《Incompatible Universe Merge》 0.1 (Prologue) 0.1 The Administrator of Universe AN2014598 was entering the foyer of the Universe Administration Office. At first, he was intangible with no true form, invisible to the naked eye but upon reaching the security checkpoint he was forced to create a material body. The human professor with the elbow padded jacket and wide rimmed glasses that materialized brought curious gazes from the 9ft tall demon security guards. The Administrator ignored them. He was used to it. His steady pace and indifferent gaze successfully hid his budding excitement. If the rumors were true. And they usually were. Today might be the day he gets fired. Past the foyer and security checkpoint the bottom floor of the office opened into a wide room. The room itself was dominated by a multi covered light hovering in the middle of the room. Next to it lay a touch screen with a list of locations to choose from. Unhesitant, The Administrator walked straight into the portal. Moments before entering a slight kinetic force pressed gently onto a location on the screen ¡°The Director¡¯s Office¡±. The first thing The Administrator saw was the reception desk and the flower which was manning it. Ignoring the receptionist, he sat down on one of several sofa¡¯s in the waiting room. His hands quivered slightly in anticipation. He struggled to reign in an idiotic grin. He waited for 5 minutes before he received the mental cue indicating it was time to meet the Boss. Only now did he truly realize where he was. In his anticipation of finally being fired. He forgot that to be fired he had to meet the ¡®Director¡¯. And that was simply terrifying. The Administrator shifted uncomfortably under the gaze of the toddler sitting opposite him. There was a near minute of silence before she spoke. The grey skinned child with bright crimson eyes flicked casually through a manila folder on her desk. It was funny, The Director was near omniscient so therefore the folder was simply for dramatic effect. At that moment, however The Administrator struggled to find the comedy. Whether under the scrutinizing gaze of the girl straight out of an Earth horror movie, the effect of the folder or the knowledge of The Director¡¯s sheer power. He couldn¡¯t help but squirm slightly in his chair before he got the unhelpful material body under control. Setting down the folder. ¡°You¡¯re fired¡±, she said. Straight to the point. He reigned in the body¡¯s impulse to stupidly grin knowing that it would be near suicidal. ¡°Are you not going to ask why?¡±, she then asked in confusion at his lack of reaction. This broke through his reverie. Why was he being fired. He had simply not bothered to think about it. Several possible reasons came to mind but they were rejected one by one. The answer ¡®insufficient information¡¯ rose in his consciousness. Curiosity piqued he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Due to viewer feedback and requests, Universe AN2014598 will be merged into Universe X20405966 and added to the System.¡± The word ¡®what¡¯ screamed inside of The Administrator¡¯s mind but he didn¡¯t dare interrupt. After the moment of startled silence in which his material body gaped stupidly The Director continued, ¡°The System designed and implemented by the CEO has become increasingly popular. By suddenly merging the universes it shall create the anticipated ¡®apocalypse scenario¡¯¡±. The Administrator stared at her in horror. He had spent thousands of years slowly growing the dozens of inhabited worlds within his universe, creating species and watching their civilizations appear and fade. Simply for it vanish. To be absorbed into the System, their cultures, and lives ravaged unsuspectingly. Usually when an Administrator retired their Universe was shelved. They would keep running, just simply without the tweaks an Administer would make to ensure the worlds traveled on their preplanned course.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. The Director waved her hand indicating he could speak. Angry, horrified, dejected. The Administrator struggled to put forth the words created by his material body¡¯s emotions. Then finally he sighed, ¡°I would rather have not been informed.¡± The words tainted by his dejection. Smiling slightly in fake consolation, The Director apprised him, ¡°you would have found out later today when the Universes merge.¡± Startled he blurted out, ¡°today?¡± She nodded in confirmation a slight smirk on her face. In embarrassment, he made tweaks to his material body, the emotions faded replaced by a purely analytical mind. A question appeared within his consciousness, which he promptly asked, ¡°will it even work? The fact I have modified the universe creating pocket dimensions to house powerful beings might produce complications.¡± The Director pondered for a moment, her material body¡¯s eyes glazed over as her true form made calculations on an unfathomable scale. This was power he never held even as an Administrator. It was the power of her and those like her that he borrowed that designed worlds and razed them. Her eyes regained focus on him. She pursed her adorable lips. Then, ¡°It should.¡± _________________________________________________________________________ 0.2
-Error Incompatible Universe Merge- Automatic Reconfiguration enabled Universe Mechanics Adapted Universe Designation AN2014598 has successfully merged with X20405966
And the world devolved into Chaos ____________________________________________________________________________________ The High One (POV) The High One¡¯s curiosity finally got the better of him. He had been bored for centuries, moping on his throne of light. Occasionally, scaring the locals. Until, the rift appeared. On a day unlike any other. It had materialized, a tear in the fabric of the universe. A dimensional rift, as he had started to call it once he realized what it was. If only he knew where the rift would take him. It was possible this was a trap set by his rivals. That was unlikely. They hadn¡¯t spoken in millennia. Standing he slowly approached the anomaly. He paused just before it. Without further ado, he stepped through. He felt nothing upon arrival. He was standing within a¡­ park? The word popped into his consciousness. He looked around in curiosity. He then realized he was surrounded by¡­ wolves. The High One felt distaste as he gazed upon them. The wolves had been twisted by mana entering their bodies. They had a savage aura, on a path towards becoming monsters. No longer animals. Without thinking he twisted the mana within the wolves freeing them from savagery. He then implanted a path of honor. Where they once again hunt simply to eat. Not because they enjoy the killing. He then allowed his conscious to spread further. He was in the center of a town of a reasonably developed civilization. The sentient race was currently being slaughtered by monsters. The race was familiar. Had he been here before... They called themselves¡­ humans. The monsters were breaking down doors. Killing indiscriminately. The High One looked on disappointed. His eyes saw the most likely conclusion to the conflict around. The humans would need a fighting chance. With a focus of his will, hundreds of monsters were incinerated. He was tempted to remove them all but he knew. The humans would have to get stronger to survive. He was also afraid to truly reveal his power. He decided to change location and be more cautious in future. His power would be a lodestone throughout the universe, power draws power after all and even Titans have something to fear. 1.01 1.01 Waking up in his studio apartment Eric blinked in annoyance at the ray of sunlight flashing straight into his eyes. The light flashed blue, angered, Eric automatically swiped it away and rubbed his blurry eyes. He lay back in bed. He was soon forced to get up. The aftertaste of the beer he drank last night ensured it. Standing up he moved to the en-suite and threw back some mouth wash. After spitting it out, Eric contemplated brushing his teeth but he decided to have a breakfast/lunch/dinner first. What time is it anyway? Looking around the room he soon located his phone. I mean who uses clocks/watches nowadays anyway. Damn needs to be charged. The phone was plugged into a wall socket. Not charging? Don¡¯t tell me the powers out¡­ Okay laptop! That will have battery. What the hell! Why wont it turn on. Double checking, Eric flicked the light switch on and off. With confirmation that the power is out he walked, annoyed, through into the lounge and collapsed onto a sofa. With a grumbling stomach, he procrastinated getting food. He would have to find something to eat in a moment but without an oven or gas he wasn¡¯t particularly enthused about eating. Perhaps a roll and some cheese. Decision made he walked over and started to eat. After finishing the two rolls he made, he grabbed a can of coke from the fridge. Popping it open, he walked over to look out over the bay. (Through a window, obviously) The first sign that something odd was going on was the shattered remnants of the iconic Seattle ferry floating in the middle of the bay. The second thing he noticed was the lack of cars driving about on the roads. Eric scratched his head. Am I still drunk? He took another gulp of coke. Perhaps the city was hit by an EMP. That might explain why all my electronics are fried. Maybe everyone has been evacuated. Moving away from the window, Eric wandered around the apartment. He pondered on whether to go outside or not. I mean if everyone¡¯s been evacuated that¡¯s just asking for all the assholes to start running around looting. Screw getting stabbed by some random asshole. If everything still seems weird tomorrow, I¡¯ll go outside and investigate. Decided he grabbed a novel and sat on the sofa. Prepared for a long boring night with no television he got comfy. ¡°Well this is shite.¡±, he spoke to himself. At some point around 2am after 2 or 3 beers Eric fell asleep. He woke in the afternoon¡­ again. Grabbed another roll chucked some ham on it. He figured he should use up as much of the perishables as possible. The rolls were already getting stale. He was in the middle of his third ham and cheese roll when he heard muffled scratching against his door. At first he thought he was hearing things¡­ but when it started getting louder it freaked him the fuck out. It sounded like something out of a horror film. Walking quietly towards the door he quickly realized that yes. Somebody was indeed hitting his door with a knife. I mean who does that? Whoever was on the other side must have heard him. (somehow) It started striking the door harder. Eric decided to wait it out. His door was sturdy and unless the guy had an axe the solid oak door was unlikely to budge. First he grabbed his largest kitchen knife and a spatula. Why a spatula you ask? Because it had the furthest reach. He figured it could deflect the knife so he could strike. It was approached logically Eric wasn¡¯t going to pretend that he knew how knife fight. Well anyway Eric was ready. He placed his stool opposite (and 5 meters away from) the door and sat down to wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. Will this guy fuck off! What kind of psychopath stabs a door with a knife for 3 hours straight? Even worse the door was starting show signs of the knife penetrating. The guy wasn¡¯t getting through anytime soon but¡­ He just might. And if that happens everyone will be free to walk into his humble abode. Not just the knife wielding maniac. All the fucking knife wielding maniacs. While he may not admit it, Eric was fucking scared. The sun was starting to go down. He would either have to spend a sleepless night with the threat of a knife wielding asshat or open the door and¡­. Damn the second option is the only logical one but.. Okay, best plan this properly. Spatula in my left hand, knife in my right. Armor? Hmmm perhaps get a thick sweater on and his puffa jacket. All set. Now what¡­ Perhaps some baked beans in case I need to retreat. He got 4 tins and placed one in his puffa jacket pocket and the rest on the breakfast table counter. He was ready. Maybe a bathroom break first?The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Okay back from the loo (it seemed the flush still worked. Small mercies). Eric quietly approached the door and unlocked it. He pulled back the bolt and prepared himself. What the fuck. Although he on purposefully made a loud noise pulling back the bolt and unlocking the door this moron. Still hadn¡¯t opened the door. He just kept striking the door mechanically. He had gotten into a rhythm over the last few hours. Now what¡­ Eric reached for the door handle with his spatula hand. Swinging the door open. Eric hurriedly took several steps away from the door. He had a tin can at the ready. Looking at his would be opponent. Eric could only stare. What the fuck is wrong with this guy. The guy was still attempting to stab the door. That knife must be blunt by now. (not that he was complaining) Suddenly the man looked at him. Eric shivered. The man¡¯s eyes were bloodshot and appeared glazed over. What is wrong with him. Eric took an involuntary step back. ¡°Fuck off!¡±, Eric yelled in fear and anger. The man took a stumbling step forward. Man, that¡¯s freaky. Beans away! His can of beans was an absolute failure. It whizzed past the man¡¯s head to strike the hallway behind him. Well Eric never pretended to be an athlete. The man was suddenly upon him! A wild swing swung at him and ripped through his jacket. Thankfully it missed flesh. Eric took the opportunity to counter with his own wild slash. His connected for all the good it did. The man didn¡¯t even notice. This is some horror movie shit. Eric took another hurried step back. The man was once again upright. He took a while to recover from the swing (if you didn¡¯t notice). Eric was ready once again. The man thrust forward, aiming at Eric¡¯s thigh. Panicking Eric deflected it to the side with the spatula. The man was suddenly extremely close and out of reflex Eric thrust his knife into his heart. Freaking out at the feel of knife on flesh Eric stumbled backwards until he was leaning against the breakfast table. (leaving his knife in the body.) The man collapsed without a sound. Eric stared at him, trying not to throw up. He may be American but he wasn¡¯t the shoot your home invader kind. Right now, he wished he was¡­ Suddenly there was a ¡®thunk!¡¯ at the doorway. Another one! This one had tripped over his can of beans. When it was standing upright once again he realized that this one was¡­ bigger. And he had left his knife¡­ Hesitating for a second, Eric grabbed a tin of beans. He threw it. It struck the man¡¯s chest making him stumble backwards. His third to last tin hit the intruders right arm. The third missed. Freaking out Eric threw the last tin from point blank range. (about 2 meters) And strike! The can made a sickening sound as it struck the man¡¯s forehead. An ugly crack. The man fell onto his back and stayed down. Eric retrieved his knife trying not to vomit as it came out the corpses chest. Hesitating for a moment, swallowing something vile Ericstabbed the knife into the heart of the other. Then Eric made an executive decision and shut the door of the apartment, before anymore weirdos showed up. Locked and bolted. Not to be opened for a while. Eric walked away from the bodies and into his bedroom. He removed the now bloody clothes. Got dressed into new ones. Cleaned his knife. And sat down on the sofa. Eric released a deep breath. One he never realized he had been holding. Ding!
Victory! You have slain (x2) Vampire Thrall level 2! Experience Received: 50 (x2) Loot Received: (x2) human bodies, battered baseball bat, dirty ripped human clothing and a blunt knife
The fuck is this! Ding!
Congratulations! You have reached level 1! You now have 5 unallocated status points available.
Eric sat staring in horror at the blue screens in front of him. He had read a few novels in his time. He knew exactly what was going on! Unfortunately Eric didn''t seem particularly pleased about it. Of course, while Eric still received a small thrill from participating in what seemed to be a blue screen apocalypse. He was equally pissed off. This isn¡¯t as awesome as he thought it would be¡­ 1.02 1.02 Before he did anything else the first thing Eric did was move the bodies to the corridor. While it may have been dangerous, Eric was far more worried about the smell the corpses would create if he left them in his apartment. While he was swiftly and quietly moving the bodies, he saw no sign of any other ¡®Thralls¡¯ or other such things. That didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t any. Eric was on the second to top floor of the complex. There were many other places for enemies to linger. And to be honest Eric was expecting goblins to pop out at any moment. The second action Eric took was to grab a beer from the fridge. Killing people was thirsty work after all. He was mentally and physically exhausted. Physically the combination of exercise and the adrenaline rush was incredibly draining. Mentally he just couldn¡¯t get the feel of the knife penetrating flesh out of his mind. He had to twice rush to the bathroom to gag over the toilet bowl. Seated in the lounge with his second beer and pretty much the rest of his edible but perishable food Eric tried to relax and suppress the horror of what he done. Desperate for a distraction he decided to allocate his status points. ¡°Status¡± (He just knew that would work)
Name: Eric Scot Age: 27 Race: Human
Class: Level: 1 Faction: Unaffiliated
Distributable Status Points: 5
Hitpoints: 80/80 Stamina: 87/100
Health Regeneration: 0.8/s Stamina Regeneration: 3.5/s
Vitality: 8 Mana: 100/100
Strength: 7 Mana Regeneration: 0.5/s
Agility: 6 Intelligence:10
Dexterity: 5 Wisdom: 8
Luck: 4 Charm: 3
Eric looked at the stats, okay vitality applies to health and probably stamina. Strength and figured he needed some more strength and of course more agility. After all, why fight when you can run away. End result:
Name: Eric Scot Age: 27 Race: Human
Class: Level: 1 Faction: Unaffiliated
Distributable Status Points: 0
Hitpoints: 80/80 Stamina: 87/100
Health Regeneration: 0.8/s Stamina Regeneration: 4/s
Vitality: 8 Mana: 100/100
Strength: 10 Mana Regeneration: 0.5/s
Agility: 8 Intelligence:10
Dexterity: 5 Wisdom: 8
Luck: 4 Charm: 3
Not bad, Eric decided. Could be worse. Seeing how he went to the gym once a week and even when there he rarely worked hard. Eric sighed. It¡¯s getting dark now. Tomorrow he decided, he would have to level. While it may seem suicidal, he needed to level. He would just have to be careful. Those thralls were a low level and reasonably pathetic. They somehow managed to reach his apartment without being killed by something bigger. So therefore, its likely there is nothing too dangerous in the building. Anyway, if he wants to get stronger he should go out and kill stuff. Who knows he might even be good at it. The fights won¡¯t be so awkward anymore. Okay tomorrow I go out and stab stuff. Nothing happened during the night. (Thankfully) No weird horror movie sounds. No screams or knife scratching¡­ you know typical horror movie sounds. It was disconcertingly silent. Eric expected to hear gunshots (if guns still worked) or screams (if they didn¡¯t). Where were all the survivors? Eric decided to stick with the spatula and knife. He put the same puffa jacket, sweater and jeans as the day before. The puffa jacket and jeans were already bloody after all. He was undecided on footwear. He could wear sneakers or boots. Sneakers would have decent mobility but boots were sturdier. Eventually he decided on sneakers. He would wear boots when his level was higher or if he had to leave the apartment long term. This was a scouting mission after all. Eric unlocked his door. He listened very carefully for any noises on the other side. It was quiet. He opened the door. And came face to face with a goblin. Shocked he could only stare in surprise as the goblin lunged forward with its spear. ¡°Fuck!¡±, he shouted as it stabbed into his shoulder. He flailed backwards. It was probably only through his extra agility points that he stayed upright. Taking a step back he was fortunate enough that the spear came out smoothly. Oddly the goblin was still thrusting forward with the spear. It was just like the¡­ The goblin seemed to suddenly notice that its target was several meters away. Before it stepped forward though it let out an ear splitting unnatural screech. Eric swore at himself. He should have stayed in bed. The battle was actually quite simple after that. The goblin was only 3 feet tall. Of course, it had the unsightly green face, overly large nose and¡­ bloodshot glazed eyes. ¡°Goblin thrall?¡± I mean even if it has a spear nobody that¡¯s played video games would take a child sized goblin seriously. The fellowship of the ring slaughtered goblins by the hundreds in the movies after all. As the goblin thrust its spear at him, Eric knocked it to the side with his spatula and stabbed his knife into his chest as it stumbled forwards. He realized that while the technique wouldn¡¯t work on someone that knew how to use a spear (even a little bit) It worked on these thralls. Especially since they often stumbled forwards after swinging. Eric ensured the goblin was dead with a stab to the heart. He didn¡¯t want anything standing up behind him. After that he quickly moved to the door shutting and locking it once again. Glancing at his shoulder he rushed to the kitchen. He grabbed a table cloth and pressed it against his wound. While painful, it never seems to interfere with his movements. Probably wasn¡¯t deep enough. Eric was just thankful that it was the shoulder and not the heart. Eric checked his status to see if his Hitpoints were going up. They were, once they reached 100/100 he checked the wound. It was gone! There was a scar but it looked old. Not something that had occurred less than 5 minutes ago.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Ding!
