《Killing Blow [Apocalypse LitRPG]》


 1 - Breakfast at Night

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    For most of my adult life, I had been a traveler. A drifter. Settling down just long enough to earn enough money and trouble to get by before moving on again. It wasn¡¯t the worst thing. I was just on a quest, in a way. To find somewhere that I felt like I belonged.


    My current wanderlust had taken me to yet another city. Different name from the last, but just as similar. At present, I had delayed whatever looming disappointment I was inevitably going to drag myself through once there to stop in at a diner a few miles outside the city limits. It was late in the day, and I¡¯d worked up quite the appetite after driving for hours to get this far.


    Two plates of a fry-up and three coffees in, and I was hitting my limit. Both for my stomach and my slim wallet. Even a bottomless pit gets filled, eventually. I put a pause on edging myself closer to violently exploding with gluttony and glanced around the diner again. For perhaps the hundredth time.


    The place was small - quaint, almost. Even when I had arrived, there had been only a handful of quiet, zombie-like patrons. The number had dwindled as I sat and consumed the greasy food, down to just the one old man in a window booth now. Newspaper, coffee refills, and the occasional bathroom break. He didn¡¯t seem eager to leave despite it being dark out. We all had our places of escape - I couldn''t fault that.


    Around ten empty window tables sat in an L shape around the central diner counter. The floor was aged black-and-white tiles, long past the point where a good clean would get them to the same color as when they were installed. Up on one end near the bathrooms, a television flanked the long lit screen that showed the prices of all the menu items. It looked to be playing an old movie, but had been switched to silent, either some ticker or subtitles rolling across the bottom. I paid it no heed, as my meal had completely stolen the show.


    Despite my usual preference for keeping to myself, something about the good food had me lower my guard. Perhaps it was how isolated this place was, but I looked up at the young woman behind the counter and smiled, gesturing to my plate with the fork.


    ¡°Compliments to the chef,¡± I told the waitress. ¡°Best scrambled eggs I¡¯ve had in a long time.¡±


    She smiled and gave me a nod. Although I had been curt with her on arrival, she¡¯d been nothing but polite, able to read that I wasn¡¯t in the mood for conversation. Part of my brief disdain had been how the scrawny woman reminded me of myself when I was younger. Blonde hair down to her shoulders, bright eyes eager and friendly. Not so alike these days with those latter points, I thought, dryly.


    But It was enough of a mirror-image for me to feel a little at ease here. A rarity, helped along by my full stomach.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let her know,¡± she replied. ¡°Personally, I think they go best with the pancakes our line cook makes, but he¡¯s off this evening.¡± She wrinkled up her face as if his absence personally slighted her. They must be good pancakes.


    ¡°If I come back this way, I¡¯ll give them a try next time.¡± It wasn¡¯t likely. Getting itchy feet was a part-time hobby of mine, and I preferred to travel on new ground. These eggs¡­ might be enough to be worth backtracking a little, however.


    She adjusted her white blouse. The red tie around her neck matched her pleated skirt, which I assumed was a uniform as it had a very 50s aesthetic, much like the rest of the aged diner. I hadn¡¯t seen any other workers to know for sure. The young woman grabbed a cloth from behind the counter and started wiping things down.


    I observed her for a moment as I chewed through a slice of toast. She seemed a little too happy to be working this job so late at night, and her eyes kept drifting away from her work. ¡°Either you have a puppy behind the counter, or you¡¯re sneaking looks at your phone. A sweetheart, perhaps?¡±


    The waitress pulled a face and glanced toward the shuttered kitchen window. ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to be on it while on the clock, but yeah - the latter.¡± She reached down to bring her cell phone out from a shelf, a nervous smile on her face.


    She turned the phone around to show me. ¡°Just got our Halloween pictures back. He¡¯s a complete dork, but what can you do?¡±


    The illuminated screen was filled with a photograph of them both in costumes. Her partner had short brown hair and was overtly dressed as a cliche vampire. Amongst a backdrop of faux spiderwebs and carved pumpkins, he was carrying the waitress in his arms. She appeared to be equally undead - perhaps a zombie.


    ¡°Wow, you look like you¡¯re the life of the party.¡± I gave her a polite smile, unsure if I was about to regret making small talk past discussing the food.


    ¡°Quite the opposite, actually.¡± She withdrew her phone to hide it again, glancing back to the kitchen to make sure she hadn¡¯t been caught in the act. ¡°We¡¯re both awkward nerds, but we just¡­ click, you know?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± I nodded. Not that I could say I knew firsthand. I changed the conversation to something that didn''t put me on edge. ¡°You know the city well?¡±


    ¡°Lived there all my life. You heading there for work?¡± She gestured to the suit I was wearing, which I thought looked far too grubby and casual to be something intended for business. Didn''t exactly fit me. For a good reason.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll need some cash so I can eat here every morning.¡± I smiled and withdrew my right hand into the sleeve of the dark navy jacket, suddenly self conscious about the bandage wrapped around my palm. The waitress had clocked it, but was too polite to pry. Still, I could read the concern on her face. I must look twice as suspicious as I felt.


    She wrinkled up her nose, hesitating a second, before pulling across a notepad and pen from further down the counter. ¡°Here.¡± She scribbled something on it. ¡°No pressure, but if you¡¯ve got nobody else local¡­¡± The waitress tore off the bottom of the paper and passed it over. ¡°We¡¯re going to a magic show this weekend. I could introduce you as my cool aunt?¡±


    I slid the piece of paper towards myself. A phone number and name. ¡°Thanks¡­ Sally. No promises, but I appreciate it.¡± With a nod of thanks, I stowed the slip into a pocket, slightly stunned at her offer. I''d probably discard it later. Magic wasn''t really my thing. ¡°Most people call me a slew of curse words, but to you¡­ Scarlet is fine.¡±


    ¡°Scarlet,¡± she repeated, pinning it down in her memory. There was some relief to her expression. Despite her outward sales-face, it had taken her some actual effort to extend that olive branch. Did I look that desperate? ¡°Can I get you anything else for tonight?¡± she offered.


    A difficult question. I was already pretty full, and any more caffeine would have me up until the early hours of the morning. The coffers weren¡¯t so overflowing that I could postpone my job hunting for another day just because I had a bad night of sleep. I needed... some degree of control of the waking day, even if it was going to be full of disappointment.


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    ¡°Just one more coffee before I get going,¡± I decided, against better judgement. My shoulder muscles tensed in complaint.


    With a nod, she went to go get the thick glass container of whatever had been slow-dripping all evening. I wasn¡¯t too fussy when it came to some vices. No sugar or milk, just whatever thick sludge was on offer. Better than alcohol, or-


    ¡°Bernie, sit yourself down and I¡¯ll order you a cab.¡± Sally admonished the only other patron now left in the diner. ¡°I have no idea why you stayed so late today.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow and turned to look at the old man. Early to mid eighties, perhaps. Dark gray hair and a wrinkled face that made it look like he had spent most of his life smiling. Even now, under the scowl of the waitress, he seemed in good spirits - even if a little out of it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± he griped in return, shuffling slowly to face her. ¡°I walk to the city and back regularly. You know this, dear.¡±


    ¡°Not this late at night,¡± she snapped back. ¡°It¡¯s not the distance, but when you need the bus, you won¡¯t see the stop at night. You don¡¯t know what¡¯s out in the darkness.¡±


    ¡°I eat plenty of carrots.¡± He adjusted his blue cardigan and stood taller. ¡°My night sight is impeccable.¡±


    Sally rolled her eyes and stepped back over to dig out her phone again. ¡°That¡¯s a myth,¡± she murmured, just loud enough for him to hear it. The waitress caught my raised eyebrow and gestured to the impatient old timer. ¡°Bernie is a regular here¡­ like for at least a decade, right? Usually goes home before dusk.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I turned in my chair to regard him. Seemed harmless enough. The waitress had disarmed me with her friendliness, and I continued to step out of my comfort zone. ¡°I¡¯m heading into the city myself. I could give you a lift?¡±


    Bernie¡¯s dazed eyes turned to me as if seeing me for the first time. He wavered and a wide smile creased at his face. ¡°Far be it for me to turn down the offer of a beautiful young lady. Although you¡¯ll have to behave yourself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I can manage.¡± I shot him a wry smile before tilting my gaze back to Sally. ¡°Cancel that coffee, hun.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem, Scarlet. You¡¯re a lifesaver, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Eh.¡± I shrugged, partly unsure as to why I had offered. I wasn¡¯t exactly a good samaritan even on my best days. I blamed the egg for scrambling my normally sour outlook. As I arranged my cutlery on the plate, I smiled at Sally. ¡°Wait till you see how low I tip before complimenting me too much.¡±


    She grinned and slid me over the bill. I held my breath and got my money holder out, under the edge of the counter. For my eyes only. I thumbed through some loose bills before placing them on top of the receipt. I watched her eyebrow raise, and she took it to the till to count it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say you owe me some pancakes,¡± I said, standing and brushing myself down before she could make any note on it. My pockets held everything expected after a quick pat to check, and my bags were still in the van. Exhaling through my nose, I gave the diner a quick once-over to make sure it was really just us few left. My bandaged hand itched as I clenched it. Yeah, it was just us. Thank fuck.


    ¡°It¡¯s a deal.¡± Sally smiled and waved me off. ¡°You take care, and good luck in the city. You¡¯re not alone.¡±


    Although I smiled in return, the expression faded from my face as soon as I was out of her sight. Her message was more ominous than comforting. The platitude would be sweet, but it wasn''t something I cared to hear. I pushed the door open, causing the small bell atop it to jingle, and held it open for Bernie to shuffle out into the cool night air.


    It wasn¡¯t difficult to find my vehicle, as it was one of only two there. Bathed in scant diner lighting, the small van was a workhorse. Dusty and overdue a checkup, but it could be put off until something happened to it. Once the issue was forced. Then I¡¯d probably need to take it out back and put it down. Then find a way to move about without it.


    I stopped by the driver¡¯s side to watch the old man move over. He paused to look up at the sky, and I followed his gaze.


    Out here in the near-desert beyond the city outskirts and background light of civilization, the stars were bright and detailed. I was briefly enthralled, and¡­ calm about everything. As if looking out into the void helped wash away at my own shadows. My right eye twitched the familiar sinking feeling of dread settled back in.


    My eyes went down to the dark road from where I had traveled from. ¡°Is this why you wanted to stay at the diner so late?¡± I asked, turning back to him and gesturing to the sky.


    He nodded, almost absentmindedly, before looking down at me. ¡°Margaret loved the stars. Used to prod me with silly questions, like asking why they didn¡¯t fall down. I always told her if they ever did, I¡¯d catch one for her. Pin it in her dark hair, so she could be my own little galaxy to gaze upon, even in the daytime.¡± He smiled, but some tiredness had come across his expression.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get you home, Bernie.¡±


    I got in and shut the door, before looking to see if he was having issues getting in. He had paused, as there was something on the seat in his way. A hammer.


    ¡°Keen on doing repairs?¡± he asked, smiling as I moved it away and stuffed it into my jacket pocket awkwardly.


    ¡°You never know when you need to fix something.¡± My returned smile was probably not as convincing. Or break something, I thought.


    The interior light bloomed a soft amber as I started the van up. The vibration of the engine threatened to give up the ghost, but only to the degree where I would start to worry it wouldn¡¯t run. Then it was fine, as if just playing a trick on me. Dirty rat. The small bobble-head cat ornament on my dash shook with glee. Back on the road again.


    I pulled out of the diner parking lot and joined the main road. The city sat ahead of us on the horizon, dots of hundreds of lights almost looking as though the stars had indeed fallen. Too ordered, though. Such an event would be pure chaos. No wonder I was driving toward it. I shook these thoughts from my head.


    ¡°You really make this walk regularly?¡± I asked Bernie, to distract myself.


    ¡°Once or twice a week. It keeps me active. There is a bus part of the way - I don¡¯t have superpowers.¡± He smiled, looking out at the darkness in his side window. ¡°Margaret used to walk with me before she passed five years ago. Used to be our thing.¡±


    ¡°She sounds like a lucky gal. Were you married long?¡±


    ¡°Highschool sweethearts.¡± His hands were clasped together on his lap, fingers shaking a little. Still had that soft smile across his face.


    I wasn¡¯t even sure where to take the conversation from there. The whole thing made me feel¡­ tired. Not something the coffee could fix. Perhaps it was just an overload of saccharine sweetness from this man. I wasn¡¯t used to it. Couldn''t... find any common ground, really.


    He¡¯d found purpose through his routine, despite his losses. Part of me felt I should grasp at something there. A lesson that fell through my hands like loose sand. Maybe this evening had been one long mistake in the making. I should have kept to myself.


    I let the silence take us further down the road, before the man eventually spoke up.


    ¡°You hurt your hand, dear? Nothing bad, I hope?¡±


    My fingers tensed in response, as I glanced at the passenger to see that he was looking at my bandaged hand. ¡°No. I was just¡­ careless.¡±


    He nodded and waited to see if I would expand on that. I did not. He sought to fill the silence instead.


    ¡°There was this one time where Margaret¡­¡± his tale faded away¡ªinterrupted by a loud sound that rumbled through the air around us.


    Thunder? That didn¡¯t seem possible with how clearly we had been able to see the stars. The weather was meant to be pleasant all week, last time I¡¯d checked.


    I leaned forward with a frown, closer to the steering wheel, to look up at the cloudless sky. Seemed¡­ normal. As I opened my mouth to ask Bernie what he thought, his phone starting beeping¡ªcausing him to startle unexpectedly.


    Mine set off just a split second later, sending a wave of panic through me as it also vibrated in my pocket. It was a shrill but unfamiliar tone, like my morning alarm, but nothing I had set. It wasn¡¯t a call either. My stomach dropped, and I felt sick. Bernie patted his pockets, trying to find his cell.


    ¡°Must be the pharmacist,¡± he mumbled. ¡°Not due yet though¡­ unless it¡¯s Monday already?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Wednesday,¡± I replied idly, as I pulled the van over to the side of the road. There was no chance I was going to hit a wild animal or paranormal entity while being distracted by my phone. I knew how these things worked and the less accidental violence I could get into tonight, the better.


    Neither of our phones stopped wailing. I leaned forward and drew mine from my pocket. Bastard thing was supposed to be on silent, but it never worked properly after that time I dropped it when¡­


    My blood ran cold as I read through the text message.

 2 - Difficult to Digest

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    >Emergency Alert. This is not a drill. Heavy loss of life expected. Proceed to your nearest emergency bunker or shelter in place. This is not a drill.


    What the fuck?


    My eyes ran over the message again to be sure that I had read it correctly. The sender was unrecognized and there was no way to reply. It didn¡¯t seem to be spam or some kind of prank, despite my thundering heartbeat hoping this wasn¡¯t what it looked like.


    Even though I didn¡¯t actually know what it looked like. Nothing good.


    While adrenaline ran through me, I looked over at Bernie to see how he was taking the news. He was squinting at his phone, clearly at a loss without reading glasses. I exhaled through my nose to calm my nerves before speaking to him.


    ¡°Here, let me look.¡± I held out my bandaged hand, and he placed it there without argument. I was usually a lot snappier when stressed, but I wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the guilt if I started being a bitch to Bernie.


    Half of the message was off the bottom of the screen due to his phone being smaller and the font much larger, but it said the exact same thing as mine. No indication whether this was a warning just for the city area, state, or the whole country.


    As I started to feel out of my depth, I hand the phone back over.


    ¡°Something terrible, dear?¡± His eyebrows were raised, anticipating the bad news that he could clearly read from my expression.


    ¡°There¡¯s something¡­ we need to go to a bunker to be safe.¡± Safe from what, though? Was there a storm on the way that I hadn¡¯t noticed on the news? We had heard that rumble, but surely not - otherwise the other diner patrons would have said something. My thoughts briefly went to the two still there. I wasn¡¯t in the market for making friends, but they seemed like genuinely good people. Few and far between in my life.


    The sky looked clear, so inclement weather didn¡¯t fit the bill. Was it war? A nuclear attack? Perhaps a wild leap to assume that after thinking it was a storm, but my paranoia had spiked, the text message somehow managing to be something worse than I had expected.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure where any bunkers are,¡± Bernie said, his eyes scanning the darkness around us. ¡°Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t have stayed out so late today.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ keep you safe, Bernie.¡± It probably didn¡¯t sound as convincing I had hoped. Rather than spiral around with my thoughts again, I brought up my phone, hoping it had answers rather than further problems for me.


    The reception indicator ticked down before signaling it was completely inert, as if my glare had caused the problem. No internet or emergency network. There was a notification that caused me to furrow my brow. I hadn¡¯t even seen it pop up - but swiping it down revealed it to be something telling me the Map application had been updated.


    I opened it up to find that the usual satellite imagery had been replaced by something very basic. Only the current road was present, the diner and any other landmarks not shown. Aside from the white line of our route through the gray of the desert area, there was only one other thing I could see. A bunker.


    ¡°Looks like we have a destination,¡± I informed the man, although I was mostly trying to reassure myself. It was out west from here, in the arid area. ¡°Best hold on, hun. It¡¯ll be a rough ride.¡±


    ¡°Duck and cover,¡± he murmured in an almost pavlovian response. Despite looking even more out of place and unsure as to what was going on, he gripped at the furnishing of the van to keep stable.


    I felt bad for him. What had been a mischevious treat in staying out later than normal had turned into being near kidnapped by a mysterious and grouchy woman, intending to take him out to an unknown building in the desert where the world might end. Well, I didn¡¯t know it was that dire yet, but this was certainly more than he had bargained for.


    Placing my phone on the magnetic holder on the dash, I turned the keys to get us out of here. The van whirred, and the engine turned over, but it didn¡¯t start up. A second twist and it spluttered, failing again.


    A louder rumble shattered itself through the sky as if the heavens were cracking in half like an egg.


    ¡°C¡¯mon you¡­ asshole,¡± I hissed at the van, turning the keys once more. I was rewarded with a reluctant vibration as the engine powered into life. As I turned the wheel to the left, I let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Alright, here goes nothing.¡±


    ¡°There was no lightning,¡± Bernie mentioned idly, his eyes still out of the window. I could see his knuckles were white as he maintained his grip on the van interior.


    The vehicle lurched and bounced as we rolled over the brief ditch at the side of the road. Once we had made it fully over, I started accelerating toward the dot on the Map. Eager to get there before things got worse, but aware that driving through the empty desert at night was probably a terrible idea. Such things seemed to be compounding as the minutes drew on.


    Not that I was eager to be locked away, either. I hated being locked up. While Bernie was as affable as a person I¡¯d ever met, I wasn¡¯t sure how I¡¯d handle being shut away for a long period of time with anyone. I was a loner by choice, of course. The fingers on my bandaged hand flexed against the steering wheel.


    The headlights picked up a decent cone of the way ahead, and thankfully, most of this area was just arid. I swerved slightly to avoid clumps of dried vegetation, but other than the constant dust billowing around us and the clatter of gravel pelting the underside of the van, it had been a smooth ride so far.


    I glanced over at Bernie, who was looking just as sick as I felt. Perhaps some small talk would help calm him. I resented myself for the idea.


    ¡°So¡­ that Sally is extremely friendly,¡± I managed, despite my jaw being almost fused closed from the stress.


    ¡°Oh, she certainly is.¡± A slight smile cracked at the corner of his mouth. ¡°She likes to help people, even if that means telling me off sometimes.¡±


    ¡°I just thought it was odd that she invited me to hang out¡­¡± It was almost suspicious. ¡°Do I look like I need that kind of charity?¡±


    ¡°By the way that you wolfed down your food, dear... I couldn''t say.¡±


    I opened and closed my mouth before seeing the smile on his face. ¡°Well, perhaps you¡¯re right. I could do with a shower and a change of clothes as well. Three days on the road... there were several reasons I was looking forward to finding a hotel tonight.¡±


    Perhaps I could see the reason the waitress wanted to extend a helping hand. From her perspective, I probably looked mentally ill or homeless. A lost soul in need of guidance. Far too trusting of her, even if she was partially right. Still, I missed that kind of naivety.


    ¡°I hope that they find their way out here as well,¡± I eventually said. Despite my waning desire to be around other people, I didn¡¯t want anything bad to happen to them. Maybe this city could be the one.


    With the current issue at hand, that seemed less likely.


    ¡°I believe they¡¯ll be fine. She might look like she¡¯d blow away in the breeze, but Sally is resourceful. The owner, Miss Doris, is a bit of a battleaxe herself.¡± Bernie leaned a little closer to me. ¡°Don¡¯t tell her I said that, though.¡±


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    ¡°Your secret is safe with me, Bernie.¡± There was some irony in the world deciding to end on the one evening I let my guard down and tried to act normal. As if reality had seen the opportunity to kick dirt in my eyes as soon as I let the suspicion wash away.


    The vehicle shook as we hit a rougher area of ground, and the muscles in my arms locked up. We were almost halfway there now. I wondered how much time we had left. Idle thoughts cut short as I took a sharp breath by reflex.


    I hadn''t seen the rocks quick enough. The glare of the headlights managed to obscure the grouping of jutting stone until it was too late for me to turn away.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± I swore as we struck them. The van bucked like a wild horse, growling as it bounced a few times before we slid to a stop. Dust washed around us in a cloud as the engine ticked idly. As if it was tutting at me.


    The headlights flickered before remaining on, but there was clearly something wrong with the vehicle.


    ¡°Sorry for the rough ride, Bernie.¡± I turned to him. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°In one piece,¡± he replied, his eyes wide as he continued to brace himself against the door. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not too sharp when it comes to motor repair.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Pretty sure the axle is fucked, hun. Unless you can carry the van, then this is where it¡¯ll have to stay. We don¡¯t have too far to walk.¡±


    While he nodded his acceptance, I passed him my phone to hold. Perhaps keeping an eye on the Map would help focus his thoughts so he didn¡¯t get too worried. I leaned back and pulled out my go-bag from behind the passenger seat. It didn¡¯t have much in it, but for staying in a bunker, I wasn¡¯t sure most of my stuff in the van would be useful either.


    Not when we were in a rush.


    I stepped out of the van, leaving the headlights on. They would at least light up our journey for a few moments, and perhaps could guide help toward us when this calamity blew past. I slung the bag over my shoulder. Or it could point worse things our way. The side door closing drew my thoughts over to Bernie, who was glancing between the phone and myself.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ll get a walk in after all, huh?¡± I gave him the best smile could muster, which he returned with a nod.


    Now that we were out of the van, my eyes went over to the city as we started our walk across the dry stone and loose sand. There was clearly something going on there. Odd lighting, which I assumed to be flames and sirens, flickered between some of the tall buildings. Straining my ears, I could even hear alarms and the occasional louder burst of noise making its way across the empty plains.


    I was most surprised that there were no vehicles coming down the road. Even if the city had plenty of bunkers, there would surely be some people desperate enough to escape to go other places, even if a terrible idea. But as far as I could see, nothing had left the city¡ªat least in this direction.


    With a shiver, I stepped closer to Bernie to check the map with him. Should only be a few minutes at this pace. He had found a speed setting urged on by the panic, but I could tell by his gait that it wasn¡¯t sustainable.


    ¡°Hang on, I¡¯m not sure what the battery life is like, but¡­¡± I zipped open my bag and my hand dug around blindly. Ah, there it was. I pulled out a head torch. With a flick of a switch, it turned on¡ªnot as bright as it should be, but it was better than the dim light of my phone for guiding us now that we were moving away from the light provided by the van.


    ¡°You wear it, dear. I spend most of the time looking at my feet.¡±


    I nodded and pulled it over my head, realizing now how greasy my hair felt. The chances of the bunker having a shower were slim, but I had hope.


    We saw the silhouette of the bunker before the headlamp had a chance to illuminate it. Rather small, but that made sense if most of it was going to be underground. It was tempting to run toward it, but I couldn¡¯t leave Bernie behind. Things out in the world hadn¡¯t gotten worse just yet, so I assumed that we had at least a few more minutes to get inside.


    I paused, my muscles suddenly tensing up, as I heard a noise out to my left. They couldn¡¯t have found me like this? My eyes switched to that side, and I saw something in my peripheral.


    Two red lights¡ªno, they were eyes staring at me. Low to the ground, so some manner of animal.


    ¡°What is it, dear?¡± Bernie asked, unsure as to why I had stopped so close to our goal.


    ¡°Stay behind me, and keep moving, okay?¡± I murmured, my hand going to my pocket as I turned my head.


    There was a snuffling sound and something scratching against stone. My headlamp slowly painted a cone of light as I rotated in place. Almost ninety degrees to my left, it picked up the squat figure of what had been stalking us.


    ¡°Is that a boar?¡± Bernie asked, his voice quieter.


    Normally, I¡¯d probably agree with him. The short, chunky body covered in coarse hair certainly fit that assumption. Stubby legs. Tusks like a warthog. I hadn¡¯t seen one with this kind of fur pattern, however. It was sandy and brindle - more like a hyena. The fact that not only was the animal¡¯s eyes red, but this wasn¡¯t a natural habitat for boars, told me something wasn¡¯t right.


    It kicked up sand with its front foot, readying to charge like a bull. I didn''t know enough about boars to know if they were nocturnal or this aggressive either. Rabies? I glanced over at the bunker. I had no confidence that I could outrun it, let alone get Bernie there safely.


    I started to step away from it, backwards, keeping myself between it and the older man. He could read the situation well enough to start off towards the bunker, his eyes now looking around to see if anything else dangerous was lurking in the darkness.


    And then, seeing us retreating, it charged. Squealing, it powered across the sand, kicking up loose dust as it barreled toward me. Anger and disbelief had me act. I pulled out the hammer from my pocket, right hand aching as I gripped it tight.


    Adrenaline ran through me, and I tried to stand tall to intimidate it. ¡°Fuck off!¡± I yelled, acting as threatening as I was able. It didn¡¯t even hesitate. I swung down at it, expecting the boar to bash into my leg¡ªbut it leaped instead.


    My attack lightly grazed the side of its head as we collided and collapsed to the floor. The smell of sweat and urine washed over me as the small feet scrabbled and scratched at my skin through my shirt. It was heavy as fuck. I growled as it swiped its head at me, the tusk scratching across my collarbone and narrowly missed goring through my neck.


    Blood soaked through the fabric of my white shirt as I grabbed at the animal''s neck with my left hand. While it tried to twist its snout away to escape the press of my arm, I caught a back leg between my thighs and pinned it in place. The boar stomped its forelegs across my chest and side, and I brought the hammer in.


    It squealed and sneezed moisture across my face on the first blow. The second one struck it in the skull, but it hardly even noticed it, weathering the attack completely. I could feel the energy leaving my body. I had to gain the advantage before my arm holding its mouth away gave out. I put all my effort into a third strike, and it paused, dazed.


    I twisted, pushing it off of me, and it stumbled over while I still held a back leg. Before it had the chance to regain its senses, I brought the hammer down on the side of its head again. And then another two, three times. The muscles in my arms burned as I allowed my pent up anger and frustrations to seal the deal for certain. The wild animal slumped heavily to the ground.


    My breathing was haggard as I stood back up to shaking legs. My whole chest ached. Bruised and scraped to shit. I could feel my heartbeat throbbing in the cut along my collarbone. After a brief moment where I just stared down at the inert boar, willing it to try me again, I shook my head and looked over at Bernie.


    He didn¡¯t look too good.


    ¡°Are you okay, dear?¡± he asked, his mouth barely getting the words out.


    ¡°Peachy.¡± I wiped the gore off my hammer on my slacks and pocketed the weapon. ¡°Let¡¯s get inside the bunker.¡±


    He didn¡¯t have any arguments, and I was currently feeling rather out of it. Being locked away in a vault while injured was even worse, but I had protected Bernie. Mostly so that I didn¡¯t have to nurse any of his wounds, I tried to tell myself. I was just too tired to be full of sourness. Too achy.


    The brickwork of the bunker seemed new, which was partially odd. As my headlight illuminated it, the door looked to be around the side. I almost felt relieved to be this close to it. I led Bernie around to the front, keeping my eyes on the darkness to make sure there weren¡¯t more odd animals awaiting us.


    Seemed safe.


    The doorway was like a bank vault. Big metal wheel to spin and open it up. I didn¡¯t waste any time and gripped at it, another pain flaring up in my hand. I clenched my jaw and twisted, some resistance given before it turned and spun. It groaned as I opened it wide enough to let Bernie in. ¡°Careful as you go in,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Yes, dear,¡± he responded, some of his old charm managing to pierce through the white sheet he had now become.


    I scanned around us before stepping in. One last look at the world for who knew how long? Somewhat disappointed to see that we were alone, somewhat glad.


    After pulling the door closed, I spun it on the inside to lock it again. Turning around, there was another similar door at the bottom of some metal stairs¡ªBernie was already almost at the bottom. Already, I felt enclosed. Claustrophobic. Small caged lights sat in the wall, providing dim light leading down.


    Autopilot kept me moving, however. Dealing with stressful situations¡­ I was like a duck to water. Not usually this dire, but life was full of surprises. Once I reached the bottom of the stairs, I helped open the next vault, letting Bernie through once more before stepping through myself.


    I closed it and stopped, leaning my forehead against the cold metal.


    Now I was¡­ exhausted. I hadn¡¯t realized that I had been so out of breath still from the drive and scuffle with the boar. Soaked with fresh sweat and shaking slightly. It was a miracle I had kept all my food down after being roughed about, and I was lucky to not have any broken ribs. Tomorrow would still be agony.


    But we had made it, whatever that really meant.


    ¡°Are you sure this is a bunker, dear?¡± Bernie¡¯s voice echoed slightly.


    I blinked away the draw of sleep, and turned around, wondering what could really go wrong now.


    My brow furrowed at the sight of something completely unexpected.

 3 - From the Stars

    <div>


    When the word ¡®bunker¡¯ had first come up, my mind had brought forward images that wouldn¡¯t look out of place in a World War Two documentary. Or rather, that''s probably precisely where I got the imagery from. A long, dusty memory from my childhood. Dingy lights, fading white paint on brick walls, basic metal bunk beds with plain covers. Rows of shelving holding anything canned and preservable. That very gritty feeling of being underground and having to make do best you could.


    While the actual bunker I now found myself in wasn¡¯t the complete opposite, it was enough of a contrast to make my brain freeze for a few moments and take it in.


    Rather than sprawling rooms dug out and sectioned off for different purposes, this was wholly a single chamber. Maybe twenty-five to thirty feet square. The brickwork was tidy and contemporary. Modern and unblemished in a way that seemed to further indicate that it had been built recently. The almost soft-blue lighting illuminating everything picked up the shapes that were the true focus of Bernie¡¯s confusion.


    Three¡­ pods on each side of the room, left and right.


    My immediate point of reference was that they looked like they were straight out of a science fiction movie. Metallic cylinders with glass panels from the waist to just above the head area. Tilted back at a slight angle so that the occupants could relax a little while they¡­ did something. They looked like alien germination chambers or cryogenic containers to keep us safe during whatever was happening to the world. That couldn¡¯t be the case, surely?


    ¡°This is¡­ strange,¡± I eventually managed.


    Bernie gave me a slight nod as he tried to look through the glass of one of the pods. ¡°I thought there might be radiation suits in them, but they¡¯re empty.¡±


    I went to open my mouth again, before the back wall flickered as if it was a giant screen. With a wince, I watched as rows of text appeared on the possibly projected monitor.


    Calamity In Progress


    Proceed to the STAR Chambers.


    Stand and defend Earth.


    Existence requires it. Save the World.


    ¡°Save the world,¡± I repeated. ¡°What the fuck?¡± My mind was too busy swinging between this being a weird dream or some kind of prank, that I didn¡¯t realize the most obvious thing right in front of me.


    As my chest continued to ache, the drips of a very real threat ran through the cracks in my overwhelmed mind.


    There were no facilities here to survive long term. No food. Beds. Bathroom or medical supplies. We weren¡¯t¡­ meant to stay here.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m spritely enough to be a hero,¡± Bernie said, taking me out of the momentary panic. He had his eyes squinted at the screen, concentrating on the words.


    I looked over at the pods again. Maybe it was some kind of viral epidemic? A disease or something airborne that we needed to be inoculated against. A problem that was either brief, or something that would take a short amount of time for us to recover from - hence the bunker being so basic.


    ¡°Only one way to find out, right?¡± I gave him the most confident smile I was able. Given that my chest twitched with pain at the attempt, it probably came out as more of a grimace.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± He turned slowly, running his eyes over the room. ¡°Anything you see here that is slightly odd, dear?¡±


    I tried to follow his gaze, but other than noticing the machines had ¡®STAR¡¯ embossed at the tops of the pod, the answer was rather straightforward. ¡°Uh, pretty much everything, Bernie.¡±


    The man gave me a soft smile before his eyes went back to his search, gesturing with his hand. ¡°Something like this... there would be a government agency involved. They are always eager to stick their claim to something. There are no logos or crests, however.¡±


    While I was keen to dig into this interesting nugget of clarity and perhaps something about his past life, I felt the current situation was more pressing. The text on the screen hadn¡¯t changed, but it felt like we were running out of time.


    ¡°What are you saying, then? This¡­ STAR is like a private company or something?¡± The possibility of this being something ten times more untoward than I first thought flashed through my mind. I had seen a few SAW movies. Still, the city had seemed to be in disarray, so we couldn¡¯t have been picked up specifically.


    ¡°No idea.¡± Bernie offered me an apologetic shrug, some tiredness on his expression once more. ¡°At this point, I could do with a lie down no matter who built this. How are you feeling?¡±


    I almost blurted out that I was fine, before reeling that thought back. I wasn¡¯t. ¡°Overwhelmed. I just beat the brains out of a wild animal who almost tore my throat out. We are shut in a bunker where our options are getting in these contraptions or facing an unknown and possibly fatal threat.¡± I sighed and rubbed at my head. ¡°Was it too much to ask for a shower, a soft bed, and a little peace? Just for one night?¡±


    In answer to my wailings, the monitor gave out a light beep. We turned our attention to it and read the new line of text that had appeared.


    Local threat level increasing.


    ¡°Jesus Christ,¡± I whispered.


    Bernie nodded, turning his eyes back to me. ¡°I think I¡¯ll take my chances with these booths, dear.¡±


    Part of me wanted to dissuade him, but I didn¡¯t know why. It wasn¡¯t like we had a lot of choice, but I was full of scrambled eggs and blunt force trauma. I had tried to be more risk averse as of late so as to not invite more trouble into my life¡­ but perhaps it was time to just grab the bull by the horns.


    ¡°Alright. Let me help you get in one,¡± I offered. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go in the one opposite, so we should be able to see each other still?¡±


    ¡°So thoughtful.¡± One of his more charming smiles crossed his face. ¡°Perhaps I should give you my number as well.¡±


    I rolled my eyes as I led him over to one of the metal cylinders. ¡°Less flirting, more surviving the end of the world. Too soon to see if I have any friend slots open.¡±


    His grin continued, and he gave me a nod. ¡°You¡¯re a kind soul, Scarlet.¡±


    ¡°Eh. You caught me on a good day.¡± I wrapped my hand into the handle on the right side of the end pod. ¡°Or, well, as good as you could consider this day.¡±


    Bernie looked down at my hand. ¡°Did you want to explain more about how you were careless?¡±


    I hesitated, an odd question to suddenly jab me with. With the world possibly ending, perhaps letting a few things go wouldn''t be so bad... ¡°Have you ever¡­ crossed the wrong person?¡±


    His eyebrow raised. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s you opening up, or you are threatening me.¡±


    With a sigh, I reeled it back in. No energy. ¡°If we die because you¡¯re wasting time trying to squeeze my life story out, you¡¯ll find out how sour I can get.¡±


    He gave me a wink and a smile. ¡°Maybe later, then.¡±


    I pulled on the handle and the pod open up like a doorway, the circular front side rotating over hinges on the left. With some better lighting, I could see the near-vertical bed in there. Well, not a bed¡ªit looked more like a padded leather pilot¡¯s seat. Even had two elbow-height arm rests with handles to hold. Plain and inert, but the fact that we¡¯d need to brace ourselves was worrying. There was even a slight divot on the base for our feet to fit in.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Stepping out of the way, I gestured for Bernie to enter.


    Either he wasn¡¯t worried, or was much better at hiding it. There was an element of autopilot that resonated with me. Following a path because we had too few answers for the constant barrage of panicked questions.


    He grabbed the right handle and leaned into the back padding, shuffling his feet into place. Now, looking at me with some apprehension, he managed a smile. ¡°You know, a black blazer would look much smarter than your navy one, since you¡¯re wearing black slacks.¡±


    I looked down at my outfit. It had needed a good wash long before I rolled around in the dirt with the boar. Not really something I had put together with the intent of looking fashionable, but it was comfortable in a way. Reminded me of¡­ I shot the man a sour look. ¡°The tie would have brought it together, but I had already used it to tie something up.¡±


    ¡°Ominous,¡± he replied, gripping his left on the other handle.


    ¡°Van repairs,¡± I murmured, which was close enough to the truth. ¡°You ready?¡±


    Bernie gave me a slow nod, before then giving a series of slightly more sure ones. ¡°I¡¯m not getting any younger. Let¡¯s see where this rabbit hole leads.¡±


    I admired his confidence. The pod cover clipped in place as I pulled it back over, sealing him within. I took a step away, able to see him almost clearly. He seemed fine, still in good spirits. I¡¯m not claustrophobic, I convinced myself as I walked over to the pod opposite. The screen hadn¡¯t changed again, and there was no ambient noise coming from the outside world. Still, I felt the pressure of the unknown.


    With a deep breath through aching lungs, I gripped the door and pulled it open. The smell of fresh leather washed over me as I pulled my face at the identical internals. Locked in a box, locked in another box. It didn¡¯t make me feel any safer, though. Just¡­ pinned in place. Easy to find.


    I stepped in, sinking myself against the reasonably soft padded back. Grabbed the left handle and leaned forward to pull the front closed. I held my breath as it clipped in place, the slight hiss of it pressurising causing a spike of panic to run up my back.


    Now what? I hadn¡¯t thought this far ahead. It was enough to just go with the flow in hopes that we could emerge on the right side of whatever doom was happening outside.


    My view of Bernie across the room was suddenly obscured as a holographic blue screen painted itself across the inside of the glass. Text typed out across it, similar to how the bigger monitor looked. My injured right hand ached as I gripped the handle tighter.


    STAR Integration


    Scanning for Compatibility


    Please hold¡­


    I already was. My eyes almost burned with how intently I was glaring at this new horror. Why did I now have to worry about compatibility with something? I tried to regulate my breathing, and avoid thinking about this small space I was now stuck in.


    A blue light ran down from the top of the pod, washing over me from head to toes. I shivered involuntarily, as if the beam was cold. Just as soon as it reached the floor, it vanished, and the screen updated.


    95% Compatible.


    Please confirm Integration.


    Warning: Integration failure will result in death.


    STAR is required for survival.


    Death. ¡°What is this?¡± My mouth felt dry. It was acting as though I had a choice, but it looked to me that I was dead either way. The odds were decent, but gambling on my life was a little above my normal¡­


    My thoughts switched away, and I tilted my head to the side to see beyond the screen. I could just about see Bernie there. He looked to be reading his own holographic screen intently.


    ¡°Bernie?¡± I yelled, my voice no doubt muffled from having to travel through the two pods before reaching him. ¡°Are you okay? What does your scan say?¡±


    It took him a moment, but then he also tilted his head to see that I was addressing him. I couldn¡¯t tell if it was his confidence that had gone, or he was just concentrated and confused. ¡°Sorry, dear?¡± his voice came back quiet, dull.


    ¡°Compatibility. What¡¯s yours?¡±


    His eyes darted between me and the screen before him. ¡°Forty percent,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Shit¡­ fuck!¡± I clenched my jaw. How could I even advise him? It wasn¡¯t like I had any better idea of what we were getting ourselves into. ¡°That sounds dangerous¡­ I don¡¯t think you should-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already accepted.¡±


    For perhaps the fourth time tonight, my food rolled around my stomach, threatening to escape. I didn¡¯t fully understand the weight of the situation yet, but it was still pressed heavily on me. As much as I wanted out of this, there wasn¡¯t anything I could do.


    I let my more reckless side take over, if only so that I didn¡¯t fill the footwell with half-digested eggs. It always helped my focus when I had something immediately threatening me.


    With a deep breath, I hit the Yes button before I could change my mind. The screen updated.


    STAR Integration activated.


    Please remain stationary.


    System installation in process¡­


    It reminded me of having to update my computer¡ªback when I had one. Any problem with it, and I could just wipe everything clean and start over. Any potential irony in that statement left my mind as something jabbed me in the side of the neck.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± I murmured, trying not to wince away from wherever the needle had popped out from.


    Vertigo washed through my body, partially induced due to the flare of panic as I accepted my inevitable demise. That was a one in twenty chance. I had rolled a few natural ones in my brief time trying out tabletop gaming. Today felt like an unlucky day. They all were.


    A cold sensation bloomed from the point of injection, causing me to shiver as it felt as though ice was running through my veins. Not painful, but extremely uncomfortable. I hissed as I tightened my grip on the handles, knuckles white. The screen continued to remind me to stay put, and it took all I had to stop myself from squirming and trying to get away from the odd feeling.


    To distract myself, I tried to glare through the screen at Bernie. It wasn¡¯t quite transparent enough to make out much other than he was still there. No point shouting at him, and I doubted that I could even open my mouth enough to yell with how tense I was all over.


    As if to further my feeling out of place, a dull hum started to radiate through my ears. It wasn¡¯t coming from the pod itself, however. As I closed my eyes and tried to filter out the chill that was causing my bruised torso agony, the pitch of it rose until it was like tinnitus. A constant ringing like my head was winding up to explode.


    A sudden jolt of warmth had my eyes opened wide. It was as if the chill spread throughout my veins had been switched with fire in an instant. I gasped for air as my lungs burned, sweat already starting to bead on my head from the fever.


    My ears popped, muting sounds for a while as the screen in front of me flickered. The text changed and my blurry eyes struggled to read the new message.


    STAR System Complete.


    Integration Successful.


    Any slight joy I might have had at not dying to this process was dulled, as my head felt like it was full of cotton wool. My lungs cooled as I sucked in more air, rasping as if I had been holding my breath the whole time. Just as my thoughts switched to Bernie, the screen zipped out of existence and the pod hissed and popped open itself.


    I took another few deep breaths, still pinned in place by my own panic, as I watched the pod opposite also open up. As the door swung open to the side, I could see Bernie there. His eyes were closed, and he was leaning back, relaxed.


    ¡°Bernie?¡± I croaked, my voice barely leaving my mouth. Was he dead? I needed to get closer to check.


    My aching hands slipped from the handles as I tried to take my first step, realizing too late that my legs were like jelly. I wobbled and stumbled before dropping to the ground. My arms had lost their strength too, and I struggled to push myself up so that I could look at him. Despite it being none of my concern and totally out of my control, I¡¯d never forgive myself if Bernie had passed due to this.


    I groaned as I tried to pull myself forward. My eyes burned as if I had dust in them, and constantly watered. Blinking didn¡¯t seem to help, like I was getting a migraine. My vision was spotty. Fuzzy at the edges.


    With a frown, I turned my head over to the side.


    Toward the doorway, there was the smell of something overwhelming that I couldn¡¯t place. Like burned out electrical components or ash. As my hearing gradually returned to normal, I could pick out a light crackling noise. Had something malfunctioned? I tried to scour both Bernie¡¯s pod and the ones beside his, but other than the visual artefacts getting in the way, I couldn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary.


    Other than everything about this, still.


    I tempered my breathing and pushed myself up into a sitting position. Now able to prop myself up, I waited in anticipation for¡­ who knew what at this point? Was I now safe from whatever was plaguing the world? I didn¡¯t feel good. I didn¡¯t feel¡­ safe.


    The space between me at the metal door leading out of here seemed insurmountable in my current state, and all I wanted to do was run. To what end, though? I needed to check on Bernie, and I could just be escaping from the frying pan and into the fire.


    No. As soon as I was sure he was okay, we¡¯d need to plan to leave here. I could do this.


    Just as I had gathered my resolve, the crackling noise coming from the air ahead of me started to glow a blue light. At first it was just a small orb, like a marble¡ªbut it expanded.


    Too exhausted and blinded to really understand or do anything, I watched as the light grew longer and spread out. Shapes began to form. Legs and arms, the glowing blue contained by a faint wireframe mesh of white.


    It was a man. Dressed in a suit that put mine to shame, he didn¡¯t move until he was fully formed. While I sat frozen, he ran a hand through messy hair and adjusted his collar. A glum expression filled his face as he then glanced over at Bernie, before he looked back down at me.


    Although his mouth opened and closed as expected, his voice came through hollow and somewhat painful to my currently sensitive hearing.


    ¡°Welcome to the apocalypse, Scarlet,¡± he said.

 4 - Numbers Game

    <div>


    I didn¡¯t respond to the mysterious figure at first. Partly due to the fact that this felt like some weird dream. It couldn¡¯t be real. The other reason was that my eyes felt like they were about to burst out of my skull and any attempt to gather enough strength to stand was taking up what few mental processes I was able to hold together.


    The odd wireframe figure gestured towards Bernie. ¡°If you¡¯re worried about your friend, he isn¡¯t dead.¡±


    ¡°Who the fuck are you, and what did you do to us?¡± I managed to ask, my eyes still swimming with visual artefacts. Bernie wasn''t technically my friend, but that didn''t seem important to establish at present.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a complicated thing to answer, Scarlet.¡± The man clasped his hands behind his back. ¡°Oh, I assume you do prefer ¡®Scarlet¡¯ rather than your real name?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I responded through clenched teeth.


    ¡°Based on responses from other bunkers, I feel the easiest way to explain what is going on is something concise and simplified, with familiar pop-culture references.¡± He sighed and tried to give me a sensible stare. ¡°Earth is being attacked by aliens, and those pods gave you superpowers that you have to level up like a video game.¡±


    I returned a completely blank stare, the ire he had earned unable to change my disbelief.


    ¡°You¡­ are familiar with video games, I hope?¡±


    My head nodded as I blinked away the blur again. ¡°Sure, I mean it was back when my kid brother was¡­¡± I paused and tried to focus on the small blobs cluttering my vision. ¡°Shit, are these icons?¡±


    It was all becoming slightly more clear now. Wherever I looked, these small symbols were clinging to my eyesight as though I was wearing a virtual reality headset, or like one of those augmented reality games. Once I stopped fighting their appearance, my eyes ached less.


    ¡°It will be physically exhausting for fifteen or so minutes before it feels like you¡¯ve always had them,¡± the man tried to reassure me. ¡°Once you¡¯re settled, you should receive your first notification.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t entirely sure how to respond to him, or all of this in general. He was in the way of the door for me to flee. Not that I had the energy to make a run for it. Just as he had said, however, a blue box appeared at the top of my vision.


    [Welcome to the STAR System]


    [Please report to your Guide for induction.]


    After shaking my head to get it to go away, it vanished¡ªeither the physical action or my intense willpower doing the deed. Focusing on reality for a second, I glared at the wireframe figure. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re supposed to be my Guide?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡± He gave me a bow. ¡°Each bunker has their own Guide, and my role is to get you started out in the world. So that you don¡¯t die immediately.¡±


    ¡°Ignoring that part, who exactly are you? What is your name?¡±


    He tilted his head and gave me a slight smile. ¡°I¡¯m not really beholden to any title. Why don¡¯t you name me as you see fit?¡±


    With a grunt, I pushed myself up to my feet. I wavered slightly, but managed to maintain stability. My strength was slowly returning, but I wasn¡¯t in the mood for whatever games this man was playing, nor for his casual attitude toward whatever was going on in the world.


    I rolled out my shoulders and gave him a dull glare. ¡°How about Richard, since you¡¯re being a bit of a dick?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°Fine with me. I¡¯ve certainly heard worse.¡± Richard gestured to the filled pod again. ¡°Bernie here is currently the oldest to have survived the process, although it was quite the ordeal for him. He¡¯ll be asleep a while with what we call ¡®System sickness¡¯.¡±


    ¡°So he will¡­ have superpowers too?¡± I pulled a face as I looked between the sleeping man and this holographic Guide giving me exposition. ¡°And this ¡®System¡¯ thing is like the rules of the video game?¡±


    ¡°Clever. Yes, to both questions.¡± Richard grinned. ¡°I¡¯m glad I won¡¯t have to hold your hand too much. You can imagine how difficult this ordeal is to explain to parts of the world that don¡¯t have video games or access to popular media like alien invasion films.¡±


    Just as I was about to address that statement, another notification came in through my intangible screen, causing me to wince.


    [Milestone: You have joined the System. A new world of opportunity awaits you.]


    [Reward: Welcome Chest]


    [Milestone: More eager than most, you have killed a monster before even joining the System!]


    [Reward: Your Welcome Chest Skillbook has been upgraded to Rare]


    After these two notices vanished away, the small round icon that looked like a backpack in the bottom left of my vision pulsed as if it was after my attention. I turned my eyes back to Richard. ¡°This is¡­ rather overwhelming. Even so, I feel like I should be more panicked than I am. Maybe I¡¯ve just hit the limit of what I can understand and my brain has given up.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°This is a lot - I can appreciate that. Part of the System induction includes a Buff¡­ ah, it¡¯s not exactly a sedative, but it has a similar effect. Helps suspend your disbelief.¡±


    I gave him a dull glare. ¡°Does it also stop me from being mad at people injecting weird shit into me?¡±


    ¡°Technically, yes.¡± He gave me a sheepish grin. ¡°This isn¡¯t exactly a perfect solution, but to give Earth a chance, it¡¯s the best we could do.¡±


    Jerking my thumb back to the pods, I furrowed my brow. ¡°Who¡¯s ¡®we¡¯? STAR? Does this mean you¡¯re not from Earth? Are you an alien as well?¡±


    Richard sighed. ¡°It¡¯s complicated. STAR is the name of the System that we adhere to, and before you ask, it¡¯s not an acronym. I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m an alien, but¡­ let¡¯s say if you get to level five, I¡¯ll give you more information.¡±


    I gave him an exasperated shrug. This was still beyond what I was capable of processing. It felt dream-like, but the aches in my body told me it was real. I didn¡¯t know whether it was the Buff I had been given or not, but I had a gut feeling that he¡¯d be able to point me in the right direction to survive this better than if I just bolted at this point. A glance over at the sleeping Bernie had me double down on that decision.


    The truth was, I wanted to survive.


