《Maids VS Apocalypse.》 Mark White. "Mis¡­..ite...er whi...MISTER WHITE!!!! A loud shout shattered the comforting darkness, forcefully pulling Mark back to the real world. He jumped to his feet and tore his eyes open, the dark circles around them telling the story of quite a few sleepless nights. Panic set in when he failed to recognize anything in the blurry scene. Thankfully his sight soon cleared, and when it did, the first thing he saw was a furious face glaring at him. "Wai-... Wha-... Where am I!!?" This wasn''t his room. His apartment wasn''t so spacious, nor did it host so many people before. He didn''t remember having a whiteboard either, and he wouldn''t forget buying so many tables. His exhausted mind was struggling to make sense of the situation, and just when he began to understand the angry voice returned. "Calculus, Mr. White." Said an old man, his bloodshot eyes staring down with contempt. "You are in Calculus. The first lecture of the day. The same one youslept through since the start of the semester!" Things were already bad but the youth decided to spill fuel on the raging flames. "Sorry, professor." He smiled wryly and took off his noise-canceling earbuds. "It seems I''ve dozed off." [¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö-] The old man was fuming, his face tomato red as he struggled to control his anger. He did try to be understanding the first time, and the second, but the continuous disrespect was something no one could take for so long. He was done tolerating that kind of behavior. "If you aren''t going to listen then there is no need for you to be here!" He pointed toward the door and yelled. "Please leaveat once!" "But my credit-" "Don''t bother. You won''t be getting any!" Mark stared at the enraged professor. The other students waited for him to beg for forgiveness, but instead, the youth picked up his bag and headed straight to the exit. "Bed Marks is at it again." One of the students said. "What''s wrong with him?" Someone said. "Never seen someone that tired before." Another added. "Damn." Another followed. "Guess he isn''t waiting for graduation to pay back those loans." "Bro is hustling." One of them was full of admiration. "He should just sell crystal meth." The one beside him said jokingly. "Who knows? Maybe he''s up cooking all night." The murmurs didn''t even register in Mark''s mind as he left the lecture hall. Once outside, he stretched his limbs and took a deep breath. A gust of wind blew by sending chills all over his body. It was yet another reminder that the year was nearing its end. [¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ª] Ignoring the chilly wind, Mark put his earbuds back on and took out his phone, chose a playlist, then hit the play button. The music started a second later and his mind became clear. "They''re getting louder¡­" Looking at hisrelaxed and blissfulexpression, one might think he''s listening to some calm classical piece. But that couldn''t be farther from the truth. His main playlist consisted of the most chaotic heavy metal ever produced. After a moment of deliberation, Mark decided to end the day there, agreeing with the calculus professor that there was no point in him attending when he wasn''t going to pay attention either way. ''Damn it¡­ I haven''t slept like that in ages¡­'' [¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö-] For Mark, staying up was a struggle, but getting some sleep was on a whole other level. The short nap just now was the best he had in a long while and that teacher had to go and ruin it. Now he felt worse than before; too tired to do anything while unable to sleep as well. [¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö-] A short train ride and he was already back at his single-bedroom apartment. He made sure to stop by the nearby convenience store first to pick up some energy drinks and something to eat. He didn''t have much of an appetite, but experience taught him that adding a bad diet to his lack of sleep would accelerate the deterioration of his body. There was also the fact that he might forget to eat anything for the rest of the day so it was better to swallow something even if he had to force himself. Despite his messy appearance,Mark was a pretty good cook. Knowing how to prepare healthy meals was one of the conditions his mother had for allowing him to live on his ownand he cleared that challenge with a perfect score. Today was chicken day so the dish he prepared was grilled chicken caprese. The aroma of the dish dispelled any notion that he might''ve botched it. His meal wouldn''t be ready without a video to go with. He placed his phone on the holder and quickly found one then grabbed his knife and fork. "Hm?" He squinted at the screen while chewing some chicken. "A new bio-weapon?" Many would''ve shied away from watching the gruesome news while eating but Mark didn''t mind too much. Now that he was past the legal age, he had to keep an eye out for signs of the war resuming. His chronic insomnia might be enough to disqualify him from the draft, but he didn''t know for sure. [¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ª] A sharp pain struck his head causing him to drop his fork. Instead of picking it up he quicklysnatched his phoneandput the music back on. Only when the electric guitar started and the screaming followed did he feel the painfade away. "Damn it¡­" he heaved a long sigh and relaxed in his seat."Guess I don''t have much time left¡­" Tossing the fork he dropped into the sink, Mark got himself a new one and wolfed down the rest of his food. Doing the dishes was his least favorite task but he knew he couldn''t risk his mother seeing them if she happened to drop by unannounced. Once that was done, he went to his room right after and stared at the bed for a while. The temptation to lie down was very strong, but it all went away when he opened a can of Beast energy drink. Ding! The sound of a notification interrupted his music. Raising an eyebrow, Mark checked his phone and found a message from a familiar contact. [Kobayashi: We got another review!] The last word made Mark choke on his drink. He quickly rushed to his desk and started his computer. A few clicks later he was looking at his Dream page, excitement clear on his face. His smile soon faded. " Mixed 5.7 hrs on record EROGE_ENJOYER123 | 233 products in account | 340 reviews Posted on 10/06/2065 Direct from Dream. Characters are well designed, gameplay is decent, and the quality is pretty good for something made by a one man team. I enjoyed most of my time playing it, but if I have a problem with this game then it would be the terrible and completely unnecessary dating sim part. I saw the maid harem and thought "hell yeah!". Never expected it to be such a waste of time. The experience isn''t rewarding at all! Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.I don''t want toshit on someone doing all of this alone but¡­ the dev should''ve hired someone who actually knowshis stuff. That or he should just stick to the main plot. I hear he''s working on an update so I hope he fixes things. I wouldn''t recommend this to anyone who enjoys dating sims. " [¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö-] With each word he read, Mark felt blood rush to his head. He almost broke into a fit of rage but caught himself at the last moment, stepped away from the desk, and did some breathing exercises. "Nope. I''m not gonna lose it over one review..." He quickly closed the browser and moved on to something else. Mark has a hobby. It started as a way to pass some time during his sleepless nights but after the first year, it became his go-to method to keep his sanity intact. Back when he was fifteen, he decided to give game development a try after happening on an indie devlog. Speed forward a few years and it became something bordering on obsession, taking time from his other hobbies and influencing the way he operated his schedule. About a year ago, Mark released his first complete game to the world. The title was Maids VS Apocalypse, an anime-style turn-based RPG with some base-building and dating sim elements. Looking at the title alone wasenough to tell what it was about. The player is trying to survive the apocalypse with the help of his maids. He goes around killing the monsters destroying the world, gathering resources and materials to expand the base, and by doing so he gains the ability to hire more maids to help him survive. The concept was very simple and far from original. Mark simply took the usual survival games and added maids to them, which should''ve been quite the upgrade if that''s all he did. Being the weeb he was, Markcouldn''t help adding the dating sim mechanic to the mix. After all,whatisthe point of making his own waifu game if he couldn''t romance any of the heroines? "If only it was that easy¡­" [¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö-] The headache chased away any idle thoughts and Mark went back to focusing on his work. Today was going to be quite busy as he planned to put the final touches on the update he had been working on for the past few months; he would be adding a new maid to the game along with the continuation of the main story. The items on his to-do list were checked one after the other. By the time he was done with the final checks it was already 18:56. He made sure to save everything and stood up to stretch his body. To celebrate a job well done, he decided to take a short walk to the convenience store and get himself something other than energy drinks to drink. [¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö-] "Maybe I should get some cake too¡­" The quick trip was rather peaceful, but as he made his way back to the apartment, Markcouldn''t stop himself from thinking about the review he got earlier that day. The worst part about it was that he couldn''t argue the points it stated. Even he thinks that the dating aspect of his game was far from the best. ''What the hell do they expect from me?'' Mark discovered very early on that his writing skills were lacking in the romance department. He was decent with everything else, but when it came to intimate relationships, the fact that he didn''t know what he was doing became clear to anyone with two eyes. [¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö-] "I mean, I know what it feels like to be in love, but¡­" he muttered to himself while closing the door. "Making someone fall in love with me? I have no idea how to do that." He simply didn''t understand the rules of real-life romance and that translated to his project. There are countless moves and patterns to choose from but most of them lead to a dead end. Not only were the conditions for success randomized, but meeting them didn''t guarantee it. "The hell do you mean it''s not rewarding?" He spoke to no one in particular. When he was back at his desk, the first thing to catch his attention was the picture displayed on one of the monitors. It was the character design for the new maid, a girl named Lara Becker. She had long silver hair tied into a pair of twintails. Her proportions were quite normal, with a slender body and a medium-sized chest. Her red eyes seemed unfriendly and sharp, fitting for a dhampir who went through a lot. "Lara, huh¡­" he began going through the outline of her story in his mind, fueling the stress he felt about the update. As expected, the pacing was all over the place, and the silver-haired maid was a bit difficult to conquer despite joining the game later on. Mark was once again reminded of his inability to develop the relationship with the heroines in a good way and that caused his motivation to plummetin an instant. "Haa¡­ what should I do?"He folded his arms on the desk and rested his head on them. The maids in the game were designed based on his preferences so obviously he felt a certain level of attraction to them. Imagining how they would act when in love was easy enough, but writing the parts that would lead to that always eluded him. He contemplated delaying the update until he made some revisions to the story, and as he did, he once again went through the script in his head and tried to think of ways to improve it. After a few minutes, a familiar question popped up in his mind. If Lara was real, how would he go about making her fall in love with him? "... Hm?" Just then, Mark noticed something strange. The room was quiet, eerily so. He didn''t understand what was going on at first, but then he realized that the music had stopped at some point. He once again forgot to put the playlist on shuffle and the last song finished while he was deep in thought. Letting out a sigh, he reached forhis phone and was about to press the play button. However, at that exact moment, his vision suddenly turned blurry and he felt himself losing balance, falling off his chair and onto the floor. At first, he thought the lack of sleep was finally catching up to him, but a moment later he was shown that things weren''t so simple. [.... ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ª--] The voices in his head turned from annoying whispers to unbearable screams, like the wails of thousands of demented demons being tortured in the fires of hell. Mark lost the ability to think. He clutched his head and started clawing at it wanting to remove the countless needles stabbed directly into his brain. He screamed and screamed, but no voice seemed to come out of his mouth. The pain was unbearable, and as if to protect himself from it, Mark''s entire body shut down, his eyes going white as he finally passed out. Blissful Silence. I don''t remember when it started exactly, but I think it was around my tenth birthday. Strange voices began whispering in my head, the words they spoke illusory and incomprehensible. At first I thought it was a messed up prank so I just ignored it, but no matter how many days passed the voices refused to disappear. When I think back on it, I realize my way of handling the situation was bizarre to say the least. Instead of running to my parents, I chose to keep the voices a secret. They were always overprotective of me so the last thing I wanted was to give them a reason to worry. There was also the fact that I thought I had awakened mind reading power and feared that the government would come to take me. A child''s imagination sure is a wondrous thing. I had to go on with my life pretending that nothing was out of the ordinary. It was like trying to walk through a haunted house without reacting to any sounds or jump scares. Before long I started to believe I was losing my mind. The illusory murmurs didn''t make sense, after all, and trying to decipher them felt like a really bad idea. Still, I refused to tell anyone about them. Unfortunately, one can only ignore the voices in their head for so long before they start affecting their life. It didn''t help that they got louder and more frequent with time. They didn''t get any less confusing, though, and as if that wasn''t bad enough, I started seeing strange images in my dreams. I don''t think I got a good night''s sleep since I became fifteen. By that time the voices became a constant in my life, always whispering their incomprehensible jargon directly into my head. I had to dampen them one way or another. That was when I got into heavy metal. I wasn''t really a fan of the genre, but the chaotic tunes helped keep my sanity. I knew that wasn''t a long-term solution, but it was better than being thrown into a mental hospital and pumped full of drugs. When everything failed, death became my only hope. I was too much of a coward to take my own life, however, so I chose to suffer in silence as I waited for exhaustion to do its job. That time was slowly approaching, I could tell as much. When I collapsed on the floor that night, I knew for sure the end had come. ~[]~ [High psychic potential detected] [Beginning assessment] [¡­] [Subject: Mark White. Race: human. Age: 19. Genetic modifications: none. Cybernetic enhancements: none. Soul: Dormant.] [...] [Time until Complete Dimensional Collapse: 16:00:05:43] [...] [Subject Mark White has begun the Awakening process.] [Chances of contracting Madness: >90%] [...] [Beginning countermeasures] [...] [Initiate Lower Realm Guidance System installation.] [...] [Installation complete.] [Chances of contracting Madness: <10%] [...] [Subject has awakened successfully.] [Beginning assessment] [...] [ Name: Mark White Race: Human Rank: Awakened Stats: Level 01 HP: 100/100 MP: 100/100 Strength 6 Endurance 5 Agility 5 Dexterity 10 Focus 14 Mind 150 Soul 115 AP: 0/20 Abilities: Force Field. ] [Subject''s psychic potential: Very High.] [Subject is capable of unlocking knowledge gained from Awakening.] [...] [Testing System compatibility.] [...] [Generating Interface based on System compatibility results] [...] [System Interface has been generated.] [Initializing System Interface] [...] [Accessing Rune ¡ö¡ö to fulfill System functions.] [Access Granted.] [Integrating Rune ¡ö¡ö into System.] [Accessing Rune ¡ö¡ö¡ö to fulfill System functions.] [Access Granted.] [Integrating Rune ¡ö¡ö¡ö into System.] [Accessing Rune ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö to fulfill System functions.] [Access Granted.] [Integrating Rune ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö into System.] [Accessing Rune ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö to fulfill System functions.] [Access Granted.] [Integrating Rune ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö into System.] [Rune ¡ö¡ö, ¡ö¡ö¡ö, ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö and ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö have been linked to the "Hire" function.] [Rune ¡ö¡ö, ¡ö¡ö¡ö and ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö have been linked to the "Store" function.] [Rune ¡ö¡ö, ¡ö¡ö¡ö and ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö have been linked to the "Workshop" function.] [Accessing Rune ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö to fulfill System functions.] [Access Denied.] [Due to the Subject''s inability to access Rune ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö the "Save" function has been removed.] [Due to the Subject''s inability to access Rune ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö the "load" function has been removed.] [...] [Accessing Rune 099 to fulfill System functions.] [Access Granted.] [Integrating Rune 099 into System¡­] [Accessing Rune 100 to fulfill System functions.] [Access Granted.] [Integrating Rune 100 into System¡­] [Rune 099 and Rune 100 have been linked to the "Inventory" function.] [Rune 099 and Rune 100 have been linked to the "Equipment" function.] [Accessing Rune 1022 to fulfill System Function.] [Access Granted.] [Integrating Rune 1022 into System¡­] [Accessing Rune 1023 to fulfill System Function.] [Access Granted.] [Integrating Rune 1023 into System¡­] [Rune 1022 and Rune 1023 have been linked to the "Map" Function.] If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.