The rat’s body was enormous, far too large to be naturally grown. Its skin was stretched thin over its frame, lending it an unhealthy look. Its fur was matted, clumping together with dirt. Its eyes, a glowing red that promised suffering, were staring straight at him.
Mana had warped the beast into something more than it had once been, turning a normal sewer rat into a creature capable of murdering a human.
All the lessons he had been given throughout his life about how to avoid monsters and quickly reach safe zones flashed in James’ mind.
They all agreed they should have avoided taking dark, damp alleys while there was a general search for a possible dungeon. Unfortunately, they had been forced there and were now paying the consequences.
Pulling Sally along, James considered their chances. The girl was evidently not in good enough shape to successfully run away from the rat, which was rapidly gaining ground. For a moment, he seriously considered using himself as bait, letting the monster get him so that the girl he had a crush on could live, but common sense immediately reasserted itself.
He couldn’t leave Sally behind, as she’d be doomed. He couldn’t stay still, as he’d surely die. A monster, even a weak one, could still kill a man; given his current condition, he didn’t think he could last long enough to let her get to safety.
That left just one option. Inside James, a fiery determination that he had known was there all his life, rather than flickering and dying down like it should have, blazed into an inferno.
He grit his teeth, grinding them against each other enough that he could hear it. His fists closed tightly, and strength flooded his limbs. James might have been doomed, but at that moment, he decided he wouldn’t go down lightly. He wouldn’t let harm come to Sally and wouldn’t allow this thing to destroy his newfound happiness.
This world is shit. My life is probably going to be shit. But if you stupid bastards think I'll allow you to kill me without even putting up a fight, I’ll show you. I’ll fucking show you how James Summers dies.
As he had his moment of revelation, the rat had finally managed to close the distance. It wasted no time, squeaking angrily and jumping at him with murderous intent.
Sally screamed, throwing herself aside and pulling James away from danger. Its speed was enough that they barely managed to avoid its charge. Instinctively, James grabbed the trashcan nearby and started using its contents as projectiles, slowing down the monster’s charge.
In his left hand, the metal lid served as an improvised shield. Remembering his coach’s words, James dropped into an approximation of a stance and prepared to charge.
“Getting so close to a monster that it attacks you means you are already as good as dead. If you can, you should run away as far as possible. Better if you get to a Guild building and alert them. If, for whatever reason, you can’t, you should try to surprise it. Use everything around you as a weapon, try and stop its movements enough that you can hit it once, and then do so again and again. Just to be clear, this should be the absolute last resort.”
Last resort it is, then. Thank you, Coach Humbly. I’ll never make fun of your potbelly and bald head again if I make it out of here because of you.
A guttural yell came from James’ throat as he ran towards the beast. His heart pounded loud enough that he couldn’t even hear the answering bellow, but he knew he was far too committed now to back away.
The rat made for his legs, attempting to incapacitate him, but he had expected it and turned that weakness into a strength. With a kick that should have, by all rights, landed him a spot on the football team, James’ foot connected with the monster’s head and sent it crashing into the opposite wall.
Knowing he couldn’t lose the initiative now, he advanced on his fallen foe. However much he would have liked for it to be already over, he was all too aware that monsters had much greater durability than normal animals, and so he attacked again.
As the rat picked itself up, James came down upon it with his improvised shield, sending it crashing back down. Then, he started whaling on it.
Desperate strength flooded his limbs as he felt close to victory, and he brought his weapon on its head again, screaming in terror and euphoria.
It took a dozen hits before the rat stopped moving and then a few more until he felt safe enough that it was truly down for the count.
His arm ached in a way that told him he would feel it for a week, and his legs gave out from under him, sending him sprawling back on the hard cement.
“James! NO!”
The blood-chilling shout forced him up. He barely managed to turn before he saw something he was sure would stay with him for the rest of his life.
Another rat, bigger and oilier than the first, had somehow snuck on them and was in the middle of a charge that would surely end James’ life. That is, if Sally hadn’t thrown herself at it, bodily pushing the large dog-sized monster away with a strength he couldn’t believe she possessed.
Unfortunately, the thing righted itself quickly, resuming its attack with a different target.
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James scrambled up, moving more quickly than he ever had. Sally’s scream of pain as the monster clamped down on her foot, its teeth shearing through muscle and bone alike as if they were cardboard.
With a furious yell, the boy tackled it away from Sally, his fists glowing with otherworldly light as he hit it, blood splattering everywhere as his hands and the rat’s head crunched. James raged on, undaunted by the damage he was inflicting on himself, until he was absolutely sure the monster was dead, as bits of its brain stuck to his clothes.
The boy gathered himself, tired beyond words, but somehow pushed on. The fire within him didn’t waver, rather strengthening as he carefully picked up the quietly sobbing Sally in his arms.