Victory! You have slain: Goblin Vampire Thrall level 3! Experience Received: 55 Loot Received: Goblin body, 4 copper coins, tattered clothing and crude spear
Once again Eric sat on the sofa. He knew that he would have to go out and face the goblins reinforcements. It had called for them after all. Well that¡¯s what he assumed anyway. He would also have to find those copper coins. In some of the novels he had read, the coins found became the new worlds currency. There were places to buy gear strewn around. Possibly these ¡®copper coins¡¯ were something like that. After the icky job of searching for copper coins (you don¡¯t want to know where they were) Eric was ready to go out slay some peeps. He expected the enemies to be standing right outside the door so as soon as he pulled the door open he took several steps back. The spear was next to his pile of Baked Beans cans. In case he lost his weapons. The area right outside his door was empty but that didn¡¯t calm Eric down. He honestly expected a horde of enemies to come charging through his door at any moment. He slowly, cautiously walked towards the door. Passing through the door he noted worriedly that the corpses that he had placed outside the day before were gone¡­ In the corridor for the first time in what seemed weeks Eric stood silently. He closed his door behind him but chose not to lock it. He may need to make a quick retreat. Obviously, the lifts were out of service. The only other way up to this floor was the fire exit but that should be locked¡­ You need a security key to pass through. Hmmm possibly without electricity the door didn¡¯t stay locked? That just seems so¡­ unreliable. If that¡¯s the case I don¡¯t know why I was paying for it. Eric very carefully passed by the other doors. Those that were open, he closed. Those that were closed he ignored. Hopefully if any of them opened he would at least get a warning before¡­. It turned out that the fire exit door was held open by a brick. Eric left it open for now. At least now he had another way to retreat. What worried him was if someone closed the door behind him¡­ He looked back down the corridor. It was dark, dreary but empty. ¡°Ready or not¡­¡±, he muttered to himself. Walking down the fire exit stairs he tried to be as quiet as possible. Half a flight down he began to hear steps. It sounded like¡­ You know when toddlers first begin to climb stairs. Where they occasionally make a successful step but other times they fall over the step. That¡¯s what it sounded like. 3 or 4 heavy toddlers walking up the stairs. Eric decided to retreat to the fire exit door. They were coming to him. He just had to be patient. Best to be as close as possible to the brick. Eric waited in quiet, fearful anticipation for around half an hour. That was his guess anyway. He didn¡¯t have a way to tell the time. Making one last fearful look down the empty corridor. He looked down and saw three human thralls and one goblin turning the corner to begin climbing the staircase at the halfway point between levels. The goblin had another spear, two of the humans were unarmed while one human was carrying a kitchen knife. Incredibly like the one he had actually. Probably shopped at the same store. The goblin was the front runner by two stairs. This time Eric tried something different. As it lunged with the spear he used his spatula to knock it to the side. Then he smashed the heel of his right foot into the goblins chest. A truly herculean effort. The goblin went flying backwards, toppling the humans behind it. Eric waited a few moments to check the results. He also retreated up the stairs to check the (hopefully) empty corridor. The falling thralls had made quite a ruckus so he wanted to ensure nothing else was alerted. He didn¡¯t even know if there were any enemies in the apartments but until he checked he wasn¡¯t going to make any assumptions. The corridor was still empty. Although scared and cautious he was kind of confident. These thralls were weak and slightly pathetic. What truly worried him was the Vampire. This could very easily be him stumbling about like an idiot. A fate worse than death! That vampire had to be avoided. The thralls were struggling to stand up. Whenever one worked out that its arm had to be used to support its rise, another would knock said arm. Collapsing the attempted movement. Eric approached carefully. The flailing limbs were dangerous. A misstep could mean that he would trip. Eric didn¡¯t particularly want to dwell on what could happen if he did. Other than that it was simple. Stepping forward he drove his knife into the goblins chest. It attempted to stab him with its spear but it wasn¡¯t a weapon to be used while prone. A couple of the humans tried to grab him as he pulled the knife out of the dying goblin. (well he hoped it was dying) He stabbed it again to quicken its demise. It stilled. While stabbing goblins was fine (to an extent), there was something morbid about cutting into humans. Hesitating over his three opponents. Eric swallowed his horror at his situation and began to thrust into the human bodies. If he was careful there was no skill involved. Step forward stab, step back. And repeat. When he was done, all he could hope for is that in the future there isn¡¯t a cure to being a thrall. (If he was to guess it would entail slaying a Vampire) This may seem a terrible thought to have, after all there may be hundreds of people enthralled to vampires by now. At that moment, Eric could only hope that he wouldn¡¯t have reason to feel guilt in the future. Eric grabbed the kitchen knife, spear and 2 copper coins that the goblin had. He removed the brick, shutting the fire exit door. He planned to clear the apartments on his level tomorrow. Dropping the brick by the door he retreated to his apartment. Still wary of the other apartment doors. Entering and locking his apartment door. Eric once again he collapsed onto the sofa. Ding!
Victory! You have slain: Goblin Vampire Thrall level 3! Experience Received: 55 Loot Received: Goblin body, 3 copper coins, tattered clothing and crude spear
Ding!
Victory! You have slain: (x2) Human Vampire Thrall level 0! Experience Received: (x2) 30 Loot Received: (x2) human bodies, worn clothing and (x2) wallet
Ding!
Victory! You have slain: Human Vampire Thrall level 1! Experience Received: 40 Loot Received: human bodies, worn clothing, kitchen knife, keys and wallet
Ding!
Congratulations! You have reached level 2! You now have 5 unallocated status points available.
Cool, I guess¡­ He sat there a moment, breathing slowly trying to minimize the effect of the prior adrenaline rush. Not to mention the soul damaging effect stabbing human bodies does. Okay, now I¡¯m calm (?) lets decide where to add these status points. Agility is easy from what he had noticed it helped him move faster, it also benefited his balance. He was generally lighter on his feet. So 2 points into agility making it 10. What next? Hmmm, extra strength is always good but right now it¡¯s not necessary. Dexterity is probably his best bet. It sounded like it would help him aim and generally make him more accurate whether he is stabbing or throwing. 2 points into dexterity making it 7. 1 more point to go. Maybe luck? He pondered over whether it would be useful. What the hell, 1 point into luck making it 5. A nice round number. Now finished, Eric promptly took a nap. At some point over the next few hours he stripped off his (even more) bloody clothes. Dumping them in the bathtub. He wasn¡¯t exactly enthusiastic about wearing them again tomorrow. He then realized that his favorite seat for the sofa was covered in blood. Before eating he used an old towel to wipe up the blood. He wanted a shower. Perhaps he could have one but he had no idea how much water he had left. After eating the last of his perishables, he bagged the (now) inedible food in plastic bags. Best to get rid of it before it starts to stink up the house. Time for bed. He woke up pretty early, the sun had risen though which was the main thing. Today he planned to clear his apartment floor. He hadn¡¯t heard anything wandering about the day before but he would be truly stupid if he didn¡¯t at least check. It would also have the benefit of collecting some more non-perishable food. Everyone has at least a few cans at home. Outfitted in his gross clothes Eric began searching the apartments. There were 7 on his floor and 4 of which were locked. Eric started on the unlocked doors. They were the most likely to have enemies anyway. The first apartment was next-door to his own. There was a very conspicuous puddle of slightly dried blood. The apartment itself was the same design as his own just didn¡¯t have his awesome furniture. Hopefully they were all the same, best to know your way about. It was disappointingly empty, although he never let down his guard. He checked everywhere; under the bed, bathtub, wardrobe and storeroom. Empty, whatever died in here was removed. Next room¡­ Empty again. Although he was happy that they were empty. (and that this apartment had no blood) He was truly hoping for some easy levels. As soon as he stepped into the next room he knew something was up. Sitting on the breakfast counter was an old fashioned wooden box. Something you would see in a pirate movie or well¡­ a fantasy game. While Eric was tempted to run up and see what is inside. His instincts were screaming TRAP! He felt like there were 2 ways this was going to go. Either the box was placed there by the apartment owner and he took something out of it before he left. Or, it was placed there as bait. Nothing comes for free after all. So, Eric did the smart thing. He searched the entire apartment top to bottom. Then he went out into the corridor to listen for movement within the other apartments. Nothing¡­ So not a trap? Eric stared at the box in confusion and annoyance, where were his enemies? Determined he slowly approached. VERY slowly. First he poked it with a spatula. Nothing. Second, he poked it again. Nothing. There was an old-fashioned key hole. (which he didn¡¯t have a key for) He just hoped it wasn¡¯t locked. Hmm, He placed the spatula next to the box. Knife at the ready. He slowly opened it. Eric was lucky. Lucky lucky lucky. As he opened the box he noticed a flash of blue and at that moment stumbled backwards in alarm, letting go of the box in the process. At the same moment, the box morphed into a blue slime (?) and sprung at him. Eric stepped to the left. The slime stuck his right arm and knife. He felt burns all along the place of contact. Somehow he shook it off. Eric stumbled backwards. After being shaken off, the slime landed 3-4 meters away. Aghast Eric stared at his arm. His lower right arm was devoid of clothing and the flesh on his arm was corroded. Terrifying! Furthermore, the knife was gone. Looking back at the slime and in the process taking a few hurried steps away from it. He could see the knife inside the slime. The wooden handle was gone and the blade looked like it was being melted. Did the slime look bigger than it did before? Eric was rapidly trying to recall everything he knew about slimes from the books he had read. How the hell do you kill it?? Right, magic is the most common one that I remember. Pity I don¡¯t know magic¡­ The Core! From what he recalled the core was the weak point. And yes! He could see the core. It was a thin cylinder; it was a shade of blue darker than the slime. Therefore, it was easily visible through the transparent goo. The center of the cylinder was a source of light that glowed within the slime. This inner light made the slime a very vibrant blue. Now how to reach the core? At that moment, his arm resounded in pain. The hell with it. Eric retreated from the slowly approaching slime. Scared that at any moment it would once again leap at him. He didn¡¯t stop until he was resting on the sofa. Time to heal. Time to plan. 1.03 1.03 Sprawled on the sofa, Eric shook with pain. According to his status page his health points were rising once again. Therefore, he hoped that upon reaching the full 80 he would be healed. It only took 20 seconds for his health points to heal back up but of course it felt a lot longer. The, now healed, skin was hairless and a pale pink white. He also looked decidedly odd without a sleeve on his lower right arm. Sigh. Okay, time to plan. How can someone without magic slay a slime. He could crush it of course. Topple a wardrobe onto it. The core unlike the rest of the slime is solid so either it gets crushed or gets knocked out of the slime. That seems unfeasible though. Perhaps if he gets something more suited to swatting he could knock the core out its body. The slime wasn¡¯t big after all. (Kind of cute to be honest) Not big¡­ yet, he reaffirmed. Decided Eric went to look through his kitchen utensils. The spatula was useless, at the moment, so he left it by the baked beans pile. While he was there he grabbed 1 of the 2 spears. Might be able to strike the core with it if it gets close enough. Pots, pans, spoons, forks¡­. Maybe his largest pan? May as well try it. Not as if he was getting much use out of it. Okay! Spear and pan at the ready! Off to see the slime. Upon arrival in the apartment he instantly noticed the wooden box sitting in the center of the room. Pretty much right where the slime had been. When he made his tactical (?) retreat. How to do this. The wardrobe idea is probably more feasible now that it was stuck in the same place. Eric decided against it though. He would have to learn to deal with difficult enemies in the future. Can¡¯t always expect to be fighting those pathetic thralls. Eric ended up using the spear to lift the lid of the chest. It was a bit of a challenge but after several annoying failures the spear got the necessary bit of fulcrum needed. The lid lift and the slime leaped. Eric ready (this time) took several steps to the left and smacked the slime in passing. He felt the impact between the pan and the core. The slime was knocked several meters away with a splat. How do you kill it if knocking the core simply moves the slime? Scooping the core out? Although painful he could reach in and grab it if its close to the surface. That idea was shot down pretty quickly. He stood there quietly for a moment. Taking slow cautious steps away from the slime. It will have to be a scooping motion with the pan. It took three tries. Eric would step towards the slime. If the core was close to the surface he would attempt to scoop it out. If not he would take a few steps back. On the third attempt at scooping the core simply (and anticlimactically) popped out. Flying across the room. The slime simply deflated and turned into a disgusting puddle of goo. Eric was pleased. He grabbed a towel that was hanging on the oven and wrapped the core in it. Got to get that loot! Happy he travelled back to the apartment curious to see what his experience rewards would be. Seated on the sofa. Ding!
Victory! You have slain: Blue Mimic Slime (chest) level 5 Experience Received: 90 Loot Received: Slime Core (Rank E)
Interesting it was level 5, pity I never leveled up. Hmm I wonder how much I need to level up to 3. The status menu doesn¡¯t show it. Eric thought back to the opponents he had faced and the rewards. Hmmm, he reached level one after receiving 100 experience points. 2x 50 wasn¡¯t it ? Does that mean that it simply adds one hundred experience to the needed experience every level? Eric thought back with confusion. It seems likely. Doesn¡¯t that just seem too easy? Eric sighed. Doesn¡¯t matter, keep fighting and leveling whenever it decides to level me, not much he can do about it. Healed and maybe a little bored Eric ate then began to search the other apartments. This would entail a lot of kicking. He had watched movies and seen it happen but even with the benefit of some extra strength it was still difficult. Boringly, the apartments were empty of enemies. But, he was now free to loot them. There really wasn¡¯t that much to loot. The apartment block was owned by mostly affluent people. Affluent people tend to buy food fresh. Therefore, a lot of the food had gone off. Of course, there were plenty of bottles of beer, wine, spirits and soft drinks. The necessities. There also several longer lasting foods in tins. Whether it be soup, tuna or beans. He ended up with about 7 days of rations. Mostly disgusting rations unless he was willing to build a fire in his apartment to cook it. Sigh. There were of course a selection of knives to choose from. He grabbed them all.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. In bed after dinner he recapped. It was a successful day as far as Eric was concerned. He could sleep easier now the level was clear. Tomorrow Eric planned to clear the top floor. That way when he eventually made his way downstairs he wouldn¡¯t have to watch his back. Tomorrow would be dangerous but he could potentially meet another survivor. Eric drifted off to sleep. Eric was set to clear the apartment blocks top floor. What he truly hoped for was to access the roof. His windows were too small and didn¡¯t truly give a view of the surrounding area. The roof hopefully would. Eric hesitated before the fire exit door. He wasn¡¯t a particularly brave man. He just knew that to survive he had to kill monsters. To successfully kill monsters, he just had to think logically. Plan before action was his new motto. Stepping through the fire exit door, he carefully placed the large brick to stop the door from closing on him. With the brick placed Eric suddenly froze in fear. He listened to the disgusting sounds of loud chewing and hissing. The bodies! Eric stepped quietly to the top of stairway. Looking down he was met by the sight of rats chewing on the corpses. Not just any old rats. These rats were the size of a small dog. Several larger rats were attempting to drag the bodies away but the smaller (small dog sized ones) kept taking bites out of them making the whole process a whole lot harder than it needed to be. Eric couldn¡¯t help himself. He threw up! The rats dramatically I might add, slowly turned to look at him. The larger rats took the distraction to drag the bodies away. The smaller rats eyes glistened. Each rat (about 7) slowly stepped towards the watery eyed Eric. One step forward. Two steps forward. Eric recovered himself. With a start he took a slow step backwards. As his foot connected with the floor it sparked a rush. The rats started to rapidly ascend. In turn Eric spun around and sprinted for the door. Knocking the brick he started to close the door with his knife hand. Erics spear flashed out striking the leading rat in the snout. He left the spear imbedded. The door closed. Boom! Boom! Scratch Scratch. Eric stood there quietly before shaking his head. ¡°Nope, Nope, Nope.¡± Eric stood for a moment dumbfounded by the change in situation. He did not doubt that he could probably slay one, maybe even two rats at once but 6 or 7 at the same time. He had no chance. He was just thankful that the door was sturdy. The rats lost interest quite quickly. They already had a meal after all. With the door no longer banging Eric returned to the sofa and waited for a couple of hours. The rats were no longer knocking at the door but he didn¡¯t want the same situation as the first goblin thrall. Where they stand on the other side inhumanly patient, waiting for him to open it. He didn¡¯t really expect them to be waiting they were very ratlike (if rather large) not thralls. 2 hours after the first failed expedition Eric was ready. He opened the door quickly knife and pan at the ready. He was greeted by an empty stairwell and silence. Eric released a breath he never knew he was holding. He placed the brick in position. His first steps onto the stairs to the next level were hesitant. He soon became if not confident, decisive. He was going up to the next level. The fire exit door, which Eric worried would be locked, was smashed open. As if something had simply walked through it. Thankfully the wreckage of the door was on his side. Therefore, whatever had broken the door had left. He just hoped he never met whatever it was. Some of the wall was missing too he might add. Cautiously entering the apartment level he was greeted by the sight of wrecked doors. And dried blood. Lots of blood. Not all of it was red. Of course, no bodies. Eric shuddered. This might have been a bad idea. He approached the nearest apartment. With only his head showing. He peaked inside. Empty! Or at the very least the appearance of being empty. Again the apartment was the same shape as his own. It was very easy to search. Definitely empty. The next three apartments were much the same. Some food and items he could take but best to wait until he had cleared the level. He most certainly did not want to be weighed down. Eric peaked into the fourth apartment. He was greeted by the sight no sane RPG apocalypse survivor wanted to see. Cobwebs. Cobwebs like curtains covered the walls and hung from the ceiling. Eric retreated once again. He was frustrated. What happened to the easy enemies? ¡°I can¡¯t keep retreating¡±, he muttered. Since no spiders instantly attacked him so it seems like there are not too many. But how long would that remain? If he left this area, would the apartment block be swarmed at some point. ¡°Terrifying, absolutely terrifying¡±, he muttered again. I¡¯ve just got to find them kill them. Then drink. A lot. It took a several swigs of some whiskey he found in one of the three apartments before he had the courage to re-approach the spiders. What he wanted to do was set fire to the building but unfortunately, he lived here¡­ The liquid courage turned his frustration and fear into an angry confidence. He would show that spider. Sanity returned just before he entered the apartment. Cautious but slightly more courageous, Eric entered. It was a ghastly experience. The light from the windows was filtered through thick cobwebs. He could see but some areas were conspicuously dark. It was simply terrifying. Eric strained to look in every direction at once. He felt unprepared. He very carefully avoided any cobwebs. He really didn¡¯t want to test their stickiness. He met a victim to the spiders trap in the lounge. Next to an overturned coffee table and smashed television. A large rat was caught in the web. It hung at about chest height. It was still alive. The rat gazed at him desperately. The eyes were fear filled. It was caught tightly unable to move. Eric slowly approached. Free experience! His knife hung several centimeters from rat¡¯s neck. He was about to grant it a merciful death when¡­ He realized the rat wasn¡¯t looking at him. 1.04 1.04 Eric didn¡¯t hesitate. He dived to the left. The knife in his right hand slashed the throat of the rat as he passed. Impacting the ground Eric swiftly spun round at the sound of a muffled impact from where he originated from. Standing on 8 legs. The impossibly large spider (and hairy) turned to face him. Eric gasped in fear. Standing up he positioned himself behind the overturned table. He focused on the spider, fearfully hoping that it was alone. He didn¡¯t have a chance if there were more. Eric then realized he had lost the pan. Armed only with a knife he started thinking of ways he could avoid getting in close to the spider. The table! The spider was slowly circling him. Suddenly it rushed towards him. To be met by the thrown coffee table. It was a one-armed throw. The strength stats were coming in handy. The spider took the table directly in the face. Thankfully it stopped the spiders rush. It stepped back woozily and started to circle him once more. Perhaps a bit more slowly than before. Realizing that the table had been useful Eric picked up the ruined flatscreen television. It swiftly became a hard to wield oversized hammer. Eric felt a bit more confident. He wasn¡¯t sure whether he would throw the flatscreen or smack the hell out of the spider. After picking up the television he had placed the knife in a pocket of his puffa jacket. He held the television two handed, the spider looked a bit unnerved by his new weapon. Eric released an evil grin. He released a primal roar fueled by alcohol and sheer pent up frustration. ¡°DIE!¡± The spider caught off guard tried to retreat from the wild accountant. The television came down. And down. It was perhaps a minute before Eric realized the spider was dead. The television was completely mangled so he dropped it on the spiders body. Slowly he walked away from it. Trying hard not to look at what remained of the spider. Picking up the table, Eric began to search the apartment for more spiders. (Hoping there were none) There was another rat caught in a web in the bedroom. A couple of repulsive stabs with his knife put it out of its misery. Other than that it was empty. Eric fled the apartment. While he wanted to go to his sofa and drink some more of the whiskey. Eric persevered and continued searching the apartment level. The next 2 apartments were empty, although one had a large supply of tinned foods in the storage room. He would collect it later. The 7th room though, wasn¡¯t. It was kind of embarrassing. Eric almost screamed when he first walked into the room. There were two gigantic insect (probably moths) flying into the window. You know how the small normal kind tend to fly towards the light. These massive ones were doing the exact same thing. Realizing this. Eric refused to lose the opportunity. They were both squashed by the table he had refused to let go of since he killed the spider. It was gross. A tad unfair. But again he persevered. He needed the experience after all. Things were going to be gross from now on. Best get used to it. Anyway he simply waited patiently for one of the moths to still then he crushed it against the window. Making an effort not to break said window. Then repeat with the second moth. This time he left the table behind. Disappointingly after the moths, both this apartment and the last one were empty. Finished with the floor search. Eric quickly grabbed a black garbage bag. He then went through each apartment grabbing anything useful. From towels and clothes to food. It didn¡¯t take long. He was soon back at his apartment. Sitting on the sofa, sipping happily on a glass of whiskey. Ding!