    ¡°So what¡¯s next, Richie?¡± I deflated and looked around for somewhere I could sit. No such luck. ¡°I have to go and punch some little green men with laser guns?¡±


    ¡°Nothing quite so¡­ generic? Yet, sort of even more so.¡± He pulled out a chair from thin air, equally made of blue light and wireframe, and sat on it. I couldn¡¯t tell whether he was oblivious to my need for rest, or perhaps was living up to the name I had given him. ¡°The aliens in question are known as Radochs. Tall fellers that look like cockroaches. Six arms. Insatiable desire to invade and conquer worlds.¡±


    ¡°They sound¡­ gross.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Now they¡¯ve found Earth, and have started softening it up for the main course. You¡¯ve already fought against something they sent.¡± He gestured to the blood and dust covering my suit.


    ¡°I was going to ask about that. That boar was part of the invasion?¡± I pulled a face as I shuffled over to lean against the nearest closed pod. The appearance and aggression of the animal was surprising, but it didn¡¯t seem particularly¡­ alien.


    Richard nodded. ¡°We are in what is known as phase one. The Radochs are collectors by nature, and as they have gone conquering worlds, they take small slices. Often groups of people, monsters, or places that amuse them. They then send these down to worlds they are preparing to fight, both to thin out the weaker populace, grow some worthwhile adversaries, and expand the power of their System so they can arrive in full force.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± I rubbed at my head. ¡°By fighting and growing stronger, I¡¯m still playing into their hands?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll die anyway. Given the Milestone you received and the state of your outfit, you seem like you¡¯re a fighter.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°My key skills are getting in over my head and then running from my problems. I¡¯d be surprised if I don¡¯t bounce from this as soon as there¡¯s an opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t your legs tired?¡±


    My mouth opened and closed. He didn¡¯t mean it literally, despite the answer being¡­


    I looked over at Bernie, and my thoughts wandered to the diner. Abandoning assholes was nothing, but I¡¯d hate to leave a bad impression on the decent people I had met. They deserved some common decency. I exhaled through my nose before looking back at the Guide.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°I¡¯m in for now, then. Just don¡¯t push your luck.¡± I stretched out my ankles, one after another. ¡°So you want me off to the city in the morning to gather some¡­ experience?¡±


    Richard shook his head animatedly. ¡°Not at all. In fact, I would advise never going near the city. High population density areas have both a lack of bunkers, and will have higher level monsters and a lot more of them. You are¡­ lucky to be somewhere more remote.¡±


    I didn¡¯t feel that lucky, all things considered, but the look on his face made me realize it could have been a lot worse. The city would be a war zone, with people who hadn¡¯t been able to get their STAR System being cut down by monsters. People like Bernie. Young families. People who didn¡¯t take the risk or couldn¡¯t even find the pods. The heavy weight in my stomach made me feel ill.


    ¡°It¡­ really is an apocalypse, huh?¡± The pod I was leaning against felt cold now, as if my body heat had dissipated as the reality of our situation blew through me.


    ¡°Unfortunately, yes. I wish we could have done more. It sounds big-headed to say Earth wouldn¡¯t have a chance without the STAR, but in a way, it¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have made us stronger? If this is a video game, make us max level?¡± I shuffled away from the pod, shivering. My legs were feeling better now, although my chest still ached from the boar fight.


    He shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s a matter of compatibility. The rules of the System expect new members to start from the bottom. Even a handful of bonus levels would drop your compatibility rating to single digits. Your survivability of the process. There''s only so much we can control.¡±


    I looked over at Bernie. He looked so peaceful, although now I considered it a good idea to bring him down out of the pod before he fell out. Unconscious or not, he had managed to stay in an upright position, but that might not last. I didn¡¯t know how he was going to keep up with me¡ªnot that I had a clue what I was doing¡ªwhen it came to¡­ fighting monsters? It still had an odd taste to it. Unbelievable.


    Richard watched as I shuffled the older man out from the pod and sat him down on the floor gently, up against the one beside the open one. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of information I need to give you. How open are you to learning?¡±


    I shot him a glance. ¡°We have time? I doubt I¡¯ll be able to sleep just yet, but by the morning¡­¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯d like to suggest you go out this evening.¡± He shuffled awkwardly on his chair before leaning forward. ¡°Normally I wouldn¡¯t tell you to go out at night, but getting a few levels before the new day starts will put you ahead of the curve.¡±


    ¡°Assuming I don¡¯t die,¡± I replied. ¡°I almost ate it just from a random boar. Tell me if I¡¯m wrong, but I imagine I¡¯ll have to worry about more than aggressive wildlife.¡±


    ¡°The fact that you did succeed gives me hope that you¡¯ll do fine. You are correct - actually if you open up your Map icon, you¡¯ll be able to see there is a Den nearby. Thankfully, you got in here before it arrived.¡±


    My hand hesitated toward my phone, before realizing that he meant the Map icon in my own twisted vision. Down the bottom left was another round icon that looked like it had a folded map on it. I furrowed my brow and focused, and a new window bloomed into my vision, almost taking up the entirety of my left eye.


    ¡°Fuck¡¯s sake,¡± I murmured, trying to move my head back away from it.


    ¡°You will get used to it, I promise. Right now, you won¡¯t be able to see much, but as you explore, it will populate. See that red dot just off to the side? That¡¯s the Den, which is like the lowest tier of what you might refer to as a dungeon. More of a hovel that contains a Boss.¡±


    With my unobscured right eye, I gave him a dull glare. As much as I had been trying to ignore the vernacular for a while, it was probably time to accept this was going to be something fantasy adjacent. I had been thrust into signing up for a roleplaying game to save the world. Perhaps one of my favorite kind back when I was younger¡­ although that was for escapism. Actually living it was something different.


    ¡°Even better,¡± Richard continued, ignoring my glare. ¡°They are level one. If you pick off enough of them, you should get a couple of levels¡­ but do not, under any circumstance, try to kill the Boss.¡±


    I sighed and shrugged. ¡°Sure, whatever. I¡¯ll be sure to gather a party at the local tavern before venturing forth.¡± I felt a pang in my chest. ¡°Oh, but what about the diner?¡± As Richard gave me a quizzical look, my eye checked the map - but either I couldn¡¯t zoom out enough or there wasn¡¯t enough detail to give any hint as to what happened there.


    ¡°Diner?¡±


    ¡°A mile or two back up the road. There were two others there but they haven¡¯t shown up. Is there another bunker?¡± I flexed my fingers, halfway sure of the answer already.


    ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t say for sure.¡± Richard gave me an apologetic shrug. ¡°Technically, I only exist within this bunker, and can only be seen by those with the STAR System installed. If it¡¯s that far away, I suggest checking it out in the morning. Traveling that distance in the night is asking for trouble.¡±


    As much as that sounded like a me thing to do, I begrudgingly accepted that he was probably right. The fact that the world over was probably suffering casualties in the millions overnight was just too overwhelming to really process. Locked away here in this small room, it was easy to think it couldn¡¯t be true. Yet I made myself the promise to check out the diner as soon as I could.


    ¡°So I just have to wander out and hit a few¡­ monsters. Isn¡¯t this something the military can handle?¡± I looked around, feeling like I needed a seat again.


    ¡°To some degree, sure. There will come a time where guns, tanks, and bombs won¡¯t put a dent into the things coming to Earth. With the STAR, you can learn literal skills that will allow you to stand against the looming threats.¡±


    ¡°I can learn fireballs and shit?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, actually.¡± Richard gave me a humorless smile. ¡°You get passive skills by interacting with the world. Hit things with a sword and your Sword Mastery goes up. Passives usually are just small percentage bonuses, but it depends. Active skills can only be learned from Class selection¡ªwhich is every five levels¡ªor from skillbooks.¡±


    I nodded slowly. ¡°I have one of those, I think. The Milestone notification said it was upgraded to rare because I mashed the brains of an animal in.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± His intangible form wavered slightly before he smiled. ¡°That¡¯s good. Very good, in fact. A rare skill straight out of the gate is potentially a big boost to your starting progression.¡±


    Using what patience I managed to gather together, I glanced down at the icons on the left again. ¡°I understand the Inventory and Map. What are these other three?¡±


    ¡°Stats, Health Status, and Skills.¡±


    I focused on the Stats and it brought up another screen to replace the map I hadn¡¯t bothered to dismiss. The fact that it knew my government name aside, it seemed as though I was a level 1 human with no classes.


    With a grunt, I closed that window down. ¡°I am almost disappointed that there is nothing telling me I have low charisma. The statistics it tracks are more basic than what I know from games.¡±


    There were Power, Guile, and Knowledge. Beneath those after a small separation were Vitality, Stamina, and Morale. I had a single point in them all, which made me feel rather average.


    ¡°It¡¯s a simple but flexible setup. Your stats will influence what Classes you get, the Classes will influence your stats.¡± Richard leaned back in his chair. ¡°They should be relatively easy enough to understand.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s basically melee, ranged, or spellcaster, right? The defensive three are more abstract, but sure, I get it.¡± The fact that I was discussing this so matter-of-fact-ly with an intangible wireframe person while aliens dropped fantasy monsters from orbit to take over Earth was¡­ well, thank fuck I had those sedatives.


    ¡°Roughly,¡± he agreed. ¡°Some Classes can be spellcasters that use Power as their main stat, or there are melee Classes that use Guile¡­ but I wouldn¡¯t worry about that for now. Any bonus you get would be beneficial until you can choose your first Class.¡±


    Which was level five, if my brain was working correctly. Skills screen was empty, so I switched to the Health Status.


    [Injuries]


    [Right Hand - Minor Lacerations (Healing)]


    [Torso - Heavy Bruising]


    [Buff Effects]


    [Soft Landing - Your disbelief is being suspended. (Expires in 2 hours)]


    My Guide seemed content enough to let me potter around the various screens by myself for a moment, and I had to admit that I was getting used to them. Could still use a good sleep. Maybe a vacation. As my eyes hovered towards my Inventory, I gave Richard a glance.


    ¡°There¡¯s no option where we can just stay in the bunker and ride this out?¡±


    He stared at me blankly, his eyes moving between Bernie and me. ¡°Honestly, if that was an option, I¡¯d recommend it. But - you have no food, water, or facilities to stay here long term. Wouldn¡¯t you rather take your fate into your own hands?¡±


    I wavered slightly as I chewed on this question. He made it sound easy. Like I could just pick up a sword and become a world saving adventurer. Even ignoring how ridiculous that sounded, I had never been a hero to anyone. Maybe if the world was really ending, carving out a safe space for Bernie could at least earn me a little reprieve before¡­ a dragon or some other bullshit tore my head off.


    A shrug was the only answer I gave, but I opened up my Inventory. It was a grid of squares. Mostly empty aside from one box that looked a little like a treasure chest up at the top left. A few tabs ran across the top of the upper row, but they were grayed out. Some manner of sorting facility, which sounded¡­ neat.


    ¡°This is like some intangible pocket dimension I can throw all sorts of shit in, huh?¡± I asked idly, more to try to ground myself than to reach for an answer.


    ¡°Anything that gives you an Inspect option if you focus on it, at least. There¡¯s nuance, but you¡¯ll work it out with trial and error. Nothing living or larger than what you can carry.¡±


    I looked at the Welcome Chest and selected the option to open it.


    [Healing Potion(1)]


    [Torch]


    [Rare Skillbook (Random)]


    [Basic Chair]


    After the notifications of new items came in, I glared over at the Guide. ¡°There was a chair in here all this time, and you didn¡¯t tell me? Isn¡¯t it supposed to give me a weapon as well?¡±


    He returned a sheepish grin. ¡°You already have one, Scarlet. Check your pocket.¡±


    My hand went down to my jacket pocket, where the hammer still sat holstered. I pulled it out and observed the smeared and drying blood around the head. It prompted me to inspect it, which I accepted. What choice did I have, really?


    [Magic Hammer]


    [+1 Vitality]


    [Now everything looks like a magic nail.]


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure this wasn¡¯t magical before. How does Vitality work? It''s not actually my health, right - as I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t have a bar telling me how close to death I am?¡±


    He nodded his head, his eyes on my held weapon. ¡°Correct. It¡¯s one case where video game logic doesn¡¯t really transfer. An arrow to the neck will kill you no matter how strong you are, but higher Vitality levels will lower how lethal the attack is. You can get a health percentage readout if you like, but again it¡¯s rather abstract.¡±


    I was sure I was going to learn the hard way by getting the shit beat out of me. Somehow I felt responsible for Bernie, despite only just meeting him. This was a far cry from my city-hopping escapades, and I still longed for a shower and a hotel room.


    Mostly, however, I wanted to go and see for myself. That this wasn¡¯t just a weird dream or whatever. Maybe take some pent up anger out on some hapless monsters and feel grounded. Build up a foundation where I could be in control and address my issues as they came up.


    I shook those thoughts out of my head and went into my Inventory. Focusing on the skillbook, I indicated that I wanted to withdraw it¡ªand found the tome now in my hand.


    A leather jacket of deep blue, accented with silver clasps on the edges. It had some weight to it. With a long sigh, I held it up to Richard.


    ¡°Here goes then. Let¡¯s find out how lucky I really am.¡±


    With little need for ceremony, I opened the skillbook up to learn my first skill.

 5 - Hunting in the Dark

    <div>


    The cold air whipped at my face as the bunker door closed, locking me out of safety and into the unknown. I shivered as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, and I opened up my menus once more to triple check the skill I had received.


    [Killing Blow]


    Richard had been surprised by its appearance. Despite him being a manner of¡­ some part of the System I had now been labored with, he hadn¡¯t seen the skill before. A little prodding had gotten him to come clean that the skills that were possible to gain were something partially procedurally generated. While using my hammer would grant a very common and well documented [Hammer Mastery] skill, some abilities were unique or rare.


    I had asked him if that meant it was powerful, as my original cursory glance over the given ability left me with nothing but a sinking feeling in my stomach.


    It depends, he had said.


    My eyes scoured the full description, just in case we had missed some actual detail or decent explanation the other two times.


    [Killing Blow (Rank 1)]


    [When an enemy is on low life, occasionally grants an opportunity finisher that reduces the Morale of any witnesses allied to the victim.]


    When asking Richard what ¡®low life¡¯ and ¡®opportunity finisher¡¯ meant, I had been given nothing but a sheepish grin and a shrug in response. Reading between the lines, it sounded like an ''execute'' style skill, something that added flourish to killing off an opponent. The actual viability remained to be seen.


    Now I was standing out in the cold, with a hammer gripped tightly in my aching hand and an uncomfortable roiling in my stomach.


    ¡°This is fucked,¡± I whispered to myself, shaking some of the disbelief away.


    With my eyes now adjusted to the gloom of the open desert, it was perhaps fortuitous that my target destination was already illuminated off to my right. Something that hadn¡¯t been there when we had arrived at the bunker.


    Some manner of small church, or chapel. Perhaps a mausoleum? It was a few hundred feet off from the building that I was pressed against and half tempted to reenter. Surrounded by a graveyard, headstones and small monuments dotting the area around it in a wide circle. Although it was lit sporadically, there was something off about the light sources. Clearly lanterns or torches by the way they flickered, but it was like they were discolored. A filter of menace had been placed over the scene.


    Before I could even drum up the willpower to take my first steps forward, I saw shapes moving between the foul light and shadows.


    It would probably be a terrible idea to light my torch at this stage. While I couldn¡¯t make out what the skulking humanoid shapes in the graveyard actually were, I didn¡¯t want them to make a beeline for me on approach. Against better judgement, I crept forward toward the nearest set of headstones, trying to keep a low profile.


    There was some amount of madness that I was trying to ignore. This situation was absurd. If it weren¡¯t for how the occasional wind bit at my skin through my shirt, I would have thought this was a dream. Even ignoring the sudden appearance of this graveyard, it only took a glance toward the city to know that this was real. Lights flashed between the buildings, some of which were on fire or smoking. A thick haze enveloped part of what I could see, and I felt my whole body tense at the implications.


    I lowered myself further as my feet hit softer ground. Actual mud and dirt rather than the expected sandy rock of the desert. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was an improvement or benefit quite yet, but the smell that carried along the air the closer I got to the mausoleum had me feeling like I¡¯d eventually give up on keeping my diner meal on the inside.


    Something wet and rotting. A sickness that lingered stagnant and earthy. I ducked down and placed my hand against a stone coffin affording me cover. My breathing was all over the place and I hadn¡¯t realized I had been holding it where possible. I leaned against the cold surface and the warmth wicked away from my torso as the current situation took a moment to sink in. Fuck this.


    I edged myself toward the corner of my cover with short steps. Hammer still gripped tightly, I leaned out to get a better look at my situation. At the moving figures that I was supposed to assault and murder.


    There were three moving shapes relatively close to my position. I narrowed my eyes at the nearest as they walked under the light of of one the lanterns, washing their shadowed robes with foul light. It was only now I saw the long tail emerging out of the back of their dirtied clothing. It waved and slunk around like a thick worm. From beneath the raised hood, a snout protruded.


    [Ratman Plaguetouched (Level 1)]


    I winced and ducked behind cover again, as if the monster would have been able to sense that the System had just given his details over to me. Currently, I wasn¡¯t sure how much I liked the occasional bursts of information being fed straight into my eyes¡­ but knowing that they were also level one gave me some minor comfort.


    That didn¡¯t mean my heart would stop pounding away in my chest, however. I was nearing the edge where I¡¯d need to decide if I was really going to do this. Kill a monster.


    Yeah, I was.


    Committing to the process with a surge of adrenaline to keep me steady, my eyes flicked open my Inventory, and I withdrew the unlit torch into my left hand. Instead of toggling it alight, I drew my hand back and lobbed it down further west from me among some headstones. The inert wooden item struck one of the grave markers on the edge, letting out a satisfying donk. Not especially loud, but hopefully¡­ yes¡ªthere was the sound of footsteps.


    I got into a crouched position as the padded sounds of one of the monsters came my way. A sniffing noise thick with running snot followed along with it, as the ratman muttered something unintelligible to himself. My breath caught in my throat as he stepped past my cover, his back toward me as he looked over at the grave where my torch now lay.


    As he started to draw something from his belt, I leaped up, my jaw clenched as I took two long steps toward him.


    He turned, and I caught a brief glance at him. Baleful yellow eyes that almost glowed. Pus and blood matted into his dark fur. A mouth full of jagged teeth, drool soaking down from the sides of his mouth. Just as he clocked my appearance and drew his knife up in his hand, my hammer connected with his head.


    Thanks to him looking around at me, I struck him right in the temple. Only slightly dulled by his hood, the strike came as a shock and he stumbled away, dazed. Before he could gather his senses, I followed up, bringing the hammer down onto his face again. Teeth fell from his bloodied mouth, his clawed hands coming up to grab at his shattered snout. I struck him in the head again, before the fourth attack split his skull.


    The assailed ratman took two shaking steps away before collapsing like a sack of potatoes, bouncing off one of the gravestones before slumping to the soft soil. I raised the hammer back up to make sure the deed was done, when a notification from the System delayed the swing.


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    [Milestone: You have killed your first monster. There are plenty more where they came from.]


    [Reward Received: Title: Adventurer]


    I gasped for air, now aware of the streaks of warm blood across my shirt. There hadn¡¯t been a prompt for Killing Blow, but that didn¡¯t matter right now. I had killed a monster. Before I could revel in my minor victory or start scrambling to make sure nobody else had caught sight of the brief skirmish, the System flashed a rolling list of new skills I had just earned the first rank of.


    [New Passive: Hammer Mastery 1]


    [New Passive: Ambusher 1]


    [New Passive: Flawless 1]


    [New Passive: Skull Breaker 1]


    More important than digging into what these meant was getting somewhere safe. I swore under my breath as I ducked down low and move around the headstones by the corpse. Richard had said something about looting bodies, but I had a bigger problem.


    Two of the other rats had been alerted to the skirmish.


    My eyes widened as they scurried in my direction. Both dressed similarly to the first, although the one a few steps ahead of the other had dark green robes, mottled gray fur sprouting amidst the amount of filth covering him. The second had a leaner figure¡ªpossibly female¡ªand light brown fur. Both had an equal amount of anger in their eyes, their jaws slavering, ready to take a bite out of me.


    It was something of a small miracle that their fervor had drawn them straight toward me, rather than calling for further help. I stood my ground, partially frozen with indecision, but I knew this was the only way. Nowhere to run, for once. I narrowed my eyes, and the System brought up some basic information on my assailants.


    They were level one, the closer rat holding a flail while the other had a curved blade. If there were any further details to be gleaned, I didn¡¯t have time for them now. I slid my right foot back to get ready to engage them. Some past memories of a few self-defense classes rotated around in my mind, but the best lessons had been hard earned. Muscle memory and adrenaline took over. I tightened the grip on my hammer, partly wishing the System had given me something more useful.


    It was barely two heartbeats, and then they were here. A mass of matted fur, terrible body odor, and violent intent. The first swung his flail around, the spiked metal end rusty and neglected. Still, it looked like it would hurt - and I wasn¡¯t about to find out firsthand if I could help it. Using both of his hands to swing the weapon committed his body weight to certain movement. I twisted to his open side, avoiding the attack. My own hammer lashed out and struck him in the forearm.


    With a grunt of pain, a dull crack came from his arm. A minor break, but he rolled away from me to avoid a potential follow-up attack. As nice as it would be to take advantage of the upper hand, I had to worry more about-


    Before I had the chance to re-adjust my footing, the second plague-ridden monster collided with me. I fell, and we hit the ground and rolled. The sharp sting of her blade punctured through the fabric of my suit jacket and cut into my shoulder. Fetid breath clouded my sense as the ratwoman scrabbled against me, attempting to end up on top of the scuffle. I felt sharp pains along my shins as her clawed feet scratched through my slacks.


    Despite my height and weight advantage, she was wily, and eventually won the grapple. Her tail wrapped around my right wrist and held my hammer down in the dirt as she straddled my chest to keep me in place. I felt the cool mud on the back of my head, muddying my hair as I glared at the ratwoman. Seething. While she tried to bring her blade back up to stab at me, I lashed out with my left fist in rage. First strike buried into her robes, the dirty cloth absorbing the blow. My second swing was more desperate, but found a better target.


    I clipped her right on the end of her nose, causing her to wince and hiss out in pain. As one of her clawed hands grabbed at her snout, I grabbed her arm that was wielding the blade. With my life on the line, I pulled at her, my own strength gradually overpowering the monster. Twisting at the held limb, I managed to pry her off and onto the ground. Her tail released me as she landed awkwardly on the mud.


    My freed hammer didn¡¯t have much power to it with the first attack, but the dampened strike was enough to make the monster flinch. I pushed her further away. The first rat had recovered and was swinging his flail at me now that I had usurped their accomplice. I rolled across the ground to avoid it, getting back up to my feet as he struck the earth. Expecting me to stay on the defensive, I surprised him by darting forward. With a reckless slash of my weapon, the metal end connected with his eye, shattering the socket.


    He shook his head and growled, half blinded, in pain, and shocked. It was enough time for me to bring a follow-up into his head undefended. With a damp thud, his body shivered and briefly flashed red.


    A tutorial prompt within my internal HUD told me this was the cue for me to use Killing Blow.


    With a surge of adrenaline, I took a quick step toward the monster and lashed out with a kick. I struck him in the leg, causing his footing to falter. He dropped to both knees, still clutching at his ruined eye. In my hand, I twisted the hammer around and swung upward with the clawed side.


    The attack burst through below his chin and ripped his lower jaw straight off with the movement, spraying warm blood up my front. The rat spasmed, gurgling as he slunk over onto the ground. I flicked the blood from my silver weapon and snarled at my other opponent.


    Now back to her feet, her eyes were wide. Shocked over the excessive kill I had just meted out. An execution I made look so simple, the monster now believed I was way out of their league. With her tail lashing back and forth, she froze briefly while trying to decide whether to flee or run for help.


    I pressed the advantage and didn¡¯t allow her to reach a conclusion. Her knife hand came up, but it was far too late. First strike stunned her, and the flurry of desperate swings that followed turned her into dead pulp within seconds.


    My eyes burned as I turned to see if any other motherfuckers wanted to join the fray. My breathing was ragged. Suit soaked through with sweat, blood, and covered in dirt. After seeing how sickening the creatures were up close, there were possible even worse bodily fluids involved.


    I took a few meandering steps towards cover and lowered myself while I scouted for violence on the way. No¡­ it seemed fine, for now.


    That was¡­ fucking terrifying, actually. I had survived and ended the lives of some of these otherworldly invaders. Didn¡¯t feel too great about it, but I was okay. Pushing forward.


    The System was happy to announce that I had gotten down to 70% health in all that scuffling about. Scratches in my legs ached where I was probably bleeding. My collarbone had a light gash. Not entirely life-threatening, but a quick glance through the Logs said that I had lost a chunk of health from minor poisons the attacks had inflicted. For some reason, the System was keen to give me rewards for this bullshit.


    [Milestone Reached: You have been poisoned. Sick.]


    [Reward Received: Antidote (2)]


    That seemed a lot less helpful if I had died from one of the poisons. For the next fight, I¡¯ll be better prepared, at least. A deeper dive into my Injuries window revealed that I had resisted infection in both of my legs. Fantastic.


    I thought adventures usually started with fighting slime creatures, zombies, or giant rats¡­ oh, well, this was close enough.


    ¡°Fucking rats,¡± I whispered towards the corpses, hoping that the System wouldn¡¯t punish me for the disdain. My experience bar had stopped at 97%, which meant I had to throw myself into further danger with the smelly rodents just to appease my ¡®guide¡¯.


    Instead of sticking my hand straight back into the fire, I gave a cursory glance over the new skills I had apparently learned from beating the shit out of these monsters. A new one joined the others from the first part of the fight.


    [New Passive: Imposing 1]


    Most of them just seemed to increase my damage by a small amount per level, differing by method. With hammers. When surprising opponents. Attacking enemy skulls. Richard had mentioned that these basic skills would be unimpressive at the start, but at levels 5 and 10 they either improved by giving extra bonuses, or by unlocking better skills. That didn¡¯t mean much while they were all at the basic stage, however.


    [Imposing] increased the chance of causing Morale loss on opponents. The whole stat system seemed rather abstract still. Using [Killing Blow] on that one ratman had scared the shit out of the other rodent. Actually committing to the execution felt oddly smooth as well, just like I was locked into a video game animation. The brief surge of adrenaline had given me the strength and wit to know how and where to strike for maximum effect.


    I shook my head. There would be plenty of time to browbeat Richard when I survived the night. Right now I had to get this dangerous situation wrapped up.


    Believing that I wasn¡¯t about to attract the eyes of any more monsters, I shuffled myself over to the ratman whose jaw I had ripped clean off. Kneeling down beside him, I pulled a face.


    They were even more disgusting without the haze of battle distracting me. Literally man-size rats, but diseased. They smelled like an open sewer, full of decay and rank piss. My glare of disgust brought up a menu, asking me if I wanted to loot the corpse.


    Thank fuck I didn¡¯t have to do it the manual way.


    With the heat of combat slowly ebbing away, I opened up the window to see what potential oddities the creature could offer me.

 6 - Rat Trap

    I muttered a few more curse words for the dead rats as I moved from their bodies and back into cover. For the sake of my sanity, I had just hit the ¡®Loot All¡¯ button on them both, so I wasn¡¯t right out in the open.


    The bounty earned via almost dying, was¡­ hardly worth the effort. Five gold coins. A knife. Three vials of¡­ Rat Juice. I pulled a face and brought up the descriptions.


    [Basic Knife]


    [Not even a cut above]


    [Rat Juice (3)]


    [We¡¯ll leave it up to you to decide if this is something they drink or produce.]


    [Weapon Coating. Your attacks have a low chance of spreading Rat Plague on targets. 10 minute duration]


    I wasn¡¯t sure what I¡¯d be able to use the gold coins for, but they were exactly as described. The System clearly used a familiar currency, and had a handy total shown above the top row of my Inventory. No doubt getting that number higher would be a shield for my safety, even if in a more abstract way. I shivered.


    The patches of blood and pile had cooled, and the cold breeze running through the area chilled me. More uncomfortable than that were the notifications the System was desperate for me to acknowledge. I hated this. Leaning up against another cold stone grave marker out of sight, I grit my teeth and opened up the flashing icon.


    [Level Up]


    [You are now Level 2]


    [Received 2 unassigned stat points]


    Me experience bar was now at 2%, which suggested to me that looting bodies also gave a small amount. For all my efforts in caving in the skulls of monsters, I had earned two abstract points to put into one of the six stats. It barely felt worth the effort at this stage, but I continued to act like it mattered for now.


    A quick glance at my Stats again, and it told me in bold text that I would need to be in a bunker or my home to assign these waiting boosts. Things were never simple.


    I exhaled through my nose. Rather than dwell on every small setback, I switched to the next set of notifications, which were more milestones.


    [Milestone Reached: You have leveled up for the first time. Hopefully not the last.]


    [Reward Received: Armor Upgrade Stone (Random)]


    [Milestone Reached: Ahead of the curve. You are one of the first Players to reach level 2.]


    [Reward Received: Bracers of Speed]


    It was hard to know where to begin with the messages. My brow had furrowed at the part where we were being referred to as ¡®players¡¯, as if this was some sort of game. No doubt Richard had some way of spinning it to make sense, but I felt uncomfortable over the insinuation that this clusterfuck was anything close to being jovial in nature. I was not having fun.


    Being ¡®one of the first¡¯ was also vague, but that seemed to be a common recurrence with the System. I ached just trying to imagine how many people had died in this short time, whether they had decided to fight¡­ or had no choice. It was fucked. Most people on this side of the world might have chosen to sleep on the decision, assuming they made it to a bunker. I could see why Richard had pushed me forward. There were rewards for it.


    In this instance, I had earned a piece of equipment, but it could have just as easily been the end of me. Staying in that top percentile might give more advantages the higher level I reached¡­ but did I even want that?


    Autopilot and the sedative-like buff had gotten me this far, but what were my actual thoughts on all this once I sobered up?


    I paused as one of the distant ratmen coughed loudly. Wetly. He spat on the ground and then chittered something to his companion before it was relatively silent again.


    My hands flexed into fists and relaxed again. On edge, I opened up my Equipment window. There were twelve slots in total where I could place pieces of gear to gain their System granted benefits. I assumed that I was able to wear whatever I wanted outside of this scope, but any¡­ magical garments would just act as mundane items in that case. Another instance where I was making a leap based on my middling video game experience - but I could probably test it now.


    My current clothing wasn¡¯t present on this shown ragdoll, which probably meant they weren¡¯t attuned to the System - Richard had said something about that.


    In my Inventory were the Bracers of Speed. I brought up the description before my little experiment went underway.


    [Bracers of Speed]


    [Increase experience gain by 1%]


    [Make haste and waste your enemies]


    Not exactly what I had been expecting, but if the goal was to level, then that would increase my speed. Biting my tongue, I selected to equip them.


    A small progress bar zipped along the lower edge of my vision - and then I was wearing them. I switched the STAR windows away to inspect them in real life. They were little more than tubes of tight fabric, probably more useful for preventing repetitive strain injury than deflecting melee attacks. Yellow and green in alternating stripes, so¡­ ugly as sin.


    Back into my menus, there was now a new list under my Equipment that showed Current Bonus. It listed the single percent from the bracers. I unequipped them with another progress bar appearing before they hopped from the equipment box to my Inventory again. I then withdrew them from my Inventory into my hands. Against my better judgement, I pulled them onto my arms after rolling my sleeves up to my elbows.


    Once done, they seemed to fit just as well as before. I opened up my Equipment menu, and they did not appear on my equipped list, and neither was I receiving the buff from them. Fantastic. Another mystery solved. Science.


    I shook my head as I reversed the process, applying the bonus. Seemed a bit pointless when I could die in the next fight, but completing the task made me briefly content.


    The Armor Upgrade Stone would turn a mundane piece of gear into a magical one by giving it a random stat increase. The description didn¡¯t have the usual forced smarm that some of the System text liked to taunt me with, so it seemed pretty cut and dry.


    I went with my slacks for the sole reason that I was likely to want to remain clothed for my journey, and magical pants would help with that. I sighed again. A progress bar zipped across the bottom of my sight once more, before the black slacks appeared in my Equipment page, slotted into the Legs box.


    [Confident Business Slacks]


    [Reassurance, one leg after the other.]


    [+1 Morale]


    All things considered, I wasn¡¯t sure if that was a good roll. Power or Vitality seemed more important for me to survive the night, but at least now I had a little more faith that I¡¯d live to see the morning. Perhaps I should focus on that instead of making wisecracks to myself.


    My tired eyes went up to another notification.


    [Milestone Reached: You have upgraded a mundane item from <Earth>. Thrifty!]


    [Reward Received: Bandage (1)]


    Aside from the interesting choice to put Earth in brackets as if it was a changeable variable, the appearance of a new healing item had me switching to my Inventory instantly.


    [Bandage]


    [Injured? Then let¡¯s wrap this up]


    [Restores 25% of your HP over 2 minutes]


    Three seconds to activate it, and then it would slowly regenerate my health over time. A quick glance at my status screen, and I decided to use it right away since I was still at 70%. Leaning over, I withdrew the bandage and wrapped it around my left thigh. Once three seconds had passed, it vanished from my hands and a small icon in my vision appeared to let me know the healing was in progress.


    Now that I had quietened the System, I stretched my back out and looked past my cover to the east side of the graveyard. There were two ratmen in low, murmured discussion a little further in - but there was also another on his own, closer to me. Based on context clues, I assumed that they were immune to the Rat Plague, so I would save those vials for a rainy day.


    I adjusted the grip on my hammer. There was a feeling within me that I had¡­ broken the seal. Crossed the line in knowing what I had to do now - and actually doing it. The descriptions and rewards had been mentally tiring and droll, sure, but I had no hesitation in now wanting to go after the rest of the rats. I might level up again. Find something more useful than vials of piss. Eke out an advantage for tomorrow, or the next day.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    So that I could survive.


    All that it would take would be for me to get lucky in combat another six to nine times. I liked those odds. Historically¡­ not a good call, but I either had a good feeling about this, or the numb trauma had already taken the reins.


    Back in the shadows, I moved between groups of headstones and sporadic plinths. With my health ticking up, I could feel the sharp aches of my cut legs begin to dull. By the time I reached my target, the bandage would have completed. Almost back to full. Confident.


    I could now see another reason why Richard had pushed me to go out at night. In the daytime, I would have been spotted a lot easier trying to assault this place. At present, I could barely hold my own against a pair of enemies, so anything more would be a death sentence. Alongside the attempt to get me ahead of the curve, I couldn¡¯t exactly fault him for his logic. Resented him a little, though.


    But as I reached the ratman, I wanted to prove my Guide correct. I was a survivor. The end of the world wouldn¡¯t change that - I just need to exploit these new avenues. Play the game expected of me. If I just pushed myself a little harder, I¡¯d take advantage of all this new bullshit afforded to me. One step at a time.


    I sprung up on the day-dreaming ratman, hammer flashing down to strike the level 1 monster in the back of his head.


    He screeched in pain, jolting briefly in place from the sound of his skull cracking. As I withdrew my weapon, he flashed red briefly.


    The two ratmen further away had heard the dying cries of their companion and turned their glares toward me. I stepped up behind the wounded monster, the foul torch nearby under-lighting my face as I grabbed his snout. With the adrenaline of [Killing Blow] powering my actions, I snapped his head to the side¡ªsnapping his grinding vertebrae¡ªwhile maintaining eye contact with the alerted pair.


    They wavered in place for a moment, almost lowering their weapons in shock. One with a spear, the other a curved knife. Their hesitation gave me enough time to dip away from the dead ratman and duck back into the shadows. I retreated through the maze of gravestones, and they took the bait. Chittering at each other, they sought vengeance and pursued me.


    Although I couldn¡¯t always rely on Killing Blow to activate, I needed more tools under my belt to make use of the demoralizing side of it. The true power wasn¡¯t in executing the near-dead target, but in sowing doubt and fear in¡­


    I clicked away that thought process at the sound of footfall. The two ratmen had been a lot quicker than I had expected, already almost upon me despite my head-start. I paused behind a tall obelisk and waited, breath held.


    Barely five heartbeats later and the first one rounded the corner of my hiding place, his knife at the ready. His eyes were still glaring further down the graveyard, my location briefly unknown. As he turned to me, I lashed forward with a torch; the end bursting into bright light just in time.


    He stumbled, blinded, his eyes unable to adjust so suddenly. The swing of my hammer caught him in the open mouth, dislocating his jaw but doing little else other than breaking several decaying teeth.


    Sparks rang from the obelisk as the ratwoman behind him darted forward with her spear, the jagged blade on the end catching the granite beside me. I dove away into a sluggish roll, dropping the torch in the process, before rising to my feet. The one with the broken jaw was already coming in for a slash with his blade, some wild dissociation in his eyes as he ignored the pain I had inflicted.


    I grimaced and brought my hammer up to block his attack, and the force turned me away. Undamaged, but flat-footed. He grabbed at me with his other hand, grasping my suit jacket in an attempt to hold me in place. Not just for his own follow-up, but so that I couldn¡¯t move away from the imminent spear from the other monster.


    There wasn¡¯t much time to dig into the specifics, but I could tell they were out of sorts. An icon lingered over their name, but I couldn¡¯t find the space to bring up what it was called. It looked like a shocked face in black and white, so I read between the lines a little. Killing Blow had softened them up, making them a little slower and more awkward. It wasn¡¯t by much, but with adrenaline pumping through my system¡­ it might make the difference.


    I twisted and turned myself as the attack came in, retracting my arm from the sleeve of the jacket. The tip of the spear punctured through the fabric and barely passed over my back. I continued to turn around, wrapping the jacket around the weapon as it slid from my arms.


    My right arm came out first, birthed away from the clothing still clutching the silver hammer. I lashed forward with whatever momentum I had available, catching the monster struggling to pull back their spear in their left hand. With a screech, they let go, stepping back as I stepped in, rotating in a quick circle to swing in a wide arc. I struck them in the side of the head, knocking them out.


    Not the first time I¡¯d done that. I spat, grimacing at the torn and muddied jacket still tied around the long weapon. Stolen, so I had no sentimental connection to it. It had served its purpose.


    The knife-wielder lunged toward me, and I sidestepped. He went to grapple me again, but I was prepared. Hammer hit the extended fingers with a crack, and he dove away in reflex - dropping his blade in the process. It didn¡¯t take him any time at all to right himself, despite his injuries and mental state. For as much as they looked like diseased animals on their last legs, they were agile and scrappy.


    His eyes turned to his fallen blade, the metal reflecting some dull light. I could almost see the gears spinning as he tried to calculate if he had the opportunity to get the weapon back.


    Ironically, that hesitation was the reason he did not.


    I was there before he could come up with the plan B. He blocked the first swing with his forearm, but it numbed the limb. Second strike hit him in the head, undefended. Third was the last that his skull could resist. Dead.


    With my teeth bared, I stumbled over to the Unconscious one. This was exhausting, even if I wasn¡¯t getting injured. Above the name of the ratwomen were two icons now. The newer one was Unconscious, which seemed obvious. The shocked face was called Rattled.


    [Rattled]


    [-10% Action Speed. Weakness to Morale damage. 10 minutes duration.]


    I grunted, for lack of any more useful opinion on the debuff. Then I brought down two quick strikes on the monster to finish this.


    [Hammer Mastery 2]


    Standing back up straight, I stretched out my arms and shoulders. I spent a few moments just catching my breath again, slightly colder than before. My jacket was now absorbing some pooled ratman blood and filth¡­ so I was down a layer of clothing. With a shiver, I frowned and spat on the nearest corpse.


    ¡°Eat shit, motherfuckers.¡±


    Not a mature or restrained response, but fuck them. I had survived. If the rest of humanity could do what I had, then the world was as good as saved. Imagine wanting to collect these diseased and violent ratpeople, just to drop them somewhere you wanted to conquer like a fucked up Pokemon battle.


    I shook my head and looked over at the bodies. Looting time. With a glance out around the rest of the graveyard, it looked as though there had been four groups of three monsters. All of them arranged around this central large mausoleum. My eyes lingered on it for a while. It was imposing, something straight out of the dark ages. No doubt the Boss was hiding down there.


    Not something I should attempt, Richard had warned me. I was keen to avoid death, so getting another level off the last six rats before heading back to the bunker to sleep sounded reasonable to me. No shame in knowing when it was a good time to run. I already told myself that several times a week.


    Rifling through the corpses was a drab affair. My nose had long gone blind to the disgusting juices they were oozing. I just hit the System boxes and moved on as quickly as I could.


    Another eight gold and two knives. Three bandages, and a small square object that was some manner of lockbox. I almost left the vial of Rat Juice behind, but decided to take it. Hoping that the new box might have some way of assisting me tonight, I found it in my Inventory and gave it a look.


    [Plain Lockbox]


    [Rarely found on murdered humanoids, containing their keepsakes. Who is the real monster here?]


    I rolled my eyes, not needing the System to judge my actions. This was all thrust upon me, and I was making the best of it.


    Despite being called a lockbox, I was nonplussed to find that it required no key, as it was already unlocked. A small progress bar zipped along, before the contents were unceremoniously dumped straight into my Inventory - the box itself vanishing from the grid and existence. I made the mental note to do that in real life next time.


    Three gold, a blank scroll, and a potion bottle. The scroll was inert until someone with high enough Knowledge could inscribe a spell on it¡ªwhich sounded like bullshit¡ªso I drew up the description for the amber-colored potion.


    [Minor Potion of Power]


    [Grants +10% Power (min 1). 5 minutes duration.]


    I eyed up the six remaining ratmen after looking at the bottle. Currently, the potion would double my Power. How that translated to my hammer swings and damage was something else entirely, which none of my screens cared to explain. Surely it couldn¡¯t be too rare to find minor potions.


    Of course, I knew the meme about saving consumables for the next game. I''d just have to be under-prepared for Earth 2.


    With a brief sigh, I went off to continue this murder spree. I took the potion out and drank it as I approached the next pack. It tasted like¡­ beef and peppercorn, with a slight alcoholic aftertaste. Warmed me as it went down.


    Perhaps I had been wrong to misjudge the now empty bottle, as the next three monsters died with only minor injuries taken. I didn¡¯t get any opportunities to use Killing Blow, but they had practically lined up in a queue to attack me one-by-one with how disorganized they were. Gained [Skull Breaker 2]. With a bandage erasing all of HP loss, I brought out my phone to see if I could do anything yet.


    The battery had died.


    Serves me right, really. I had planned to ask to charge it at the diner when I had arrived, but the food had completely distracted me. Escapism where I could get it. Now I fucking missed those eggs.


    That would be my first stop tomorrow, but not entirely for that reason.


    My expression soured as I bounced from that gloomy thought to the more present problem. The last three rats were all hanging around together. Every pack so far had a split, but this would mean fighting three at once. Time was ticking on my Power potion, and I wanted to make use of the boost while I could.


    Safer bet would be to call it a night. Killing them would definitely get me to level three, and no doubt - I would be high up on that chart still. I readied up my single health potion. Brought out a knife for my left hand just in case. More options and tools would be useful. My eyes were aching from using the STAR so much. I needed sleep.


    I shook my head off. Too much thinking. My potion would probably fall off mid-combat now. Start strong, keep momentum. Spurned on by this thought, my feet dug into the soft soil and pushed me forward. No opportunity to use stealth with how well-lit their area was. I just had to kill to survive.


    It came as no surprise that they spotted me as I sprinted in to attack. Any momentary shock went away long before I could reach them, the scenery causing me to slow. Just a couple of seconds¡ªa few more rows¡ªand I could¡­


    My heart leaped into my throat as I scanned the weaponry they drew up against me.


    The one nearest the back held a crossbow, the bolt on it glowing with a wicked green energy. Aimed right at me.


    He fired, and I had no time to change course.

 7 - Underground Fireworks

    I cursed existence with every ounce of strength I could muster.


    Through blurry eyes I stared down at the puddle of blood and partially digested scrambled eggs. Fuck it all.


    My chest burned as my stomach lurched for a possible excavation part three. Arms numb and my left leg kept shaking. The slow ticking of the bandage felt like torture. I was angered. I was in agony. I was... alive.


    Barely. I blinked away the haze in my vision to glance at the Health Report screaming for my attention. In an attempt to distract my stomach from hurling again, I looked through the log.


    There was a warning for where I dropped to 5% HP after taking the bolt straight to the chest. I didn¡¯t need the line about contracting the Rat Plague to know that the projectile was covered with the shit. The pain told enough of a story. There was a second health warning where I went back down to 9% before taking an Antidote potion.


    Through¡­ some manner of miracle, I had killed the rats while hovering in single digit HP. No Killing Blow opportunities to help me, even. Hadn¡¯t looted. Was ignoring the System notifications.


    Once the last had fallen, the relief and adrenaline dump had destroyed me. Although the Rat Plague had been cured, I couldn¡¯t help but immediately throw up. In fact, I hadn¡¯t moved from this hunched over position¡ªhands on my knees¡ªsince I had activated a bandage.


    ¡°Fuuuuuuck,¡± I complained. The two minutes were up, the bandage bringing me up to just over a third of my full health. I still felt like I had been hit by a truck.


    My right hand stuck to my leg slightly as I pulled it away, the blood that had been covering it drying against the fabric. Rather than drop my weapon once the fighting concluded, I had put it in my Inventory instead, almost innately. Rather than bring the weapon out, I grabbed my last bandage and applied it to my arm. It didn¡¯t seem to matter where I applied it for it to take effect, and my left arm was safer. Trying to put it on my leg would just tempt vertigo to pull me over into the soaked earth.


    I glanced around to make sure there were no other rats hiding in the shadows, but saw none. Graveyard all but cleared. I turned my nose up at the flickering torches of foul light, absolutely despising this place. While I healed, I checked whatever the System wanted to tell me. There were a lot of things.


    [Level Up]


    [You are now Level 3]


    [Received 2 unassigned stat points]


    [Milestone Reached: Ahead of the curve. You are one of the first Players to reach level 3]


    [Reward Received: Gloves of Speed]


    [Milestone Reached: You¡¯ve had a near-death experience. That¡¯s a bad habit to pick up.]


    [Reward Received: Health Potion (3)]


    [Milestone Reached: You have killed your first Elite monster. Give yourself a pat on the back]


    [Reward Received: Armor Upgrade Stone (Morale)]


    [Milestone Reached: Surrounded, you won a whole fight while on less than 10% health.]


    [Reward Received: Ability granted - Against All Odds 1]


    I groaned. Took one of the Health Potions to bring me up to 85% HP. The aches in my chest subsided, and any nausea abated. Still ached like shit, though. Shaking my head off, I stretched out my tired muscles. Not the greatest rewards for almost dying, but just being alive was enough for me right now.


    Fuck those rats for wasting my diner breakfast, though.


    I glared at their mangled corpses and brought up my upgrade stone. Used it on¡­ my shirt. Honestly, that was a mistake - I was just looking at options when hitting it accidentally. Given how ruined it was, I didn¡¯t think the system would even let me. Torn in several places, partly hanging off me and partly stuck to my skin with how soaked it was with blood and bile. I looked like someone had gone way too overboard with their zombie halloween costume.


    But now it also gave me an extra Morale point. Hooray.


    Would have been nicer to roll Vitality or Power, but I was too tired to complain. I seriously felt like passing out was a potentially real threat if I didn¡¯t get rest soon. Even taking a couple of steps forward so that I could¡­ loot¡­ was a struggle.


    While I gathered my energy, I went through the other things the System had rewarded me with.


    [Against All Odds 1]


    [+1% Health, Stamina, and Morale when surrounded by 3 or more opponents. (Min 1)]


    Interesting. I didn¡¯t plan to make that sort of situation a common event, but it would be a decent bonus when the chance arises. Leveling it up might be an issue. The longer I survived and more strength I gained, the greater that percentage boost would be - even at the lower skill level.


    There were a few other skills gained during my fight too. I let them be free and updated.


    [Hammer Mastery 3]


    [New Passive: Resilient 1]


    [New Passive: Decimator: Ratfolk 1]


    Resilient made me take slightly less damage when below 20% HP. Decimator increased my damage against Ratfolk. Killing ten of them had apparently been how I unlocked it, and there were probably similar stages to leveling it up. That wasn¡¯t what decimate meant, but I was too tired to argue with the intangible magical bullshit ruining my life.


    ¡°Let¡¯s loot and go,¡± I told my legs. They cooperated, and I moved to the bodies, kneeling into the cool ground to work the System menus.


    [15 Gold]


    [Bandages (2)]


    [Basic Knife (4)]


    [Common Skillbook (Lightbulb)]


    [Shortsword (Veiled)]


    [Rat Juice (2)]


    I almost wanted to puke again. Always with these fucking daggers. Never enough armor. I wasn¡¯t even able to use the sword as it had an enchanment that needed to be Unveiled by someone else with different bullshit skills that I didn¡¯t have. I clenched my jaw and withdrew the skillbook, opening it and learning the skill that definitely didn¡¯t allow me to Unveil.


    [Lightbulb 1]


    [Creates a small orb of light that follows you]


    It was¡­ a useful utility skill, I had to admit. My raging ire petered out. Getting back to the bunker was my priority now, anything else could wait until I had a good sleep. Bernie must be worried, and probably confused. I let out one long sigh as my eyes went to the mausoleum.


    To my aching eyes it looked either like a glimmering treasure chest, or my final resting place. I¡¯d already had my fill of gambling this evening, and should be happy enough my winnings.


    I could¡­ at least pry at the odds, though. Leaving a potential reward out here might draw other people out to claim it. I¡­ wasn¡¯t in the market for getting into territory disputes with ''players'' who were potentially more powerful than me. Not with an easy way to escape. History repeats, or something like that.


    My legs had taken me over to the ominous building while my mind idly flittered about the nonsense. Two lanterns hung either side of an arched opening. At some point there would have been a barred gate, perhaps, if the bent hinges remaining on the stonework were any signal. Even with my burned out nose, the smell from the darkness below was horrid. Like stomach acid mixed with cow manure. I wavered slightly and put my hand on the wall for support as I felt lightheaded.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    I swore, repeatedly, under my breath. It looked like a staircase went below ground, before turning to the right after this long set. Some manner of dried grime covered the steps and walls up to about knee height, as if it had been flooded or something.


    The hammer came back into my hand, and I held it tight. One peek, I told myself. Worst case, I could probably run. Probably.