[...] [Testing System Functions.] [¡­] [All System Functions are operating as intended.] [...] [Time until Complete Dimensional Collapse: 15:11:56:24] [...] [Beginning Assessment.] [...] [Survival Probability Assessment: extremely low.] [Due to extremely low Survival Probability, Lower Realm Guidance System is taking further countermeasures.] [...] [Lower Realm Guidance System has activated the "Hire" function] [...] [First "Maid" has been Hired.] [...] [Survival Probability Assessment: low.] [Due to low Survival Probability, Lower Realm Guidance System is taking further countermeasures.] [...] [Lower Realm Guidance System has accessed the "Store" function.] [¡­] ["Starter Pack" has been Purchased.] ["Starter Pack" has been moved to "Inventory"] [...] [Survival Probability Assessment: Medium.] [Countermeasures Complete.] [Subject Mark White. We wish you the best of luck.] ~[]~ "Aaagh!!!" The strong headache brought Mark back to the waking world the same way it took him out of it. The experience reminded him of his first time trying alcohol, which was an attempt at finding another thing that could distract him from the Whispers but ended with him having a really bad hangover. Thankfully, the pain seemed to fade little by little. In just a couple of minutes it was no longer there. "Damn¡­ and here I thought it was finally over." Scratching his head, Mark sighed in exasperation. "I''m not sure what you might be referring to, Master." Mark was certain that death finally had its grip on him. Alas, he was still in the world of the living. In the end, he missed his chance to get eternal rest. "This really sucks¡­" Letting out a sigh, Mark reached for the nightstand to his right and grabbed the small alarm clock sitting on it, staring at it for some time as if his thoughts were lagging. "It''s six in the morning, huh¡­ hold on¡­" feeling that something was very wrong, he squinted at the digital screen. A moment later his eyes shot open and he jumped up to his feet. "October 8th!!?" He exclaimed. "I slept through an entire day!!?" "You must have been truly exhausted, Master." Still doubting his eyes, he looked around the room searching for his smartphone. Seeing that it was on the desk, he quickly went to pick it up and checked the date and time. "... So it''s true¡­" he said. "I really slept for an entire day¡­" Instead of fear or apprehension at having lost an entire day and two nights, Mark felt elated. And why wouldn''t he? It was the first time in years he got to have some proper rest. The voices and the nightmares they brought. With them around, it should have been impossible for him to not be disturbed. But he slept like a baby for more than twenty-four hours straight. It was a bizarre occurrence but also a welcome one. As he tried to make sense of his situation, Mark seemed to realize something at that moment. "... It''s quiet¡­" his eyes slowly widened. "The voices¡­ they''re gone¡­" His head was clear of anything but his own inner voice. He didn''t have his earbuds on nor was he wearing his headphones. The noisy heavy metal wasn''t being blasted into his ears, but even then, his mind was calm and clear. The exhaustion was gone as well. For the first time in years, Mark felt rejuvenated. The weight of accumulated fatigue had fallen off his shoulders, and a profound sense of serenity washed over him. He could feel his body brimming with energy, filling him with a sense of excitement he hadn''t felt ever since he was a little kid. "This is¡­ unbelievable¡­" Mark closed his eyes and waited. A minute passed, then another. He heard the faint sound of a vehicle driving by, the cacophony of car horns blaring and engines revving, the shrill whistle of a police siren, and the rhythmic clatter of construction work in the distance. For the first time in a long while, he heard the messy and ceaseless sounds of the urban city where his building was located. To many, it might''ve been nothing more than despicable noise pollution, but to Mark, it was like a beautiful symphony, something he couldn''t experience because of all the inhumane voices that tormented his mind. "Master. How long are you going to stand there like that?" "Just let me be," Mark replied. "I want to enjoy this mome-" The words got caught in his throat as he realized he had just replied. There was nothing strange about doing so, but that wasn''t the case when one is living alone. Opening his eyes, Mark turned to the left. The first thing he saw was a pair of deep ruby irises gazing back at him, then he noticed the silver hair, tied into a pair of twin-tails with a frilly black lace. He saw the beautiful doll-like face, with flawless skin, a small nose, and glistering rosy lips. His gaze went further down, and once he saw the black dress and the frilly white apron, the complete picture began to form in his mind and he instantly understood what was happening. "Ah¡­ guess I lost it after all¡­" In front of him stood a real-life representation of a character he had created. Lara Becker, a maid from his solo-developed game, was standing in his room looking more real than he ever imagined. Sweet Tooth. The shock quickly faded and a smile formed on Mark''s face. He was sure it would happen eventually, but now that it did, he couldn''t help but feel conflicted. At long last, he has finally lost his mind. Only it was nothing like what he expected it to be. Standing in front of him was a girl. She was of medium height, wearing a black and white classic maid uniform that covered everything below her neck. Her silver hair flowed on both sides of her head, straight without a single wave or split-ends. Her perfectly symmetrical face, with skin as white as marble, was the epitome of beauty, and her ruby eyes were simply captivating, making the act of looking away almost impossible. "Master¡­" The girl let out a sigh and averted her gaze. "Staring for too long brings me discomfort. I would much appreciate it if you refrained from doing so." "... Is this what being crazy feels like?" Mark muttered. At first, it seemed like he was doing as she asked, taking his eyes off of her and looking away. However, a couple of seconds later, after rubbing his eyes a little, he began studying her closely while ignoring the cold glare she threw his way. "Whoa¡­ the human mind sure is amazing¡­" he said, leaning toward the silver-haired maid with a hand on his chin. "To think a crazy person can see all of this¡­ so many details¡­" Due to time and budget constraints, Mark asked his illustrator to use a simplified art style, much like the ones used in anime. It omitted a lot of details and used a cell shading techniques, but looked good nonetheless. That said, if someone tried to create a 3D model or cosplay any of the characters, they would have to add a lot more to their design just so they wouldn''t look bland. Mark believed that his mind understood that very well as instead of animating a magnified version of the character sprite, it opted for a more realistic approach, if one can even consider the otherworldly beauty in front of him realistic. As the maid stood in her place not moving an inch, Mark went around scanning every part of her hair and outfit while making amazed sounds whenever he caught something interesting. "Can you raise your arms a little?" He asked, his eyes on the white apron. The maid glared at him for a few seconds then heaved a sigh, reluctantly doing as he instructed. "I''m not sure what you find so interesting." She said. "Weren''t you the one who made all of it?" "Well, Kobayashi did most of the art," Mark replied. "He''s really good, but not this good." After getting a really good look, the youth stood straight with a smile on his face and nodded. "You look even better than I imagined." He said with a regretful look. "Kinda sucks that you aren''t real." Despite looking like a really well-done cosplay, the girl standing in front of him was definitely hallucination. If he remembered right, before passing out from that extreme headache, he was looking at her character sheet.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. He took that as an explanation as to why he was hallucinating about her, and though he was intrigued by what he was seeing, a part of him wished it was one of the other maids instead. Celestia, his favorite, would''ve been a much better sight. Though he didn''t mind having the silver-haired maid as well. "Your praise is an honor, Master, but¡­" tilting her head to the side, the maid seemed a bit confused. "I do not understand what you mean by me not being real¡­" "Yeah yeah. I''m not about to deal with this." He waved his hand dismissively. "I know I''m crazy, alright? I''m not going to a mental hospital, though. Try to not speak too much." The maid stared back at him, not replying. "Understand?" He added, urging her to confirm. The silver-haired maid kept her lips tightly sealed. Mark decided to take that as a yes. "Cool. Now let''s get ready for school. I''ve already missed two entire days. Can''t let that continue." Mark felt quite refreshed, having had some decent sleep for the first time in years. It left him optimistic, believing that it might turn out to be the first time he goes through every class without sleeping in at least one of them. It was a strange thing to get excited about but he didn''t seem to mind. He decided to start his day with a nice quick shower but ended up extending it longer than expected. He never expected to get so filthy just after not showering for a day. Brushing his teeth came next. Once that was done, he went about preparing his breakfast. "Master." The maid spoke after remaining silent so far. "I don''t believe that would be sufficient for two people." She was looking at the ingredients he took out of the fridge, and though her expression didn''t show anything, for some reason Mark could tell she wasn''t very pleased with him. "What? You want me to cook for you as well?" He asked. "That would be much appreciated." She replied. "I haven''t eaten anything since I arrived." "Is that so¡­" Despite knowing she was just a hallucination, Mark decided to make another plate anyway. As a certain green monkey once said, two eggs were necessary for a nutritious breakfast. He fried four, added some bacon, then a pinch of salt and pepper. Coffee was already brewing and the toaster was doing its work. Once he was done, he placed two plates on the table, filled two mugs with coffee, and then took his seat. The maid in his mind sat on the other side facing him. "Thank you for the meal." Without much delay, she took a fork and dug into her food. Mark couldn''t help watching, intrigued by the way the eggs were disappearing from the plate. He began to wonder whether he really did cook an extra portion for his hallucination, or if he was imagining the whole thing including the food. His empty stomach urged him to start working on his own plate so he quickly went for it. In just a couple of minutes, he was done so he leaned back and enjoyed his coffee. "What''s wrong?" He asked. The maid was done with her food as well, but currently, she was staring at her mug with a complicated expression, the first one she had shown so far. "It is¡­ black¡­" she eventually said. It was then that Mark remembered something important. "Aa, right, you have a sweet tooth¡­" Putting his mug aside, Mark went and got the milk bottle from the fridge. He poured some into the maid''s cup then added some sugar to it, steering the mix a little before returning to his place. "Thank you, Master." The maid replied, picking up the mug and staring at it some more. Eventually, she closed her eyes and took a sip. A moment later her eyes shot open and her cheeks flushed a little, showing how much she enjoyed the drink. "Better?" "Yes." Her thin lips curved into a bewitching smile causing Mark''s heart to skip a beat. ''Whoa¡­ schizophrenia is awesome¡­'' With each passing second he became more convinced that losing his mind wasn''t such a bad thing. At the very least, it was much better compared to the torment of the incomprehensible whispers. Even if she was nothing more than a hallucination, Mark found himself looking forward to interacting with one of the maids from his game. Lucky Bastard. Riding the subway without his earbuds proved to be a nightmare. Compared to the whispers he was forced to hear ever since he was ten years old, the chatter filling the crowded carriage was no less annoying. After just a few minutes, Mark gave up and launched his usual heavy metal playlist. With the chaotic music shielding his ears, he began to notice something strange. A lot of people were staring at him, some whispering among themselves. He looked down at his clothes and saw nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, he was looking much better than usual, having had the peace of mind to take care of his appearance before going out. He glanced to his left and saw Lara sitting right beside him, looking ahead with an expressionless face, and realized that the people around him must be seeing something completely different. Mark began to worry that his mental illness was visible to everyone else beside him. It wouldn''t be strange if he was imagining other things, considering he was hallucinating a fictional character of his own creation. ''I''m not naked right now, am I?'' He tried to ignore the nervousness gnawing at the back of his mind and act as normal as he could. It was quite embarrassing when he thought about it. He never cared about how others saw him before, but for some reason he felt awfully self conscious right now. Did his lack of sleep help him ignore a lot of things before? The train eventually reached his stop and Mark hurried to get out. Thankfully the looks he was getting decreased quite a bit, but they didn''t disappear. Things got worse when he reached the campus. People were starting to take photos. They ruined the good mood he was in, causing his stress to build up once more. "Hey." He stopped in front of a chubby guy who was holding his phone up. "Who said you can take photos?" Mark himself was surprised by his own voice. It sounded a bit deep and tinged with anger. The chubby guy went blue in the face and apologized a second later, tapping frantically on his phone while saying he would delete everything. University grounds were a public space so Mark had no right to tell people not to film him, no matter how annoying it was. That didn''t mean he couldn''t show his displeasure toward their actions.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. With all the attention he was getting, Mark guessed it was only a matter of time before someone called security or the police. Nevertheless, he was somehow able to make it to the lecture hall without a problem. ''What in the world is going on here?'' The lecture was about the start but he was still the center of attention. The seats around him weren''t the only ones empty; no one sat in the rows to the front and the back. The other students kept some distance between him and them, some still holding their phones up with their cameras pointed his way. ''Could it be¡­ no way¡­'' He glanced at the seat beside him where the silver haired maid was sitting. She seemed unperturbed by the crowd that had formed around them, but he knew for a fact that she was a nervous wreck right now. That''s how he wrote her, after all. "Hey Bed Marks!" Mark wasn''t a fan of the nickname given to him because of all the time he had spent sleeping in class, but he never bothered to show displeasure so it quickly stuck. He preferred Mr. White as it was less annoying, but he wasn''t dumb enough to go around telling people what nickname they should use when talking to him. He rarely talked to anyone anyway. The one who had approached him was a jock whose name he never bothered to remember. From his raised eyebrows and the smile on his face, it was clear that he had seen something that caught his interest quite a bit. Mark prepared himself for the wave of ridicule that was about to arrive, but to his surprise the jock leaned on the table and spoke in a strangely friendly voice. "Say, who''s your girlfriend?" Mark was confused for a moment, raising an eyebrow at the jock. Just from looking, it should''ve been easy for people to guess that he wasn''t in any kind of relationship. He didn''t understand where the question came from, but then he noticed the guy turning to look at his left, his tone carrying some excitement as he spoke. "You lucky bastard," said the jock. "My girl would never wear something like this at home, let alone in public." Mark''s confusion increased even further, but then it suddenly clicked. In an instant, he jumped from his seat, backing away several meters with a horrified look on his face. His eyes fell on the silver haired maid who was gazing back at him with a startled expression. He then turned to the crowd and saw that they were staring at him, all of them confused by his sudden reaction. Twisting around, Mark found a girl looking up at him, unable to back away because of the crowd behind her. Without saying anything, he snatched the phone from her hand and, ignoring her reaction, he faced forward and pointed the camera at the maid sitting a small distance away. ''No way¡­'' The phone had been recording for two minutes already; faking something like that in such a short time wasn''t possible. He quickly navigated to the Gallery and checked the recent photos, and to his surprise, most of them were of him walking around the campus with the maid following right behind him. Looking up from the phone, he met the ruby eyes of the silver-haired maid. His mouth flapped open then closed, but no words came out. Eventually, he managed to say something, but even if he were to receive an answer Mark still wasn''t sure he could believe what was happening right now. "You¡­ you''re real¡­" Allow me to handle this. Mark was petrified. As he stared at the silver-haired maid sitting a few meters away, he began to feel that his brain could short-circuit at any moment. Thankfully the surrounding chatter helped snap him out of it. It took him a couple of seconds to understand what kind of situation he was in, and his mind went into overdrive trying to draw his next course of action. He was already on the move soon after. First, he handed the girl her phone back, then he walked over to the maid and grabbed her hand. "I know I said I liked it, but did you really have to do this?" He said, trying to sound as normal as possible. "You went too far with your pranks this time!" He was trying to make it look like everything was just one big