Victory! You have slain: Overgrown Rat level 2 Experience Received: 30 Loot Received: Overgrown Rat Corpse
Ding!
Victory! You have slain: Overgrown Brown Spider (hunter) level 5 Experience Received: 80 Loot Received: Overgrown Brown Spider Corpse (hunter)
Ding!
Victory! You have slain: Overgrown Rat level 3 Experience Received: 40 Loot Received: Overgrown Rat Corpse
Ding
Victory! You have slain: (x2) Overgrown Moth level 0 Experience Received: (x2) 10 Loot Received: Overgrown Moth Corpse (x2)
Eric sighed. Not enough for a level up. Guess I have to hunt more tomorrow. Later that night Eric was carefully watching his lovingly crafted fire cook a pot of baked beans. When¡­ Ding!
Victory! You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. You have slain: Overgrown Rat level 2 Experience Received: 30 Loot Received: Overgrown Rat Corpse
What the¡­. Ding!
Congratulations! You have reached level 3! You now have 5 unallocated status points available.
Hell yes! He quickly opened his status page. Hmmm 3 points into dexterity making it 10. 2 points into Vitality making it 10.
Name: Eric Scot Age: 27 Race: Human
Class: Level: 3 Faction: Unaffiliated
Distributable Status Points: 0
Hitpoints: 80/80 Stamina: 125/125
Health Regeneration: 1/s Stamina Regeneration: 5/s
Vitality: 10 Mana: 100/100
Strength: 10 Mana Regeneration: 0.5/s
Agility: 10 Intelligence:10
Dexterity: 10 Wisdom: 8
Luck: 5 Charm: 3
Wow lifting vitality changed a lot. Seems it correlates with both stamina and health. 6.25/s stamina regeneration seems like a lot¡­ Hmmm I guess it truly isn¡¯t that much if it only regenerates when you¡¯re resting. Which only ever seems to happen when I¡¯m on the sofa apparently. It took him a while to remember the rat whom he had jabbed his spear into earlier in the day. I guess it must have died? Eric smirked. Happy that he had leveled. He couldn¡¯t decide where he would allocate the next points. The rooftop view was as amazing as Eric remembered. The problem was now it was also completely terrifying. The pavement below was covered in blood with disconcertingly few corpses. Some buildings which used to make up the city skyline were completely gone. The roof of the ¡®Space Needle¡¯ was similarly¡­ gone. Cars covered the roads. Of course, they weren¡¯t moving and most had smashed windscreens or torn off doors. It was horrific. Eric was the most worried by the lack of noise. Usually a city had a background noise, which while not loud seemed to buzz in the background. Now. There was silence. Occasionally there were roars or screeches from large creatures but¡­ There was little to be seen from humans. Eric assumed (hoped) that there were plenty of survivors but like him they were keeping low profiles. Struggling to survive within this new world. In comparison, monsters were travelling on the road below. The smaller creatures travelled in packs, the larger in ones or twos. It was certainly a magnificent view. Eric sighed. He was currently watching a squadron of goblins, around 50 or so. They were perhaps a block away up the road. He was curious to see how they hunted. He wanted to avoid them in the future. What the¡­ Suddenly the goblins began to fall over. The ones at the back and the front were first. They collapsed, obviously struck by something. It was a slaughter. The goblins fell and fell. Those that reacted quickest and rushed the enemy were struck down before they took 5 steps. The last goblin fell. Eric was curious now. He assumed it was some kind of monster ambush. Perhaps orcs or some other pack creature. What approached the goblin corpses were knights¡­ seriously knights? He could see the sun shining on their metal armor from here. Most carried a spear of some sort which they were using to stab the goblin bodies. Making sure none were playing dead. They were out in the open for less than 30 seconds before they retreated to cover. Eric could only wonder who the hell they were. From what he could see they were humanoid. They also looked kind of badass. Very professional. He nodded to himself. I need to get stronger. Today he would be clearing out the 6th floor of the apartment block. The one below his own. (For those that weren¡¯t keeping track) Annoyingly the fire exit door was shut. Therefore, locked. Armed with knife and spatula (once again) Eric stared in annoyance at the very sturdy fire exit door. The fire exit doors all have a small window. Unfortunately, said window only showed the wall opposite. Eric could safely say that there wasn¡¯t something on the wall. It took almost half an hour of kicking (with breaks) before he broke through but by that time he was hungry. And worried. He had been loud and he clearly remembered the small army of rats that had been on the stairwell the day before. He had yet to meet any today and he didn¡¯t know if he was relieved or worried about it. After his lunch, Eric started to explore the apartment level. All the doors were shut. He started to wonder if this floor would be untouched. It was possible. If there was nobody to let the bad guys in, very few of the monsters were strong enough to break through the fire exit door. He certainly wouldn¡¯t have been able to before increasing his stats. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll see¡±, he muttered. The first few apartments were empty. The fourth door that he kicked down revealed a very memorable chest sitting in the corner of the lounge.. Eric smiled. He picked up a pan from the kitchen. It had worked last time. Spatula in one hand, pan in the other and a kitchen knife in his pocket. He confidently approached the chest. The Mimic sprung out like before. Eric dodged to the side and it went safely past. He turned a predatory smile on his face to be met by: SPLAT! SPLAT! 2 slimes dropped from the roof on either side of the Mimic. They were smaller in stature. While the mimic was dog sized and blue. The other slimes were cat sized and a bright green. While he was noting their differences, Eric made a disconcerting realization. He was cornered. The slimes slowly approached. Their cores Eric noticed were on the opposite side of their bodies to him. They weren¡¯t going to make it easy for him. Eric quickly realized that he had to attack if he wanted to survive. Sweat trickled down his brow. Panic tried to take over. Eric rushed the green slime to his right. Before reaching it he made an abrupt change in direction and attacked the slime on furthest to he left. Success! He caught it out of position. A smooth swing of the pan struck the core of the slime. Smoothly scooping it out and flinging it into the wall to go bouncing off and away. The slime deflated. Eric turned and smirked at the remaining slimes. Shit! They were closer than before. He stepped forward and swung at the mimic. The core was moved out of the way. The swing passed harmlessly through. Troubled Eric stepped back and attacked the smaller slime. This time the now corroded pan scooped out the green core. Another slime deflated. Eric turned once again to face the mimic. He was met by a tackle. The mimic struck his chest and it instantly started to burn. In agony, Eric lost his balance and fell on his back. His weapons released and he could hear them clatter on the ground. Eric struggled in vain to shove the slime off him. It burned. Eric began to lose consciousness. He knew he would soon die. A small part of his mind wasn¡¯t panicking. He then realized that he still had to knock the core out the body. Desperate. Eric reached into the slime. His arms also began to burn. It was nothing in comparison to his chest. His right arm missed the core as it was moved away from his grasping hand. The left hand though, caught it. In a Herculean effort, he pulled his arm free from the slimes body. And with an inaudible pop, the slime deflated. Panicking. The pain unbearable. Eric stood and swiped the acidic slime off his body. Eric took a few hobbling steps towards the door. He never made it. Eric lost consciousness. 1.05 1.05 Awaking, Eric rolled over and grunted in annoyance. For some reason his bed was uncomfortable today. A few moments passed. Eric shot to his feet. He quickly checked his injuries. Then breathed a sigh of relief. It seems that his health had regenerated while he was sleeping. The skin that the slime had burned into had healed. Leaving it pale and unblemished. It was rather unattractive the way the healed skin left ridiculous tan lines all along his body. His clothes were ruined too. He ripped off what remained of his jacket, sweater and shirt. Eric sighed once again. He had been lucky. A few more moments under the slime and he wouldn¡¯t have survived. It was frustrating. Without magic he had no real way to combat them. Sure, the pan worked but if the slimes get any bigger¡­ His despondent thoughts were interrupted by: Ding!
Victory! You have slain: Slime level 2 Experience Received: 50 Loot Received: Slime Core (Rank G)
Ding!
Victory! You have slain: Slime level 2 Experience Received: 50 Loot Received: Slime Core (Rank G)
Ding!
Victory! You have slain: Blue Mimic Slime (chest) level 5 Experience Received: 90 Loot Received: Slime Core (Rank E)
Eric finally smiled. The fight had gone poorly but he had still won. Eric gathered his loot while he still remembered. It took a moment to find the cores, since he flung them around the room. Once found he was pleased. They were quite pretty and he figured it¡¯s best to grab any useful loot that he can find. He had been unconscious for a while but there was still plenty of daylight. Enough for a couple more apartment raids Eric returned to his apartment and threw on a new sweater and a winter jacket which he had pilfered from one of his neighbors. Armed with kitchen knife and spatula. He set off once more. The fifth apartment on the 6th floor was empty. Eric disappointed, decided to search the 6th. Smashing into the room Eric was instantly beset by panic. The entire lounge had been transformed into a giant nest. A bird¡¯s nest to be precise. Furthermore, there were also about half a dozen evil looking birds looking directly at him. The birds were all seagull sized but their beaks looked sharp! And those eyes looked malicious. ¡°Well¡­ shit¡± Eric took a few slow steps out of the apartment. Hoping to get a chance to flee. This would take planning. Unfortunately, he never got the chance. The moment he reached the door the birds flew straight at him. Eric stepped out of their path and slashed them as they left the apartment and entered the hallway. Two birds fell to the ground shrieking in anger. Eric in turn received a wicked cut on the shoulder from one of their razor-sharp beaks. A foot met a low flying bird. Smacking it into the wall. A feat Eric wouldn¡¯t have been capable of without the extra agility and dexterity. From there the fight devolved into a wild melee of feathers, beaks, talons, knife and spatula. In the end. Eric was left standing. Surrounded by the corpses of his enemies. He had several deep cuts on his torso. He sighed. He had just put on that jacket. Eric decided to do a quick search of the apartment to make sure there were no more birds. There weren¡¯t but there were a few eggs in the nest. And some bones. He didn¡¯t look too closely at those. He kept the eggs. He wasn¡¯t sure why. It might be easier to just chuck them out the window. He kept them because he honestly wasn¡¯t scared of a few baby birds. If they did hatch. And attack him. Free experience for him. The nest he left where it was. When he cleared the apartment level. It would be a good source of firewood. It¡¯s a pain to break perfectly good chairs just to set them on fire. Back on the sofa Eric waited expectantly. Ding!
Victory! You have slain: (x4) Terror Bird level 2 Experience Received: (x4) 30 Loot Received: (x4) Terror Bird Corpse
Ding!
Victory! You have slain: (x2) Terror Bird level 3 Experience Received: (x2) 40 Loot Received:This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. (x2) Terror Bird Corpse
Damnit, still no level up. ¡°This games a bitch,¡± Eric muttered. He must be close though. He smiled quietly to himself. He had lost a lot of Health points before he thought to use towels to bind the deeper wounds. It was a reminder that even with the ridiculous healing, your wounds don¡¯t heal if they are bleeding. It was a moment of relief when his wounds eventually healed. Annoyed at the difficulty of the fights but happy about the experience he had earned. Eric passed the night in relaxation, trying not to dwell on how close to death he came today. The next morning Eric was once again on the rooftop. Although with the discovery of the Terror Birds he realized that the roof is probably not the safest place to be, he came up anyway. He had 2 solid reasons. Firstly, he could see the various monsters that travelled within the city. Learning anything he could about them could be an advantage in the future. Secondly, Eric figured he deserved to get a breath of fresh air occasionally. Especially after the battles yesterday. Well anyway he was currently standing drinking a can of Coke, while watching a veritable army of skeletons travel on the road in front of his apartment. From what he could see there were 4 types of skeletons in the group. The first and most notable was the leader. It wore full black plate armor, he couldn¡¯t even tell if it was actually a skeleton or not. He just assumed so. Then there were the skeletons that carried a sword and a shield (unarmored). Then there were the unarmed skeletons. The cannon fodder. The fourth and last group (that he could see) were skeletons that carried a staff. Eric assumed they were some kind of mage. Which kind of pissed him off. How the hell can skeletons do magic yet he can¡¯t. Doesn¡¯t exactly seem fair. Out of all this what Eric found most interesting was that the skeletons weren¡¯t all human shaped. Most of the cannon fodder were goblins or some other short monster. A terrifying thought then came to him. What happens if the skeletons kill an ogre¡­ or something worse? Once the skeleton army was out of sight Eric decided to finish the 6th floor (and hopefully level up). Unfortunately, or fortunately depends how you look at it. There were no monsters in the other two rooms. So, Eric looted everything he could from the level. As always there were tinned goods, knives, matches, drinks and clothes. Which he happily looted. He had to make two trips but it was well worth it. Pleased at his progress. Eric at an early lunch and proceeded in a cautious manner to the 5th floor. Only to be stopped. Like before, the fire exit door was closed but this time. There was a dog sized hole in the bottom. Or rat sized¡­ ¡°Well shit. What to do? What to do¡­?¡± This was frustrating. Ever since meeting the rats. Eric had lived with the fear of being eaten alive by a swarm of rats. Fuck it! Eric returned to his apartment. But not to rest no Eric took several swigs of vodka. Grabbed a handful of knives and the last crude goblin spear. He was ready. He was tempted to just throw in a couple of bottles of vodka and some lit matches but wisdom stopped him. That would probably be detrimental to his health. His arms were a bit full but he somehow managed to navigate his way past the various doors on his route. He then proceeded to start kicking the door. He was interrupted by a curious rat within a minute. The rat received several jabs to the face for its trouble. Eric was a scary kind of calm. Very cold blooded. After nonchalantly killing the rat he resumed kicking. A few minutes passed before another rat was bold enough to leave the nest. Like before it got a few thrusts to the face. Unfortunately, the spear then broke as the rat struggled in its death throes. Eric resumed kicking. Like yesterday the door took a very long time to fall. No other rats interrupted Eric¡¯s kicking. Once the door fell, Eric retreated to his apartment. He needed to regain his stamina. Eat. And maybe put a little more thought into how he planned to fight so many rats. While cooking some soup Eric waited expectantly for: Ding!
Victory! You have slain: Overgrown Rat level 2 Experience Received: 30 Loot Received: Overgrown Rat Corpse
Ding!
Congratulations! You have reached level 4! You now have 5 unallocated status points available.
Ding!
