Soul Essence poured into Hiro as he killed a monster that scurried about like a rat, a beast with human arms and hands growing out of its grizzled back. These hands held shields that allowed it to block several of Hiro’s strikes until he was finally able to stagger it.
Level up!
You have new followers!
Hiro saw the building he had been thinking about just ahead. This particular Billionaire’s Row skyscraper rose eighty stories above 57th Street. He couldn’t remember its name, but he always thought it looked like a thin pencil rising above the city skyline.
The glass in front was all broken out now, allowing Hiro to step inside for a brief moment to check his phone:
02:07:41:56
02:07:41:55
02:07:41:54
Text appeared, the letters populating quickly.
How does it know? Hiro cast this thought away and focused instead on how many Survivors, beasts, and Hunters were left. The information appeared before him.
Followers: 2,369
City Survivors: 845,986
World Survivors: 377,812,334
Beast Death Count: 134/791
Hunter Death Count: 28/89
At least New York is fighting back, but the Hunters that are left are probably stronger.
Another thought came to him as he examined the numbers:
Maybe I should ask Valeria if she wants to hunt them together. The Twin Bunnies, for sure. Or I can check in with Juan and Marcello. Banding together with others would allow us to clear out Hunters and any beasts along the way. Maybe a Sentry, too. And perhaps the lady in the yellow raincoat, that bitch.
Hiro had a {Beacon}set for both of their general regions. He didn’t know how much the other Survivor would move around, but Bryant Park seemed like a great hunting ground for the Twin Bunnies.
He remembered his dad’s words as he stared at his phone screen, a habit he couldn’t shake— even ten months without wireless internet. Ask the right questions.
“Companion, do Hunters patrol the same area like Sentries seem to do?”
“But not all?”
“What happens if I kill a Hunter alongside another person? I mean, if I team-up. Do I receive the same amount of Soul Essence? So far, it has been a one-to-one ratio.”
“So maybe I could team up to take on the tougher ones, and kill the rest myself?” Hiro stifled a yawn.
It’s likely from the rage. As much as Hiro wanted to go back out there and fuck some monsters up, he also felt like he could use some rest. And he knew the perfect place to do it.
Or, he assumed it would be the perfect place.
After his phone was away, Hiro started up the nearest stairwell. These buildings generally operated in layers, with the uppermost ones hard to access. The one he ultimately chose had retail and office spaces on the lower levels, which would allow him to move higher into the air until he could reach a lower floor rooftop.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Hiro remained on edge as he crept up the stairs, yet nothing ever sprung out at him.
He reached the twentieth floor with ease, his stamina holding true. “Dang,” he said, not even slightly out of breath. Had he climbed twenty floors even a week ago, he would have been winded.
“Let’s keep going.” Hiro moved higher until he reached the stair’s stopping point.
He shouldered out into a darkened and drew his katana, where he crept toward a restaurant with a terrace. It had been looted, glass and dishware scattered about. He briefly checked the kitchen, but didn’t find anything useful.
Cool air came from the terrace and he followed it until he stood high above Manhattan, with a view of downtown.
After scanning the sky for any flying beasts, Hiro bounced to another building, which he used to go higher and higher, until he was certain that he’d be able to reach a balcony on one of the top floors of the tower. It would be quite the drop if he missed, but he knew better than to doubt himself at this point.
Hiro took a deep breath in, focused on the glassed-in terrace about ten stories above and went for it.
Boing!
He landed on the terrace, Hiro just barely clearing the glass barrier. He pressed both hands down to stabilize himself and let the fear and tension pass. “Whew!”
I can’t believe I made it…
Hiro was at least eighty stories above Midtown. All that separated him from a place to rest and some potential loot was a thick pain of glass. He tried the handle first and found it to be locked.
Of course, it’s locked.
Hiro got out the tool he used to pick locks and after a bit of work, he was able to pop the door open. This was good. His next option would have been to try to use his Buster Kunai to break through the glass, which may have proven difficult.
Hiro stepped inside to find the penthouse apartment entirely untouched.
“Whoa.”
An open concept living room, mauve custom-made leather couches, high-end fixtures, and sweeping views of Central Park were just a few of the things he noticed upon entry.
There were numerous seating areas in the massive apartment, an office, a room large enough to have a banquet, five bathrooms, four bedrooms, a gym with an attached massage room, and a fancy wine cellar. There wasn’t a bad food smell either, which he would soon learn came from the fact that there was no food in the detached chef’s kitchen.
“Jesus,” Hiro whispered after checking the wine cellar and finding it full of bottles. “This place is loaded.” He didn’t need to whisper, but the massive, empty home made his skin prickle.
It would be very easy to ambush someone in a space of this size…
With this in mind, Hiro grabbed a wine bottle that looked old, found an opener in the kitchen, a wine glass, and headed to the master bedroom.
Minimally furnished in all white linens, the master bedroom faced Central Park and had its own private balcony. Hiro shut the door and moved the single dresser in front of it to serve as a barricade.
“I should cast {Sacra Limina},” he said as his phone buzzed. “How do I…?”
Simply thinking about the barrier caused a red glow to spread outward from the center of his forehead. It coated the bedroom and the bathroom, everything now with a slight, burgundy hue to it.
“I guess that does it.” Hiro set his backpack and the wine bottle on the bed and stepped into the bathroom. “Dang. I always wanted a bathroom like this.”
His voice echoed in the space as he moved to a large clawed tub that also provided a view of Central Park. Hiro tried to get in the tub but was prevented by his katana. He removed it, placed his mask on the counter, and got in.
“What would it be like?” he asked as he took in the view from the tub. For some reason, he imagined jerking off in a place like this overlooking the park. “Someone has to have done it.”
A rare smirk formed on his face and his phone buzzed again.
“What?”
He almost told his Companion no. Hiro would have preferred just resting in the empty tub for a bit and later having a glass of wine. Instead, he mumbled a positive answer.
“Hold on. Do all Survivors have teddy bears? I keep meaning to ask people that, but it sounds fucking weird to say out loud.”
Hiro stared at the text for a moment. “Fine.”
He returned to the bedroom, zipped open his backpack, and was presented with information the moment he touched the bear, information that hadn’t appeared before.
Legendary Item: Chronokuma
Grade: S
Description: Squeeze the teddy bear to be to travel back to the week immediately before the Doom System first appeared. While you are there, you will be vulnerable here. See your Companion for more information.
“What the hell?” Hiro asked as he noted that the description wasn’t as crazy as the one for {Sacra Limina}. “A time-traveling teddy bear?”
“How do I use it?” he asked as he examined the teddy bear.
“So you’re saying squeeze the bear and get a real bath?” Hiro considered this as he looked back to the tub.
“I’m going to need a glass of wine first.”