Saying Elias was enraged would be an understatement.
Everything he wanted to say dried up at that moment, and he could do nothing but watch as the woman who tormented him disappeared to gods knows where. He had half the mind to free his teammate and his sister, yet, he was too afraid to risk it and incur the woman’s wrath.
Too afraid, as usual.
He took a deep breath and sighed, glancing towards the tower door with unbidden hesitation.
After all, he was so, so used to hiding. Even in this apocalypse, all he could do was hide behind his stronger teammate and sister, hide behind his anger.
He was afraid of everything else.
“Dammit!”
Elias kicked a stray pebble on the ground, launching it towards one of the two kobolds standing in the tower. As it hit the creature, both creatures started to move, and they raised their weapons high, before glaring and dashing towards him.
He stumbled back, almost falling from shock.
The two creatures held a crude spiked bat and a crude sword and shield, respectively. Both looked rabid with anger, and the only thing that saved Elias was his survival instinct. He raised a trembling hand, focused on the two kobolds, and gathered his energy.
[Backdoor: Freeze]
The two creatures struggled, frozen in their tracks and barely able to move, yet they were still glaring at him with wild anger.
“Dammit, that bitch said the battle will only start when I step through the door!” Elias shouted, almost forgetting that he was alone in desperation to get away from his pursuers. As he stumbled back, and saw the creatures were trying to break free, he was reminded that this was his battle, and he focused on the kobold wielding a blade and shield.
[Backdoor: Neuron Manipulation]
A bright, glowing red criss-crossing grid appear on the kobold’s skin, then its hostility evaporated, replaced with empty eyes. With a thought, Elias ordered the creature to turn around and fight the other one.
It was such a simple order, yet it was enough to make his body tremble. Through the agony, he bit on his lower lip, an attempt to remind himself to keep standing. The kobold’s movements looked stiff and unnatural, like a puppet with no joints being yanked to simulate each movement.
Even something as simple as making the kobold raise its sword was a monumental task, his knees threatening to buckle at any moment.
The kobold brought down its own blade onto the other one, only for its clumsy strike to be parried with ease. He could feel the sharp clang and resulting vibration in his body, and it was enough to make him dizzy.
“Heh…”
With that momentary lapse of concentration, his control was shattered.
“So I really can’t amount to anything, after all…”
[Backdoor: Lag Induction]
He lifted his hand, wincing from the sheer strain of doing such a simple motion. Grey patterns appeared on the blade-wielding kobold, and its movements slowed as the patterns spread out.
Yet, it didn’t stop. He was barely able to lift a finger.
He smiled despite his situation, and with that, he fell on his knees from the strain, no longer even able to stand, let alone defend himself.
Then, the distinct echo of a fingersnap could be heard throughout the area.
“Was that enough?” Alice asked, with Izabel standing next to her. “Know your own abilities. There is no leader or whatever you think your teammates are, and if you keep that up, I guarantee you will not survive.”
Elias looked at the source of the voice, his eyes still reflecting rage. But now, there was a mix of sadness to him.
“I am not expecting you to change overnight, or even listen to me, for that matter,” Alice cut in before he could say any retort, “However, if you want to last more than a couple hours, you will listen to me. Otherwise, your fate is out of my hands.”
He gritted his teeth, but said nothing.
“If you get it, I’ll get your teammates back,”
Alice sent a mental order to Vuer, and with that, the two she took as hostage were released.
Not expecting the sudden release, they almost fell to the ground. Nathaniel rubbed his wrists, sore from the sudden restraining, and asked.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“Are we… free to go?” He asked.
“Yeah, you are,” Vuer nodded, “Alice is finished with your leader. Just head straight ahead and you should find the tower. The area is pretty straightforward, after all.”
“Elias…” Elizabeth muttered, then, a dark purple aura enveloped her limbs, before she dashed towards the direction of the tower.
“Elizabeth, wait…! Ah, dammit,” Nathaniel clicked his tongue, then dashed after her.