prank, but something told him it wouldn''t work. Of course, Mark wasn''t about to wait and see the results. He hightailed it out of the lecture hall without looking back then disappeared from the campus entirely. Once they were outside, he quickly took out his phone and rummaged through it a little. Lara stared at the hand holding hers for a while, looked up at him, then looked up at the sky. "The sun¡­" she spoke, her voice a little wistful. "It''s rising¡­" Confused by her statement, Mark looked up then back at her. "It''s nine in the morning." He replied. "It has been rising for a few hours now." A taxi showed up not long after. "Get in." He said after opening the door. The maid did as she was told. Once he gave the driver an address and the car moved, Mark finally allowed himself to relax. "A car is a lot less stressful than the subway." The maid said. "That said, I cannot help feeling that the underground routes seem safer." Her comments drew the youth''s attention, but his silence lingered. Eventually, she turned away and closed her eyes, heaving a sigh as she added one more thing. "You need to obtain a personal vehicle, Master. It is quite disgraceful that we have to rely on mundane transportation used by the rest of the population." Mark was speechless, continuing to stare at her with his jaw hanging like an idiot. He noticed the driver watching them through the rearview mirror and sighed. "Don''t ask." He said while shaking his head. "I don''t get it myself." The driver returned his sight to the road, though he kept glancing at the mirror whenever they stopped at a traffic light. ''She''s real¡­'' Mark thought, still staring at the maid. ''Other people can see her¡­ does that mean¡­'' He still couldn''t believe it, but a part of him was starting to think that maybe he hadn''t lost his mind after all. "Master, I believe I have already voiced my displeasure with the way you stare for so long," Lara spoke again, pulling him out of his thoughts. "I request that you stop." "You seemed to be doing just fine back in the lecture hall," Mark said. "Are you saying you only hate it when it''s me?"This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Glancing at him for a couple of seconds, the maid let out another sigh. "There is nothing I can do about a curious crowd. Besides, Master''s gaze is quite unnerving, especially when you refuse to acknowledge my existence." Her eyes narrowed. "You were the one who summoned me, weren''t you?" Mark didn''t know how to answer that question. The silver-haired maid, Lara Becker, turned her head away in a show of displeasure. If she thought that would get the message across, though, then she was sorely mistaken. Despite seeing her with his own eyes, and despite getting confirmation from other people, Mark still couldn''t believe that she was real. She wasn''t supposed to be real. Lara Becker was a character he had created for his game, one from an update he has yet to even release. He considered the chances of all of it being a big prank, but even the few people who played his game wouldn''t know about her. It was difficult to imagine someone going to such lengths just for a prank, but the alternative was even less believable. "Hm¡­? What''s in the world¡­" The driver''s confused voice didn''t even register in Mark''s mind. The youth was too focused on the maid sitting beside him, and his conflicted thoughts prevented him from taking his eyes off of her. It was only when he noticed a bunch of people running past the window on her side that he realized something was off. A loud impact drew his attention to the front where he saw the car that was in front of them moving back. The driver must''ve been on something as he bumped into their taxi, pushing it back into the next car. He then proceeded to turn the vehicle around and kick the gas pedal, driving right into the sidewalk before taking off. The scene was nothing short of horrifying. Mark caught a glimpse of the driver''s face. It had a look of absolute terror, one born from having witnessed something unimaginable. Mark didn''t know what was so horrifying that it would cause a grown man to act so recklessly, but he didn''t have to wait long before the reason showed itself. "Master!" Following Lara''s call, the taxi suddenly shook violently once more. Looking ahead, Mark saw it. A corpse. A human corpse. The mutilated body of an adult human, one missing its head and an arm. Blood was splattered everywhere, oozing from the long cuts that stretched over the body. The gruesome scene was straight out of a horror movie. Up ahead, the intersection was a disaster zone. Fire spread in every direction, devouring cars that had been crushed flat or piled on top of each other. Motionless bodies littered the ground, bathed in the same blood flowing out of their wounds. At the center of it all, something was moving. It leaned toward one of the cars and stretched its hand, grabbed the driver, then brought him close to its face. A large maw spread open to reveal two rows of bloodied fangs, and an instant later, those fangs joined once more, crunching the man''s head as he screamed for help. Mark refused to believe what he had just witnessed. He was ready to accept that the maid beside him was real, but when faced with such a scene doing so became impossible. It had to be a dream, there was simply no other explanation. ''Was it the whispers?'' He thought, remembering the confusing nightmares they gave him before. ''Did I get some kind of brain damage?'' "Master." Mark''s entire body jolted up when he felt a firm grip on his arm. Turning to the right, he was met with Lara''s piercing gaze. "We need to flee this place at once." The maid was calm. Strangely so. They were a dozen meters from a carnage but her face showed none of the emotions one would feel in such a situation. She didn''t wait for his approval and went to open the door. Her movements were slow, calm, and stealthy, surprising Mark who had yet to accept the current reality. He felt her pull his arm and moved toward the door on her side. She was sitting closer to the sidewalk which was now devoid of people. Everyone had run away at some point leaving only the two of them there. Exiting on that side was the most logical choice, considering the alternative. A cold chill caused his body to shudder and Mark couldn''t resist looking behind him. There, at the center of the gruesome carnage, the monstrosity had dropped the corpse it was biting and was now staring at him. The cold murderous intent flowing from its eyes wrapped around him like thick ropes, and when combined with the fear and confusion freezing his legs, he couldn''t bring himself to make any kind of move. Just then, a head of silver hair appeared in from of him, drawing his eyes away from the abomination. The intricate maid uniform fluttered slightly in the wind. Her feet were planted firmly on the ground and her right arm was raised protectively by her side. Lara held the bloody monster with her ruby eyes and spoke in a firm tone. "Please step back, Master. Allow me to handle this." Judgmental look. Lara had a determined look as she stepped forward and pushed her master back. Having noticed their presence, the abomination, whatever it was, discarded the remains of the man shredded by its claws and fangs then shifted in their direction. Mark was finally able to get a better look at the thing just then. If he had to describe it, he would say it looked like a really burly Lizardman; a cross between an alligator and a human. Mark was sure that, even without all the blood and guts, the creature''s ugliness would have made it difficult to look at. Black scales covered its back while the rest was hidden under a thick layer of hide. Its maw was somewhat long, decorated by two rows of crooked sharp teeth. The hole at the tip seemed to be its nose while the four surrounding it, clearly the eyes, glowed with the ominous red of a predator who had just located its next prey. The beast remained motionless for a moment, but then it began walking toward them. Lara lowered her posture, preparing to lunge at it. She was ready to fight that thing, and seeing that, Mark realized that he had to intervene. Before any of them could do anything a red car spawned out of nowhere. In an instant, it smashed into the strange creature who tried to tank the impact. Its legs dug into the asphalt, carving lines into it while being pushed back. For a second it appeared like the creature was going to succeed, but the driver was having none of it, his face twisted with rage as he slammed the gas pedal. The tires let out a high-pitched cry as they skid against the surface of the road. The abomination held its ground for a couple of seconds but was ultimately defeated, losing its footing and letting the car push it until they both crashed into the sharp corner of a nearby building. A deathly cry echoed through the burning street. Mark seemed to come back to his senses at that moment and his mind made a number of decisions in quick succession. He immediately grabbed the maid by the arm and started running in the opposite direction from the intersection. The deserted block stretched the nightmarish scene for dozens of meters, but it wasn''t long before they caught up with the fleeing crowd. Having reached another intersection, Mark began to consider which direction he should take, but then his eyes caught sight of a small white van hurling through the air. He could only watch as it came down crashing into the crowd ahead of them. This time, however, he didn''t allow the insanity to restrain his movement and quickly ran to the street opposite from whatever launched the large vehicle into the air. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck!!!" Something exploded in the distance adding to the intensity of the situation. The screams came from every direction accompanied by the sound of police sirens and gunfire. Every few seconds, something would shake the area with a devastating roar making it all the more terrifying. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck FUUUUUUCK!!!!" They took a turn trying to get away from the mayhem only to find another abomination blocking the road ahead. The maid tried to step forward once more but Mark pulled her forcefully and entered a side alley.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Getting away from the main road did little to decrease the horror, and with each passing second the chaos only increased. ''Was it a terrorist attack? Did one of the surviving nations decide to resume the war? Bio-weapons were made a taboo twenty years ago. How could anyone go back to producing them after everything we went through?'' The voices in his head were gone but Mark still felt like he was about to lose his mind. The world was going crazy around him and he could only hope he wouldn''t run into any more monsters. Unfortunately, his luck was bound to run out at some point, and it just happened to be now. "Grrrrrrrr¡­" Their frantic escape was cut when they reached an open space at the center of the block they were in. What used to be a small garden was now painted red, and when Mark saw the source of the color he felt something rise from his stomach all the way to his throat. Another monster, one not different from the lizardman he saw before, was feasting on the dead body of a small boy. Scattered around were the remains of several others, and the blood-stained ball nearby told the story of what happened in that place. "H-help¡­" Coming back to his senses, Mark turned to one of the corners where he saw three kids huddled together. They seemed no older than seven, with the youngest among them being a toddler. Their tearful eyes were looking at him with desperate plea, and that caused his mind to completely halt. What was he supposed to do in this situation? A nightmarish monster was in front of him, blocking the road ahead. The only option he had was to go back from where he came. The monster has yet to notice him so he could probably get away if he was careful not to make any sounds. He felt bad for the children, but his life comes first and foremost. He would have to deal with the guilt another time, but it was better to be alive and feel it than just die. As he prepared to turn around, Mark noticed the silver-haired maid Looking at him with judgemental eyes. Mark still hoped that he would wake up in his bed and realize everything was a bad dream, but the longer all of this went on the more difficult it became to hold on to that hope. The sights, the sounds, the smells; everything was too vivid for that to be true. If he were to run away now he would be leaving three kids to their demise. He could live with the guilt, but could he ignore the judgemental look in those ruby eyes? Looking around the alley, Mark walked over to a nearby of trash can and picked the lid covering it. "I''ll distract it. You take the kids and run." He didn''t wait for her confirmation before moving. The beast was done crunching the bones of its latest victim and was eyeing the remaining three. Mark entered the open space, quietly walking alongside the building. Once he crossed the halfway point to the other exit, he took a deep breath and prepared himself. ''Damn it!!!'' "HEY YOU!!! YOU UGLY LITTLE SHIT!!! YOU THINK A BUNCH OF LITTLE KIDS WILL SATISFY YOU!!? COME HERE AND GET A PEOPER MEAL!!!" Though it was doubtful whether the abomination understood what he said, it seemed to take the bait nonetheless. The moment it laid its eyes on him, it forgot about the children entirely and rotated its body in his direction, salivating as it watched him with its four eyes. ''God fucking damn it!!!'' Holding the metallic lid like a shield, Mark dashed toward the exit with everything he had. The beast kicked the ground as it chased after him, and from the speed of its movements, it was clear that he wouldn''t make it far before it caught up to him. ''Ah. I''m dead...'' The monster''s bloodstained claws cut through the air as they headed for his body. Once again the world seemed to slow down and his life began playing in front of his eyes. At that moment something he never expected took place. "Hmph!" Appearing out of nowhere, the silver-haired maid swung her fist at the monster, punching it right in the face. One would think the elegant hand he was holding just a few seconds ago would be incapable of doing any damage, but that was proven wrong right away as the three-meter-tall monster was sent flying, smashing into the building a few meters away. Mark came to a stop, his eyes torn open. A delicate girl wearing a maid''s uniform had just punched a monster into a building. The fist she had used was covered in a light blue glow and the calm expression on her face showed that she wasn''t surprised by what she had done at all. "Lara¡­" Unfortunately, it seemed that a single hit wasn''t enough to kill the abomination. As it slowly picked itself up from underneath the rubble, the silver-haired maid stepped in front of Mark and began cracking her fingers. "Master¡­" she spoke, her voice showing no signs of fear. "I will be handling the beast. Please take care of the children." Close Combat Maid. "Lara¡­" Mark stared at the small back in front of him and something seemed to spark in his mind. ''That''s right¡­'' He thought. ''Why didn''t I realize it sooner!'' Time ran out before he could think of something to say. The monster was back in its feet and preparing to charge at them, while Lara had lowered her posture readying herself to engage. The two moved at the same time, meeting halfway through the open space with the giant lizard swinging at the maid with its right claws. Taking advantage of her smaller size, Lara evaded the beast by closing the distance between them before launching her glowing fist in an uppercut The punch landed on the monster''s long jaw causing its head to snap back, but unlike the first time, it didn''t go flying. Lara wasn''t done with her attack just yet. Her form seemed to collapse as she lowered herself to the ground in an instant. She then stretched her leg and spun around kicking the abomination and sweeping it off its legs, causing it to fall on its back. Mark was stunned for a moment, but then he remembered what his task was and quickly ran over to the children. Though he still had his doubts, the craziness that had been happening ever since he woke up convinced him that the maid would be fine. If she really was the same Lara Becker from his game, she should be strong enough to survive no matter the odds. "C''mon! Let''s go!" Arriving at the corner, Mark quickly picked up the youngest child and pulled the other two to their feet. The former latched onto him and started sobbing while the other two struggled to walk with their pants drenched in urine. "Hurry!" He yelled. "We need to get out of here!" ''But go where?'' The main road was at best full of frenzied crowds fleeing and at worst blocked by more monsters. With three traumatized children with him, he couldn''t hope to get very far, and his stamina was going to run out soon whether he liked it or not. Then there was Lara. He wanted to get back to her as soon as he could, even if his presence was entirely useless. ''Master my ass¡­'' he gritted his teeth while running to the nearby alley. ''I can''t do shit!'' In the game, the maids acted like party members in an RPG, but the protagonist was supposed to always be at the front facing the monsters head-on.