    Foot on the first step. I descended, slowly. One foot after the other, bracing myself against the right wall so as to not make a sound. I held my breath as the smell got worse, my heartbeat pounding through my dizzy head.


    I stopped at the corner. Composing myself, I tilted slightly, to glance around to what lay further down.


    It was the Boss.


    My eyes widened at the sight of it. A giant maggot, almost the size of my deceased van. It¡¯s bulbous body pulsated and writhed as it defecated constantly. Two gems of green hung on the wall, lighting this putrid and horrifying scene. I didn¡¯t know what it was eating, and didn¡¯t intend to stick around and find out.


    As slowly and quietly as I could, I withdrew and headed straight back up the stairs. It felt like hours before I reached the comparatively clear air of the outside once more, and I gasped. If I hadn¡¯t emptied out my scrambled eggs already, now would have been the time for sure. I hated everything.


    My left hand rose once I let most of the vertigo simmer down, and I used Lightbulb. A dim ball of light appeared in the air just off to my left. When I took a step, it hovered along beside me, like a fairy follower. It didn¡¯t make much a dent to the darkness, however - not when in the presence of all of these lanterns¡­


    I paused and looked at the hanging light source to my side. The foul and odd light within flickered slightly, as if shying away from my glare. I had a mean streak, and was far enough gone to act on impulse. With a dull expression on my face, I turned and counted. Fifteen. That should be enough.


    A sharper me would have had second thoughts at least three times as I shuffled through the graveyard to gather up all of the oil lanterns. But I was driven purely by spite. Putting them into my Inventory took out a huge amount of legwork, and eventually I found myself back at the entrance to the staircase.


    Drunk on exhaustion, I withdrew them one by one. Blew them out and opened them up. Turned the stone steps into an impromptu river. Like it had been flooded. I grinned and stepped carefully down there, the inert bodies of fourteen of the light sources laying either side of the trail of oil.


    I paused once more at the corner. Last lantern came up in my hand, the flame rising brighter as it met the ambient gasses. This is for the eggs, I thought.


    Turning, I flung it into the chamber with the maggot. Then I ran. There was a burst of energy, followed by a high-pitched scream that sounded like an upset child. My legs burned with exhaustion as I powered up the stairs. My Lightbulb circled out of the way as I twisted at the top, throwing my lit Torch down to the bottom.


    The maggot was down there, rounding the corner. It had four eyes as large as my fist, black and gleaming. Beneath several folds of its bulbous body was a small mouth, still open and screaming - exposing dozens of finger-long teeth and odd tentacle protrusions.


    I dove to the side, able to override the fear threatening to keep me rooted in place. The oil ignited, burning through the pustulent gasses filling the place, a flaming blast rocketing out of the doorway.


    Slightly deafened from the explosion, I pushed myself up, arms shaking. Small patches of the graveyard had been set alight and a burning smell weighed heavily around me. The shockwave even manage to wash away some of my brain fog, and I realized that this was a stupid ass plan.


    A thought given credibility as the large form of the maggot pushed itself out from the doorway. It was on fire, several sections raw and bloody, blind in the left eyes where a patch of its face was smouldering. The angered squeal had deepened into something gutteral, venegeful.


    I went to stand, but was finding it difficult to breathe. Smoke and exhaustion all but pinned me to the ground as I fought against gravity. A fight hard won. I wavered in place, my teeth clenched and bared, hand shaking with how tight I was holding the hammer.


    The Plague Maggot had a skull icon to denote it was a Boss. It also had several other icons that were red with flames in them. Probably related to the burning damage. It didn¡¯t seem to care, and retracted slightly, before surging to meet me.


    Two reckless foes, making a last ditch attempt to end this sick game.


    I liked those odds, and the maggot was a terrible gambler.


    With its body damaged and weakened, the stress of the attempted attack was too much. Caught over the top steps, burnt flesh stuck and tore, the maggot literally ripping itself in two as it charged. The attack was delayed, but it didn¡¯t stop the monster from seeing red.


    Unfortunately, I also saw a flash of red.


    One of the looted knives spun in my left hand, the hammer in my right already also replaced by a dagger. I lashed out with my off-hand, piercing through the larger eye of the maggot, bursting it before prying the ruined orb out with a twist. The other dagger came in with a powerful jab, bursting through the back of the empty socket and into the brain of the disgusting creature.


    The plague maggot shuddered, writhing in contempt as I twisted the knife and drew it back out. It stopped screaming at me, the sound fading away as it died.


    I considered throwing up again. My arm almost up to the elbow was covered in gore. It smelled like rotten eggs¡ªsome cruel irony, I was sure¡ªand the monster itself was a nightmare brought to life.


    Perhaps almost as bad were the notifications running in my STAR.


    They could wait until I got to the bunker. I closed my eyes for a few moments to cool off from the fight, and almost fell asleep where I stood. With only my Lightbulb illuminating the area, I was at least glad to have some way of not tripping over everything on the return journey. It would be a cruel twist if I died falling and cracking my head open on a gravestone.


    I looted the Boss. At first, I was planning to ignore whatever I received until I was safe and rested, but I couldn¡¯t help but raise my eyebrows as the items filtered in.


    [78 Gold]


    [Boss Token]


    [Rare Weapon Chest (Random)]


    [Full Restore (3)]


    [Uncommon Skillbook (Cleanse)]


    [Blank Scroll (2)]


    [Common Equipment Chest (3)]


    Not entirely¡­ dogshit. It made such a nice change that I was almost willing to stand around sorting through it all. Almost. The fact that my vision was starting to get wavy meant that I had limited time to mess around before I actually passed out.


    With all the willpower that I had, I started off walking back to the bunker. My path barely illuminated by the Lightbulb spell. The feeling in my legs was a pendulum swinging between burning agony and numbness. While my stomach growled, my lungs throbbed with pain. I was a walking corpse.


    My hand reached out and touched the cold metal of the bunker door. I couldn¡¯t decide whether it had taken ten seconds or three days to get here, my mind forgetting the neverending process of stumbling through the dark as if I had no capacity to hold short term thoughts.


    I stood for a moment, hesitating to turn the lock. Part of me wanted to run. To escape. If I went down there and stayed, I would be expected to do this bullshit over and over again. I¡¯d be responsible for Bernie and¡­ apparently the rest of the world.


    On the other hand, somewhere safe to sleep was all I wanted right now.


    I opened up the door. Closed it behind me and clung to railings as I stumbled carefully down the metal stairs. Second door¡­ I managed to open, growling from the exersion.


    The relief hit me as soon as I staggered into the small chamber. Bernie was there, awake. The holographic form of Richard stood up from his chair in surprise.


    ¡°Scarlet,¡± he said. ¡°Holy shit you look terrible.¡±


    I flipped him off as I pushed the door closed. As the pair moved over to me, I pulled out the chair from my Inventory and placed it down. I sat. Bliss.


    ¡°Are you okay, dear?¡± Bernie looked concerned, unable to decide which part of me to look at.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had rougher nights,¡± I said, closing my eyes in the hopes that it would stop the relieved tears from leaking out. Mission failed.


    ¡°Level three¡­ and you killed a Boss?¡± Richard said, and I couldn¡¯t place what tone he was aiming for. ¡°Jesus Christ, Plagued Ratfolk? You¡¯re lucky to be alive.¡±


    I exhaled through my nose. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m certainly feeling on top of the world about it.¡± Despite the draw of sleep, I opened my eyes back up. ¡°Just so you know, I fully blame you.¡±


    He held his hands up. ¡°I just wanted you to kill a couple of monsters to get used to the idea. Level 2 would have been nice, but Plagued Ratfolk are some of the nastiest creatures you could have gone up against at this stage.¡±


    As much as I wanted to curse him out, I bit my tongue. The cold reality of it was having the Guide on my side would increase my chances of surviving. Hopefully. While staying in the bunker overnight was a less traumatic experience, he was right - I was ready to kill and knew what the stakes were. Even gained a few tools to get a foot up in this whole charade.


    ¡°Need to assign stats. How. Why.¡± Simple instructions, delivered to my Guide bluntly in lieu of expletives.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be on your Stats page, but it only appears in the bunker.¡±


    He was still talking as I looked at them, completely fed up with how the day had gone. I had 4 points I could divide and add to my base 1 across the board. Without caring about any outside input, I went for 2 in Vitality and 2 in Stamina. Anything to prevent me from feeling this shit every day.


    Richard continue to blabber about my achievements, as he was clearly able to read through my notifications and Inventory. I ignored him to look up at Bernie.


    ¡°How are you dealing with all of this?¡±


    ¡°It all seems so¡­ fantastical.¡± He smiled at me apologetically. ¡°The state you¡¯re in gives credibility to all the claims I had trouble believing. Richard says the skillbook I received is very useful, and that I should group up with you.¡±


    I nodded, my eyes closing once more. ¡°Doubt that¡¯s a¡­ good idea. What¡­ skill¡­ did¡­¡±


    My sentence trailed off as I passed out.

 8 - Eyes on the Data

    I snapped awake with a jolt, briefly disorientated. Fear and the urge to run pulsed through me before I remembered. Trapped in a bunker. Dread settled in instead, and I palmed at my eyes, groaning.


    ¡°Welcome back to the land of the living.¡±


    With the harshest scowl I could manage, I set my eyes free to glare at the blue figure of Richard standing ready to talk my ears off. Before I had the chance to snap at him, I noticed my clothes.


    ¡°You¡­ replaced my shirt and slacks?¡± Or Bernie had, maybe. My previously shredded and soaked white shirt and black slacks were as good as new. A glance at my arms told me I hadn¡¯t been washed, but¡­


    ¡°Magical gear repairs itself overnight, if not fully destroyed.¡± The Guide crossed his arms. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I appreciate what you were insinuating, though.¡±


    I opened my mouth to respond, but any desire to get into an argument simmered away. ¡°It¡¯s very confusing learning this bullshit after the fact. I barely trust normal people, so this is all¡­ overwhelming.¡±


    ¡°Your welcoming buff has expired now, so I expected you to be a little grouchy at the minimum. Plus, sleeping in that chair looked uncomfortable.¡±


    Over in the corner, Bernie was still asleep. He had managed to get some blankets or folded clothes together to make a bed, for the loosest definition of that word. My head was still aching, as if I had a hangover. ¡°I¡¯ve slept worse places.¡± I unbuttoned the cuffs of my shirt once more and rolled them up to my elbows.


    ¡°Nice bracers.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you.¡± I shot him a glare. ¡°You had me thrown to the wolves so that I could get a couple extra digits of experience? Plus, they¡¯re gaudy as shit.¡±


    He gave me an apologetic grin, surprised at how I snapped at him.


    I closed my eyes and rubbed them again. Fine. It was okay, even if possibly not worth almost dying over. Now that I had spent some time sleeping, I didn¡¯t think I was likely to get the milestone for level four or five. For those in the world where it had been early morning once the apocalypse hit, they would have had the whole day to level up¡­ and hopefully hadn''t died.


    ¡°You know, it¡¯s very impressive that you not only took on an Elite, but a Boss as well.¡±


    Images of the carnage flashed through my mind, causing me to wince. ¡°Yeah¡­ I think I mostly got lucky and cheesed it.¡±


    ¡°Thinking outside the box will keep you alive. You don¡¯t want to know the number of people who have died trying to take on a Boss.¡±


    I pulled a face. ¡°You have those sorts of statistics?¡±


    Richard hesitated before answering. ¡°To some degree. I trust you understand the stakes, but the only numbers you need to concern yourself with are your own Stats and your Level.¡±


    Despite resenting most everything this morning, he had a point. This was a world-ending event. People would die. Lots of people. Having this abstract fighting chance just made it seem more cruel than if we were just snuffed out with no say in the matter.


    Damn, I could really do with some breakfast. My brain switched to the diner, before back to the conversation at hand.


    ¡°You can read like¡­ my logs, right? So you know what I killed, the loot I took, how injured I got¡­?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have pushed you so hard when there¡¯s no real risk on my end.¡±


    I rolled my tongue around my mouth. All my teeth were present, which was nice. Usually a good idea to check after a fight. ¡°Do you know how many people in my life have been utterly incapable of apologizing? I appreciate it... but I¡¯ll be sore about this whole thing for a while.¡±


    ¡°Understandable.¡± He gestured to the sleeping man. ¡°Bernie was really worried about you, and I didn¡¯t even tell him the gory details. I won¡¯t push you today, other than heavily advising that you do not go to the city.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fucked?¡±


    ¡°The scaling of the monsters is¡­ practically a death sentence, unless you know what exact routes to travel through.¡± Richard brought out his chair and sat down opposite me. ¡°That leads on to what skill Bernie received.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°Why did you advise him to group up with me? I won¡¯t be able to keep him safe.¡± Despite the soft spot I had for the pleasant old man, he would be a liability in combat¡­ and likewise, I would be, for his survival.


    ¡°Thankfully, that won¡¯t be necessary¡­ currently.¡± My Guide tilted back, looking up at the ceiling in thought. ¡°The good news is he can use his skill within the bunker to benefit you both. The bad news is that he will get next to no experience being in your Party, and the bunker isn¡¯t exactly furnished for long-term survival."


    With a sigh, I massaged my temples. ¡°But you¡¯re saying if we make it more hospitable, it would be to our benefit? What skill did he get?¡±


    Rather than tell me, he prompted a message to appear in my STAR.


    [Scout 1]


    [Reveals points of interest within an area on the map. 1hr cooldown.]


    ¡°The radius is pretty poor at this level,¡± Richard continued. ¡°He used it twice before going to bed himself, but when you¡¯re partied, he will be able to share his map data with you.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ we¡¯ll be able to see monster packs and Boss locations further afield?¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°Neat. Wake him up and drop one in the direction of the diner. I need to go there now.¡± I moved my legs, and they figuratively cracked in half, my muscles stiff as a board.


    ¡°You¡¯re going nowhere.¡± He held up a hand. ¡°You have unfinished business to deal with.¡±


    I glared at him and tried to get more comfortable. With milestone rewards to receive, and new gear to sort through¡­ I grumbled further at the process, but at least I had assigned my stats already. I needed to see if the pair at the diner had survived, and if there was any food that I could steal. Acquire.


    ¡°Explain Stats distribution to me then, before I continue to stick them all in Vitality going forward.¡± I brought up the necessary window and threatened the action.


    Richard shuffled in his chair before leaning forward. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be a terrible choice, but I¡¯ll say this¡­ the System often trends toward complementary items. It likes to try to be cohesive, and if you go with the flow, you can access some of the better Class choices. Ultimately, the journey is your own path to tread, and whatever you decide, you-¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I stopped listening after ¡®cohesive¡¯.¡± In some ways, my fate was decided by the first skill that I found, but¡­ maybe even that was generated based on other factors related to my life. I flexed my hands out as I wondered if my decision last night was made correctly.


    I murmured several curse words and closed the screens, accepting my fate. Maybe I should stick with Morale.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Richard said, as if he could read my mind.


    Instead of cursing at him, I moved on. It would be a good idea to check my totals once I had dealt with any equipment as well¡­ plus, it allowed me to pretend I hadn¡¯t done something incorrect. I knew what my Guide would say. Choosing non-damaging stats at the start was uncommon. I might struggle with combat to level up. He had baited me with the ¡®better Classes¡¯ line, and I had seen how Morale affected the Ratfolk. If I could increase the severity or likelihood of that¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that because it¡¯s a bad choice to with Vitality or Morale.¡± He sat back up and rubbed his hands together. ¡°I know that you think you came close to death once, but it was actually twice - and do you know how you survived?¡±


    I gave him a tired shrug and gestured for him to continue.


    ¡°The extra Vitality from your hammer helped you resist most of the poisons and diseases. If not for that, the damage from the bolt would have killed you. The second time was when you saw the Boss. It has an aura of fear that your increased Morale negated, allowing you to dive away from it instead of being frozen in place.¡±


    His words sunk into my thick skull. For me, it wasn¡¯t really that much different from just¡­ living the way I usually had. Perhaps one of the logs displayed all these granular interactions, but I wasn¡¯t about to sit and read through them. Certainly not in the middle of getting my head caved in.


    I did, however, appreciate the fact the System gave me the items to succeed. Unintentionally, most likely, but it had worked in my favor. Trusting that Morale was the route intended for me, I¡¯d tilted the scales in that direction. Worst-case scenario, I¡¯d die with a chip on my shoulder.


    ¡°Rat bastards didn¡¯t like it when I used Killing Blow.¡±


    ¡°How do you feel about it?¡±


    I frowned at him again, partially because he kept distracting me from opening up my notifications. ¡°It¡¯s a weird feeling. I¡­ remember switching to different weapons without really doing the process when I killed the Boss.¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± He rubbed at his chin, his own brow also furrowed. ¡°It¡¯s essentially a cinematic execution that causes fear, so perhaps the rules on how you can perform the kill are relatively loose.¡±


    ¡°For someone who is a Guide for this System, you sure sound like you¡¯re still working shit out.¡± I gave him a glum smile and ignored his explanation as I opened up the messages the System had left me. There were¡­ quite a few of them.


    [Milestone Reached: You have killed your first Boss]


    [Reward Received: Boss Chest]


    [Milestone Reached: You killed a Boss solo]


    [Reward Received: Weapon Upgrade Stone]


    [Milestone Reached: Ahead of the curve. One of the first to kill a Boss]


    [Reward Received: Ring of Speed]


    [Milestone Reached: You have found your first Rare item. It better be useful!]


    [Reward Received: Magic Re-roll Stone]


    [Milestone Reached: So it begins. You have cleansed your first area]


    [Reward Received: Title: Minor Hero]


    I squeezed my eyes shut. All these text messages were tiring me out already. Perhaps I hadn¡¯t slept that long after all. It was hard to tell in the underground bunker. Some miserable hell where my exhausted body had only managed three hours of rest sounded¡­ untenable.


    Richard was clearly interested after getting the information of what I¡¯d received himself. Eager to talk to me about everything. I hadn¡¯t even gotten to the new skills that had leveled after the Boss fight, including the one I had looted.


    ¡°Cleansed?¡± I asked, trying to get ahead of the more boring questions brimming in his mind.


    ¡°You destroyed the influence of the invaders. Although I don¡¯t advise you to return to that area, if you did, then you¡¯d find that it has already started returning to¡­ whatever it was before.¡± He nodded. ¡°One step forward.¡±


    That felt¡­ slightly rewarding. It had taken every shred of my strength and part of me considered it might have been a bad dream. The things I had done¡­


    ¡°Lightbulb is nice,¡± I said, if only to distract myself from darker thoughts.


    ¡°You picked up Cleanse as well, that¡¯s helpful... as well as partially confusing, as we were talking about cleansing the world. Three second cast, removes a single non-magical debuff from yourself or an ally.¡±


    I nodded. Sounded nice. Having it before the fight would have been even better. Before digging into the equipment I had received, I removed the skillbook and learned it. While checking it was added to my active abilities list, I made a note of the new passive I had also received since killing the Boss.


    [Hammer Mastery 3]


    [New Passive: Underdog 1]


    [New Passive: Boss Killer 1]


    [New Passive: Pyromaniac 1]


    [Killing Blow 2]


    The three new skills seemed just as lackluster all the others. Single percent bonus damage against opponents much larger than me, bosses, and with dealing fire damage, respectfully. Richard was rambling something about the level five additions making them worthwhile. I wasn¡¯t about to focus on any of them, so I¡¯d just let the upgrades happen naturally.


    [Killing Blow 2] was my sole interest. Increased chance of activating, and higher morale loss to enemy witnesses. While most skills were plain and granular, this one remained vague - only hinting at effectiveness. Still, the numbers went up.


    ¡°I have a lot of chests with common items in. Any suggestions?¡± I closed my windows to give my eyes a rest and raised an eyebrow to my Guide.


    He glanced off at the wall for a few moments before returning eye-contact. ¡°I¡¯d suggest we wake Bernie and have him start revealing the route to the diner, if that is your intention.¡±


    It felt like a shame to wake the sleeping man up. As much as we were all trying to make do with this apocalypse bullshit, I felt the elderly were probably getting some of the shortest end of the sticks. I thanked whoever would listen that he had received a skill usable from the bunker.


    Even if it made it harder for me to eventually dip and escape this place.


    Richard went over to try to wake our scout after I gave him the nod to do so. Maybe I¡¯d find something to ground me in the equipment I had earned with my blood and sweat. I went through my Inventory and opened up the Common Equipment Chests.


    [Merryweather Hat]


    [White Undershirt]


    [Gym Shorts]


    I pulled a face. They weren¡¯t even magically enchanted. No defensive stats either. The hat appeared in my hands, and I returned it immediately. While I had learned to be thrifty with clothing in my many years drifting, I had hoped for more than just a dumpster dive into random garments that did nothing but clash with my suit.


    ¡°Morning, dear.¡±


    ¡°Morning, Bernie. You sleep okay?¡± I shifted from the disappointing loot to watch him get up. ¡°Better than I did, I hope.¡±


    ¡°Almost a home away from home,¡± he replied, smiling, but clearly still tired.


    He started up a conversation with the Guide about where to scout first, while I returned my attention to my items. Boss Chest was next, and I opened it up.


    [Breakfast Feast (5)]


    [Health Potion (3)]


    [150 Gold]


    [Puzzle Piece #35]


    [Solar Shards (3)]


    I exhaled. Any frustration over more things to learn evaporated as I checked the feasts out. Despite myself, a wide grin emerged across my face. ¡°Are you hungry, Bern?¡±


    Over the next five minutes, I slowly forgave the ratmen and their gross maggot leader. I sat on the floor opposite Bernie, both of us with plates of warm food in our laps. Omelet, bacon, sausage, and toast. Not quite as good as the diner food, but with how exhausted and exerted I had been¡­ this was pure bliss.


    ¡°Point me in the direction of all Bosses if this is the reward,¡± I said with a half-full mouth. ¡°It was worth it.¡±


    Richard sat with his arms crossed, a bemused look on his face. ¡°You might change your tune once you¡¯re in the thick of it. Handy to know you¡¯re food-motivated, however.¡±


    I waved the fork toward him. ¡°Just give me the bad news already. How far behind the curve am I?¡±


    He gave me a shrug before deflating in his seat. ¡°I don¡¯t have that sort of data to give you, unfortunately. Even getting three pieces of Speed gear is a big boost, however. Have you equipped them yet?¡±


    My eyes went back to the screens. I had the ugly bracers on, but I had clearly got distracted with the amount of new items and skills at the time to bother putting the gloves on. I swiped across the ring before then the gloves.


    They weren¡¯t as disturbing as the bracers. Black and plain in design, aside from a few textured pads on the fingers and pads. Probably used for some manner of sport. ¡°Three percent extra experience is alright, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Set bonus,¡± Richard replied bluntly. ¡°Check it.¡±


    I looked down the totals, showing I also had +2 Morale from gear, alongside the additional experience rate. There was a separate section now saying I had a set bonus. +50% Luck. My dull glare at the text had a more detailed description pop up, telling me that Luck increased the chance of getting ''useful'' loot. Further pieces of Speed gear would add another 25% per slot equipped.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d call that a ¡®big boost¡¯, but perhaps now I¡¯ll get armor with actual stats.¡± I brushed my shirt down. ¡°Was it a bad decision to make my normal clothes magical? Maybe I should have gone with something more practical¡­ would my underwear count as two separate items?¡±


    Richard pulled a face and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Uh, depends. Maybe they¡¯d be a singular upgrade if they were¡­ a matching set?¡±


    ¡°Balls. No chance of that.¡± I didn¡¯t have that sort of organization, nor an extensive wardrobe. There wasn¡¯t even a slot for undergarments on my sheet, so it was more of a moot point. ¡°That said, I think footwear would be a good choice. If I have to trek around the new wastelands, then self-repairing boots or something would be worth their weight in gold.¡±


    Bernie was barely halfway through his breakfast as I finished up. At first I thought it was just because I was wolfing it down and he was more polite, but judging by how his eyes were moving, it was likely he was just getting distracted with his STAR menus. I wondered how overwhelming this was for him.


    ¡°How you holding up, Bern? Glad that you don¡¯t have all these miscellaneous items and crap to identify and sift through?¡±


    He raised an eyebrow, pausing a moment before giving me a smile. ¡°More thankful that I don¡¯t have to kill anything and put myself in danger. Some bad news on that front, however.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± I absorbed the empty plate and cutlery into my Inventory. Surely he wouldn¡¯t have eyes on the diner yet.


    ¡°There¡¯s a monster patrol not too far out from the bunker in the direction of the diner. Goblin Hunters, level one.¡± The way he annunciated the words sounded like he was just reading things off without really understanding the information. ¡°That¡¯s all that it tells me for now.¡±


    I shot Richard a dull glare. If my Guide hadn¡¯t set me off in the night against the ratmen, then these goblins were probably how I¡¯d end up cutting my teeth. A smoother introduction to how messed up the world was¡­ instead of the near-death experience.


    Still, I was living. Now that I was full of breakfast, I felt I could take on anything - and hopefully not throw it up again. Three more meals stored away sounded good, but food would soon fast run out. My brain worked through some old memories of a survival course I once took in my teens. Or, at least the lessons I snuck into before they realized the payment bounced and banned me.


    Shelter was sorted. Food and water was next. If I could find some furniture along the way, we¡¯d be set¡­ but I wasn¡¯t sure how to go about defenses. How long was I going to stick around? What could I really do to help save the world?


    I worked my jaw as I chewed on these thoughts. Cabin fever already, but I¡¯d always had itchy feet. My idle stare switched to the Guide, who was probably trying to read my mind. I was sure he wasn¡¯t able to.


    ¡°It¡¯s better you don¡¯t worry too much about the items you have found,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ll burn yourself out. Open up your weapon chest and get ready to head out. Bernie¡¯s scouting will reset just in time to reveal the diner location by the time you get there.¡±


    With a sigh, I pushed myself up to my feet and stretched out. ¡°I¡¯m going to be so pissed if I come across other survivors and they try to kill me for my items instead of helping save the world.¡±


    Bernie looked up at me, concern across his brow. ¡°Did nobody ever teach you about foreshadowing, dear?"


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough apocalypse movies.¡± I flexed out my fingers in the gloves. ¡°Thankfully, I¡¯m shrewd and paranoid enough to keep myself safe.¡±


    The pair just continued to look at me, but remained silent. I was reminded of how I didn¡¯t really open up to people for a reason. Moving on swiftly, I went to the weapon chest and opened it up.


    [Threadcutter]


    [+2 Power, +2 Stamina, +20% Two-Handed Axe Mastery]


    [Sever the bindings of fate, and sometimes necks]


    A two-handed axe. I brought it out into my hands, and it was surprisingly light. Rather than a bright metal, it looked more like it was crafted from meteorite or something volcanic. Jagged around the edges, crimson and ruddy browns. I rotated the handle and resisted the urge to give it a few test swings.


    ¡°A rare weapon at this stage is pretty big,¡± Richard offered. ¡°If you¡¯re the gambling type, you could use the two stones you have. Magic Re-roll reassigns the stat distribution, and the upgrade increases all base stats.¡±


    ¡°You had me at gambling.¡± Power and Stamina weren¡¯t bad stats to have. Killing things and keeping my energy up would mean I could adventure for longer, but¡­ I had a gut feeling that I had to push the System in a certain direction. If I hit level five today, then I¡¯d be able to pick my first Class - and the options were based on my stats and skills.


    Biting my tongue to focus my luck, I used the Magic Re-roll Stone. A simple process that involved selecting the shiny pebble in my Inventory and then switching it to the axe in the provided drop-down list of applicable weapons.


    [Threadcutter]


    [+1 Vitality, +3 Morale, +20% Two-Handed Axe Mastery]


    My Guide smiled. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re a natural. Now upgrade it.¡± Similar process.


    [+1 Threadcutter]


    [+2 Vitality, +4 Morale, +25% Two-Handed Axe Mastery]


    I whistled. Not only was that a huge increase in stats, but I¡¯d gain the mastery skill a lot quicker, increasing my damage sooner. Now that I had two magical weapons, I noted that I had three slots for weaponry underneath my gear - allowing me to gain their stats when not directly wielding them. Threadcutter in one and my hammer in the other, I went to check my stat totals.


    [Power: 1]


    [Guile: 1]


    [Knowledge: 1]


    [Vitality: 6]


    [Stamina: 3]


    [Morale: 7]


    [Against all Odds] would give me an increase of 1 to all my stats when I was surrounded as well. While I didn¡¯t have any baseline increase to my attacking skills, I felt really good about having high Morale.


    I wondered how many times I could make that joke before it got tiring.


    Hefting the large axe to rest across my shoulder, I grinned at the two in front of me. Time to go kill goblins.


    I might be getting the hang of this.

 9 - Out and About

    Stepping back out of the bunker knocked all the wind from my sails.


    I had expected to see some shapes now occupying the desert. If areas like the graveyard were appearing throughout the world, then seeing the distant shapes of small buildings or groups of monsters sounded reasonable.


    What I hadn¡¯t expected was the density of it all. It was almost like a festival was gathered across the miles that I could see. Over to the right, far past where the ratmen had been, I could see a tall castle. Between the cluttered horizon and my location, there were tents, moving groups of shadowed figures, and odd terrain pieces not belonging to the desert. There was still a decent amount of space between everything - I knew this. The distance just made it looked packed.


    Gathering my senses, I shook my head off and walked to the left. The morning sun was warm, allowing for another contrast as I paced past the front of the bunker and saw the city again for the first time. A sharp chill ran through me.


    It looked as though it had been sitting for years in disrepair. Several of the larger skyscrapers and office blocks were totally burned out. There were a dozen muted sounds coming from the city, but I couldn¡¯t pick anything specific out. Combined with the populated land around me, there was just a dull hum of varying noises merging together. Was anyone still alive?


    A sobering thought. Part of me felt my actions out here were for nothing. The city needed saving. But the other part of me wanted to be as far away as possible from there. Richard had said something about the monster spawns being based on population density. The ocean would be mostly untouched, whereas cities would have the strongest Bosses and depth of corruption.


    As removed from society as I often was¡­ I didn¡¯t want this fate for anyone. A nice thought to circle me back around to the current mission: travel to the diner and see if the two women there had perished. Solely because that waitress had extended a helping hand, despite not knowing who or what I was.


    Which was a rather dramatic sentence, given that I was mostly just a loser with an axe to grind. Somewhat literally, it now seemed.


    I took another look at the surroundings before getting an update from the Map. Pinned the direction to the diner as sourly as I was able, and added something else to my survival list.


    Some way of traveling.


    There was no chance Richard could convince me to walk my way through miles of dangerous monster groups and dry sand. My wagon was dead, and venturing to the city to find a working car that I could hot-wire was¡­ well, asking for more problems. Maybe Bernie would pick up something useful as he revealed more of the area around us.


    I set off toward the diner, getting myself ready to rendezvous with the goblin group patrolling ahead of the bunker. However, a new addition to the desert blocked the path so that I couldn¡¯t directly see where they would be - a singular ruined townhouse.


    Ominous. I looked up to the Chat function. Although Bernie and I had exchanged the unique ID¡¯s we needed to be able to speak long distance, we were now in a party together, so we could do so anyway. A holographic keyboard appeared at the bottom of my vision and I typed mostly by thought alone.


    //Scarlet: Any intel on this house? Looks suspicious.


    I waited several seconds as I slowly approached it. Bless him, but Bernie wasn¡¯t the fastest with typing even when the System was lending a hand. Our Guide expressed some apologies about not being able to message us himself, so for now I just had to wait.


    //Bernie: Richard says it might contain monsters, or might be something else¡­


    //Bernie: Map just reports it as ¡®Abandoned Home¡¯¡­


    I grunted and returned my glare toward the structure. It looked as burned out and derelict as some of the buildings I could see in the city, just smaller. Something you might see in the suburbs - the victim of arson or an accident in the kitchen.


    Unfortunately, it could just be full of monsters. Richard had mentioned that there would be oddities amongst the groups of creatures the roaches had collected. Interesting traps, treasures that would be difficult to attain, or even dungeons. I preferred it when it was just things to kill. A simple routine I was planning on getting used to¡­ or at least dissociating from enough to get by day to day.


    I used Lightbulb, but the small sprite was barely a dim glow out in the sunlight. Since there was no ongoing cost to keeping it out, it seemed prudent to pre-cast it before potentially entering a dark space. Threadcutter weighed in my hands. I had put in far too much effort to fall to something basic at this point. All the blood, sweat, and tears to get a step up over most people in this time zone would go to waste if I stepped on a trap and impaled myself.


    Of course, avoiding it was also an option. By the time that I reached it, I had convinced myself to just circle it at first to get a better look. The sides of the building had little flower gardens that had burned to ash. I could see furniture inside that was dark, reduced to charcoal in places. Around the left side of the building, half the wall had collapsed, allowing me to see a staircase that was flimsy at best, leading to what remained of the top floor.


    Should I avoid it?


    Part of me said yes, but a much more vocal side of me wanted to scrape away at any advantage I could get. I was getting closer to 300 gold now, and that had to be useful for something. Buying potions, or better gear.


    //Scarlet: Cautiously investigating.


    I wasn''t sure why I told them. Perhaps just in case they wanted to talk me out of it. Then again, for Bernie, I was his lifeline to the outside world. Without me¡­ well, I didn¡¯t want to think about that. A quick look around this shell of a house and then back to murdering.


    With a humorless smile, I stepped through a gap in the outer walls and into what was probably the living room. The couches had been reduced to a pile of melted faux leather; the scar left on the floorboards showing the shape of where the furniture used to be was the only clue to how this scene used to look. A folded over mess of plastic and electric components from the tv, and¡­


    I pulled a face and crouched down near where the seats had been. In amongst the ash were charred bones. Not quite enough to make a human. Not that I had much of a clue, but aside from legs and ribs, there were definitely no skulls. That could only mean that the heads were¡­


    My body tensed as a creak came from the upper floor. With my breath held, my eyes slowly raised to the top of the staircase. The open doorway above was silent. It could have been the breeze, or part of the foundations complaining as the building deteriorated.


    A second creak put those thoughts to bed.


    Aches spread through my hands as I gripped the handle of the axe tighter. From the charred doorway above, a clawed hand emerged and gripped onto the frame. I continued to hold my breath. As the top of the staircase groaned with the weight of the other unseen hand, a reptilian head pushed through into the light.


    If it wasn¡¯t for the System giving me a heads up, I would have shit myself, thinking it was a dragon.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    [Pyromander (Level 3 Elite)]


    It reminded me of a Komodo dragon, but mixed with a fire Pokemon. Deep red shiny scales shimmering in the morning light. As he extended his face out onto the open landing, his head tilted - a bright amber eye looking down at me.


    I wasn¡¯t sure I fancied my chances of beating an elite at my own level. Not without warming up first.


    A poor choice of words, as the monster turned his head to face me and opened up his wide maw.


    Almost dropping my weapon in the process, I rolled across the hard floor as a spout of fire erupted from the creature. The smell of freshly charred wood washed over me. I didn¡¯t stop, and powered up forward, rushing into the room opposite.


    A kitchen. Equally as scarred by flames as the rest of the house, but with one difference. The wall was complete and there was no side entrance to allow me a swift exit. It was a dead end. My eyes scoured the burned out furnishings for anything helpful as the staircase behind me squealed under the weight of the pyromander.


    I squashed any rising panic with a deep breath. Surely I was smarter than a monster. It would be a gamble, but I¡¯d been in tighter squeezes than this and squirreled my way out. Maybe with slightly lower stakes, but¡­


    The clawed hands of the pyromander vibrated through the floor as they pounded their way across the living room toward me. I clicked my tongue and rolled the dice.


    A wave of flame burst through the open door, licking at the cupboards and shuttered window. Heated air billowed around me, almost burning my arms. I winced through three straight seconds of this biological flamethrower before the flames then receded.


    The merryweather hat at the end of my axe shaft, held in front of the doorway, had been reduced to cinders. I withdrew the metal end of my weapon that was now glowing from the intense heat and stepped into the opening. The monster looked practically grumpy at being deceived, but I didn¡¯t leave him time to complain.


    I slashed out with the Threadcutter in a wide arc, the bladed end catching the reptile across the face. He hissed and darted forward with one of his clawed hands in retaliation. With the head of the axe, I parried it away, circling so that I could get into the room more - but opening me up to the second swipe.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± I stumbled back as the knife-like claws slashed through my lower left leg. Briefly, my mobility was shot. Instead of capitalizing on this, however, the monster remained in place.


    He opened his mouth wide again.


    I had gotten lucky with assuming there was some refractory period to using the flames. It had allowed me access to the more open room, with a chance to run for it - if my leg hadn¡¯t just been injured. I entirely blamed Richard for this.


    With a growl, I spun around on my good foot and launched my axe. An awkward throw that would barely earn me a second unless it did decent damage. Surprise ran across my face - it was a partial success.


    Flames burst out, lighting up my lower legs before petering out. The axe head had wedged in the open mouth of the monster, the edges of each side cutting partly into their scaled cheeks. It had prevented some of the flame, aside from a plume angled beneath the weapon.


    Even with the agony of the burns wracking at my legs, I took the initiative. My right foot came down on the smooth curve of the inside of the right blade. I held the handle and weighed into it. The monster choked and screeched, trying to back away. I was too driven by anger to allow it. As the creature squirmed, I put my all into it.


    With a wet tearing noise, the axe dug further into his scaled flesh. Bones split and the lower jaw separated from the monster, shredding muscle and cracking cartilage as I used the weapon like a lever.


    The pyromander spluttered and slunk away, trying to grab at his face with his clawed hands. Threadcutter spun in my hands before I lashed around, striking the panicked monster at the top of his head. Skull cracked, and the monster spasmed before deflating onto the floor. I wrenched my weapon away and stepped back from the pooling blood and oil-like substance leaking from the mouth wound.


    I grimaced at my quiet System, about to disparage it for not being entertained enough for a prize, when a skill popped up.


    [New Passive: Two-Handed Axe Mastery 1]


    ¡°Gee, thanks.¡± I rolled my eyes as I withdrew a bandage and applied it to my leg. I had a few corpses to make before the axe caught up with my Hammer Mastery, but given the different between the boosts was 2% currently¡­ with one of the weapons being an old workman''s hammer and Threadcutter being a named item¡­


    //Scarlet: A little warning about anything odd in my path next time, please.


    //Bernie: Okay!


    Anything not originally in the desert was suspect. I took another deep breath and considered the fact that even without the sedating buff, things were okay. I wasn¡¯t so shaken up about beating the brains out of this monster. A duck to water, almost. I should be freaking out. Gripped by fear. One wrong move and I would be nothing more than a terribly overcooked meal for the reptile, but¡­ I survived it.


    I kneeled and picked through the offered loot, being careful not to soak my slacks in the flammable blood.


    [51 Gold]


    [Ring of Firewalking]


    [Flammable Sacs (2)]


    Not exactly overflowing with items, but it looked like Elites were more likely to have magical gear. The ring had a flat +10% fire damage resistance on it, as well as a glib line about warming my soul. The sacs were basically biological molotov cocktails. The gold was... appreciated.


    I ran my tongue around my teeth and looked around the quiet house. Was there any treasure here? The System hadn¡¯t given me a pat on the back for cleansing this area, but it hadn¡¯t at the graveyard either. With the living room and kitchen all but gutted, that mostly left the upstairs left to explore. I had time to kill before Bernie could scout again and wanted to compose myself before I tracked down the group of goblins.


    What had my life become?


    The staircase was looking worse for wear. Thanks to the fire damage, the wooden boards were weakened, and many were split and falling apart thanks to the clumsy weight of the reptile coming to seek me out. Swearing at myself under my breath, I put the axe back into my Inventory and stepped on the stairs, keeping against the wall where it should be structurally safest.


    As everything creaked and shifted with every step, I wondered how much of this was all just me running on autopilot.


    I wasn¡¯t the type to plant my feet and fight things out. But where could I even run at this point? The world was fucked, and I was more likely to get myself into fatal danger by rushing. As much as I hated it, I had to wait for the right time.


    With one last groan, I paused at the top of the stairs. From here I could see out of some of the collapsed roof, into the cluttered desert beyond. Were they¡­ still after me? It was likely they were dead or preoccupied with the world ending. There was still the slim chance. I waited a few seconds before shaking the thoughts from my head.


    Across the landing, I stepped cautiously into the single bedroom. It was dark in there, and I realized my Lightbulb had vanished during combat. I refreshed the cast, as my nose got a whiff of something foul. Brimstone and blood. The light moved forward, illuminating a destroyed bed.


    Well, I had found the skulls missing from the skeletal parts downstairs. The pyromander had been making a nest, the bones of several bodies lining shattered wood and filth. I couldn¡¯t tell if they were human or how long they had been here. Flame had all but bleached and charred the bones beyond recognition. I didn¡¯t feel like digging around the mess for scraps.


    Rather than face the stairs again, I went to the edge of the broken landing and clambered down - hanging from the stable edge and dropping to the living room floor again. Even with the gloves on, my white shirt was covered in patches of soot and ash.


    Glancing around, I stepped into the kitchen, out of sight of the outside world. I unbuttoned my shirt and placed it on the counter, before pulling on the white undershirt from my Inventory. I did the same with the gym shorts, which were the compression kind. Shirt and slacks went back on, and I felt more comfortable. A few extra layers between me and the violent hordes made me almost invincible.


    If only.


    I stepped out of the house and into the warmth of unhindered sunlight. At this point, I had given up the hope of finding a shower. Blood, sweat, and grease covered me like a thin film. But¡­ I still lived. Surviving despite the odds.


    //Scarlet: Knowledge gear good for scouting? Ask Richard.


    Map directed me toward the diner, and I set off. I wondered if they¡¯d accept gold in exchange for cooking me up breakfast. Second breakfast. That is¡­ if they were alive. As dour and heartless as it was, there might at least be something to loot from the building to help me and Bernie survive.


    I brought Threadcutter out, just in case, as I watched the messages ping back.


    //Bernie: He says yes.


    //Bernie: Knowledge or Guile can improve the scouting.


    //Scarlet: Noted.


    I had a sword that needed unveiling by someone with enough Knowledge, and some blank scrolls that were probably for a similar purpose. If I could funnel gear with those stats to Bernie then he might be able to be useful without ever getting into danger.


    Something told me it wouldn¡¯t be tenable for much longer. I turned my head to the side to glance at the city. How many had the aliens killed there? Before even showing up themselves.


    It left a bad taste in my mouth.


    Yet, I wasn¡¯t doing this to be a hero. Not even to protect people like Bernie or those at the diner. Saving the world? Unlikely.


    I was just angry with my lot in life, and taking it out on these monsters was my therapy. Hell, I was even being rewarded for it.


    With a grim smile of determination across my face, I reached the top of the current dune of rough sand and spied the small group of goblins trying to set up a camp.


    I¡¯d show them who was the real monster.

 10 - Dash and Dine

    Wide trails of crimson decorated the amber sand, like an artist had gotten clumsy with their brushstrokes. I was that artist. My axe, the brush.


    The head of the last goblin bounced across the ground, their severed neck spraying blood to the sand like a miniature fountain. I stood in the middle of the corpses, breathing heavily. A wild grin on my face.


    It had been over as soon as I had gotten into melee combat with the group of five short greenskins. They had been angered and eager to take a bite of me, but the first sword-wielding monster was the victim of my Killing Blow. With an upward swing, I had split his ribcage apart, and his organs decorated to the warm ground. The other four had frozen in panic, and only put up a token resistance.


    I growled as I pulled the arrow from my right shoulder. Fuckin¡¯ hated ranged weapons. Giving the corpses a look of disdain, I withdrew a potion bottle and downed the red liquid. Vile. They had gotten a few minor hits on me - my ability to block and parry amateur at best. If they had been level 2 or had an elite, I would have fared a lot worse.


    Still, I didn¡¯t feel bad about picking on the weak. After killing the Elite reptile, this was enough to edge me almost to the next level. Then, if I could grind out another one, I¡¯d be able to choose my first Class back at the bunker. I wasn¡¯t sure if I was even looking forward to that - or getting my hopes up for no reason. It sounded like greater power, but I was ready to be let down.


    Ah, there was my usual pessimism.


    //Scarlet: Any luck on the diner scouting?


    //Bernie: 10 minutes.


    Enough time for me to loot these monsters and get part of the way to the building. Hopefully there was nothing terrible between here and there, although Bernie hadn¡¯t picked anything up so far.


    My eyes went up to my notifications to see what the System thought about me bullying the goblins.


    [Two-Handed Axe Mastery 2]


    [Skull Breaker 3]


    A little more damage, always beneficial. At this rate, my axe mastery would be the first to hit level 5, and then I¡¯d see exactly what kind of boosts were available. I checked the surroundings before looting the goblins. Looked all clear.


    [17 Gold]


    [Water flask (3)]


    [Goblin Spear]


    [Puzzle Piece #329]


    ¡°I would spit on you, but that would be a waste of moisture.¡± I shook my head at the paltry loot, before withdrawing one of the flasks. My mouth was dry, after all.


    Thankfully, the goblins seemed to be carrying around fresh water. I downed the first one and gasped, glad for some actual hydration. The rest of their makeshift camp didn¡¯t look worth the wood it was made of, but I kept the empty flask for the future. I¡¯d save one water for Bernie, but the other I might need¡­ would need, if I was out here all day.


    Against better judgement, I had a look at the description on the new puzzle piece.


    [Puzzle Piece #329]


    [Well, isn¡¯t this puzzling!]


    Disgusting. It was exactly the same message as the other one I had found. I was half tempted to throw them out of my Inventory, but there was a very low chance I¡¯d regret it. Maybe I¡¯d find a puzzle club in the future and we could pool pieces together to finish¡­ whatever it was.


    I sighed and stretched out. Had this invasion not happened, today I would be scrounging around for part-time work to make ends meet. After tipping the waitress, I didn¡¯t have much left for temporary accommodation¡­


    With a frown, I patted my pockets down. I must have left my wallet in my bag in the bunker. Thankfully, the only ID in there was a fake one. Anything else in it was pretty useless now - same for my other bags still stowed in the dead van. There might be a change of clothes, though¡­


    //Bernie: Scouted!


    //Bernie: There¡¯s¡­ Richard is talking my ear off, hang on.


    //Bernie: ¡­


    //Bernie: He says to advise you to avoid the diner entirely.


    //Scarlet: You can tell him¡­ whatever expletives you feel comfortable saying.


    //Scarlet: What¡¯s there? Another Boss?


    My stomach tightened as there was a brief silence. If it was that, then I didn¡¯t have much hope for the two women there. It was only over the next dune or two and I¡¯d be able to see for myself¡­ although I didn¡¯t remember the desert being this bumpy before.


    //Bernie: No, not a Boss. High-density monster group.


    //Bernie: All level 2, Zombies.


    //Scarlet: Are we talking shamblers or sprinters?


    //Bernie: I¡¯ll¡­ ask Richard, as I don¡¯t know what that means.


    A zombie-infested diner. Either a death trap, or¡­ hmm. Overconfidence was often how people died in the movies. As much as I was improving in my combat ability, if the monsters were fast, then I¡¯d be overwhelmed in seconds.


    //Bernie: He says¡­ more like Dawn of the Dead than 28 Days Later.


    I rolled my tongue around in my mouth. There was that taste again. I noticed last night that he had said ¡®Jesus Christ¡¯ when seeing my ghoulish appearance. A very Earth reference. There were a few explanations that could easily tie up why, but now that he knew about zombie movies¡­ it had my hackles up.


    But they were the slower kind.


    //Scarlet: How many?


    //Bernie: I just get a vague 20+ at this level.


    I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes. All I could think of was the waitress sliding across her number, that damn nervous but friendly look on her face. You¡¯re using this as a proxy for saving yourself. I shook my head and told myself to shut up. This was my world-ending therapy session, after all.


    //Scarlet: I¡¯m doing it, otherwise I¡¯ll never have closure.


    //Bernie: Be safe.


    Be less stupid would probably be a better final message. A horde of zombies? The pair were likely dead, and among the ranks of the walking corpses. It would be a sour reality that I was half prepared for. Still, it was the nearest real building to the bunker. We needed supplies, and I didn¡¯t fancy our chances if I had to drag Bernie outside the bunker to survive.


    It was only a few more idle thoughts about what I was really doing before I got my first view of the diner.


    Yeah. Damn thing was packed with the bastards.


    I froze in position just to take it all in. Switching from one terrifying situation to another, this was the first to really strike that chord of horror within me. An actual crowd of undead hungry for living flesh - and the most monsters I¡¯d seen in one location. They swarmed around the building like a bunch of angry sports fans, some of the windows broken already. Hope was fading, but...


    It was time to gamble again. I was on a lucky streak, which surely wouldn¡¯t end right at the same place this whole thing started.


    My feet took me forward. Part of it was ego. I was better than these monsters¡­ better than the aliens trying to take over the world. That I could survive. Had to survive. All I had to do was avoid getting bitten. I could at least plunder the building for what it was worth, rather than go back empty-handed.


    It took a while for the zombies to sense my approach, but gradually they did. The closest few turned, groaning at the air as if they were sniffing me out. Then, like a flock of birds, they moved in my direction encouraged by the shuffling of the others.


    Easily twenty-five to thirty of them, as several stumbled their way out of the broken doorway of the building.


    I steeled myself and got a tight grip on the Threadcutter. A fool would rush in, try to overpower them in a whirlwind of violence. I knew a little better, even if my experience stemmed from video games and movies.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The group funneled toward me as I paced back and forth at a distance. If they were hungry, they¡¯d have to work for their food.


    Now that they were close enough, I got a good view of the undead. Humans rotting and decayed. Blind eyes that couldn¡¯t see me, but their extended hands knew exactly where I was. Dressed in all manner of casual wear matted and dirtied with blood and bodily fluids.


    Any disdain and anger I had simmered away to distilled calm. Do or die.


    Before the first could reach me, I took two long steps towards him and slashed out with the axe. The zombie¡¯s head burst like a watermelon, and I stepped back away. As the first flopped over, the second missed their lunge toward me. I reacted by jabbing forward with the end of my weapon, catching them in the side of the head and breaking their fragile neck.


    Another step back away and to the right. It was called ¡®kiting¡¯. I¡¯d get a kill or two and retreat, leaving the gormless dead as a slow trail behind me. There was enough space in the desert for me to run circles around the diner. Naturally, fate would have me trip over something - so I just had to watch my step.


    They were... a little quicker than I had expected. The sheer mass of them¡ªa crowd hungry for my demise¡ªwas unsettling.


