Unknown, fear of the unknown poisoned my mind, beneath me that thing is waiting for me in the dark, I was standing facing the back wall with the crystal lighting the room, as I was looking at what used to be a hole, I was holding my mace ready for that monstrous thing to Burrow up or break the floor, there was nothing, only the sounds of my aura, the rain, and the storm outside, that's all that could be heard in the room.

My mind raced, and my breathing increased, I was huffing and puffing. What the hell was I going to do?

My knees were shaking, I was panicking, and my aura started to fill-up with energy, I could feel and see the lightning sparks move all over my body.

Somehow I found the strength to calm, I took a deep breath used my instinctive ability to control my own aura and calmed myself, easy, slowly, my aura calmed, fewer sparks were released and kept playing on my skin, I ignored that little detail and considered avoiding another seizure a full success.

I had questions on my mind.

'What was that monstrous thing in the dark?', 'Why is it there with the bones, chains, shackles?' and 'can it dig-up?' the most important question was 'what to do next?'.

The idea of that thing in here with me germinated in my mind, my imagination was running wild, I only glimpsed its eyes. It was as if the abyss looked back at me.

I forced down a wave of panic, and pushed away the momentary impulse to dash outside.

This is not the time for fear, it's time to Focus, Focus on not dying.

'What to do next?'. How can I get out of this untenable position.

"If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging." that's fucking wisdom, I should have stopped, that thing knows am up here.

What could I do about it?, I considered Bashing my head in with a rock until I Forget that thing's existence, no that won't help.

I stood there for a few seconds, thinking hard. I had to assume I had only a day or, worse, few hours left.

Will I keep standing my ground, hold up in here do a last stand, no fuck that, am not fighting the last stand in a cave, time to start running away, escaping death is two thirds bravery?

I just need to figure out how to escape safely, that thing is underneath me, and whatever was that attacked me in my room was, it could have more friends. I looked at the left corner, the barrel was still in its place, a dark reminder.

I need to go out, there must be a safe place from these things, a refuge, a city, yes a city full of people, that idea gave me hope.

Now, I just need to figure out how to go there alive. If the trip is too long, and I could not find a safe place, a refuge, how could I sleep in the open?. I could imagine my self getting surrounded and killed. Horrifying images populated my mind.

The last time I slept exposed, I was visited by that shaft-less freak.

My mana fueled body could get tired, but that was mostly in my mind. My brain obviously still needed sleep, naps, dreams and slumber. But my body didn't, if it was mana filled, I never seemed to run out of energy.

Yes that's it, if I have all the mana I need the limiting factor, the inhibitor, the catalyst, will be my mind.

I spent some time pacing and thinking, There wasn’t much else, how to do it?, what to take with me?, I need to move fast.

And, save as many assets as I can, yet no mater what I take, it's going to get heavy after a few miles of road.

Am not going to run around in a forest and the rain, with a bag on my back like 14-year-old Santa.

Should I only take the silver, gold, cores, food, and leave everything in a stone vault, and I can come back for my stuff, someday.

I had a wide open slate. With mana, wards and my mind controlling the process, I can finish building the ‘shell’ an outer layer of any structure in probably any shape I wanted in a short time, the room am in is a good example.

I looked at all the aluminum I could use like clay to fabricate anything,

I licked my lips. As I looked at my resources, What could I build in a few hours that would save my life?. As I was pacing back and fort, I started to get ideas, slowly a plan began to form in my mind.

I started to get ready.

I holstered the shotgun on the left-side of my hip, and a kukri blade on the other side, and picked up the mace with my right-hand.

My aura was almost empty, I needed to be at my full strength, I have seven cores, one is in the condenser, the others, were on my crafting table, I picked one and started drawing energy from it, the mana entered my aura, the feeling of satisfaction, of power. It was addictive.

I placed three cores on me, they should give me power if I find my self in need. Hopefully I won't, hopefully.

Focusing my aura on the bracelet I pushed mana into in, and used it to free the door from the walls holding it as a precaution from the rain flooding my room. I was really uncomfortable opening the door, it wasn't just a door, it was my shield, my protector.

I unlocked the latches, one by one all four were unlocked.

As I opened it the door hinges made a loud noise, the wind hit my face, and My heart leapt the gate is open, am vulnerable, but I stopped myself from backing up. I can't be any more ready than this, I looked at the dark forest, at the rain, and wondered what things could be lurking in the forest shadows?, in those leafy, shaded spaces.

My resolve was weakening. Before I lost it all, I stepped out. Into the rain I went, my feet hit the muddy forest soil,

looking around me, my mace aimed at the same direction of my sight, I couldn't see any monstrosity, yet. Maybe it's my paranoia or maybe not, but I could feel I was being watched, Something was out there. And it was watching me.