—
The dark, dingy room they were hiding in was illuminated with greenish light, the faint glow barely peeking from the corner of the window. After a brief period of rest, Elliot looked much better, his wounds have all closed and his skin no longer pale. With each passing second of his light touching Lucian’s wounds, the latter’s wounds knitted close and his fatigue melted away.
There was no way to measure time in this current situation, however, from the looks of it, they have stayed for a few hours.
After all his wounds were closed, Lucian looked outside by peeking out of the window. The creatures that were once chasing them seemed to have given up, and now the streets were mostly empty, save for the mutated creatures that were roaming about.
Just… where did they come from?
Lucian stopped peeking and sat on the floor, not eager to give their position away, in case they missed the enemy’s presence.
However, the creatures were all but omnipresent, and though the two of them have killed what must be hundreds on their way here, there was no sign of their numbers decreasing, not even around this area.
“Hey, Lucian? What are you thinking about?”
Elliot’s question was enough to snap him out of his own thoughts. He smiled at his companion, then stood up and patted his clothes, getting rid of as much dirt as he could.
“It’s nothing. Shall we hitch a ride again, then? It’s still a long way to the tower, and we need to tell Valerie about that.”
“… Ah, right. Let’s not worry about it for now, we still need to keep our wits about us.”
With a nod, Lucian opened the door, setting out towards the familiar ruined city. Everywhere they looked, there were corpses. Some mutated animals, some humans, and some even unrecognizable. The stench hung heavy in the air, the black, transparent miasma flowing around the area making the place feel even more terrifying. In the distance, they saw a few of the transport units still moving, despite how everything else seemed to have stopped.
It was a wonder the transportation systems were still functional enough to even move. Though the systems linked to them were damaged, and the mist has rusted some parts of them, the rectangular units that were once one of the main transportation method throughout the world still moved, their creaking fading into background noise along with everything else.
“Come on, Elliot. In this situation, it’s best to count our blessings. We still have to take this to Alice, anyway,” Lucian said, his fingers palming the object hidden underneath his clothing.
With that, the two nodded at each other, then dashed out of the room.
--
“Good, you two are safe, I guess.”
There was the usual haughty tone in Elias’ word, yet, there was the distinct feel of the edge being dulled a bit, most likely through exhaustion. For a moment, his expression looked relieved, though the haughty mask came back as soon as one could perceive the crack.
“I have been waiting for you both,” he continued.
“Elias, are you okay?” Nathaniel was the first to express concern, while Elizabeth was silent. She looked at Elias for a moment, and then nodded, no trace of emotions in her expression.
“If you two can be concerned, let’s continue the challenge,” Elias said, “We still have a long way to go.”
“There is no need to exhaust yourself, Elias,” Nathaniel shook his head, “We can rest first, there’s no time limit to this. Besides…”
On second thoughts, Nathaniel decided to stay silent. He only nodded, to signal without words that he would go with what Elias wanted.
After a moment of deliberation, Elias said, “Alright. Let’s rest here,”
Seeing there was no more problems, Alice opened another portal. Her connection has detected that Izabel was lurking not too far away from them, and there she was, standing still while letting a few summoned monsters hit her over and over. Alice watched her let them hit a few more times, before dispatching the monsters with a swift slash on their necks.
“This is a pretty good armor. Though it’ll most likely dent with enough force, it can be of use,” Izabel said as she waved her blade one more time, spraying blood onto the grassy ground. Within moments, the droplets were absorbed, leaving nothing behind.
“Asked that dragon to conjure something. I got bored watching those three,” Izabel said.
“No worries. I’m practically stuck here, I do have to find some form of entertainment that isn’t related to tower maintenance,” Alice shrugged, “That aside, though, good to hear that it can aid you, at least.”
“I made a promise to Lucian and Elliot to gather here, so I hope you don’t me crashing here for a little bit longer,” Izabel added.
“Eh, there’s plenty of room. I can use the company, anyway.”
“I owe you a favor, then,” Izabel replied.