Victory! You have slain: Overgrown Rat level 2 Experience Received: 30 Loot Received: Overgrown Rat Corpse
Eric gave a small evil smile. He hoped there would be plenty of rats to slay. After much consideration Eric placed his distributable points like so:
Name: Eric Scot Age: 27 Race: Human
Class: Level: 4 Faction: Unaffiliated
Distributable Status Points: 0
Hitpoints: 80/80 Stamina: 125/125
Health Regeneration: 1/s Stamina Regeneration: 5.25/s
Vitality: 10 Mana: 100/100
Strength: 12 Mana Regeneration: 0.5/s
Agility: 12 Intelligence:10
Dexterity: 11 Wisdom: 8
Luck: 5 Charm: 3
Meaning he added 2 strength to kick down the doors faster, 2 agility so he might be able to fight the rats better and 1 Dexterity to make his strikes more accurate. After this Eric felt more confident. He could feel his inner strength rise and he was slightly lighter on his feet. He quickly finished making and eating lunch. He was curious to see how he would perform against the rats. He might need a little more liquid courage though... On his way down the stairwell, Eric began to hear the quiet scratching of claws on stone. There was also the occasional squeak. Eric smiled grimly. It seemed the rats had set up a welcoming party. Eric peaked around the corner of the stairwell. It revealed 5 rats one of which was the larger kind of the large rats. They were gathered near the bodies of those slain earlier. Clearly wondering what had destroyed the door and slain their fellows. Eric smiled. He held a knife in each hand with many more in the pockets of his jacket. (Which was a bit of a safety hazard) Eric really hoped he didn¡¯t fall on the knives during the battle. Eric decided to experiment on ways to fight the rats. What he wanted to do was throw the knives. He hoped the increased dexterity would allow for greater accuracy. At the very least he couldn¡¯t be any worse of a throw than he was before the apocalypse. Stepping around the corner, he was instantly noticed by the rats. They slavered in delight and began to rush towards him. They were met by knives. Now he wasn¡¯t suddenly hitting the rats in eye or some such nonsense but his knives were hitting the target. He managed 6 throws before the first rat reached him. 4 of the throws hit the rats, slowing or stopping them. One of the others hit a rat with the handle not the blade. The other missed the rat because it made an abrupt shift in direction. The large rat, the one at the back of the pack, reached Eric. Eric met it with two knives straight into its chest as it jumped at him while he backpedaled. He then stepped to the left, then using the rat¡¯s momentum against it he shoved it away to strike the ground hard behind him. He then drew his last two knives and efficiently finished off the weakened rats. Eric grimaced but he was quite pleased with his work. It had been quite efficient. Clear-headed and organized these rats are truly no threat to him. A human body is superior to a rat¡¯s and that¡¯s before the update. They may win from ambush but with the heal system he could probably fight the rats unarmed and still win. Although, that would be painful. And stupid. Very stupid¡­ Eric wanted to give a primal roar of victory but thankfully his survival instinct kicked in. That would have been a silly idea. Or would it? Eric started sweating, was the vodka kicking in? 1.06 1.06 Eric gathered up the knives that he had used. They were bloody so he cleaned them on the rat fur. That¡¯s how he had seen it done on T.V after all. After the battle Eric was confident that he could probably take on quite a few rats at once. Logic dictated that he remained cautious. He didn¡¯t know what to expect from within the apartments. He tentatively entered the 5th level. Stepping over the toppled door. He instantly realized that all doors had a hole at its base. Which was quite terrifying¡­ Although, an optimistic idea, Eric had assumed that the rats had only taken one apartment over to use as their nest. Now how many rats would there be if they were in all the apartments. Hmmm, they probably wouldn¡¯t have enough food though¡­ Perhaps they just explored all the apartments but only have one nest? ¡°Guess I¡¯ll just have to find out¡±, he muttered while taking another tentative step towards the first apartment. He stepped up to kick it but stopped just before his foot connected. Aghast he stepped back away from the doors. He was stuck in an awkward situation. If he kicked the door there is the possibility that a swarm of rats could appear from any of the apartments. Now although Eric recently professed his superiority over the rats. He kind of preferred to be prepared for his fights. Knowing where the enemy will come from is usually a bonus. Eric smiled. He had an idea. Returning to the 6th floor he picked up a coffee table and a chair. He then walked back to the 5th floor and in the hallway between the apartments. He started the creation of a barricade. He quickly ran and got more furniture until it looked impassable unless there¡¯s some kind of flying rat he hadn¡¯t met yet. Pleased, Eric began kicking the first apartment. He still had to worry about the apartment on opposite his current one but he had placed a chair across the whole which should give him some time to respond. The apartment appeared empty at first glance but Eric kept his guard up. The lounge was clear. Kitchen was clear. Guest bedroom was clear. Storage room is clear. He approached the master bedroom expecting the same. He almost laughed when he entered. Although, prior to the apocalypse said laugh would have been a scream. There was a large version of the large rats sleeping happily on the bed. Pretty much like any pet does when their owner is away. Eric hardened his heart. This funny. Ugly but cute. Monster. Is experience. He ended its nap with two stabs from his knives. Eric left the room heartbroken. By the time Eric moved the chair and began kicking down the door to the next apartment he had completely forgotten about the sleeping rat. He was confident that he could clear the rats out if he remained cautious. The door fell. He searched the apartment. It was empty. Accessing the next apartment would be tricky. He had to move the barricade but¡­ the rats had begun scratching on the opposite side. Eric pondered this development. It was quickly resolved by Eric standing on a chair. From there he held a vantage point looking over the barricade. He could see 3 rats. 2 were attacking the barricade while one of the larger overgrown rats observed. Eric met the eyes of the rat. It stared at him in anger and hunger. Eric smiled a grim smile. With careful aim, he released two knives one after the other. Both struck the rat. Even before it collapsed, Eric had fired off another two knives towards its compatriots. They too were heavily wounded. It took Eric a while to safely reconstruct the barricade so that it opens up another two apartments. This is because he remained cautious. While moving the components of the barricade he didn¡¯t want to leave a gap that a sudden surge of rats could exploit. Eric began kicking in another apartment door. The door fell with a loud crash and Eric armed with dual kitchen knives was beset by several rats. As soon as he realized that he was under attack Eric ran at the closest rat. As it lunged at him he gave it a kitchen knife in return. Withdrawing his knife from the dying rat he turned in time to dodge the jaws of the nearest rat. This one he ignored but the one behind it. He quickly rushed, stabbing before it had a chance to react. Eric once again turned to face the oncoming rats. They were now fighting smart. Some of the pack hunting instinct was coming into play not just their overriding hunger. The rats approached slowly, occasionally rushing in before backing off. There were three left and one was a larger rat. They each approached from different angles and it was hard for Eric to keep track of their feints. Annoyed, Eric didn¡¯t really want to get chewed on by rats. It just didn¡¯t seem healthy. He had no doubt that he could win but.. Eric once again began throwing knives. As soon as he released the knives in his hands he whipped out another two and before the rats could even comprehend what had happened. Eric was once again on the attack. The larger rat which was on the far right took a deep knife wound to the body and a graze on its face as the other knife just missed. The two other rats jumped at Eric. One even got its teeth into his shoulder. Eliciting a pained cry. The rats got several swift thrusts into their guts for their trouble. Eric then proceeded to finish off the wounded. The other apartment of the two he left unprotected by the barricade was empty. There was some unpleasant evidence of past rat occupation but it was currently empty. Eric proposed that one of the groups he had previously killed may have resided there. Pleased with his progress thus far and wanting to check his experience gains Eric retreated to his apartment. With his door locked, the fire exit door shut, seated on his favourite sofa spot and drinking a can of Coke. Eric allowed himself to relax. Ding!
Victory! You have slain: (x6) Overgrown Rat level 2 Experience Received: (x6) 30 Loot Received: (x6) Overgrown Rat Corpse
Ding!
Victory!This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. You have slain: (x4) Overgrown Rat level 3 Experience Received: (x4) 40 Loot Received: (x4)Overgrown Rat Corpse
Ding!
Congratulations! You have reached level 5! You now have 5 unallocated status points available.
Ding!
Victory! You have slain: (x4) Large Overgrown Rat level 3 Experience Received: (x4) 50 Loot Received: (x4) Large Overgrown Rat Corpse
Eric could only smirk. It had been annoying how slow it took to level up in this new world. Now, the rats seemed to be asking to be slaughtered. It had taken less than half a day to go from level 4 to 5. The problem he now had was indecision. While before he was just trying to get all his stats up to 10, he had now reached the point where he had to start choosing a pathway. He could increase agility to become nimbler which would be the thief/assassin route in most games. Increase strength and vitality to become more tankish. Increase dexterity which would boost throwing or firing skills, as well as crafting if he ever chose to pick something up. Intelligence and Wisdom were quite frustrating though. He was keen to pick up some magic in the future but he didn¡¯t know when that could take place. It was definitely not a smart move to bank on the fact he might learn magic after an indeterminate time. Eric sighed. It was probably too early to decide anyway. No matter which path he chose he didn¡¯t truly have the gear or skills to have one. In the end, he decided to increase charm to 5 and wisdom to 10 because he felt bad leaving them how they were. And was curious to see whether he became more ¡®wise¡¯ or ¡®charming¡¯. He then used the remaining point to increase strength to 13. He needed a greater kicking door down capacity.
Name: Eric Scot Age: 27 Race: Human
Class: Level: 5 Faction: Unaffiliated
Distributable Status Points: 0
Hitpoints: 100/100 Stamina: 125/125
Health Regeneration: 1/s Stamina Regeneration: 5.25/s
Vitality: 10 Mana: 100/100
Strength: 13 Mana Regeneration: 0.5/s
Agility: 12 Intelligence:10
Dexterity: 11 Wisdom: 10
Luck: 5 Charm: 5
Waking up the next morning Eric decided to forego his trip to the roof in exchange for rat experience. Armed with the same gear as yesterday he started his trip down the stairs. As soon as entered the 5th floor he realized that his makeshift barrier had been breached. Retreating he went up to the 6th floor for more furniture. With the barrier remade making it possible for him to access 2/4 remaining doors he decided to do a quick search of the previous apartments to make sure there are no enemies behind him. There weren¡¯t. Disgustingly the bodies of the rats he had killed were gone. He didn¡¯t notice the missing bodies on the stairway but it was pretty obvious now. Eric cringed at the thought of his possible fate. It convinced him that he needed to remain cautious. Just one more mistake and¡­ He cringed once again. Both the apartments were disconcertingly empty when he searched them. There were some nasty traces of rat occupation but no rats¡­ He hoped they weren¡¯t all grouping up. It¡¯s a defense mechanism of most pack animals but he didn¡¯t really think rats were that clever¡­ I guess growing their size also has the effect of making them smarter. That¡¯s something to note for the future¡­ He moved the barricade. Starting to feel a measure of trepidation. This was going to be a tough fight. He feared what may be waiting for him. Eric sighed heavily. No backing out now. He smashed his foot against an apartment door. After a couple of kicks the door fell, he was starting to get the knack of it now. It only took about 20 doors¡­ He entered cautious and a little bit panicky. He took a sip from a hip flask. It was a bit awkward lifting it while watching every direction at once. While holding a rather large kitchen knife. But of course Eric¡¯s awesomeness knew no bounds. The liquid courage took a few steps to take effect. He could feel the warmth slowly calming him down. He needed to be focused for the next fight. Nodding to himself, Eric sighted movement at the back of the apartment. He followed. He didnt have to go far he caught up with about 5 rats in the lounge. They were cowering behind a collapsed coffee table. Whenever he tried to approach they would leap away. He was tempted to throw a knife but the rats were bounding all over the place and he didn¡¯t think he could hit them. He looked on frustrated. This behavior was certainly¡­ un-rat-ish. After a few minutes of near misses while swinging his knife. He took a step back to have a quick breather. That was when he heard it. A distinctive scratching on stone. He glanced behind him. His eyes widened in horror. Update Will be going back through and lengthening the currently released chapters. So some chapters will obviously dissappear. No content is being changed, please bear with me.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Very shortly 0.07 will be released. I will keep it up for a while but then it will merge with 0.06. Update (important) Another update! Aren''t you guys lucky. This is to inform you that 1.07 will once again be released. Except it is the next chapter. So pretty much the previous 1.07 was added to 1.06 and now theres a new 1.07. Make sense? I hope so. On top of this. I''ve made an executive decision. The prologue is going to have several things added to it. Mostly because I want to write about something other than Erics apartment. The new prologue should be cool, I''ll let you guys know when its up!If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. 1.07 1.07 He stared into the creatures vivid red eyes. Its huge maw slavered and revealed wickedly sharp (and large) teeth. Eric stared in fear at the sofa sized rat. It reached his shoulders, not only its height but its length was outrageous. Stupidly Eric could only wonder how the hell it managed to fit through the apartment door. The rat was not alone however. Unknowing to Eric until some had filtered into the kitchen and subsequently onto tiles. The rats had swarmed into the apartment, combined with the rats already her there was now around a dozen of the blighters. A mix of large and normal sized overgrown rats. Accompanied by a true monster. They all intended to wipe out their invader. Eric felt true terror. The battle began in earnest when one of the smaller rats tried to get the first bite in. It leaped at Eric, jaws wide. To be met by a thrown knife. This was just the beginning however. All the smaller rats then rushed him. Eric survived only through their lack of coordination. As they leaped 8 or 9 at roughly the same time Eric dived under one. Leaving the rest to smack into each other. One rat got its bite of flesh. As it gripped tightly onto his shoulder Eric flailed wildly throwing it off straight into another oncoming rat. After he broke the encirclement Eric never stayed still. He was constantly swinging at the leaping rats with his knives or feet, stepping aside as they rushed past him The rats were dying off quickly but Eric himself was dying a death of a thousand bites. He was covered in both shallow and deep cuts where teeth or claws had reached flesh. Panting heavily Eric plunged his knives into a wounded rat. The smaller rats were now fighting smarter. They used the same tactics as one of the groups he fought before. Feints with better coordination. Eric resolved this group as he had the one before. Throwing knives and then rushing the wounded foes to finish them. As he regathered the knives Eric tried to smirk at the enraged monster rat. Except he was too filled with pain. He felt each and every one of his wounds. The pain was astronomical. He feared checking his status to find out how much health he had. No, what he feared was having to fight this monster. The monster rushed him, very like the rats previously. Its movements were the same but¡­ This rat was huge. Eric threw a knife before rolling to the side. Eric got to see the knife bounce harmlessly off the rat before it went rushing past. Then he was struck by the tail. He flew into a wall with bone crushing force. His body just missing a flat screen television hanging on said wall. Eric groaned in pain. He had felt a distinctive crunch of bones fracturing as he impacted. His eyes watered but he once again started to stand. To remain down meant death. The monstrous rat began to rush him again. Eric futilely released another couple of knives before drawing his last pair. This time as he leaped to the side he made two desperate swipes with his knives. One sliced into the monster¡¯s side while the other deflected the tail. The tails own momentum made the knife cut deeply. As Eric reached safety the rat struck the wall. The television then fell. Smacking the rats head. Eric raised his eyebrow. Did the television just kill the monster for me? Moments later the flat screen was thrown to the side by a shake of the rat¡¯s head. It then turned to face him. If possible the rat looked even angrier than before. Eric retreated to the kitchen as the rat started to charge towards him once again. It was a limp run situation derived from fear and desperation. This time as the rat neared him it was met by a toaster to the face. Slowed down from the attack of the kitchen appliance and struggling to reach its target within the kitchens confined space, the rat backed off. A mistake. Eric used the opportunity to throw a microwave at the monster. Ignoring the pain from his damaged bones and overtaxed muscles Eric followed up the microwave with several knives he had grabbed from a convenient knife rack. The rat was obviously effected by the attacks. 2 out of the 5 knives cut deeply into the rats torso and stayed there. Furthermore, the microwaves smashed on impact. Showering the rat in shattered glass and broken metal. The rat was weakened and frustrated. It pulled back into the lounge. The rat wasn¡¯t the only one weakened. Eric could feel his vitality draining. Trying to staunch several of his more accessible wounds he grabbed a pair of dish towels and bound his shoulder and thigh. Prepared for the worst Eric said ¡°status¡± and willed it to appear.
Name: Eric Scot Age: 27 Race: Human
Class: Level: 5 Faction: Unaffiliated
Distributable Status Points: 0
Hitpoints: 21/100 Stamina: 17/125
Health Regeneration: 1/s Stamina Regeneration: 5.25/s
Vitality: 10 Mana: 100/100
Strength: 13 Mana Regeneration: 0.5/s
Agility: 12 Intelligence:10
Dexterity: 11 Wisdom: 10
Luck: 5 Charm: 5
His health wasn¡¯t as bad as he thought. He assumed it was because he had no ¡®fatal¡¯ wounds. All his current ones had started to drain his health gradually. The Hitpoints had even dropped by 1 as he stood there exhausted. He knew then that even if he slew the rat. He wouldn¡¯t make it back to the apartment. He once again retreated. This time he stepped quickly out of the kitchen and limp-ran dazedly towards the master bedroom.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Eric found that it was a woman¡¯s apartment once he began searching for cloth to bind his wounds in the wardrobe. Before that, he closed the door and in agony, pulled off his ragged and bloody clothes. Anxious, Eric unceremoniously ripped apart what was once an expensive silk dress. He then proceeded to press the silk against his wounds. To complete this painful but necessary enterprise he then began tightly wrapping his body with some more clothing. An attempt to mummify himself and therefore keep the makeshift silk bandages in place. Exhausted but to on edge Eric tried to relax. Lying on the king-sized bed, he stayed as still as possible to make sure the clothing stayed in place. He then relaxed his mind. Trying to think about anything other than the monster in the lounge. Eric was frozen in place. He was surrounded in darkness. It was just him and the monster. Its red eyes flashed. Eric could feel amusement emanating from around him. The monsters slavering maw and bloody teeth came closer and closer. He could see individual pieces of flesh within its jaws. The rat came closer, unable to move Eric began to scream. The monster lunged at him. Startled awake. Eric could feel sweat on his brow. The nightmare was not the first of its kind since the apocalypse began but¡­ this one was incredibly focused and detailed. The worst one yet. Sitting up he patted cautiously his mummified body. There was no pain. While Eric was tempted to pull off his bandages there was an easier way to measure his recovery. ¡°Status¡±
Name: Eric Scot Age: 27 Race: Human
Class: Level: 5 Faction: Unaffiliated
Distributable Status Points: 0
Hitpoints: 100/100 Stamina: 125/125
Health Regeneration: 1/s Stamina Regeneration: 5.25/s
Vitality: 10 Mana: 100/100
Strength: 13 Mana Regeneration: 0.5/s
Agility: 12 Intelligence:10
Dexterity: 11 Wisdom: 10
Luck: 5 Charm: 5
It seemed he was fully recovered. Eric got off the bed. Then slowly and carefully he began unravelling the makeshift bandages. It all came off rather easily and rather quickly. Emphasizing how fragile it was. When it was completely off he stood there and examined his body. As expected there were more scars. Though of course they looked months old. Overall he was pleased. He went from near death to relatively healed. Although he was kind of hungry...Thinking about his less than appetizing choices. He remembered that he still had a monster slay. Sneaking into the lounge Eric could tell the rat had not been idle during his nap. Disgustingly it had eaten the majority of its dead kin. Like Eric had been, the rat was currently sleeping (and snoring). Eric looked for a suitable way to wake it up. There wasn¡¯t that much to choose from. He had thrown most of the loose kitchen appliances during the first fight. The rat was also lying comfortable on a shattered coffee table so there wasn¡¯t a chance to recreate the spider battle. There wasn¡¯t a chance of sneaking past the rat and using some of furniture he had built the barricade with. That would mean passing far too close to the rat for comfort. In the end, he threw a stool. Although the stools impact looked painful. It didn¡¯t seem to have much of an effect. It shook off its sleepiness and stood once more. The rat turned. Red eyes once again drilled into. Filled with anger and malice. Eric shivered. His recent nightmare was on his mind. Eric searched his inner pockets for a moment. The staring contest went on. Without taking his eyes off his opponent, Eric took a few gulps out of a hipflask. He smiled briefly as he felt the familiar feeling of the spirits warming him. Screwing the lid closed and putting the flask away Eric once again prepared for battle. As Eric prepared to meet and hopefully counter the beasts charge he forlornly wished for a proper weapon. Preferably one with greater reach. He really dislikes the idea of getting his hands so close to that things jaws. Rushing forward at the same time as the rat. Eric tried to replicate how he fought before. Diving to the left so the rat sped safely past. A slash with his knives to deflect the tail. The first pass was successful. One of his knives missed the tail while the other cut deeply, jarring his wrist. As the rat passed Eric stood back up swiftly. He then sprinted at the rats back. Knives ready to pierce. He was stopped in midair by the tail. It suddenly whipped out and struck him in the ribs. Sending him flying. Eric rolled as he impacted the ground. Groaning at the pain to his ribs. Frustrated. He stood back up. A little shakier than before. The rat didn¡¯t charge this time. It stepped forward at a slower more cautious pace. It was obviously adapting to his technique. He met its eventual lunge with a knife to the snout. However, the impact knocked him back a few meters. The rat seemed unfazed. Eric regained his balance. The rat lunged once more. Eric stepped agilely to the side. His knife flashing out to cut into the side of its head. The rat winced and shifted its body away from his blade. The battle went on like this for several minutes. When it charged he would dive out the way and try to get a slash in or deflect the tail. If it approached cautiously he would avoid the snapping jaws and slash at any available target. This didn¡¯t go without cost. While the rat was slowly weakening from repeated cuts. Eric was being smacked by the rats greater momentum. He felt like one big bruise and his wrists ached. His grip on his knives failing. Diving out the way of a charge, Eric once again blocked the tail. He then watched as the rat struck the wall behind him. He used the opportunity. As the rat moved slower, obviously stunned by smacking headfirst into a wall. Eric leaped for its back. The tail whipped out like before but this time, Eric knocked it to the side. He landing knives first on the rats back. Eric didn¡¯t stop there. While the rat winced in pain. Eric pulled the knives out and plunged them back in. He got three good thrusts in before he felt the rat begin to roll. Eric leaped off. As he jumped the rat smacked its back into the wall. Landing safely on the ground and moving swiftly away Eric breathed deeply in relief. He would have been crushed if he remained on the rats back. The rat was definitely affected by his attack. It moved slower. Its eyes less focused. It took a moment for the rat to turn and face him once more. Eric smirked as he saw the rat act far more hesitant than before. It no longer approached him. No longer saw him as prey. He was the predator. The rats instinctive cowardice would be its undoing. The monster slowly backed up into the wall. Cornering itself. Shirking away from the fight. He could see it continue to weaken. The legs no longer having the same strength. The tail no longer moving wildly. Eric met its new-found cowardice with a thrown stool to the face. The stool struck hard before be knocked aside. Eric used the opportunity to slash the rat deeply in the side of the face with a knife. He backed off once more. The rat continued to weaken. Losing consciousness from continued blood loss sapping its vitality. Eric waited for it to weaken further. After a moment, he dashed forward. The rats eyes struggling to focus on his moving figure. It tried to bite him. Except, Eric feinted the first lunge. Still wary of the rat. Its missed lunge pulled it out of position. Its slowed movements making it an easy target. Eric¡¯s knife plunged deep into the monsters dim red right eye. The rat collapsed. 1.08 1.08 Standing over the body of the collapsed monstrosity Eric barked a nervous laugh. It had been one hell of a fight. Hopefully earning him a level maybe two. Smug and a little pleased he decided to search the last apartment and make sure the rats are gone. Pity. They were good experience¡­ Entering the apartment Eric made note of the knocked down door and wall. The rat had obviously struggled to squeeze out of his lair. Which begs the question of how he got there in the first place¡­ The other apartment smelled and the remains of dead animals and people almost made Eric a now hardened apocalypse survivor throw up. Resolved to complete his mission, he held his nose and searched through carefully. It wasn¡¯t until he eventually searched the lounge. The most revolting area and the site of quite a few meals, that he found something of worth. It seemed that a lot of loot had been left behind after the meals. Quite a few copper coins and even a silver had been gathered conveniently in a pile. There were no treasure chests or more useful weapons however. He gained 17 copper and one silver coins. There was quite a lot of crap that probably used to be clothing or equipment. Nothing of worth though. What he needed was a weapon and he had no idea how to get one. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Eric finally relaxed once he started eating a chicken soup based pasta dish that he had quickly made upon returning. While waiting for it to cook he had been almost frantic as his stomach grumbled and gave him sharp hunger pangs. He was also completely exhausted, the nightmare during the nap had sapped its restorative properties. He was ready for bed but first: Ding!