He’d save her, even if he had to run all the way to the hospital.
----------------------------------------
Thankfully, that didn’t end up being the case. A group of patrolling Awakeners found them as soon as they got out of the back alleys, immediately bringing them to a nearby clinic, where emergency care was administered.
James felt like he was in a dream as the events of the evening kept repeating themselves in front of his eyes. If only he had been more careful, stronger, faster, they wouldn’t be in the situation they were in.
It wasn’t so much the extent of the injuries that worried James, as that had been taken care of with a simple potion for him, and with a much more expensive Elixir Therapy for Sally. Her foot would take time to fully regrow, and it would cost her enough to pay for her college all over again, but she’d get it back.
No, what he was afraid of was the sheer trauma the girl had been through. She had watched her foot get eaten while still attached to her, all because she had to save him.
“Well, this is all I can do for you two tonight.” The doctor’s voice shook him out of his contemplations, and he managed to smile - brittle as it was - as he thanked him.
“Don’t worry too much about her.” The balding man added “She’ll get through it. She’s a fighter.”
Watching the girl of his dreams get carried off by her parents, James felt only emptiness. Her father had been kind enough to thank him for his help, but also very firm in stating that she’d need time to recover and that they would appreciate him keeping his distance.
James had wanted to put up a fight, but seeing Sally scream in terror, desperate to escape the night's pain and trauma, he was left empty and listless.
Still, he gathered himself up, not wanting to incur more expenses than he already had. As it was, all his day’s bonus had been used up to pay for his treatment, as his hands had been left damaged by the fight. The potion had burned, but it had been a distant feeling.
Now that he was outside, the cold air from the ocean woke him up enough that he was able to notice being followed. Unafraid, James stopped beneath a streetlight, waiting for the person tailing him to reveal themselves.
Finally, someone stepped under the light, the shiny blonde hair, bright green eyes and strong jaw immediately identifying him as Sally’s ex-boyfriend, Callum..
“You seem to be doing pretty well, Summers.”
James just looked at him, waiting for the Awakener to get to the point. Seeing that he wasn’t getting the reaction he wanted, the blonde scoffed “What, the rat got your tongue? I thought you had used Sally as a shield well enough that you were uninjured.”
“You thought wrong. If you people had done your job, this whole thing wouldn’t have happened, Wright.” It took James a moment to realize that it had been his voice that said that.
The older blonde suddenly got into his personal space, bending down slightly so as to bring their eyes to the same level. “Listen up, you little shit. Not only did you get Sally crippled, but now you want to act like it’s my fucking fault? I better not see you sniffing around her anymore, unless you want me to put you in the hospital for good.”
James' fists clenched tightly, anger warring with wisdom. He knew very well that the older boy was just waiting for the opportunity to attack him without consequences. If he fell to the provocation now, no one would be able to gainsay Wright. An Awakener attacking a normal person out in the open, where cameras would record everything, was still too much, even for a band of thugs like the Radiant Guild.
“Coward.” The blonde scoffed, pulling away now that it was apparent James wasn’t about to attack him.
Only when he left did James address the slight pressure in his mind, as if a part of his brain was trying very hard to remind him of something important he had forgotten.
As soon as he concentrated on that, a transparent window popped up in his vision, startling him. "Aargh! What the hell? What the fuck?!”
A bolt of realization then hit him, and his eyes widened like saucers as he took in the window’s contents.
CONGRATULATIONS, AWAKENER!
The light of your soul shone brightly today, and its might was enough to Awaken you! The System is here to guide your path forward as you grow into the best possible version of yourself!
Be ready for joy and strife, Awakener, because the world is now open to you.
It was a message James was painfully familiar with, having read about it everywhere, from classes in high school to the internet and even on the TV.
It was what appeared in front of the few blessed ones that Awakened, becoming the bastions of humanity’s survival and entering the highest class in society.
It was what James wished he'd seen for years, ever since his father had died, and a sense of complete helplessness had overtaken him.
He had begged and prayed to gods he didn’t believe in for the chance to gain agency in a world where only the strongest could decide their future.
It almost felt ridiculous that it would happen now, but a small part of him realized that it was precisely because he had awakened that he had managed to kill the two rats. The Guild members had done little investigating, satisfied with the knowledge that the two rats had been H-ranks from a newly formed dungeon. Now, he knew the truth as to how he had made it.
James took a deep breath and then uttered the word that was impressed upon everyone who had even a passing interest in Awakeners “Status.”
Another window popped up, replacing the welcome message that had shaken him so much.
STATUS WINDOW
Name
James Summers
Age
19
Awakening
1st
Talent
Thakinesis
Title
Level
2
MP
6/10
STR
5
VIT
5
AGI
6
SENSE
4
MIND
7
STAT POINTS
2