“If you think so, train more. It helps me. If you need anything, just call Vuer, and I’ll be there in a minute. I have to give their rewards first.”
—
The sight of the empty, static sky felt heavy, like the world itself was weeping at its own state of being. Everything that was once bright and lively, the utopia that vanished from their grasp just a few days ago were now a shell of their former self. Broken glass, cracked metal, and mist covered the area.
Ever since receiving the system, one thing was clear, the humans now possess a sort of enhanced body. Their bodies felt lighter, feats once considered superhuman was now easier to perform. It a way, perhaps it was a blessing, and it made it easier for the survivors to escape and fight the monsters that had flooded the place.
Everywhere one looks, there would be a mutated monster roaming the area, from rodents to massive predators made even more terrifying by the effects of the apocalypse. Sometimes, amidst the stilled sky, birds circle overhead in search for prey, carrying even the biggest land-bound animals many times their size before fading on the horizon.
“Now, Elliot!”
On the count of three, the two jumped from one transport unit to another. They landed on the roof, before slipping in through the broken windows.
“If I have something that affects a wide area, we might get stronger real easy,” Lucian mumbled, as he watched the situation below through the window.
“Maybe we can ask Valerie or Izabel for that later,” Elliot answered.
“Yeah, for now, we have to get this done first,”
“But, Lucian, about him, the one you’re looking for…”
“Yeah, I know, but there’s news to deliver for now. I can’t lose anyone else. There is also the matter of this thing…”
Lucian took out a small sphere from his pocket. It glowed in white-gold spectrum of colors, its core forming a miniature flame that shifts with the slightest changes of perspective. The orb felt cold to the touch, almost like unmelting ice, but with the texture similar to blown glass.
As he stared at it too long, a notification appeared in front of him, as if trying to answer his questions.
[Khaom Mind Storage]
[A storage unit produced by the Library of Khaom. Its properties are unknown]
“I have no idea whether this is a trap or not, but that tower gave us a lot of spirit stones for this task,” Lucian continued.
“I mean, she didn’t exactly tell us to not warn Alice, so we can just tell her to be careful when we gave it to her— that aside, Lucian, did you notice that thing above?”
It was almost imperceptible, thanks to the darkness that permeated the place. However, there was a massive shadow on the ground. Above them, an eagle soared overhead, its wingspan enveloping a few meters area. Though it was massive, the animal seemed to have sustained a wound in a previous fight, as a hole was torn on its side, dripping clearish liquid.
[Corrupted Haast]
[Rank: E]
“Elliot!”
“Got it!”
Elliot held onto the surface of the transport unit and closed his eyes.
[Ephemeral Restoration]
[Allows a designated object to function as closely as it was when it was made for a limited time.]
A greenish glow enveloped the place, and then, as it faded, the unit started to shake less. Meanwhile, Lucian was standing on top of the unit, heat gathering all around his palms before materializing into a couple of fireballs.
[Bullet Flame]
[Upon usage of this skill, user creates two to five fireballs that can be launched at high speeds towards designated enemies. Each bullet has a low power to compensate for a shorter casting time]
At his command, the fireballs launched towards the mutated bird’s wings. It let out an enraged screech, the scent of burning feathers permeating the air, then it looked at Lucian, its eyes a seemingly endless void.
Lucian concentrated again as the bird started to swoop down, and this time, four fireballs appeared at the same time.
[Bullet Flame]
He made a shooting motion with his fingers, and the fireballs launched towards the bird one by one, four hitting its wings, while the last one hit it point blank on its beak. Thrown off-course; the bird grazed the transport unit with its body, shaking it and creating a massive gash on its side. It shook for a few more moments, before green light enveloped it.
[Ephemeral Restoration]
Another activation of the skill, and the unit stabilized. Lucian took a deep breath, ordering the energy swirling in his body to gather forth and materialize. A pair of massive fireballs, twice as big as his head, appeared on his palms, and he aimed the projectiles just as the bird started to fly upwards once again.
[Twin Bomb]
He made a throwing motion, and with that, a massive explosion shook the area around them.