    I took a flammable sac into my hand, the warm balloon-like object slimy in my grip. Still backpedaling, I threw it past the nearest shambler and struck one a little further back. The sac exploded in a brief flash of flame before the liquid within acted like an accelerant, setting three zombies on fire. They continued to stumble about, inadvertently catching others aflame.


    Two steps and I swung in, severing the arms of one zombie before turning and following-up, opening the torso of a second. This monster flashed red.


    I acted by impulse, the adrenaline of Killing Blow bringing me into the fray. With a heavy overhead swing, I finished them off by splitting them almost entirely in two - my axe cutting from head to groin like it was going through butter. I kicked the remains of the zombie away as the skill wore off.


    Deflected the bite of the armless monster with the shaft of the weapon, before turning and lashing out at another, splitting their arm through their hand and up to the elbow. They flashed red.


    The throes of combat took me again as I tensed up for the execution. With a quick twirl, I spun the large axe in a full circle twice. Not only did I sever the head of my target, but Threadcutter turned another four zombies into bloody ribbons and shattered limbs.


    They were trying to encircle me. Making a break for the empty space would allow them an opportunity to attack me. Fine. If this was how I was going to go out¡­


    I twisted away from a clumsy lunge, running the blade of my axe along the back of their neck, severing it. Turned a jab from the blunt end into a lash out at another. The zombies on fire lost the desire to pursue me and instead stumbled, confused away from the main throng - even as they set others on fire.


    A rotten body collided with me and I slid across the dry sand so as to not tip over, barely staying on my feet. I kicked out, humbling a weak knee so that I could maintain my position. Raised my arm and decaying teeth bit into my bracer. Dreadful thing actually protected me. I head-butted the offender before twisting the blade through their neck. Stomped on reaching hands from one crawling at me. Broke a skull and then disemboweled putrid organs.


    Killing Blow.


    A wide slash that severed three bodies and then I threw a knife that had appeared in my hand. My ability was doing its best to keep me standing, but my muscles were burning with exerted energy. For every twist and cut, another corpse just took the place of the slain. Eventually I would tire.


    But the thought that kept me moving wasn¡¯t for the diner, or Bernie, or even the world.


    I just wanted vengeance.


    A life lived in the gutter now picked up and thrown in the dumpster. I reviled the aliens. Every single monster brought here to kill and test humanity. Those roach puppet-masters hiding in the wings.


    Fuck survival. That wasn¡¯t enough.


    I was going to kill every last one of these motherfuckers.


    With anger once again fueling my furnace, I switched stance and went on the offensive. The Threadcutter spun in my hands as I unleashed an unrelenting series of blows. Inaccurate and reckless. Still, body parts were severed and brains were destroyed. I shoved them when they grabbed me. Kicked, punched, and made sure to seal the deal on those suffering injuries.


    Killing Blow activated, and I sliced through the zombie¡¯s stomach, causing them to hunch over. I spun and struck their head with the flat of the blade, bursting their skull into fragments.


    My eyes ablaze, I looked for my next opponent.


    But there were none. Aside from a few stragglers still loitering around the diner interior, the path of destruction from my position to them was soaked with gore. I took a few deep breaths, feeling nauseas from the smell.


    The STAR rang bloody murder.


    [Killing Blow 3]


    [Two-Handed Axe Mastery 4]


    [Skullbreaker 4]


    [Against All Odds 2]


    [New Passive: Decimator: Undead 1]


    [Level Up]


    [You are now Level 4]


    [Received 2 unassigned stat points]


    I spat on the nearest corpse to try to get the bad taste out of my mouth. No such luck. The post combat lull was hitting, and I didn¡¯t have the energy to fully engage with the System bullshit. I flicked away the notifications congratulating me for getting my first disease and curse, and just knocked back one of the Full Restore potions. Something of a cure-all that would heal all the damage taken as well as remove poisons and diseases. Probably something to be used sparingly, but I was over it.


    Looting could wait until I scoped out the diner. Plus, there were still a handful of zombies left and it would be far too ironic to sit and sift through the trash they dropped while a couple snuck up on me. I sighed and looked at my soaked clothes. It was only late morning - it would be forever until the System decided to fix my gear back up.


    //Scarlet: I didn¡¯t die.


    //Scarlet: Checking diner out now.


    I didn¡¯t bother waiting for a reply. My attention switched to the building as I approached. Having a few brain cells left, I even took a route a good distance away from the trail of corpses I had left. One of them might just be pretending. I¡­ almost felt proud of myself.


    The remaining undead fell with little issue. It was as if they were dazed or confused, and didn¡¯t have the help of the horde to make them a threat. I stepped through the doorway - the actual door looked to have been broken off of the hinges. Axe through the head of the one ahead as I kicked away a second, bringing the blade around to meet them. There were just three left now, all behind the counter by the door leading to the back.


    That put them at a disadvantage.


    I glanced around the diner. Place looked like a shitshow now. Bile and grime all over the place. A few corpses of zombies who couldn¡¯t hold out long enough for me to arrive before perishing. So far, none of them looked like Sally. I worked my jaw and exhaled through my nose.


    There might still be supplies in the back, however.


    From this side of the counter, I lashed my axe into the zombies. They couldn¡¯t even reach me, and aside from knocking a few cups to the floor, they were only able to groan briefly in frustration. Didn¡¯t even seem too interested in eating me.


    I flicked the thick blood from my weapon and walked around the counter. It was now a slippery mess, but I made sure to crush their skulls all the same. Taking no chances. I stopped by the doors, a frown on my face. They looked¡­ locked or barricaded?


    ¡°Anyone there? I¡¯ve killed the zombies.¡± I pulled a face and shivered. Wishful thinking, maybe. I might have to take my axe to the door to get in.


    Then¡­ there was a sound. I tilted my head, trying to make it out. Didn¡¯t sound like footsteps, although it was difficult to be sure. I opened my mouth to speak again-


    And the doors burst open.


    A figure wearing a gas mask stepped out suddenly, and I backed away from the long shotgun barrel pointed out in front of their right arm. The sun caught the green lenses of the mask, along with the blonde hair behind it.


    ¡°Scarlet?¡± the muffled voice came from behind the re-breather.


    I looked past the waitress to see a short, portly woman, her gray hair up in curls, brandishing a large knife in her hand.


    ¡°You both survived,¡± I managed to say. Was it relief washing through me? It was hard to tell, but it made my reckless actions seem a bit more rational. Or at least validated.


    ¡°Is this a zombie apocalypse?¡± Sally pulled the mask off of her head, revealing a worried face that clearly hadn¡¯t gotten much sleep last night. ¡°I had a feeling you¡¯d come back.¡±


    There was something about this woman that always disarmed me. Far too trusting and positive, she kept dodging all the walls I put up to stab a screwdriver in where it felt uncomfortable. Pried open, I tried to give her a smile.


    ¡°Yes, and no. Zombies are part of it, but the apocalypse is¡­ more complicated than that.¡±


    ¡°Damnit.¡± The waitress shook her head and frowned. ¡°It would have to happen while I was working, huh? It¡¯ll take me ages to find Theo. Oh!¡± Her annoyance turned back to genuine concern again. ¡°Is Bernie¡­ is he...?"


    ¡°He¡¯s safe. There¡¯s a bunker nearby. I¡¯ll need to take you there or¡­ at least point you in the right direction.¡± I bit my tongue. They were saved, so I owed them nothing more. I really didn¡¯t want to have to explain the STAR and space cockroaches. Fuck, could I even get them in one of the pods? Should I?


    ¡°This is Scarlet, Doris,¡± Sally said to the woman behind her. ¡°The one who really liked your scrambled eggs.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you?¡± Doris replied, unsure. She still looked ready to stab me.


    I couldn¡¯t blame her. My clothes were covered in blood and sweat, and I was carrying a large battleaxe. My eyes went from my weapon to the shotgun the waitress held, and then to the kitchen area. Leaving them to make their own way to the bunker wasn¡¯t the worst idea, and it was clear enough that I didn¡¯t have to protect them.


    With the System, I was able to loot everything not nailed down and wouldn¡¯t need to worry about helping them carry things. They could load up a couple of bags and meet up with Bernie. Have a fuckin¡¯ picnic and wait for me to save the world. Yeah.


    ¡°Impressive that you managed to kill all the zombies,¡± Sally continued, undeterred. ¡°You must be really taking to this well.¡±


    I grunted. ¡°Eh, you have no idea. It¡¯s actually¡­¡± My words trailed off as I caught the concerned eyes of the waitress. I knew I looked quite the state, but...


    ¡°Scarlet¡­¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯ve been bitten.¡±


    Pulling a face, I lifted up my left arm to see a wound that was still a little bloody. I must have needed an extra bandage to top off. My eyes went to my HP, which said¡­ 100%.


    ¡°Oh shit,¡± I murmured, as I flipped to my Health Status Screen.


    [Zombie Curse]


    [Left untreated, you will turn into the living dead]

 11 - Chewing it Out

    I sat on my chair in the diner parking lot, massaging my temples. Looting the kitchen had been enough to give me a headache with the rescued pair in my ears constantly.


    There was a high chance Sally was actually insane. The living bubble of optimism hadn¡¯t popped yet, and she seemed unphased with the end of the world happening around her. Even the corpses and dead lying around her place of work hadn¡¯t budged her positive attitude. Other than pining for her boyfriend and pestering me in awe as I vacuumed up useful items into my Inventory, it could have been any other day for her.


    Doris was the complete opposite. Clearly a woman who had seen plenty in her years and was used to putting in plenty of her own elbow grease to get by, she was incensed with the current situation. While the waitress had hopped about asking me a thousand questions, the owner of the diner had spent the time cursing out every other nation state on Earth, assuming they were the cause of this catastrophe.


    I had tuned both of them out the best I could, on account of actually being worried I was going to become a fucking zombie.


    //Bernie: You will turn if you die.


    //Bernie: Plus you will lose 10% max HP every day¡­


    //Bernie: Until you die and become a zombie.


    //Bernie: That is what Richard says¡­ I¡¯m sorry, dear.


    A ten-day death sentence. Pragmatically, I was more likely to die to some other bullshit before that happens¡­ and the reduction in my health made that even more a possibility. Apparently, the zombie curse was magical in nature, which is why the Full Restore hadn¡¯t done anything. Seemed arbitrary, but sure.


    My request for a method to get rid of it was met with silence. The answer still pending.


    So, I had sat in the parking lot, partially hoping that my brain would just explode and make this process easier. The other part of me was trying to push a lid on the situation and keep everything under control.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I¡¯m a bit much. I yap when nervous.¡±


    I let go of my fragile skull and looked up at the slight woman. ¡°There¡¯s a lot to be nervous about.¡± I sighed and slouched in the chair, uncomfortable. ¡°No need to apologize, I¡¯m just¡­ I¡¯ve almost died several times since we last spoke.¡±


    ¡°More zombies?¡±


    ¡°Plagued ratmen. Goblins. Some asshole Pokemon thing.¡± I closed my eyes. Maybe I was the insane one. ¡°Worst of all, I threw up all that food I ate.¡±


    ¡°Damn. No wonder you¡¯re feeling like shit. I¡¯d offer to cook more¡­ but the diner has some health and safety concerns. We would not pass inspection... again.¡±


    I pulled a face and opened an eye to see that she was grinning ear to ear. ¡°Are you always this insufferable?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± She put her hands behind her back and rocked on her heels like she was proud of the fact. ¡°My mom always said I¡¯ll only stop when I¡¯m dead, but I reckon I¡¯d keep on going.¡± Sally paused at the end of her statement, perhaps remembering that she had family somewhere.


    ¡°In the city?¡± I asked, catching the thread of her thoughts.


    She shook her head and wrinkled up her nose. ¡°Out of state. They moved about six months ago after my nineteenth, for my pops¡¯ work. Theo and I got our own place. I tried calling him over the night, but¡­¡± Her eyes went over to the ruined city. She didn''t seem to clock that the whole world was in the shit, and her parents were in danger no matter where they were.


    I leaned past her to see the owner, who was still wearing her cooking apron. ¡°What about you, Doris?¡±


    She looked up from the large handbag she had been digging through. ¡°Nobody, really. Would live in the diner if I could. Work is all I have, and now they¡¯ve taken it from me.¡±


    While I assumed she meant the aliens, the continued mutterings in a dialect I didn¡¯t recognize hinted that she was still aiming blame toward the wrong group. How easy was all of this going to be to explain? She didn¡¯t look like she understood video games, or much pop culture references. Something I¡¯d need to delegate to Sally or Bernie.


    My looting spree through the diner had unveiled enough food for the four of us to last a week. Water was a worry until I found enough containers to fill and stuck them in my Inventory. Assuming the plumbing line remained working, we could come back here to top up. I¡¯d also taken a few stools and furnishings from around the place. Miscellaneous kitchen utensils. Not especially useful, but I had the space for them. I went through the cupboards and stole the toiletries and linens. If the bunker was going to be a temporary home for us, then it needed to be more comfortable.


    I avoided the internal question of whether I should encourage the pair to get into the STAR pods. They wouldn¡¯t be able to see or interact with Richard without it, and wouldn¡¯t have much fighting chance in the world¡­ but they could also just straight up die from the process. It seemed cruel when they had just been saved.


    ¡°Do the monsters respawn?¡± Sally glanced around the diner premises with a hand over her brow to shade her eyes. ¡°The shotgun only has three shots left, and I can¡¯t hit the broadside of a barn.¡±


    The weapon looked old and barely functional. Breach loading, single shell shotgun. If she could get the System to upgrade it to her starter weapon, then it might turn into something more useful¡­ then I could take it for myself, if she wanted to stay put in the bunker.


    ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°This area is considered safe, at least for this phase. We should get you to the bunker, though. Some monsters roam and I don¡¯t want to get caught out.¡±


    They agreed, but what choice did they really have? I had somehow become shepherd to the weak, something of an irony given my usual skittish nature when it came to social pressures. I stood up and stretched. The bite wound was still sore, despite the rest of me healing up. With how fast everything had gone, I didn¡¯t even remember getting bitten.


    Had it been worth it?


    It was hard to be angry at myself for finding the two women, even if they were irritating. The apocalypse had enough victims, and perhaps this selfless act would earn me some preferential treatment from the System. Slim chance. I paused as I lifted up my chair and cursed under my breath - I hadn¡¯t even looted the zombies yet.


    More fool me if the bastards dropped the item that could remove the curse.


    I worked my way from the diner interior to the edge of the wave of mulched corpses, picking up whatever the undead offered. Most of them had nothing of value on them. Occasionally, a couple of gold coins. Two bandages. An Antidote. Several pieces of common gear with no stats that I didn¡¯t even care to investigate - they just went into my Inventory for now.


    Nothing to cure the curse.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait till I can see what is going on,¡± Sally said, watching me crouch beside groups of body parts. ¡°I spent about three months last year completely drowning in isekai, VRMMO, and RPG media. Maybe I could be that annoying side character that tells you the solutions to all the puzzles before you have a chance to work out the answer?¡±


    My eyes just remained looking into the blank orbs of the half-pulped skull of one of my victims. Lucky them. I blinked and looked over at the waitress. ¡°I¡¯m not as dense as I look, you know?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Apologies for assuming. What¡¯s your favorite game?¡±


    Images of the summerhouse flashed through my mind. The old console on the patterned rug. Two glasses of iced orange juice. The giggles and arguments with my brother. I winced and pushed it all away.


    ¡°We¡¯ll yap later.¡± I turned from her and nodded at Doris. ¡°Your car still working? It¡¯ll have to go off road for a while.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be mad as a mule in heat with all this sand,¡± the diner owner¡¯s response came as she glared at her vehicle. ¡°But rather that than irritating my dodgy ankle.¡±


    I nodded, for lack of anything to really add to that conversation. A working vehicle would be a huge boon, although I wouldn¡¯t be able to roll it through much of the desert. I turned my head to the road leading toward the city.


    It had become partially obscured by layers of sand. The apocalypse had caused the open plain to become short hills of rock and dunes, obscuring the line of sight across the distance of it. There didn¡¯t seem to be anything that had tried coming this way, escaping the city. I wondered if that meant it wasn¡¯t possible.


    I turned back and caught the keys out of the air.


    ¡°Good reactions,¡± Doris said shrewdly. ¡°If my life is in your hands, then so be it.¡±


    If anything, that made me feel less comfortable with my situation. Thankfully, the pair had accepted my explanation of the zombie curse, and hadn¡¯t executed me on sight. While Sally had been eager to accept me, the owner had her reservations. In fact, if I hadn¡¯t praised her cooking, I might have been left with the rest of the walking dead splayed across the ground.


    Her mode of transport was an old station-wagon. Sturdy and reliable, even if it did complain more than my own van had. Sally explained that Doris usually gave her a lift home after last shift, because she didn¡¯t drive. On account of failing her test three times... this year. I was starting to feel less irritated with the over-sharing now that I knew it was because of nerves. Her sparkling personality was a mask for the real dread she was feeling.


    Maybe I could just have three scouts to reveal the map even quicker.


    The vehicle pulled forward, and I took it toward the shallowest incline to take us into the desert. This time, I was in no rush. Without knowing any other way of getting transport out here, I didn¡¯t want to ruin a second vehicle. Slowly, we left the diner behind.


    Past the goblin camp that I had torn to pieces. Bumped over the dune near the burned-out house. The bunker came into view, but we had spent the whole journey in silence - for one good reason.


    The horizon ahead of us, composed entirely of the city itself. Smoke and dust clouds obscured parts of it. Flames flickered from somewhere deeper in. It was imposing and dire. If there were many survivors, they weren¡¯t flashy or overt about still existing. From the outside, it looked as though a bomb had hit it, and none were left alive.


    I rolled the station-wagon to a stop and pulled up the handbrake. Engine off. Part of me wanted to make a quip about home sweet home, but I found my tongue wasn¡¯t eager to break the silence.


    ¡°Never seen this bunker before,¡± Sally mentioned, popping open the back door to step out. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s out of the way¡­ but it¡¯s kinda visible to the road.¡±


    ¡°Some things become background noise,¡± Doris said. ¡°Like the notice that says which pans go in which drawer.¡±


    ¡°Always with the pans in drawers.¡± Sally rolled her eyes.


    I held my breath and left the station-wagon. My eyes lingered around the bunker before checking the surroundings. I had to make sure¡­ it was a compulsion.


    //Scarlet: We¡¯re here. Everything okay?


    //Bernie: Yes.


    One of the least convincing yes¡¯ I had heard lately, but perhaps I was projecting. It was difficult to read tone from plain text. If there was a problem in the bunker, he would surely tell me outright.


    Without saying anything, I went over to the door and opened it up. Ushered the two in and shut it behind me. Even Sally was quiet now. The weight and apprehension of the situation was never more real than this. For me, I felt sicker with each step down toward the enclosed space.


    I liked roaming the wastes. Even though it was dangerous, I had control of my fate. I could fight and move. Down here was like a tomb. One now filled with my last ties to humanity. And some holographic prick.


    Second door opened up.


    ¡°Bernie!¡± Sally rushed in, awkwardly unsure if a hug was appropriate or not. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re okay.¡±


    ¡°No doubt thanks to my cooking,¡± Doris added, trying to play off that she was thankful to see him as well.


    I turned my attention to Richard off to my right as the trio exchanged chatter. He had his arms crossed, concern across his face. Although he was facing me, his eyes followed the waitress for a while before fixating on me.


    ¡°Can¡¯t fault you,¡± he began. ¡°You-¡±


    ¡°Save it,¡± I interrupted, drawing the eyes of the others. ¡°Hey, you two can¡¯t see this wireframe asshole, right?¡±


    They looked between me and the empty space where I was gesturing.


    Sally wrinkled up her face. ¡°Like, literally¡­ or?¡±


    ¡°Alright, well, it¡¯s going to look like I¡¯m talking to myself, but Bernie can see and hear him, so I¡¯m not crazy, okay? Bern, try to update them on everything you can?¡±


    He gave me a nod and started talking with the confused pair.


    I gestured for Richard to move closer to the corner of the chamber. ¡°Find me a cure for this,¡± I whispered. ¡°Otherwise you know what will happen. It could end up worse than just me dying.¡±


    My Guide bit his lower lip and glanced over at the group. We didn¡¯t need to say it out loud. They were dead if I perished. While that sounded rather self-centered, I was right to have some ego about this. It wasn¡¯t just about being level 4 with a decent selection of skills and gear - it was my mentality. The sort of stupid asshole that would dive into a zombie horde to save two others. I chose to ignore the possibility that I turned and killed them myself. Sounded like something I''d do.


    ¡°Your best bet is to head to the west,¡± he replied. ¡°Bernie started scouting that way before knowing what he was doing, and there¡¯s potentially a neutral shop there.¡±


    ¡°Somewhere to spend my gold?¡±


    He nodded, his wireframe form shifting slightly. ¡°There is a chance they will sell Curse Removal, or could point you in the direction of someone who can.¡±


    ¡°Ten days,¡± I murmured, more for my own benefit. It seemed like an eternity with everything going on. If only it was my sole problem¡­


    ¡°If it¡¯s any consolation, you were lucky it was only one bite. The curse is compounding, meaning you could have had even less time.¡±


    I rubbed at my forehead. Silver linings and all¡­ but it didn¡¯t exactly make me feel better. I was one bad move from it being three days, or even an instant switch. ¡°Fuckin¡¯¡­ fine. West it is. Get Bernie scouting as soon as he can. Let me offload some supplies before I go.¡±


    He nodded, but I didn¡¯t allow him a chance to respond.


    Over by the pods, I offloaded ninety percent of the food and linens. Water containers, soap, and towels. I chucked one of the water flasks over to Bernie, the waitress catching it for him.


    ¡°I¡¯m fucking off west to find a cure,¡± I said. ¡°You can route messages to me through Bernie.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re going to the motel?¡± Sally asked, furrowing her brow.


    ¡°Motel?¡± If I had known about one, then I might not have even passed through the diner.


    She nodded. ¡°There¡¯s another road into the city parrel to the one here, about a two miles out west. It¡¯s not¡­ a great place¡­¡±


    Doris added some colorful expletives in her native tongue, although I couldn¡¯t tell whether that was Eastern European or Puerto Rican.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t fans of theirs. The guy who owns it is a sleazy dirtbag,¡± Sally translated diplomatically. ¡°I figured you might be going there for the showers.¡±


    ¡°Showers.¡± The word echoed around my mind, as well as the chamber. I was planning on leaving to avoid the awkward task of deciding on if the two would accept the STAR, but if there were working showers at this motel¡­ fuck, and actual beds¡­ that was an even better excuse.


    Richard stepped into the side of my distracted view. ¡°I¡¯ll remind you that populated centers are likely to have worse monster spawns - much like the diner.¡±


    I felt like reiterating the fact that showers were involved. Maybe he wouldn¡¯t understand, being as he was an intangible being¡­ but I¡¯d press him on his real identity at a later date. He seemed nervous about the inclusion of the two newcomers, and I wanted to be petty and let him stew over that.


    ¡°Keep inside the bunker. I¡¯ll be back before night.¡± I gave them all a nod, excusing myself.


    Sally wished me luck, but they were all too overwhelmed with everything to stop me, even if they wanted to. Two twirls of large handles, and I was outside again, able to breathe.


    I had fed them and provided them with safety. That should be enough. Now they would just be a burden to me. Shut up. I shook my head out. Old habits died hard, and I was making excuses. Would they be in the firing line from being associated with me? So paranoid. There was no chance his lapdogs were still tracking me down. Money meant shit in this new world. Revenge, though?


    Unfortunately, I knew one asshole who was even more petty than I was¡­


    With a glare at general existence, I turned and started off toward my ruined van. My body itched from the dried and flaking gore. My hair was matted with grease and blood. My senses were shot from the bile and burning. I would get a shower, even if it was the last thing I ever did in life.


    My vehicle was in a sorry state, looking like it had been stuck in position for years. In eyesight of the bunker, it had fallen at the final hurdle. I gave the hood a gentle pat as I moved around it. Over the years, it had served me well. One of us deserved the rest. Around the back, I popped open the doors and looked inside the darkness.


    Lightbulb popped into life with hardly a thought, illuminating the shaded back of the vehicle.


    [Lightbulb 2]


    The size of the ball of light increased slightly. I paused and swore under my breath, realizing that I hadn''t assigned my level 4 stat points when in the bunker. Too eager to run from responsibility. I shook my head once more and focused on the task at hand.


    Up on a rail in the top corner of the inside, I unraveled a black tie. Popped my collar and started affixing it around my neck. There was zero benefit, really, other than bringing the outfit together properly. Last time I had rocked this look, I had been on top of the world, flinging cards and knocking back iced liquor. How things could change on a dime.


    Rooting through the bags back here, I was able to dig out some spare clothes. Underwear, socks, and another white shirt I didn¡¯t know I had. All needing a fresh wash, but I wasn¡¯t sure the apocalypse cared that much. A scour of the rest of the van didn¡¯t bring up much else worth taking. A pen, the bobble-head cat ornament, a small fan that had run out of batteries, and a bottle of warm beer.


    The last keepsakes of a life lived on the run.


    I rolled my eyes and shut the doors. Such a dour outlook. It was no wonder I¡­


    My brow furrowed, and my eyes went up to my Inventory. To Threadcutter.


    Richard had said I was only able to pick up items that had been affected by the incoming System. The axe appeared in my hands.


    That meant something must have spawned around my van.


    I turned slowly as the ground nearby started to vibrate.

 12 - Interpersonal Combat

    My eyes couldn¡¯t see the monster who was clearly getting closer. I readied my axe as I scoured the landscape, but-


    There it was.


    A slim object snaked its way through the rock and sand toward me. Not nearly big enough to be causing these vibrations through the ground, and if I didn¡¯t know any better, I would have said it looked like a¡­ shark fin.


    I dove away from the van as the ground opened up, rock splitting away as a large jaw emerged, snapping at the air where I had been. The System gave me the details to stop me from guessing.


    [Sand Shark (Level 3)]


    Lower level and not Elite. Almost enough to make me sigh in relief. If we had driven down the road and then took this route to the bunker, we would have been attacked - and I¡¯m not sure if I could have defended all three of us. A point of bad luck that Bernie hadn¡¯t scouted east of the bunker yet.


    At least now I was prepared. Alone. Picking myself up from the dirt, I ran toward the monster. The smooth skin of the beast pushed through the rock as if it was water, and it turned to face me with an almost circular mouth full of sharp teeth. As I swung for it, it dived beneath the surface; the ground returning to how it had looked before the monster had appeared.


    I aborted my attack and tried to sidestep. The fin vanished from view. At a guess, the monster must be at least twelve feet long, which gave me some leeway to move while it repositioned. Not that I had anywhere to go. It didn¡¯t feel dangerous, just annoying - no doubt some hubris that could easily earn me some prosthetic legs. An injury I wouldn¡¯t be able to just walk off.


    The vibrations continued, but it didn¡¯t help me locate where the monster might next emerge. I clenched my jaw, frustrated. Not thinking clearly.


    My foot slid forward as I brought my axe into the air, and I brought it down just as the shark burst upward.


    I hit the ground, the air briefly knocked from my lungs. Head hit a rock, stunning me. Bastard had missed the bite, but moving the ground had thrown me completely off my feet. The sand was warm, almost comfortable. I took in a sharp breath and scrabbled up to my feet, lifting Threadcutter up as I went.


    The fin followed me across the ground; the shark submerged again. Hunting me down.


    Shark facts spun around in my mind as I sought a solution to the avoidant monster. None of them particularly useful for one that swam through land.


    Of course, the solution had been staring me in the face this whole time. Or rather, hadn¡¯t.


    I arced around to the front of my dead van, the shark hot on the trail. With a grunt, I leaped onto the hood before hopping onto the roof. The metal complained, but held steady. I swore at my throbbing head injury as the fin dove back out of view.


    The monster didn¡¯t have eyes.


    It had been tracking me via the vibrations, like echolocation. Movement and noise probably attracted it. Hiding atop my vehicle might keep me safe, but I didn¡¯t plan on living here. I glanced over at the bunker and sighed. Perhaps this was karma.


    Gingerly, I sat down on the edge of the van and placed my axe beside me.


    From within my Inventory, I withdrew a frying pan stolen¡ªacquired¡ªfrom the diner. With a sour expression on my face, I threw the utensil down onto the sandy ground. It clanged and bounced once - and off to the side; the fin rose up through the rock. The shark moved over to the object, but sunk away again.


    Proof of concept.


    I rubbed at my eyes before staring at my STAR some more. All I could think about was that motel and the potential of a shower. A checkpoint between these patchy spates of violence. It was time to kill the shark.


    Heavy thud as I dropped from the van. One step. Two steps. On the third, the monster burst up, wide jaws crunching through my legs. Or rather, the legs of the stool I had thrown. I was actually in the air, having leaped over the two other thrown stools. The monster barely had a chance to react as I flashed Threadcutter down, splitting through its upper jaw and skull.


    [New Passive: Attack from Above]


    [Imposing 2]


    I grumbled as I pulled my weapon from the corpse. Not a great deal of experience - I was about a third of the way to level 5. The new passive was a slight increase to my damage when I was airborne, but I didn¡¯t plan on making diving from heights a habit. My ankles and knees weren¡¯t that youthful anymore.


    Apparently, I had caused fear in the simple monster, right before I split whatever brains it had in two. Back at the diner, I was reasonably sure that zombies didn¡¯t care much for being scared - otherwise Imposing would have increased when mowing through them. It was an important one, so perhaps I should start finding more monsters to bully around.


    [32 Gold]


    [Uncut Diamond]


    [Sturdy Boots]


    [Solar Shard (1)]


    My eyebrows raised at the loot, which caused a pain across the side of my head. I felt at the bump and my hand withdrew slightly bloody. Not enough of a HP loss to use a bandage. I¡¯d just have to live with the ache while I dug through these items.


    Starting with the most important - footwear.


    [Sturdy Boots]


    [+1 Stamina]


    [These boots were made for profit. Designed for walking, though]


    I rolled my eyes and equipped them immediately, placing my dress shoes in my Inventory. The new boots were black and quite sleek, not clashing with my outfit - or at least once the burned off and gore-soaked slacks had been repaired and could cover the top half of the new footwear.


    Maybe the System was throwing me a bone, after I had wished for decent footwear. I took a quick moment to wish for my enemy''s downfall, just in case. All of them.


    [Uncut Diamond]


    [Sells for a high price. Can be refined by a Jewelsmith]


    [It won¡¯t be your best friend, trust me]


    [Solar Shard]


    [Combine 10 to receive a blessing from the Gods]


    Not¡­ trash, but equally not helpful right now. I had four of those shards, although I was apprehensive about who those gods might be. A gift by any other name was a burden, and I already had enough shit on my plate.


    Just as I thought that, a message pinged through the Chat.


    //Bernie: Ah, apologies if this is interrupting anything¡­


    //Bernie: The others are arguing about the STAR pods.


    //Bernie: Being the middle-man for Richard is¡­


    //Bernie: I¡¯m struggling.


    //Scarlet: I¡¯ll be there. Don¡¯t worry.


    Serves me right. I had hoped the four of them could have worked something out between them and I could focus on my role in all this¡­ but I guess I owed them more than that. My eyes went up to the position of the sun in the sky, and then to my experience bar. I exhaled through my nose as I picked up the two unbroken stools and went off towards the bunker.


    A twist of the two doors, and I was back inside the cool chamber. Richard and Bernie looked exasperated, while Sally and Doris looked fed up and frustrated.


    ¡°I can¡¯t leave you children alone for five minutes?¡± I asked, closing the door behind me. ¡°What is the problem?¡±


    ¡°I want to go into the STAR pod, but Doris thinks I¡¯ll just die.¡± Sally crossed her arms and scowled at the diner owner.


    It was unfair of me to go immediately on the offensive when I had set up this up to fail, but I had to push myself as the one in charge here. If only for my own sanity.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t die,¡± Bernie tried to offer. ¡°Although, there was a chance.¡±


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    Poor guy looked like he was stuck between the two of them, unable to please either or pick a side. Richard was probably no help. The trouble was, I didn¡¯t exactly have a solution either.


    I crossed my arms, putting my two unassigned stat points into Morale while I addressed the group. ¡°Why is it you are so keen on going through it, Sally?¡±


    ¡°To survive, of course. Get some powers and help keep us safe.¡±


    Doris clicked her tongue and shook her head. ¡°She just wants to run off to the city to find the boy.¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I do that?¡± she snapped back.


    Ah. I had almost gotten lucky, but one of us still had a connection to the city interior. There wasn¡¯t an easy way to tell her that he was probably dead, and it also wasn¡¯t likely she would listen. I knew that expression on her face. The terrible mix of na?ve optimism and hard-headed stubbornness.


    ¡°The city has things way beyond what I¡¯ve been dealing with,¡± I began. ¡°STAR or not, you won¡¯t be able to survive on your own. That said¡­¡± I sighed and rubbed at the bump on my head. ¡°I¡¯m not your keeper. You¡¯re all adults, and if you want to take the risk, then go for it. I¡¯ll not shed a tear when I have to bury your dumbass corpses. If they''re even in a recoverable state.¡±


    All three of them pulled faces, but didn¡¯t have an immediate response. I wanted them to be safe and alive, but I didn¡¯t sign up for babysitting or managing social connections. My role was to murder every last monster polluting the world, or die trying. My point made, I shook my head and turned to Richard.


    ¡°Change of plans. Get me something local to kill and I¡¯ll get to level 5 and choose my Class before heading to the motel.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Smart. Sorry about the sand shark.¡±


    I rolled my eyes and turned to the others. ¡°I¡¯m not a people person. It would be nice if you all got through this, just as I want to. Even this holographic asshole can¡¯t tell us your chances without the STAR. Getting it has risks and will put you in danger, but the world is fucked. Nobody is coming to save you.¡± that I knew of. It was unlikely there was some benevolent force that cared for us plebs.


    ¡°You came and saved us,¡± Sally said, now more of a pout than a scowl on her face.


    ¡°Then don¡¯t spit on my struggle by being reckless. Stop exhausting Bernie with your bickering as well. He is actually helping me survive, so¡­ just sort it out.¡± I shrugged, exasperated, and went for the door.


    Nobody stopped me as I left, and I stepped back out into the warmth of the day. That wasn¡¯t¡­ too bad. I¡¯d certainly had worse public speaking skills in less stressful situations. Conflict resolution wasn''t in my list of real skills. They both needed to accept the STAR, but I¡¯d feel guilty if they didn¡¯t survive it. How ironic when I ended the lives of monsters with no thought.


    I checked the position of the sun again. I¡¯d need to focus if I wanted to get everything done and back to the bunker before night. Even with Lightbulb, I didn¡¯t want to be traveling through the dark¡­ now knowing that there could be surprises like the sand shark around.


    //Bernie: Richard says to head north.


    //Bernie: I¡¯m scouting now, will let you know what is closest.


    Toward the city. I swore under my breath a few times before getting my head back in the game. It was much more simple when it was just me. Even Bernie had been an acceptable addition to my one-person warpath through the apocalypse. With the others now¡­


    I took two steps toward the side of the building before flattening myself against it.


    A thrum shook the air, shortly followed by another. I leaned forward to the edge of the wall, my breath held. As soon as my head poked around the corner, my heart stopped to leap straight into my throat.


    It was too far away for the System to tell me what it was, but I had a few words of my own.


    Giant. Titan. Fucking horrifying. Easily fifty-feet tall, the lumbering monster was stepping outside of the city limits. It looked as though it was covered with moss - shaggy green vines hanging from its round body. Dripping as if it had just emerged from the sea. Small sporadic patches on it burned bright amber, like it was diseased or perhaps wounded by something. In one hand it held a crushed school bus handily, as if it was just a toy.


    I watched, frozen with shock, as it continue walking¡­ but not in this direction. Thank fuck.


    While waiting for my heart rate to calm down, I almost wished the others could have seen it as well. Maybe then they¡¯d get the hint that things were bad. That said, I regretted seeing it. How was I meant to fight something like that?


    Something else to twist Richard¡¯s ear about when I had some downtime. Learning everything piecemeal was aggravating, but there was too much to hold in my thick skull from the outset. It was a whole new world, almost. All I had to do was keep moving and make these numbers go up. Stay alive.


    I continued watching the huge monster stomp off into the distance, heading east. There seemed to be a fog down past that end of the city that he faded away into. Now I could breathe.


    Axe in hand, I stepped around to the back of the bunker and looked to the north. The state of the city had been distracting to the point that I hadn¡¯t seen how dotted the terrain was with monsters and oddities in this direction. Although the desert seemed to be changing somehow.


    //Bernie: Sending scout result.


    //Bernie: Looks like a fighting arena¡­


    He didn¡¯t really need to tell me, as I could see it up ahead. The desert dipped down from my current position, allowing me a decent view of how populated the next few miles were. It was like looking at a cockroach infestation¡­ which was ironic.


    I just wanted to sweep my hand out and erase them all from the world. Not exactly a new desire, given my past. I pulled a face and looked back at my target.


    If it was any larger, I would have said it was a colosseum. It was neither grand nor particularly well-built. More of a walled fighting pit than anything, but some effort had been made to fashion it into a sturdy, long-lasting feature.


    At least, from whatever planet or reality it had been stolen from.


    To me, it looked like the place I¡¯d get my level up and increase my two-handed axe mastery skill to 5. Maybe get my teeth kicked in. Either way, I was in control.


    I even started humming to myself as I walked toward the fighting arena. At first, it seemed as though the structure was vacant. That made some sense¡­ as odd as this all was, it would be even stranger to have a populated stadium of monsters sitting around and waiting for someone to step up to entertain them.


    A thought wandered through my mind, and I opened up Chat.


    //Scarlet: Can you ask Rich if monsters are NPCs or real?


    //Scarlet: He¡¯ll know what I mean.


    The Guide had been the one to paint this with the video game brush, and I wanted to know how deep that analogy went. Whether these creatures were brainless automatons going about a set routine - or if they had free will and choice in what they did now that they were on Earth.


    I wasn¡¯t sure which answer would be worse.


    //Bernie: He says¡­ yes.


    //Bernie: It varies, but you¡¯ll come across both.


    Ah, that was definitely a worse answer. It meant that some monsters were glorified loot pinatas, and others probably didn¡¯t have to try too hard to outsmart me. I needed to take Richard to the side soon and really get some answers out of him¡­ preferably without the others overhearing.


    With a sigh, my thoughts returned to the bunker trio. Sally was going to be a problem. She knew what was important to her and would risk her life to go find her boyfriend. A shame, as the fact that the waitress was so unphased by everything would probably make her a decent fighter - depending on what the System gave her.


    Doris wasn¡¯t likely to take up the STAR¡­ unless she was convinced it would give her the ability to punish whichever group of people she thought caused the apocalypse. I didn¡¯t rate her chances much with how high stakes combat was here, but she had the venom for punching back at our oppressors.


    Lastly, Bernie was a trooper. We were lucky that he received such a useful skill that could be used while he stayed out of danger¡­ and it didn¡¯t overwhelm him. Being cooped up in the bunker wasn¡¯t exactly a fate he deserved either, but I didn¡¯t have any other way of keeping him safe.


    I tried to remind myself that it wasn¡¯t my responsibility, but it was fruitless.


    Pre-apocalypse Scarlet was eager to find the first working vehicle and high-tail it away from all of this. But for the me living now¡ªwho had possibly taken too many hits to the head¡ªI could see the glimmer of possibility. Of hope.


    Every kill, and every skill upgrade¡­ was slowly paving an area of existence that was mine. The others were opportunistic anchors, willing me to stick to the new resolution of staying put for once in my adult life. After all, what was left of that me? With the world in turmoil, it was likely my mom¡­


    I pulled a face and focused on the building ahead. Maybe the violence was just a different form of escapism.


    The brickwork of the arena was covered in mossy patches and looked to be built with mud and roughly hewn rocks rather than mortar and bricks. Vines ran up one side, adding a flourish that reminded me of the deep woodlands. Even the smell of it¡­ earthy and old. Just like that family trip when I broke my left wrist by climbing trees. Or failing at climbing them, as the case had been.


    While I rubbed at my left wrist by reflex, I walked around to the front of the arena - which was east facing. An arched opening led inside to where the fighting pit was. Nothing more than an oval of dried dirt surrounded by thick... fifteen feet high walls. Despite looking rather archaic and basic, I raised my eyebrow at a notice pinned to the rocky wall beside the door.


    Surprisingly, it was in English - and relatively understandable handwriting.


    There were three challenge levels that had to be completed in order.


    [Stage 1 - Krull (3), Level 2 Elites]


    [Rewards: 100 Gold, Common Skillbook, Common Equipment Chest]


    [Stage 2 - A¡¯l-Ghar the Hungry, Level 4 Elite]


    [Rewards: 200 Gold, Uncommon Skillbook, Uncommon Equipment Chest]


    [Stage 3 - Blue Eye, Level 6 Elite]


    [Rewards: 400 Gold, Rare Skillbook, Rare Equipment Chest]


    That was a lot of gold, which could be useful for when I found somewhere to spend it. My eyes lingered on the word Rare for the last combatant¡¯s rewards, before looking at their level again. My luck was probably running out, so I should keep a tight grip on the dice in my hand.


    Rare, though.


    Both Threadcutter and Killing Blow were Rare and carried the weight of my current power. No use being a greedy corpse, however. I could at least get the Common rewards and see how I felt about the Uncommon one. I shouldn¡¯t be too eager to become a zombie.


    I lifted up the axe over my shoulder and walked underneath the arch and into the arena. Even empty, it was imposing. Center stage where my middling combat skills would be put to the test¡­ for dubious rewards.


    Still, with level 5 on the line¡ªand a shower in my near future¡ªit would be worth the effort. An arena setting made the violence seem more structured and acceptable.


    A gate made out of of criss-crossed wooden beams dropped down behind me, noisily, blocking off the exit. There was a similar gate opposite me, darkness further in. No doubt where the monsters were standing in wait.


    I got into position, stretching out my muscles. A deep breath, and I was calm. Just focus and kill. Things would be-


    My whole body tensed up as a shrill laugh came from the stands.

 13 - Arena Area

    The figure who seemed to find my appearance amusing was not a human.


    Something I probably could have assumed, based on this whole situation - but it was still odd to see a System-orientated monster who seemed to prefer cackling and didn¡¯t want to break my skull open. At least not immediately.


    He was ape-like, reminding me of a yeti. Long arms and coarse white fur. A lengthy face with plenty of teeth shown as they continued to take amusement with my presence. While I tensed, ready to see if he was going to attack, more shapes started to appear around the top of the stands.


    More yetis, although these were smaller and more of a dark gray compared to the near-white of the main antagonist who wouldn¡¯t shut the fuck up.


    I scowled at the ringleader, waiting for them to do something. An audience wasn¡¯t expected, and I was starting to wonder what happened after I was done. Assuming I wasn¡¯t dead, anyway.


    The head yeti stopped laughing as the last of his kin settled down. With his eyes bright, he looked around the gathering. Hands clasped to the edge of the wall, he leaned forward and grinned at me once more. Then spoke.


    Although, I didn¡¯t understand him. A mixture of hoots and grunts, he ended whatever speech he had prepared with an inflection - also raising a single finger. I was willing to read between the lines.


    ¡°Yeah. Stage one. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    My response was met with whoops and hollers from the entire audience. Imagine an existence where you just waited around for someone to come fight in front of you. Where did they go after I was done? They must be closer to NPCs, like I discussed with Richard earlier. Set pieces, but no less dangerous.


    These skillbooks better be worth this.


    The leader held up his arm and screeched, causing the rest of the rabble to fall into silence. With all of the grandeur he could muster, he extended his long arms toward the gate opposite me - and grunted.


    An earthy creak rolled through the silence as the wooden door rose upward into the rocky ceiling.


    This was supposed to be three weak Elites called Krull. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was the fantasy race name, or they shared some title. I took a few steps back and adjusted the grip on the axe handle.


    Actually¡­


    As the gate continued to rise, I went into my Inventory. Found one of the disgusting vials of Rat Juice and selected the apply option - glad enough that I didn¡¯t have to handle the liquid manually. In closing down the STAR windows, I could see that the sharp edges of the Threadcutter now glowed a sinister green. Similar to how that crossbow bolt looked last night.


    A growl came from the darkened entrance as the gate met the apex. I rolled out my neck as the first shape moved into the light. Bipedal monsters covered in fur. Spotted and sandy like hyenas, but with a pig-like face. Tribal armor made out of bones and thin wood painted with red and blue stripes.


    I adjusted my footing as the other two followed the first in. They were barely over four feet tall, but the spears they held were a good couple of heads taller than that. Judging by the look on their stubby faces, they were looking forward to eating my body after killing me.


    At least if I got them with Rat Plague, then they wouldn¡¯t be able to keep me down. I grinned at them as they arranged themselves on the other side of the arena. Spread out, probably intending on flanking me. Seemed we had to wait for the go-ahead of the yeti leader.


    He held his right hand up and grunted, a renewed silence falling across the area. After three long seconds, he waved it downward like a flag and screamed out. The audience roared with life and the Krull snarled at each other. High energy.


    I tried not to think about what decisions led me to this moment. Sure, I was impulsive and a risk taker at times, but not violent¡­ unless pushed to it. Any further self reflection would have to wait until I was done with the fight. The Krull made their move.


    The two on either flank moved in, while the middle one stayed back. I circled to the right to avoid getting pinned where they wanted me. The small monsters were quite quick on their feet, and it was no time at all before the first lunged at me with his long spear. Something that I easily deflected given how obvious the attack had been - but it was the second Krull that was the problem.


    My strafing had earned me that slight amount of time and angle to make their teamwork inefficient, and the follow-up intending to catch me recovering from the block was slightly too slow to pierce my torso. The bladed tip of the weapon still caught my left arm as I deflected it, slicing through shirt and skin easily.


    If they were taller with longer arms, I¡¯d probably be fucked at this point. Thanks to their stature, my step into a twirl with Threadcutter was enough to get me in range to be a threat. The first Krull ducked below the arc of the axe, while the second braced their spear up to block my swing. His wooden weapon split in half from the attack, my axe only barely slicing through part of his unarmored flesh. A paper cut, almost.


    But a Rat Plague icon appeared above his head, and the slight wound festered.


    Before I could take advantage, the spry first monster had scurried past me, threatening to surround me between the three of them.


    Speaking of the third¡­


    It was a risk to take my eyes away from the pair in melee distance, but doing so probably saved my life. I flinched, moving from the thrown spear at the last moment. Glancing blow. Warm blood ran down from my forehead, threatening to blind my right eye.


    They were pack hunters. Once I was distracted and tied up, the background monster was meant to stick me like a wild animal. Then the others could shred me once I was hurting.


    I hated feeling trapped.


    Angrily, I lashed a kick out toward the one with the broken spear, knocking him back. I twisted and brought the axe up to block the stab from the Krull behind me. Shaft against shaft, I slid my weapon down his until I cut into his arm.


    He yelped and backed up just as the third collided with me. Rather than seek out his thrown spear, he grabbed and pulled at my shirt in an attempt to bite me. Little asshole was sticking just under my left arm, so I couldn¡¯t get a good swing at him with my axe. I let go of the Threadcutter with my left hand and grabbed at the tuft of hair atop his head to pull his mouth away from my exposed flank.


    The plagued Krull hunched over and vomited. I turned, pulling the hair of my assailant back to twist him around as I swung my axe haphazardly. It didn¡¯t have much power behind it while I was using it single-handed, but it was enough. The sickly monster took the sharp blade straight to his head while he continued emptying his stomach.


    Snarls came from the creature in my grip as the slain one dropped to the ground, spasming. I was fed up with the smell of wet fur and the scrabbling of his small hands. While the other Krull clutched at his wounded arm, I dropped Threadcutter and punched my captive in the face.


    I was a scrapper. That couldn¡¯t be denied. Never had a decent punching arm, though. That didn¡¯t stop me from wailing into the ugly mug of the monster with all that I had. After two more strikes, I twisted and threw them over my hip - still holding onto his hair. While they flailed and tried to remove my grip, I socked them in the face a few more times for good measure. Best fucking therapy ever.


    Magic Hammer appeared in my hand as my arms burned from the effort. Some impromptu dental work and then a strike to the temple. I glared at the wounded Krull behind me as I dropped the slumped monster from my grip. My knuckles were bruised and ached already. I wiped the blood from my forehead with my bracer so that it didn¡¯t run into my eye with all the sweat that was forming across my brow.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    The last remaining monster had lost all confidence. Still clutching at his bloodied arm, he glanced wildly between the other two, who were dead. His eyes darted to the crowd, cheering and whooping, and then down to his dropped spear.


    ¡°Think you¡¯re quick enough? Lucky enough?¡± I grinned and turned slowly to face him.


    He didn¡¯t need to understand the words to get the context of what I was saying. The confident grin, despite the blood soaking my shirt. How I had violently ended his companions. My posture as I readied for him to make the first move. I didn¡¯t need Killing Blow to freeze him in place.


    This was all me, and I was reveling in it. In control and with the upper hand.


    He moved.


    But he was too slow. As he bent down to grasp at the spear, I was over beside him with a quick two-step. Hammer blow to the head that stunned him. He flashed red.


    I pulled the spear from his grip as he stumbled backward. Gave it a quick twirl before swiping it in a wide arc. The blade cut through his throat and he toppled over, arterial blood spraying into the air like a brief fountain before he fully collapsed.


    The crowd went wild.


    I was already working a bandage around my arm. The brief spike of dopamine was crashing as my body now registered how much pain I was in. I tried to tune the audience out so that I could chastise myself for getting into this situation. This sort of recklessness was how I ended up getting bitten by a zombie.


    This was the opposite of control.


    I sighed and shook my head, the wound above my brow already sealed up. The System wanted to wave some messages in my eyes, so I allowed it.


    [Stage 1 Victory]


    [Reward: 100 Gold, Common Skillbook (Random), Common Equipment Chest]


    No skill upgrades, and I was still some experience away from hitting level 5. While the yeti leader tried to quieten everyone, I figured it was a decent enough time to see if the reward had been worth it.


    I brought out the skillbook first and opened it up to learn the magic.


    [Repair Garment 1]


    [Cleans and repairs an unequipped magical item in your Inventory. 10 minute duration]


    It was hard to be mad at it. Given how my morning had been, it was a useful utility skill that I would sure get a lot of use out of in my adventures. I was hoping for something to help keep me alive¡­ or even a curse removal would be nice. A shrug was all I had the energy for in response.


    The equipment chest was disappointing, as expected.


