¡¯ve called the entire System a scam and the more I read and learn, the more certain I am that it is. It¡¯s like one of those multi-level marketing schemes where the moment you buy-in, you have to keep buying in. ¡°Coming tomorrow?¡± Mikito says to me when she manages to catch my eye. I blink, raising an eyebrow and she sighs, ¡°The Boss attacks. Are you joining us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± I clarify and she frowns, shooting a look at Richard who has joined in the discussion. ¡°That¡¯s why Jason and Mike are here. We¡¯re grouping up, all of us, to take on some of the Bosses that have been growing up around the city. You should have been invited,¡± she says, concern tinging her voice. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly Mr. Popular around here.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. Are you coming?¡± she pushes and I shrug. ¡°No idea,¡± I answer, leaning back as I push the stew aside, wiping my face down and sipping on my drink. ¡°Maybe. You guys probably can handle it.¡± ¡°It¡¯d be good for you. For us,¡± she adds, and then sighs. ¡°Fine, you baka.¡± Yeah well¡­ I don¡¯t really see a point. I don¡¯t owe the city anything, not anymore. And whatever she thinks, my presence might cause more problems than they fix. As she falls silent, shrinking back into her seat, I turn to listen in on the conversation. It¡¯s moved on, thankfully, from the System to town gossip and I make sure to pay attention. After all, you never know what I might learn and I¡¯m getting paid. I think. ¡°Lana,¡± I greet the redhead stunner as I walk into my house. She¡¯s tucked away in the kitchen, waving her hands at screens only she can see when I come in. Richard and Mikito had left a few hours ago, both of them heading to get some rest for their big day tomorrow, leaving me to my silence and beer. Lana looks up and Richard¡¯s sister as always takes my breath away. A gorgeous redhead with bright blue eyes that turn green in certain lights, she¡¯s dressed in her version of a uniform - a simple blouse and pair of jeans, none of which do anything to hide her ample curves. She smiles back at me, flicking her hand to dismiss her System screens as she greets me, ¡°John.¡± ¡°Up late?¡± I step in to the kitchen, drawn like a moth to a flame. Closer, I realise there are slight bags under her eyes and a tension in her shoulders that I¡¯ve never seen before. ¡°Just work,¡± she murmurs, her eyes flicking over my form too in silent assessment. She pauses before she speaks again, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that my line?¡± ¡°Har! I¡¯m not the one who runs into trouble all the time. I¡¯m just a paper pusher,¡± she says, shaking her head. ¡°Seriously John, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing much,¡± I keep my hands clasped and on the table, mostly to make sure I know where they are as I sit down across her. ¡°John¡­¡± her voice changes, growing stern. ¡°I just had some visitors. The Hakarta,¡± I shrug and at her puzzled expression, I add, ¡°The Space Orcs.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± her lips tighten and she frowns, looking at me and then she shakes her head, drawing her own conclusions. Probably violent ones. ¡°So, what papers are you pushing?¡± I ask, changing topics. ¡°The usual. Business proposals. Loan extension requests. Reports and cashflow projections,¡± she shakes her head, rubbing her temples. Lana runs the biggest investment fund in Whitehorse, initially funded through my killings but these days it¡¯s pretty self-run. From what I recall, she basically a hand in every significant private enterprise since the System came into play. Not that I¡¯ve seen a Credit in return - every single Credit of profit has been plowed right back into the City. ¡°Get an AI toots,¡± Ali says, appearing on the table next to her and flashing her a grin. ¡°Ali,¡± the smile she gives the Spirit sends a spike of anger through me and I quell it. Just because the two have gotten closer since they saved my ass a month ago is no reason for me to get jealous. None at all. ¡°Aren¡¯t those expensive?¡± ¡°Only if you get them as a Companion. If you get an off-the-rack one, they¡¯ll be pretty cheap. If you just get a basic one, shouldn¡¯t cost you much at all. Just make sure to get the heavy security models,¡± Ali adds. ¡°Definitely don¡¯t get a Spirit. No self-respecting Spirit wants to be a glorified personal assistant.¡± Lana nods, rubbing her chin. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t have a lot of Credits left¡­¡± ¡°Use the Fund,¡± I chime in, ¡°It¡¯s a business expense.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it works that way,¡± Lana says, frowning at me. ¡°Says who?¡± I smirk and then wave my hand. ¡°Not as if the CRA are coming after you for taxes and Roxley will be happy for you to spend more with him anyway.