Victory! You have slain: (x5) Overgrown Rat level 2 Experience Received: (x5) 30 Loot Received: (x5) Overgrown Rat Corpse
Ding!
Victory! You have slain: (x4) Overgrown Rat level 3 Experience Received: (x4) 40 Loot Received: (x4)Overgrown Rat Corpse
Ding!
Victory! You have slain: Monstrous Overgrown Rat level 7 Experience Received: 120 Loot Received: Monstrous Overgrown Rat Corpse, Monster Core (Rank H)
Ding!
Victory! You have slain: (x3) Large Overgrown Rat level 3 Experience Received: (x3) 50 Loot Received: (x3) Large Overgrown Rat Corpse
Ding!
Victory! You have slain: (x2) Large Overgrown Rat level 4 Experience Received: (x2) 60 Loot Received: (x2) Large Overgrown Rat Corpse
Ding! Eric smiled, he had obviously expected the level up but he also noticed ¡®Monster Core¡¯ amongst the messages. He would have to go find that straight after dinner. He wouldn¡¯t want his loot to be eaten. First he would distribute his points. Then he would go get the core. Then he would sleep. Eric was pleased with his uncomplicated plan.Stolen story; please report. ___________________________________ In clean clothes Eric grumbled to himself as he admired the monster core. The core itself was a bronze color with a tiny red crystal in the center. It was like the slime cores a thin cylinder shape. Though smaller. While pleased with receiving some kind of loot after his dangerous endeavor he really had no idea what to do with it. Especially since he had to dig the core out of the monster¡¯s skull which was equally as grisly and exhausting as the battle itself. He was kind of hoping that it had a use or some value that in the future he would be able to benefit from. Setting down the core on the coffee table Eric stood up and went to bed. ___________________________________ Eric was once again standing on his apartments roof. It was a rather unpleasant day. Windy and drizzling. Eric stood shivering slightly in the face of the elements. Although unpleasant Eric took the moment to breathe in some fresh air. The apartment block had started to exude a nasty stench which Eric was willing to get soaked to the bone to avoid. He stood in silence looking up and down the street waiting for something of interest to happen. A figure turned the corner and began to walk down the street. From this distance, it appeared that the figure was dressed in a business suit. Holding an umbrella to avoid the rain the casualness of the man was shocking. So, while Eric was tempted to call out to this humanoid something within him forced him silence. He even crouched down, getting his jeans soaked. Head peaking over, Eric proceeded to watch this anomaly. The man passed the apartment by, he walked about 100m¡¯s further down the street at a slow sedate pace before his stroll was interrupted. Goblins streamed out of the buildings on either side of the man. Around a hundred of them swarmed out and began surrounding him. The goblins carried a mix of spears and clubs and seemed rather excited. Instead of instantly rushing the man. They seemed to be waiting for something. A larger goblin appeared. Obviously, a leader of some sort this goblin wielded a large iron sword and actually wore some kind of armor not just a loin cloth. This goblin approached the man cockily, enjoying the attention of his subordinates. Against such a wretched horde Eric would have feared for the man if he didn¡¯t seem so damn confident. He still held the umbrella over his head blocking the rain and his posture suggested boredom. Weapons raised for a devastating swing the goblin approached. When the goblin got within 5 meters or so. (It was hard to judge at this distance) The man raised his hand. There was a pulse of red. It flowed over the man, a wave of red¡­ magic? Then the man moved. The man seemed to teleport. Eric watched as he appeared around 20 meters further down the street than the goblins. Once again walking casually with his umbrella blocking the rain. Eric raised his eyebrows in confusion. Until the small army of goblins started to topple over. ___________________________________________ It had been the first real magic that he had seen since the apocalypse started and it made him feel¡­ inadequate. He had spent the next hour sitting upon the sofa sipping a glass of coke. He mulled over what he had seen. The man wasn¡¯t human, that much was certain. There¡¯s no way that no matter how skilled the man is that they could get so powerful. The word that sprung to mind was¡­ vampire. When the glass which he had drawn out was finally empty Eric shoved the awed thoughts away. It was time to get back to grinding experience and clearing the apartment building of enemies. Eric finally decided to distribute his status points. Smiling slightly, Eric added 2 points to strength and 3 points to agility:
Name: Eric Scot Age: 27 Race: Human
Class: Level: 6 Faction: Unaffiliated
Distributable Status Points: 0
Hitpoints: 100/100 Stamina: 125/125
Health Regeneration: 1/s Stamina Regeneration: 6.25/s
Vitality: 10 Mana: 100/100
Strength: 15 Mana Regeneration: 0.5/s
Agility: 15 Intelligence:10
Dexterity: 11 Wisdom: 10
Luck: 5 Charm: 5
Satisfied, Eric began getting ready for his next exploration. He was slightly curious about which enemies he would face today. Providing it wasn¡¯t spiders Eric would be happy. He shuddered slightly at the thought. Similarly, to the day before, Eric equipped himself with a Large jacket and jeans. The jacket had 2 deep inner pockets which Eric inserted some knives. 2 in each pocket. Feeling ready for any low-level enemies he might face. Smiling he exited his apartment, a knife in each hand. The 4th floor was the site of a war zone. As Eric peaked down the staircase about the level he saw tens of bipedal figures rushing down to the third floor. He could distantly hear the shrieks and roars of conflict further down the building. The bipedal figures were most certainly not human. Although they carried crafted weaponary and occasionally armor, their arms were too long compared to their bodies and they were... furry. In truth their faces appeared to be a disturbing mix of bear and goblin. They probably reached Erics shoulder in height but it was difficult to judge from his current angle. Making them several inches taller than goblins. Eric was stumped on how to proceed. Watching tentatively as his new challenge rushed down the stairs Eric was salivating over the idea of getting his hands on one of the bear goblin weapons. They seemed to be made from low quality iron but the spears and swords in their arsenal was desirable over his knives. Eric preferred to be as far from his enemies as possible. Now how to get his hands on them. Preferably without being stabbed in the process. After a patient wait, the rush of monsters slowed down to a trickle and then stopped. Since he arrived there must have been 5 groups of 5 heading downstairs with 2 groups of 5 travelling back up. It made for a difficult situation. Not only did he have no idea how many enemies he had to face. Eric also had no idea the capabilities of the monster. Discounting the pathetic thralls, he had yet to fight an armed opponent. All he knew is that they were likely to be more dangerous than said thralls. After a long wait Eric eventually got his chance to challenge this new foe. A bear goblin stepped out of the fire exit and took a post as a sentry. Eric watched it stand there gazing resolutely down the stairs to the 3rd floor. It seemed far more disciplined than he would expect from goblins. Wait.. Just as he praised the monster it began to snore... Apparently they weren¡¯t reliable sentries. Which Eric counted as a blessing he had been worried that he would have to face disciplined warriors. Now, with an easy target it was decision time. In the end he realized he didn¡¯t have much of a choice. He had to face this foe, there was no way around it. Confident, Eric stealthily approached the sleeping guard. He had planned to throw his knives but since it didn¡¯t seem to react when he entered line of sight Eric got up close and personal. When he was within range he thrust both knives into the monster. (it was easier to think of it as a monster) A knife in the throat and a knife where he hoped the heart would be. The monster collapsed as he withdrew his weaponary. Cringing slightly, Eric snatched a leather pouch from the goblins waist and its spear. Pleased but a tad disgusted with himself, Eric retreated back up the stairs. 1.09 1.09 Ding!
Victory! You have slain: Bj?rn Goblin level 4 Experience Received: 80 Loot Received: Bj?rn Goblin Corpse, Brittle Iron Dagger, Iron headed spear, pouch (x11 copper coins, shiny pebble), Shabby leather armor
Eric nodded, satisfied with knowing the name of his enemy. Good experience too. Providing he survives clearing the 4th floor he will be getting a level or 2. Eric placed his can of coke on the coffee table. Grabbing the spear he had set to the side and subconsciously double checked that his knives were still in place. Eric was once again left his apartment. Peeking out at where he murdered the sentry Eric observed an argument in progress. There were three bj?rn goblin¡¯s yelling at each other. Their language seemed to be composed of grunts which Eric honestly couldn¡¯t tell apart. He simply assumed they were talking. Fortunately, they waved their arms about emphasizing certain grunts which allowed Eric to understand the premise of the argument. 1 goblin, if his pointing and threatening was anything to go by believed that 1 of the others was responsible for the sentry¡¯s death. The accused believed that the other goblin was guilty. This last goblin kept gesturing up the stairs towards Eric¡¯s position indicating that he believed someone from another floor did the deed. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t actually look at Eric when he gestured. The argument eventually died down and one of the accusing goblins knocked on the fire exit door. The door opened and he left the scene of the crime. Taking advantage of the moment Eric rushed down the stairs. The 2 enemies broke off their staring match to look in shock at the human in front of them. Weapons at the ready and a hungry look in their eye, the goblins stepped forward to meet him. Eric started the fight by releasing a throwing knife at one of the opponents. The knife entered the gut of the goblin but while it seemed to deter its approach the goblin did not fall. The Eric¡¯s spear clashed with his uninjured opponent. It was only after the goblins second near miss in the short exchange that Eric realized he should have thrown a couple more knives. His opponent while shorter, its arms allowed for the same amount of reach as Eric. Furthermore, Eric had never fought with a spear before and his adversary seemed quite adept. To top it off the injured goblin had pulled free his dagger from its gut and although bleeding profusely, didn¡¯t seem too worried about the wound. In fact, it seemed quite tempted to join the fight. Grunting in annoyance as the bj?rn goblin matched his strength in a clash of wood. They were each trying to knock their opponent¡¯s spears to the side so they could insert a finishing thrust. Grinning maliciously the goblin sent a series of thrusts at him knocking Eric backwards. Off balance Eric stepped to the side to dodge an overshot lunge. Quickly stepping away and around the bj?rn goblin with the tricky spear skills, Eric took the chance to flick a knife at the injured goblin as it approached to join the contest. Thankfully, the goblin fell. It didn¡¯t seem dead but it wouldn¡¯t be stabbing him anytime soon. It was only then with a downed opponent and a far greater space to work with did Eric realize his advantage. Eric was simply more agile than his opponent. While the goblin was smart enough to press him, not allowing Eric to throw more knives. Eric could simply dodge away at a far greater speed. Instead of matching the goblin blow for blow. Eric sidestepped the goblins lunges and returned his own while it was out of position. It didn¡¯t work every time but he was occasionally successfully cutting the goblin. Eric finalized the battle by agilely kicking the goblins spear aside while simultaneously thrusting for its throat. With its spear out of the way and its body off balance the goblin could only look wide eyed as a spear took it in the upper chest. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Eric finished off the goblins, taking the sword, spear and pouches. The loot was well worth the battle. If he ignored the fact someone was trying to stab him he had actually started to enjoy himself. He also learnt a lesson. It is better to fight a battle on his terms, in other words don¡¯t copy the fighting style of a dim witted goblin. Eric also liked to think that his spear skills had gotten more smooth. They better, he had more enemies to kill. Eric once again retreated back to his apartment. He wanted to check his ¡®Ding! Ding!¡¯ message and heal the light cuts that bj?rn goblin¡¯s spear had made. It gave him an opportunity to finish his can of coke and check out his new sword. Seated on the sofa he received the aforementioned ding. Ding!
Victory! You have slain: (x2) Bj?rn Goblin level 4 Experience Received: x2) 80 Loot Received: (x2) Bj?rn Goblin Corpse, Brittle Iron sword, Iron headed spear, (x2) pouch (x24 copper coins), (x2) Shabby leather armor
On further inspection, the sword was incredibly brittle, it barely held an edge and the weight was off balanced. It was more of a metal sword shaped club than anything. Eric figured that it could still be of use. If one of the goblins have a reasonably well made shield, a sword and shield combination would counter the spear wielders. Until that day comes said sword was placed in the loot pile on the floor by the coffee table. Joining the pouches, spare spear, the crappy iron dagger and the variety of cores found. Checking his ¡®status¡¯ he noted that the small amount of Hitpoints lost had recovered. He was ready for action. Maybe lunch first. __________________________________ Feeling eager for battle and grinning to himself at how bloodthirsty he had become Eric descended the stairs. His craving for battle didn¡¯t wait long to be met. On the 5th floor he practically bumped into a pair of bj?rn goblins. They were stepping over the kicked down fire exit door while Eric was casually strolling past. Caught by surprise both sides simply stared at each other for what felt like a minute. Then suddenly a fight started. It began with Eric retreating, trying to give himself room. The goblins rushed forward with their spears in an attempt skewer him. Eric managed to throw a knife at one of the pair before their weapons clashed but either through over eagerness or nervousness. The knife simply scratched a goblins shoulder before bouncing off and away. The goblins fought the same as the last one. With little real technique, other than matching strength for strength. Eric in comparison used his greater agility to avoid their lunges and return his own. If both goblins happened to attack at once he would jump backwards. It wasn¡¯t long before the goblins got frustrated. They were covered in cuts while Eric only had a single scratch to show for their efforts. Their frustration was their downfall. One goblin overreached and found a spear deep in his gut. Leaving his spear where it was Eric whipped out two knives. The lightly injured goblin thrust his spear at his face in anger. Eric deflected the spear to the side and thrust his knife into the throat of his surprised opponent. The surprised goblin returned his knife with a closed fist to the face with the last of its strength. Eric lost consciousness for a moment as his head struck the ground. When his eyes reopened, he was in time to see the goblin with a gut wound pull his spear out of said gut and use it as a walking stick. Eric thankful that he had been knocked away from the remaining goblin. Scrambled to his feet. He was unarmed his knives had fallen to the ground with the fall. stumbling away from a weak spear thrust. Eric whipped his remaining knives out of his coat pocket and released them both. The goblin fell to the ground dead. As he retrieved his knives and loot. (2 spears, 2 pouches and an iron dagger) Eric realized that the goblins had a high vitality. They shrugged off wounds that would likely incapacitate him. In conclusion, the goblins had low intelligence, charm and wisdom. Medium agility and dexterity. High vitality and strength. Suited to holding a shield wall or tanking mobs. Not skirmishes. Although, the close quarters gave them an advantage. With a pounding headache Eric retreated to his apartment. He had to prepare for the goblins investigating their comrade¡¯s disappearance and heal. Another battle over. 1.10 1.10 Ding!