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. A big part of the game is building him up so he can earn the maids'' respect and affection. It was even possible to beat it without relying on their assistance. Compared to the powerful MC, Mark was nothing but a scrawny loser who''s barely able to run while carrying a child. He never was in a fight his entire life so there was no way he would survive against that abomination. ''Damn it all'' [Lara defeated Malarak''s Spawn (Fallen).] [+15 AP] ''... What?'' Coming to a stop, Mark tried to gaze at the lines of text that appeared in the bottom left corner of his field of vision. He was confused for a moment, turning around to look behind him. Not long after, he saw Lara''s distinct silver hair appear at the other end of the alley. She had some red stains on her face and maid uniform, but the blood clearly wasn''t hers. "Master¡­" arriving at his side, the maid glared at him with her ruby eyes, clearly upset. "I believe I told you to escort them to safety?" Mark''s eyes were like saucers as he stared at the maid, but before he could ask the sound of gunfire brought his attention back to their situation. Despite having a lot of questions, he was sensible enough to recognize that this wasn''t the proper time. "I don''t think we should go this way." He said. "Are things safe back there?" Lara answered after a moment of thought. "I have already dealt with the Fallen. I believe there is nothing to be concerned about." ''The what?'' He was going to ask but the sound of gunfire distracted him again. "Let''s go." Mark was about to start walking but then came to a stop, turning his gaze to the two boys. They were still sobbing, and he wasn''t sure they were going to listen to him. "We should find their parents." He said. "And how do you suggest we do that, Master?" Lara asked. "You do not live in the area, and we can barely navigate around on our own." She was right. Mark has never been to this part of the city so he had no idea where he was going. With how chaotic things were he didn''t even get the chance to check his phone so they were essentially running blindly the whole time. Mark turned to one of the two boys hoping to learn something useful. "Hey, kid." He crouched down before him. "You live around here, don''t you?" The boy opened his eyes and looked at him only for the tears to return the next moment. "No! Don''t cry! This is not the time to cry!!!" He yelled at him, which only made things worse. "We¡­ we live in the same building¡­" the other boy said, fighting the tears. "It''s okay. You did well." Lara crouched down in front of him and patted his head. She wore a warm smile £­one Mark didn''t imagine she was capable of showing£­ and her voice was much gentler than what he expected from the fictional character he created. "Can you show us the way?" The boy stopped sobbing in no time and pointed in the direction they came from. "It''s¡­ It''s there, on the other side¡­" Lara looked up at Mark, waiting for his decision. He was still in a daze after what he had just witnessed so it took him a few seconds to adjust, and once he did, he made his choice in a snap. "We will return and check the backdoor. If it''s open, we will try reaching their homes. If not, we will take them with us." Lara pushed herself up and looked him in the eyes. "Understood." The warm smile had disappeared and she was back to donning her usual stone mask. Saving yet another question for later, Mark began to walk only to halt a second later. He recalled the bluish glow coating Lara''s fist as she punched the abomination and a sense of unease crawled over him. He didn''t have much time to think about it so he turned to the maid with an order. "Unless the situation is completely desperate, don''t ever show your strength. Avoid fighting at all costs, especially when others are watching." He waited for a few seconds before he got his reply, but this time the maid only nodded, making him feel as if she had something different in mind. Counting On You. As they ran, Mark couldn''t help but wonder what a bunch of kids were doing out there instead of being in school. Whatever the cause, it was a really bad coincidence. He also cursed the parents for being so careless. How could they just leave their kids out without any supervision? As it turned out, all of the doors leading to the small open space were sealed shut. Not just locked but also blocked with junk from the inside making it impossible for them to break their way in. That meant they would have to circle around to the front if they wanted to get outside, and with the sounds of gunfire increasing it looked like that wouldn''t be an easy task. The toddler he was carrying fell asleep at some point. Mark believed it was for the better; now she wouldn''t have to witness whatever messed up things they might encounter on the way. The two boys were hiding behind Lara and peeking at the corpse of the monster. From the looks of it, the maid seems to have smashed its skull with her bare hands. That made Mark both relieved and scared. "There is a police station nearby." He said after checking their location on the map. "It''s in the opposite direction of the gunfire. They should be safe there." It''s been quite a while since the chaos started and no adult came to check on the kids. Mark didn''t want to consider the worst-case scenario, but the signs couldn''t be ignored. "Master, I do not believe it is necessary to go to such lengths for people you do not know." It took him a few seconds to register what she said. Mark was in shock as he turned to look at the silver-haired maid. He didn''t want to believe he understood her right, but seeing her expression told him she was being quite serious. The only reason he decided to help them was the look she gave him, but that turned out to be a misunderstanding on his part. To think she believed abandoning them was the right call all along. "Are you saying we should leave them here?" The statement caused the two boys to tense up and the terrified look they directed at him added to the guilt he felt. ''Don''t give me that! She''s the one who wants to abandon you!'' "We saved them from that Fallen." The maid replied. "That should be more than enough." "No." Mark shut her down without hesitation. "We are not going to leave them behind. I decided to help them and I''m going to do it until the end. If you want to run away, do it on your own." Though he spoke so confidently, on the inside Mark was begging her not to go. He might''ve ordered her to avoid showing her abilities, but he understood that she was their best chance at surviving the disaster. Fortunately, the silver-haired maid didn''t argue his point and simply sighed.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Master sure is naive." She said under her breath and turned away. Taking a few steps, she turned to face him and the two boys. "If that is what you desire, then that is what we shall do. However¡­" her eyes narrowed, an oppressive darkness lingering in the depths of their ruby irises. "If they slow us down or start crying again, we will leave them behind. The last thing I want is to carry such a burden around." Her cold voice made the tears dry in an instant and the two boys nodded repeatedly. The switch from the kind girl who comforted them earlier to the cruel one who''s ready to toss them aside served to hammer in the severity of their situation. "Okay then..." Checking the map once more, Mark tuned to one of the alleys. "This way." Lara took the lead, running a few meters ahead to make sure the road was safe. Once she gave them the signal, Mark and the two boys followed. They soon exited the alley and entered an open road. The place was completely empty with not a soul in sight. Cars were left behind in the traffic creating an eerie scene. Something had been there and it scared the people so much that they left their cars and ran away. Mark hoped that, whatever it was, it went in a direction opposite to where they were heading. With careful steps, the five made their way to the other side of the road and slipped into yet another alleyway. Thankfully nothing jumped out of the shadows to attack them, but Mark wasn''t about to let his guard down. The sound of a helicopter drew their attention to the sky. Several more followed, and seeing the direction they were flying toward, Mark became convinced that they were getting away from the big mess that was causing all the shootings. They followed the map for a few more blocks, not stopping even when the ground shook following a series of explosions. They passed several people hiding in the corners and behind dumpsters, each clutching their heads as they prayed for whatever gods they worshiped to save them. Some just looked resigned, calmly waiting for what fate holds for them. They were mostly adults who looked old enough to have been alive during the last days of the Great World War. For a while, it felt like they weren''t going to run into anything on their way to the police station, but when they had only a single block to go Lara signaled for them to stop. She peeked from behind the corner for a few seconds then walked back. The news she brought with her wasn''t what they were looking for. "There are two of the same kind." She said. "I will keep them occupied while you cross." Mark wanted to object but ultimately kept his mouth shut. He checked the map again, looking for a detour that would allow them to avoid a confrontation. Still, there was no guarantee that whatever path they chose wouldn''t have more monsters blocking it. "Alright." Mark looked into Lara''s eyes. "Lead them to the other side then break a window and get inside the building. That should buy you enough time to catch up with us." "... Yes," Lara replied with a nod. "Good. Also, keep in mind what I said about using your abilities." Mark said, finding it necessary to remind her. "There are security cameras on the streets, and there is a high likelihood that some people are filming everything from places we can''t see. If it gets out that you can fight those things with your bare hands, they might assume that you''re connected to them somehow. You understand how much trouble that would put us in, right?" Mark was well aware that such a handicap would only place Lara in even more danger, however he had his reasons for doing so. There was no denying that the mysterious girl was connected to him, which meant exposing her powers would surely create a lot of problems for the both of them. Right now she seems to be just a weird girl running around in a strange costume, but if people were to see her killing monsters with her fists then he could expect a visit from the government at any time. All of that depended on them surviving this mess, of course. Once again Lara showed little displeasure in her expression, but Mark got a hunch that her true feelings were entirely different. "Understood. I will do my best to make it seem like I am nothing more than an ordinary girl trying to escape the monsters." "C-cool." Mark replied. "I''m counting on you." Black Stain. "We''re almost there," Mark said to the two boys. "Hang in there just a little more." Lara went out to execute their plan not that long ago and now they were waiting for the right moment to play their part. A few seconds later, the shrill cries of the two lizardmen reached the alley informing them that the maid had done her part. Mark approached the corner with careful steps and took a peek. Once he saw that the two abominations were distracted he motioned for the boys to follow him and began making his way to the other side while using the abandoned cars as a cover. ''Something doesn''t feel right¡­'' A really bad feeling was starting to pull at the back of his mind. There was no rhyme or reason to it, but Mark still felt like he was making a really big mistake. He tried to ignore it even when his mind picked some strange signs scattered around. For one, some of the cars were burned or smashed, but almost all of them had their doors ripped off. There were blood stains all over the place, but no bones or other remains could be found anywhere. Something clearly happened in that street, but no matter how much he tried, Mark couldn''t begin to guess what it was. With the three children in tow, he made his way to the back alley on the other side of the road then continued toward the police station. His mind wandered to Lara for a moment. She was able to kill one of those things in just a few seconds so keeping two of them distracted shouldn''t be much of a problem. It wouldn''t be long before she rejoined them so he tried to not worry about her. As they approached the exit, the bad feeling he had kept getting stronger. By the time he realized what he was missing, it was already too late. There were monsters in the area and a police station close by, but the sound of sirens and gunfire was getting farther from where they were. Faint groans and sobs reached his ears, and weak voices accompanied them, each crying for help despite the pain. He unintentionally filtered all of it out, Believing them to be a natural byproduct of a world that has been invaded by monsters. Once they exited into the main road, Mark finally understood why he got the bad feeling. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Cars weren''t just abandoned on this side; most of them were crushed flat. No sound of gunfire could be heard because all of the policemen who stood their ground were dead. The police station, a large white building with a lot more thought put into its design than those surrounding it, had half of it turned into rubble, the other half encased in orange flames. Black lizardmen roamed around with sluggish steps, licking their jagged teeth to remove the cloth and bone stuck to them. Some of them were moving in a single file, each carrying a person on their shoulder. Those still awake struggled to free themselves, but most remained motionless. Mark didn''t want to see where they were heading. He didn''t need to. It was clear as day what the abominations were doing so he had no reason to confirm it. Unfortunately for him, his body moved before he could make the decision to turn back. To the left, around the intersection on the other side of the block, a strange phenomenon was taking place. The air shimmered, making everything beyond it appear somewhat blurry, as if a hazy veil was spread along the road. At its center, a web of sharp lines spread out from a crooked shape, like a glass window smashed with a single rock. Despite it being early in the morning with the autumn sun shining brightly in the sky, a shadow formed inside the crooked shape. The contrast made the darkness feel much deeper, and though it was faint, Mark could swear he felt a strange something pulsating on its surface, like a very weak wave spreading from the center. The monstrous lizardmen were walking toward the black stain on the invisible veil. Just a couple of meters away from it, a number of people were huddled in a single place, surrounded by several monsters that seemed to be standing guard. Though he wanted to question the reason they were doing that, Mark had already made his guess. ''This is bad¡­'' he thought. ''We need to get out of-'' No sooner had that thought crossed his mind than the strange darkness began to change. The broken lines spread farther and the hole at the center swelled. In only a few seconds, it grew to the size of a four-story building, the shadows held inside it rippling like the surface of a jet-black lake. Something was coming out of it. Something big. The asphalt road cracked under its weight, but a closer look revealed that the whole thing was nothing but a single limb. A second one followed a moment later, and gradually the creature slipped out of the darkness and into the real world, bringing with it unimaginable terror and the certainty of death. Though he was sure he had never seen one of them with his own eyes before, there was no denying the distinct features such creatures shared throughout all of fiction. With a rough gurgling sound, the monstrosity slowly lowered its head, its eyes glowing with the same ominous red as the other abomination. Though it shouldn''t be possible, anyone who saw the thing could swear it smiled at the sight of the gathered humans. As if to show its delight, it raised its head toward the sky and spread the wings on its back, releasing a blood-chilling roar from its massive jaws. A heavy pressure emanated from the black dragon, and following its celebratory cry, the other lizards began hissing and roaring. Having witnessed the scene with his own two eyes, Mark could only hope the nightmare would end right then and there. Unfortunately for him, this was reality, and though he didn''t know it at the time, the disaster was only getting started. Feast. Mark was completely petrified. He felt his bladder loosening but had no will to stop its contents from leaking. The lizardmen raised their heads and released blood-curdling roars. Despite the incomprehensible sounds they made, Mark felt that they were cheering and celebrating. A giant reptilian body. Claws that could carve through buildings. Jaws that could crush several humans at once. A thick and long tail that could flatten anything with a single swing, and wings so large they cast shadows over several city blocks. The black dragon was as majestic as it was terrifying, but that image didn''t start and end with its appearance. The presence it permeated was suffocating, like an invisible force pressing on anything that dared to look its way. It was the sensation of being in the vicinity of a predator one couldn''t hope to beat or escape. As he gazed at it in terrified awe, Mark noticed something that stood out even with its proximity to the majestic creature. From the shape alone it appeared like a crown; a glowing red ornament with sharp points and edges. However, the way it hovered over the black dragon''s head made it seem like a halo. A demonic one that inspired nothing but fear and terror. The dragon folded its massive wings and looked down at the gathered humans. If any of them had been awake before, the pressure emanated by the otherworldly monster was enough to knock them out. But that might''ve been for the better as no one would want to be conscious of what is about to take place. Without delay, the dragon plunged its head into the pile of inert people. Digging its fangs into the ground, it scooped most of them in one go, crushed everything between its mighty jaws then swallowed with an audible gurgle. Mark watched it happen for the second time. After the third, not a single human remained on the ground. The dragon raised its head to the sky once more and released another bone-chilling cry. For some reason, Mark could tell it wasn''t one of celebration but a show of dissatisfaction. It swallowed several dozen humans whole but that did little to satisfy its hunger. The surrounding lizardmen seemed to get the idea and began rushing around looking for more helpless humans. "Master!!!" Mark felt his body being hurled back before his mind registered Lara''s voice. An instant later, he heard the whistling sound of missiles as they cut through the air. The entire area trembled violently following a series of devastating explosions then everything went still for a very long second. Though he felt himself coughing, Mark couldn''t hear any of it through the ringing in his ears. He struggled to open his eyes, and as if to make things worse, his heart seemed to be out of sync, beating at an irregular pace that made him scared for his life.