¡± ¡°I guess¡­¡± she says and then rubs her temples again before she falls silent, her voice dropping lower. ¡°John, we should talk¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I blink, tilting my head. I quell the urge to flee, sensible as it may be. ¡°Mikito says you won¡¯t be with us tomorrow,¡± Lana says and my brain jerks to a stop as thoughts re-arrange. Oh, we¡¯re having that talk. ¡°Yeah, I wasn¡¯t¡­ wait. We?¡± I lean forwards, my voice getting tight. ¡°I¡¯m going too. The Bosses, they need to be killed.¡± ¡°Of course, they do. Why are you going?¡± ¡°Because it needs to be done,¡± she replies, frowning. ¡°Sure, sure. But you¡¯re¡­,¡± I open my mouth and then clamp them shut as Ali keeps shaking his head at me. Oh crap. ¡°I¡¯m what John?¡± her voice rising, she glares at me. ¡°A paper pusher? A girl?¡± ¡°No¡­ not that. You just, you know, haven¡¯t really been¡­¡± I stammer and she snorts. ¡°If you¡¯ve forgotten, I walked here with Mikito and Richard. I still go out with them once in a while,¡± she snaps, getting to her feet. ¡°I can take care of myself.¡± I open my mouth, wanting to point out that she was just about to ask me to keep her higher Leveled brother safe if I knew her at all and then snap it shut at Ali¡¯s screamed, mental NO. Right, right. Not the way to win an argument. While I¡¯m working that all out, she stomps right out and I watch her departing back, grimacing. ¡°Well done boy-o,¡± Ali golf claps from his seat on the table. ¡°Bite me.¡± Fuck me. Late at night, I stare up at the ceiling trying to figure out what went wrong. I spent weeks away from them all, trying to come to terms with who, what I am. The anger that sits in me, the world that we live in. And within hours of coming back, I am fighting with Lana and confused once again. I don¡¯t know what they want from me, not really. I¡¯m lying in bed here, trying to figure out what it is they want because the gods know, I definitely don¡¯t know what I want. To survive, sure. Get through another day, get a little stronger, get a little better. To fight, because I can? Saying, thinking it out loud, it seems so stupid. I slowly exhale, focusing on just breathing for a few moments. I don¡¯t know what I want, for myself or for Lana. I just know that I don¡¯t want her to die. I don¡¯t want anyone else who I could save to die. I don¡¯t need that, not on my conscience. B2 Chapter 4 ¡°What did you do!¡± Richard mutters as he grabs my arm, dragging me aside the next morning. They had gathered around the sternwheeler near Rotary Park and when I drove in, late, Richard had immediately spotted me. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°My sister¡¯s been on the warpath all morning!¡± Richard growls, gripping my arm tight. ¡°She¡¯s insisting on being part of the main teams instead of the reserve.¡± ¡°What makes you think I did anything?¡± I ask innocently, giving him big eyes behind my mask. ¡°Because she only ever gets that angry when it comes to you!¡± Richard mutters again and then lets go of my arm, glaring at me. ¡°If she gets hurt¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get your puppies to tear me limb for limb. Got it,¡± I reply and shake my head. As Richard opens his mouth to say something else, he is cut off by a short, angry man in a suit. A suit in this day and age! And in Whitehorse too where formal attire is your best plaid shirt and a pair of clean jeans. His voice rising as he speaks, shorty says, ¡°What is he doing here?¡± I turn and grin at Eric Roth aka Minion, ¡°Just ambling along. How you doing?¡± ¡°You! Get out of here. This is official Whitehorse City Council business and you are not invited,¡± he snarls at me, stepping forward. I tilt my head as he steps forward, feeling one side of my lips tug up and he stops and steps back. ¡°Trust me, I¡¯m not here for you,¡± I drawl and then raise a hand. Minion flinches slightly, probably remembering my hand wrapped around his throat and I flick it. ¡°Go do your thing.¡± He glares at me, opening his mouth to say something else before he is cut off by a low rumble. ¡°Are we to begin Councillor Roth? I am being paid by the hour¡­¡± The speaker is a nine foot tall bull-man hybrid, a full-on Minotaur from legends in full battle armour. He even has an axe - though the barrel shape in the centre lends credence to the idea that it¡¯s more than just a melee weapon. Tells you how low on the totem pole of popularity I am, when the Yerick are invited and I¡¯m not. Minion¡¯s face twists again in a sneer before he hurries over to the group leaders where Lana and Mikito stand. Lana shoots me a glare that could freeze water solid while Richard mutters next to me, ¡°You have got to stop antagonising that man.