"That's quite interesting," Leyla murmured as she read the Pierce's description.

She retrieved a Common Card as well and handed it to Xavier.

“It looks like we’re farming Cards for one another,” Leyla joked, “This might not be as exceptional as Pierce but I think it fits you well.”

Xavier’s eyes lingered on the Common Card. It had a smooth glossy finish and he saw the image of a young warrior. The warrior’s hands were outstretched and he seemed to be roaring loudly, his face turned towards the sky as if ready to fight whatever opponent the heavens might throw at him. Not much of his face was visible but he looked like he would fight valiantly until his last breath.

Xavier imagined him to be similar to a gorilla beating its chest to exert dominion over others, just a little less hairy. The bulky man was wearing thick armor, its metal breastplate shining brightly. He was holding a large circular shield that had unique symbols etched upon its surface. Both the armor and the shield were battle-worn, proudly displaying the numerous attacks they had survived. After admiring the Card for a second, Xavier read through the description.

Taunt

Common - Level 1(0%)

Spell

Active

Requires Energy to be used

Effect – Enrages the designated targets in range and lures them towards you

–

Range of effect expands alongside Card Level

Duration of Spell extends with Card Level

“That’s pretty decent. It won’t help me directly in battle but taunting monsters and distracting them will help protect everyone else. That should be quite helpful for tonight,” Xavier gave Leyla a thumbs up, who responded with a peace sign, “We have to cover each other, don’t you think?”

The two youngsters teased each other a little until Silvia pulled her son away. She grasped his hands tightly and thrust a Card in his palms, “I wanted to give this to your father at first, but when I saw you…covered in blood…I- I think you need it more, even if I sincerely hope that I’m wrong…”

Silvia tried to contain her emotions and not break into tears right in front of Xavier. She hated that Xavier had been going out to fight with his life on the line. She hated that he sustained injuries and that he was thrown into this merciless world where strength was all that seemed to matter. She loathed herself for being part of the reason why her beloved son was changing…why he was trying to grow stronger so desperately.

He was her little boy, her precious son who she had been trying to slowly prepare him for the difficulties of life. Never in her worst nightmare would she have imagined seeing her kid walk out of the door and not knowing if she would see him again. Everytime he returned covered in blood and innards, her heart would sink a little.

Silvia understood that strength was important against the mutated animals, and monsters. In the past few days, she had paid the cost of survival herself. But she also did not fail to notice that something about Xavier was changing. He embraced the pain caused by integrating Soul Essences into his body and learned to mercilessly slaughter living beings in a matter of days.

Her son had always been a kind and compassionate young man, so seeing him turn into a killing machine was eating away at her. For now, his opponents were the Infected and Goblins. They were terrifying enemies that barbarically reaped the lives of anything that moved. So, she could console her heart knowing that they had a choice to either kill or get killed. But what about the future?

It was a no-brainer that Goblins wouldn’t be their only opponents for long. What if they encountered other survivors…humans? Society as it had been before the apocalypse was now a thing of the past.

Now that Xavier was introduced to the sensation of pain, the benefits of Soul Essences and Cards, and the feeling of killing other living beings…could he kill other humans? Silvia knew her son well enough to understand that Xavier would never harm someone innocent. But what if a human or a group of humans decided to attack the village? Would he…kill them as easily?

Silvia hated herself for thinking about the future that lay far ahead when they had no idea if they would survive the next hour and was having an internal conflict for doubting Xavier and how the events of the future would shape him.

However, she would hate herself even more if one day her son never returned home. Even if Xavier had to kill bad people - humans – Silvia hoped that her son could do it if that ensured his survival. The heart of a mother was selfish that way. Her children meant the world to her so she wasn’t different in that regard.

Her mind would always drift away from the present and worry about the future as each day brought in new challenges and setbacks. At night, she would often stare at the ceiling, wondering how to ensure the safety of her loved ones. The entire world could be reduced to ash for all she cared about as long as that meant her family was away from harm..

Xavier had no idea what was going on in his mother’s mind, but he looked her in the eyes for the first time in a while. She looked tired and a little lost. There were bags under her eyes and fine lines on her forehead.

The way she abruptly pulled him away to give him the card and left the line incomplete told him how worried she was. His mother would seldom be at a loss of words. He had always seen her confident and dominating their house, not like this, shaken and gloomy. He hated seeing her like this. So he reached for his mother’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze while smiling at her.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“I will be fine, and I will make sure that everyone else will be fine as well. If our plan goes south, we will rescue as many as we can and retreat. In the worst case, we will abandon our mission to destroy the Monster Gate and move somewhere else. Abandoning the village doesn’t sound nice, but it's the people that make this place our home, not the bricks and walls, right?” He reassured his mother before taking a look at the Common Card his mother had given him.

Minor Regeneration

Common - Level 1(0%)

Body Enhancement

Passive

No Requirements

Effect – Enhances natural regeneration, stamina regeneration, and energy absorption.