    [Red Flip-flops]


    [Slightly faster than other Flip-flops]


    It left a¡­ sour taste in my mouth. All that effort for a one-item laundromat and footwear that would be better used as a projectile. The monsters didn¡¯t even have any loot on them, but I took one of the spears. Non-magical.


    The raucous energy of the crowd was dying down now, as the arena leader got them under control. I gave him a humorless smile. ¡°Thanks for the exercise, bud. Wasn¡¯t worth the bloodshed.¡±


    He raised his hands up. His right angled toward the doorway where the monsters had come from, two fingers extended. His left gestured toward the exit, his empty palm seeming to signify giving up. Maybe I was reading into that too much. A slant that tilted me slightly.


    I ran my tongue across my teeth. All still there. The next fighter was a level 4 Elite. Uncommon loot. That meant magical gear, at least. I really wanted another useful skill - and to level up.


    ¡°Fuck it, bring on the next clown.¡±


    My survival¡ªalong with the other halfwits I had collected along the way¡ªwas reliant on me grabbing as much power as I could. That required risk and a little self sacrifice. Well, that was a good way of framing recklessness and self-destructiveness.


    Was that the real reason I wanted to get stronger?


    I shook the errant thoughts from my head and took Threadcutter over to my position in the arena. The monsters cheered for me. They didn¡¯t really care who won, they just wanted a good show. What was their fate once I was finished here? Or even when the fate of the world had been decided?


    Not really my problem. Richard owed me an explanation or two, but my sole focus was not getting beaten to death in the next five minutes. Maybe even for the rest of the day. A little treat for myself.


    As I applied another bandage to top myself up, a thrumming hiss came from the darkened tunnel ahead. The gathered onlookers hushed, almost crouching down behind the lip of the upper walls.


    I rolled my neck and limbered my aching shoulders out as the next challenger stepped into the light.


    A¡¯l-Ghar the Hungry was perhaps the ugliest thing I had seen to date. Some weird amalgamation that was half squished angler fish and half shaven wolf. It clambered out from the arena monster storage with a look in its wide yellow eyes that said it despised the light. Once fully in the arena, it sat hunched over like an awkward frog.


    It looked dejected, like it didn¡¯t want to be here at all. Not one fighting bone in its weird body.


    I glanced up at the yeti and he raised his hand. Once more into the fray. I tensed and got into position, not entirely sure what I was doing - but faking it enough to make it. With the crowed murmuring in anticipation, the signal came down. Fight time.


    Rather than act out, the monster in front of me just¡­ deflated. As if he was an inflatable chair someone had pulled the plug out of. I stood, rather confused, as A¡¯l-Ghar continued to shrink down. What even was this-


    I spun as soon as I noticed it, but my reactions weren¡¯t quick enough. The monster slammed into me from the side, his amphibian-like body emerging from a tear in the air. Some manner of portal? Any further time to mull over that was cut short as I hit the dusty ground hard. I rolled through the dirt and righted myself to my feet. I¡¯d landed on my right arm weirdly and my forearm felt numb.


    The monster had scrabbled at the ground where I had landed, but seemed disorientated. Slow to follow my actual movements. Given their disdain for sunlight, they might be somewhat blinded out here in the open. While he snarled in my direction, I stepped closer to the center of the arena. One side of the fighting pit was slightly shaded due to the positioning of the sun, and I wanted to keep far away from that.


    I braced myself as the monster recoiled backward, as if he was about to pounce toward me, but he did not. A purple glow bloomed in the air right above his head. Before I could decide what to do about that, the ball of light zipped toward me like a baseball. I twisted the axe to attempt to block it with the flat of the blade, but the orb burst against my arms.


    A wave of pain washed over my forearms as the energy dissipated, leaving a burning feeling down my skin - even beneath my gloves and bracers. It tingled and prickled like acid. As I grunted and bared my teeth, a notification came up to say that I had been poisoned.


    My first use of Cleanse went out almost by instinct, three long seconds of casting, and then a twisting yellow light swirled down my injured appendages. Poison cleared. I glared at the monster as he sat charging up a second strike. The initial damage wasn¡¯t terrible, but the poison was debilitating if left to run for even a handful of seconds. If he intended to keep barraging me, then I had enough time to Cleanse each poison, but my HP would eventually start cratering just from the initial impacts.


    I dove to the ground to avoid the second blast. Rolled and launched my lit torch at the creature. He emitted an odd shriek as the bright flame landed right in front of him. I was already standing and moving forward while he recovered, Lightbulb by my side. Not that effective in the daytime, but I wanted to overwhelm the monster.


    A¡¯l-Ghar didn¡¯t much care for the addition of further light sources. As I brought the axe down, he deflated again. I swung through the air and brought the weapon back up in a guard position, not bothering to strike the shriveled body. My eyes scoured the arena as I turned slowly.


    Then I swung, striking the creature in the arm as he emerged from the portal. I hadn¡¯t heard it, but knew exactly where he¡¯d be coming from. He crashed into the dirt as his severed limb flopped uncontrollably. Wide eyes looked up at me in shock, and I brought my boot down on his head. Again and again. When I was sure he wasn¡¯t going to try to hit me with a purple orb, I stepped back and put him out of his misery with Threadcutter.


    I took a Health Potion as the audience cheered.


    [Stage 2 Victory]


    [Reward: 200 Gold, Uncommon Skillbook (Random), Uncommon Equipment Chest]


    For them, it probably seemed like I had an easier job with the higher level monster. Sure, one-on-one was more straightforward, but I still chalked it up to luck. If I didn¡¯t have Cleanse, I probably would have died. My arms flaked with dead skin as the magical potion healed the burns away. Another handful of seconds, and they¡¯d have been third-degree. If I had taken a second blast or hadn¡¯t been able to get rid of the poison, then I¡¯d have lost my arms. I had guessed the portal direction figuring the monster wanted to push me toward the shaded area of the pit so that he could see better.


    [New Passive: Elite Killer 1]


    [Cleanse 2]


    [Two-Handed Axe Mastery 5]


    [New Passive: Blade Mastery 1]


    I raised an eyebrow. My first level 5 skill, and the reward was¡­ a passive that increased my attack speed with bladed weapons by 2%. Boring on the surface, but once that was leveled, it would be a decent general boost since it didn¡¯t solely affect axes. Elite Killer added 1% damage to Elites, same as the Boss Killer one had. The upgrade to Cleanse reduced the cast time by 10%.


    [Level Up]


    [You are now Level 5]


    [Received 2 unassigned stat points]


    [Class choice available]


    Even better. My work here was done and I could go and sort the System bullshit out back at the bunker. See what sort of Classes were available and recommended to me by the STAR.


    Some of my bad mood washed away, and for a moment¡­ I enjoyed the cheers of the weird monsters in the stands. I had survived and had been rewarded for it. My eyes went up to my prize winnings to see what I had gotten now.


    [Intrepid Gloves]


    [+1 Guile, +1 Knowledge]


    As much as I could do with more stats, I was actually hoping the Luck set bonus from my Speed set gear would pay off in the long run. It hadn¡¯t with this item, but it looked to be conveniently weighted for Bernie. An acceptable loss. I removed the skillbook and pulled a face as I opened it up.


    [Adjustment 1]


    [-2 Chosen Stat, +2 Chosen Stat. Resets at midnight]


    The ability to increase my Stats at the cost of another sounded¡­ okay. Net neutral at this level, but might help with meeting certain thresholds. I could set it once per day and it would remain in place until the next morning, so I could change my mind on a day-to-day basis. My mind hovered over casting the skill, but didn¡¯t commit just yet.


    Looking around at the cheering monsters, two questions were more important right now.


    Exhaling through my nose, I switched to Chat to get some answers.

 14 - Eye for an Eye

    I could hardly blame Richard in this instance.


    The question I had asked had been something relatively simple, and he hadn¡¯t clocked the ramifications of answering it honestly until it was too late. When the invasion first started, he told me my purpose was to cleanse the cockroach¡¯s System from the world. So I had asked what happened to the arena if I didn¡¯t complete it all.


    It would linger around until it was fully cleared.


    Now, as I nodded at the yeti holding three fingers up, my lagging mind had settled on seeing this through to the end - no matter what. Not because some other dumbass could wander in and die to this bullshit, but because those rewards were owed to me. My blood stained the otherwise dry dirt of the arena. A claim staked.


    Maybe the zombie curse was also turning my brain to mush. I could probably go get my Class and return slightly more powerful, but then the others would try to stop me. What did that say about how good a decision this was? Nothing my mind could currently arrange into sense.


    I applied another coating of Rat Juice to Threadcutter and wondered how telling it was that the audience looked partially concerned. I had notifications from both the System and Bernie waiting for my attention, but I couldn¡¯t focus on them right now. In a moment, I might not even need to worry about having to read anything ever again.


    Combat at this level seemed to be visceral and determined by a few unlucky strikes. I was gambling that the level 6 Elite played by the same rules and would let me get a good hit or two in before I was crushed like a bug. Chance seemed¡­ slimmer, the more that I actually thought about it.


    Something that I was thankfully prevented from dwelling on, as my opponent started to emerge from the arena doorway. Or at least, he was trying to.


    He was having some difficulty due to being too large for the darkened tunnel. Stonework cracked and shifted as the light gradually illuminated the figure within. Starting with his namesake blue eye.


    Singular. Central on his wide head. Glowing a light blue that would have been something aesthetically pleasing if it wasn¡¯t attached to the rest of the hulking mass emerging from the struggling gate. Both slightly pudgy but wholly muscled at the same time, the cyclops wore little more than a kilt made of sewn together goat skins. A couple of sections even had the heads still attached.


    Other than the wide maw full of teeth and hands that could easily snap me like a twig, he held a large wooden club that looked like a tree freshly pulled from the ground.


    The second question I had asked Richard was if my stats post Adjustment might affect my Class selection available. Unfortunately, he had confirmed that it would¡­ meaning the idea of quickly topping up my Vitality or Power for this fight was off the table. A shame given my demise would make it a moot point, but if I survived, then I wanted to push for the best Class that I could get.


    Blue Eye stepped out and stretched to his full height, unhindered by the tunnel. Easily twelve feet tall and wide enough that even Sally could hit him. Elite or not, I¡¯d need to use the advantage of being lighter on my feet and¡ªhopefully¡ªsmarter than the monster to get the upper hand.


    The cyclops banged the end of his club on the ground twice, making a cloud of dust, as he roared at the crowd.


    I took a deep breath and cooled my nerves. Fighting against a bully stronger than me wasn¡¯t exactly a first, although things weren¡¯t normally this one-sided. I hadn¡¯t owned an axe and license to kill back then, however.


    ¡°Kill little human, gain freedom,¡± Blue Eye grunted toward me, in basic but stilted English.


    I gave him a wry smile and brought my axe up in a guard position. ¡°Now I feel like an asshole. I was just killing you for greed.¡±


    That Rare Skillbook was calling out for me. I could almost smell it, even over the bloody bodies littering the arena and apparently dense musk the cyclops had brought with him. Surely it would be a high-value active skill or important passive that would help me thrive out in this miserable new world. Surely.


    Blue Eye lifted his club up, single eye turning to the yeti. Plenty of disdain in that glare, but I didn¡¯t think turning against the arena operators together was likely. My charisma was too low, for one. Secondly-


    The long arm of the leader came down. Fight time.


    With another roar, the cyclops charged toward me. I could feel the vibration of his footsteps through the ground. His club raised up high, preparing to slam down on me.


    There was no way I could clash against that. My arms would shatter off of my torso. I couldn¡¯t signal my intended movement too soon, either - if he could read my intentions and react, then I¡¯d be dead.


    What a dumbass idea fighting was. I definitely blamed Richard for this.


    I leaped out of the way as the club came down, leaving a trail of red light behind it. The ground shattered and burst as I rolled away, avoiding the follow-up that would have dashed my skull. I spun up to a knee, lashing out with my axe in a wide arc.


    The blade struck the leg of the cyclops as he turned, dealing barely more than a scratch to his thick skin. A small ¡®resist¡¯ popped up in my HUD to let me know the big bastard had avoided catching Rat Plague. Before I could stand and back away, his fist came up while I was half-way through the motions.


    On the plus side, the punch knocked me out of club range. The downside was the sharp pain while I gasped for air. That probably meant a broken rib or two. Despite appearances, the cyclops was quick in combat. I adjusted my grip on Threadcutter, the axe still somehow in my hands, and grimaced toward the monster.


    He looked slightly different now. Red shimmered over his bare skin, glowing with an aura and displacing the air as if it was super-heated. His eye burned with ferocity as he prepared to charge me again. It stood to reason that a monster of his level probably had a few skills of his own.


    Which would have been fine if the System had given me more than one active skill to use. My quip about fireballs yesterday was perhaps amusing in retrospect, considering that-


    I hopped backward, avoiding the end of an overhead swing. Followed up with my own, missing the hand holding the club, allowing my blade to get stuck in the thick wooden weapon. Blue Eye wrenched it away, and I had to let go to avoid being drawn into grabbing range of his free hand.


    Threadcutter bounced across the ground before clattering against the stone wall. Perhaps the most powerful part of the System bullshit that I owned, now useless. Maybe the cyclops knew this, as he sidestepped to block any easy route for me to retrieve the weapon. My hammer would do very little against his thick hide, so those reward items were starting to look slightly out of reach. My continued mortality even more so.


    He stepped forward and launched a heavy backswing at me, almost dragging the club across the ground beforehand. I ducked low as his weapon angled upwards, barely avoiding being splattered against the side wall. The breeze the swing generated in its wake briefly cooled me. A momentary second of bliss.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Once clear of the attack, I looked up to see that he had stepped forward again, and was now bringing his closed fist down on me. No chance to move from this crouched position. It turned out the cyclops was rather combat savvy and deserving of his Elite status.


    His large fist struck the Krull spear summoned into my hand. Braced against the ground, the blade cut into his hand for a moment until the wooden shaft buckled from the pressure and burst into splinters - all in a split second. Enough to cause the cyclops to lighten the attack by reflex, but not stop it entirely.


    My head swam as I was knocked to the ground, barely able to stay conscious. My body screamed in complaint as I forced it to get back up. I was still fighting. No more giving up.


    An impressive feat of willpower that was immediately rewarded by the blunt end of the club. Oh, the whole club was blunt. I hit the wall of the arena, flashes of pain ringing through the back of my head while my chest ceased to function. I needed air. Warmth ran down my neck and soaked into my shirt. I¡¯d have to clean it later.


    Maybe after a little nap. I was feeling tired, after all.


    I raised my left hand for a time-out, the limb shaky. A large hand wrapped around me and lifted me into the air. Right arm pinned to my side and throbbing with pain. I glared down at the monster, my vision spotty, as he grinned up at me.


    ¡°Blue Eye going to eat you now.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t,¡± I spluttered, blood running from my mouth. ¡°I¡¯m currently cursed. Bad meat.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t care.¡± His mouth opened wide.


    With whatever strength I had left, I tossed the Flammable Sac from my left hand, striking the cyclops straight in the face. It burst, and he dropped me immediately. Flames flickered and burned at his flesh, blinding him as he tried to put the fire out.


    Still, he had a few brain cells. Rather than focus on the damage, he lifted the club up to swing at me. A wide arc intending to catch my escape. First swing hit clean air, before he caught a sound. Follow-up blazed with energy as he used a skill to obliterate me.


    Only, it wasn¡¯t me, but a diner stool I had rolled out across the ground. Drinking a Full Restore potion while lying prone was some effort in itself, but I watched as my single-digit HP percentage zipped its way to full. I ached and burned in terrible ways still, but I was no longer dying.


    I stood and threw out another stool at the other end of the area. He had no other option but to consider that it might be me. Blinding him had made him angrier¡ªberserk, in fact¡ªbut also wary that I might have one last card up my sleeve.


    Yeah, the card was fucking running.


    My feet took me across the ground toward my discarded axe, gaining as much space as I could as he smashed through the other piece of furniture. Metal shaft felt reassuring in my hands, as I spun in place with Threadcutter back in my possession. Blue Eye rubbed at his face before trying to glare at me.


    Some damage had been done. His face was red and raw, the singular eye bloodshot and clearly struggling to stay open. He growled in anger, fuming. I spat blood to the dry ground.


    ¡°Your mistake,¡± I said, bringing my axe up into position, ¡°was in underestimating me.¡±


    The cyclops was in no mood for banter, and charged. I picked my timing once more, placing my basic chair in front of me as he closed the distance. A wide swing of his club came in, fueled by his emotions. It made him sloppy and predictable. The end of his weapon struck the wall, blowing powdered stone and debris away - but I wasn¡¯t there.


    Barely making the vertical required, I had stepped on the chair, pushed off of the wall and jumped. I brought my weapon down in an overhead swing. Even half-blinded and enraged, the monster still had enough fighting sense to try to dodge back to avoid having his skull split. The tip of my poisoned blade drew a line through his chest and stomach before embedding once more in the thick club.


    A severed thumb dropped to the ground just before the hefty weapon followed suit.


    He yelped, lifting his injured hand closer to himself as he lashed out with his left. I had already landed and rolled away from his effective range on that side. I repeated the twist up to one knee, and this time the swing of Threadcutter buried the axe head a good couple of inches into the shin of my opponent. He turned to cut me off, but I was up and under his arm just like the Krull had tried to do to me.


    Rather than stick around and attempt to grapple him, I stuck him with one of the daggers looted from the ratmen. I leaped away, turning after avoiding the back elbow to bring the shaft of my weapon up - blocking his next punch.


    I slid backwards across the dirt, almost tripping over one of the Krull corpses. Threadcutter had shrieked with energy from the impact, not bending from the force, the enchantment holding it together. Blue Eye grunted and pulled the dagger from his side. I watched the icon showing that he had Rat Plague now. Three resists in a row, but cutting off his thumb had done it.


    Perhaps it was time to forgive Richard for sending me to that graveyard.


    The cyclops looked hesitant to attack me unarmed, and his mobility had been hindered due to the leg injury. As his pained eye watered, he kneeled to pick up his club with his good hand.


    I rolled the dice. He turned too late, his senses lagging further due to the disease. Lobbing Threadcutter through the air had almost wrenched my arms from their sockets, but with two weighty spins, it struck the cyclops in the face undefended.


    He roared, stuttering slightly as energy almost immediately faded from his body. Fully blind, with the axe still stuck through half of his face, he defied expectations by striding toward me. Fists swinging wildly, flicking blood everywhere. If he didn¡¯t have the disease, I was sure he would have been able to clobber me with his flurry of blows, taking us both down.


    Before he could reach me, his footing faltered with his split shin. Blue Eye dropped to his knees, panting and running out of steam. His arms sagged, and he just stayed there, clinging on to existence.


    The cyclops flashed red.


    Unlike every other time, I did not fill with dopamine and adrenaline. The ratman spear twisted into my hands and I jabbed it forward, piercing through his chest and into his heart.


    ¡°Rest well, warrior.¡± I twisted the weapon and then pulled it out, fulfilling Killing Blow.


    Blue Eye sunk to the floor, inert. One final lungful of air shuddering out of his collapsing lungs.


    It would be incorrect to say that I felt sad or remorseful over his death. One of us had to live, and I preferred it to be me. He was far stronger and better versed in combat. Even the System pegged him as a higher tier than anything else that I had faced. Only my resourcefulness saw me to the win, and... was that fair?


    Any further introspection was cut short as the surprised cheers of the onlookers filled the arena. I shook my head, hoping some of the intended elation would actually hit me. Fuck. I¡¯d better see what the System thought about my exploits.


    [Stage 3 Victory]


    [Rewards: 400 Gold, Rare Skillbook, Rare Equipment Chest]


    [Killing Blow 4]


    [Resilient 2]


    [Underdog 3]


    [New Passive: Duelist 1]


    [New Passive: Crowd Pleaser 1]


    [New Passive: Potion Mastery 1]


    Underdog had jumped a whole two levels in one go as I defied the very rules of the System. Duelist gave me the usual percentage increase in mano-v-mano combat. Crowd Pleaser was a little more abstract, giving me a minor increase to ¡®effectiveness¡¯ when being watched by more than ten non-combatants. Seemed¡­ unlikely I¡¯d be leveling that much, or finding out what it really did. Potion Mastery had a 2% Luck boost to finding potions as loot. That was good, as I was out of Full Restores.


    I moved my eyes away from the System windows briefly to see that some of the crowd had departed. The yeti-like creatures were clambering back over the wall, out of sight. I hesitated and considered running out to see where they vanished to¡­ but I didn¡¯t have the energy for it. The one with white fur gave me a brief standing ovation before bowing. He grunted some words in his language before turning to join his brethren in leaving.


    ¡°Glad I could entertain,¡± I murmured dryly. Way too dryly. I pulled the last goblin water flask out and drank the contents while I looked at my rewards earned for putting my life on the line.


    I now had a little over one-thousand gold to my name. As someone who often scraped by with whatever I could scrounge or steal¡­ that felt like a lot. It might not be, but for now I reveled in being a thousandaire.


    Rare Equipment Chest was the next button I clicked, opening it up and hoping that it would be useful.


    [Early Bird Belt]


    [+2 Stamina, +2 Vitality. Effects doubled between 6am and 12pm]


    I assumed it aligned to whatever time zone I was currently in¡­ not that it was likely that would change anytime soon. Even the basic stats given were great, and it fit into the Misc Equipment slot, of which I had four. Two were already occupied by the two rings I had found, but I had been lucky in filling empty slots as I collected loot.


    But, I didn¡¯t put it on straight away. I had some meta-gaming to do, and I wanted some advice before I made any commitments. Not that those back at base would be too happy with me, since I had been ignoring their panicked messages.


    As the last dregs of my audience filtered from the fighting arena, I took a deep breath. It was time to open the skillbook and see if all of this had been worth the effort. Almost dying. Half of my torso was still bruised and tender, even if the ribs had reformed and internal bleeding halted. My hair was sticky with drying blood and sweat.


    I had risked it all for this one object.


    With held breath, I drew the magical book from my Inventory and opened it up.

 15 - Feeling Classy

    The route back to the bunker was something of an arduous task. Even though the System told me my HP was full, my body was in a bad state.


    Once the come-down from the battle lust had finally evaporated from my soul, I was rewarded for my reckless actions with constant pain. I ached. The parts of me that weren¡¯t stiff and numb were bruised and sensitive. It was like I was recovering from an impromptu marathon gym session but got hit by a train on the way home.


    Had it been worth it? I was easy to say yes, given that I had survived it. Not that the alternate me who ate shit would have an opinion buzzing around after their brains had been spread across the arena.


    Of course, the Rare Skillbook had been¡­ good. I was trying not to over-hype it, lest I just ended up dying in my next battle. If a monster found me as I shuffled my way to the bunker, that would be likely. Something that made the paranoid part of my brain scream at me constantly.


    I was learning to ignore it.


    To distract myself, I brought up the skill description once more.


    [Deathforged 1]


    [Killing a target restores 5% HP and Temporarily grants +1 Stamina (Max +5)]


    Something to keep me in the fight for longer. Not as great as some passive regeneration or an active healing skill, but I¡¯d take anything at this point. This was just the first level of the skill as well, and while I didn¡¯t think it would give another +5% at level 2, it would surely get more beneficial. An attack would have been nice, but given the way I approached combat, this might just keep me alive.


    ¡®Temporarily¡¯ was capitalized as it had a set definition within the System. Thirty seconds. Before reading everything carefully, I considered trying to get the maximum bonus before selecting my Class¡­ but temp stats probably didn¡¯t affect the options.


    I sighed loudly. My venture off to the motel was looking more miserable now. Even the prospect of a shower might not draw me into action. I could just live stewing in dried sweat and flaking blood. The others would love to get rid of me then.


    While I continued to trek through the dry dirt, I accepted that I should probably work my way through the notifications flashing in my fucking vision constantly. After I took a deep breath and calmed.


    [Milestone Reached: Ahead of the curve. You are one of the first Players to reach level 5]


    [Reward Received: Hairpin of Speed]


    [Milestone Reached: Another close call. We warned you about making that a habit]


    [Reward Received: Half Restore (4)]


    [Milestone Reached: Cleared a Challenge Event area]


    [Reward Received: Uncommon Weapon Chest]


    [Milestone Reached: Cleansed more than 5 Corruptions]


    [Reward Received: Solar Shard (2), Lunar Shard (2)]


    [Milestone Reached: Elite is just a name. You have defeated an Elite over level 5]


    [Reward Received: Bandage (5), Daily Meal Box (3)]


    [Milestone Reached: It¡¯s time. Class selection awaits you]


    [Reward Received: Weapon Upgrade Stone]


    I pulled a face and almost stopped in position, trying to take it all in. That would have been a mistake, as momentum was the only thing keeping me going forward.


    The fact that I was again ahead of the curve was humbling. Sure, I had risked my life a few times scraping through monsters to get experience¡­ but there would have been a lot more people with longer daylight hours around the other side of the world by now. Maybe Richard had been right, and that the nighttime jaunt had really given me a step up.


    Or it just meant the pre-level 5 death count was staggering. My hope was that people were grouping up and taking things slowly, being a lot safer than me. That wasn¡¯t a high bar.


    I slipped the hairpin through my hair, which was a struggle given how grimy and matted it was in parts. Another extra percentage of experience, and +25% Luck. I didn¡¯t have any indication of what my base Luck was, so had no idea how effective that increase was.


    More shards and consumables. Half Restores did just that. Half of my max HP and then it cut and poisons and disease durations by half of the remaining time. I gave my status screen a quick check to see if the zombie curse was still there. It was.


    Using the upgrade stone on Threadcutter might get me more Morale for my Class selection, or I could save if for if I got any better weapons in the near future. Hoping my Luck was good for something, I opened up the weapon chest.


    [Intrepid Knuckledusters]


    [+1 Power, +1 Stamina]


    This time, I did stop walking. I drew the weapon out of my Inventory and into my bruised hands. A polished chrome lump of metal with loops for fingers to go in. My fingers. I slid the cool metal onto my hand and formed a fist. It felt familiar and comforting. With a humorless smile on my face, I went to offload it into my jacket pocket from muscle memory before remembering I didn¡¯t have one anymore.


    Instead, I slid it into my slacks pocket, not yet equipping it to my third weapon slot.


    There were still a few items I hadn¡¯t inspected yet, but I didn¡¯t have the mental fortitude for it right now. I started walking again, the bunker in clear view but not getting close quite quick enough.


    Thankfully, my desire to rest overwhelmed any apprehension I had about being around the others and having to choose a Class. I had ignored whatever messages Bernie had sent me, which was rude¡­ but I didn¡¯t want to get chewed out for my poor decision making. Also didn¡¯t want people to be caring about my safety¡­ but that ship had apparently sailed.


    My palms ached as I turned the handle of the first door. Second door was quicker, if only because I almost flew down the stairs on legs that didn¡¯t want to bend normally. With one last long sigh, I pulled it open to greet the others.


    Sally was already over by the door, having heard it being opened. She had the shotgun in hand just in case it was someone unexpected and hostile, but in seeing it was me, she instead glared and tried to cross her arms.


    ¡°Scarlet,¡± she said. ¡°We thought you were dead.¡±


    Amusingly, despite the clear attempt to maintain best firearm practices, she was muzzle-checking Richard with the weapon - so I knew she hadn¡¯t taken the STAR up yet. As I tried to come up with a decent excuse for being a bit of a ghosting bitch, I assigned two stat points to Morale and cast Adjustment.


    [Adjustment 1]


    [Active: -2 Stamina, +2 Morale]


    ¡°Oh my god,¡± Richard complained, holding his face in his hand. Clearly, he had just read through my logs.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I managed. ¡°Have a little faith in me.¡±


    Bernie looked tired. ¡°You need to reply if you can. We are cut off down here and we need to know you¡¯re still okay. I trust you, but you need to trust us.¡±


    My mouth opened and closed as a pang of guilt hit my core. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ you¡¯re right, Bernie.¡± I sighed. ¡°This is way outside of my comfort zone, and I didn¡¯t want¡­¡±


    ¡°Accountability,¡± the Guide interjected, now having regained some of his composure. ¡°Like it or not, you¡¯re in part responsible for anyone taking shelter in this bunker. What you did was reckless and irresponsible.¡±


    I glanced at Bernie again, being that he was the only other person that could see Richard. Any smarm I was loading up about needing a better guide faded away in seeing the look in the old man¡¯s eyes. My hands formed painful fists before I relaxed again, and I attempted to give the pair of women a reassuring smile.


    ¡°Our Guide is giving me a telling off. I seem to have a compulsion to put myself in dangerous situations, which isn¡¯t fair to you all.¡±


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Sally narrowed her eyes. ¡°Does that mean you¡¯ll stop doing it?¡±


    ¡°Doubtful.¡± I bit my tongue before blurting out too much information about how much I was enjoying the violence. ¡°But I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± The waitress looked back at Doris and Bernie, before turning back to me. ¡°It¡¯s decided, then. I¡¯ll be joining the System.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°If you¡¯re eager to come back home looking like this every day¡ªif at all¡ªthen be my guest.¡± For effect, I extended my arms to show off the destroyed clothing, dried blood, and visible bruising.


    ¡°No, because I¡¯d be more cautious about how I¡¯d get my experience.¡±


    For all our sakes, it was maybe a boon that I was exhausted. Stopped me from saying things that I¡¯d regret. I gave her an exasperated shrug. ¡°Fine. You got the route to the motel mapped out, Bernie?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Just one last scout to do very soon and it will be all unveiled.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± I pulled my chair from my Inventory and sat down, grimacing the whole way. ¡°Focus on finding some easy-as-shit monsters for this dweeb to level up on while I¡¯m out.¡±


    Sally tilted her head. ¡°Giving up that easily?¡±


    ¡°Eh. It¡¯s on the condition that you do this all after I¡¯ve left. I have enough on my plate keeping my own dumbass alive without having to check in with you lunatics every five minutes.¡± I palmed at my eyes, but it didn¡¯t give my brain the massage I was hoping for.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s a decent compromise.¡± The waitress beamed, either without worry or able to hide it expertly.


    ¡°I still think it¡¯s a stupid idea,¡± Doris murmured from the back.


    While the two of them started trading barbs, I turned on my chair to look at Richard. He still had his arms crossed and a disapproving look on his face.


    ¡°You know, your luck will run out eventually.¡±


    ¡°Funny.¡± I gave him a humorless smile. ¡°I always felt like I had the shittiest luck with everything.¡±


    He glanced over at the trio in conversation before shaking his head at me. ¡°I¡¯ve known a few people who act the same way. Work on actually becoming invincible before you test it out.¡±


    ¡°Help me.¡± Perhaps one of the rare occasions I used the h-word, and it briefly stunned me. I really was exhausted. ¡°Don¡¯t treat me with kid gloves. I¡¯m a survivor.¡±


    The Guide pulled a face and hesitated. Another glance at the others before he sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll work into it. Give me some time to fully analyze your logs, and I¡¯ll know better what your limits are. I¡¯ll push you to them, if you understand the risk.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Just funnel trouble my way and I¡¯ll turn it into bloody experience.¡± I flexed my aching fingers. ¡°Go scour my journal, then. I¡¯m going to see what my Class options are.¡±


    He nodded, clearly wanting to fill me with exposition about the whole process. I was getting the hang of how all these things ran. The selection icon was a pulsing annoyance in my left eye, and only twisting the Guide to my way of thinking had prevented a migraine clawing its way into my skull.


    I closed my eyes for a few seconds, before opening them up and clicking it with my mind.


    [Level 5 Class Selection]


    [Recommended Classes]


    [Public Executioner 1]


    [Field Judge 1]


    [Dreadknight 1]


    [See other Class options¡­(63)]


    For a few seconds, I just stared at the screen. I had been expecting¡­ warrior or rogue. The classics. Given what I had seen of the System so far, I wasn¡¯t sure why that was my assumption. There was no chance I¡¯d be perusing through over sixty different choices. Richard had mentioned before that the suggested were usually the most powerful and aligned with the stats and skills I already had.


    All three sounded like they were aligned with Killing Blow and my Morale focus.


    Although I already had a good idea of what I wanted to pick, I checked each selection to give them the time of day. Seemed fair since the System had made the effort to present them to me.


    [Public Executioner]


    [Passive: Grim Spectacle 1]


    [Passive: Death Aura 1]


    [Active: Final Example 1]


    [Field Judge]


    [Passive: Penance Decree 1]


    [Passive: Investigate 1]


    [Active: Mark of the Guilty 1]


    [Dreadknight]


    [Passive: Shroud of Fear 1]


    [Passive: Heavy Arms 1]


    [Active: Deny Life 1]


    I hadn¡¯t even had a chance to dig into each ability, but they all sounded pretty¡­ edgy. Cool, but edgy. As long as they were effective, they could have whatever name they wanted.


    The Public Executioner was like something from the middle ages. Both Grim Spectacle and Death Aura reduced enemy Morale - the first when I killed someone with the executions that Killing Blow provided, and the second just passively all the time. An imposing presence that was easy to pair with the active skill - Final Example.


    This was a melee strike that had an increased chance of activating Killing Blow, although there was no indication of actual degrees of change. Typical.


    Field Judge was more of an inquisitor. Investigate increased the chance of making monsters more likely to comply or provide information when pressed. Penance Decree allowed me to reduce my HP by 5% to increase my damage by 10% for ten seconds. Assuming I could pair that with Deathforged, then that would make for a decent group fight buff.


    Mark of the Guilty was a skill that cursed a single target with reduced Speed, Stamina, and Morale. It was percentage based, so would probably scale well in the future. If I had a future.


    Last on the list, Dreadknight was something else that conjured up more of a fantasy image than the prior two. Less realistically medieval. Shroud of Fear was a defensive passive that gave a point of Vitality for every 5 points of Morale I had. Heavy Arms was a generalized Mastery that worked for any two-handed melee weapon. Not only did it give +1% damage at the first level, but +1% attack speed as well.


    Deny Life seemed so broken that I had to read it three times to make sure I wasn¡¯t missing out a conditional or limitation. It had a cooldown of five minutes, but even then it was impressive. It gave me an automatic Killing Blow on an enemy that had less than half the amount of Morale that I had. Wasn¡¯t useable on Elites or Bosses¡­ but I imagined it in action.


    Against three ratmen, with my boosted Morale, I could step in and immediately murder one without recourse. That would have a knock-on effect with Killing Blow also reducing the Morale of the other two, potentially giving them a status effect that made them easy to dispatch. Not only could I use it as an opener but also an emergency kill, allowing me to get a second wind with Deathforged.


    My eyes left the screens to look over at Richard.


    ¡°Want my opinion?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Actually, a question. The Classes have a level next to them - do they level up like skills?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°At level 10, and every five after, you can pick a Class again. It could be the second level of this choice, or a different Class altogether. It depends on whether you want to double down for greater power, or diversify.¡±


    Even if I didn¡¯t like the choice I made now, there would be a chance to pick up on some of the nice skills later on. Maybe an even more powerful Class would crop up later on to change my planned route.


    ¡°There are¡­ other ways in which you can get Classes outside of leveling, but they are often very niche and limited. Not something you should expect or aim for.¡±


    I nodded along. Much like all the skills I had been gaining through my exploits, it was a matter of hoarding as many bonuses as possible rather than relying on one or two. Even with my current spread of skills only level 1 or 2, having six or eight that affected my axe strikes added up.


    While my thoughts circled to the inevitable, I looked up at the Guide again, to see that he was waiting. ¡°Go on, then. Give me your advice.¡±


    ¡°Go with your heart.¡±


    I narrowed my eyes. ¡°I really don¡¯t have the energy to tell you to go fuck yourself. You mean it earnestly, right? Fine, but¡­¡± I glanced over at Sally and Doris. ¡°We need some time alone to talk soon. You owe me some explanations.¡±


    Richard pulled a face, but nodded. ¡°As you wish.¡±


    Actually, I¡¯d much rather be doing anything except trying to pry information out of a wireframe person who I wasn¡¯t sure if I could really trust.


    He had said it himself. The cockroach alien fucks wanted strong humans to fight and collect. Richard was training me to fight and get stronger. Make me worthy of sitting in some off-world combat zoo. Did I want to believe him? I¡¯d been fooled plenty of times in my life¡­


    So why break the streak?


    I took one long breath and gave the System my selection


    [Class Selected: Dreadknight]


    [New Passive: Shroud of Fear 1]


    [New Passive: Heavy Arms 1]


    [New Active: Deny Life 1]


    Out of the three, I felt it gave the most options for survivability. I was planning on pumping Morale as high as I could, so converting more and more of that increased my Vitality and kept me away from the edge of death. Every little helped.


    Plus, instantly murdering motherfuckers sounded¡­ oh, I was starting to lose it.


    I glanced around the enclosed space. The others had finished their conversations. The way they were looking at me, I wasn¡¯t sure if they were expecting me to do anything¡­ or my new Class had changed my appearance.


    A quick look, and no. Still the same old me in ragged, smelly clothing. Claustrophobia kicked back in and I stood up from my chair, feeling like the movement just tore the fibers of my legs apart.


    ¡°Welll,¡± I said, trying to hold in the groan of agony. ¡°Day isn¡¯t getting younger. I¡¯m a fucking Dreadknight now, which is peachy. I have to get out to the motel as soon as possible.¡± For several reasons.


    ¡°Map is now updated,¡± Bernie said, giving me a glum smile.


    Once we were sure the nearby area was clear, I¡¯d have to take them outdoors for fresh air. As much as I griped about being stuck underground, they were here as well, without much option. Of course, if Sally was about to join the fight, then¡­ I didn¡¯t know if that was better or not.


    ¡°Oh, I have an item for you, Bernie.¡± I went through my Inventory to bring out the gloves I had gotten from the arena. ¡°Adds some Knowledge.¡±


    Doris pulled a face as I passed them over. ¡°Just looks like normal gloves.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t disagree there. Clearly she wasn¡¯t buying the whole System thing just yet, despite seeing the zombie horde at the diner. It wasn¡¯t my place to educate her, but I had a feeling her ignorance would be short-lived.


    Unlike me. I was a fucking Dreadknight.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll keep up with messages and let you know how things get on.¡± I even smiled to sell the lie. ¡°Maybe if you have more patience than me, Sally, you¡¯ll let Richard talk your ears off about how all of this actually works.¡±


    Chances were she¡¯d get a useless skill and then would have to stay here or take things slow. Even if she had something useful, she¡¯d need to learn how to fight and survive. Get used to killing. Her level would be far behind mine¡­ I couldn¡¯t waste time helping.


    Or could I?


    My mind clicked out of this train of thought as I gave them a nod goodbye. Bringing up the map, it looked like there were only two areas that needed cleansing on the way. Some level 4 monsters a little past where the graveyard had been, and then after that, there was¡­


    I narrowed my eyes and zoomed in on the map icon.


    [Level 5 Rare Treasure Chest]

 16 - Bark Now, Bite Later

    So far, the System hadn¡¯t been too terrible at giving me gear that was useful. No excessive duplicates or things with stats that were no good for me. Richard mentioned that there would be higher rarities further down the line, but for now Rare was the best I could get.


    With Threadcutter and my two abilities carrying the most weight for my build, the prospect of there being a treasure chest of that rarity just sitting out in the desert waiting for me to crack it open was¡­ motivating. I needed that power, and the Guide had said that it be well worth opening.


    All that was in my way was a group of orc bandits. A dozen of the monsters, a mix of Level 3 and 4. Riding high on my arena survival and Class acquisition, I was mostly confident the stereotypical fantasy fare wouldn¡¯t be too much of an issue.


    My legs even stopped aching.


    Focusing ahead also stopped me from thinking about the bunker denizens. Sally or Doris might be getting into those pods right now, accepting the odds that they might straight up die to the process.


    Maybe I should have stuck around.


    Not that it changed anything, or I¡¯d have been able to help, aside from getting anxious and snappy with everyone. It was better I was alone.


    The stroll away from the bunker and through what used to be the ratman graveyard gave me time to put my new gear on now that my Class selection had been made. I checked through my Inventory twice before opening up my Stats screen.


    [Power: 2]


    [Guile: 1]


    [Knowledge: 1]


    [Vitality: 10]


    [Stamina: 5]


    [Morale: 12]


    Not bad. I reckoned my Adjustment ploy paid off, even if it reduced my Stamina for the rest of the day. As long as I kept increasing Vitality, Stamina, and Morale as I leveled up, I felt as though I could become invincible. That feeling could just be a side effect of those stats, however.


    I was at least glad that Richard had come around to my line of thinking. That I could be pushed further. Whatever he was, and whatever his motives, he could at least see that if he didn¡¯t work with me on this, then I¡¯d eventually go rogue. I couldn¡¯t be tied down. Needed to kill monsters.


    Still unsure where the bloodlust had come from. Sure, I had enough frustrations to take out in a bloody swathe through at least one whole state¡­ but the violence was unusual. Maybe part of my brain broke during the STAR process, or complications with the sedating debuff. My trial by fire against the ratmen and near death had erased whatever self preservation and humanity I usually held, as if I didn¡¯t believe this was real enough to care.


    Wow, that was a little too much introspection.


    I stepped up to the crest of the next ridge and looked out to where the orcs were.


    It was something in between an outpost and a campground, like they were halfway through a civilization tech upgrade and got caught with their pants down. Four corners had been plotted out by thick trunks buried into the dirt, but there was no real joining wall - the barricade-like sections barely five feet tall. A wagon sat inside this cordoned area, with three tents, a cooking pot, and piles of worn crates and cut lumber.


    Perhaps before they had been collected, they were looking to build a new settlement out in the unknown wilderness. Without access to a forest¡­ or anything much aside from dry dirt and dead plant life, they looked a little lost as to what they should be doing.


    There was no apparent leader or Elite guiding them, and the way they were outfitted made them look ready for war. Deep green skin, only their shoulders, wrists, and thighs covered by anything that could be considered armor. Rest was bare skin or animals furs or leather. Each had a mixture of swords and axes. At least three had quivers on their backs, but the bows were standing against a pile of crates.


    If only I had more of those flammable sacs.


    Four of them were working on hammering new logs into the ground, while three were getting the next poles of wood ready from the stack. Two were preparing and cooking food, with the last three sleeping by the tents. Probably on their break. My approach would certainly be noticed, and it wouldn¡¯t take long for the whole camp to be up in arms.


    There was no way to see what their Morale level was. Surely there would be a skill for that sort of thing, but for now, I had to just make assumptions. To tip the scales in my favor, I used the weapon upgrade stone on Threadcutter again.


    [+2 Threadcutter]


    [+3 Vitality, +5 Morale, +30% Two-Handed Axe Mastery]


    Putting all my eggs into one basket, maybe, but it was currently my most effective weapon by far. It would level quick and gave the ideal stats. I was pretty sure the bladed weapons the orcs had were just as sharp, however. There was no chance even a Full Restore would help me if I got one of my limbs hacked off.


    I check my messages.


    //Bernie: Richard says that if the chest is locked, it will have better rewards.


    //Bernie: Your Boss Token will unlock it in that case.


    //Scarlet: Thanks, B.


    I hesitated and chose not to ask about Sally. No point muddying up my thoughts when I had to use all my focus to avoid death. Part of me was disappointed that the tokens weren¡¯t for a large slot machine or something. Still, that meant I needed to collect a few more if these chests were going to be dotted about the desert.


    One glance toward the city, and I wasn¡¯t sure how long I intended to stay out here avoiding the inevitable. This was still the first proper day, and I¡¯d already been through enough for a lifetime.


    That said, these orcs weren¡¯t going to kill themselves and hand over the experience I craved. Assaulting a group of twelve was foolhardy even for me, so I¡¯d need to see if I had any tricks left up my sleeve. Chances were slim.


    Waiting for the waitress to catch up might be beneficial, but I couldn¡¯t spare the time. I needed to push myself day by day to be the strongest in the area. The barren landscape didn¡¯t offer much advantage for how I needed to fight and survive. I looked at the castle in the distance. There were a few other built structures dotted around, but unless I wanted to spend most of the daylight walking, it wouldn¡¯t be efficient.


    //Scarlet: Ask Richard the minimum level I can go to the city.


    It had to happen at some point if he truly wanted us to save the world by exterminating monsters and severing the control of the¡­ whatever the space cockroaches were called.


    All fantastic thoughts to have, but nothing that helped with the current orc issue. If I just switched off my brain and ran in to fight, I could probably kill three or four in short order without taking too much damage. That still left eight of them, and I had enough trouble against the three Krull in the arena working together.


    Should I skip them? The sun had been moving through the sky quicker than I wanted and walking a longer route around them was inefficient. Possibly dangerous. I was also tired and overestimating my ability to engage in another bout of high-stakes melee combat.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    I sighed and started walking off to the north in an arc. Not invincible yet. I¡¯d pushed my luck a little too far today already, and didn¡¯t fancy losing more blood due to my lack of self-preservation instinct. Ironic.


    My actual plan was just to shuffle the events around. Treasure first, then motel, and if I had recouped the energy and got some nice items - then the orcs would die. It was such a reasonable change of plan that I would have given myself a pat on the back if my muscles allowed that range of movement.


    //Bernie: Maybe level 10. Depends on several factors - vague.


    //Scarlet: Thanks. It¡¯s a target, at least. Skipping the orcs until the return journey.


    //Scarlet: Might have hit my physical limit for the day.


    A little more open and honest than I¡¯d usually be, but I chalked that up to exhaustion as well. While I thought I had bent Richard¡¯s thinking to align with my reckless goals, the irony was in his acceptance I realized that I did have to be safer. The fact that he was enabling me meant I had to be the adult in the room. Maybe he knew that. Asshole.


    I kept an eye on the orcs as I gave them a wide berth. They were too intent on fixing up their outpost to spot me walking an arc around them, and I wasn¡¯t about to remind them that having lookouts was a good idea. Hmm. Maybe we needed a way to keep the bunker safe.


    With my weapons put away, I removed my gloves to give my hands a break. They were clammy with sweat and whatever bodily fluids had soaked through the gloves during the day. My shirt was torn and stiff from dried blood. The bottom of my slacks had been burned off. I was a mess. Idly, I rubbed at my hand where it had been bandaged yesterday.


    Physically, the cut had long healed over. My recent past itched at the imagined injury still, and I suddenly felt very vulnerable out here in the open. Thankfully, I had an army of monsters and oddities between me and those assholes, but¡­ I let the paranoia linger. It kept me sharp.


    Malnourished, too. I couldn¡¯t wait to get back to the bunker and open up the meal boxes I had found. Feeding the flock was the least I could do, assuming they were all alive by dusk. Something that was¡­ coming sooner than I¡¯d hoped. Perhaps I had been burning the candle from both ends a little too much, and should focus on getting to the bunker before night fell.


    Alternatively, if I felt risky¡­ I could stay at the motel. A real fucking bed. Bernie hadn¡¯t mentioned that there was anything untoward at the location - something that seemed too good to be true. Even better that I skipped the orcs for now, if I needed my wits about me for an unexpected event popping up.


    I narrowed my eyes out across the very bumpy desert. Looking like sand dunes, almost, compared to how flat it had been before the apocalypse. The System was manipulating the very terrain around us, and I wondered how. That would involve a lot more than just magically airdropping thousands of pockets of monsters.


    That said¡­ I thought I could see the treasure chest now - which erased any further worries from my thick skull. Treasure.


    A small box standing in a plain area of the arid dirt. No creatures guarding it, or weird structures or obvious traps to challenge me. It almost seemed too suspicious. Too simple. Then again, for all I knew, we were the only people out this way. The desert was ours for farming for all that it had to offer before we set foot in the city.


    Threadcutter back in my gloved hands, I stepped over toward the treasure cautiously. Taking note of every crunch of the ground as my boots landed. Eyes peeling for shapes moving around me. Arm muscles tensed, ready to lash out at an ambusher.


    But I arrived before the locked box completely unopposed. The treasure chest itself was quite simple in design, looking everything like the sort of fare you¡¯d see on a pirate ship or in a fantasy game. Dark wood, with metal struts a polished silver. There was a slight sheen where the chest picked up the sunlight, purple in nature, which I hoped was just to signal that it was Rare and not because it was trapped.


    Not that I knew how to check, anyway.


    A circular divot was in the place of the usual keyhole I expected, which must be where the Boss Token slotted in. As my eyes went up to my Inventory, I caught sight of something thirty or so feet away.


    It hadn¡¯t registered on my radar on approach, but it now stood out like a sore thumb.


    A bunch of rags maybe, or a discarded handbag. It could quite likely be some trash from the city, somehow blown or discarded this way over time. My eyes went between the chest and the unknown scraps. It was paranoid and a waste of time to investigate every single oddity I came across. I trusted my gut, however. It would only take a minute.


    I hoisted Threadcutter up on my shoulder and approached the ruined clump. My brow furrowed the closer I got, the sandy patches of black and white fur coming into view clearly. It wasn¡¯t a discarded bag or anything.


    It was an animal. I kneeled down by it, trying to make sense of the muddied shapes of its sand-covered body. It was dirty and dried out, as if had been here for weeks.


    A dog.


    As if noticing my internal acknowledgement, he opened up an eye. A moment to focus, and then he started growling at my looming presence.


    ¡°Shut the fuck up,¡± I told him. ¡°I¡¯ve got water you can have.¡±


    One of the flasks and a bowl from the diner came into my hands, and I placed them down beside him. To his credit, he did stop growling, and instead sniffed at the metal bowl. I unscrewed the flask and poured the water into it. The dog shifted, struggling to get himself back onto his feet, but his eyes were alight with the desire for the hydration offered.


    I looked around us. At least a mile or two from any road, and many more than that away from the city. I couldn¡¯t see a way he could have gotten out here and in this state just overnight¡­ but the System wasn¡¯t telling me he was a monster or NPC.


    While he fervently lapped at the water, I tried to determine more about him. Mostly a gray-white color, although his face and back were black - save for a line of white running up the middle of his face. It was hard to tell how old he was, as he was bathed in desert terrain, but had a rounded face. Couldn¡¯t tell the breed.


    Oh, he had a collar on, though.


    My experience with dogs in the past had been mixed. Grandparents had them when they were still alive, and they¡¯d always been the softest, most patient dogs imaginable. A few of the bad groups I had hung around with in my later years had some shitty, barely trained dogs. This lost one didn¡¯t seem that aggressive. Just desperate.


    I allowed myself a humorless smile for that ironic thought. Birds of a feather, bathed in dirt.