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ''Out¡­ out of here¡­'' As the explosion''s effects gradually faded, he began to regain the ability to think. "We need to get out of here!!!" As soon as he shouted that sentence he felt someone grab his arm and yank him to his feet. Even with his sight having yet to recover, he began running with everything he had. Fortunately, the child he was carrying was still in his arms. She moved ever so slightly granting him some sense of relief, but that didn''t last for long as he remembered his maid and the two boys who had been following him. "Lara!" Mark yelled, noticing that his hearing was back. "The boys!!!?" "They''re with me!" She replied, her voice sounding closer than he had expected. He instinctively turned around to look and saw nothing but a blur, prompting him to rub his eyes furiously in an attempt to get the dust out of them. It took some time but he was finally able to regain proper vision. Lara seemed uninjured. She was carrying the two boys under her arms, but from the looks of it both were unconscious and one of them was bleeding from his head. For some reason, the silver-haired maid was the only one who wasn''t covered in dust. That line of thought was torn out of Mark''s mind as soon as he saw three lizardmen chasing after them, one on the ground while the other two scaled the walls on both sides. A distant boom caught his attention. A moment later several fighter jets flew right over their heads blowing violent winds into the narrow back alley. ''GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!!!!'' Mark cried on the inside. ''WHO WAS THE FUCKING IDIOT WHO SUGGESTED WE GO THIS WAY!!!'' Of course, Mark was aware of the mistake being entirely his. The plan should''ve been flawless, but somehow it led them to the place where it all started. The Whispers had finally stopped and for a while, he got a glimpse of a normal life, but then a maid from his game appeared and now monsters showed up. As if that wasn''t bad enough, they somehow run into a dragon of all things. The nightmare had been going on for far too long, but despite all the pain he felt, there was no sign of him waking up anytime soon. ''New plan¡­'' Mark thought, looking over his shoulder at the monsters chasing after them. ''I need a new plan!!!'' One silver lining, if he could even call it that, was that the lizardmen chasing them were fried by the missiles from earlier. The damage slowed their movements, allowing him and the maid to keep a certain distance between them. Having arrived at the road they crossed earlier, Mark immediately turned in the direction opposite to the one Lara took the first time. His mind was still working at full capacity trying to find a way out, but nothing seemed like it would work. More explosions shook the area followed by another nightmarish roar from the black dragon. The lizardmen still chased after them but were slowed down even further by the cars scattered around. ''That''s it!'' Mark suddenly realized. He didn''t know the state of the road ahead so the whole thing was a gamble, but escaping on foot was impossible to pull off as shown by his rough breath and aching legs. They need a car, one that could take them out of the area faster than the lizards could keep up with. For better or for worse, there were many vehicles scattered around. Most didn''t look in good shape, though, so he had to look farther from the center of the chaos. Fortunately, his search didn''t last for too long. A lot of people were slaughtered by the giant lizards, but many were quick to flee as well. The smart ones abandoned their vehicles in fear of getting stuck in traffic, and the less bright ones opened a path by trying to drive away instead. "The SUV near the corner!" Mark turned to the silver-haired maid and gave his order. "Put them in the back and buy us some time!" Headshot. When making his choice, Mark went straight for the cars at the very back of the street. He spotted an SUV with the doors open and prayed that whoever left it there had also left the keys inside. "The SUV near the corner!" He told the silver-haired maid. "Put them in the back and buy us some time!" "Understood!" Lara caught on to his plan pretty quickly and got to work right away. Being faster, she went ahead and placed the two boys in the back seats. She fastened the seatbelts around them then went back to face the monsters before her master even arrived. Mark was wheezing by the time he reached the vehicle. He glanced at the ignition and couldn''t help but smile when he saw the colorful keychain still hanging under the steering wheel. Another plus was that the car had a baby seat in the back, which was exactly what he needed right now. When he tried to place the toddler in it she refused to let go of him. The kid was petrified, but the situation didn''t allow him the leeway to handle it delicately. He forcefully tore her away from him and strapped her to the baby seat before rushing to the front of the car only to stop when he heard the sound of gunfire nearby. With an entire dragon and its minions on their back Mark no longer cared if anyone found out what his maid was capable of. It was only after he saw her shooting the monsters with an AR-15 did he realized he should''ve told her to not hold back on using her abilities. The maid was running around with a rifle in her hands firing at the monsters and drawing their attention away from them her master and the rest. The bullets seemed to bounce off of the Lizardmen''s scales, but the same couldn''t be said about their wounds so Lara focused her aim on the scorched flesh. ''Don''t think!'' Mark told himself. ''Just get the car going!'' The sound of the engine starting brought so much joy to his heart but that changed the next instant when he heard the black dragon''s roar. Not a second later, a shadow suddenly shot up to the sky. It continued to rise to a certain height, and once its speed died down the gigantic abomination seemed to open up, spreading its majestic wings and turning into the very image of the fantastical creature that spelled disaster wherever it went. [Lara has defeated Malarak''s Spawn (Fallen).] [+15 AP] More lines of text appeared in his field of vision, but Mark didn''t notice them at all. Lara managed to kill one of the lizardmen as she retreated into the car.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. She smashed the window with her bare fist before closing the door then peeked the upper half of her body out of it and continued shooting at the the remaining monsters. The shooting sounds helped Mark snap back to reality and he slammed the gas pedal with everything he got. The wheels made a shrill cry before the entire vehicle moved back, knocking off a nearby light pole as it spun around then took off. Mark didn''t have much experience driving besides when he used to practice with his father''s car. Fortunately for him, no one cared about traffic laws in the apocalypse so everything was an option as long as he didn''t crash. [Lara has defeated Malarak''s Spawn (Fallen).] [+15 AP] A third kill. Mark felt a strange sensation well up in his chest and for a moment he believed they were finally going to get out. His hopes were almost shattered when another abomination came out of nowhere blocking the road ahead of them, but he didn''t come this far just to be stopped by an oversized gecko walking on two legs. "LIKE HELL I''M GONNA LET YOU!!!" Grabbing the steering wheel, he rotated it all this way to the right, and just when the car started turning he rotated it in the opposite direction then hit the brakes, causing the whole vehicle to drift around the beast just as it charged at them. In the short instant they passed beside each other, Lara placed her arms on the roof of the SUV, pointing the rifle at the abomination. She fired a single bullet that went right through one of the monster''s four eyes, and as soon as Mark stepped on the gas again the lizardman went limp and fell to the ground. [Lara has defeated Malarak''s Spawn (Fallen)] [+15 AP] "WOOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!" Mark shouted at the top of his lungs, feeling the adrenalin set his brain on fire. His face was split by a wild grin and his heart seemed like it would burst out of his chest at any moment, but he didn''t care anymore. The terror he felt before was replaced by overwhelming excitement and all it took was a desperate gamble on something he had never done before. They left the remaining lizardmen far behind so Lara quickly slipped back in the car. Though she didn''t show the same excitement as her master, her lips curved into a small smile as she gazed at the rifle in her hands. "That was crazy!!!" Mark yelled, unable to control his excitement. "Were you always this badass!?" Lara seemed confused for a moment but her smile returned right away. "Isn''t that why you hired me?" "Damn right!!!" The maids he had created for his game were all skilled combatants so it was only natural that she could do what she did. That said, there was a world of difference between chibified 2D sprites and a real flesh-and-blood human doing all those crazy things. Mark went on to navigate his way through the messy roads with unbelievable skill. He felt as if he was inside a movie and that only drove him to be more adventurous, taking a shortcut through one of the buildings by driving straight into the glass doors of the shop at the corner and exiting on the other side. More monsters appeared to block their way but they managed to get past them safely. Everything seemed to be going well for a while, but then they saw one of the fighter jets from before hurling into one of the tall buildings. "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" As if to pour cold water on their excitement once more, the distinct cry of the black dragon came from above. The terror returned and the smile disappeared from Mark''s face, an angry frown taking its place right away. He didn''t want to believe it, but for some reason he was sure that monstrosity was chasing after them right now. As if to confirm his suspicion, night seemed to fall out of nowhere. River of flames. The massive abomination cast its shadow on the SUV as if to imply the vehicle was its target. Lara climbed onto the window once more and pointed her rifle to the sky, but she could only grit her teeth knowing the small bullets wouldn''t be enough to harm something of that size. The Black Dragon appeared unscathed despite all the missiles it had taken head-on only minutes ago. The remaining fighter jets caught up with it in no time, but all it took was a flap of its wings and all of them were sent hurling to the ground. Ignoring the annoying metallic birds, it gazed down at the road below it, its eyes gleaming as they followed the only vehicle still moving. "Master!" It felt odd for Lara to raise her voice. "I believe it is after us!" "Well who could''ve guessed!!?" Mark''s sarcastic reply only helped piss him off even more. Just leaning in toward the windshield was enough for him to see the thing chasing them. His game did have dragons and giant monsters, but things of that size shouldn''t appear until the later parts. Instead, this one was thrown at him right from the start. He could only curse the kind of developer who would pull out that kind of sick prank right at the start. "What kind of FromSoft shit is this!?" He cried, rotating the steering wheel as they turned a sharp corner. "As if life itself wasn''t hard enough!!!" "Master! It is about to dive!" The densely packed city made it impossible for the dragon to fly close to the ground. Mark intended to take advantage of that aspect and drove them toward the center where all the skyscrapers were huddled together. His strategy seemed to work for a while; the dragon rose to a higher altitude while trying to avoid the tall buildings. Sadly, that thing was adamant about taking him down so it flapped its wings and shot in their direction then tucked them close to its body and turned itself into a giant missile. Noticing the crimson flames leaking from between its fangs, Mark could already see what was about to happen. "Get down!" He instructed. Lara complied, and the moment she did, the car drifted around another corner. Flames spilled over the street like a tidal wave. The heat reached the SUV first and the surroundings took on a crimson tint. The flames followed right after, swallowed the vehicle whole, and continued to incinerate everything that came in their path. They spread into every corner, shattered gates and doors and flooded every building in the entire area. Nothing should''ve survived in that hellish river of death, but as the flames continued to spread, a single vehicle emerged from their depths. Fire only burns upward so it has a difficult time filling the underground parking lot of the nearby office buildings.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. In his desperation to avoid being cooked alive, Mark made the split-second decision to slip into an underground driveway he glimpsed on his left. The car slammed into the ceiling then the ground but by sheer luck, Mark was able to keep it under control. Without stopping to think, he quickly drove deeper, going from the first underground level to the second then the third. The fourth was the last with no path leading deeper down. Mark slammed the brakes, slowing them down before stopping as far away from the entrance as possible. The heat from the dragon''s flames didn''t chase them that far. Sensing the cool air and realizing they were safe, Mark kicked the door open and ran toward a nearby corner. The contents of his stomach rushed out right after. "Hahaha¡­" once he was done throwing up the breakfast he had a little over an hour ago, Mark was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to laugh. "Hahaha¡­ hahahaha¡­. aaAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!!!!" ''We did it!'' He yelled in his mind, unable to halt the laughter. ''We f*cking did it!!! Holy f*ck we actually did it!!!!'' Lara watched her master''s unhinged display from a distance. Things were quiet except for his demented laughter and for a good minute everything seemed to be peaceful. The underground parking lot appeared like a place where they could rest until someone did something about the dragon. Nevertheless, fate saw it that they weren''t allowed to relax even for a moment. A tremor ran through the lower level of the parking lot alerting them of their hunter''s persistence. An explosion followed a few seconds later and told them more jets had arrived. It was doubtful whether they could do anything about the dragon, but trying was better than leaving it to devour more civilians. "I hope they would not bring the entire building down on our heads," Lara commented, having walked over to where Mark was. "Haha. I don''t think they''re concerned about us." Mark shook his head. "Pray they don''t nuke the entire area." The constant quaking indicated that the battle wasn''t moving away from their location. Mark had no trust in the building holding up until everything was over, and he didn''t want to see if the dragon could cook them alive by spilling its flames into the lot''s entrance. They couldn''t keep hiding in such a place until it was over; they needed to escape somehow, and Mark felt it was his role to find that out. ''The big one is clearly after us. But why?'' One would think that a monster like that has more things to worry about instead of chasing after a bunch of random humans. If it''s food then surely going to where all the panicked crowds were gathered would provide it with a much more fulfilling meal. The same goes for if murder was its goal. ''Well¡­'' though he pretended not to know, Mark already had an idea about the reason. Moving away from the mess he created, he rested his back against the wall and slid down to the floor. He hung his head for a while and sighed. Then, from the corner of his eye, he glanced at the silver-haired maid standing a short distance away. As much as he didn''t want to, it was about time he gave up on the possibility of everything being just a dream, which meant he would need to change his mindset in order to deal with this hellish situation. ''Fortunately, there is no shortage of cliche stories I can use for reference.'' The weak sobbing of a child interrupted his train of thought and he remembered that they had a bunch of kids riding with them the entire time. Mark was sure all three were unconscious through the whole ride, but there was always the chance that he zoned out their voices as he focused on making it out alive. ''Were they injured in the explosion?'' Mark realized that he couldn''t recall. Turning his gaze to Lara, he stopped to think for a moment before giving her some instructions. "Can you handle the kids for now? See if they have injuries that need treatment." "What about you, Master?" To his surprise, the maid replied with a question of her own. "You look pale. Are you sure you are well?" Her expression looked indifferent more than anything. Still, what little concern she showed for him brought a smile to his face. The situation was still disastrous, but despite that, Mark was able to see one good aspect to it. "I''m fine." He said. "We can worry about my mental health later." You Arent Real. "Understood." Mark watched as the maid bowed her head then left to take care of the task he had given to her. ''Damn that was exhausting¡­'' He rubbed his eyes and face, suddenly feeling tired as the thrill of their earlier escape began to fade. ''I really don''t want to do it again¡­'' At the moment, the only thing he wanted to do was lie down and get some sleep. Putting aside the fact that he had slept through the previous day, he still had to find a way out of their predicament before the dragon brought down the entire building on their heads. Sleep could wait until he was safe. ''How the hell am I supposed to do that?¡­'' Once again Mark found himself thinking about how nonsensical the situation was, but he also understood that he had no choice but to play along with its logic if he wanted to survive. "That thing was definitely some kind of gate." He looked up at the ceiling, remembering the black stain floating in the air. "A gate, lizardmen, a dragon¡­" He began going through the signs one after the other and included one of his characters appearing in the real world. Remembering how she referred to him as ''Master'' the entire time, Mark covered his face with both hands as he arrived at the most likely conclusion. ''It''s a web novel¡­'' H wanted to scream at the top of his lungs. ''I''m inside a goddamn web novel!'' The realization hit him like a truck, but sadly it wasn''t enough for him to wake up in the body of a child. He suddenly jolted up then turned in the SUV''s direction. ''Could it be¡­'' His eyes landed on the silver-haired maid and the despair he felt seconds ago vanished into the air. ''Did I just get the harem tag?'' The heroines from Maids VS Apocalypse appeared in his mind one after the other and a grin slowly spread across his face. He recalled all the years he spent in isolation, fearing that people might notice his deteriorating mental state. After suffering for so long life was finally smiling at him, or so he thought until that smile turned into a deep frown following yet another violent quake. The prospect of having a harem was indeed something to be overjoyed about, but being a protagonist was different. After all, protagonists existed for the sole purpose of entertaining the people consuming the fictional work they were a part of. Going through all the hardships and challenges of being a protagonist just to be a meaningless pastime for some consumers wasn''t something he wanted for himself, even if it meant getting the maid harem he always dreamed of. ''Why not a slice-of-life romcom!'' He cried inwardly. ''Why not a mystery romance!!?'' He hoped that the work would at least have the +18 or Smut tags, but thinking it through filled him with disgust. He didn''t want all of his suffering to be nothing more than entertainment, and he certainly didn''t want anyone to read about his love life in detail. Pushing aside the ridiculous thoughts, Mark went back to focusing on the task at hand. He might not want to be the protagonist of a generic fictional work, but for the sake of survival, his only choice was to think of himself as one. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ''Let''s see¡­ with how things went so far, I guess the genre would be urban fantasy¡­'' he raised his head, staring at the ceiling. ''Then there is a portal and¡­ maybe apocalypse¡­'' Recalling something he hadn''t paid much attention to, he paused for some time then opened his mouth and said one word. "Status." A second passed, then another one. A few more followed, and when nothing happened, Mark covered his face once more and screamed internally. He clearly remembers seeing words appear in his field of vision every time the maid killed one of the monsters. That made him confident he had a System, but when he tried and failed to summon it, the cringe hit him like a wrecking ball, so much so that he fell on his side. "Master?" Hearing the emotionless yet charming voice, Mark quickly snapped out of it and pushed himself up. The silver-haired maid had approached him at some point but he didn''t even notice. That only added to the embarrassment eating at him faster than he could recover. "Ah, are you done?" He asked, trying to act normal. "Yes. The children are fine." She replied. "Their injuries were nothing concerning." "Good to hear." As he held her with his gaze, he once again found himself thinking of how unbelievable it was for one of his characters to have come to life. "Master, are you sure you are well?" The maid couldn''t help but ask again. "Yes, yes. I''m fine." Mark replied sarcastically. "Does it look like I''m not?" "Well¡­ it appeared like you were having some mood swings¡­" she said, averting her gaze. "I thought that¡­ maybe the events so far have been¡­ too much¡­" Mark could only stare at her, but then he suddenly burst into laughter, his voice echoing through the empty parking lot. "If I was going to go crazy then it would''ve happened when I saw you the first time." He replied, barely containing himself. "I mean, I even thought I had lost it for a while." The maid didn''t seem too pleased with his reaction, her thin eyebrows twitching into a slight frown. "I have been thinking you were acting strangely since the beginning, but¡­" her eyes narrowed, their light gradually fading. "I do not understand how my appearance led you to that conclusion. Were you not the one who summoned me in the first place?" Mark paused, trying to recall everything that happened before he woke up earlier that morning. The day before yesterday, he left the university early and went back to his apartment. From there he spent the rest of the day working on his game until late afternoon. He went to the convenience store to get something to eat and came back to work some more, but then he got that sudden headache and passed out. When he opened his eyes, she was just there. ''Right¡­ the Whispers got much louder all of a sudden¡­'' Despite having listened to them for years, Mark had no idea what the strange voices were saying. Focusing on the words did little to help him recognize the language, and searching the internet wasn''t of much help when he had nothing to work with. Even after they became loud enough to cause him unbearable pain he still couldn''t register what was being said. It was only natural to assume that his mind wasn''t in perfect health after experiencing all of that, and having one of the fictional characters he created appear in his room was an obvious way to confirm that he had lost it. "You¡­ you do realize you aren''t real, right?" His question caused the maid''s frown to deepen. "Again with such nonsense? Are you sure you are doing well, Master?" Mark shook his head. "That''s not what I meant. The maid called Lara Becker is a fictional character I created. She isn''t a real person. You are not a real person." Mark didn''t believe for a moment that he had the ability to manifest his creations into real life. Such a broken ability was way too much, even for the protagonist of a generic web novel. Not to mention, if he really was capable of something like that then Celestia would''ve been the one standing in front of him now, not Lara. ''Ah, maybe I shouldn''t have told her¡­'' His eyes widened slightly as he suddenly realized. Mark didn''t know if it was right for him to reveal that part. It could result in an existential crisis, and he couldn''t afford to have her distracted right now. The maid''s reaction was different from what he expected. She began examining herself, running her fingers through her silver hair, then grabbing her uniform and raising the skirt a little. "So that is the story behind this form." She spoke with amusement in her voice. "You were surprised by its appearance so I suspected you were not the one who prepared it." "... What?" LRGS ''This form? What¡­ Hold on, does she mean¡­'' Mark felt his throat dry up, causing him to swallow his own saliva. His body went cold, but at the same time he couldn''t stop sweating, and his heart rate kept rising from the fear slowly enveloping him. It was different from the fear he felt while being chased by a dragon. It was the fear of realization. He hadn''t given the maid much thought at first, believing she was a figment of his imagination. By the time he accepted that she was real, the world around him began falling into chaos and forcing him to act and leaving no time to think thing through. "You¡­ what do you mean?" His body trembled as he asked the question. "This form? Are you saying¡­ this isn''t what¡­" Mark didn''t think he would''ve figured it out even if he had the time, not right away, at the very least. He had dismissed the notion that he was the one who brought her to life, but he didn''t stop to think who or what had done so. He didn''t even consider whether the maid really was his ally. With the world becoming crazier by the second, the chances of something disguising itself in this form so it could get close to and harm him weren''t low. He could think of several monsters capable of taking the form of a human, some even manifesting men''s deepest desires for a much stronger effect. He was being chased by a dragon until a few minutes ago so it wouldn''t be strange if something else was after him. "Are you¡­ are you a Succubus?" "... A Succubus?" Light left Lara''s eyes as she repeated Mark''s words. Once again her reaction differed from what he had in mind. She didn''t lose her composure, nor did she take off the calm mask and reveal her true, sadistic personality. Instead, she looked down at him with utter disgust, as if he was the lowest piece of trash to ever have existed in this world. "Master, I do not believe this is the time nor the place to jest." Her words stabbed him in the guts. For some reason, he could tell she wasn''t faking her disgust, nor was she telling lies of any kind. As if to make things worse, her eyes widened a little and she backed away, looking even more disturbed than before. "I-I see¡­ So that is why¡­" She hugged herself and shivered. "To think you had such indecent thoughts all along. If I knew from the start, I would never have accepted the contract¡­" The stabbing continued, but the last few words she said caught Mark''s attention. "Contract? What contract?" The word brought with it some rather ominous connotations. She made it sound as if he was the one who offered it, but Mark had no recollection of making any deals that would lead to the current situation. "Are you¡­ are you a demon?" The stories of people making deals with demons were endless. Someone offering something precious to them so they can obtain what they desire, then realizing they made a big mistake down the line.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Mark''s wish was for the voices in his head to disappear so he could live a normal life. ''Since I got what I wanted -the first part, at least- does that mean I made a deal with the devil?'' The disgust in the maid''s expression turned into anger and her chilling gaze lowered the temperature in the surroundings. "To think you are that ignorant." She sighed in exasperation. "How were you able to perform the summon if you are unaware of my true nature?" Still confused, Mark raised his right hand and sheepishly asked. "And that is¡­" Glaring at him some more, the silver-haired maid looked away then heaved a defeated sigh. "I''m a ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö!!!" Silence. The two were stone still, neither making a move. The tense mood created by their conversation was gone, leaving nothing but confusion behind. "I''m a ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡­" Lara repeated herself before Mark could ask her to. Just like the first time, what came out of her mouth was nothing but incomprehensible sounds that didn''t come close to being words. That wasn''t the weirdest part, however. Mark was watching her the whole time, and when she spoke, he saw a patch of mosaic appear around her mouth, hiding the movement of her lips from his sight. "What the¡­" As if to add to the weirdness, a small blue panel appeared in front of him. Mark was startled at first, but then his eyes went wide as he realized what he was looking at. It was a floating panel. A System screen! Mark''s joy at seeing the notification overwhelmed his mind, causing him to momentarily forget about his current situation. He was looking at the famous floating System screen that appears in quite a lot of comics and web novels. There was no better proof that he does indeed have a System, even if he has yet to figure out how to use it. The desire to learn how to do it made him forget about the embarrassment he experienced earlier. Before he could make another attempt, Lara''s voice dragged him back to the real world. "Master, do you know what this is?" She was pointing in front of her, but nothing was there. Mark was quick to understand what was happening and asked "Is it a blue rectangle?" The maid nodded. Mark returned his sight to his own screen and quickly read the message. [You do not meet the requirements to access this information.] For a moment he didn''t understand what it meant, but then he remembered. "Lara, can you repeat what you said just now?" The maid understood his intention and repeated herself. "I''m a ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡­" Same as before, her voice turned into incomprehensible noise mid-sentence, and moments after the System notification bounced as if to draw his attention to it. Mark kept his silence for a while then shifted his gaze to the silver-haired maid. "What does it say?" Lara stared at the space in front of her for a couple of seconds. "You are¡­ unauthorized to reveal this information?" Mark shared her confusion, but he had a different reason for it. The message was different for each of them. Since what Lara said was the trigger that caused the notification to appear, Mark guessed that the information it mentioned was the word he couldn''t hear. For him, he apparently didn''t meet some conditions to be allowed to learn that information. As for Lara, she was told she wasn''t allowed to reveal the information, which would mean she already knew and was being forcefully restricted from divulging it. ''What¡­ what is going on here?'' A violent quake halted his train of thought. Another one followed right after, and the small cracks in the ceiling began to show themselves. It was a reminder that they didn''t have the leeway for a long discussion and that survival should be their top priority right now. "Let''s leave that aside for the time being." Though he said it himself, Mark couldn''t help but throw in a last question. "The contract you mentioned, it doesn''t harm me in any way, right?" The maid opened her mouth to answer, but a new notification appeared in front of him. [LRGS''s purpose is to ensure the survival of Subject Mark White. Functions created through LRGS do not directly cause harm to the Subject.] "Master, I fail to understand your question." Lara knit her brows in confusion. "The terms of the contract are decided by you alone. The only choice I have is whether I accept them or not." Mark didn''t register much of what he heard. He read through the new notification once, then he did so a second time. Even then, he still failed to understand what it was trying to say. "LRGS?" As if responding to his confused murmur, another window appeared. This one contained more information, but even though it explained what the acronym means, it left him with more questions than answers. [Lower Realm Guidance System.] Countdown. "Lower Realm¡­ Guidance System?" The last word was one more proof that he was in possession of a System, but the three that came before it confused him to no end. Mark had read his fair share of cultivation novels so his mind went straight to the progression stages those works were known for, but the words "Lower Realm" were far too broad. Do they refer to everything below the final realm? Or is it just the one at the very bottom? "Do you know anything about this?" Mark asked the maid. "My apologies. This is my first time hearing such a term." She replied evenly. As far as he knew, the only supernatural thing about his world, at least before the dragon appeared, were the genetically modified beasts used in the Great World War twenty years ago. That led Mark to conclude that their world was at the lowest stage of whatever hierarchy they were a part of, which would in turn explain the Guidance part. ''A system that helps me navigate this stage?'' Just as that thought crossed his mind, another screen appeared. [The Lower Realm Guidance System is a Psychic Program created to protect individuals from Madness as well as provide the necessary tools to survive.] [Subject Mark White has yet to complete the Tutorial.] [Would you like to start the Tutorial? >YES NO ] Once again, Mark found himself with even more questions than before. He wanted to choose the YES option, but he didn''t know how. ''I would''ve had to press A if this was my game¡­'' As soon as that thought crossed his mind, the notification blinked and then disappeared. A new one took its place the next second. [Due to Subject Mark White''s very high Psychic potential, LRGS has been upgraded to Level 5] [Level 5 LRGS generates a Custom Interface that is most compatible with the Subject.] [The LRGS belonging to Subject Mark White has been recalibrated to perform functions based on the electronic game "Maids VS Apocalypse"] [To access Player Menu press Start.] Another set of clear yet confusing lines. Mark already guessed that his System would have something to do with his game, but seeing its title in the notification still took him by surprise. What confused him even more were the instructions at the very end. ''How am I supposed to press-'' His thoughts were accompanied by a vague memory of him pressing the Start button on a controller. Just when he began to think that he might need to carry a controller with him the entire time, the screen in front of him disappeared and a command list took its place. Mark recognized it immediately. And why wouldn''t he? It was the interface from his game, the same one he spent weeks trying to perfect.