Victory! You have slain: (x2) Bj?rn Goblin level 4 Experience Received: (x2) 80 Loot Received: (x2) Bj?rn Goblin Corpse, (x2) Iron headed spear, (x2) pouch (x22 copper coins), (x2) Shabby leather armor
After healing and stashing his loot Eric once again set out. He hoped to use what little surprise he had left to isolate and slay a few more enemies before they came for him. The corpses were still where they had fallen which was a good sign. Meaning that perhaps they hadn¡¯t been discovered yet. The reality of the situation was soon revealed. Streams of Bjorn Goblins were retreating up the stairs from the 3rd floor and back into the 4th floor apartments. When the last wounded goblin passed through the fire exit door it was slammed shut. The first thought that entered Eric¡¯s mind was ¡®what the hell could cause around 20 goblins to retreat.¡¯ The next thought was ¡®what if it¡¯s coming this way¡¯. Eric, showing surprisingly good judgement decided to leave off his slaying for the day. Displeased with how the day ended Eric moped on the sofa. Not only was there a ridiculous number of goblins he needed to fight but there was something scary enough on the 3rd floor that scared the ridiculous number of goblins. He sighed heavily. In preparation for the next battle, Eric sharpened his weapons. The spears were his new pride and joy. The fist to the face in his last fight had taught him the importance of the additional reach. The rest of the day passed without anything interesting happening. That is if you discount the disturbing amount of time Eric spent caressing his new spear. Terrifyingly the corpses of his previous opponents were gone the next day. He had passed the spot without realizing they were gone and it was only when he reached the 4th floor that realization kicked in. Something had travelled up the stairs. And for some reason he doubted that it was the goblins. Peeking around the usual corner, Eric was both surprised and pleased to see the goblins once again out in force. With a distinct expression of fear, which sent shivers down Eric¡¯s spine, the goblins were led down the stairs to the 3rd floor. At their head was a goblin a head taller than the rest. Obviously, the leader. With great trepidation, an unusual look on a bear goblin face, 20 heavily armed goblins headed down the stairs perhaps never to be seen again. Decision time. Should Eric kick down the fire exit door and slay the remaining goblins. Or, follow the goblin army and find out what they¡¯re fighting. Eric smiled to himself. ¡°Eenie meenie miney mo, catcha tigga by the toe, if it squeals let it go, eeny meenie mo,¡± he whispered to himself. He ended up pointing towards the stairs down towards the 3rd floor. ¡°Well shit.¡± Proud of his resolve Eric started down the stairs towards the 3rd floor. Slowly, he didn¡¯t want to catch up to the goblins. It definitely wasn¡¯t because he was terrified of what he might find. Suddenly the goblins on the third floor yelled and screamed. Definitely not. It was chaos. The third floor was the site of a battle. Goblin vs snake. Each snake was perhaps 2 or 3 meters long. There were dozens of them. The snakes were guarding the fire exit door creating a bottleneck which placed the goblins at a ridiculous disadvantage. Fortunately or unfortunately the goblins had weapons and armor. Shoddy armor but armor none the less. Eric was peeking around the corner watching the madness. Goblins slashed and cut wildly when they came under attack. Occasionally, they would get too far ahead of the group or lose their balance resulting in instantly being overwhelmed by the snakes. The snakes themselves were terrifyingly beautiful. They were like a zebra, vivid white and black striped scales. Their oversized mouths bit deeply into goblin flesh. Their bodies wrapped tightly around their intended victims. The goblins in turn thrusted with spears or slashed with knives and swords. A united undisciplined mad rage which only added to the chaos. Eric gulped. The bipedal creatures were slowly pushing through. The further they reached the more goblins which entered the battle at one time. Both snake and goblin corpses lay on the ground crushed under their feet. The battle was now out of Eric¡¯s sight but he could still hear it. The drum of many feet and the incomprehensible grunting of goblin voices as they yelled in fear and anger. Eric waited for what seemed a long while until his opportunity for slaying occurred. Truly he wanted nothing to do with the large battle happening within the 3rd floor apartments but killing a few wounded goblins¡­ That he could do. Stumbling out of the third-floor apartments, all three Bjorn goblins had near life threatening injuries. One was covered in cuts and through the goblins coarse fur it was impossible to tell how deep the wounds were but¡­ it looked bad. And bloody painful. The other two were even worse. One was missing his forearm and hand. It obviously wasn¡¯t possible for the snakes to cause such an injury so it must have been friendly fire. The goblin cradled the wrist which was bound tightly by leather and honestly Eric had no idea how it was still alive. The last goblin was missing an eye and most of its face hand chest was bloody suggesting more cuts. The goblin stumbled woozily. Damn these goblins could cope with pain. The injuries were truly frightful. Eric grinned, ¡°easy experience¡±, he muttered. Eric retreated up the stairs and waited until the goblins were out of sight of any potential targets on the 3rd floor. As they reached the 4th floor and were about to knock on the fire exit door. Eric sprung down upon them. The unarmed goblins (in one case literally) were too easy a target. Eric spear took one in the side. Another thrust took one the eyeless goblin the gut. The last almost reached the door before his spear ended its life. Their low Hitpoints meant that they toppled over dead as soon as the spear entered them. ¡°The things I do for experience.¡±, he whispered distastefully looking at his bloody spear. He went back to watching the 3rd floor. Waiting for his next target.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Two groups of two goblins came up to join the bodies on the 5th floor. They were too tired and wounded to provide opposition. As distasteful as killing them was, Eric tried to see it as eliminating potential enemies. With 7 new pouches to add to his loot stash. Eric retreated to the 5th floor for food and a brief rest. He would soon test himself against more dangerous foes. Ding!
Victory! You have slain: (x6) Bj?rn Goblin level 4 Experience Received: (x6) 80 Loot Received: (x6) Bj?rn Goblin Corpse, x3 Brittle Iron dagger, (x6) pouch ,(x101 copper coins, 1 silver coin) (x6) Shabby torn leather armor
Ding!
Congratulations! You have reached level 7! You now have 5 unallocated status points available.
Ding!
Victory! You have slain: Bj?rn Goblin level 5 Experience Received: 90 Loot Received: Bj?rn Goblin Corpse, Pouch (1 silver coin)
A glass of coke half full in his hand Eric grinned at his new-found wealth of experience. The pouches added a significant amount of copper and silver to his loot pile. If only he knew what to do with it¡­ Eric mentally shrugged. Spoils of war. That¡¯s what they were until they actually gained value. Now he had to apply his status points. He had a feeling he would need it. ¡°Status¡±, he called to open up the page.
Name: Eric Scot Age: 27 Race: Human
Class: Level: 7 Faction: Unaffiliated
Distributable Status Points: 5
Hitpoints: 100/100 Stamina: 125/125
Health Regeneration: 1/s Stamina Regeneration: 6.25/s
Vitality: 10 Mana: 100/100
Strength: 15 Mana Regeneration: 0.5/s
Agility: 15 Intelligence:10
Dexterity: 11 Wisdom: 10
Luck: 5 Charm: 5
Smiling Eric willed 4 points to dexterity adding it up to 15 and placed a point in vitality making it 11.
Name: Eric Scot Age: 27 Race: Human
Class: Level: 7 Faction: Unaffiliated
Distributable Status Points: 0
Hitpoints: 110/110 Stamina: 137.5/137.5
Health Regeneration: 1.1/s Stamina Regeneration: 6.5/s
Vitality: 11 Mana: 100/100
Strength: 15 Mana Regeneration: 0.5/s
Agility: 15 Intelligence:10
Dexterity: 15 Wisdom: 10
Luck: 5 Charm: 5
He felt a little more confident facing his enemies. His knives would be more accurate and his spear thrusts defter. Simply wielding his weapons would come more comfortably to him. Worried but willing to persevere, Eric set out to clear 2 floors at once. Or die trying. Or retreat... retreating is an option. No need to be so dramatic. 1.11 1.11 Eric passed the untouched corpses of his previous targets. Spear in hand he continued down towards the 3rd floor. There were no longer any sounds of battle within the apartment area. This worried Eric, he had hoped that either the goblins would win or that the battle would be ongoing. If the goblins were dead¡­ Well it would suck. All that experience wasted. Eric smirked at the thought. In all seriousness, the idea of fighting such a large number of snakes wasn¡¯t high on his wish list. Eric entered the apartment area. There were around a dozen snake corpses on the entrance of the fire exit door. In comparison, there were only 7 goblin bodies. Eric noted the pouches and fallen weaponry. If he survived, at least there was plenty of loot. As always there were 8 apartments, all the doors were on the floor or in splintered pieces. The main hallway was covered in bodies, around 10 goblins and probably double that snakes. Lots and lots of loot. Eric started. His body was tense. His eyes were flicking from the ceiling to the floor to the doorways and then back to the ceiling. He really did not want to be surprised. There were muffled sounds coming from the furthest away apartment. Muffled yells and crashes. Eric shrugged. At least he knew where to look. Stepping past the open apartment doorways, Eric inwardly flinched. He was asking to be attacked from behind now. He wasn¡¯t or at least they didn¡¯t instantly jump out. Nervous. Eric stepped towards the last door. He stopped and with the spark of an idea. Eric picked up an extra spear. He figured if a knife throw hurts a spear probably feels worse. Feeling cleverer, Eric entered the last apartment. Stepping through the dangerously splintered doorway, Eric took in the enemies arrayed before him. From where he was standing he could see 2 separate battles taking place. In the lounge, there was a squad of goblins contested by a swarm of snakes. Neither seemed to have an advantage. Further on, by the kitchen, a smaller group of goblins led by the larger goblin from before fought against an incredibly large snake. Like really big. And scary. Eric¡¯s foot stepped heavily on the splintered wood of the fallen door. At his appearance, the monsters within the room reacted. Eric gulped as dozens of malevolent gazes turned upon him. ¡°Uh hi?... ¡°As you were¡±. The battles resumed but unfortunately many of the creatures decided that Eric would make a juicy target. 3 goblins broke off from the fight, rushing towards him. Eric smirked and threw his recently retrieved spear. Its weight was all wrong for throwing but within the confines of the apartment accuracy wasn¡¯t particularly necessary. The spear sailed through the air, wobbling slightly. Its target the leading goblin ducked under his missile. The following goblin wasn¡¯t so lucky. It took a spear to the upper chest, toppling it over. The other two goblins ignored their down comrade. Their eyes focused solely on Eric. Eric stepped forward into open space. He didn¡¯t want to trip over the door at inopportune moment. The goblins were upon him moments later. With greater experience under his belt. Eric used his longer legs, greater reach and speed against his foes. As the first stepped forwards and stabbed towards him. He agilely stepped aside and countered with his own spear. Stabbing straight into the goblins throat. The second goblin arrived on the scene seconds later. With a heavy iron sword in its hand it seemed to be a bit more cautious. Eric thrust tentatively at the goblins legs. The goblin responded by whacking its sword down on his spear shaft. Leaving a wicked cut in the wood and jarring his hands. The goblin used its advantage to swing dangerously at him. Backpedaling the swords edge missed his chest by centimeters. Sweat tricked down his forehead. The goblin swung again. This time Eric had his guard up. He bobbed under a wild swing at his head. Stepping to the side and knocking the still swinging sword to the side with his spear. The goblin overbalanced as it struggled to hold onto the sword. Eric¡¯s spear whipped out and with a couple of quick thrusts the goblin fell onto its back. Dead. The now understaffed goblin squad regrouped into a defensive position. Snakes surrounded the formation, using furniture as cover they would dart out and try to strike. Occasionally feinting, the goblins were getting frustrated but with their weapons and general toughness they had the advantage over the snakes. That is if they had the discipline to stick together. Many of the snakes annoyed at the continued perseverance of the bj?rn goblins turned to confront Eric. Hissing aggressively, they started their attack. Eric had stayed where he was after slaying the goblins. He truly was hoping that the enemy would kill each other off and he could just y¡¯know clean up afterwards. Unfortunately, that would not be the case. Observing the snakes approach, Eric felt a primal fear within him. Intellectually he knew that he was better off fighting snakes than goblins but that didn¡¯t stop him from feeling an irrational fear at the wildness and malevolence of the savage reptiles. Realizing that stabbing with a spear would be rather difficult against such nimble opponents Eric dropped his to the ground. Pulling a knife out of his jacket and retrieving the ridiculously heavy and unbalanced sword from the ground. He took a prepared stance. 4 snakes had pulled off from the fight with the goblins. They formed a semi-circle around Eric and began feinting and darting towards him. Eric in turn swung sweeping strokes fending off the reptiles. He had stepped away from the doorway and with open space and little furniture Eric had a massive advantage over the snakes. Without cover to hide behind the snakes themselves were vulnerable. Confident in his abilities Eric began a dance of death. Or rather that¡¯s what he hoped would happen. In reality, he dodged a couple of snake lunges swung his weapons madly. Received a couple of vicious but unthreatening bites that he returned with knife cuts to their bodies. 2 snakes fell headless as their attacks proved ineffective. The other 2 were caught off guard one stabbed through its open mouth in mid-air by a well-timed knife thrust. The last was struck by a kick to the body stunning it into vulnerability where it was finished off by a brutal chop of the sword. Breathing heavily Eric stepped away from the carnage and once again took in the battle. Not much had changed in the closest battle. The bj?rn goblin squad was holding its positions. A dozen over-ambitious snake corpses surrounded them but many more were still attacking. A couple of goblins had fallen in return and several were bleeding profusely but still they seemed to hold an advantage. The far battle was going less well for the goblins. The monstrously large snake had killed off several goblins. Their remains were splattered over the kitchen and lounge floor. The goblin leader and company seemed to be more focused on avoiding the snakes oversized mouth to retaliate. The snake was going to be trouble. With it came the realization that it is likely that he would be facing the snake before long. Gulp. Goblins were occasionally glancing at the human before them and most wanted to stab him with something. Fortunately for our hero, the goblins were unable to leave their position. Eric returned the malicious gazes with a smirk. Truthfully, Eric wasn¡¯t sure how to continue. He felt a strong desire to get stuck in the fight. Cut his way through goblins and snakes alike. Logic prevailed. That would be both risky and stupid. Eric smiled to himself. Would be fun though but¡­ probably painful. Eric sighed in disappointment. He would have to play it smart. Retrieving the spears he had thrown and dropped. Knocking aside a sneaky snake in the process. It bounced away and decided to be elsewhere. Smart snake. The goblin formation collapsed as his thrown spears struck two of the defenders. He doubted he got the experience from them as instantly the snakes pounced on them but the sudden chaos was well worth it. The goblins discipline collapsed as snakes got within their formation. Attacked from below and behind goblins toppled as they were suddenly overwhelmed. Of course, they didn¡¯t fall quietly. Snakes were caught by swinging weapons and flailing limbs. Eric took full advantage of the distraction.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Striking with both sword and knife Eric targeted diverted enemies. He only managed to eliminate one goblin, it had practically walked into his sword, but he took out half a dozen snakes in about as many seconds. Focused entirely on the goblins, the snakes completely ignored the foe targeting them from behind by the time they realized it was too late. Eric stepped back as the fight devolved into small skirmishes. To continue was asking to be attacked from behind. A spear to the back would hurt. The remaining half dozen goblins were split into pairs or singles fighting off snakes without the benefit of teamwork. Well as you might guess it wasn¡¯t going too well for them. Pulling back Eric drew the attention of several snakes and with a small smirk he prepared to face them. He was caught off guard when all four attacked at once. Two were whacked away mid strike but the others managed a vicious strike to his thigh and above his right hip. Gasping in pain Eric swung wildly at them. They darted back as quickly as they had attacked. Feeling blood trickle on his skin Eric retaliated by chasing down the assaulters and bringing them to a vicious end trying to ignore the twinges in his leg in the process. Distracted, Eric never noticed one of the snakes he had knocked away had recovered. Striking swiftly, it bit the back of his leg, the impact almost making Eric lose his balance. Angry now, Eric struck back with his sword. The snakes attempt at dodging failed. The snake body was split in 2. The last of his most recent attackers still struggled to shrug off his strike. Eric finished it in his usual brutal fashion. Frustrated by his wounds Eric called out ¡°Status¡± and voila:
Name: Eric Scot Age: 27 Race: Human
Class: Level: 7 Faction: Unaffiliated
Distributable Status Points: 0
Hitpoints: 83/110 Stamina: 61/137.5
Health Regeneration: 1.1/s Stamina Regeneration: 6.5/s
Vitality: 11 Mana: 100/100
Strength: 15 Mana Regeneration: 0.5/s
Agility: 15 Intelligence:10
Dexterity: 15 Wisdom: 10
Luck: 5 Charm: 5