¡± ¡°Better to twit him than kill him,¡± I reply, flexing my hand by my side. ¡°Sometimes, I¡¯m not entirely sure if you¡¯re joking,¡± Richard says and I don¡¯t let him know that I¡¯m not sure either. Minion had almost literally admitted to burning down the Yerick¡¯s buildings, but here he is, walking around free and clear organising everyone and I¡¯m persona-non-grata. Okay, fine. Choking him out in broad daylight might have been a bit of an over-reaction to having my name sullied but even now, I can feel my blood boil slightly at the betrayal. Having him disgrace me like that, take away my face¡­ I exhale, forcing myself to let it go. The past is pain after all. What is, is. I shake my head slightly, realising that Richard¡¯s left while I was caught up in my thoughts. As much as I believe Minion was the culprit, there is no evidence. He never directly admitted to anything and the actual culprits have been caught and tried. They¡¯re working their debts off in the compound that the Yerick had built in their burnt-out plots of land and as far as the city is concerned, the case is closed. Tensions between the races are high still but between the increased surveillance drones and a few, very public and nasty beatdowns by the Yerick, direct attacks have stopped. As I stand by myself, apart from everyone, I idly watch Minion speak to the groups, reading lips and picking out where he¡¯s sending everyone. Ali helps by hacking his System window and displaying it for me, adding annotations as each group is directed to a different Boss. If I have to say one good thing about Minion, it¡¯s that he is highly organised. Ten minutes later, the groups are disappearing and that even includes time to answer any questions asked. I let my gaze wander over each group once more, watching as Capstan splits a few of his men off to join different groups. It¡¯s not a horrible set-up, other than the fact that Minion only intends to keep a single reserve team - the Chaos Hands. I check their levels again, seeing that nothing is over 25 and I wince. We¡¯re all still under-leveled for this area. I let my gaze sweep over the group again and realise that gathered here are the careful, the lucky and the crazy. The brave, the rational and the unlucky are dead, murdered in the first few days of the System for the most part. First responders, the RCMP, the burgeoning heroes all mostly died in the opening scenes of the Apocalypse, fighting creatures that out-leveled them. It¡¯s only through the mercy of the gods and Lord Roxley that we¡¯ve survived as long as we have. ¡°So, boy-o, we following the girl?¡± Ali sends to me mentally and I nod. ¡°You know she¡¯s going to be pissed right.¡± ¡°Better pissed than dead,¡± I send back and then add. ¡°We¡¯ll hang back a bit though.¡± Ever since the Mana flooded the world and the System came, monsters have been appearing all over Earth. There are two kinds really, the ones that have evolved from Earth and the ones that have been ¡®imported¡¯ into the world via the System. Occasionally, those monsters have a particularly nasty one - a System designated Boss. Or maybe they are Bosses and the System just tags them. Either case, they are nasty fellows and their presence means that particular group is going to be populating even faster than normal. Leave them alone long enough and you get monster swarms and they become a mainstay in a region, flooding outwards. If you¡¯re really unlucky, they find a lair that is filled with Mana and stay there, eventually creating a Dungeon. Since the entire world has been designated a Dungeon world and we¡¯re getting the overflow of Mana from every other System controlled world, it¡¯s pretty much a given we¡¯re going to get a ton of Dungeons and Bosses. The goal today is simple though - just like we used to manage the wildlife up here, we¡¯re going to manage the monster population. Just like you kill the bulls to reduce the monster herd, we kill the Bosses. Of course, along the way they¡¯ll be killing a ton of others too but that¡¯s the way it works. Loping along far behind Lana¡¯s group, I have a lot of time to do thinking like this. The occasional monsters they miss and the ones that try to sneak up on aren¡¯t even a challenge. I have Ali patched into their communication channel as he floats alongside me, listening in just in case something important comes up. Mostly though, the two of us are along for the ride today. If we¡¯re real lucky, I won¡¯t even need to get involved. An hour later, I come to a stop as Lana¡¯s group hits the boundary of their targets area. I pull up my minimap, focusing on the green dots. Knight Beetle (Level 29) HP: 180/180 Ali pulls up some information for me, flicking the System window over and as I read the information, I relax. Each beetle is purple and grey in colour, about two and a half feet in length and a foot tall with armored carapaces that give them their name. Tough and they have a tendency to swarm but Lana¡¯s group of five humans is augmented by Lana¡¯s three oversized Huskies and a mutated fox. While Lana might not have been going out as often, she certainly knows how to control her animals and the way the dots keep disappearing tell me they are doing well. I rub at my neck, trying to get rid of the tension there and eventually give in, just pulling out some chocolate to chew on while I wait. Ali has his head tilted to the side, obviously listening in before he grunts. ¡°John¡­ how much do you like Jim?