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. A line appeared at the top of his vision. In the right corner was a digital clock showing it was 09:57. On the other side were two letters, HP, and the numbers 86/100. beside it were the letters MP and the numbers 42/100. Below the line was a menu listing several entries. Starting from the top: Status, Maids, Base, Journal, Inventory, Workshop, and lastly Store. Mark immediately noticed the absence of the Save and Load options. As soon as he did, a new notification appeared in front of him. [Subject Mark White has been denied access to Rune ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö. The "Save" Function cannot be fulfilled. Subject Mark White has been denied access to Rune ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö. The "Load" Function cannot be fulfilled.] ''Runes? What Runes?'' Mark furrowed his brows. ''and why am I being denied access?'' Unfortunately, this time the answer didn''t appear right away. Mark still got the gist of it from those two lines. ''Is this whole thing is made with magic?'' The Runes were essential for the functions to work, that much he understood right away. He guessed that the redacted part, just like Lara''s true nature, was a piece of information he was restricted from learning. Since it involves the Save and Load functions, he wondered if these Runes he couldn''t access had something to do with time manipulation. The ability to save and load would''ve been truly broken. A cheat like that would''ve guaranteed his survival, then again, there was no shortage of stories where the protagonist suffers endlessly because of time loops or a reset ability. Mark really didn''t want to go through that experience. ''If that wasn''t my cheat abili-'' Another tremor shook the underground parking lot, this one much more violent than the ones that preceded it. Once again, Mark felt that he was pulled back to the real world and reminded of the urgency of their situation. There was a massive black dragon outside trying to bring the entire office building down on their heads, and unless they did something about it, only death awaited them. As if to make things worse, a new notification popped up with the words "New Quest Received!" displayed in bold letters. It disappeared the next moment as if to say he should check the quest log on his own. Frowning, Mark imagined himself holding a controller and pressing its buttons. To his surprise, the System interface seemed to react to that. ''I guess I''m technically controlling it with my thoughts, but¡­'' He pressed the down button until the Journal entry was selected after which he pressed A to enter. The Player Menu slid aside and vanished. Replacing it was a different menu, this one having only two entries: Map and Quests. Mark selected the second one and entered. On the screen that appeared next, only one line appeared at the top. ''Malarak of¡­ the dark mountain?'' Though the title gave him a really bad feeling, Mark still pressed the A button. [ Quest: Malakar of the Dark Mountain. Difficulty: S As the Complete Dimensional Collapse approaches, a rift in space tore through the city connecting your world to another. Hungry for the souls of your people, a mad Demon crawled out of his cave and crossed the rift, bringing with him only destruction and death. Due to your powerful Soul, Malakar of the Dark Mountain has set his sights on you, wishing to make you his next meal. Surviving might be difficult, but it is far from impossible. Ensure that your story doesn''t end in the mad Demon''s guts. Clear Condition: Escape Malakar''s pursuit. Clear Reward: 20000 AP. Failure Penalty: Death. ] Mark''s first thought was that he doesn''t remember adding such a quest to his game, but the same could be said about the lizardmen they encountered and the black dragon trying to kill them. ''Malarak¡­ is that the dragon''s name?'' He remembered how each time Lara killed one of the lizardmen, the message that appeared would call them Malarak''s spawn. It was clear from the start that they were connected, but to think they were his offspring all along. ''This is¡­'' Mark noticed that the quest text was different as well. For one, the quest type was missing, replaced by "Difficulty". The quests in Maids VS Apocalypse were divided into two types; main quests, which advance the story when completed, and side quests, which don''t have much impact on the story and are a way to farm resources more efficiently. Mark didn''t know much about the new rating metric of the quest, but he could tell that an S for difficulty couldn''t possibly mean it was an easy one. The quest reward was strange as well. Normally, completing quests would grant Gold or Items, but instead, it listed 20000 AP, whatever that was. The System didn''t see fit to explain that part for him, too, but it was the least of his worries, and so was the failure penalty. What concerned Mark the most was the first line of the quest description. "As the Complete Dimensional Collapse approaches". That part was ominous to say the least, and as if to hammer in that point, another notification popped up in front of him. [Time left until Complete Dimensional Collapse: 14:14:56:24] It was a countdown. Starter Pack. ''Two weeks¡­'' In two weeks, something was going to happen, and if the words "Complete Dimensional Collapse" could mean something, Mark was sure it wasn''t anything good. As he watched the number of seconds decrease, a sudden thought appeared in his mind. ''It''s the end of the world¡­'' Mark was strangely confident in that guess. ''The world will end in fourteen days¡­'' A lot of people spoke of how the world almost ended twenty years ago during the Great World War, and how it''s a miracle that they were still around. Mark wasn''t even born back then, but having seen some of the numerous documentaries depicting the war, he understood that those old soldiers weren''t exaggerating. As he stared at the small screen in front of him, Mark came to a realization. The miracle didn''t prevent their world from ending; all it did was delay it for a couple of decades. ''... why?'' he started pulling on his dark brown hair. ''Why is this happening to me!? What do you mean powerful Soul!? Since when did I have something like that!!?'' Life has always been difficult for him, being forced to pretend everything was fine while hearing strange voices in his head. The voices disappeared and he was finally granted a moment of reprieve, but he couldn''t even savor it for a day before a damned dragon came looking for him. ''What am I even supposed to do!?'' He scratched his head furiously. ''That''s a goddamn late-game boss monster if I ever saw one!'' Mark didn''t even dare look at his stats, fearing what he would see. The tutorial seemed to end by itself following his thought, but as he stared at the Player Menu, nothing came to mind. He struggled even to think. ''The store!'' he yelled inwardly when the last item on the list caught his attention. ''It should have something to deal with that thing!'' Maids VS Apocalypse takes place in a futuristic setting with fantasy elements. In addition to the usual magic spells, Mark created a wide assortment of weapons for the player to use, ranging from simple swords to massive laser turrets. Heavy weaponry was available as well for the base-building side of the game. The store was guaranteed to have something that could take down the dragon, but as he looked through the listed items, Mark noticed two things. The first one was that the prices were different from what he remembered. The second one was ''I don''t have any Gold¡­'' Gold was the main currency in Maids VS Apocalypse. Seeing that the counter at the top-right corner of the screen had a measly 300G in it, Mark realized that he was indeed near the start of the game, meaning there wasn''t much he could buy from the store. To get Gold he would have to finish quests or sell item drops, but his current situation didn''t give him the leisure to grind. As he went through his options, gritting his teeth whenever a number higher than 300 showed up, he noticed that one of them was grayed out.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ''That''s right! The starter pack!'' At the start of the game, the protagonist who has no resources or influence to begin with is forced to move to his new home with a meager budget that didn''t allow him to do much of anything, and a few items offered to him by a friend. Those items are the Starter Pack the player can get from the store, and since it''s grayed out, it means the items were claimed and sent to the inventory. Pressing the B button on his imaginary controller, Mark closed the store window then navigated to the inventory. Four items were listed there: - SLP 9mm: a handheld laser pistol that shoots 9mm energy bullets. - First Aid Kit: a health item that serves the same purpose as a potion. - CFBW type 02: a carbon fiber long sword. - CFBW type 05: a carbon fiber spear. Seeing the first item on the list, Mark remembered something that had escaped his notice for a while now. He looked up at the silver-haired maid and saw that she still had a rifle strapped on her shoulder. It was a basic AR-15, but seeing it in the hands of the elegant-looking maid was still a rather bizarre sight. "Lara¡­ where did you get that?" Blinking a few times, the maid looked down at the rifle. "This?" She held the AR-15 up. "I picked it while trying to distract the monsters from before. There were quite a few lying around on the ground." Mark had already forgotten about their previous goal of reaching the police station. Though the fighting had been over by the time they arrived, the monsters and corpses made it clear that a battle had taken place in the area. With the policemen either dead or captured, their weapons were just lying there waiting to be picked up by someone. ''Good. We can make better use of it than some dead cops¡­'' Unfortunately, a rifle wouldn''t be of much use against a dragon that could tank missiles. Even the SLP 9mm most likely wouldn''t do much damage to the monstrosity chasing them; it was just a simple pistol to use against early-game mobs. ''Maybe if I used that shortcut and¡­'' As he went through his options, Mark once again remembered something important. ''Wait¡­ How did Lara defeat the first Lizardman?'' ~[ ]~ As the sun gradually approached its zenith, another bone-chilling roar shook the entirety of Stonegate City. Besides the monsters roaming the streets in search of fresh meat, not a single sane person could be found. The city, like many that thrived after the Great World War, was built with the idea of conflict in mind. Many evacuation routes have been built into its infrastructure and one just had to look into their phones to find somewhere to take shelter in. Most people £­those still alive, at least£­ had locked themselves up in one of the many underground bomb shelters scattered around the city. Those who failed to reach a shelter were forced to hide inside the buildings on the surface and hope that they wouldn''t get blown up in whatever conflict was taking place. That only left the folk insane enough to wander outside in such chaos, but even among those no one was insane enough to move in the open. Then again, stealth was pointless when you have a dragon tracking your location through your soul. "Are you ready?" Starting the engine, Mark turned to the maid sitting beside him in the passenger seat. The silver-haired maid held up the rifle in her hands and nodded. She didn''t need to say anything as her expression said it all. The kids in the back passed out after too much crying, which was probably for the best. Mark considered leaving them in the parking lot while he drew the dragon away from the area, but no one could tell whether that really was the safest option. He also didn''t know if he would be able to return at all. Since he took it upon himself to save them back then, Mark decided it was his duty to keep them safe until they were out of this mess. His stomach was empty and his heart was pounding faster than normal. His clothes reeked of piss and he had small cuts all over his body. The situation was insane. A dragon, and a named one at that, had its sights on him. It was a boss fight he had no choice but to try and escape. Even with the plan he came up with, Mark was far from assured of their survival, but compared to a few minutes ago he no longer felt resigned. ''A survival quest with no time limit?'' He thought to himself, Fastening his grip on the steering wheel. A maniacal grin slowly spread on his face and his eyes shone with a mad glint. ''Bring it on, scally bastard!'' Last Resort. Mark stumped on the gas pedal and the engine roared, followed by the squealing of the wheels before the vehicle suddenly surged forward, thrusting the passengers into their seats. In just a few seconds they reached the first floor of the underground parking lot. The entrance was in front of them and the blinding light coming from it masked the outside scenery. Mark had already steeled his heart so he headed straight for it without stopping. The real challenge would start the moment they''re outside and he couldn''t waste a single moment. ''This is it!'' The darkness was dispelled and the light blinded them for a moment. Mark kept his calm and spun the steering wheel to the left. He only planned to make a turn but the SUV continued to drift. Only when he saw the road did Mark realize that he made a miscalculation. While chasing them the black dragon flooded the street with his flames. Mark was just relieved to have escaped them so he never stopped to consider their effects on everything else. More than an hour later, the flames still burned in the street. The asphalt had melted, creating a layer of viscous matter that caused the car to slip. Mark felt a greater sense of urgency and quickly stabilized the vehicle without slowing down, using a trick taught to him by the maid £­or brought to his attention by her, to be more accurate£­ to ensure the vehicle didn''t become useless. Mark didn''t stop to check whether the dragon had noticed them coming out and put all his focus into getting them out of the burning street as fast as possible. Pebbles shot around as the car wheels dug into the ground and took off in the direction opposite to the one they first came from. Mark already had their potential escape routes memorized so he went straight for the closest, hoping it wouldn''t turn out to be blocked. "GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Another spine-chilling roar shook the entire city. In the wing mirror, Mark saw the massive monstrosity perched on one of the nearby skyscrapers. Its head was turned in their direction, its eyes burning with unfulfilled desire. At that moment, a missile struck it from behind. A cloud of flame spread followed by a wave of smoke. Not a second later, the dragon''s massive body fell down along with a mountain of debris. Mark didn''t dare to celebrate yet; Malarak, the black dragon, was struck with a salvo of missiles before and brushed it off like it was nothing. A single missile would never be enough to take him down. As if to confirm his suspicion, the black dragon spread his wings and switched into a gliding position before flapping once and launching into a suicidal dive. Malarak transformed into a single massive projectile that was on a direct collision course with the SUV and it didn''t seem like he intended on slowing down this time. Lara peeked her upper body out of the car window and began shooting her AR-15. Every bullet just bounced off the diving dragon, doing no damage whatsoever. Mark swallowed his fears and hit the brakes while spinning the steering wheel to the right. He made a sharp turn at the right moment, leaving the dragon little time to adjust his trajectory, and the result was a direct collision with one of the buildings. The impact shattered the nearby buildings, making it rain rubble for a few seconds. The SUV was hit with a few fragments and each time Mark felt his mind grow weaker with exhaustion.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "Master," Lara got back inside and gave Mark a determined look. "I believe it is time for me to go." He remained silent for a few seconds then shook his head. "That will be our last resort." Mark went through the route he chose beforehand and prepared to turn right at the next intersection, but when he looked ahead he was met with a problem. The street was blocked. ''Huh?'' Cars were piled on each side of the road, blocking the left and right turns. That only left the path ahead which wasn''t in Mark''s initial plan. ''Hold on¡­'' Panic hit his already exhausted mind. ''No way this is natural¡­'' Looking again, he noticed that the street was empty as far as he could see, which didn''t make sense in a crowded city experiencing an apocalypse. The only explanation was that someone had cleared the road, which wouldn''t be too strange, but the same couldn''t be said about blocking the intersections. ''Don''t tell me¡­'' Another roar told him that Malarak was already up. Instead of flapping his wings to lift into the air, the black dragon shook the rubble off his body then looked around before rushing to a nearby building. He scaled the first one then jumped to the next then another one, going to a taller building each time. After climbing the tallest building in the area, which reached above the hundred and fifty-meter mark, Malarak turned his sight in the SUV''s direction, sending chills down Mark''s spine. "Master!" Lara turned to him with a distressed look. "I know!" Luck helped them avoid the last dive, but it was unlikely that the same would happen again. They passed several roadblocks already and with each one Mark became more convinced that they were being forced to go in a certain direction, one that would lead them away from the center of the city. The farther they go down that route the shorter the buildings would get, depriving them of the cover they relied on so far. The dragon no longer needed to make another risky dive now; all he had to do was get close enough to spill his flames and they would be fried along with a few of the surrounding blocks. Mark wasn''t confident that he could protect them this time around ''Don''t tell me¡­'' Just then, he seemed to realize something. ''Is it meant to keep us away?'' Malarak leaped off the tall building and spread his wings. He was approaching their position fast, but not as fast as his last dive. The closer he got, the more visible the crimson flames leaking from the corners of his mouth became. Before long, he was flying only a few meters behind them. He didn''t release his flames right away and instead waited for them to take the next turn. Lara tried shooting at the dragon but didn''t get any results. A few clicks announced that her ammo ran out, and with a frustrated look, she tossed the AR-15 inside. "Lara! Wai-" The maid ignored his call. She grabbed the window frame and pulled herself out. In an impressive show of gymnastic skill, she landed on the car roof and lowered her posture to avoid being knocked down by the wind. She looked up at the dragon, her eyes narrowed to a sharp glare, then raised her right arm and opened her palm. An instant later, a long pole materialized and fell right into her hand. It wasn''t a simple rod that she summoned but rather a long spear carved out of a single material. Its design was rather simple and its gray color gave it a dull look, however the sharp head seemed to be coated in a strange blue glow signaling that there was more to it than its appearance might suggest. "Hold it, Lara!" Mark shouted. "We still don''t know if it''ll work! I told you it''s only a last gamble!" "This might be our only chance!" Lara shot back. Glaring at the dragon, she spun the spear around and held it in a reverse grip. "We have to do it now!" Despite the car making another sharp turn, Lara still kept her balance and remained on the roof. Mark clenched his jaw, having noticed that every turn ahead of them was blocked. That left them with a long straight road and no escape from the torrent of flames the dragon was about to unleash on them. The black dragon let out a guttural growl then opened his massive maw. Orange flames surged forward about to incinerate everything in its way. Lara stared straight at the flames without a hint of fear in her ruby eyes, and as she did, a bluish glow spread over her body, covering everything including the long skirt of her maid uniform. She raised the spear over her shoulder and prepared for a throw, but just as she put some force into her arm, something collided with the dragon forcing it to halt it in the air. Several explosions sent tremors throughout the surrounding area. Mark was stunned, almost losing sight of the road. He gazed at the roofs of the buildings flanking the road and was shocked by what he saw. Multiple turrets sprung out of the buildings, each one training its aim on the flying monster and firing a single round followed by a devastating boom. It was a scene straight out of a movie, but being so close to it was far from an enjoyable experience. Doing his best to withstand the constant rumbling, Mark returned his sight to the road and drove off. Bait. Mark recognized the turrets almost immediately. They were third-generation Gauss cannons, the same kind used through the late stages of the Great World War. He did a bit of research on them while creating his game, and because of that, he knew very well how destructive those things could get. The shockwaves from each blow caused the SUV to sway and threatened to throw Lara off of the car. As the continuous bombardment left her with no opening to use her weapon, she quickly dismissed it and jumped back inside. For a moment they had hope that those cannons would be enough to take Malarak down. Mark didn''t even stop to consider what brought weapons of war to a civilian area; he was only thankful that they took the dragon off his back. Unfortunately, it didn''t seem like things were going to be that easy. The continuous bombardments pushed the black dragon back, but that''s all it did. In the gaps between each salvo, Malarak was regaining his composure, and when it became clear that he wouldn''t be able to pass he shifted his attention to the turrets and began targeting them with his crimson flames. "Damn it!" Mark was hoping to get a few more seconds, but it turned even such weapons weren''t enough to harm the black dragon. Reaching the end of the long straight road, Mark hit the brakes and drifted around the corner. What met him on the other side was the bizarre sight of tanks lining up on either side of the street. 