At first, I moved slowly, and then I scampered to the wagon.

It was still in its place undisturbed just wet, no claw marks, on blood just a wagon, camouflaged with branches, I didn't have the time to clear the branches camouflaging it, I went directly for the driving seat, cleared it and hopped in.

I gripped the steering wheel, my aura was full and ready, I pushed my mana into the steering wheel, as I pushed mana into the driving wheel the wagon came to life, I started driving it backed-up to the entrance, as soon as I had it parked at the entrance.

I jumped out my aura was one fifth empty, I puled more mana from two cores and used my bracelet to shape the hillside into a half of a cylinder cut longitudinally, a Semi-cylinder. 7 meters from the hill all the way to the front of the wagon. The Semi-cylinder was 6 meters in radius, so that would be 3 meters in height above me. I sealed the end. This way I can get more space to work. And be safe from anything jumping me when am distracted.

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I didn't trust the walls to hold anything back, am a paranoid man always was, and right-now I was a bit more spooked and paranoid, discovering a mass grave underneath me didn't help.

My idea was using the wagon to escape, find safety, the wagon is fast, faster than me with supplies on my back.

The problem with the wagon was security, it was exposed, opened, and inviting. Yeah, inviting, that's the word of the night. Inviting, time to fix that.

In the darkness I lit-up the crystal and jumped up the wagon and entered my room placed my mace on the table, went back to the entrance and started to pulled all the camouflage into the room and placed it in the back of the room.

If I am going to do this I need to take off the wood parts the wagon has a metallic frame, the wood is unnecessary, I will replace it with aluminum, it's better defense and won't burn or break easily.

I started to cut and break the wood with my Kukri blade until only the frame remained.

The wagon looked like a rectangle with wheels and a driving set with a driving wheel that turned the front wheels mechanically, next to the driving wheel there was a small box the size of a car battery, that was the engine, inside it were the wards, sigills it was where the magic happened, I called it the control box, it takes the mana from six cores and the Command to run from the driver and executes it fallowing the instruction that are the plates inside it. The frame was also warded. To work with the control box.

Now I need to use the aluminum I have already collected.

I will be using the bracelet and my aura to reshape the aluminum fast, it will eat more mana but, I don't have the time to do it in any other way.

Using the bracelet and my aura to reshape the aluminum, the kitchen was the first to get disassembled, I used it to make a layer of aluminum to shield the frame, this should keep it and its wards safe.

I shielded the control box to keep it safe, it's the engine, without it the wagon won't move.

Next, I used the crafting table and the door to make what I call the box or brick. Not sure yet.

The box was a big box on top of the wagon frame, it had a big square opening in the back and two small windows to the sides and a long thin window on the front, I focused my aura and mana on the frame and welded the aluminum box to the frame.

I added a door, a small square door with two door latches.

I had to stop working, focusing too much gave me a headache.

I almost died from the headache, I will never complain about hemorrhoid's ever again, ever. I could damage myself if I keep this up. Luckily, my work with the bracelet was done.

I looked at my project, it looked like an aluminum brick. Fuck it, as long as it works, it works.

wagon [https://preview.redd.it/ypq3g29lxoda1.png?width=2798&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=4594ef27d2b55530910761469b5bc2a2237f67a4]

The box of aluminum had hardening wards on the inside of it, and the interior was big, I could sleep in it. Yes, I can use it as a shelter when camping for the night and the interior can be used to work on crafting.

I need a small low table for crafting purposes whilst travelling, and I need to come up with new ways to make it even more deadly.

It needs a good name, I might call it... gypsy battle wagon?.

Technically, it's now a truck, a portable bunker for the shaft-less apocalypse.

Am not sure what to use as the equivalent to truck nuts. And I don't have the time to find out.

I added a light crystal in the front for lighting the rode, I will use the light crystal at its lowest I don't want any unwanted attention, its impossible to go without light, I will use my mana on my eyes, the mana sight and low power light will be good enough for me to see the road.

after affixing the crystal, I started packing.

I had to do the most with what I had. I didn't agonize over what to take and what to leave, I took everything, blankets, food, tools, everything except the barrel in the back of the room, no that one stays.

I relaxed my self and meditated, my body can keep going, yet my mind needs a few moments of peace. I was fully at peace getting ready for more work, and that lasted until I heard a scratching sound. It was a low harsh noise like a carving, cut, or etching. I opened my eyes and looked at the back end of the room.

Oh shit, it's coming from below.

Oh fuck this, I stood and move to the wagon I needed to run, it's coming up for me.

Before I started to run, I stopped and considered how it will fallow me, smell?.