¡°Not too bad¡±, he muttered. Painful but not too damaging on his Hitpoints. He could feel blood around the wounds and he hoped that the loss of blood would not cause a steady loss of hitpoints. A couple he could afford but anymore and he might have to retreat back to his apartment. Groaning at the sharp pain coming from his leg, thigh and side. Eric struggled to regain his composure. He had work to do and experience to gain. Picking up a spear from the first goblin he killed. He threw it at one of the remaining bj?rn goblins. The throw went wide of its mark. The goblin didn¡¯t even need to dodge. The wide throw struck a snake mid lunge, cutting deeply into it. An impressive throw if you ignore where he intended it to strike. Eric took a moment to admire the terrible lucky throw before delving into the fray. The battle was whinding down and surprisingly the goblins won. That was until Eric finished them off. The 2 goblins that remained were so weakened from blood loss that they barely reacted when his sword skewered them. Eric tried to suppress the sickening feeling that overcame him as he felt the sword sinking into flesh. It was a new world and he had tried to overcome his squeamishness. His fear and revulsion still came and no matter how much he suppressed it. It would occasionally show its face. Bodies surrounded him. He had slain 4 more snakes and one goblin after throwing the spear. The rest succumbed to wounds of a different maker. Trying to look on the bright side Eric thought on the experience he had gained. Enough for a level, maybe 2. Suddenly, a roar reverberated throughout the apartment. The last remaining goblin, The leader, seeing Eric standing over the carcasses of its fellows. In a mad rage the goblin picked up a fallen spear and attacked. Surprisingly, the goblin didn¡¯t attack Eric. It charged suicidal at the huge snake monster. The snake¡¯s head darted blindingly fast at the goblin. The goblins spear struck and embedded deep in the eye of the monster. Milliseconds later the snakes hulking head impacted on the goblin leader. With a sickening crack of breaking bones the goblin flew across the room to strike with another crack against a wall. Astonished Eric stared wide-eyed at the colossus before him. That was until he realized¡­ he was the only enemy left. ¡°How the hell do I kill this thing?¡±, Eric asked himself speaking aloud. The snake had obviously noticed him. Its remaining bright red eye stared hungrily towards him. Its occasional hisses seemed to echo throughout the apartment. The snakes head was grisly, the spear lay embedded inside the its eye. It hadn¡¯t gone deep. Enough to destroy the eye but not deep enough to slay the monster. ¡°Pity that¡±, Eric muttered. The snakes lower jaw was covered in goblin blood. The inside of the snake¡¯s mouth was equally as nasty. Suddenly the snake seemed to gather its wits. Before he knew it the monster was moving towards him. \ Breaking out of his observation, Eric prepared himself for conflict. Like the monster rat he expected this would be a matter of dodging and choosing his strikes. Suddenly the snake was¡­ just there. He took a glancing blow to the chest. The blow knocked him on his back. He had only just dodged. One moment Eric was wondering how something so big had moved so fast, the next he was on his feet dodging lunges from the snake¡¯s jaws. Every near miss he thanked his increased agility. He utilized the snakes wound trying to stay in its blind spot. As he began to get a rhythm, even if it was one he had no hope of sustaining. Eric began cutting at the snake¡¯s torso when he got the chance. The result was a series of nicks and gouges in the snake¡¯s natural armor. A couple were relatively deep and caused blood to spill out but most were ineffective. He rarely got the chance to utilize his strength causing his strikes to be weak swings. This could not continue. Eric dived under a particularly close miss. Rolling back to his feet, surprisingly himself with his own gymnastics, he guessed desperation makes even the clumsiest man nimble. Getting to his feet he once again turned and faced the snake. The relentless assault stopped momentarily. Eric heaved in a breath. The sheer pace of the fight had exhausted even his upgraded body. Then the snake struck. Caught flat footed, Eric was forced to lunge desperately forward. The snakes mouth opened wide. Its head darting towards him. His lunged carried his sword past the row of ridiculously large and sharp teeth. The sword''s brittle blade entered the flesh on the roof of the snake jaws. Then shattered as it impacted bone. Eric had the fleeting thought of holy shit did I just kill this thing? Before the snake¡¯s weight fell on him. Teeth stabbed into his torso. Eric felt pain, acknowledged that he was falling then he lost consciousness. Not expecting to reawaken. 1.12 1.12 Coughing awake Eric moaned internally. His mind struggled against the overriding pain coming from his body. There was heavy weight on his chest. And there was the pain. Oh, god the pain. It seared him. It ached. He couldn¡¯t have imagine such pain was possible. He wanted to die, wanted the pain to stop. But it didn¡¯t. He lay there for what felt like forever. Agony coursing over his body. Somehow, the pain became bearable after a while. His mind struggled to suppress it, knowing there was no choice. He had to act. It was necessary. Or he would die. There was a primal desire to live that he didn¡¯t know he had. One moment he desired the peace of death, the next he was spitting in its face. Willing himself on. As he became more conscious, more aware of his surroundings. He could feel liquid surrounding his hands. As his eyes opened he took in the dull dead eye of the snake monster. It pierced his soul. It was dead. Pushing himself up ever so slightly, Eric perceived the horror which was his torso. 2 teeth had stabbed straight into him. A tooth had pierced just below his right shoulder, another had sunk into just above his hip. Several more teeth had cut into him but not to the same extent. Terrible, deep cuts but none of those risked internal injuries. Thankfully he could feel pain in his legs. The overriding weight of the monster was on them. The pain came back sharper than before as he strained to push the snake off him. He heaved in desperation and the snake¡¯s teeth were pushed out, the head lifted off his chest. Then he wiggled his body out of the way before releasing it. Gasping from pain and exhaustion. Eric pulled himself to his feet. Barely conscious he limped towards one of the bedrooms stopping in intervals. Bleeding dangerously Eric entered and once more began creating bandages out of clothing. He was desperate. He barely had any awareness of what he was doing. He mummified himself in hope. Ripping shirts apart mechanically. Then he lay down on the bed. And hoped that the universe, crazy as it is would allow him to heal. Drifting out of consciousness. Never again. Waking up was alive. He called out into the (hopefully) empty apartment, ¡°Status¡±
Name: Eric Scot Age: 27 Race: Human
Class: Level: 7 Faction: Unaffiliated
Distributable Status Points: 0
Hitpoints: 57/110 Stamina: 50/137.5
Health Regeneration: 1.1/s Stamina Regeneration: 6.5/s
Vitality: 11 Mana: 100/100
Strength: 15 Mana Regeneration: 0.5/sYou could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Agility: 15 Intelligence:10
Dexterity: 15 Wisdom: 10
Luck: 5 Charm: 5
Curious Eric stared at his status screen hoping that it would make sense. Obviously, it hadn¡¯t been updated since the battle. He wondered about that. It seemed to only update in his apartment. Was it something to do with safety. Or something else¡­ Never mind what drew his attention was the lack of a complete heal. His Hitpoints were only slightly above half and his stamina was below half. This was the first time he hadn¡¯t completely healed. Though this was probably the worst he had been injured. Perhaps it would heal in time. Trying to ignore the frustration he felt and look at the Brightside. He was alive. Still. Now time to check if he still had all his faculties. He really needed to pee. Finished with¡­ business. He could feel a dull ache throughout his body. A sense of tiredness which he hadn¡¯t felt since cramming for a test in high school. Both indicated that he wasn¡¯t healed, not by a long shot. But hey. He was alive. The snake wasn¡¯t. The goblin leader wasn¡¯t. Pausing that train of thought Eric lifted a spear from a dead goblin and approached the still form of the goblin leader. It was an ugly creature. Like a mix between an ape, a bear and a goblin. It was furry but not the nice, soft kind of fur. The goblin¡¯s fur was greasy and coarse and generally kind of gross. Usually Eric made the point of ignoring the features of his dead foes. It helped him escape the realization that he had just murdered a living creature. This goblin had a better crafter leather armor than its compatriots. Not something Eric would be caught dead in. Ugly and the wrong shape to boot. Also, if Eric wanted to wear it he would have to take it off the things body. That was just plain gross, the grossness did not equal the possible utility of the armor. And hey. The goblin was still dead. The armor didn¡¯t save him. Eric refocused. It didn¡¯t seem alive but¡­ If he managed to survive. The goblin may have survived all those bones breaking. Its neck was still straight. Its survival didn¡¯t seem possible but somehow, he had survived his injuries. Anything seemed possible at the moment. With a swift step forward he drove his spear into the goblins chest. Its eyes opened. Swifter than he could blink the goblin reached towards the spear embedded in its chest. Then it pulled. Its other arm reached for his throat. Caught by surprise Eric almost leaned straight into its claws. Pulling back at the last moment he stared in horror as the spear sunk ever deeper in goblin. Claws missed his face by centimeters. Its deadly passage sent air gusting towards his face. Then as suddenly as it began. The goblin straining stopped. It died. The grasping arm fell limply to floor. The other held the spear in a death grip. Eric stared wide-eyed. He gulped, overcoming the momentary shock. He had almost died once again. From a supposedly dead enemy. He had to be more careful. Shaking his head he decided to shrug it off. It being alive meant more experience. He looked the goblin over. His eyes fastened on the pouch tied to its belt. Then the looting began. Before returning to his apartment. Although, tired, hungry and hurt Eric was determined to end this current farce. Searching through apartments he found no enemies. There was supplies which he would have to collect but no snakes, no still alive goblins. Satisfied the third floor was cleared he then headed up to the fourth. Smashing down the fire exit door after around 30 minutes of kicking he began the clearance of the 4th floor. There were 2 goblins remaining, of course they were in the last apartment he searched. They weren¡¯t much of a challenge, Eric wasn¡¯t in the mood for a fair fight. As they rushed him he threw 2 knives one after the other, both struck their targets. Slowed the goblins continued to chase him, he backpedaled pulling free a knife which he then released downing one of the goblins. Spear in hand he finished off the weakened enemies. He had killing bj?rn goblins down to an art form. Finished searching the apartments Eric felt relieved. He had feared that he would find baby goblins or pregnant goblin females. No matter how cruel the world gets. How much he struggled to adjust to the changing environment he doubted that he would ever be able to kill children in cold blood. Or in hot blood for that matter. After hours of carrying loot and supplies back and forth. He noticed something. He hadn¡¯t seen it before but there was a snake tank in one of the apartments. Smashed into near unrecognizability. This was the source of his pain and exhaustion. He cursed the snake¡¯s previous owner. ¡°What kind of weirdo buys a snake for a pet?!¡±, he yelled aloud. Completely ignoring the fact it would have thought it pretty cool before the apocalypse. The tank had been tiny however. Kind of ridiculous how something so small could get so damn big. Trying hard not to fume. At how frustratingly annoying the universe had begun he continued his current job. Then finally. At long last, Eric got the chance to lay down on the sofa. Groaning from the dull throb of his muscles and bones complaining while simultaneously releasing a pent-up breath. Eric sat comfortably on his sofa. And began to eat a delicious pasta dish. Then the long-awaited sound came. It brought a wicked grin to Eric¡¯s face. . Ding! 1.13 1.13
Victory! You have slain: (x5) Bj?rn Goblin level 5 Experience Received: (x5) 90 Loot Received: (x5) Bj?rn Goblin Corpse,(x5) Pouch (1 silver coin, 103 copper coins), (x4) Iron Spear, Brittle Iron sword, (x3) Brittle Iron Dagger
Ding!
Congratulations! You have reached level 8! You now have 5 unallocated status points available.
Ding!
Victory! You have slain: (x5) Bj?rn Goblin level 5 Experience Received: (x5) 90 Loot Received: (x5) Bj?rn Goblin Corpse,(x5) Pouch (1 silver coin, 103 copper coins), (x4) Iron Spear, Brittle Iron sword, (x3) Brittle Iron Dagger
Ding!
Victory! You have slain: (x18) Overgrown California King Snake level 3 Experience Received: (x18) 40 Loot Received: (x18) Overgrown California King Snake Corpses
Ding!
Victory! You have slain: (x2) Bj?rn Goblin level 4 Experience Received: (x2) 80 Loot Received: (x2) Bj?rn Goblin Corpse,(x2) Pouch (37 copper coins, uncut emerald), (x1) Iron Spear, Brittle Iron sword
Ding!
Congratulations! You have reached level 9! You now have 5 unallocated status points available
Ding!
Victory! You have slain: War Leader Bj?rn Goblin level 8 Experience Received: 140 Loot Received: (x1) War Leader Bj?rn Goblin Corpse,(x1) Pouch (2 silver coins, 3 uncut emeralds, 9 copper coins), (x1) Brittle Iron sword, Brittle Iron Dagger
Ding!
Victory! You have slain: Monstrously Overgrown California King Snake level 9 Experience Received: 150 Loot Received: Monstrously Overgrown California King Snake Corpses
Eric stared at the stream of status messages. When it ended, he shouted, ¡°Boo yah!¡±. Seated comfortably on the sofa admiring his pile of pouches. His loot had come in many shapes and forms. There were the supplies from toilet paper to non-perishable food. Then there was the mob drops, weapons and leather pouches filled with a weird currency and now¡­ emeralds? He pulled the pouches off the coffee table and then began emptying them onto the now free space. Once finished he then separated the contents into piles. There were several hundred copper coins. Eleven silver coins. 9 shiny stones, 5 of which were emeralds. The rest were plain old pebbles. Pretty though¡­ Well at least he had something of a war chest. If only he could find out how to spend the coins he would be a happy man. Eric inwardly grinned basking in his primitive wealth. After some time, he got off the sofa. Grunting a little in pain from the unhealed wounds. He walked into his bedroom. Collapsed on the bed. And fell asleep. Waking up he had a decision to make. Yesterday had been ridiculous. He had leveled twice. Supplied up. Cleared 2 floors. Now the decision he had to make was whether that permitted him to have a day off. On one side, he was still injured, it would be safer to wait until he healed before trying to clear the 2nd floor. He had also worked reasonably hard and even apocalypse survivors deserve a break. In comparison, something within him urged him to become stronger. The memory of the man walking down the street exterminating the goblin army. Also, the sheer fact that a low leveled snake monster almost killed him was rather embarrassing. Two levels weren¡¯t enough. He needed more.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. He ate a quick breakfast. Then headed up to the roof. Fresh air would be good. He would decide once he returned if he would challenge the 2nd floor or not. Heading up to the roof was as quiet as normal. No monsters had suddenly appeared on the already cleared apartments. Although Eric didn¡¯t exactly make a point of investigating room by room. He simply stopped at each fire exit and listened for movement. There wasn¡¯t any. Stepping onto the roof. Eric gazed at the clear morning sky. Trying to ignore the mid-autumn chill. The fresh air came as a relief. Furthermore, the open space and wide exposed sky did wonders to Eric¡¯s nerves. He wasn¡¯t claustrophobic but being cooped up in an apartment building which smelled¡­ bad and was filled with dangerous monsters couldn¡¯t be good for his sanity. Adding on the sheer loneliness he felt at not having a companion. I mean come on in all the novels the main character finds some friends early on. Eric felt cheated. Eric inwardly sighed, the possibility of a harem just didn¡¯t seem likely. Disciplined, Eric made a point of looking over the edge of each corner of the building. He searched the skies for¡­ well dragons springs to mind but anything dangerous was just as important if not as awesome. This time there wasn¡¯t anything. He had seen a bird monster in the distance the last time he was up here. It was surprising how few aerial monsters there were. Eric judged that either most were nocturnal or that simply not many had spawned. Or whatever it is the monsters do. The nearby streets seemed clear, although that was misleading. The true threats were hidden within the buildings. The goblin army was a good example. Not seeing anything nearby, Eric sat down and tried his best to soak in the clear air. Eric suddenly stirred at the sound of a sharp crack. Then another. Awake now, Eric tried to comprehend what he had heard. Whatever it had been was far away. It was carried on the wind. It had also been loud. Although in the near silent city, sounds tended to travel. He sat there straining to hear. Then suddenly there was torrent of cracks. It only took a moment for Eric to realized what he was hearing. Gunfire. Somebody was shooting. ¡°Guns work?¡±, Eric asked the universe. He was answered by several more cracks. ¡°Damn I want one.¡± It took only a few moments before Eric realized that maybe he didn¡¯t. There was an incredibly roar which overshadowed the gunfire. Yeah loud noises aren¡¯t the best idea. ¡°Maybe if he had a silencer?¡± It took several minutes of sporadic gunfire before it eventually died off for good. Eric was simply glad that there were other humans out there. Knowing guns worked was useful. Feeling that his morning entertainment was over and finally acknowledging the morning chill Eric decided to return to his apartment. He had status points to allocate and breakfast to eat. Before eating he showered. The water was near freezing but Eric felt being clean was necessary. A clean body equals a clean mind. Stepping out of the shower he admired himself in the mirror. A bit weird but it should be noted that he looked different than he did before the apocalypse. Firstly, he had lost the small amount of weight that he had been carrying and trying to get rid of since the end of high school. When he discovered beer. Secondly, he was covered in scars. Each scar looked like it was months old. His body was starting to look ripped, covered in scars resulting in him beginning to look a bit like a badass. Then he examined his face. The face was perhaps the biggest difference. He didn¡¯t know when it had happened maybe when he increased charm. His face had been altered. It had made him far more attractive than he had before. He still wasn¡¯t model good-looking but¡­ the small changes were beginning to add up. His blue eyes were no longer soft but piercing. They drew the eye which they had never done so before. His jaw and cheekbones were far more defined than before. The beard which he had tried to grow before no longer looked ridiculous. Even the scar which he had gained at some point over the last few days adding to the new look. ¡°Well at least something about this new world is a positive¡±, Eric laughed. Feeling a bit stupid gaping at himself in the mirror Eric left the bathroom. Breakfast/lunch/brunch really wasn¡¯t worth talking about. The adding of his new status points which he did while eating was. Between munches Eric said, ¡°Status¡±.
Name: Eric Scot Age: 27 Race: Human
Class: Level: 9 Faction: Unaffiliated
Distributable Status Points: 10
Hitpoints: 65/110 Stamina: 70/137.5
Health Regeneration: 1.1/s Stamina Regeneration: 6.5/s
Vitality: 11 Mana: 100/100
Strength: 15 Mana Regeneration: 0.5/s
Agility: 15 Intelligence:10
Dexterity: 15 Wisdom: 10
Luck: 5 Charm: 5
Eric nodded to himself. His stamina and Hitpoints had gone up since he last checked. Which as far as he knew was a good sign. The first thing he did was apply 4 points to vitality. Then after a bit of thought he added 2 points to Strength, Agility and Dexterity. It was a tough decision. When he eventually got magic (there was no doubt he would), he would be behind the curve where mana and mana regen was concerned. Unfortunately, the here and now improvements were more important than the possibly in the future improvements. Here is the finished status page.