    He had made his way through the water in record time, so I poured some more as my other hand felt for his collar. No contest. He allowed me to feel for the small metal tag. I turned it around to see if there was a name and contact information on it.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not your name, surely?¡± I pulled a face and flipped the tag over, but it was blank on that side. The dog finished drinking to look up at my voice. ¡°I¡¯m not calling you Fartbag.¡±


    He whined and tilted his head, drops of fresh water falling from his muzzle.


    I sighed. There wasn¡¯t even a decent nickname you could make from that. Who would even call their dog that? Unless it was some in-joke and he was called something decent.


    ¡°Do you know where home is?¡± I looked around the mostly empty desert. ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    Fartbag tilted his head to the other side and whined again, putting his paw on my knee. Probably hungry. I ran my eyes through my Inventory and brought out a pair of sausages taken from the diner. I doubted they were good enough for human consumption at this stage, but the dog wouldn¡¯t be as fussy. Bringing out a metal tray, I put them down for him and stood up.


    ¡°It¡¯s a tough world out there, kiddo. Not sure if I did you a favor or not, but¡­ best of luck.¡± I sighed and turned around, the treasure chest awaiting my attention.


    Several footsteps later, and I turned to see the little dirtbag standing behind me, one of the sausages still in his mouth.


    ¡°You can¡¯t follow me. I get in far too much trouble.¡±


    He just wagged his tail.


    Now, I wasn¡¯t a cruel person. If anything, I was a lot kinder to animals than I was to people¡­ but this wasn¡¯t just a stray found at the local park. We were in the apocalypse, where I was in constant battles for my life. Dragging Fartbag into danger would only end up in tragedy - it just didn¡¯t make any sense to¡­


    I looked down at him as he sat there, his bright brown eyes just watching me expectantly. He didn¡¯t know that I avoided responsibility and wouldn¡¯t be a good owner, even outside of all this bullshit. I never settled in one place long enough to own pets. Plus¡­


    With a sigh, I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°Alright, asshole. You can follow me to the motel. You¡¯ll be safer there than out here.¡±


    He hopped up to all four paws, yipping and dropping his sausage into the sand. His focus immediately switched to the discarded meat, which he barked at as it was now covered in dirt. The dog then sneezed before trotting over to my side.


    I could give him a wash and set him up with a nice bed and some spare food. Not the best existence, but probably better than most living in cities or large towns. He might not want to stay there when it was my time to leave, but I had no intention of feeding him to the orcs inadvertently.


    The dog followed me as I went and stood over by the treasure chest.


    ¡°Hopefully saving your ass gives me some good luck for this, huh? Decent karma for a change?¡±


    No response other than a blank stare.


    I sighed again, drawing the Boss Token out of my Inventory - and noticing a new message that had just arrived.


    //Bernie: Sally is going into the pod now.


    My stomach churned, and I grimaced as I put the token into the slot. It clicked and unlocked. There was still time for me to run. Avoid all this.


    Fartbag jumped up against my leg, putting his front paws on me. Enough of a distraction to dislodge my spiraling panic.


    I gave him a brief smile and popped the lid to see what riches were now mine.

 17 - Monsters Among Us

    I flipped the heavy lid of the treasure chest, which fell back to reveal¡­ an empty inside. Instead, a System screen popped up, showing the loot within. The abstract nature was briefly underwhelming, but I raised an eyebrow at what had appeared.


    [350 Gold]


    [Rare Weapon Upgrade Stone]


    [Uncommon Skillbook (2)]


    [Solar Shard (5)]


    [Medical Crate (3)]


    ¡°Damn.¡± I looked down at the dog, who was just sitting there looking back at me expectantly. Probably still after food, since he discarded his sausage.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what I had been expecting, but for zero effort¡­ the items in the treasure chest seemed reasonable. Richard was supposed to be pointing me toward a shop soon, so the extra gold might be lifesaving¡­ if I could get my hands on something to remove the zombie curse.


    In fact, that thought stuck in my mind as I looked at the medical crates within my Inventory. As expected, they contained a random selection of items designed to keep me alive and healthy. With some brief hope in my heart, I opened all three at once.


    [Health Potion (5)]


    [Bandage (10)]


    [Half Restore (2)]


    [Full Restore (2)]


    [Antidote (3)]


    [Regeneration Potion (1)]


    I was left disappointed. The only new item was the regen potion, which acted like a bandage that lasted ten minutes. Could stack them together, though. The only plus side to my new haul is that the rewards were meant to be shared between a small group. By going solo, I had a hoard of healing items that I needn¡¯t be so thrifty with. If I viewed each restorative item as a certain number of kills, I was set for a few mass-murders.


    Nothing for curing bruises and aches, though. At this point, I¡¯d murder for some basic paracetamol. Maybe some alcohol to take the edge off.


    I now also had enough of these solar shards to get a blessing. While I grimaced, I formed a new consumable from ten of the looted items.


    [Blessing of the Sun]


    [Grants +1 to three random skills]


    Not bad, actually. I withdrew it into my hand. It was a sphere of golden and amber light, swirling around much like the sun itself. The orb hovered over my hand slightly, and the dog stretched out, his tail wagging as if I was going to throw it like a ball to fetch.


    I put it back into my Inventory.


    Being solo didn¡¯t mean being dense and selfish. I could imagine using it and only my most niche skills getting the bonus. When I had gotten the all clear from Bernie, I would ask him how many abilities he had. If I could get his scouting upgraded easily, then that would increase my effectiveness in leveling and finding useful things out in the desert.


    ''Fartbag'' whined.


    ¡°Alright, bud. Let¡¯s head to the motel while I go through the rest of this crap. I¡¯ll give you more food there.¡±


    After deciding to possibly give Bernie the blessing, I did start to wonder how much of the other spoils I should share. A stone to make a Rare weapon, and two skillbooks. Giving them all to the waitress would give her a step up in surviving and getting through the first few levels quicker. Maybe Bernie could make use of them once it was time for us to move from the bunker.


    I put that as something to think over while we walked. It was in my nature to take them for myself. I needed to be powerful to survive. The group hidden away was a thorn, biting in under one of my nails. As much as I wanted to ignore them, I needed to take some responsibility. Even if only to avoid more guilt weighing on my mind.


    The dog kept up with me, as if we had known each other forever. My brief charity had been enough for him to see me as a friend. I took my shirt off into my Inventory and told the System to fix it for me. My undershirt was in quite the state itself, but my skill only worked on magic items so far.


    It was only two minutes of striding through the arid desert before the next faux dune revealed the motel ahead.


    More basic in design than I had expected, but perhaps there wasn¡¯t such a big need for accommodation this close to the city. We were looking down on the back of it, but from here it appeared to be a single story. A long row of rooms going out to our left, while a bigger block on the right side was probably the reception and whatever facilities they provided.


    As far as I could tell, it looked quiet. Abandoned. I gave the dog a glance, but there were no thoughts going on behind his big eyes. ¡°Keep on guard,¡± I told him. ¡°A little paranoia is a good thing.¡±


    He wagged his tail, which I took to mean that he understood. How convenient.


    I brought out my magic hammer, as Threadcutter was a little cumbersome to stroll around with. Approaching the motel felt¡­ eerie. More apocalyptic than even the diner, as that at least had activity around it. Richard said that populated areas would have greater monster spawns, so for the motel to report no detailed information to Bernie could only mean a couple of things¡­ none of which I liked the idea of.


    Plus, the fact that I hadn¡¯t had a follow-up message from him about the waitress was concerning. The STAR process was only a couple of minutes at most. Worry creeped in at the edges of my mind, but I shook it away.


    I could see the parking area of the motel now, and there were three vehicles present. Two of them looked like they¡¯d immediately cry if they touched the sandy desert, too well-designed for cruising the suburbs, while the third was a pickup that appeared to have rolled in straight from a scrapyard. Scratched to shit, with cracked windows and long-aged dirt caked around the wheel arches. Despite the apocalypse hitting yesterday, all three were swept with sand as if they had been sitting for weeks.


    It was still too quiet.


    I rolled my tongue around my teeth and gripped the hammer tighter as we came up to the side of the building. Windows had slatted blinds covering them, the dirt and dust telling me they weren¡¯t often opened. A glance at my canine companion, and he seemed nonplussed. Perhaps it was a bit much for me to expect him to pick up the scent of monsters or other people around, but I¡¯d grasp at whatever straws were presented.


    We edged around the corner to the front. A sign out near the road, half collapsed, read ¡®Norris Motel¡¯. I paused for a moment to check for any signs of life. No. Still quiet.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go wandering now,¡± I murmured.


    Cautiously, I led us around to the front to where the reception entrance was. I could see the row of rooms now, and each of them looked as devoid of use as the next. No lights left on. All the doors looked closed from this position. No signs of fighting or destruction. The knot in my stomach tightened a little more.


    I looked through the glass door, and the small office looked clear. Cluttered as fuck - the owner was clearly a hoarder and a smoker, if the discolored and peeling wallpaper was anything to go by. Gently, I pushed the door open, allowing the dog to trot in first. I followed suit, my eyes burning as I tried to scour every potential inch of the place to find something wrong with it. Danger lurking.


    But nothing was that out of place. I¡¯d seen enough normal decay to know that this was just how it looked on a day-to-day basis. My eyes switched to the wooden board behind the main desk, where keys hung. A little archaic and unsafe for modern times, but I could see that three rooms had already been taken. That checked out with the number of vehicles outside, although it didn¡¯t look like they were active.


    I also wasn¡¯t about to go knocking door to door to see if they were just hiding away. There were enough wayward sheep looking to me for guidance, and I was worried about what I¡¯d find if not healthy and scared people.


    While the dog sniffed at the edges of the walls, I walked around the desk and grabbed the key for room number two. Not too far from the exit, and nowhere near the allegedly occupied units.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, bud.¡± I gestured to the side door that lead to the pathway. ¡°Time for you to eat like a prince.¡±


    He followed on as we stepped out. There were other doorways here, leading to a rec room, which also had a storage room further in. Probably a kitchen back there, if I could judge anything by the glance through the window at the top of the door. Empty as well, so I turned to continue down the path. There was a film of sand across it, the movements of the desert shifting causing everything to look more aged than it was.


    The silence was agony. I kept an eye up and down the other rooms as I put the key in the lock and turned it. Hammer in hand, I stepped into the bedroom. The air smelled of dust and mildew. I glanced between the television - a decade out of date - and the worn double bed that needed the sheets changing. Perhaps staying here for the night was a terrible idea. I erased it from my checklist.


    I let the dog follow in before I shut the door and locked it from the inside. From my Inventory, I took out my spare shirt and put it on the bed, before placing down a metal container on the floor.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make yourself sick like a dumbass, okay?¡± I emptied out a healthy amount of the diner food that would probably otherwise go to waste. ¡°You¡¯re in charge while I go wash up.¡±


    He was like a magnet to the provided meat, chomping through it before I could even give him the instructions he¡¯d ignore. It made me feel a little better, though.


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    Shaking my head at the little glutton, I went to the bathroom. A drab affair that looked like it hadn¡¯t seen a good clean¡­ ever. Something from a murder movie. I flicked the light switch, but it didn¡¯t do anything. Power was out. Hopefully the water was still okay, otherwise this journey had been a waste of energy.


    I stepped up to the sink, the small obscured window to the side giving barely enough light for me to see until my eyes adjusted properly. With a turn, the faucet sprayed out water. Surprisingly clean, given the state of the rest of the place. I turned it back off and avoided looking in the mirror of the cabinet, instead just opening it to see what was inside.


    A pair of small and half-empty bottles of shampoo and conditioner. As in, actual bottles with those words written on them. Beggars couldn¡¯t be choosers at this stage. A pack of painkillers that were¡­ out of date by a few months. Probably still good. Two razors that had long corroded over. Lastly, possibly the cheapest looking packet of condoms I¡¯d ever seen.


    I picked up the painkillers and, after some hesitation, put them into my Inventory with no issue.


    Fuck.


    Thoughts swirled around in my head, but I couldn¡¯t make sense of them. After the day I¡¯d had¡­ I was pretty spent. This small glimmer of normality was disarming, and I felt the exhaustion and worry eroding all the walls I had put up.


    I shook my head clear and looked over at the pup scarfing down the food. Exhaling through my nose, I pushed the bathroom door closed and locked it. A simple bolt that anyone with a boot and a little effort could breach. Still, two layers of defense and an early warning system. That might be enough.


    System had just finished fixing up my shirt, so I told it to do my slacks next. After they vanished from my legs, I stepped over to the bath and turned the taps on. The showerhead vibrated slightly before spraying forth water. Part of me relaxed, the sound comforting. I eyed up the door one last time before stripping down.


    I grabbed the bottles from the cabinet and put them on the side of the bath. My body was sweaty, grimy, and covered in bruises. Gore still matted my hair. I felt half dead, which was ironic, given the curse I bore. Hand felt under the spray of water, and it was warm. Thank fuck - they had a working boiler still.


    Stepping into it was the best feeling. An immediate ascension to heaven. I brought in my non magical clothing to stomp some of the blood from them as I washed off. The water ran red and dark brown as the various patches of dirt came free. Shampoo and conditioner applied, the smell of coconut filled the room as it steamed up.


    Magical. I could have spent hours under the warmth, were it not for the threat of night looming closer. With a sigh, I left the shower and turned off the taps. Wrung the clothes out and put them in my Inventory wet. I went to put the bottles back in the cabinet before deciding I¡¯d keep them, too. As I pushed the mirror front closed, I looked at myself for the first time.


    Bruising ran up most of my side, and there were a few lines of fresh scars where I¡¯d healed from my recent wounds. Even with a fresh clean, I still looked a little rough around the edges. Felt a lot more like myself, though. I raised my arms and turned to see how my back looked, but it was more of the same.


    I sighed at the irony that it was in the apocalypse I was more likely to get a regular healthy diet. What lean muscle I had worked up over the years had slowly been eroding away with how little I ate. Always on the move and broke. I grabbed the rough towel from the back of the door and dried off.


    Spare underclothing went on as the System finished fixing my slacks.


    [Repair Garment 2]


    The upgrade actually increased the number of garment repaired at once to two. I fixed my tie and brushed my hair back as best as I could with my fingers. Why I didn¡¯t have a proper brush, I wasn¡¯t sure. Rolled my sleeves up and straightened up. Not too shabby.


    But also not enough to distract me from the fact that Bernie hadn¡¯t sent me a message about Sally yet. It had been over twenty minutes now, which was¡­ worrying. Still, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to message him. Stupid. It could wait until I got there, surely.


    I unlocked the bathroom and stepped out. Just as I had planned, the satiated dog was now asleep, resting on the shirt I had laid out. More of a cat thing to do, in my opinion, but I figured he might find the smell of me comforting enough to pass out on.


    All I had to do now was abandon him.


    Another twist in my stomach, but it had to be done. I wouldn¡¯t be able to keep him safe and he¡¯d be a hindrance in the future. As I unlocked the door slowly, I kept my eyes on the sleeping pain in the ass. He seemed happy. I¡¯d leave the door ajar slightly so that he could leave when he wanted or¡­ I didn¡¯t know.


    My focus remained on him as I stepped out into the hallway. I sighed, having made my escape. Felt fucking miserable about it - adding that into how I felt about Sally and how my whole day had gone¡­ the orcs could get a pass tonight. I wanted to sleep this bullshit off. Fucking System.


    I stepped cautiously toward the reception room. One last glance around for anything useful, and then I¡¯d-


    ¡°I think you forgot to pay, miss.¡±


    I froze in place, the voice of a man coming from behind me. One of the occupants?


    ¡°Turn around slowly.¡±


    My muscles tensed as I rotated gradually. I could understand his apprehension, even if I didn¡¯t appreciate it. World had gone to shit. Monsters sprouting up out of nowhere. I¡¯d be paranoid too. Was paranoid.


    The man looked middle-aged. Stout frame, partially bald, but with a long handlebar mustache. Dirty hawaiian shirt over an even filthier wife-beater. More menacing than the look in his eyes was the weapon he held. A thick chain, with a barbed meat hook on one end. That must mean he found another bunker. Probably the owner of the motel, if I had to guess.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure money has much worth these days, I¡¯m afraid,¡± I replied.


    His eyes read me up and down, but the way they lingered in certain places told me he preferred pictures to words. ¡°Perhaps we can come to some other arrangement? Service for service.¡± He gestured with his head to the room beside us.


    My jaw clenched. ¡°No chance, bud.¡±


    I had met plenty of seedy douchebags in my time. There was a difference between bloodying someone¡¯s nose and murdering them, though. The System may have turned me into the slaughterer of monsters, but I wasn¡¯t keen to dip my toes into erasing other survivors with such ease and lack of care.


    ¡°Shame.¡± He grinned humorlessly. ¡°Perhaps just hand over any rare items and gold, then? Or the location of your bunker.¡±


    My hands balled into fists. ¡°Leave me be. Final warning.¡±


    His mouth twisted into a sneer. ¡°Wrong answer.¡±


    I brought Threadcutter into my hands to defend myself, but his weapon lashed out unnaturally quick. The hook dashed through the space between us and cut straight through my bracer, burying itself into my left forearm.


    My axe slipped from my grip as a sharp pain flashed through my body. He tried to reel me in like a fish, but I wasn¡¯t going to allow that. Against my own best interests, I twisted and pulled my arm free from the hook, allowing the bloodied end to clatter to the floor.


    The damage it had wrought was¡­


    Shock had me dissociated from it all, almost instantly. Blood poured from the wound, running down my arm like small rivers, arteries splayed out and mixing with the shredded fabric of the bracer. Fingers unresponsive, so my tendons were probably shot as well. It was just a mess of split muscle and pain.


    I gathered enough sense to duck and roll from the follow-up swing once the hook had been pulled back in, but there was a problem.


    The shock was an open door for all of the trauma gathered up during the day to flood out. As my arm constantly leaked blood, my mind screamed for me to run. I had finally hit a limit, and self-preservation wanted me out of here. He would kill me if I tried to get closer. I needed to run.


    I obliged, moving up to my feet and down the pathway. Another attack narrowly missed me, striking the wall as I ducked through an unfamiliar door. Blood loss and blind panic had me disorientated. My eyes wavered over several options and I went forward. I needed to heal up.


    Right hand twisted a door handle, and I pushed through into a darkened room. Left hand hung limply as I closed the door and leaned with my back against it. Breathing was haggard, my throat felt constricted. No good going for a potion if I couldn¡¯t get it down. A bandage appeared in my shaking right hand. Fucking focus. Was bleeding so much. Needed to get out of here, while I had a moment.


    But if I had left a trail of blood, then he would-


    The doorway opened up suddenly, pushing me forward and canceling my bandage timer. I twisted to face him as I stumbled away and hit the back of my head on the edge of a rack shelf. Storeroom. My vision went spotty as I fought the urge to pass out.


    The motel owner was there. One hand grabbed me by the neck while the other held my right arm against the shelving unit. A wash of his body odor and cheap whisky filled my senses. My left arm hung limp as my life-force continued to drain away.


    ¡°Thought you¡¯d have more fight in you,¡± he gloated, his face looming in front of mine. ¡°You must have come from near the diner. I hope those whores are still alive, so I can give them what they deserve as well.¡±


    Disgust flooded me like a broken dam, erasing the fear and panic. A spark of anger drew up within me, and I tried to push back against him. I was running out of air and blood, but the tank of vitriol was overflowing. Vengeance and rage kept me alert, if only so that I could glare right back at this monster for my last moments on this fucked planet.


    His leering grin turned to a confused frown as a growl came from the doorway.


    ¡°Get the fuck away, mutt.¡± The man bared his teeth and leaned back to try to shake the dog away. I couldn¡¯t look down, but guessed that his trousers were being pulled on.


    Unfortunately for him, he loosened his grip on my neck in the process. Oxygen rushed into my hungry lungs, fueling the flame within me. As he turned back to look at me having shaken the dog, I lashed forward, head-butting him in the face.


    ¡°Fucking slut,¡± he hissed, taking a step back, nose running with blood.


    I jabbed out with my fist, and he raised his arms to protect himself. Blocked. He stepped back again, trying to gain some distance to bring out his weapon.


    But his arms fell away as he tripped on the dog nipping at his heels. Eyes wide with panic, he flailed out to catch himself, leaving himself open.


    My fist was already drawn all the way back, knuckleduster now on my right hand. With all the anger, frustration, and disgust I could manifest, I put the last of my strength into this one punch.


    It connected before he could even respond. Something in his face broke, and his head flashed backwards, catching on the corner of a washing machine by the door. His body twisted and flopped to the dusty ground like a sack of rocks. Spasming three times before being still, slowly deflating.


    I immediately took a knee beside him and leveled another punch at his head. No response. His eyes were already staring blankly up at the ceiling as a pool of blood ran from the back of his skull.


    My breathing came in pained pulses as I held my fist up, ready to strike him again. Part of me wanted to break his head open like an egg and spread his tasty brains across the floor. I shook my senses clear as the fervor sunk away from my body. Even without the System throwing some dry fanfare, I could tell he was dead.


    Instead of pulping him further, I slid myself into a seated position against another laundry machine. Exhausted. I had killed someone, but he left me with no other option. The Earth was under attack, and assholes like him still couldn¡¯t put aside their issues for the greater good. Motherfucker.


    The dog stood beside me and put his chin on my thigh. Eyes looking up, he whined.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I need to heal.¡±


    Despite really needing a nap, I went through the process of applying a bandage over the open wound. My tired eyes dug through my Inventory and I pulled out a Full Restore. Difficult to get¡ªand keep¡ªdown, but the healing energy comforted me immediately. I dropped the empty glass bottle to the ground as the bandage did little now but provide occasional ticks of pain relief. After a few seconds of continued pain, I could move my left hand again.


    I brought it up clumsily and put it on the dog¡¯s head. Slowly, I ran my fingers through his fur.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯re even now, huh?¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond, but continued laying against me with his head in my lap. Well, if he was going to stick around for a while, I¡¯d have to think of a better name for him. It was the least I could do.


    I went to close my eyes, just to get a short amount of rest¡­


    When a message from Bernie finally came in.

 18 - Return to Base

    Three little words. I couldn¡¯t remember a time when so few had hit me so hard.


    Sally was safe.


    The only thing that Bernie had considered telling me, after all this time. Still, it was enough. I sunk against the cold metal of the dryer behind me and sighed deeply. Could still really use that nap.


    After wriggling away from my heavy hand, the dog stood on my leg and ruffed at me.


    I turned my lagging head toward him. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. No rest for the wicked.¡±


    With an extended grunt, I pushed myself up and to my feet. Still light-headed, but okay. My left forearm had a bright pink patch where it was healing up, but that was a lot better than it being open to the elements. I put my bracers into my Inventory and had the System fix them up. Then I looked down at the man I¡¯d murdered.


    I wondered what level he could have been. Probably not as high up the curve as me, but whatever skills and weapon he had clearly removed whatever advantage me having my Class was. I couldn¡¯t wait to get back and have Richard lecture me about how my Shroud of Fear Vitality bonus kept me alive. And what did I get for surviving on a razor¡¯s edge once more?


    The System had not rewarded me with any skills or milestones for killing him. It was not something that was meant to happen, even if it was the nature of humankind. We certainly weren¡¯t to be encouraged to murder each other. I hesitated to loot him, at first not wanting to grave rob¡­ but I wasn¡¯t exactly in a place of high moral standing. If he had something I could use to keep myself or the others safe, then it was rightfully mine.


    I still pulled a face as the System interface popped up.


    [682 Gold]


    [Green Sword]


    [Doomchain]


    [Haste Wristguards]


    [Softstep Boots]


    [Motel Master Key]


    There were also a handful of bandages and potions, as well as some random magical clothing with only one stat on them. Nothing with Morale, but I took them just in case - the others could surely use them. The sword was Uncommon with some Vitality, and the wrist and feet equipment had Agility and movement speed.


    [Doomchain]


    [Deals additional damage based on targets Morale]


    ¡°Motherfucker,¡± I said, raising an eyebrow at the dog. ¡°Here I thought I was just having a well-earned and perfectly valid mental breakdown all of my own accord.¡±


    He just tilted his head in response.


    Well, it didn¡¯t say it affected Morale or gave me the Fear status¡­ but I wasn¡¯t sure us ¡®players¡¯ could even get that like monsters could. Sounded likely that it was just my mind breaking from the built up trauma.


    I gave one last sneer at the corpse before pushing out of the door. ¡°Maybe wanton murder isn¡¯t the best therapy.¡± My arm ached as I held the door open for the dog to follow me through. ¡°Talking to you seems to help. I think people call that ¡®rubber ducking¡¯. I¡¯ll gradually tell you all my issues, and you will never judge me. Deal?¡±


    He looked at me blankly.


    "Perfect." It might be a mistake to take him along for my very perilous journey, but I owed it to him now. I rescued him from dehydration, and he saved me from being strangled to death. I respected the bond, and how much bravery and loyalty he had for me and my safety. That was¡­ a rarity in my life.


    So he needed a new name. There was no chance I was sticking with Fartbag, even if it was his given name. ¡®Ducky¡¯ wasn¡¯t quite befitting a dog of his competence either, but¡­ maybe something close.


    Back out to the row of rooms from where this started, I stopped to pick up Threadcutter, putting it back into my Inventory. Ignored my drying blood all over the place. Since that asshole had a master key, I was perhaps lucky that we had crossed paths after I was done showering. I opened room number two again, since I knew it was clear and safe.


    The sun was getting lower now, and the light levels were dimming. We needed to get going, but I wanted to wash my arm off first. While the dog stood by eagerly waiting for me, I went into the bathroom and turned the sink on. The repaired bracers would cover the healed wound once they were done, but from wrist to elbow, I was caked with dried crimson. I washed it off as quick as could and turned my head to my new companion.


    ¡°How about¡­ Bucky?¡±


    He tilted his head and wagged his tail.


    ¡°Bucky, here.¡±


    The dog gave a brief sneeze and then galloped with feigned resignation over to me, stopping at the edge of the carpet before the tiled bathroom floor began. It looked like he might have some basic training. I¡¯d have to go through some commands and see for sure once we got to the bunker. He responded to the new name well, so I''d stick with that.


    Water off, and I dried up on the towel hanging by the door.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to come back here tomorrow and I¡¯ll give you a bath. I promise. Maybe bring the others to get washed up as well. Also to look around for loot.¡± I adjusted my tie, seeing that getting roughed up had damped the sharp image I had only just felt comfortable with. ¡°I have a feeling that the bad man might have killed others.¡±


    Based solely on the fact that he wasn¡¯t too shy about trying to murder me, as well as the number of items he had on him. I could be wrong, but my gut told me I¡¯d find some uncomfortable scenes in the other rooms.


    Bucky stood and put his forepaws on the end of the bed, panting at my spare shirt he had been sleeping on.


    ¡°I shouldn''t leave behind evidence, huh? Oh, or did you like sleeping on that old thing?¡± I raised an eyebrow and looked around the room. Perhaps this whole afternoon wouldn¡¯t be a wash after all.


    Before leaving the motel, I went back to the storage room. They weren¡¯t in amazing condition, but I grabbed almost a dozen pillows, as well as two stacks of bedsheets. If we had to sleep in the bunker, then we could at least make it slightly more comfortable.


    I turned my head back to see the dog sniffing around the corpse.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare do anything nasty, Bucky.¡±


    He shied away from my scolding, his face the perfect picture of guilt. It took a lot more than that to melt my heart, and I pointed out to the rec room. He slunk away, avoiding any more of my ire. I exhaled and watched him leave. His placement in the desert was still a mystery, but maybe the future was more important than the past.


    I almost rolled my eyes straight out of my skull, being the one to think that.


    It was a shame there was no electricity here. Being able to use the washers or drying machines would be very nice. Creature comforts would be hard to come by. Assuming the area was safe enough, the motel was a decent place to set up as a base of operations. The bunker just had those reinforced doors and my ever-helpful Guide, which... seemed better than musty mattresses and stained wallpaper at present.


    The sun was setting, and it was too late to look for anything else. I was running on fumes and didn¡¯t have the mental capacity for any further near-death experiences.


    It might be time to revisit my recklessness. A hard-learned lesson that I couldn¡¯t repeat. Not only because of my own survival, but for the dog and the waitress. I wasn¡¯t going soft, but¡­ if they were competent enough, then I could stay alive longer. Yeah, I¡¯d go with that explanation.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, Buck. We¡¯ve got some walking to do.¡± I stepped out of the storeroom and he trotted over to me.


    We left the motel, and I used Lightbulb. I was a little wary about it due to it basically being a beacon showing where I was standing, but potentially falling and breaking my ankle would be worse. I¡¯d turn it off when skirting past the orcs, just in case.


    There was a brief moment where I considered ambushing the group while they settled down for the night, but a better plan had hatched, overriding my bloodlust.


    I¡¯d take Sally out in the morning to get her a couple of levels a little safer than I had. It wasn¡¯t like I considered myself an expert in all this bullshit, and I was apprehensive about giving the twig of positivity a melee weapon, expecting her to murder monsters efficiently. Since she got her STAR tonight, the Soft Landing buff would wear out before getting any use out of it.


    Not that she seemed to have a problem with accepting the apocalypse.


    The gradual darkness just made my eyes lag. I had earned a decent rest - that couldn¡¯t be denied. Bucky did a good job of nudging against my legs and almost tripping me so that I wouldn''t fall asleep while trudging along. Despite his goofy appearance, he was able to intuit my mood more than most dogs I¡¯d known - like he had been a service dog or something.


    I cautiously eyed the orc camp as we passed. They had actually managed to erect a decent portion of the walls, and torch lights illuminated the four corners. Some of them were sitting around the campfire eating, while the rest were out of the sight. Hopefully sleeping and not prowling around the area.


    My eyes went up to the STAR as a message came through.


    //Sally: Hey! Bernie invited me to the party.


    //Sally: Sorry we¡¯ve been so quiet¡­


    //Sally: Got my hubris checked.


    //Scarlet: Everyone okay?


    //Sally: Yeah. I got a little ¡®system sickness¡¯ and poor Bern needed a nap.


    //Sally: It¡¯s been a lot for him.


    //Scarlet: I¡¯m on my way back now.


    //Sally: Great! Let me know when you¡¯re close.


    I felt a heavy weight in my heart. It wasn¡¯t exactly my fault¡­ but I felt for them.


    Psh. The apocalypse was making me soft.


    Thankfully, the System allowed me some space to get back to the bunker with no further threats to my existence. When I looked close enough on the Map, I sent the waitress a message. Her reasoning was clear once I arrived, as she was outside the front of the bunker waiting for me.


    Before she could greet me, her eyes switched to Bucky, and she gasped.


    ¡°You found a dog!¡± Sally dropped to her knees and held her arms out to invite him in for a hug.


    Bucky remained in place by my side, but did wag his tail.


    The waitress deflated and pouted up at me. ¡°You just got him and he¡¯s that loyal? Is he like a System skill or something?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°You get a chair in your welcome chest? I could do with a sit down.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± She stood up, her eyes reading my face. ¡°You want to talk shop, or¡­?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    In silence, we both removed our chairs and placed them in the loose sand a couple of feet away from each other. I sat and looked up at the sky. The actual stars were visible and bright. No odd alien spaceships or anything untoward. It was beautiful, even as the last colors of the sun sunk away on the horizon.


    ¡°I killed a man today.¡±


    Sally wrinkled up her nose and tilted her head toward me. ¡°Not a monster, you mean? Was it Mr Norris? Wish I could have gotten a hit in.¡±


    I chose to ignore how easily she accepted my confession. ¡°What¡¯s your history with him?¡±


    ¡°He used to come in every so often and complain that the diner stole his clientele, as he offers breakfast food as well.¡± Sally sighed and returned to stargazing. ¡°Doris takes no shit, though, and they¡¯d get into heated arguments. He had a foul mouth on him and would call us all sorts. One day, he made the mistake of calling me names while Theo was there.¡±


    ¡°Oh? He lost his bottle after that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Most of the diner customers are old folks, so wouldn¡¯t get involved. Theo isn¡¯t exactly an imposing figure, but that was enough resistance to scare the asshole off.¡± Sally sighed deeply.


    ¡°Well, he won¡¯t be bothering anyone else ever again.¡± I worked my jaw, trying to get that fight out of my mind. ¡°Your boy, Theo, he good to you?¡±


    ¡°Sure is. He can get lost in his own world a lot of the time¡­ but he treats me like a queen, really. I have a good feeling he is surviving. The dork is smarter than I am.¡±


    I closed my eyes as Bucky laid down beside my feet. I let my hand hang down to gently run across his back. ¡°What about your family? You don¡¯t seem worried about them either.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°It feels like we are just camping. You ever feel that, when you¡¯d go to camp or out hiking? The rest of the world might not exist - you¡¯d never know. It''s like nothing else matters in the moment. Maybe it will hit me further down the road. What about you? A badass like you doesn¡¯t have anyone?¡±


    Perhaps it was because of how exhausted I was, but I deflated and continued a conversation I would normally avoid. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you my greatest weakness, Sally. I often conflate confidence with competence.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± The sound of her turning her chair on the ground made me wince. ¡°You always fall for the asshole guys and never learn to read red flags.¡±


    I opened my eyes so I could glare at her. ¡°Do you have to be so blunt all the time?¡±


    ¡°Doris says that if I were any sharper, I¡¯d be a perfect sphere. At least you¡¯re self aware, though. Is that why you¡¯re so paranoid? Trouble with the last in the line of your series of mistakes?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky I have no energy, hun.¡± I returned to facing the sky with my eyes closed. ¡°Yeah, the last one was¡­ a bit of a fuckup. Underground casino. Was fun for a while, and I got to be a table dealer, which was a lot less grief than my previous gig. Owner was named Rico, and he had that diamond-in-the-rough charm to him. Honeymoon phase was great for a while... until it wasn''t.¡±


    ¡°That''s how they get ya.¡±


    I grunted. ¡°The red flags were there. I¡¯m just doomed to make the same mistakes. Too dense. At one point, it stopped being about the casino, and the group got into trouble with another gang. So, I did what any normal person would.¡±


    Sally didn¡¯t respond, probably letting the fact that working in an illegal gang casino was pretty far from being a normal person already. I continued, the story leaking out of my sustained wounds.


    ¡°Rico lost any illusion of charm pretty quick when I said I was leaving him and the casino. That I didn''t want to get dragged down into whatever they were headed toward. He threatened me, said there was no leaving. Trapped. So I broke into the safe and stole all the money, ratted them out to the cops and fled.¡±


    ¡°Oooh, a snitch.¡± The waitress drummed her fingers on her leg. ¡°So you¡¯ve been worried about the inevitable stitches you¡¯re owed.¡±


    I opened up my eyes and lifted my hand up. The money hadn''t even lasted that long. I should have let it be and just split. ¡°Rico got taken in, but some of the gang members got away. They clearly have contact with him, however, and something of a grudge. I have at least two private eyes tracking me, as well as the remnants of his posse.¡± The scar across my palm was almost gone now. ¡°One of them almost got me before I came out this way.¡±


    ¡°Geez. Well, for what it¡¯s worth¡­ I¡¯ve got your back if any of those assholes show up.¡±


    They were all most likely dead, if I was lucky. The System didn¡¯t discriminate, so they were either mulched by monsters or¡­ they had gotten other powers. Maybe they¡¯d give up trying to find me if that was the case. Surely the apocalypse was more important than the contract to their also likely dead boss. Surely.


    ¡°Thanks, hun. We¡¯ll see how you fare in a fight first.¡± I looked back over at her. ¡°What weapon and skill did the System give you?¡±


    ¡°A knife.¡± She pulled a face. ¡°Since I killed a zombie before we hid away, my skill upgraded to rare, and it¡¯s a riposte and counter based on Guile and attack speed.¡±


    Not a terrible pick, depending on the exact details. I didn¡¯t have the attention span to look into her things right now, so wouldn¡¯t ask until the morning.


    ¡°You ever fight before?¡±


    ¡°Theo and I used to perform wrestling moves on each other. At least¡­ until the incident.¡± Sally wrinkled up her face and looked out at the darkening wasteland. ¡°So no actual clue about real fighting, really. What¡¯s your experience? You seem to take to this like a duck to water.¡±


    ¡°Bouncer.¡± I rolled my tongue around in my mouth. ¡°I¡¯ve already given up enough of my secrets for one evening, though. You¡¯re lucky you got that other shit out of me.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± She grinned. ¡°That means there¡¯s more to mine for, huh?¡±


    My muscles tensed up. It was enough to admit I had a shady past still nipping at my heels. I didn¡¯t need a full-on therapy session. While the waitress appeared good-humored and scatterbrained, she had surgical precision for reading people. Or at least me, specifically. It was unnerving, even if she was trying to be friendly.


    I worked my jaw and reeled my tongue back in after letting it wander idly for too long. There was a reason I kept to myself.


    With a sigh, I leaned forward and pushed up to my feet. Every muscle involved in the process resented me for it, hoping that I''d stay seated so they could get some rest. I wanted to tick one last box before getting some sleep, and if I didn¡¯t move now, I¡¯d either pass out on the chair again, or end up blurting my whole life story out to Sally.


    ¡°I need a few words with Richard.¡± I gestured to the bunker. ¡°Let me send up the others to get some fresh air. Bucky, stay here.¡±


    He tilted his head and then moved to lie down by Sally¡¯s chair, giving me a brief whine before the waitress started petting him.


    I paused at the metal door. ¡°Oh, now that you can see Richard, what do you think of him?¡±


    ¡°Ah, not what I was expecting. He¡¯s so awkward and flustered. Reminds me of someone, but can¡¯t place who. I thought he would be someone more alien or even like a cool robot.¡±


    ¡°Do you trust him?¡±


    Sally wrinkled up her nose, looking away from the dog to answer me. ¡°I think he is pretty genuine in his efforts to keep us safe. He also said I was a natural with all of this, so maybe I¡¯m biased.¡±


    I nodded and gave her a brief smile as I pulled the door open.


    Something wasn¡¯t quite right.


    With a salvo of questions ready, I stepped down into the bunker to confront our ''Guide''.

 19 - Morning Exercise

    I left the inner door cracked ajar as Doris helped Bernie up the metal stairs.


    ¡°Just shout if there''s any trouble,¡± I called up, before turning my attention to the only person left in the room.


    Richard¡¯s eyes were off somewhere else, no doubt reading through my logs. Eventually, his expression sagged, and he looked back at me. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ so sorry for what happened at the motel.¡±


    ¡°Can it.¡± I crossed my arms. ¡°That means there is another bunker further west, right?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Most likely, yes. I¡­ am unable to get the information from the other Guides to say where exactly, or if there are any other people there.¡±


    ¡°I reckon the guy I murdered had already killed them off once they got their items.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Almost got all of mine as well.¡±


    ¡°That sort of violence is¡­ unfortunate, but ultimately a consequence of distributing superpower indiscriminately. I should have warned you¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I mostly blame myself for freezing up instead of being ruthless. It was like¡­ it hit my critical weak point and I folded.¡±


    Richard tilted his head. ¡°That¡¯s a remarkably open statement coming from you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m actually pretty traumatized from my day, and having a loose tongue is a result of that. A lot of bullshit for a shower and a dog, though.¡±


    He raised an eyebrow, and so I filled him in on what exactly happened from finding Bucky to our walk home. I asked Richard if the dog could secretly be part of the System, but he was almost entirely convinced that no, he wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only seen one other¡­ animal that has a System, but that was different to the STAR,¡± he concluded. ¡°Even if we put Bucky in the pod¡ªwhich I would never suggest¡ªit wouldn¡¯t do much for him. No ability to talk or sudden competence for utilizing the System screens and abilities.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if that was a good thing or not. As much as I wouldn¡¯t force the STAR on him, I wanted Bucky to stay safe and contribute to the group¡¯s success. Perhaps I wished for too much. My attention revolved around to something much more important.


    ¡°Alright, enough small talk.¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°You said you¡¯ll spill the beans once I got to level 5.¡±


    He opened and closed his mouth a few times before nodding. ¡°That is fair. Please ask away, and I¡¯ll answer what I can.¡±


    Shaking him and repeatedly asking what the fuck was probably not what he had in mind. Nor was it possible, considering he was an intangible being. But that itself was a good enough place to start this off.


    ¡°You¡¯ve used some very Earth references when talking to us. Who are you really, and where are you from?¡±


    His wireframe form wavered slightly as he took a deep breath in. ¡°How familiar are you with simulation theory?¡±


    I was exhausted from the conversation already. My hands came up to rub at my temples as I tried to dig up knowledge from somewhere. ¡°That¡¯s like¡­ the Matrix, right? As our digital simulations grow infinitely more detailed, eventually they would become indiscernible from reality?¡± I didn¡¯t have the stomach to be told my life and all this struggle wasn¡¯t real.


    ¡°Close enough, yes.¡± He gestured to the ceiling, as if there was anything up there. ¡°Outside of this reality, there is another universe of such simulations. Planets created through variations of these rules we call Systems.¡±


    ¡°Did you make them?¡±


    Richard shook his head. ¡°No, but I do control one. Part demi-god and part janitor. Over time, I crafted the STAR System from a failing world into something successful. But¡­ I used to be just a man.¡±


    I furrowed my brow. He was laying out all the puzzle pieces, but my tired brain was having trouble even finding the edges to put together. ¡°How does this all tie into Earth?¡±


    ¡°The way in which these early System worlds were populated was by taking people from Earth. Killed and digitally replicated within the System, but the victim¡¯s consciousness transfers over. Normally, this is a one-way street. But the invaders¡­¡±


    ¡°Cockroaches found a way to scurry back down the pipe, and they arrived here.¡± I rubbed my eye. ¡°Sounds like someone fucked up. Is this is all your fault?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°But you were taken from here, and you saw a way to get back? Did you know you¡¯d be stuck in these rooms as a ¡®Guide¡¯? What about all the other Guides?¡±


    He sighed and brought out his chair so that he could sit down. I¡¯d left mine up on the surface for Doris, so just stood and pulled a face.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to help as much of the world survive as is possible. I wish there was more I could do, but providing the STAR System is mostly my limit. Even this was only possible as I piggybacked on the back of the aliens¡¯ efforts.¡±


    There was another related question burning around in the back of my mind somewhere, but I couldn¡¯t quite place it. I¡¯m sure it would come to me later. Instead, I just found myself more annoyed at the wireframe man.


    ¡°Even assuming you¡¯re doing this for the greater good, how does this benefit you?¡±


    Richard crossed his legs and leaned back in the chair. ¡°It¡¯s simple. If the roaches win, I will die too. As will all the other Guides and the STAR''s influence on Earth.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if that was the truth, but with Sally saying that she trusted him, then I¡¯d take his word for it for now. That made a lot more sense to me, then. He needed us as we needed him. Once you worked out someone¡¯s motivations, it was a lot easier to be on the same page. That said¡­


    My eyes glanced over to the door. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the way you look at Sally, and she said you were flustered and nervous. Care to explain?¡±


    He raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡­ Sally reminds me of someone I know. A long-time friend. It both reminds me of the stakes over my head and prompts me to be unbiased.¡±


    It stood to reason that he had to advise each of the people he was a Guide for equally, even if that was a self-imposed rule. I still felt like he was holding a lot back, but for now, my curiosity had been sated.


    ¡°Speaking of that - I have two skillbooks and a rare upgrade stone that I was thinking of sharing with the others.¡±


    ¡°No, use them yourself.¡±


    The bluntness of his response caught me off-guard. ¡°Really? Spreading our power around won¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be frank with you, Scarlet. Even with your head start, you are possibly on the back foot. I don¡¯t have the full picture of how the phases will progress, but it is more important you survive alone than for everyone to fall together.¡±


    Even for someone as solitary as me, that seemed cruel and selfish. He was dead serious, though. I could read between the lines. With his life at stake, he needed to make sure his bunker put forward the best fighter possible for whatever was to come. I had proven I had the guts and savvy to get ahead against the odds, and he would push me to greatness¡­


    But I couldn¡¯t do it at the cost of the safety of the others. If that put them at risk from people like the motel owner, then I couldn¡¯t live with the guilt - even if it meant saving the world. I shook my head and decided to sleep on it.


    ¡°Well, tomorrow I¡¯m helping Sally get her foot on the ladder. After that, you¡¯re pointing me towards a shop. I need a goal past that, though. Wandering aimlessly through the desert is tiring, so what¡¯s my next plan?¡±


    Richard leaned forward and frowned, steepling his fingers in front of his face. ¡°Have you seen that castle nearby?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s a dungeon. You¡¯ll need to prepare, but it will have a Boss and the best rewards and experience around, compared to the smaller pockets of monsters you¡¯ve been dealing with.¡±


    Assaulting a castle. I could almost suspend my disbelief enough to think it sounded fun.


    With a shake of my head, I went to step toward the exit. ¡°Fine. Before I go tell the others it¡¯s time to sleep, are you¡­ going to start using your real name?¡±


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Are you?¡±


    I pursed my lips. ¡°Touch¨¦.¡±


    <hr>


    The first thing I did as soon as my eyes flickered open was check my status.


    [HP - 90%]


    Fuck. It had begun. I looked over to the side, and Bucky was still asleep next to me. Last night, I had wrapped that old shirt around one of the pillows and he had settled down with no issue. My sleep, however, hadn¡¯t been so great. The dream version of me had lurched between violent scenes of the motel manager stumbling around the underground casino with his brains hanging out, and waves of gnashing monsters trying to chase me down.


    I sat up and tried to apply a bandage, but the progress bar didn¡¯t even appear. Nine days until guaranteed death.


    Everyone else looked to be asleep still, but I was too itchy to lie down for much longer. I slipped out from under my covers and went over to the door. By the time I had slowly turned the lock, Bucky was standing beside me, tail wagging.


    I was reasonably sure we made it out into the morning air without waking anybody up. Although we had plenty to get done today, I wanted everyone to rest well. Bernie especially, as he looked almost ill last night. He put on a brave face, but I think everything was getting to him. Stress wasn¡¯t good.


    After opening up all the food crates from yesterday, I sifted through the plated meals for something that Bucky could eat. Although he didn¡¯t seem fussy about what he scarfed down, I didn¡¯t want to get him sick. I picked out something for myself as well and sat in my chair as the sun finished fully rising.


    Early morning out in the open, warm food, and a dutiful companion. It did feel like camping right now. Not entirely horrible, either¡­ if I let the events of yesterday stay locked away in my mind.


    It was only a few quiet minutes of eating before the door opened up, and I turned my head to see the waitress emerge.


    ¡°What a beautiful day to get maimed,¡± she said, smiling widely.


    I groaned. ¡°Don¡¯t make me regret babysitting you today.¡±


    ¡°Babysitting? That¡¯s hardly fair. I¡¯m sure I can hold my own.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re built like two straws held together with good intentions.¡±


    Sally put her hands on her hips. ¡°And you¡¯re wearing men¡¯s pants.¡±


    ¡°Pockets.¡± I put the last of the food in my mouth. ¡°I like carrying shit.¡±


    The waitress pulled a face. ¡°Well, they¡¯re nicely tailored to better fit you, at least. Sorry, I¡¯m full of apprehension over actually getting some experience.¡±


    I shrugged and put the cutlery away in my Inventory. ¡°Perhaps this won''t come as a surprise, but I¡¯m not much of a morning person. Are the others up?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Groggy, but alive.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get moving then. Long day ahead.¡±


    Before sleeping last night, Bernie had scouted some monsters out east. Longhorn Bandits, all level 1 apart from a level 2 leader. Perfect for getting Sally started, and only made me slightly bitter that I hadn¡¯t got my first levels there.


    I hadn¡¯t made a decision about whether I wanted to share my upgrade items or not. Sleeping on it hadn¡¯t really helped, and I just had Richard¡¯s advice echoing around in my head. If I hadn¡¯t had that slight mental break, then I¡¯d have used them myself already.


    But almost croaking to an overweight greasebag had me rethinking how invincible I felt.


    We arrived at the crest of a small ridge, almost near the road again. There was a group of maybe ten humanoids skulking about in pairs, while the leader stood in the center.


    At a glance, they looked almost human. Pointed ears and sharper features pinned them as possible elves, but they were hunched over. Gray in complexion, but not quite sickly.


    ¡°Dark elves, maybe?¡± Sally narrowed her eyes. ¡°Looks like some of them are trying to dig tunnels. They don¡¯t like the light.¡±


    I pulled a face. ¡°I¡¯ll defer to your expansive knowledge, nerd. Show me your knife.¡±


    She rolled her eyes and withdrew the blade from her Inventory. It was a bread knife.


    With a sigh, I went through my own intangible space and brought out a spear, the rare upgrade stone, and an uncommon skillbook. ¡°Here, don¡¯t say I never gave you anything.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re hoarding items and not using them?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to stand and watch you get beaten to death because you have a short reach with a terrible weapon. But I also don¡¯t want you riding my coattails.¡± I looked down at Bucky, who was sitting and watching the monsters intently. ¡°While I¡¯m here, I¡¯ll help you stay alive, but I expect you to stand on your own two feet soon.¡±


    Sally huffed. ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re ready to run off and leave us. Fine, let me use these.¡±


    I watched as she removed the book and opened it, the magical item vanishing from her hands with a green glow. Her eyes went back to her Inventory as she used the stone from within it on the spear.


    The waitress whistled. ¡°Seems like this System thing is weighted to give us power upgrades that match well with what we already have.¡±


    ¡°Spill the details. I think there¡¯s an option to share the info windows.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure how much information Richard had managed to get in her head with his awkwardness and Sally¡¯s short sickness, but she was right on that assumption.


    [Rat Queen Spear]


    [+3 Guile, +10% Movement Speed]


    [Provoke]


    [Taunt a target, Temporarily reducing their attack speed by 20%]


    ¡°Not bad. Show me your Rare skill from your starting chest as well.¡±


    [Counter Reflect]


    [Block and return an attack. Block chance based on your Attack Speed. Reflect damage scales to your Guile]


    As vague as I would expect from the System. For some reason, the more powerful Rare abilities seemed to have the fewest actual numbers detailed, if any at all. It was as if the STAR was fudging things behind the scenes. It didn¡¯t fill me with much confidence, but¡­ I¡¯d work with whatever I had.


    ¡°Perfect.¡± I said, almost convincingly. ¡°Here¡¯s how we¡¯ll do it. You provoke one of these assholes, and I¡¯ll kill one. You can get the other. If you have any issues, back away and let me assist.¡±


    ¡°I just have to avoid getting one-shot, then.¡± She beamed at me.