Yes smell, I looked at all the wet wood in the cave room, with a spray of lamp-oil I started a fire in the room back corners. It wasn't just fire, it was mana fire it looked like fire in zero g. adding mana to the oil made the fire burn even the wet wood. This should destroy my smell.

behind me I sealed the doorway to he cave room.

Back into the wagon I closed the wagon door behind me and used an upside down bucket as a seat, took hold of the wagon and with the bracelet I opened the front of the semi-cylinder and went out, into the storm.

As I was traveling I made sure to stay as far away from that cursed village as I could, I went northward to the other side of the river the water was just high enough to reach my knees if I was walking, I wasn't. The wagon crossed the river without a problem, I kept going forward.

Whatever is digging out from the ground could be out by now, I needed distance lots of it.

The wagon accelerated faster and faster as I pushed mana into the wards, the storm was intense, I could barely see, the rain and wind assaulted my eyes as I focused on the mana flow to keep the wagon moving fast.

With all the shaking and bouncing, I didn't worry about the noise I was making attracting anything, the storm was louder than me and my wagon, and this was a good time for me to move fast and gain ground, in a good day the sound of my wagon could attract things, dark horrifying things I don't know what, I only meet three the bear, the freak, and the eyes in the darkness.

Am not sure if I'll survive number four.

After a long and a steady driving, the night was coming to an end, soon sun will be up, I could see it starting to rise, and with its light I noticed the terrain started to shift into tree-covered hills. I only noticed it because of the lightning in the distance, This slowed me I was zigzagging, searching, and finding space for my wagon to pass, I was doing pretty good until the rocky curve.

As I drove faster and faster I didn't notice the elevation of the land changing, suddenly, I went down a slope. A rocky curve.

As I went down, suddenly a shape was in-front of me.

It was as if time stopped, I looked at a face, eyes, surprised eyes, and then.

''ahhh", Boom impact.

I hit it and back to reality. I felt it go under the wheels, and worse, I lost focus and the wagon slowly lost power and stopped.

I was frozen on-top of my bucket, holding the wheel.

I don’t like unexpected surprises, but that's life, she loves to throw me a surprise and expect me to go with it. Reincarnation, magic, manslaughter, why not.

Now I had to deal with the small matter of the accident, looking at the outside world, It was a dark morning, with thunderstorm clouds across the sky. Typical early fucked up day.

The last hard rain was just 20 minutes ago, the forest was muddy, wet, and now bloody.

The point, though, was that visibility was bad. Granted, I’d taken the rocky curve down the hill a bit too fast, but I still had the time to see, whomever it was I’d hit.

Strangely I didn't stay frozen in place.

I took another mana charge for my aura, picked up my lovely mace, and jumped out and into, the wet muddy forest floor, I looked up at the rocky curve, and I went to the front of the wagon.

It was unaffected, a small bit of good news, relatively speaking - the bad news am sure it had been a person rather than an animal. Anyway.

I glanced at the damage. There was blood on the.. The wall?, yeah let's call it a wall, my wagon didn't have a bumper it was just an aluminum wall on wheels.

The blood had a strong red color—more black than red. The sight of blood woke up my paranoia.

I quickly ducked down and glanced under the wagon. This verified that there wasn’t a body jammed underneath, and I confirmed that there wasn’t something on the other side, waiting to gore me.

I looked around quickly. Whatever whomever I hit probably didn't survive, probably it's just a corpse.

Wait, is it just a corpse?, this is a magical world and that was a lot of blood, but What if he was just unconscious and injured? Did he like to use knifes and play stabby time with the driver that run him over.

I needed to verify. I have no loose-ends policy.

An angry, injured aura warrior, or whatever they called them, would not be a good loose-end to have.

The blood formed a slight trail heading off up into the hill, I started walking up the hill road, I went to see what I hit. I hoped I was wrong.

As I reached the top of the rode, I used the light crystal and was horrified to see a man, his skull was cracked like an egg, I... I kill someone.

Fuck, I did ... I killed someone, oh god I did. I just fucking isekai'd someone.

What the hell am I going to do?.

No, nooo, no, am not taking responsibility for this shit. I can just drive away as a fugitive.

No, before I can become a fugitive, they have to be pursuing me. They don’t know about me, I looked at the recently isekai'd man and started planing the cover-up.

No one knows about this unfortunate mishap, I can get away with it, this line of thinking would upgrade it from involuntary to voluntary manslaughter. Yet it's not a crime if they don't find out. And this is the apocalypse, who cares. Shaft-less freaks are running around eating people.

Apocalypse, nope, stop thinking about it, that way lay madness. Focus on the now and present. Okay.

I glanced back the way I’d come. the sun was going up and up and i needed to figure out a solution to this shit.

I needed to think, should I hole up in the wagon?, staying outside seems dangers. Anything could happen, I could get run over by a wagon.