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I start looking for where Jim should be and realise he¡¯s only a few kilometers away. ¡°Nothing yet, but I don¡¯t think his group can deal with what he¡¯s going to be fighting,¡± Ali says. ¡°So, we going?¡± I hesistate, looking back up to where Lana fights. She hasn¡¯t hit the Boss yet and those things can always change the flow of a battle. On the other hand¡­ I bite my lips, twisting to where Jim¡¯s boss marker is and take off running. I hope I¡¯m doing the right thing.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°What¡¯s so bad Jim can¡¯t handle it?¡± I ask as I pound through the dirt, the powered armor covering ground at a good klip. I shatter rock and the occasional fallen tree, knowing that I don¡¯t have a lot of time. His Boss wasn¡¯t that much further out than Lana¡¯s after all. Still, Jim was a big boy - he was the seniormost of the City¡¯s Hunters and a tough old coot. ¡°Lightning Squirrels,¡± Ali explains, floating alongside me with ease as I activate Thousand Steps, a skill of mine that lets me move faster. ¡°They¡¯re mutations of your ground squirrels. Individually, they¡¯re really low level. However, in a swarm, each of them feeds off the other and there¡¯s a LOT more of them then Minion knows about.¡± Even as we talk, my map starts updating with little grey dots. Low level indeed. I watch as the dots start disappearing in front of the friendly blue dots of Jim¡¯s group. No surprise that they¡¯re electing to take them out range - his entire group is composed of rifle users. Unfortunately, what they can¡¯t see is the swarm of grey dots that have begun to converge on them. As the swarm closes in, I spot a blue dot flicker and disappear. I grit my teeth as the dots begin to pull back in a somewhat orderly fashion but they can¡¯t keep ahead. I can see with my eyes now the flashes of electricity, the never-ending arcs that have lit the undergrowth on fire. Beam weaponry stabs out from the embattled group, killing individual squirrels along with the crack of projectile fire. There¡¯s even the occasional explosion, but the swarm is just too large. I¡¯ve begun to open fire myself, keeping to normal projectiles as I unload on the squirrels. Each shot disintegrates the small creatures, turning them into red mist and I even occasionally manage to get more than one with a shot. Problem is, killing one when there¡¯s a hundred doesn¡¯t work. ¡°This isn¡¯t working!¡± I yell, bouncing forwards. The occasional lightning arc at this distance feels like a static electric discharge through the armor but we¡¯re going right into the centre and I know it¡¯s going to get worst. I draw a deep breath, letting the shooting and running go on autopilot as I reach into myself, finding my own link to the Elemental Affinity and push it out of me, letting in envelope me. As the next lightning strike hits, I use the Gift to re-route it around me and Sabre rather than through us. Once that is established, it takes me a moment more to cast my other spell, Greater Regeneration to deal with the bleed through. ¡°I got a plan,¡± Ali shouts as I keep firing. ¡°Just follow the bouncing ball!¡± ¡°Aaargh,¡± I snarl, running ahead and following the bouncing ball that appears in my Heads-up-Display as I keep shooting. Occasionally, my path intersects an unlucky squirrel and I either stab or stomp it. Electricity keeps building around me and we¡¯re almost constantly wreathed in lightning now. Ali isn¡¯t speaking, his face set in grim concentration and my jaw hurts from clenching it as the lightning shudders through me, the electricity forcing its way through my Affinity, Sabre and my regeneration to slowly drive my health down. A slow ticking down in the corner of my vision tells me Sabre¡¯s not doing great either. ¡°Okay boy-o. Grab me when you reach me and lend me your Mana and strength!