    The waitress was wearing the items I had given her yesterday. It looked as though the System wanted her to focus on Guile, so I¡¯d funnel all the items I could to her if I didn¡¯t need them. My belt was giving me the bonus stats since it was morning time, but I decided not to use Adjustment just yet. Against level 1 monsters, I shouldn''t have any issues unless I was careless.


    ¡°Alright, pull when ready.¡± I looked down at the dog. ¡°Bucky, you will have to stay.¡±


    He looked up at me with a blank look on his face, as if he suddenly didn¡¯t understand¡­ or knew better.


    Yet he remained in place as the pair of us walked closer to the area the odd elves were walking around. Sally lowered her spear and pointed at the nearest pair with her outstretched hand.


    A red exclamation mark appeared over one of their heads, and they both turned to face us. Much like the ratmen, they decided running at the threat was a better idea than rallying more of their kin to fight us at once. I was starting to believe that monster intelligence was factored into their assigned level.


    To prove my point, one of them paused for a moment as he struggled to draw the sword from his belt. The other didn¡¯t seem to clock that he didn¡¯t have his buddy beside him as he charged toward the waitress with a club raised above his head.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to draw your weapon?¡± Sally asked, her brow furrowed as she focused on the monsters approaching.


    ¡°No need.¡±


    I allowed myself a little smile. Only day two of the apocalypse, and I was getting a decent grip on my powers.


    We waited as the two ran closer, up until the first was about a dozen feet away. Maybe it was a little mean to act so nonchalant while the elf ran at Sally, but it wasn¡¯t like I had a smooth introduction to all of this either.


    At ten feet, Deny Life gave me the red flash of Killing Blow.


    My left arm lashed out, Doomchain flung from my grip with the end of the chain wrapped around my forearm. The barbed hook cut through the light armor of the monster, burying into his chest. I gripped and yanked on the chain as I stepped forward, pulling him toward me. The dagger now in my right hand jabbed out and sunk straight into his eye socket. I twisted the blade and sidestepped the corpse as it fell to the ground.


    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Sally said, and then immediately threw up.


    Somewhat fortunately, the aftereffect of Killing Blow had caused the second elf to slow even further. His pale eyes were wide and staring at me. He feared me.


    I was more upset that the health gain from Deathforged didn¡¯t top me up to 95%, but I shouldn¡¯t expect miracles.


    Sally composed herself rather well, despite emptying out whatever she had eaten for breakfast. Her spear was up and readied even before the monster gathered his wits to come closer. It was actually painful to watch.


    Not only because of the apprehension over whether she¡¯d be able to actually fight, but it was very awkward watching the two of them move so stiltedly and amateur. Maybe my own attacks were clumsy and haphazard, but felt fine under the haze of battle.


    Getting that chain had certainly been more of a boon than I¡¯d thought, as it counted as a melee weapon, but had a good ten feet of reach to it - allowing me to use Killing Blow from a respectable distance away. I brought out Threadcutter as the elf stomped into range of the waitress.


    She made the first attack, narrowly missing the monster as he stepped to the side. While he moved closer to get his sword in range, Sally had already been in the process of moving back a step. As such, all his swing of the blade did was bounce from the shaft of the long weapon.


    With a streak of blue light, her spear lashed to the side, cutting through the arm of the elf before he had a chance to react. I assumed that was her reflect skill. As her opponent dropped his weapon to the ground in shock, she moved forward again and jabbed him in the chest. Close to, if not directly, the heart.


    The elf grimaced and clutched at the wound, falling over backwards.


    ¡°Not bad. Aside from the throwing up, how did that feel?¡± I rested my axe across my shoulder.


    ¡°Somewhere between exhilarating and disappointing.¡± She wiped her mouth off on her sleeve. ¡°Which is quite the range.¡±


    I looked down to see that Bucky had disobeyed my orders and was standing beside me, his legs braced outwards, ready to leap in and protect me if necessary. Perhaps he was mimicking my care over the waitress, and I couldn¡¯t fault him for that.


    ¡°Loot them, then. Keep everything unless you get any Morale gear. I¡¯ll trade you some healing items and then we¡¯re going to pick up the pace.¡± I wouldn¡¯t have Deny Life ready for a few more minutes, but I decided I¡¯d just maim and hinder one and let Sally finish it off after dealing with the other half of each pair solo.


    This wasn¡¯t netting me much experience, so the more I could funnel toward her, the sooner I could get back to my own mission.


    ¡°Right back into it, just like that, huh?¡± She puffed out her cheeks and exhaled, looking at the corpses. ¡°You really clicked into this so easily?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°My road was a little bumpier than this, but I did have the buff suspending my disbelief. The actual gritty part of combat you¡¯ll just have to get desensitized to yourself, and in short order.¡±


    She grimaced, but gave me a determined nod.


    It was the smell of blood and sweat. The numb feeling when you struck bone, and it jolted your own arm. The sounds of surprised pain and gurgles of life leaving the bodies of these monsters. Most people hadn¡¯t seen death up that close and visceral before.


    Not that I wouldn¡¯t change my own prior experience of that. My left hand tightened into a fist as I tried to push those decade-old memories away.


    ¡°C¡¯mon Sally,¡± I tried to smile and lead her toward the monsters. ¡°Let¡¯s have a little fun with this.¡±


    I put away my axe and instead brought out my knuckleduster. She was still crouched down beside one of the corpses, a frown on her face as she looted them.


    After a moment, she looked back up at me; her perturbed expression unchanged.


    ¡°Well, Scarlet. I think I found a way to repay you for the gifts.¡±

 20 - New Experiences, Old Tricks

    The elven bandit leader slumped to the ground, blood spurting out of the gash in their neck. Sally was out of breath, her own white shirt covered in blood and torn in a few places where she had been injured. A couple of bandages had kept her going, and now we were finished with the area.


    ¡°Wow,¡± she said, using a shaking hand to smudge a streak of crimson across her face idly. ¡°That was certainly an experience.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t needed to step in at any point, even when she had taken damage. Despite clearly being traumatized by the process of taking a life, Sally had kept her cool between each engagement and had refined her approach when attacking. She was rather spry and used her natural agility to position herself repeatedly during the fights so that she could constantly harry her opponent with the sharp end of the spear.


    Of course, even if she had lost her nerve after the first pack and bailed, it would have been worth the effort - due to the item she had given me.


    [Fate Overwhelming]


    [Enchantment Stone. Can be applied to any magical weapon or equipment]


    [Temporarily increases the activation chance of conditionals by 50% every time that conditional is activated]


    It was figuratively burning a hole in my Inventory, right next to the uncommon skillbook and solar blessing.


    I was never great at maths, but I could run some basic numbers around my skull to get a good idea of how great this could be. If Killing Blow was a 10% chance when the enemy was on low life, then Deny Life would instantly make the next occurrence 15% chance, then¡­ 22% or something - provided I kept the kills within thirty seconds.


    Maybe for most skills, it would only be a minor improvement due to cooldowns¡­ but for me this could heavily swing fights in my favor.


    //Scarlet: Ask Rich if there¡¯s a downside to pooling all bonuses into one item.


    //Sally: And ask yourself how you¡¯re feeling. Oh, Doris too!


    //Scarlet: Sure, that too.


    //Bernie: Okay. I¡¯m much better after a rest, thank you.


    I pulled a face at the waitress, who was smiling - practically back to her normal self if I ignored how pale she was. And... the thousand-yard stare that was boring through me.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me every skill or item upgrade you get, but let me know if there¡¯s anything rare or especially broken.¡± I gestured back to the crested hill we had arrived from. ¡°Our next fight will be a little different, but we¡¯ll stop at the bunker to get refreshed.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± She nodded and put her spear away. ¡°I¡¯m close to level 3 now, and there¡¯s a bunch of milestones to dig through.¡±


    ¡°Get used to that. Like I said before, use everything you get, but I¡¯ll take anything Morale based that you find, and in turn trade you any Guile items I get.¡± It was less likely for me, given that I had Luck boosts, but if I started getting better items before the others I could trickle the loot down.


    I wasn¡¯t yet entirely convinced that the waitress was ready to go adventuring off on her own¡­ but if she wasn¡¯t, then what did that say about the rest of the world? Maybe things were meant to be handled by small groups rather than individuals, but being tied down to the progress of others was¡­ a weight on me.


    ¡°There¡¯s certainly a difference between imagining and actually doing.¡± She sighed and tried to brush her hands off on her skirt. ¡°Genocide is exhausting.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. Bucky was off to the side, looking rather guilty. Somehow, he had managed to get bloody and covered in even more dirt, despite not needing to intervene in any of the battles. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t his blood. Maybe it was almost tripping me twice as he weaved between my movement that had him feeling bad.


    ¡°Good boy,¡± I told him. ¡°I feel much safer with you watching over us.¡±


    He hopped toward me and yipped. Any previously held guilt over being a nuisance was immediately erased by the slightest praise. I eyed the waitress again, wondering how alike the pair were.


    Although she wasn¡¯t looking too great.


    ¡°You looking at your screens, hun? Or is this a bit much?¡±


    Sally looked over at me, her blank stare turning into a pout as her eyes welled up. ¡°Doesn¡¯t feel like camping anymore,¡± she managed.


    I withdrew some napkins from my Inventory and handed them over. ¡°You¡¯ll receive no judgement from me if you want to chill at the bunker with the others. There are no prizes for putting yourself at risk.¡±


    A little lie, as the System had slid me a few rewards for my reckless actions. It was a misplay to give the waitress the STAR when we didn¡¯t have monsters lined up to kill while she had the two-hour buff.


    //Bernie: Richard says that as long as the item is Rare, there is no downside at this stage.


    //Scarlet: Thanks. We¡¯ll be back soon to resupply.


    Without any hesitation, I went into my Inventory and applied the enchantment to Threadcutter. The axe had been my bread and butter. Considering I had already sunk upgrade stones into it, I felt it made sense to keep it the strongest thing in my possession. Since Fate Overwhelming could be placed on magical clothing, it sounded like I just needed it equipped to take effect, rather than have that piece of gear be the one responsible for the conditional skill activating.


    I had to check that I hadn¡¯t taken any Knowledge points inadvertently.


    Sally had cooled her nerves and dried her eyes, which mostly had the effect of getting the messy blood even more all over her face. She didn¡¯t look too unlike that photo she had shown me, where she was dressed as a zombie for Halloween.


    ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, you did well.¡± I attempted a reassuring smile.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Her glum one was equally barely managed. ¡°It always feels like a win when I get you to break your resting bitch face.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Despite your pleasant demeanor, you¡¯re quite the piece of work, you know?¡±


    Sally grinned. ¡°Stop me if shit-talking is not how you make friends.¡±


    My mind quickly flicked through my past acquaintances like a rolodex of snapshots. She wasn¡¯t half wrong, but I wasn¡¯t about to admit that. ¡°Do me a favor, hun. If you ever get the chance to upgrade skills to do with speech or verbally manipulating monsters, go for it.¡±


    ¡°You want me to become some kind of¡­ bard?¡±


    I pulled a face, regretting the decision. ¡°Be whatever you want to be, but if you start singing, I¡¯m relegating you to the reserve team.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making a team?¡±


    Maybe waking up this morning was a mistake. As we walked back to the bunker, I rubbed at my forehead. Sally had the uncanny ability to read people as if she had opened up their skull and stuck her finger in their delicious brains. I ran my tongue across my lips. So if we ever came across neutral monsters, having someone who could do the boring diplomatic shit would save me a headache.


    If she didn¡¯t annoy them into attacking us, at least.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I eventually said. ¡°There¡¯s a dungeon I have to clear, and I¡¯m prepared to do it alone¡­ but I¡¯m also trying not to be so reckless after yesterday.¡± Not that I wanted to drag anyone else into the firing line, either.


    ¡°Richard warned me to be wary of accepting any plan you put forth.¡± The waitress raised an eyebrow. ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me the details, but he made your solo fights sound more dangerous than what we just did.¡±


    I shot her a wry grin and explained it all. For the duration of our walk back to the bunker, I went through each of my fights, what went wrong and how lucky I had gotten. While I chalked up most of my success to good use of opportune consumables and the stubborn drive to win no matter the cost, Sally actually thought I sounded incredible. Worthy of being called a hero, even.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    I wasn¡¯t as good at reading people, and wasn¡¯t sure if she was just boosting my ego for other reasons, but it did make me feel better about what I had achieved.


    Stepping back into the cold darkness of the bunker almost felt like a shame as we left behind the warmth of the outdoors.


    The three inside turned to us as we entered, their eyes mostly on the blood-splattered waitress. She went over to Bernie and Doris to assure them that she was okay, while I turned to Richard.


    ¡°I understand why you told me to keep the items,¡± I told him. ¡°Killing monsters was a lot for her, physically and mentally. She will be slow to adapt.¡±


    He tilted his head. ¡°Yet you gave them to her anyway.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I make risky decisions, you know this. In fact, I¡¯d probably lose trust in you if you didn¡¯t know that I was going to do it, and the reason why.¡±


    Richard pulled a face and glanced over at the waitress. ¡°I am just here to guide. I cannot make demands. Thank you, though.¡±


    ¡°Eh, save it. It¡¯s only day two of the apocalypse, and we¡¯ve got a long way to go.¡± I gave him a glum smile and turned to Bernie. ¡°Speaking of that¡­ hey, Bern?¡±


    He looked over from where he was fretting over Sally¡¯s safety. ¡°Yes, dear?¡±


    ¡°How many skills do you have? Is it just the scouting one?¡±


    ¡°I have three now. One of them is related to my scouting, and the other for being a pacifist.¡±


    Richard stepped up beside me, his arms crossed. ¡°While I do not think the bunker can be a long term solution, the System will reward Bernie for every day that he does not have a weapon and does not kill anything. The longer he can maintain that, the better the rewards will get.¡±


    But eventually we¡¯d probably have to arm him. The Guide didn¡¯t want to say it out loud, but I understood him clearly.


    From my Inventory, I retrieved the solar blessing. Bucky looked up and wagged his tail at the glowing ball again, but I handed it over to Bernie.


    ¡°Use this, and hopefully it will increase your scouting.¡± I¡¯d much rather we powered that up that gambled on my myriad of passives.


    ¡°Okay.¡± He seemed uncertain, but raised his hand up all the same. The orb floated into the air above him before bursting like a bubble. Bright light showered down on the man as he sat there in surprise.


    ¡°My scouting hit level five,¡± he said, eyes trying to dart across the invisible screens. ¡°Now I can use it every thirty minutes, it says.¡±


    ¡°Amazing, Bern.¡± I nodded. ¡°Start clearing the map from the motel to the castle. After that, just open up space so we can see what else is near.¡±


    Bernie gave me a brief salute, and his eyes drifted off back to his menus.


    I had prodded Richard on how he knew about the castle when we hadn¡¯t scouted that way yet, but apparently, proper dungeons showed up on the map just like bunkers. In knowing that, I had tried to find it and had been successful - but any other important landmarks were either out of range or obscured.


    While I waited for Sally to change into a cleaner shirt, I fed Bucky a snack. He was still a little bundle of mystery himself, but the fact that he hadn¡¯t acknowledged Richard a single time was comforting, in some ways. Doris had feigned a disliking for the dog, only petting him when she thought nobody else was watching, and Bernie spoke to him as if he was an elderly acquaintance.


    I brought out the skillbook and held it out to the dog. He tilted his head, confused at this not being something else to eat.


    ¡°Shake?¡± I asked.


    Bucky lifted a paw and placed it on the end of the book, although looked concerned that it wasn¡¯t my hand I had offered. Other than feeling the pressure of him on the object, nothing changed.


    I wracked my brain for any other commands. ¡°Take.¡± He removed his paw and tilted his head. ¡°Carry.¡± A tilt in the other direction. ¡°Help.¡±


    The dog leaned forward and opened his mouth, gently taking the book between his teeth and pulling it from my grip. I let him do so, and he then sat down with it.


    ¡°Other than getting drooled on, nothing will happen.¡± Richard watched with a bemused smile. ¡°For him, it¡¯s just a regular book.¡±


    ¡°I know. But it¡¯s the process. As much as I don¡¯t want him getting into trouble, being able to transfer items between us could be useful in a pinch.¡± I stood up straight and pointed at the waitress. ¡°Help Sally.¡±


    Bucky turned to her, stood and took a few steps to get close¡ªdropping the book in the process¡ªbefore latching his mouth around her ankle.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Sally said. ¡°I¡¯m friend, not food.¡±


    ¡°Bucky, here.¡± I sighed and picked the skillbook up as he ran back over, looking like he had just done the best job in the world.


    ¡°He¡¯s a very good listener,¡± Sally said, checking her leg for teeth marks. ¡°He knows when you¡¯re trying to instruct him.¡±


    I kneeled down and pet him. ¡°I¡¯m not used to animals that are smarter than me. He gets full marks for effort, at least.¡± I stood and gestured to the door. ¡°If you¡¯re ready, we¡¯ll set off.¡±


    She was, and we did. I felt bad that Doris was now the odd duckling, unable to see Richard or be a part of this dangerous new world. Other than grumbling about the diner or how there were no strong men about to do the dirty work, she was mostly quiet. Sally knew her best, so I¡¯d leave it for her to deal with. I didn¡¯t have the time to wait another day or two and then have to help the diner owner level up as well.


    By then, I¡¯d be almost half turned into a zombie.


    A sour thought that kept cropping up every hour or so. The regular reminder that being foolish was a short-lived way of existing out here.


    ¡°We¡¯ll kill the monster group,¡± I began, as we set off from the bunker, ¡°and then go to the motel. Check it for supplies and danger. If it¡¯s clear, then we¡¯ll come back and get the others, then take them all over there for showers and exercise.¡±


    Sally eyed up the bumpy desert around us. ¡°You¡¯re not worried about patrols or anything?¡±


    ¡°If that is an issue, then they will be relying on us to handle it. Unfortunately, we can¡¯t wait around because of what-ifs.¡± I frowned. ¡°That¡¯s why getting you a few levels is important.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Reasonable. Do you think I can get my Class today?¡±


    Given what I had gone through to get mine, it didn¡¯t seem likely. The orcs would put her up to level 3, but with the experience being shared and there being no immediate gauntlet of other hapless System creatures to wade through, I wasn¡¯t rating her chances too high.


    ¡°Let¡¯s survive one thing at a time,¡± I said. Probably not the answer she was looking for, and the silence that followed told me all that I needed to know, even if I hadn¡¯t already read her intentions last night.


    To distract myself for that future malady, I drew out the skillbook. There might be more needful hands around, but I found it and had shared enough. Opening up the pages, I learned a new skill.


    [Debilitate Resistance]


    [Skills that reduce your Stats are 20% less effective]


    A respectable passive to have. Sounded like a pain to level up, but anything that cut down the time or power of something trying to diminish my stats was helpful. It was a sliver of extra survivability - something I craved.


    Helping the waitress pulp the drab elves hadn¡¯t earned me any skill levels up, which was disappointing. There must be a reduction in experience gained when the monster was a certain level below mine. In a way that made it easier for me to share with Sally - otherwise, I¡¯d be at a disadvantage for not being more active in killing everything.


    That didn¡¯t mean I¡¯d skip weak packs in the future should I come across them¡­ as we had to cleanse the land, after all.


    ¡°So what is this new fighting style you wanted to try?¡± Sally eventually asked, breaking the silence.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a decent grasp of the different jabs and movements of the spear, and now I want you to use your speed to become an opportunity attacker.¡± I ran my fingers through my hair. ¡°Up front, I¡¯ll soak up the attention of the orcs. You stay back and attack past me, protect my flank, and finish off the ones I maim.¡±


    ¡°I just have to avoid stabbing you in the back.¡± She grinned.


    ¡°Might be difficult as you¡¯ve been on my ass this whole time.¡±


    Sally stuck her tongue out at me. ¡°C¡¯mon. It hasn¡¯t been all that bad, has it?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t easy for me to trust people. Even the group I had gathered at the bunker¡­ there was still part of my brain telling me to be careful. That I would be safer alone. Rationally, that was incorrect. Bernie was allowing me to pick and choose what I faced instead of wandering blindly. Bucky had literally saved my life. Sally was¡­ actually decent to talk to when not trying to drive me insane. Doris existed.


    ¡°Jury¡¯s still out,¡± I concluded. ¡°There¡¯s a test you can pass for me, though.¡±


    From my Inventory, I drew one of my Rat Juice vials out.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of shots,¡± she replied to my offer, wrinkling her face up. ¡°I get pretty obnoxious when drunk.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t even imagine. ¡°Poison for your weapon,¡± I said. Richard had commended me on using them rather than let them rot in a dust-covered hoard, if only because these sorts of things had an effective level range.


    The cyclops hadn¡¯t just resisted the plague because he was hardy, but also because this specific poison fell off against monsters over level 5. A shame, given how well they worked against my enemies.


    She held it up to the light and pulled a face, before stowing it away in her Inventory. ¡°I¡¯ll assume you didn¡¯t milk some rats for that.¡±


    ¡°You accidentally stab me with that during the fight and there¡¯s a decent chance I¡¯ll die.¡± Sure, I had antidotes and plenty of healing options - but with 10% less maximum HP, any unexpected damage could put me into a temporary grave and rising as a zombie.


    ¡°No pressure then,¡± she murmured.


    The System seemed to be pushing me toward someone who excelled at fighting groups. I was missing a few key components to truly be effective - one of which was some way to avoid getting stabbed by eight monsters at once. Rat Plague helped level that field by taking opponents out with fewer attacks needed¡­ but with only a single vial left after the orc battle, I hoped that Bernie would scout out some places where I could get decent loot before the dungeon.


    Bucky yawned as he trotted along beside us, before we stopped.


    There was the orc camp. All the walls were now constructed to a decent degree, and they even had someone up on battlements looking out for potential threats. Well, we were happy to oblige. Now a proper outpost, it might be difficult to draw them out¡­ or better to funnel them through a chokepoint.


    ¡°They are a little more imposing than the weak elves,¡± Sally said, squinting at the figure atop the wooden wall.


    ¡°Give me about five seconds of combat and they¡¯ll be more scared of us than you are of them.¡± I smiled and brought Threadcutter out. ¡°Say, do you fancy trying the diplomacy option first?¡±


    ¡°See if they¡¯ll be our pals?¡± The waitress scratched at the side of her head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem likely, but I¡¯ll follow your lead.¡±


    The bad news was that we had to clear the land of monsters to reduce the strength of the cockroach aliens. How this worked with neutral or even friendly areas - like the supposed shop nearby - I had no idea. One of many secrets I didn¡¯t have the time or brain power to ask Richard about.


    I twisted the axe in my grip to put the Rat Juice on it, at the same time as Sally brought out her spear. Bucky just glared at the outpost.


    Vial in hand, I paused as a notification popped up in front of my vision, unprompted.


    I tensed up, heart caught in my throat.


    [Warning]


    [A Bounty has been placed on your head]

 21 - To Be Wanted

    Run.


    I had been found, somehow. The familiar three-letter word urging me to escape played on repeat. Any hopes that the apocalypse would deter my pursuers evaporated as soon as the System told me I had a bounty on my head. They''d even found a way to use all this bullshit against me.


    My eyes darted around the surroundings, as if they¡¯d be here already. It was only a matter of time. I needed to see if any of the vehicles at the motel could-


    Bucky barked at me, his paws pressing against my leg as he stood up.


    I blinked away the whirlpool of panic and wiped the cold sweat from my forehead.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Sally asked.


    The orc hadn¡¯t heard Bucky¡¯s interruption, but I still looked warily between him and the waitress. ¡°Those¡­ jerkoffs have put a bounty on my head. I need to¡­¡±


    Sally rolled her eyes. ¡°You were about to murder a whole village of monsters, and some no-brained gangsters are giving you a panic attack?¡±


    I winced. There was some disconnect in my mind between my existence within the System, and life I had lived before. Against my nature, I relaxed and calmed. It wasn¡¯t because the waitress had a good point¡ªwhich she did¡ªbut more because I was lacking information.


    There were too many things to be worried about right now. So many that it was easy to let them go, at least until our attack was over.


    Rather than speculate over whether the bounty meant I was now fair game to every other ¡®player¡¯ in the world after some gold or not, I sent Bernie a message.


    //Scarlet: Tell Rich I have a bounty on my head. I need all details available.


    //Bernie: Roger that, dear.


    I shook my head and gave Sally a humorless smile. ¡°Corpses always rise to the top, huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s ¡®cream¡¯, but you¡¯re not wrong.¡± She looked at the glowing poison on the tip of her spear. ¡°If you¡¯re not in immediate danger, then we¡¯ve got an itinerary to stick to.¡±


    ¡°And if I am?¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll be outlaws together.¡± She gave me a warm smile that was pretty convincing.


    I rolled my eyes and finished applying the Rat Juice. ¡°Nice pep talk. Remind me to hire you as the angel on my shoulder if we survive this.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a vacancy?¡±


    ¡°I have a paranoid crackhead on one, and an ego-fueled mass-murderer on the other.¡±


    Sally nodded. ¡°Probably a good thing I¡¯ll be doing the talking, then.¡±


    Out of the three of us, she probably had the best chance of making any sense to the orcs. Assuming they were open to diplomacy, at least. Only the cyclops had spoken anything resembling English so far, so my hopes weren¡¯t too high. I gave Bucky a pet before we set off toward the outpost.


    He didn¡¯t look like any of the usual breeds I had seen as service dogs, but he had been able to sense I was panicking and nudged me out of it. Out of all the treasures I had found so far, he was probably the most valuable - in terms of keeping my sanity in check, at least.


    For all the good that was doing.


    ¡°My outside voice is rather meek,¡± Sally said, as we approached. ¡°Could you get their attention for me?¡±


    I nodded. The lookout was looking southwest, maybe even watching someone within the camp - so hadn¡¯t seen us get closer. Pretty terrible lookout.


    ¡°Oi,¡± I yelled. ¡°Friend or foe?¡±


    Even if they didn¡¯t understand me, we were sure to find out either way now that I had announced our presence.


    The orc turned his head, a sneer across his face as he leaned over the wall to look down at us. ¡°This land belongs to Warchief Redleg. Leave or die.¡±


    I clicked my tongue and looked at the waitress. There wasn¡¯t much confidence in her expression, which did little but bring back the dread and reminder that I was being tracked and hunted. My hand gripped the axe a little tighter.


    ¡°Under whose jurisdiction is he taking control?¡± Sally asked.


    The orc grunted. ¡°The edge of our blade is the only law you need abide by.¡±


    ¡°Ahh,¡± she replied, before turning to me. ¡°My expert intuition is telling me that they believe they can take whatever they want via might. They are unlikely to give up the outpost without a fight.¡±


    I whistled. ¡°I¡¯m glad I brought you along for this.¡±


    Sally pulled a face and looked back up at the orc. ¡°I cast diplomacy! Leave now or we¡¯ll kill you all!¡±


    The lookout turned from us and shouted something in his own language to whomever was in the outpost. The rest of the orcs, most likely. After a quick back and forth, he returned to us with a wide grin. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, little human. We¡¯re all leaving together right now.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Sally tilted her head as she watched the orc dip away from the edge and out of sight. ¡°Looks like I rolled a natural twenty.¡±


    ¡°You know they¡¯re just coming out to kill us, right? The fact that he didn¡¯t use his bow means they want to have some fun with this.¡± I rolled my head around on my neck. ¡°Bucky, go stay.¡±


    The dog woofed some brief disobedience before turning and finding a place away from us to sit. Even though Richard didn¡¯t think Bucky would be able to get the System, I was determined to make it happen. With how active he wanted to be, he¡¯d eventually get hurt¡­ and without the STAR magic, I wouldn¡¯t be able to heal him.


    If he wanted to help me, I¡¯d have to help him first.


    ¡°I¡¯d be slightly more comfortable with actual¡­ armor.¡± Sally held her spear up readily. ¡°Neither of us are dressed for combat.¡±


    ¡°So pessimistic all of a sudden.¡± I stepped in front of her and turned to the left.


    Based on watching the outpost construction, the entrance was around the south side. It wouldn¡¯t take them long to grab weapons, and-


    Ah, here they were.


    I¡¯d seen the look on their faces a few times before. An immature and cruel joy, some excitement over the prospect of bullying or punching down. Amusement at the cost of others. This was the first time it was a group that looked as though they just rolled out of a bodybuilding competition and into a Conan the Barbarian convention. And green.


    All of them were taller than me and far more muscled. Not wearing much in terms of armor, so we had that in common. Despite their confidence, something told me I had higher Morale than them.


    ¡°I¡¯m done with this roleplay encounter,¡± I murmured to the waitress. ¡°I¡¯m going in. Stay behind and don¡¯t die.¡±


    We had given the orcs enough time to live. The novel idea of talking to the monsters had worn pretty thin. They were beneath my level. Just pinatas of loot and experience, an obstacle in the way of my progress.


    I twisted all that fear and worry about the bounty into rage and vengeance. An actionable choice, I drove forward with my axe held up. The orcs regarded me with amusement as more of them filtered around the corner of their outpost. They raised their weapons in the front, but by their body language, it didn¡¯t seem that they were taking us seriously.


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    A very fatal mistake.


    Deny Life took me close to the first, and I brought Threadcutter up in a sharp upswing. I severed the orc¡¯s arm off at the wrist and ran a deep gouge through his green torso. As I stepped to move past him, Sally¡¯s spear came in and cut straight into his neck.


    Either she was feeling especially sharp, or my Killing Blow had drawn her in.


    There wasn¡¯t enough time to let this thought bloom, as I was already swinging at the second orc. Six of them now had some icon denoting they were slightly afraid of me. Five were still around the corner and hadn¡¯t seen my act of instantaneous murder.


    My attack was deflected, mostly by reflex, but I was still in motion and barreled into the monster. I didn¡¯t expect it to do much to him given the size difference, but the surprise of my kill had him wavering. He stumbled, and I pushed him with the shaft of my axe.


    It gave me enough room to level a wide sweep, probably my last attack while I had the advantage. I cut one monster, giving him Rat Plague, and disarmed a second who was near enough to be hit with the arc. Sally¡¯s spear came in and sliced another orc, also giving them the plague. She backed away, and I was too much of a threat for the monster to pursue her.


    I blocked the swing of an axe; the force vibrating down my arms. Another on my left was trying to flank me. We were nearing the edge of being overrun. My next attack was blocked, and I took a cut across my upper left arm. I kicked out to prevent an overhead attack and received a slash into my side for my efforts.


    An awkward swing of Threadcutter connected with a knee, causing an orc to collapse. I twisted the shaft and punched them with the blunt end of my weapon, then turned just in time to stop a sword from decapitating me.


    One of the sickly orcs flashed red.


    Doomchain extended from my left hand and ripped through the side of their face, the pointed end of the hook piercing through the bottom of their mouth. I pulled and ripped their lower jaw off, then swung Threadcutter one-handed, striking a second shocked orc clumsily. Sally finished another off.


    Things were starting to go-


    I twisted at the last moment, barely blocking the swing of a warhammer.


    [Orc Captain (Level 4 Elite)]


    He hadn¡¯t been there before. I slipped on loose sand and tumbled to the ground, almost dropping my weapon in the process. Two shadowed figures moved toward the waitress while the captain loomed over me. He was a little larger, and wearing a bright red tricorne. Like a pirate captain.


    I rolled to the side as the weighty hammer struck the earth beside me. Back up to my feet, I bared my teeth at the leader of the group.


    Although¡­ group was a bit generous at this stage.


    Stacking two Killing Blow debuffs on some of them had all but frozen them in place. If it wasn¡¯t for the captain being here, I was sure they would have run. The others with only one stack of the fear icon were naturally cautious due to the overall mood of the orcs.


    ¡°Warchief will hear of this,¡± the captain grunted.


    My eyes went up to the System message telling me that Killing Blow had just hit level 5. I smiled.


    ¡°You okay, Sals?¡± I called, bringing my axe back up, ready.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Her reply had some strain on it, but I took her at her word. The orcs had pushed her back, but she had hit level 3 now and needed to hold her own.


    As for me¡­ I had a little time to kill.


    The captain lunged forward, and I met him halfway. We clashed several times, weapon against weapon. He avoided my wide swing just as I dodged the hefty end of the sledgehammer. Another orc tried to help out but got caught in the fray and Rat Plague struck him hard.


    Killing Blow activated, and I grabbed the back of the interloper''s head, pulling him forward into the dagger I now held. Three quick stabs to the face and then a hard elbow as I let him go.


    I turned back to the leader of the failing troupe, with Threadcutter back in my hands.


    The waitress was obscured by a sole orc, some distance behind the captain. They flashed red, even being outside of my normal reach. I allowed the rush of adrenaline and bonus Stamina to take control.


    Instead of moving myself, I heard the growl of Bucky over by Sally. The orc attacking her shook in place, right before the end of her spear burst from the back of his head.


    They had reached the breaking point. Any orc not dead bolted toward the south. The captain feigned an attack, but then pushed me away and made to follow the remnants of his scouting party.


    I dropped my axe as I stumbled and brought out the hook. Another second and he would have been out of my reach, but my wide wing acted like a whip, spinning the hook around his lower leg once before the sharp barbs dug in.


    The captain stumbled and fell forward, dragging me along the sand as he did so. His sledgehammer bounced from his hands, out of his reach. He rolled onto his back, panic in his eyes. Hands pawing for a dagger on his belt. Too slow. I stepped forward and placed Threadcutter straight through his head.


    ¡°This is our world, asshole.¡± I wrenched my axe away and pulled a face at the escaping orcs. Even with all the desire in the world to kill them, they were beyond me catching them up. I turned to the waitress instead.


    Sally was leaning on her upright spear, breathing heavily. She had a gash across her forehead that was healing up, as well as fresh blood soaking through her shirt on the right side. Beside her stood Bucky. The dog had blood around his muzzle, and was wagging his tail, eagerly awaiting permission to move from position.


    ¡°You both okay?¡± I asked, as I kneeled down and gestured for him to come over.


    ¡°Peachy.¡± Sally stretched herself out and sighed. ¡°There were a couple of times where I¡­ acted without thinking, almost.¡±


    ¡°It surprises me that is uncommon for you.¡± I pet Bucky on his head as he fussed, full of energy. ¡°Why¡¯s he bloody?¡±


    ¡°He came out of nowhere and bit the wrist of the orc attacking me, which allowed me to impale their head.¡±


    I furrowed my brow at the dog. ¡°That¡¯s not being safe now, is it? Feels like¡­ my Killing Blow can also influence those around me.¡±


    Sally put away her spear and felt around the injury on her head. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure how I feel about being a proxy weapon for you. I¡¯m just getting the hang of fighting for myself.¡±


    She had done well. Fought off two orcs at once with only minor injuries. Deathforged had kept me topped up to full, and the temporary Stamina kept me energized, even now. I looked up at the skill updates to see what the System thought of my performance. Starting with my most important one.


    [Killing Blow 5]


    [New Passive: Killing Chain 1]


    [Fear Effects reduce the HP threshold for Killing Blow activation]


    What the System failed to realize was they hadn¡¯t restricted that to effects only against my target. The more enemies I could labor with fear and panic, the greater chance I had of getting Killing Blow on higher HP amounts. With my axe enchantment¡­ things were coming together.


    [Imposing 3]


    [Deathforged 2]


    [Shroud of Fear 2]


    [Heavy Arms 2]


    [Deny Life 2]


    Mostly just my recently gained Class skills getting a small upgrade. Deny Life had 12 seconds less cooldown. Deathforged restored 6% HP now. Gradual changes. I hadn¡¯t made note before, but I also had Mastery skills for Chain, Dagger, and Fist weapons. All low level as it seemed that my Killing Blow activations didn¡¯t grant much weapon experience, if any at all.


    ¡°All these percentages are nice,¡± I said. ¡°But it feels like an axe to the head just kills any problem either way.¡±


    Sally brushed her hands off on her skirt and kneeled down to loot the closest bodies. ¡°How much did Richard tell you about stats and progression?¡±


    I shrugged and looked down at the captain¡¯s corpse. ¡°I¡¯ve had a few hits to the head, so let¡¯s assume not a lot.¡±


    ¡°Power, Guile, and Knowledge are mainly offensive stats. Vitality, Stamina, and Morale are mostly defensive stats.¡± She looked up at me, her tone like she was teaching a stubborn toddler. ¡°In saying that, there are ways to attack with defense stats. Think of them as more of specializations.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± I nodded slowly. ¡°Otherwise Richard would be hassling me to get more Power or something. He¡¯s gambling on the System providing me with ways to make my build work.¡±


    ¡°Essentially. There isn¡¯t a¡­ wrong way to assign your stats. Assuming you play along with the STAR, it only affects what skills you¡¯ll have available and how effective you are in battle.¡±


    ¡°But hitting things with my axe still works.¡±


    Sally rolled her eyes. ¡°For now. He said that both stats and monster strength also tie to the rule of five. You¡¯ll notice actual gains every five stat points, and monsters get more difficult every five levels. So your clumsy axe swinging might not carry you as far after level 10.¡±


    The unnecessary ¡®clumsy¡¯ affix stung a little. Maybe she had a point, though. If I put points into Power then I¡¯d probably unlock more axe or melee attacking skills. By focusing on Morale I was slowly gathering up a host of bonuses to causing fear and capitalizing on that with cinematic executions.


    I wondered how the System would reward someone who focused purely on Vitality.


    Mostly... because I was trying to avoid the notification of messages from Bernie, and all that conversation entailed.


    ¡°Here, loot the rest, hun,¡± I requested the waitress. ¡°Dibs on the sledgehammer, though.¡±


    She nodded and went at it. Having an item filter might be useful, to save cluttering my Inventory and brain. While she did that, I stood and stepped away from the aftermath of our fight to look at my STAR.


    //Bernie: He says¡­


    //Bernie: He doesn¡¯t know what the bounty could mean.


    //Bernie: It¡¯s not done through the STAR System - it¡¯s the Roach¡¯s


    //Bernie: Are there any other details?


    I swore under my breath and pinched the bridge of my nose. Maybe it was on me for expecting the Guide to be omnipotent. He had said himself that he was just a pleb like the rest of us, so flaws were inevitable. I reminded myself that he was doing his best and was probably on our side.


    Part of me still accepted the minor chance he wasn¡¯t.


    I went through my notifications and windows to try to find something about the Bounty. Eventually, after digging up some obscure statistics and other screens I had no interest in viewing, I found that there was something like an email app. Within here was the notification, with more details on my bounty.


    [System Warning]


    [Tier 1 Bounty - Duration 3 day(s)]


    [A Bounty has been placed on your head. For the duration, other Players may see the reward offered above your head]


    [Once per day, for the duration of the Bounty, you will be attacked by monsters seeking the reward]


    [Bounty duration and Tier may be increased by revisiting the nearest Town Board]


    [Reward Amount: 2,000 Gold / Dead or Alive]


    [Bounty Poster: Ricardo ¡®Rico¡¯ Wayans]

 22 - Dead & Breakfast

    The cycle repeated.


    Every time something good came my way, my past would rear its ugly head and it would all unravel again. Connections broken. Instability shaking up the sediment that had barely started to settle. Noir misery painted my internal monologue with black paint so thick it wouldn¡¯t dry. Everything owned now upturned and left behind as I vanished into the distance.


    The trouble was, the apocalypse made the usual process nigh impossible.


    Even if I could stomach ditching everyone else here, hop in my van and hit the pedal¡­ how long would it be before I just ran into a group of monsters? There was no society for me to mingle in with and hide away.


    There were no couches to surf, cigs to bum, or temp jobs to scrounge for. Having the fake ID and a pseudonym meant nothing when the one person I was avoiding knew my real name and could needle me from wherever in the world he was. It didn¡¯t matter which System was in charge of this bullshit; it had done me dirty either way.


    ¡°You alright, Scarlet?¡±


    I blinked and turned my idle gaze to the waitress. She was looting the last of the orcs and could clearly see me staring off at the horizon.


    ¡°Found out who put the bounty up,¡± I said. ¡°Rico.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± She paused and pulled a face. ¡°So now you¡¯re wondering how far you¡¯d get running away before monsters killed you.¡±


    I looked down at Bucky, who had been staring at me intently all this time, as if every word of praise I gave him granted him life eternal. ¡°No,¡± I lied. ¡°I just want to get this little scruffball washed clean, like I promised.¡±


    Although he had done well, I wasn¡¯t thrilled that he had thrown himself into combat. Killing Blow gave us¡ªor at least me¡ªa brief window of invulnerability, but even if it extended to my ¡®assistants¡¯, it was far too risky for him. Given that Richard had proven he had gaps in his knowledge, I was almost sure there was a way to give the System to the dog.


    Would I risk his life if compatibility was low? Hard to say. Forcing this on him wasn''t fair, but our options were few.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve finished looting,¡± Sally said, standing. ¡°Let¡¯s head to the motel. This area is cleansed according to the map.¡±


    ¡°It is?¡± I looked over to where the few orcs had escaped. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know it had that information. You¡¯re good at this.¡±


    ¡°Duh.¡± She smiled. ¡°I told you I¡¯m a nerd for this sort of thing. The actual physical aspect of it¡­ not so much, but I¡¯m getting there.¡±


    She had certainly found her feet¡ªand her stomach¡ªreturning to her usual overly-positive self. It might be useful for me to delegate some of the boring parts of understanding the System to the waitress and her brain. At least while she was here and had it inside her skull. I licked my lips and looked out at the desert.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move. Talk to me about loot to keep my mind off of the bounty.¡±


    Although, in saying that, it was hard to think about anything else. Mostly because now there was a chance I would get attacked by a group of monsters at any point¡­ it made the prospect of escorting the other two to the motel even more problematic. Danger was always a possibility, but now with it being guaranteed¡­ how much risk was I willing to put over their heads?


    ¡°Here¡¯s the sledgehammer,¡± Sally began, handing me the weapon with some difficulty.


    ¡°Something with some actual weight to it, huh?¡±


    [Dense Sledgehammer]


    [+1 Power, +1 Vitality]


    The stats were nothing impressive, but it was a slight upgrade over my hammer in that regard¡­ and a massive upgrade in terms of the amount of damage it could do. I placed it in one of my three weapon slots to replace its smaller cousin.


    ¡°And this¡­¡± Sally continued, ¡°I¡¯m keeping, I don¡¯t care what you say.¡±


    She placed the captain¡¯s tricorne on her head. The red almost matched her diner skirt, as well as the blood stains across her white shirt.


    ¡°Suits you,¡± I said. ¡°Smells like sweaty orc, though.¡±


    The waitress pulled a face. ¡°Sometimes you have to suffer for fashion.¡±


    ¡°Or just pass it here. I have a skill that can fix up magic items, takes ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Please, then.¡± She took it off and handed it to me. ¡°They weren¡¯t too wealthy, so your share of the riches is seventy-two gold. There are three pieces of magical gear, but none have Morale. A few bandages, and¡­ one uncommon upgrade stone. Oh, and a ¡®puzzle piece¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Eh, just keep it all. I¡¯ll take the puzzle, though. What number is it?¡±


    She drew the small piece out of her Inventory and handed it over, as well as slipping me the upgrade stone at the same time. Not very sly, but I accepted it anyway. ¡°Forty-eight,¡± she said. ¡°What are they for?¡±


    ¡°Beats me. Cluttering up my Inventory to give whoever loots my corpse a headache.¡±


    Inspecting the upgrade stone, it looked as though the reason she passed on it was because it would give Morale stats to the item. It made a nice change from all the random distribution items we had come across.


    I applied it to my black tie.


    [Sharp Business Tie]


    [+1 Morale, +5% Luck]


    For some reason, it seemed to fit in the ¡®shoulders¡¯ slot of the equipment paper doll. There was no ¡®neck¡¯ slot, so maybe it shared the same purpose. Plus, I¡¯d much rather this than wearing some garish oversized shoulder pads like some early 2000s MMO.


    ¡°So you can just straight up murder motherfuckers?¡± Sally asked, as we continued to the motel, referring to my more active role in combat.


    ¡°Under certain circumstances, yeah. If you ever find gear that fucks with conditional activation, I want to know ASAP.¡± I adjusted my newly empowered tie. ¡°Getting stronger seems to be partly rolling the dice and seeing how much the System favors you.¡±


    ¡°Richard recommended that I get as many skills as possible, even over scrounging for stats. While Uncommon skills are mostly minor percentage increases, Rare and above can be certain levels of¡­ broken.¡±


    I pulled a face as I withdrew a flask of water from my Inventory. ¡°Just how much time did you spend talking with him since last night?¡±


    ¡°Not enough.¡± Sally pouted. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how you can get by being half blind to part of how this all functions.¡±


    ¡°I hit things and receive power. That¡¯s enough.¡±


    The waitress grumbled about me sounding more like a barbarian than any kind of knight, but I had paused to put some water down for Bucky. I wasn¡¯t sure exactly how I ended up with a dog as well as someone I didn¡¯t constantly detest, and it soured my mood to think it took the apocalypse for me to find something that might last.


    A thought I was bound to repeat until everything did fall apart, as it always did.


    ¡°How worried are you about the zombie curse?¡± the waitress asked, now stopped a few feet away as the dog lapped up the water.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been below ten percent HP several times in the last twenty-four hours, so¡­ that¡¯s why I¡¯m on babysitting duty instead of running myself ragged again.¡± I stood and clocked the expression on her face. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m being dismissive of your improvements. I¡¯m taking my existence a little more seriously now, yeah.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too early in your arc for character growth. I¡¯m sure you¡¯d run given half the chance.¡± Sally smiled slightly, an expert jab that had some truth to it - even if she was just prodding for amusement.


    ¡°And here I was worried it would be the dog that turned into an annoying yapper.¡±


    The three of us moved on from that conversation and grew more composed as the motel came into view. Sally made some comment about how it looked the same before the apocalypse hit it, but I was too tense to engage with more banter.


    My forearm itched as I recalled the damage I had sustained, the panic I felt still churning at my insides. Something clearly wasn¡¯t right with my psyche when it came to who I dealt out violence to, and I planned on asking Richard if he had a clue why. Other than me just being crazy, of course.


    ¡°Keep an eye out,¡± I warned the waitress as we approached the back of the building. ¡°I didn¡¯t have the time to give the place a full sweep before.¡±


    She nodded, but her eyes were up in her STAR. ¡°Bernie has revealed more around here. I can see the other bunker on the map.¡±


    I followed suit by checking it out myself. Another mile or so out west, the small symbol identical to ours sat there, with no surrounding monsters or events. Whoever had made it there had probably cleared the path from the bunker to the motel, which explained a few things. It didn¡¯t make me feel any more comfortable about being back here.


    ¡°Want to go inspect it after here?¡± she asked.


    Did I? My plans for a less terrifying day two were slowly unraveling. Normally, I didn¡¯t think visiting the bunker would be worthwhile¡­ but keeping focused on moving forward was actually helping me ignore the fact that Rico was still after my head, despite the world burning around us.


    ¡°Sure. There might be some benefit.¡± At the least, it would take up some daylight. With Bernie¡¯s scouting taking half the time, it meant more of the route to the castle would be explored before we sat idle. I did not want to be idle.


    We fell into silence as we walked along the side of the motel, both of us bringing our weapons out. Around the front and¡­ it looked just as quiet and unnerving as yesterday. I kept my eyes peeled as we stepped cautiously over to the reception door.


    ¡°Busiest it¡¯s ever been,¡± Sally murmured, glancing over at the three vehicles.


    ¡°Any of them belong to the motel owner?¡± I glared through the window at the cluttered space inside, almost daring something to jump out at me.


    ¡°No. He must have run his aground somewhere, like yours.¡±


    The desert was already hit or miss for driving through in a vehicle not meant for off-roading. Now that there were dunes and crested hills, any regular car or van would probably find some point of failure within an hour of driving. It was one of the reasons I hadn¡¯t touched Doris¡¯ vehicle, despite the time it might save me.


    ¡°Could you hot-wire any of them?¡±


    I paused with my hand rested against the door handle. ¡°Just because I have a less than stellar background, doesn¡¯t mean¡­¡± I glanced between the grinning waitress and the trio of sand-swept vehicles. ¡°If we find a toolbox, maybe.¡±


    Bucky had been sniffing around the lot out front, but didn¡¯t seem to have found anything concerning. I watched as he paused in place, before hopping around in a circle to surprise-attack his tail.


    ¡°C¡¯mon Bucky, bath time soon.¡±


    He trotted over as I opened the door and stepped inside. It looked just like it had yesterday, the additional daytime lighting not doing the aged clutter any favors. My eyes went straight to the rack of keys on the wall. It hadn¡¯t changed. That was some¡­ partial relief.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been in here before,¡± Sally said, her face scrunched up as she looked around. ¡°Perhaps Mr Norris should have been searching a little closer to home for why his business was failing.¡±


    ¡°Turning into a murderous psychopath at the first given opportunity didn¡¯t help, either.¡± I paused and rolled my tongue across my teeth. ¡°He¡¯s in the storeroom, which we should visit to take anything useful.¡±


    The waitress nodded, and we went on our way out of the cluttered office and through to the doorway leading into the recreation room. While I had been somewhat pragmatic about what I wanted to take, Sally was a vacuum for anything the System allowed her to collect. Aged chairs, a broken table-tennis net, and two-thirds of a mah-jongg set were the start of her spree.


    All things I hadn¡¯t really noticed my last time through here. Not because they were new, but my mind had been pretty scrambled. With the light of early afternoon now illuminating everything, the decay of a place rarely used was more apparent.


    Then we stepped into the open doorway of the storeroom.


    The corpse of Mr Norris was still where I left it. Despite the System attempting to round of the edges of existence, there were certain things it didn¡¯t make the effort of changing. Smells, for one. A dead body left out for a day wasn¡¯t pleasant, and would only get worse. I indicated this to the waitress and told her we should get everything now so that we wouldn¡¯t have to return.


    I stepped through and started scouring the shelves. There were a lot of useless things here that might only find use as fuel for a bonfire, but other than some metal containers, loose tools, and an oddly out-of-place box of vinyl records, there wasn¡¯t anything really worth my time. I looked over at the doorway to see Sally crouched down by the dead body.


    ¡°You¡¯re as bad as the dog,¡± I chastised her. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± She looked up. ¡°Part morbid curiosity, part theory-crafting.¡±


    ¡°A little more to the point?¡±


    She stood up and brushed her skirt down. ¡°The STAR injection didn¡¯t change our physical form for the most part, right? My theory is that the stats we have only affect how monsters interact with us.¡±


    ¡°So weapons and attack skills are super effective against other humans because it ignores half of the rules it tries to apply?¡±


    Sally shrugged. ¡°Perhaps. My thinking is more along the lines of¡­ Guile can increase my dodge chance, but that doesn¡¯t really force me to be more avoidant. Maybe having a high dodge chance just makes monsters miss me more¡­ like it''s on their end.¡±


    I rubbed at the back of my neck. While I followed her train of thought, I wasn¡¯t sure it was that cut and dry. It didn¡¯t explain things like attack speed or the fact our bodies could regenerate from near-fatal injuries in just seconds. I didn¡¯t have the spare energy to think about it in depth.


