Death did not discriminate. The first time Steven heard the term ‘the great equalizer,’ it stuck with him.

Old, young, rich, poor…good or evil. Death still came for you.

Terrifying.

But despite the upheaval the System had brought, Steven had been sheltered from the grizzliest aspects of it. He’d fought for his life and others, but he hadn’t been forced to see- to see…

“Christ.” Lilly ran a hand over her face.

Steven stared at the bodies. They’d been left in the hall, scattered and broken without any respect.

The closest to Steven, a middle-aged woman with light brown hair, had her throat torn. Bits of green and blue paint mixed with the gore. More of that paint was splattered around. There were burns on some of the bodies and broken bones on others.

And the smell. Blood, burned flesh, and a sharp chemical stink.

“Teleporting around.“ Micheal said, his voice hollow.

“Anyone in the mall can have an entire group bearing down on them without warning. It doesn’t even look like they had a chance.“

Steven felt… Steven felt.

Steven knelt beside the woman and closed her eyes. Lilly did the same for those next to her.

Grief, revulsion. Guilt. Maybe if he had been faster-

That line of thought hurt, and Steven reacted how he always had.

Numbness started to creep over him. Rising from his stomach and creeping toward his heart.

His hands started to shake as he considered the woman before him. What had she come here to do today? Did she have a family? Why hadn’t she run? Was she trying to help?

He pushed back against the numbness, pulling up every scrap of emotion he could get his hands on.

He latched on to something. It wasn’t good. But it was better than apathy.

Rage.

These people had come here to dominate. They didn’t have to do it. The System wasn’t twisting their arm.

If they stayed home, they’d have food, water, and power. They could try to wait this thing out.

But that wasn’t enough for them.

His fist shook hard as he rose. “We need to move. He was shocked at how calm his own voice sounded.

So was Micheal, as the man shot him a worried look.

Lilly nodded, casting her eyes back to the bodies one last time. “Rest easy, you unlucky bastards. Hopefully, you’ll end up somewhere better.“

As they ran down the hall, Micheal stared at Lilly. “Do you believe in an afterlife?“

She shook her head, her eyes hard. “No. I did say hopefully.”

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~<>~<>~

To Corrie, fights were wonderful puzzles. The components were your fighters, the puzzle-- how to make the other side dead. And the Classes at hand her solution.

The others didn’t think of it that way. Maybe it was her advantage of perspective.

Most people couldn’t step back in the middle of a fight to watch as things progressed. Corrie could and did whenever she felt like it.

She found it much easier to solve a puzzle when the pieces weren’t trying to kill you.

Well, they were trying. But if they couldn’t find you, trying was all they could do.

The others might not see it like a puzzle, but they still understood, in their own way.

The thrill.

That feeling of elation as you put your mind and body against someone else.

When they held nothing back, and you still came out ahead.

Add in the rush of levels, of her power growing? The System’s arrival was the best thing that ever happened to her.

She figured it wouldn’t stay like this forever. Eventually, things would iron out, and order would be restored. That was fine. By the time that happened, she would be strong enough to live a life of luxury.

In a way, everything she was doing now was build up to that point. She was lucky enough for the buildup to be fun.

She glanced at a portal and saw a trio running down the hall.

On the left was a man around average height with dark brown hair, brown eyes, And a squarish jaw. He looked dull, and so did his Skills.

She’d seen him summon a shield about the size of his fist and move it around. Useful, but nothing crazy.

To his right was a striking Asian woman with long black hair and an absurd fur coat.

Corrie placed the guy around early college age and the woman seven or eight years past that. Late 20s, early 30s at the oldest.

She hadn’t figured out her Skills yet, which made the woman dangerous.

And lastly, there was a shorter man with red hair and bright blue eyes. He was around the same age as the other man, and his Skills were also unknowns.

She hadn’t seen him do anything at all. The woman she’d seen block Idiot's fire. She just wasn’t sure how her ability worked.

The man, though, was a blank slate. Dangerous.

Corrie glanced down, her eyes tracing her Skill boxes. In the bottom left of her vision sat a black box filled with a rippling portal, smaller portals shifting from it like bubbles in the wind.

Portal Ahead

Epic

Effect: Place temporary portals in places you’ve touched. Portals will remain for 12 hours.

Cooldown-

Corrie closed the screen. She still had some reserves, but she’d spent most of her charges getting them ready for today. That was fine. The long recharge time for portals didn’t matter if she could set up as many as needed.

She glanced at a section of wall. The dozen portals, each the size of her thumb and pinky put together, had only taken a single charge. The advantage of going so small. Well, that and having an Epic Augment.

She glanced to another portal in time to see the old woman reunite with her dogs.

She frowned. That one was going to be trouble. Even separated, the two women had been able to fend her and Carl off and even get a few licks of their own in.

Her phone dinged and she gave it a quick glance.

“What’s taking so long? I’m about to just go in there!”

She sighed, a knot of worry forming in her gut. Raph was about out of patience. The bastard would hog all the fun and experience if she let him.

If any of the others had his attitude, she’d have done something about it by now, but being unstoppable came with perks.

She’d send him to deal with the old woman and the dogs, while they took care of the others.

Hopefully, they’d give him a good enough fight to satisfy him, and they could have fun with the others.

Corrie cracked her neck. It was time to get the pieces moving.

And if things got a little dicey? Well, she’d step back and reevaluate the puzzle.