Name: Eric Scot Age: 27 Race: Human
Class: Level: 9 Faction: Unaffiliated
Distributable Status Points: 10
Hitpoints: 85/150 Stamina: 90/187.5
Health Regeneration: 1.5/s Stamina Regeneration: 8/s
Vitality: 15 Mana: 100/100
Strength: 17 Mana Regeneration: 0.5/s
Agility: 17 Intelligence:10
Dexterity: 17 Wisdom: 10
Luck: 5 Charm: 5
Surprised and pleased, Eric noticed his stamina and vitality had risen once more. He felt noticeably different. Less pained and tired. Eric nodded to himself. He was probably capable of doing a scouting mission to find out what was on the 2nd floor. No need to fight he could just sneak in and sneak out. Even to him he found that unlikely. Although, justification was needed, the true reason that he was willing to risk life and limb was that he was bored. He had a large number of novels in the house but generally when you have books at home it means you¡¯ve at some point read them. He usually spent his free time on his computer, playing games or killing time online. Unfortunately, the apocalypse had murdered his computer. With nothing better to do, he armed himself and prepared to face new foes. The smashed open fire exit door on the second-floor reminded Eric significantly of the floor above his own. Whatever had broken through the door hadn¡¯t managed to fit through it. Thus, the creature had taken part of the wall with it. It was rather terrifying. Eric was stronger than he had been but walking through walls was far far beyond him. Eric sighed deeply. He could walk dejectedly back to his apartment, probably safe. Sit peacefully bored out of his mind or¡­ he could go check out the super duper dangerous apartment block. It was a no brainer. Eric stepped carefully over crumbled stone. Then stopped in realization. There was no door¡­ Why was there no door on the floor. Hehe that rhymed but seriously. ¡°It must mean something¡±, he muttered. If only I raised my intelligence stats, he snickered internally. Perhaps, if he had raised his wisdom stats he would still be back safe in his apartment. Breaking off from his internal monologue he started moving again. All the doors and wooden furniture were missing but thankfully there weren¡¯t any enemies in the first 4 apartments. With a growing hope that there weren¡¯t any enemies on the 2nd floor Eric confidently strode into the 5th apartment. To be stopped cold. 1.14 1.14 You know how in books you come across the part where the main character is frozen in fear and your like pfffft that wouldn¡¯t happen in real life. Well¡­ Eric was really regretting his pffffting. Before him was a cyclops. It was about twice his height. And thrice his width. Bare chested its muscles highlighted the inadequacies of the muscles he had admired less than 2 hours before. Its skin was a murky gold and no the gold skin wasn¡¯t shiny. Then there was its face. Instead of 2 eyes, it had one on its forehead. Comparatively its eye took up three times the amount of facial space as his own. A bright violet color it drew the eye and seemed to signify power. The cyclops smiled at the sight of him and unlike the goblins the cyclops had normal shaped teeth that fit perfectly in its mouth. A nice clean white. That¡¯s a good thing, right? In his hand his crappy iron sword wavered. Something within him simply knew that swinging his sword was a bad idea. The cyclops stepped casually towards him. Eric was still frozen to the spot. His eyes widened. He knew instantly that this creature could annihilate him. To fight meant death. Running would be stupid. You know how in novels how the ogres and cyclopes tended to be strong but really slow. Allowing the main character to think up a clever plan to kill it. Well, this cyclops looked far too light on its feet. Then suddenly it was before him. Stabbing the thing in the thigh seemed unwise. Expecting the cyclops¡¯ hand to squash his head like a watermelon Eric closed his eyes and waited for his inevitable death. And waited¡­ And waited¡­ Then suddenly the cyclops spoke. The first language it spoke in was entirely alien. Unlike the goblins tendancy towards grunts and growls the cyclops voice sounded incredibly deep but refined. Eric opened his eyes. His eyes latched onto the eye of the cyclops. Its eye flashed gold then once again the cyclops spoke. ¡°Salve potestis intelligere me?¡± This time it sounded a lot closer to human. Eric didn¡¯t pretend to speak any language other than English but at a guess it sounded latin. Noticing Eric¡¯s reaction but lack of understanding the cyclops eye flashed a second time and it tried again. Then again. Then again. It spoke multiple languages. What sounded like French, German, some random Asian language and maybe Greek before it finally said: ¡°Hello, can you understand me?¡± Eric started, ¡°Yes, yes I can.¡± ¡°Would you like to join me for lunch?¡± Eric¡¯s eyes widened slightly, his fear filled mind coming to nasty conclusions. ¡°Errr¡­ umm, As long as I¡¯m not on the menu.¡± The cyclops simply laughed. A deep rumbling sounded which echoed throughout the apartment making it far more frightening than it would normally be. ¡°Oh no you would taste terrible¡± With that said the cyclops casually walked deeper into the lounge before sitting on a sofa. Said sofa complained but managed to hold its occupant. Without anything better to do Eric followed a sat on an opposing sofa. Finally getting a chance to look around. The room had been transformed into a weird combination of medieval and modern workshop. There were broken open fridges and televisions as if something had tried to work out how they worked. Contrasting the modern technology was a tanning rack which held what looked like the snake skin on the monster he had fought yesterday. The lengthy zebraesque snakeskin hung casually on the rack. The rest of the monster was nowhere to be seen. Then Eric saw the massive pot/cauldron hanging over the fire in the middle of the room. Internally raising his eyebrows. Well dinner was going to be interesting. A few minutes of silence passed. The cyclops had its eye closed and seemed to be thinking deep thoughts. Eric figured it was best to let it steer the direction of conversation. Keeping quiet he entertained himself by admiring his surroundings. His musing was interrupted by the entrance of a giant¡­ sheep. It was around as tall as he was and had a golden fleece. The fleece was obviously magical. It had a tendency to glow every few seconds. The sheep also gave off an aura of gentleness. It exuded harmlessness which was quite hard when Eric admired the sheer size of the animal. As if it was the most normal thing in the world said sheep walked over and plonked itself on the sofa next to him. Nodded a how do you do. Then began to drift off to sleep. Nothing would surprise me anymore. Eric¡¯s hand began to subconsciously stroke the sheeps woolen fleece. It was amazingly soft. He was stroking it for several moments before he began to feel pain. It started in his muscles then It burned straight through him. A cleansing fire. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Manly tears started to form at the corner of his eyes. Then it was over. And¡­ he felt a lot better. He no longer felt as exhausted and weak as before. He was about to confirm his suspicions by bringing up the status page when the cyclops spoke. ¡°You were hurt?¡± He never waited for Eric to answer. ¡°The fleece has a few useful properties, the sheep¡­ the sheep I tolerate.¡± The sheep in question snorted in answer. Seeing how conversation had finally started up Eric decided to keep it going. ¡°The healing was a welcome surprise and I thank you for it.¡± The cyclops nodded amiably in return. ¡°No thanks are needed, in truth I would be a poor host not to offer healing to a guest that needed it. Thankfully¡± nodding towards the sheep, ¡°he noticed what I did not.¡± Eric smiled. ¡°Well I would be a poor guest not to offer my name. Your sudden appearance may have caused me to lose my manners. The name is Eric.¡± The cyclops smiled, ¡°I have been mighty curious as to your name Eric but it would have been a poor host that asks for which is not offered. My name is¡± Then the cyclops proceeded to say something incredibly indiscernible. Obviously in an alien language. Noticing Eric¡¯s worried facial expression. The cyclops reiterated. Pausing in thought before saying: ¡°Rondal call me Rondal¡±. Eric grinned pleased to have something he could say. He hadn¡¯t wanted to be rude by speaking the previous incomprehensible gibberish. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you Rondal. Conversation has been quite scarce in recent days.¡± Eric had no idea where all this fancy talk was coming from. Whether driven by nerves or fear Eric was for some reason striving to replicate the Rondal¡¯s mode of speaking. The cyclops nodded his head in agreement before standing and wandering over to the pot over the fire. ¡°Truly, you are the first sentient I have seen since my arrival. The near-sentients are not particularly conversation worthy.¡± ¡°Near sentients?¡±, Eric asked curious. He assumed the cyclops spoke of the goblins but wanted confirmation. ¡°The bj?rn goblins, Rondal confirmed. Eric smiled slightly, ¡°Yes, they weren¡¯t particularly interested in conversation.¡± Rondal nodded knowingly, ¡°They are a violent bunch, not all near-sentients are, but most goblin variants tend to be aggressive and subversive.¡± Rondal then placed a bowl of soup/stew/broth on his lap. It came with a wooden mat, so the heat wouldn¡¯t burn his legs/hands. Conversation stopped as lunch began. The broth was surprisingly tasty. The meat which Eric hoped and assumed was snake was as long as you didn¡¯t think too hard, was quite good. There was silence while Eric ate his meal. Rondal had extremely good table manners minus the table. Which if you realize that his hands were far too large for the cutlery or the bowl, was really impressive. The cyclops finished three bowls by the time Eric finished his first. With a satisfied sigh Rondal retrieved Erics utensils and placed them on the kitchen counter. Full and refreshed Eric was beginning to feel like he was overstaying his welcome but felt that Rondal would have information he could use. Furthermore, conversation was quite scarce elsewhere. Before Eric could open dialogue Rondal beat him to the punch.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°So, I feel like we could help each other. From what I can tell we have both been thrust into a new scenario. I have been transported to a new world and you have been introduced to the system.¡± Eric smiled in confirmation. Pleased, Rondal continued. ¡°I feel like between us we could help fill in the others gaps.¡± Eric smiled then answered the unasked question feeling that it was a unique opportunity. ¡°How about we take turns asking a question, you go first.¡± Rondal nodded his assent. Then asked, ¡°What can you tell me about the city outside, do you have a map I could look at to get my bearings?¡± Eric thought for a moment before answering, ¡°The city is called Seattle, I really can¡¯t tell you what condition or the dangers because I don¡¯t know myself as for a map. I think I have one in my apartment you can have or at the very least look at.¡± He was fairly certain that he had a map which showed the city somewhere. Somebody in the apartment block must have one¡­ Eric wasn¡¯t sure what to ask. There were a few questions he could ask but he didn¡¯t want to sound like an idiot. There was something he really wanted to know though. ¡°Magic. How does it work and how do I learn it?¡± Rondal seemed to gather his thoughts before answering. ¡°Magic works in different ways depending on what you use to fuel the magic. Mostly it uses an ambient source to fuel spells based on the imagination and the will of the caster. The more talented the caster the less fuel needed to cast a spell.¡± Well that was helpful¡­ ¡°How about learning magic?¡± Rondal continued, ¡°I personally have never learned magic. The magic I know is natural part of my race.¡± Seeing Eric¡¯s look of disappointment Rondal hurried to continue. ¡°However, although I have never learnt magic myself I know that it is possible to learn magic. To learn magic you need to learn how to manipulate mana and from there pathways open up. This can be purchased at the ¡®Universal System Store¡¯.¡± Store? Eric gazed at the cyclops curious and eventually Rondal took the hint. ¡°The System Store is hard to explain but it is pretty much a store which everyone can access and place items on auction or sell in a market. All the different planets in the ¡®System¡¯ can access the store.¡± Eric struggled to rein in his excitement and frustration. Each answer simply sparked more questions and he had a hard time keeping from asking them out of turn. Speaking out of turn would be rude. Being rude isn¡¯t something you are to people 3 times your size. Suddenly Rondal grinned and leaned forward nearly off the sofa. It was a disconcertingly childish expression on his ginormous face. Eric swallowed and tried to remind himself that his host was large. And muscled. And large. Stay focused. Rondal¡¯s single eye twinkled in his excitement. ¡°How does the metal box work?¡±, he asked. ¡°The what?¡±, Eric confusedly asked in reply. Bouncing up from the sofa. Startling Eric and making him lean away from the towering giant. Only the calming influence of the golden fleece and Rondal¡¯s childlike expression kept him from quivering where he sat. The cyclops bounded over to one of two harvested refrigerators. The outer metallic layer was ripped open revealing the technology within. Rondal turned to face him and in realization of what he meant Eric answered his question. ¡°Oh that, it chills food.¡± Rondal shook his head, ¡°No, I know what it does. I want to know how it works.¡± Eric sat quietly for a moment. How does he tell the over muscled man that he didn¡¯t study as an electrician? Ah. ¡°Electricity¡±, he answered with a relieved smile. The cyclops opened his mouth to ask another question but catches himself, mouth agape. Obviously frustrated the hulking giant sat casually on the disemboweled fridge and waved his hand indicating Eric should ask his next question. Feeling bad that he didn¡¯t fully answer Rondal¡¯s question Eric almost continued his explanation. Catching himself he realized that there are only so many things Rondal doesn¡¯t know so obviously, he needs to tease him with information so that the question game will continue. Inwardly nodding he decided on his next question. ¡°How do you access the store?¡±. Rondal looked at Eric in surprise but then suddenly his face altered as he came to a realization. ¡°Right your only level 9, once you turn level 10 the system automatically informs you the closest location of the store. You simply think about the store and you know the direction.¡± He waved his hands casually towards one side of the room. ¡°Its in that direction, not far.¡± With an eager expression once more Rondal asked the obvious question, ¡°what is electricity?¡± Eric sighed inwardly, he had hated science in school and he was fairly certain Rondal would keep digging until Eric had parted with his dismal knowledge. Acknowledging Rondal¡¯s curious nature Eric realized that there was a less painful way for him to part with his knowledge. Smiling at his own cleverness, knowing that he wouldn¡¯t have to explain energy and charged particles to an alien. ¡°It is quite difficult to explain but I happen to have a textbook which should explain many of your questions.¡± Hehe finally found a way to get rid of his high school Physics textbook. Rondal nodded eagerly in answer. Eric pondered on his next question, there really wasn¡¯t much more he needed to know right this second. He also wanted to take advantage of his newly healed body to investigate the first floor. If he could reach level 10 all the better. Hmmm one last question, ¡°How does the currency work for the universal store?¡± Rondal replied quickly, ¡°100 copper equals 1 silver, 100 silver equals 1 gold, 100 gold equals platinum. Generally, goods at the auction costs silver while expensive stuff costs gold. Rarely is anything sold for platinum although it may be handy to know it exists.¡± Walking back over and sitting on the sofa once more Rondal leaned back and thought for a moment before speaking. ¡°That¡¯s all that comes to mind at the moment of course I will have questions in the future but at the moment I would be satisfied with the map and textbook. Thankful, Eric was glad the question game was over. Although there was obviously tons of information he needed to know its not likely that he needed it right this second or that Rondal would have the information. He needed to focus on his current situation. As such it would be good if he could get out and start exploring the first level. At Eric¡¯s pensive expression and sudden shift in body language. Rondal smiled knowlingly. ¡°You want to get out and gain some experience don¡¯t you. Seeing how low leveled you are its not surprising.¡± Surprised Eric didn¡¯t really know what to say. He didn¡¯t really want to confess to being a bloodthirsty monster. He settled for playing the low-level card. ¡°Its hard, I¡¯ve only had these status messages for a little while and I¡¯ve faced danger after danger. I know that to continue to survive I must become stronger.¡± Rondal nodded sadly, ¡°Indeed it is cruel world out there. Even I am not safe in this new environment. You get out and fight but first¡­¡± The cyclops suddenly reached over and plucked Eric¡¯s sword up from beside the sofa. Feeling its edge, the cyclops nodded its head. ¡°You¡¯re sword is shit.¡± Murmuring Rondal continued, ¡°such poor craftsmanship, looted from the goblins I assume.¡± Eric nodded affirmation. Then he watched in awe as Rondal worked magic. Starting at the handle of the sword, the cyclops¡¯ hands began to glow and he began stroking the sword. With each stroke along the blade, excess molten iron began to fall off. Using only his hands he began to shape the iron into a true sword shape. Once finished there was a small puddle of iron burning into the floor. The sword itself looked far better than it did prior. Although, it wasn¡¯t in his hand Eric assumed that the annoying weight on the sword would be gone. The new shape looked a little more elegant. Not fantastic but a noticeable difference was there. Finished Eric and Rondal both examined the sword. Rondal nodded his head as he returned it to Eric. ¡°Still crap but better than before. Not much I can do without tools and such crude ore.¡± Feeling that the conversation was reaching his conclusion Eric rose from the sofa. Given the golden fleece one last stroke. He began to walk escorted by Rondal towards the door. ¡°Eric I hope you come visit again soon. Even if only for the conversation. I would also appreciate if you can inform me about any monsters you slay.¡± Waving his hands at the snake skin Rondal continued. ¡°Once I am properly equipped I will be more than happy to reimburse you with weapons or armor. Actually while I¡¯m on the topic¡­ wait nevermind. Come back when you¡¯re level 10 would you. I have a task I need help with.¡± Eric smiled up at the cyclops. ¡°I will definitely be visiting again soon. You probably know a lot about the universe that I don¡¯t. I could probably help with information on the city and world. For now, goodbye. I¡¯ll pop round with the map and book tomorrow morning. I¡¯ll bring breakfast.¡± Smiling slightly in amusement and relief Eric left the cyclops behind. Experience here he comes. 1.15 1.15 The pulverized remains of the fire exit door blocking off the 1st floor crashed to the ground. Eric, trying to ignore the dull ache in his legs from striking the door repeatedly, stepped forward. His feet avoided the splintered wood. Brandishing his improved sword Eric¡¯s gaze swept through the hallway searching for enemies. To his surprise and dismay there were none. The hallway was completely clear. Still on alert Eric began his advance. Worryingly the majority of the doors were open but there was no sign of their occupants. Listening closely Eric paused. Still nothing. Sword at the ready Eric entered the first apartment. Annoyed at the lack of charging hordes of attempted murderers Eric swept through the apartment hunting for would be attackers. Eventually once he had cleared everything else of enemies he reached the guest bedroom. A bit complacent Eric opened the door. Almost instantly Eric felt the distortion of air above him. He reacted subconsciously his sword swept out and he felt the impact of the strike. Spinning round he glanced behind him. On the floor was a giant fly nearly split in two. Eric let out a breath and looked away from the dead insect. Feeling disappointed he stepped into the guest bedroom. Other than the now dead fly it was empty. Disappointed but knowing he had more apartments to search Eric moved on. Back into the apartment hallway Eric felt that the dark corridor was ominous. It was ironic that the silence was far more disconcerting than the shrieks and sounds of battle that the goblins and snakes had made. Eric trying to stay silent tentatively entered the second apartment on this floor. Similarly, this one was also empty. There wasn¡¯t even a fly for him to murder. Disappointment followed disappointment and it took 4 more apartments before he found something worth his time. The 6th apartment didn¡¯t scream enemies but it definitely didn¡¯t conform with the empty boring apartment motif of the others. Dominating the 6th apartment was a giant sunflower which sat near the lounge window. A glance showed that it had once sat in a clay pot but the clay pot hadn¡¯t survived the plants sudden growth. Its shattered remains encircled the sunflowers overgrown stalk. The plank against all logic sunk into the stone floor of the apartment and its roots spread out around it. The sunflower head was big but not overly outrageous, the seed area had an estimated radius of 10cm¡¯s and the petals were only 10 ¨C 15cm¡¯s in length. Realizing that he was being distracted Eric shook himself mentally and moved his body into a read stance. Sword extended he shifted his foot to widen his stance. Until it impacted something on the ground. Confused Eric looked down at the offending foot, he got a swift glimpse of some kind of plant roots/ivy before a flash of light in the direction of the sunflower made him look up. Then there was pain. Eric¡¯s vision darkened as the pain increased. He awoke on the ground probably only moments later. He assumed that because he was still alive. Remembering that something had just tried to kill him he cautiously got to his feet. The movement was agonizing Eric tried to blank out the pain in his side but the agony was too great. Fearfully he glanced at the wound. His side was horrifically burnt and there was obviously some missing flesh. His clothing around the area was simply gone. Eric struggled to think clinically he noted that the injury wasn¡¯t life threatening right that second, mostly because whatever had caused the burn had also cauterized the wound. Trying to organize his thoughts through the pain was difficult but Eric finally began to look cautiously around the room for any unseen threats. Obviously, there was some kind of hidden danger to the sunflower but what else might there be¡­Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Now aware of the danger Eric noted that the floor was criss crossed in vine/roots. The previous attack showed that touching the root identified his location to the plant like a spider¡¯s web. Careful of where he stepped Eric approached the sunflower. He didn¡¯t have far to travel but the wound in his right side slowed his movements. The knowledge that the injury would slow his movements made him extremely cautious. He was about five meters from the sunflower head and was growing in confidence when everything changed. The roots which had to all appearances been latched into the ground began to move. The sudden surge in movement expanded from the sunflower as the epicenter. Each vine would rise off the ground and move position before settling back down. Eric could only stare in horror as the vine moved and struck his foot once more. The moment the sunflower began gathering light Eric dived to the left. The impact of his body on the ground sent pain through his wound but it was much better than the alternative. This time Eric got a perfect view of the sunflower¡¯s attack. The best way to describe it would be that the sunflower gathered light towards its head then a second later that light would fire like a laserbeam towards its target. It should be noted that the head itself didn¡¯t move but the light fired at an angle. The attack missed but Eric realizing that he was now standing on a vine leaped to his feet and started moving. Not caring where he was stepping. Ignoring the wound in his side took a great deal of fortitude. It was probably only his increased stats and his recent experiences with pain which allowed Eric to keep moving. Running at an angle Eric managed to avoid the sunflower¡¯s beam but he was struggling to get close enough to kill the flower. The roots had begun actively attempting to slow him. Rising from the ground pushing against his legs as he ran. The obstruction wasn¡¯t dangerous in itself, the roots weren¡¯t whipping or trying to wrap around him but pressing against him. He almost tripped several times before he began cutting the roots with his sword before they could get close to him. Between his previous injury and being forced to strike with his sword between movements the attacks were dangerously close. The heat from each beam was sweltering. It took several minutes of running back and forth at different angles before Eric managed to get close enough to attack. The true danger was that the within a meter of the sunflower there was very little chance of dodging the beam. Eric resolved this by risking everything in a sudden death defying leap under the beam as it fired. His hair was singed, his back badly burnt but he successfully slashed his sword without hesitation at the sunflowers stalk. Un-climatically the stalk split and the sunflower head fell. Illogically the sunflower head then morphed into a bright yellow pearl. The pearl seemed to have an internal light. Eric lying on the floor next to it, immediately scooped it up. Ignoring all injuries in his desire for loot. After pocketing the sunflowers loot Eric glanced around the room checking for any other hidden dangers. Fortunately, the apartment seemed empty. He was still horrifically wounded and he although he felt the wound was stable it still weakened him. Realizing that he needed to find a safe place to recuperate and that lying on the floor of un-cleared apartment wasn¡¯t the wisest move. Eric began to rise slowly and carefully to his feet. Every movement was slowly, he feared jolting the wound and the pain it would bring. Knowing that it would be stupid to search out more dangers Eric began to travel back to his own apartment one step at a time. Hesitating on the second floor Eric decided against making use of the golden fleece. Whether pride or weird rationalization Eric felt that it was the wrong kind of impression to make on the powerful cyclops. Eric wanted to be viewed as useful not someone that needs healing every time he returns. Eric resolved to go to bed and if the wound had not recovered sufficiently he would go visit the cyclops. Following step after painfilled step, completely regretting his previous decision. Eric crawled into bed.