    ¡°If you¡¯ve got the time for that, then you must be done looting.¡± I nodded towards the door. ¡°Let¡¯s go to one of the rooms. I¡¯ll stand guard while you shower.¡±


    The waitress pouted. ¡°Could I wash Bucky at the same time?¡±


    I felt a slight pang of envy that I wouldn¡¯t get to bathe him, just like I had envisioned in my head, but it was more efficient this way. ¡°Sure,¡± I relented. ¡°Just don¡¯t take forever. This place gives me bad vibes, still.¡±


    ¡°Want to check all the rooms first, give yourself a little peace of mind?¡±


    Something else I agreed to rather reluctantly. After seeing the owner¡¯s corpse again, I didn¡¯t want anything to do with the motel if I could help it. As a source of running water, it was unavoidable¡­ although the diner might be an option. It probably stunk of rotting zombies, though.


    We stepped into the rec room and closed the storeroom behind us, sealing the dead body away. Bucky stood like a statue in the middle of the room, now also covered in cobwebs and unsure how we would view his latest escapade.


    ¡°Shower time, Bucko!¡± Sally beamed. ¡°I sure hope you never gain sapience and the ability to talk.¡±


    I rolled my eyes and led them out. As much as I wanted to get the dog the STAR System, it was purely to help him survive. The world was weird enough without talking animals. Plus, he had promised to never judge me, and the ability to yap back would surely run afoul of that.


    The row of rooms was similarly unchanged from yesterday. I pointed at the ground where patches of my dried blood had been lightly dusted by shifting sand. ¡°I almost died there.¡±


    ¡°Where haven¡¯t you almost died at this point?¡±


    I glared at the waitress and withdrew the master key from my Inventory. My frequent dances with death weren¡¯t meant to become the trait I was known for. Then again, compared to some other things¡­ that wasn¡¯t the worst.


    Key went into room number one door, and I opened it up.


    Sally was ready by my side with her spear poised to defend me should something try to burst through the door at us. Despite her constant need to annoy me, she was sensible when it was important.


    The room was empty, however. Much like the second room, there was plenty of dust and disrepair that would probably give you respiratory problems if you stayed the night. Bathroom door was open and also clear.


    ¡°Second room is what I¡¯ve been using,¡± I told her. ¡°We¡¯ll come back to it once we¡¯ve checked, as I feel safer with something familiar.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll follow your lead.¡±


    Seven rooms in total. The keys for four, six, and seven had been missing from the reception rack.


    Third and fourth were just as worn and dilapidated as the first two. Bathroom doors were closed, so we opened them cautiously. Empty. Medicine cabinets raided for more nondescript bottles of shampoo and body wash. I watched as Sally figuratively pocketed the condoms, not as sly as she hoped.


    ¡°What?¡± She glared at me. ¡°They are useful in survival situations, like for carrying water.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh. I prefer to use the many flasks and other containers we¡¯ve looted.¡± I almost tripped over Bucky as I went to leave the room. ¡°That said, if you find Theo, then it¡¯s probably a good idea not to bring a kid into this world, huh?¡±


    Sally followed me out, casting a glance out at the distant city. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Her composure wavered slightly before returning to me with a renewed smile. ¡°You don¡¯t think you¡¯ll find some wasteland hunk to fight off the alien invasion with?¡±


    ¡°Please.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m more concerned about not getting my head caved in. You¡¯ve seen apocalypse movies - most survivors are unhinged assholes.¡±


    ¡°Just your type, then.¡±


    I narrowed my eyes at the waitress again. Perhaps going solo wasn¡¯t the worst thing, even though we got on most of the time. These things tended to be short-lived for me, and I already knew she had grander plans than following my sorry ass around the desert forever.


    With both her and the dog giving me the most intense eye-contact, I rolled my own eyes and sighed. I was one-tenth a zombie, and would surely go hungry amongst this pairing.


    I clicked the key into the lock of room four, turned it, and pushed the door open.


    The smell of death immediately washed over us.

 23 - Wants and Needs

    A man, possibly in his early to mid twenties, lay curled up on the bed. Rough beard and grubby workman clothing. Two empty pill bottles lay on the small table beside the bed, their lids discarded to the floor.


    Presented with the end of the world, some chose to escape via their own hands.


    ¡°Oh, shit.¡± Sally nudged past me and entered the room.


    I kept my eyes around for anything out of place. There was a dirty gym bag over by the bathroom door, but otherwise, the room looked just like any of the others. Context clues put him as the driver of the beat-up pickup truck. There were no signs of a struggle in here. No notes left or even a phone.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like he even went to the bunker,¡± the waitress said, leaning over the body slightly. ¡°No option to loot or inspect him.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave him be, then. We can at least dignify his desire for peace.¡± Even if the System had corrupted his belongings, I didn¡¯t feel the need to loot dirty clothing and miscellaneous bits of this man¡¯s life.


    Sally nodded and came back out. I shut the door and locked it. Looking over to the right, Bucky was sniffing around the door to room six.


    ¡°Something bad, bud?¡± I brought Threadcutter back out and stepped over. ¡°One more room and then I¡¯ll look, okay?¡±


    The waitress called him over and he listened - now seeing her commands as worthy enough to obey. I unlocked room five and was unsurprised to find nothing interesting within. All it did was make me feel more tense over what could be in the next room.


    I tried to peer in through the window as we approached room six, but just like the others, the blinds were closed. Without the sun providing any light, the interior was just too dark to gain any information from the brief gaps in between the slats. I turned my attention to the waitress, and she gave me a nod of readiness.


    Key went in, but the door was already unlocked. I gripped my axe a little tighter and turned the handle.


    The door swung open as we stepped forward with weapons raised. My eyes scoured the seemingly empty room for¡­ anything. Bucky squeezed in past us and went to the left side of the bed, where two travel cases sat idle.


    ¡°Room for one of the other cars,¡± Sally said. ¡°They must have gone to the bunker?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t so easily convinced. The dog was sniffing around the cases, so I stepped into the room and over to him. Bathroom door was closed, so my eyes were fixated on it.


    ¡°Do you think this could be the people who own Bucky?¡± the waitress asked from the doorway. ¡°He seems interested.¡±


    ¡°Hard to say.¡± I looked down at him as he started to paw at the side of one of the cases.


    He looked neither happy nor anxious to be here. Some basic interest in a smell, but if this was who had owned him, then he would be a lot more energetic. It could just be some discarded food or something.


    ¡°Come take a look,¡± I told her. ¡°I¡¯m going to check the bathroom.¡±


    Sally glanced to her left and right first, making sure we weren¡¯t being watched from outside. Either my paranoia was rubbing off on her, or she really was more natural at this than I¡¯d given her credit for. Even without the buff, she had no problem with corpses, and had grown used to the violence relatively quickly.


    If it wasn¡¯t for her positive attitude, I¡¯d believe she could be a serial killer.


    While she walked over to the dog, I approached the closed bathroom door. If there was anything or anyone in there, they would have heard us by now. Especially my plan of investigating. Half of me expected to find another early checkout laying in the bath. The other half figured a monster might be trapped in there. Or Rico.


    I shook my head briefly, aligning my few marbles into their proper place. With a quick step forward I leveled my boot at the door, easily bursting the unlocked¡ªand rather fragile¡ªblockade away to reveal whatever was inside.


    No dead bodies or sinister beings ready to destroy me. I crouched down beside the bath and picked up a bottle on the side.


    ¡°Huh, some decent shampoo here. Whoever was staying here has some actual standards.¡± Despite staying here, anyway. The bottle vanished into my Inventory. ¡°And they were here before the System hit.¡±


    ¡°Looks like two guys,¡± Sally called from the other room.


    I gave the bathroom one last glance over before returning to her. ¡°How do you know it is two?¡± Maybe two luggage cases gave it away, but I¡¯d seen plenty of solo travelers overloaded with as much as they could carry before.


    She held up a wide pair of underpants. ¡°Either a shape-changer, or one is a little broader than the other. I think Bucky could smell out these¡­ I think they¡¯re tea bags?¡±


    I pulled a face at the way she was digging through the stacks of folded clothing as if she was searching for treasure. Neither luggage case was particularly overloaded. Orderly sets of clothing for¡­ three to five days, maybe. Smart-casual rather than business, so maybe a short stay to visit family or something. Why anyone would stop here when the city was so close was a mystery to me.


    Sally threw the plastic bag on the bed. While it would have been amusing if they had been drugs and she was clueless¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure what it was either. I picked it up and sniffed at the side of the bag. It did have an odd odor to it. I couldn¡¯t place it, but didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just leave it¡­¡± I paused before handing it back, and it vanished into my Inventory. ¡°Hmm. System has labeled it as ¡®unknown produce¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Some sort of unusual fruit?¡±


    I shrugged. The bag had been approximately the size and shape of a spray can. Enough layers around it to obscure the contents, other than looking like a collection of dark packets strapped together. I wasn¡¯t about to open it and cause a bigger stink, but neither was I going to give it back.


    There was a possibility the owners could return. I stepped over to the blinds and peered through them. Desert beyond looked relatively calm.


    ¡°Let¡¯s check the final room and get this over with,¡± I concluded. ¡°The longer we linger¡­¡± My sentence trailed off, my worries not needing to be vocalized.


    The pair followed me out, and Bucky seemed disinterested once more. Room seven, where the last of the guests had been staying. Sally was ready behind me again, and I unlocked it.


    As the door opened up, a lump rose in my throat.


    ¡°What the¡­¡± the waitress began.


    I used Lightbulb to illuminate the scene, although that didn¡¯t help me process it.


    The occupant had seen fit to graffiti the walls of their room. From top to bottom, every wall and flat surface had the same message repeating, over and over.


    Repent Sinners.


    Red, but it couldn¡¯t be blood. It was far too much, even if you drained a whole body - and then there would be a mess across the floor. The dirtied carpet had no spot of red on it at all.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it interesting?¡± Sally commented, her eyes slowly moving across the repeating message. ¡°The motel has been a succinct microcosm of different reactions to the apocalypse occurring.¡±


    I pulled a face. Maybe she had a point, but I wasn¡¯t about to agree. I was more worried that there was another asshole wandering around the area with a more macabre view of how current proceedings should progress.


    ¡°Hopefully they got their brain beat in by an ogre or something.¡± I finished my rotating glance and shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else in here other than deranged scrawling. Go get washed up so we can leave.¡±


    ¡°Having second thoughts about going to the other bunker?¡±


    Knowing that there were a few people around with more screws loose than me was concerning. That said, it was unlikely anyone able bodied and dealing with the apocalypse well would be hiding out in the bunker during the day. Their Guide would be pushing them to go and level.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s still our plan.¡±


    Sally nodded, and we left the defaced room. I locked it and indicated that I¡¯d lock every room aside from number two - where she could go shower and wash the dog down. My eyes kept switching to the open desert, even when just through the reflection of the windows as I turned the key in each door.


    Eventually, the job was done, and we went into the designated room. After handing over the decent shampoo to the waitress, she led the excited dog into the bathroom and closed the door. Bolt went across. I considered locking the main door, but as it was our only means of escape, it seemed more prudent not to.


    As the water turned on in the other room, I brushed away my disgust at the dusty room and laid down on the bed.


    A mistake, as it was immediately draining. Exhaustion swept through me at the first sign of comfort. With a sigh, I placed Threadcutter on the floor, leaning it against the bedside table. Put my hands behind my head and looked up at the stained ceiling.


    Despite the health hazard the motel had been, this felt like a little reward. I briefly cursed the System for not allowing me to pocket a whole mattress, as it had been far too long since I¡¯d been able to sleep in something that wasn¡¯t the back of my van.


    Sally was singing to the dog, or otherwise just being excessively friendly with him - as I couldn¡¯t place a tune. If I closed my eyes, then I could almost imagine that things were okay.


    My eyelids opened sluggishly, my brain moving at half speed as I clocked that I had almost fallen asleep. I blinked life back into my exhausted brain, still hearing the shower running and the badly-pitched warblings of the waitress.


    Five minutes at the most had passed. I was getting too soft, but at least it hadn¡¯t been¡­


    The soft sound of footsteps from outside completely erased any relaxed muscle in my body. I rolled from the bed by instinct, hitting the ground in an awkward crouch as I grabbed at my axe.


    Heartbeat raced in my chest as I crept over to the window. As I slowly rose to the slight gap at the bottom of the blinds, I had to hold my breath to avoid swearing out loud.


    Five figures approaching this direction. Human.


    Head swam as my eyes darted to the bathroom door. Warning the waitress verbally would just invite trouble our way immediately. I could send a System message, but was she likely to check it in time?


    ¡°Siren¡¯s song draws me this way, lads.¡±


    My grip tightened on Threadcutter as I peered through the gap again. Now enclosing on the short barrier between the pathway and open desert, I could see the approaching group more clearly. They were oddly dressed, but before I could jump to any conclusions, my STAR told me something both relieved me and set me on edge.


    [Pirate Bounty Hunter (Level 5)]


    They were here to kill me - but they were monsters. Despite looking like they rolled off a theme park¡¯s low-budget pirate ship, the cutlasses looked professional enough. Guy with an eyepatch at the front must be the leader, and there were two men and two women alongside him. At least three had flintlock pistols.


    That seemed rather unfair.


    As the head bounty hunter leaped over the divide, landing a few feet from our door, I realized something else.


    Their Morale was too high for me to use Deny Life right off the bat.


    The leader put his finger to his lips to tell the others to shush. I winced as Sally missed a particularly high note in whatever she was attempting to sing. As I lowered myself from the window, there were only a handful of seconds before we were found out.


    It seemed like a punishment I had earned for having the gall to relax.


    Neither Sally nor Bucky deserved to suffer due to my baggage. With my jaw clenched and breath held, I used my last Rat Juice. There was no chance to run, even if I had the inclination for it. I had to defend the others. If that got me killed¡­ then so be it. I¡¯d take as many of these fuckers down with me as possible.


    The door handle turned quietly, and a slim crack of light appeared as the opening widened. A flintlock pistol came through first, trained on the bathroom door. Before they could sweep and find me, I stepped over and swung my axe.


    With a crack, the glowing blade embedded in the edge of the opening door. The severed forearm of the pirate dropped to the aged carpet, splattering fresh crimson droplets all the way. I was enraged.


    My boot lashed out, kicking the door fully open and removing my weapon from the wooden frame. The pirate leader stood there in shock, other hand gripping at his stump as I pushed through and head-butted him.


    His troupe was quick to fill the space, and I twisted to block an incoming cutlass. Metal rang against metal as I took a few steps back, moving down the pathway toward the end rooms. A risk, but I had to be sure. Thankfully, it paid off immediately. I was correct.


    They only cared about me.


    If they had been actual humans intending on causing us harm, some would have moved in to kill Sally while I was out here and busy. All eyes were on me, weapons readied to-


    I hit the wall as the repeated blows from the curved sword found me lacking. Blood drawn from my arm. Before they could follow-up, I lashed out. An awkward strike, but the force caused them to stumble despite blocking it. As I raised Threadcutter to take advantage, a second pirate appeared from the side of their comrade, a flintlock pistol aimed right at me.


    Maybe investing in more Guile would have been worthwhile. I twisted the axe in my hands, using the flat head of the weapon like a shield. Not quite enough. I felt the weapon vibrate as the sound of gunshot filled my ears, and a warmth ran down my right thigh.


    I growled and twisted Threadcutter back into attack mode. ¡°This is what he sends? Pitiful.¡±


    Three of the pirates were resolute, the one with the pistol taking a step back so that the others could weather me with a series of sword strikes again.


    But one of them wavered.


    The salty sea-wench at the back in dirtied leathers looked at their captain bleeding out, and then at how I was apparently shaking off a gunshot. It was the most minute granular change possible - but I could feel it innately. Her Morale dropped one point below mine.


    I barreled through the melee group using my temporary invulnerability and swung the sledgehammer down onto the stunned bounty hunter. Her head exploded, spraying cracked fragments of skull and shredded brain matter over all of us.


    My axe was back in my hands as I swung in a wide arc, clashing with one of the male pirates but knocking him back from the power. Follow-up gave him a shallow cut across the chest, while the third swing was blocked by his companion. I put my weight into the attack as our weapons pushed into each other - a test of strength that I¡¯d probably eventually lose.


    Before I had the chance to make my move, the third pirate stepped up to me¡ªmere feet away¡ªtheir single shot pistol reloaded.


    I was deafened, my ears ringing as my eyes started to water. Pain washed through me in alternating waves of warmth and chills. I stepped back and lost the battle with the cutlass, allowing his weapon to slide down and away from me. I dropped Threadcutter and grabbed his wrist with one hand and his greasy hair with my other. Using his weight against him, I twisted and tripped him over my foot. His weapon clattered to the floor as he tried to catch himself on the way down.


    Second cutlass came in and I lifted up my left forearm in sacrifice. It bit through my thin bracer and into my arm, but didn¡¯t hit the bone. It was enough of a pause for me to withdraw my next weapon.


    I swung at the bounty hunter with the hook of Doomchain like it was a dagger. He moved his sword away to try to blow it, but didn¡¯t have the force to waylay the attack. With a clang as the two metal weapons connected, and I ran the barbed metal down the length of the blade to shred through his hands.


    As he swore and dropped his weapon, I twisted and threw the hook at the pistolier. The chain slipped through my grip as the weapon extended, but my inexperience with it had the damaging part miss the mark. As the pirate dodged to the side, the hook cut through their bare arm before falling to the ground.


    I stepped forward to the man I had thrown to the ground and wrapped the loose end of the chain around his neck. Pulled him up to his feet as his hands grasped at the thick links biting into his skin. I twisted the chain around my wrist and put my weight into it, using him as a human shield as my shaking left hand brought up a Half Restore to my lips.


    ¡°We can¡¯t beat the bitch,¡± the one with the cut hands growled. ¡°Grab the captain and retreat.¡±


    Oh, no no no.


    That wasn¡¯t how this worked. The rage bubbled up within me.


    ¡°She¡¯s got Jake,¡± the woman trying to reload her gun again said.


    ¡°He knew the risks,¡± the captain hissed from the side.


    I laughed. The bounty hunters froze in place, surprised.


    ¡°There is no running,¡± I hissed. ¡°You were dead as soon as you accepted the bounty.¡±


    Killing Blow activated on the man I was choking out, and the chain links ruptured through his skin. They cut through his windpipe and arteries, spraying out blood across the remaining pirates.


    The body slunk to the floor as I pulled a knife out into my hand. Rivulets of crimson ran down my face as I smiled at the failed bounty hunters.


    ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± I said, looking at the icons over their heads. ¡°A little fear is a healthy thing.¡±


    Well, a lesson learned a little too late for them.

 24 - Washed Ashore

    My relationship with smoking cigarettes had been a rocky road over the years. An on/off switched controlled by an inner child too hopped up on ice cream and without regard for consequence. Whether as a coping mechanism or to fit in with my peers, I always dropped the habit just as soon as my bags were packed and I was refreshing my life. As if that ever helped.


    The remaining pirates had crumpled like beer-soaked playing cards once the grip of fear washed over them. A few quick stabs and they shuffled off this mortal coil. Now I sat here at the edge of the motel bed, a dog-eared packet of the misery sticks in my idle hands. Retrieved from the bedside table as my mind sought¡­ something. No lighter and only three of the squished bastards left. A forgotten vice left here for who knew how long. Had the owner been able to give them up? Doubtful.


    As to why I held them? I wasn¡¯t even sure. It had been long enough since my last that the smell of them would probably make me turn up my nose. Uncomfortable memories dredged up as my aching mind connected the dots from my past. Not all of them bad times, but miserable all the same in retrospect. It was the way of life, but¡­ everything had been left behind.


    Friends. Hobbies. Decent jobs. My younger self was spritely and bushy tailed, the future an orchard of ripe fruit fresh for picking. I had gotten lost amongst the trees, too busy trying to find the forest. Ended up¡­ here.


    Another half-rate motel and almost nothing to my name.


    There was some irony in this being my current predicament. Before the end of the world, it was a temporary lapse in paranoia that had earned me the cut across my palm. It was less than a week ago, but felt like a decade.


    Just like now, I had sat at the edge of the motel bed, staring at a pack of cigarettes. Trying to decide if I wanted to fall back into bad habits and drain the last of my funds. I had decided I¡¯d take it easy, instead. After being on the road for a while, the prospect of an early night and first proper sleep in an actual bed for a while was just too big of a draw.


    But I had been followed.


    Barely five minutes into switching the light off and closing my eyes, the door burst open. One of the private investigators sent by Rico to track me down. Of course, calling them a PI made them seem official. Like they weren¡¯t just a glorified thug paid to kidnap me.


    I remembered the panic and fear I had felt. That strong cedarwood aftershave he wore way too much of. The baseball bat that I always slept beside was quickly taken out of my grip before I could do damage, but the asshole wasn¡¯t a fan of how scrappy I was. That was a failure on his part, as my history should have told him that I wouldn¡¯t go down without a fight. Shitty investigator, in my opinion.


    As if his strength and weight advantage weren¡¯t enough, he lost his patience and drew a blade. I was reckless, even before this System bullshit. Took my chance and grabbed it so that he couldn¡¯t attack, and clocked him with a hastily snatched metal bookend from the shelf next to us.


    He dropped like a half-ton cow, stunned and ready for slaughter. I fled immediately instead, self-preservation overriding any other thought. My hand bled profusely. If anything, I was lucky no permanent damage was done, but it took several days and the last of my bare medical kit to keep it bandaged and prevent infection.


    From there, I drove for days until reaching the diner.


    Now I had come full circle, almost.


    The latch of the bathroom clicked, and the door opened. A fresh-faced Sally emerged, preceded by a still-damp Bucky. The dog rushed out into the biggest open space by the corner of the bed and shook himself off.


    ¡°Scarlet¡­¡± the waitress stepped forward, her brow furrowed. ¡°Are you okay? What happened?¡±


    My eyes went slowly from the window and over to her. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Why do you ask?¡±


    I had closed the door after kicking the arm of the captain out with the rest of the dead pirates. A bandage had slowly relieved me of any injuries, up to my current 90% maximum HP. After taking a seat and regaining my breath, my brain had all but shut off.


    ¡°The blood, for one.¡± She crossed her arms, looking down at the crimson that had darkened patches of the carpet. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure my singing wasn¡¯t that bad.¡±


    For all the exhaustion that weighed down on me, I smiled. Sally was wrong, but the fact that she diffused the situation with some levity made her one of the few people in my life that were consistently tolerable.


    ¡°Bounty hunters,¡± I said. ¡°They came knocking for me while you were busy, and I answered.¡±


    ¡°Who won?¡± she asked, stepping over the dog to peer through the blinds. After a few seconds of looking about, she turned back to me. ¡°Hmm. Hard to tell.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. Despite them being human in appearance, my brain subconsciously saw them as no different from monsters. I killed them without any of the usual hang-ups I had over dealing with actual ¡®players¡¯, as the System called us.


    ¡°You could have called for me,¡± Sally continued, turning back to admonish me. ¡°Even if they¡¯re only after you, that doesn¡¯t mean you have to face them alone.¡±


    I sighed and crumpled up the cigarette packet. ¡°You¡¯re exhausting, Sally. Here.¡± From my Inventory, I withdrew the tricorne I had repaired for her.


    She took it and placed it on her head. ¡°I¡¯m being genuine. You¡¯d help me out of a pickle, right? So let me return the favor. As an equal.¡± The waitress looked me up and down, inspecting the damage I took. ¡°Did you want to shower before we go? Looks like you had a rough time of it.¡±


    A little amount of luck and hard-headed ignorance. The gunshot to my leg had thankfully avoided any major arteries. Slacks now had a bloodied hole through them, however. Left bracer was once again split where I had decided to take a sword to the arm instead of anywhere less desirable - like my face. Most other injuries had been minor and hadn¡¯t taken long to heal up.


    I was still covered with blood, both mine and that of the monsters. My body ached, hating me for skipping out of the potential nap to get beaten to shit once again. Maybe ¡®luck¡¯ was the wrong word.


    ¡°I¡¯ll wash with the sink, but I¡¯ll repair my clothing as we walk. I¡¯m getting tired of fighting in this shithole.¡± My tired eyes looked down at Bucky, who was now sitting by my feet and watching me eagerly. He was quite the handsome prince now that he was cleaned up. Still a little goofy looking, but who among us was perfect? ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have a second layer of clothing, so I¡¯ll look partially presentable.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good. I never wear a skirt without gym shorts anymore. Learned my lesson the second time I accidentally flashed everyone my undies.¡± Sally pulled a face.


    The packet in my hands vanished into my Inventory, and I stood up with a groan. ¡°Second time, huh?¡±


    ¡°Three times and people start thinking you¡¯re an exhibitionist.¡± She wrinkled up her nose. ¡°First time was the classic skirt-gets-trapped-in-door, and it tore off. Second time I fell down some stairs, but that wasn¡¯t as embarrassing as I was more focused on the broken wrist.¡±


    I walked around the bed to the bathroom. ¡°This might come as a surprise, but I¡¯ve never broken a bone.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit.¡±


    As I wiped off the condensation from the cabinet mirror, I smiled again. ¡°Well, no major limbs, right? Fingers and ribs don¡¯t count. Or dislocations.¡± Perhaps I was trying to fool myself here.


    The rusty springs of the mattress squeaked, and I imagined the waitress had hopped onto the bed. Despite being everything unlike it, the situation reminded me of one time I stayed over at a friend''s house as a preteen. A time more carefree.


    ¡°And I thought my middle name was ¡®danger¡¯, but you¡¯re something else, Scarlet.¡±


    It was probably easy for her to imagine those injuries were sustained in my time as a bouncer, or during some other underground brawl. They weren¡¯t, but I¡¯d allow her to believe that. Truth was, although I¡¯d been told by a couple of people I¡¯d suit a career as a boxer or MMA fighter¡­ I didn¡¯t like getting hit. Probably a laughable revelation given current proceedings, but at least I got to kill those trying to harm me these days.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you be a peach and loot the pirates?¡± I asked as I put the plug in and turned on the water to fill the sink.


    ¡°They dropped loot? Did you get experience as well?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    The bed squealed again, and I watched as she stepped into view on the left, standing beside the main door. Bucky followed her, but his eyes were waiting for my permission to continue.


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    ¡°So this bounty thing is sending a group of level relevant loot pinatas direct to your door once a day? Where do I sign up?¡±


    I shrugged. I hadn¡¯t thought of it that way. Providing I survived the assault of whatever monster groups decided to ambush me, the process was actually making me stronger with loot and experience. A risk, sure, but I hoped that Rico was self-absorbed enough to continue the charade.


    At least until the day I could kick his ass myself.


    Jury was still out on whether I¡¯d kill him. His petty desire for revenge had¡­ ruined my life. Sure, I never settled in any one place for long, but it had been different once he had set his dogs on me. The fact that he was still grinding his teeth over my escape drew me to the obvious conclusion to make that stop. Permanently. An end I could recover from.


    I eyed the waitress up as she opened the door and put her hands on her hips, as if she was disappointed with all the corpses littering the hall. If Rico wanted to funnel me more power, fine. Maybe he¡¯d grow bored or some monsters would kill him for me. Wishful thinking. He was the type of turd that always rose to the top of the bowl. Probably had a new gang loyal to him already.


    With a sigh, I washed away those thoughts with a splash of water. There was a high chance I¡¯d be getting bloody again sometime soon, so a shower was just asking for trouble. If I could clear the dried gore from my face and arms¡­ that¡¯d be enough.


    I put both my shirt and slacks to repair, standing in an undershirt and shorts instead. Bracers would have to wait, but I took them off to wash my arms properly. Using some of the unlabeled shampoo as soap, I was able to clean away the sweat and blood to reveal the healed wounds across my arms.


    It seemed like the System just accelerated the normal process of healing, perhaps. There were pink lines here and there¡ªwith a particularly gnarly one where the hook had torn me open¡ªremenants of the magical repair work. Some of the earlier wounds had faded, so I expected the newer trophies to do the same over time.


    ¡°Holy shit.¡±


    Without hesitation, I turned and stepped away from the sink. Muscles tensed up.


    Sally stepped into the doorway, her silhouette briefly obscuring the item she was holding in her hands. I narrowed my eyes, barely picking out the odd shapes.


    ¡°Is that a¡­ compound crossbow?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Sure is!¡±


    ¡°Fuck. That¡¯s a great find. How many bolts do you have with it?¡±


    She pulled a face and lifted it up to check. ¡°Looks like I have six-¡± The weapon clunked, and a bolt slammed into the bedroom wall a foot away from my head. ¡°Er, five.¡±


    I eyed up the rod of dark metal that had gone halfway through the cheap wall and was poking into the bathroom. ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ entirely convinced letting you keep that is a good idea.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just because I¡¯m not actually equipping it right now. There¡¯s a minimum Guile amount required and I need to get to the bunker to assign my stats.¡± She let it vanish into her Inventory. ¡°Once I can use it, I won¡¯t be so clumsy. I promise.¡±


    As much as I was slightly envious she had found such a modern weapon amongst all the medieval shit we seemed to receiving, I found myself trusting the fact that she knew how the System worked better than I did. If our stats also worked as competencies for certain things, then I¡¯d wait and see how she handled it after getting the necessary Guile.


    ¡°Well, finish up,¡± I said. ¡°Usual loot rules. Split gold and consumables, and divide gear by who could use it better.¡±


    She hesitated slightly, as if she was going to argue the fact that I had done most of the work¡­ but she knew better, and got back to looting.


    I hadn¡¯t earned any new skills from the fight, but a few had leveled up. Another group like that and I¡¯d hit level 6, and be one step closer to choosing my next Class. Or to continue being a Dreadknight. I returned to the bathroom and got dried up.


    Two minutes later and the three of us reconvened on the bed, where Sally proceeded to lay out a few of the items she had found, like the world¡¯s most drab flea market.


    ¡°Two flintlock pistols, with four shots.¡± She placed them on the faded bedcover. ¡°There was a third one, but it was broken.¡±


    ¡°Any stat requirements?¡±


    She shook her head.


    ¡°One each with two shots, then. Something for emergencies.¡± I¡¯d need to double-check if Killing Blow was restricted to melee weapons only, but given that it was a sure-kill thing, it would be a waste to use one of the shots for that.


    ¡°Here¡¯s your share of consumables.¡± Sally sent a trade request through the STAR. ¡°Only one token, but feels right that you have it.¡±


    [250 Gold]


    [Bandages (2)]


    [Solar Shard (1)]


    [Lunar Shard (2)]


    [Questionable Rum (3)]


    [Bounty Token (1)]


    I ignored the alcohol for now and put a pin in getting the token information up. It was probably similar to the Boss ones in that they opened something like a key. I¡¯d check once we were moving and away from here.


    ¡°Penultimate prize is this mean-looking weapon. Very mall-ninja-chic, so it fits you perfectly.¡±


    ¡°Are malls even a thing these days?¡± I gave the waitress a dull glare as she produced said weaponry.


    It was another knuckleduster, although not only did the business end have spikes on it, but one side had a wide, three-inch dagger jutting from the metal. Almost a dagger with a hand guard, but the weight of how it was built determined the intent was a punching-thing that could also stab, rather than the other way around.


    [Hungry Spiked Knuckles]


    [+2 Power, +1% HP restored on kill]


    If I replaced my other knuckledusters with these, then I¡¯d lose out on 1 Stamina, in exchange for 1 Power. At least stat-wise, as I could use one on each hand just for fighting. Given that I could gain temporary Stamina in combat, that wasn¡¯t the worst drop. It made Power a potential target for Adjustment now, should I need a temporary defensive boost instead of the extra damage.


    The System may favor me using two-handed weapons, but it was good to have options.


    ¡°There weren¡¯t really any good equipments. A Knowledge and Stamina hat for Bernie, but otherwise nada.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Lastly, two books - which I think we should take one each, but I¡¯ll let you pick first.¡±


    She placed them on the bed. First up was a familiar green one - an uncommon random skill. But the second was¡­ different. It wasn¡¯t random at all, but a set skill. I raised an eyebrow and gave it a read.


    [Skillbook (Actually Competent)]


    [Increases your highest stat by X, for X seconds, where X is your current Level. 1 hour cooldown]


    [The better you get, the better you get.]


    ¡°Huh.¡± I tilted my head to the waitress, who was currently beaming at me as if there was really a choice to be made here. ¡°You realize this is pretty significant for me, right?¡±


    Sally raised an eyebrow. ¡°But think of the possibilities of random. Are you not a chaos gremlin? An hour cooldown sounds so boring.¡±


    She was laying it on pretty thick, but I got it. Three or four seconds of extra Guile might help her out in a pinch, but for me it was a build enabler. Probably all but guaranteed that I could hit Deny Life off against anything around my level. The extra point of Vitality from Shroud of Fear could save me in certain circumstances - even if the cooldown was rather dire.


    I shrugged. ¡°Take your random ability then, chaos gremlin. I¡¯ll settle for something guaranteed to get me kills.¡± Starting a fight with Deny Life made every encounter so much easier once I could start drilling fear into my opponents.


    ¡°Cool. Let¡¯s get to the other bunker. Looks like it might rain later.¡± Sally scooped up the book into her Inventory and turned to the door.


    I looked down at the sparkling dog, his tail wagging as soon as we made eye-contact. He had been waiting patiently for his share of the loot, and I felt a little guilty that the pirates were ill-equipped to fulfill Bucky¡¯s needs. Not even a packed lunch for their murder mission.


    Food seemed to stay good within the Inventory - if the several meals I had gotten from the crates were any indication. I scoured for anything taken from the diner, but pickings were rather slim. A couple of slivers of uncooked bacon would have to do for now, rather than trying to pick apart some of the full meals he couldn¡¯t eat all of.


    ¡°I¡¯ll find you some proper food soon, I promise.¡± I let him take them from one hand while I rubbed his head with my other.


    Not that I had a history of making good on promises, but¡­ new leaves were made to be turned, or something. If anyone deserved that from me, it was Bucky. He yapped up the meat as he followed me out onto the pathway strewn with dead bounty hunters. The waitress wasn¡¯t that bad either. Clearly had her own agenda, but she was almost as earnest and straightforward as the dog. Accepting with no real judgements.


    Probably a few screws loose, but I could think of worse people to try to survive the apocalypse with.


    We hopped the short barrier and made a beeline for the other bunker. Dark clouds hung on the horizon to the south. The northward breeze would eventually take them our way. Rain complicated matters. The prospect of fighting in it with reduced visibility, the chill soaking through my clothes, and unstable footing as the desert shifted was¡­ unpalatable.


    ¡°At least we''ll get some cardio in,¡± Sally said, with slightly less enthusiasm in her voice than usual.


    I looked over at the city in the distance. All things going well, we were supposed to wrench it from the clutches of the aliens. Then what? Assuming we could pull that off, that was just one city out of countless across the world. Putting in the effort and succeeding, but still ultimately failing due to the lack of strength of others was¡­


    More questions to level at Richard.


    Maybe we¡¯d even see him at the bunker. Either I¡¯d taken too many blows to the head, or he hadn¡¯t been clear on whether we¡¯d only see him in our bunkers, or there would be a different Guide there.


    I learned Actually Competent, which was the most passive aggressive skill name I had encountered so far. An hour cooldown was annoying to work around, but I was playing into the STAR here. Anything that gave a boost to Morale or interacted with my skills was a bonus. Every new skill had the possibility of having unintended synergies with the ones already amassed.


    Long story short - I was a few good dice rolls away from sweeping the house.


    ¡°Ooh.¡± Sally grinned as her eyes left her screens. ¡°I got another riposte based skill that stuns the target for three seconds.¡±


    ¡°Very nice. Debilitating monsters seems like the safest way of getting through encounters unscathed.¡±


    Her grin widened. ¡°Now who¡¯s the nerd?¡±


    I rolled my eyes, but she perhaps she had a point. She was still expecting that cozy chat about my favorite video games, and¡­ I still had some trepidation due to some adjacent memories I didn¡¯t want to unearth. Soon, but not yet.


    The waitress didn¡¯t press me to talk any further as we continued. Bucky remained stoic, looking ahead and sticking by my side. While I tried to think about anything but the next set of monsters that would hunt me tomorrow, the gloom kept rolling in from the south. My clothing finished repairing and popped back onto my person. I started to wonder who I might be able to murder for some coffee.


    But it wasn¡¯t long before the Map led us to the location.


    From the outside, it looked no different from our own. Constructed in the same manner using the same materials. Just as new and out of place in the desert. Door was closed, which wasn¡¯t unexpected.


    I looked around us as I withdrew Threadcutter. Sally followed suit, bringing out her spear. We couldn¡¯t be too careful, knowing what people were like. The surrounding area was clear, aside from distant groups of monsters.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this carefully,¡± I said.


    Handle turned, the bunker opened up to a similar metal staircase leading down to a second door. The thought of being trapped underground caused me to tense up once more. I made the executive decision to leave the door ajar, just in case. We made our way down the stairs, and I spun the handle of the interior doorway.


    I braced myself as it opened, and we stepped through. The hairs on the back of my neck were up immediately. Some of the usual lighting within the chamber flickered, while others were just dim.


    Still, that didn¡¯t hide the two dead bodies laying on the floor in clear view.


    Nor the repeated phrase of Repent Sinners scrawled across the walls.

 25 - Empty Vessel

    The second bunker was identical internally to our own. Or it had been, at least. Now it looked like the scene of a horror movie, the visuals dramatically nauseating.


    Two men lay on the ground in small pools of blood. Both looked late thirties, one with broken glasses and a slim build, while the other was more portly with lighter hair. I was willing to make the assumption that these were the pair from the motel.


    Slit throats.


    In addition to the words written across the walls, the flickering lights also picked up damage done to the STAR pods. Three of them had cracked glass, while some of the others looked as though they had been beaten or disassembly had been attempted.


    ¡°Shit,¡± I said, looking around for clues. ¡°You think the motel owner¡­?¡±


    Sally shook her head and took a few steps over to the first body. ¡°No. Mr Norris was a sleeze, but he wasn¡¯t this¡­ deranged.¡± She jabbed her spear toward the writing on the walls.


    ¡°Shit,¡± I repeated. That meant there was another lunatic wandering around the area. As if I didn¡¯t have enough things to worry about. ¡°It¡¯s turning into that cliche zombie thing, where people are the actual danger.¡±


    The waitress shrugged as she kneeled down beside the first corpse. ¡°There just needs to be better zombies.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t too sure if she had remembered I was going to turn into the living dead in a handful of days, or just held her own ideas about what really makes a monster impressive. Maybe if she had seen that giant leaving the city, then a few of her views might change. Either way, I was in no hurry to get into more fights with other survivors anytime soon.


    Given our present company, I might not have the luxury of choice in that matter. Looking at the bodies made me worried for Bernie, who was at the other bunker on his own and wouldn¡¯t be able to defend himself.


    ¡°He joined the System,¡± Sally confirmed. ¡°Inventory is totally empty, though.¡±


    ¡°I imagine the other will be the same.¡± I looked down at Bucky, who was currently panting. Either anxious, or thirsty. ¡°We¡¯ll make this quick, bud. Then take a break outside to get refreshed.¡±


    ¡°The good news is that the lunatic might be working alone.¡± The waitress shuffled over to the other body to check it. ¡°Everyone else from the motel has been accounted for.¡±


    That still wasn¡¯t comforting. Was there a chance there were other people out in the middle of nowhere? With the diner and motel accounted for, there shouldn¡¯t be anyone else around other than maybe¡­ cars driving to the city at night. A shame that there was no way to check how many or how often the STAR pods had been used but¡­


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t there be another Guide¡ªif not Richard¡ªhere?¡±


    As if spurned on by my words, the middle pod on the left side hissed and spluttered. It was one of the most damaged ones, as if someone had attempted to take it apart to see how it worked inside. Without any tools, they hadn¡¯t gotten very far through the metal shell. The smell that had filled my nostrils the first time Richard had appeared filtered through the air again, albeit this time stronger.


    An orb of light started to bloom in the middle of the chamber, mostly white with a shade of blue. It thrummed and wavered in and out, just as the broken pod started to leak a weird, luminous blue liquid.


    The glowing ball wasn''t transforming into a wireframe figure, though. It just hovered. ¡°Something isn¡¯t right-¡± I began, before being interrupted by a bright flash.


    As my ears rang, I spun on the spot, completely blinded. Raised my axe into a blocking position toward the door. I wasn¡¯t likely to be able to defend us in this state, but if we were attacked at this moment, then I wanted some base preparation.


    There was no attack, and as my vision slowly returned, my ears also started picking up the muttered swear words coming from the waitress.


    I turned, and she was still crouched, hands over her eyes. She must have been closer to the flash. As I turned, my vision adjusting to the gloomy and empty room, there was no Guide present still. The only thing that had changed other than the smell was-


    ¡°Bucky, no!¡±


    My command came a little too late, as the dog lapped up his third mouthful of whatever liquid had been running from the machine. The glow had gone from it, but it couldn¡¯t be anything good. Bucky turned to me, a shameful look on his face, but he heeded my call and began moving away from the pod.


    He made it three steps toward me before flopping over onto his side.


    ¡°Shit!¡± I stepped over to him.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Sally said, still rubbing at her eyes. ¡°I think I¡¯ve gone half blind.¡±


    ¡°Bucky drank something he shouldn¡¯t.¡± I kneeled down beside him and scooped him up into my arms. His eyes had closed, mouth hung open with his tongue lolled out.


    ¡°Is he okay?¡±


    I pressed the side of my head against the dog. Warm, and his heart was still beating. Lungs moved in and out, just as if he was asleep. ¡°He is unconscious, but I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Guilt rolled around inside my stomach. Not even a day and I¡¯d allowed him harm. I didn¡¯t think he could be so thirsty as to want to lap up whatever was coming from the pods. I continued to hold him in my arms as if a firm hug could cure him of whatever I had caused.


    Sally stumbled over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. Her eyes looked red, and she was wincing, but otherwise okay. ¡°May I?¡±


    I nodded and handed him over. The waitress continued to grimace as she laid him on the floor. She performed a few checks before withdrawing a bedsheet from her Inventory. After placing it on the ground beside the dog, she gradually folded it around him to form some kind of sling.


    ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re doing?¡± I asked, mostly because I was at a loss.


    ¡°I volunteered at an animal shelter for a few months,¡± she replied, shooting me a sore glare. ¡°They made me quit because I spent eighty percent of my time there crying.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Makes sense.¡± I nodded, my brow furrowed at Bucky. ¡°That kind of thing can be depressing for an animal lover.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no,¡± she said as she stood, lifting the dog up in the harness. ¡°It¡¯s because the animals were all too cute. One time they had chipmunks.¡± She pouted at me as she put the hoops of the harness over her head.


    Ignoring that random aside, I furrowed my brow at Bucky. ¡°Do you know what¡¯s wrong with him?¡±


    Sally shook her head. ¡°As far as I can tell, he isn¡¯t in any immediate harm. It¡¯s hard to tell if he doesn¡¯t start throwing up, so it¡¯s either something weird or something terrible.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± I rubbed at my forehead. This had always been an inevitability, to some degree. The dog wasn¡¯t as sturdy as the rest of us, and for all the emotional intelligence he had, he was still an animal at the end of the day. ¡°Whatever it was, it came from the STAR pod, so Richard might know something?¡±


    A glance over at the liquid that had leaked out¡­ and it had gone. Evaporated or something. The whole chamber felt colder, as if¡­ I brought up my Map - but any attempt to deduce something was immediately interrupted by a System message.


    [Warning]


    [System anomaly experienced]


    [Local area will be repopulated shortly]


    ¡°Damn it,¡± I said and ground my teeth together. ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    Sally stood with one arm underneath the bundled up dog. ¡°Sounds like good and bad news.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow for her to extrapolate. ¡°More experience and rewards to grind?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but my thinking was different. Cleansed areas might be able to lead us to where the crazy person went¡­ or lead them to where we¡¯ve been. It could also have the same effect once we have to go through everything again.¡±


    I gave her a nod. We had the advantage of having someone who could track and reveal the Map, so anything shown after the ¡®repopulation¡¯ as being cleansed would signal there was another human wandering around. Whether we¡¯d ignore them or not was something I didn¡¯t care to think about right now. There were other puzzle pieces I had joined together.


    ¡°The Map no longer says this is a bunker.¡± I looked over at the door. ¡°My guess is that the previous occupant has broken it beyond repair, which explains the lack of a Guide. The part of the System that deals with structuring the world saw the bunker vanishing as an error of some kind, and so is rewriting the monster¡¯s spawns or something.¡±


    Sally smiled. ¡°A very nuanced take for someone constantly trying to ignore most of the workings of the System. Richard might know, which is why I¡¯m taking Bucky back to base.¡±


    ¡°You say ¡®I¡¯ as if I¡¯m not coming with you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not.¡± She gestured toward the exit. ¡°Babysitting duty is over, Scarlet. You don¡¯t need to follow me around and slow your leveling down. I¡¯ll update you constantly with anything that happens to us.¡±


    I pulled a face and led us back to the stairway out. Part of me agreed entirely with her. I needed to get strong and be selfish with my growth, not only for my own survival, but for us all. The newly formed part of me that wasn¡¯t as keen to dump any new connections with others wanted to make sure they were both okay. Eventually, as we made it into the fresh air of the day, I sighed and made my choice.


    ¡°Fine. Just stay safe and let me know when you get there.¡± I scowled at her as I closed the outer bunker door. ¡°I¡¯m not sure when this ¡®repopulate¡¯ thing is going to happen, but I don¡¯t want either of us stuck in the middle of it.¡±


    ¡°Head south toward the dungeon,¡± she replied, ignoring me. ¡°There¡¯s a quest there that will give you a special kind of skillbook.¡± In seeing my blank expression, she rolled her eyes. ¡°Bernie¡¯s tracking now gives basic details about event locations. Take a look sometime.¡±


    I sighed again, for lack of a better response. It was enough tracking all my own abilities and skills, without being up to date on whatever everyone else had. ¡°Get going then, before the rain hits us.¡±


    Half the sky was darkened clouds now. If my estimations were correct, then we were an hour or two away from actual rainfall. I would want to find shelter as well, if not return to the bunker after doing this quest she had mentioned.


    ¡°Ciao, Scarlet,¡± Sally said, beaming at me as she turned and started off away.


    I stood and watched them; the waitress using her spear like a walking stick as she carried the canine payload on her front like a baby carrier. How strange things had become.


    With a shake of my head, I started off south. Things had been too muddled, and I hadn¡¯t even asked her if she had the time to assign her stats before the bunker had broken. An adjacent thought that led to me considering if intentionally destroying bunkers would be a good way to farm experience and items if the System saw fit to fix the situation by throwing new monsters at it.


    Once again, I was annoyed that Richard didn¡¯t have a way to talk to me directly. Having to stroll back to base for answers to my hundred questions was exhausting and unsustainable long-term. It made him more of a tutorial NPC than an actual Guide for surviving the apocalypse for more than a week.


    If I didn¡¯t turn into a zombie first.


    As soon as the waitress vanished from view over one of the dunes, a message from her pinged through.


    //Sally: I should have put a point in Power!


    //Sally: Bucky is heavy~


    //Scarlet: You went full Guile?


    //Sally: Naturally. Only so I could use the crossbow immediately.


    //Scarlet: Understandable. If we can find more bolts, that would be great.


    //Sally: I trust in the STAR to provide!


    I wanted to ask her to see if she could prompt Doris into joining the STAR, but with the sick dog, that might be too much to put on her right now. One thing at a time, although I was sure the diner owner would be getting sick of sitting around with only Bernie for company. She didn¡¯t seem like the sort who liked being idle.


    The Map came up so that I could see where exactly I was going. Slightly more to the west and further south. A question-mark on the map signaled there was a Quest there, something that now needed capitalization as they were an actual thing for me to deal with occasionally. Being referred to as players by the System made a little more sense with how much of a game it sounded at times. If the city wasn''t such a danger zone, I could imagine it being even more like a RPG with how dense monsters and challenges could be.


    I focused on the event to bring up more details and immediately regretted it.


    The reward looked fine, sure.


    [Affinity Skillbook]


    [Grants a skill related to your Class or Stat distribution]


    Not only was that as specifically beneficial as a reward could get, but the Quest also gave a decent amount of gold and three random types of chest. There was no indication of what the Quest actually was or what I¡¯d need to do to get the reward, but that wasn¡¯t what had set my nerves off.


    It was because the Quest location was in a tavern.


    //Scarlet: I don¡¯t suppose you know what Affinity relates to?


    //Sally: Did Richard intentionally train you wrong, as a joke?


    //Sally: Just kidding.


    //Sally: He hasn¡¯t mentioned it to me - I¡¯ll ask him when I¡¯m back.


    Part of me felt like everything I knew about the System was just a drop in the ocean. Of course, we as ¡®players¡¯ were hacking, in some manner. From my understanding, the STAR that Richard had brought here has replaced the usual way the System dealt with giving out power to us. It was the only way that made sense if we were to actually defeat the aliens rather than just become part of their collection.


    That just brought up more questions. Like how we were supposed to get by before. Would there be a chance of dying like with the STAR? Maybe the cockroach System had a more defined way of leveling to keep us within certain thresholds. Now we were wild and free to get power differently, with a little guidance from the STAR. All straws I was grasping at and wild guesses on my part. At the end of the day, a slim chance was better than none.


    But it did help me decide on one thing - I needed to learn more about the System and how to exploit it. Ignoring the fine details had been fine to a degree, but I was starting to understand that certain things were tilted in our favor. We just had to be vigilant and accept what came our way.


    My options were few and far between, anyway. Back on my own again. I should probably stop and eat, but I didn¡¯t have the stomach for it. I was left with the sour feeling over what had happened to Bucky, and how much I should blame myself for it. Also paranoid about the idiot roaming around and killing people, thinking this was the rapture or something.


    As if I didn¡¯t have enough to worry about, with the zombie curse and a bounty on my head.


    With the dark clouds rolling overhead, I sighed and continued towards the tavern.


    Things would surely go well there.