9th gen MRGTs, or Miniature Rail-Gun Tanks. They were another type of heavy weaponry used in the Great World War, and their destructive power far exceeded that of the Gauss turrets. With the dragon held back he got a moment to ponder over the existence of all those heavy weaponry. Mark didn''t expect such a swift response from the army. Deploying fighter jets was one thing, but getting tanks and turrets inside should have taken more time. Cities such as Stonegate were designated as a civilian settlement and thus military equipment wasn''t allowed anywhere near them. Of course that depended on the government following international laws and regulations, and as history has shown, Americans never really cared about following those rules. ''Hold up¡­'' Mark seemed to realize something at that moment. Earlier, he had suspected that the roadblocks were there to keep him away from the closest underground bomb shelter, which had been his destination so far.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. He believed it to be the logical choice, even if it angered him, but only when he saw the tanks did he realize he was missing something all along. To make the decision to keep him away, those in charge would have to have known about him being the dragon''s target and were trying to ensure he would lead the flying disaster away from civilian dense areas and into an area prepared for combat. ''Am I¡­ am I a bait!!?'' Nothing happened as they passed through the empty road between the MRGTs, but soon after he glanced at his wing mirror and noticed a motorcycle drive out of a building''s shadow. Mark knew right away that whoever was riding that motorcycle, they were definitely with those pulling the ropes behind the scenes. Again, though he saw the logic in their actions, Mark was still pissed about them using him to lure the dragon. He had spent almost two hours stressing over how he would escape, and instead of helping him, they blocked the roads and prolonged the chase. Because of that, Mark''s thoughts moved to wondering how he should knock the motorcyclist off the road. Lara was quick to catch on to his intentions and looked at their second pursuer. "Would you like me to dispose of them, Master?" Mark was about to respond with a yes but quickly held back. "Let''s not be haste." Mark didn''t want to deal with the big suits any time soon, but with someone called Malarak of the Dark Mountain after him, he understood he might not have a choice. The motorcycle gradually caught up with the SUV, carefully approached the driver''s side then knocked on the window. Mark was hesitant at first but then lowered the glass. The rider extended his arm into the car, his fist closed as if he were trying to give him something. After another moment of hesitation, Mark held up his hand and the rider dropped the item on it then pulled away. ''An earpiece?'' Understanding the intention, Mark put it on right away, and as soon as he did a clear voice came through. [Mr. White, we''re short on time so the explanation would have to wait.] The voice made it clear that the speaker was a guy. [Please follow me. We have made preparations to take that thing down.] Mark remained silent for a while, not taking his eyes off the road. "Are you sure you can do it?" He said. "None of your weapons seem to have worked from what I saw." Loud bangs came from behind followed by the dragon''s devastating roar. It showed that Malarak was done dealing with the Gauss turrets and was now facing off against the tanks. For some reason, even though the MRGTs are supposed to be much stronger than the Gauss cannons, Mark felt that they wouldn''t be able to hold the black dragon back for as long. [You are right. Normal weapons can''t deal with a Fallen of that Rank. That''s why we need you to come with us.] Mark''s eyes widened a little. His surprise didn''t come from the rider admitting that the war-era weapons were useless against the dragon, but the fact that they seemed to know what he was. That erased any doubt that he had about someone setting him up as bait. [Mr. White?] Mark took a few more seconds to consider the situation, and once he did, he finally decided on his answer. "I refuse. " As soon as he said those words, the maid beside him raised her rifle and pointed it at the rider. Squeezing the trigger, she fired a few shots. A second later they heard a high-pitched squeak then a loud crash. Change Of Plans. Stonegate wasn''t the only major city struck by the disaster. All over the world, tears in space opened passages to hell, allowing countless monstrosities to spill out. Armies moved to neutralize the threats. Weapons that have been sealed after the Great World War were unleashed, and people who only worked in the shadows stepped out into the light. A single fighter jet emerged from the smoke rising from Hope''s End. Nothing in particular looked strange about it, except for the person standing upright at its nose, unbothered by the strong wind blasting their face. She was a woman, or is supposed to be. One would find it difficult to see anything feminine about that wall of muscle, and the armor she donned added to the confusion. On her back, a massive weapon rested. It was neither a rifle nor a canon but a lustrous black axe that appeared to be carved out of obsidian. [Are you sure about this, General?] The pilot''s voice came in through the earpiece she wore. [That was a tough battle just now. Don''t you think a little rest is warranted?] "A Lord candidate is this close and you expect me to sit still?" Contrary to the pilot''s concerned tone, she spoke in quite the joyous one. "No way I''m letting such prey go t-" Her words were cut by the appearance of a floating screen, and as soon as she read the contents, her smile stretched all the way to her ears. "Hurry up, Lancer 01!" She crouched down and coated her body in a yellowish glow. "Things just got a whole lot better!" ~[ ]~ As a nineteen-year-old young adult, Mark had long since learned that he shouldn''t trust the government. Whether it''s the military or politicians, they were all liars who would stop at nothing to further their agenda. The help they offered always came with strings attached, and knowing what would happen if they were to learn about his maid and System, Mark had no intention of sitting at the same table as them. "Lara, change of plans." Once the crashed motorcycle disappeared from the rearview mirror, Mark tossed the earpiece out and spoke to his Maid. "We need time to reach the tunnels. Prepare yourself." No sooner had he said that than a roar came from behind them. Malarack was back on the chase. Lara glanced at the side mirror and saw a black dot rapidly approaching. She kept her silence only for a moment before answering with a single "understood." She repeated her previous trick and got on the roof of the car. This time, however, she didn''t summon the spear right away. They were fast approaching a fork in the road.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Before the car made the turn, Lara leaped off of it and gracefully landed on a nearby street light. The height she reached with that jump was astounding but was nothing compared to what she did next. As if it was nothing strange, she made another jump toward a nearby building and smashed right through a window on the third floor. ~[ ]~ After getting rid of the annoying distraction, Malarak finally went back to hunting for his meal. His growing impatience caused him to remain close to the ground not caring for the buildings that grew in length along the way. His only concern was the Awakened with powerful Soul running away from him. Malarak saw his target turn a corner in the distance. Adjusting his sight a little, he peered through the concrete construct and saw that the vehicle took another turn before slowing down and coming to a stop. With a guttural gurgle, the dragon sneered at his prey and its pathetic struggle. He had allowed it a head start and many openings, but until the very end, it still failed to entertain him. His desire for a good hunt was destined to go unfulfilled, but Malarak didn''t despair. A powerful Soul awaited him, and once he was done devouring it, his might would rise to new heights allowing him to challenge one of the Seven Lords. Malarak gathered his wings and made a quick landing, scrapping the road with his massive claws. His prey seemed to have given up on escaping and was awaiting its fate at the same place it had stopped. The ground rumbled as the giant black dragon marched across the streets. His limbs crushed anything they landed on and his tail swung wildly smashing buildings left and right. He took the first turn and leisurely approached the second. The vehicle soon came into sight and so did the Awakened with the powerful Soul. Looking down at the puny human, Malarak sneered again. It was then that he noticed the human making a strange pose, pulling his right arm back while raising his left foot. It looked as if he was about to throw something, but no matter what it was, Malarak was sure he could take it. The object was so small, after all. It couldn''t possibly cause damage to someone as powerful as himself. The object, a silver cylinder barely larger than a human hand, didn''t even reach the dragon. But that was never its purpose. It rose up in the air, enough to get to the dragon''s eye level, and just when it did something suddenly burst out of it. A surge of pure light exploded from the small object and swallowed Malarak''s head along with the surrounding buildings. "GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" For a being of darkness such as himself, the sudden flash was like a curse that robbed him of his sight. Anger replaced his hunger in an instant and in the next it turned into mindless rage. The desire for destruction overwhelmed him and his mind turned to that of a beast once again. Were there enemies waiting to ambush him? Or did the Awakened with the powerful Soul just use the bright light as a distraction so he could buy more time for his escape? If he hadn''t failed to maintain his calm, Malarak would''ve been able to find his answer. Nevertheless, the suddenness of the attack allowed the Madness to take over and the corruption to shatter his reason, filling him with boundless desire for death and destruction. As he struggled against the decline of his sanity, the dragon failed to hear the footsteps approaching him. A young girl donning a maid''s uniform was running along the rooftop right beside his head, and the moment she reached the edge, she leaped into the air without hesitation. The height she reached showed that she wasn''t a normal human, and so did the bluish glow coating her entire form along with the spear she raised over her head. Force Field. "Say, Lara¡­ How did you defeat that lizardman? The first one, I mean?" When she heard the question, Lara was bewildered, to say the least. Her master, the person who supposedly wrote into their contract that she must refer to him as such, had a serious look as he awaited her answer making her believe he really did not know. "Please pardon me¡­" Holding a hand to her forehead, she thought for a moment then asked. ''Does he¡­ does he think I have some other ability?'' She thought. ''That must be it. He did not see how defeated that Fallen so it is only natural to assume¡­'' "I only used my Force Field, Master." She said, expecting him to show an expression of realization. "A force field?" When he tilted his head and furrowed his brows in confusion, fear welled up in the maid''s heart. The contract she signed was impeccable so she expected her summoner to be an experienced Awakened, but soon after she arrived in her new body she found him collapsed on the floor with none of the dignity one would expect from someone capable of reaching such heights. She had to care for him as he slept through an entire day, and when he finally woke up, he was surprised to see her there. Even after all of that she still held on to the hope that her worries might be for nothing. That turned out to be wishful thinking on her part when the young man started pretending she wasn''t there as he went on with his life. By the time he finally recognized her existence, Lara had gathered that the world she was summoned into was far from what she had expected. There were far too many Dormants around and beside her master, she only ever sensed one other Awakened so far. That could only mean one thing. ''So it is a Lower Realm after all.'' She finally admitted to herself, no longer able to look away from the truth. ''I was summoned into a Lower Realm, and one that has yet to go through its First Ascension at that...'' Heaving a long sigh, she put effort into her composure and tried to look at it from a different angle. ''But¡­ even if that was the case, he could not possibly be¡­'' Her supposed master didn''t even know what she was nor did he know about Force Fields. His words and actions so far pointed at him being a recent Awakened from a Lower Realm, but that didn''t explain his powerful Soul or her summon. ''Memory loss?'' She speculated. ''That might be the case¡­'' "You do not know about Force Fields?" She asked, wanting to ascertain her conclusion. The youth shook his head. "No." "But¡­ did you not use yours on the way here?" Her question caused him to look even more confused.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "I¡­ I did?" "The vehicle." She said, glancing behind her. "It was coated in your Force Field the entire time. How else would we have escaped the winged Fallen''s flames?" His reckless consumption of Mental Power was quite concerning, however she guessed that someone capable of summoning her would have the focus needed to keep them safe. "I¡­ don''t really know what you''re talking about." Saying that, her master frowned then held his chin and murmured to himself. "A Force Field? Is that some skill or spell? Now that I look at it, my MP is less than fifty¡­" Seeing him in that state only increased Lara''s worries. Wanting to confirm how far gone he was, she probed him with another question. "What about Runes?" He blinked at her a couple of times. His eyes swam around for a few seconds before he returned his sights to her and spoke. "Do they have something to do with the System?" Lara blinked. "System?" "The Lower Realm Guidance System." The youth replied, looking as confused. "I got a message saying I can''t do some things because I don''t have access to some runes." He went back to staring at empty space before looking up with a start. "Wait, you don''t know about the System?" Apparently, he expected her to be aware of whatever that was, but turns out she was as clueless as him. The term itself seemed to describe the purpose of said system, however this was her first time hearing about it. "Oh man¡­ And here I was hoping you would tell me more about it. This thing doesn''t seem to have an AI¡­" At that point, she could wait no longer. The question had to be asked before they could proceed any further. "Please wait, Master." She raised her hand, prompting him to silently listen. "You seem to be ignorant on the topic of Runes. May I inquire about the method you used in the summon?" There was no denying he was her summoner; the contract linked their Souls so she couldn''t possibly mistake him for someone else. If he was unaware of the process of performing the summon then the only explanation would be that his memories had somehow been erased right after their contract was signed. She was already prepared for his answer so nothing he said should''ve surprised her, but when the youth spoke his words seemed to shock her nonetheless. "I didn''t." He answered nonchalantly. "It''s a function of the System, apparently." At this point, Lara could only wonder what she had gotten herself into. The underground building they hid in trembled violently and she was once again reminded of the powerful Fallen targeting them. That thing was a clear indication that this world was Ascending not through normal means but by the forceful invasion of a Fallen World, which signaled an eminent Complete Dimensional Collapse. ''What have I gotten myself into?'' She thought to herself. ''Why did I have to accept that contract?'' "This place won''t hold for long¡­" The youth spoke in a grave tone. "We need to come up with a plan to deal with that thing." A couple of minutes passed before the youth spoke again, but this time he didn''t come at her with another basic question. ~[ ]~ "Listen, our goal is to escape, not to defeat that thing. We will try to outrun it, but if we can''t¡­" Lara jumped off the tall building just as the bright flash began to fade. In her hands, she held a strange spear granted to her by the young man. Its head was glowing with the blue light of an enchantment, which was quite a surprise when she first saw it. She had almost lost hope in her youthful-looking summoner, thinking he had lost almost all of the Knowledge he mastered over his long years of being an Awakened. When he produced the enchanted spear, however, Lara realized that maybe not all was lost. Whatever tragedy had resulted in her master falling into such a miserable state, if she were to assist and guide him, he would one day overcome it and rise to his previous status. ''I was right after all-'' She thought to herself while coating the spear in her Force Field. ''He is no ordinary Awakened.'' Time seemed to slow down around her and silence filled the world. With all the power she could muster, the silver-haired maid brought the spear down, thrusting it right into the rampaging Fallen''s closed right eye.