–

Enhancement

Card effect increases with Card Level

Fondation Stars of Vitality, Energy, and Wisdom influence the Card’s potency

“Huh? That Card…is pretty good.”

Xavier didn’t think that such a Card could be of Common quality. Was the effect not as good as he presumed? Xavier felt like linking the Card to his Deck right off the bat. But before rushing into anything he glanced at his father.

“I know what you’re thinking. Just link it to your Deck. Your mother will be a worse problem than any Goblin Warrior, or Infected if you don’t link the Card in front of her,” Mark joked, only to receive a feisty jab from the side that made him wince. Silvia glared daggers at him and Mark fell silent.

Xavier swallowed hard and put both Taunt and Minor Regeneration into his Deck and waited for the messages that ought to appear.

Spell Card has been linked to your Deck. Please prepare for the Influx of Information!

Body Enhancement Card has been linked to your Deck. Please prepare for the Influx of Information!

Streams of information entered his mind. They told him about the changes Minor Regeneration provided and how to assign targets to Taunt. It was pretty simple, yet it required some effort. Using Taunt a few times would be enough to gain some proficiency in wielding the Card. That was not the problem.

“As for Communication Charm, link it to this one and put it into your deck as well. We’ve already collected three Communication Charm Cards. If you have one, I won’t worry that much about you since I can always message you,” Silvia added, retrieving a Communication Charm Card from her Deck.

She put it above the Communication Charm Card in front of Xavier and created a connection between the two. Both Common Cards began to glow and a moment later, a faint sheen connected the two. Xavier quickly retrieved the Card, not daring to disobey his mother. He immediately linked it to his Card Deck.

Summon Card has been linked to your Deck. Please prepare for the Influx of Information!

Xavier now had five Cards in his Deck – a Deck that could only contain ten Cards in total. One was a Card that enhanced him passively, another would be useful for communication whereas the remaining three could be used for fighting. And then there was Glut, who could help him beat the shit out of Monsters. Glut was not a lifeless Card. The Ember Sparrow was much better.

“I think it’s time to leave. We’ve got only three hours left before it gets dark. That means one hour for every step of the plan,” Mark announced, getting up from the chair. He picked up his hunting rifle, threw it around his shoulder, and fastened the longsword to his belt. He was ready to go.

Xavier didn’t have to prepare anything. He was also ready to leave. Only Leyla had to hurry to pick up her bow, get her quivers ready, and follow the father-son duo outside.

Mark and Xavier told Silvia to keep her calm and not to use the Communication Charm too often. It might distract them or attract unwanted attention from monsters when they would be sneaking up on them. After a few hurried ‘take cares’ and ‘byes’, they rushed out of the house. Fighting the monsters of the apocalypse was sometimes much simpler than facing your wife, or mother.

The hunters were already waiting for them outside. Each of them was carrying a large backpack with ammunition, an extra set of clothes, medic kits and other stuff. Xavier didn’t have anything like that. He believed that it would hinder his movements.

All he had to carry was a bunch of weapons, his Classless Deck, and Card Shards. His pockets were big enough to store a bunch of Card Shards. There was no need to carry a pouch or anything like that.

After everybody had gathered, Walter and another hunter leaned over a map of the village. They studied the path they would have to take to push through the remaining parts of the village without moving through the village center. Avoiding the Goblin Community was of utmost importance.

Xavier approached them and pointed at a part of the main street, the cobbled path, and the street behind.

“I cleared most parts in that area already. There were a bunch of Goblins hunting inside the forest, but I didn’t see any more survivors. They could have been hiding though. I guess we will have to make some sounds to attract the attention of the survivors,” He remarked, scratching his chin.

“That will attract the Infected and Goblins in the surroundings,” The other hunter said, only for Walter to look at Xavier with a smile, “Which is exactly what this little guy wants. In fact, everyone here has to fight these monsters, either way. It’s a little bit bothersome but I guess making enough sounds to attract monsters and survivors alike is the most useful.”

“If we encounter too many Goblin Warriors, or Insightful Infected, I can lure them away while you guys deal with the rest. The same tactic can be used if the groups of Goblins and Infected moving toward us are too big. I can split them up easily. I got the right Card to do so.”

Xavier proudly read through the description of his Card – Taunt. It was good enough to lessen the worry of the other hunter.

Nonetheless, the other hunter couldn’t help but look at Xavier a little bit differently. “Are you not scared?”

Walter’s eyebrow rose an inch, while Xavier tilted his head. “Scared? Of course, I am. But I can also tell that if we don’t give our best, we might all die sooner or later. And I do not wish to die just yet. If possible, I want everyone to come back here after the Monster Gate has been destroyed.”

The hunter smiled and nodded, “I will treat you to a beer…no, I will treat you to drink a whole night if..no...after we return with everyone.”

Xavier grinned at the hunter and agreed readily.

He was more than ready to have a good drink, and he was certain that he deserved a nice one once this mess was over.