¡± Ali says as he darts head, right to where the bouncing ball lands. He appears for a second, his hands raised as the lightning flows through him. I extend my sense, my Affinity, and I begin to see what he¡¯s doing. Everything that hits him, he attaches a thread to, sliding it into the bodies of the squirrels. As I reach him, I place a hand on him and make the connection, feeling the lightning rip through me and Mana out of me at the same time. Pain fills my world, consuming me and all I can do is go along for the ride. Muscles clench and spasm, my heart beats erratically and I¡¯m pretty sure I voided my bowels at some point but I keep holding onto Ali, refusing to let go. Pain, anger and stubbornness - linchpins of my life. As Ali works, a part of me watches as he threads all of it together, faster and faster until everything around is attached to him. Ali snarls, twisting with his hands and I feel the change as the threads of Mana he has connected via the Lightning tug on the Squirrels. It¡¯s just a little, a small alteration in their atoms but at the speed of well, light, the change happens. More electrons slip free, loosened from their moorings. It¡¯s a small change to each atom, a tiny alteration but multiplied thousands, millions of times. The lightning explodes, Lightning Squirrels no longer able to contain and direct the overflow. It heats them up - heats us up - and I know I¡¯m screaming. One second we¡¯re in the middle of a maelstrom and the next, it disappears. Stray arcs jump and skip all around us, the ground underneath my feet molten glass. I stumble away, brute forcing Sabre to move because its still re-routing from all the damage. I fall on my face, landing on smoking, ashen ground as Ali slowly floats down, his eyes sparkling. ¡°What a rush!¡± Ali says, holding a hand up and waggling fingers as he mutters. ¡°Whoah! That¡¯s a ton of notifications - wait one second!¡± I just stare into the sky, my muscles twitching occasionally from the after-effects. Eventually, I reach out with one of my Shop purchased Skills, dumping Sabre directly into my inventory. Quite a useful Skill to have, being able to put anything that the System registers into my inventory directly just by being in contact with it. I drop onto the scorched earth and groan, rolling up as the heat begins to cut through my skin-tight armour. I don¡¯t even want to know how much it is going to cost to fix Sabre. Not a moment too soon as the remains of Jim¡¯s party with an added golden-brown minotaur slowly stumble over, staring at the twitching and smoking corpses around me, their eyes wide. I look around for a moment, taking in the smoking grass, the occasional glassy spot and the hundreds of corpses as well as the occasional burning trees and realise I¡¯m having one of those post-apocalyptic moments in real life. Hell, I can¡¯t even blamed for this one. ¡°John¡­?¡± Jim stammers, the big First Nation Elder stammering as he limps up to me. ¡°Yeah,¡± I look to Ali who continues to float, muttering to himself. ¡°I thought you might need some help.¡± ¡°Shit, you got that right,¡± Jim says, his voice rising and falling as he tries to stay calm. ¡°It was supposed to be a relatively easy kill, just a bunch of Ground Squirrels. I lost half my men¡­¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± I apologise, looking around and then sigh. ¡°You guys should get going, get back. I got a lot of looting to do.¡± The group jerkily nod and turn to go, shooting looks over their shoulders as they move off. I start the process of Looting, taking a moment to eye Lana¡¯s group in the map. Seems like they survived without me. A short while later, Ali finally perks up and waves his hand, flicking a series of System windows to me. Level Up! You have reached Level 22 as an Erethran Honor Guard. Stat Points automatically distributed. You have 3 Free Attribute Points and 4 Class Skills to distribute. Resistance Improved: Electricity +10% (50% Total) Well, that was interesting. I¡¯m grateful I don¡¯t have to wade through all the text about how many monsters I killed. Looking at Ali, I point to the bodies while I pull up my information to take a closer look at my Status.
Status Screen
Name John Lee Class Erethran Honor Guard
Race Human (Male) Level 23
Titles
Monster¡¯s Bane, Redeemer of the Dead
Health 1070 Stamina 1070
Mana 840 Mana Regeneration 70 / minute
Attributes
Strength 66 Agility 102
Constitution 107 Perception 42
Intelligence 84 Willpower 90
Charisma 16 Luck 20
Class Skills
Mana Blade 1 Blade Strike 2
Thousand Steps 1 Altered Space 1
Two are One 1 The Body¡¯s Resolve 1
Greater Detection 1 Instantaneous Inventory* 1
Cleave* 1
Spells
Improved Minor Healing (II) Greater Regeneration
Improved Mana Dart (IV) Tinder
Enhanced Lightning Strike
I nod slightly, glancing over the basic screen. Got to let Ali know to add a section about Resistances to this, but it looks a heck of a lot neater without my Skills. It had started cluttering up and like Ali said, what¡¯s the point? I can either do it or not¡­ Mental note - time to purchase another area effect spell that isn¡¯t Lightning. Maybe a Fireball or something like that, though maybe there¡¯s a Skill? Then again, all the really useful Skills are expensive. Not that Spells aren¡¯t either but didn¡¯t I come along just to watch out for Lana? How the hell did I end up in this situation again? I glare at Ali who, at least, is helping with the looting and storage of bodies. This is going to take forever, but every single Credit is going to count.