I took us on a indirect route to the weed store. I had a vision of growing my own dank. Also, I hadn’t been high in a couple of days and was jonesing for a buzz. I wasn’t an addict. I can stop whenever I feel like it.

Most of the houses we passed were hopelessly destroyed. Thor and Loki sniffed around each house looking for survivors. I realized there was the same issue I found back at my house. There were no bodies.

“Why are there no bodies?” I asked. “Do you guys know.”

“Not really.” Raj answered. “But I think they all became zombies. After the lightning began falling it was chaos. No one knew what to do. Initially, some of the survivors went to the courthouse. The cops were up there. But that didn’t last long. Monsters attacked. They looked like people but were different. They were tall and wiry. Had pointed ears and sharp teeth. They attacked with bows and arrows and javelins. Some of us tried shooting back but that’s when we learned guns were not allowed. Every single person that fired a gun died from a blast of lightning. It even took out people surrounding them. A group of us took off and made our way to the school. But that wasn’t any better. We got attacked by zombies on the way there, some of us got bit and you know the rest.”

“Hmm.” I muttered. “Sounds like elves, or an evil version of elves. But you know, there still aren’t enough bodies around. I have seen, I think, three groups of zombies. The one I killed at the school and two more around town. That’s maybe a hundred. There should be a lot more in town. The sign coming into town says just a little over two thousand.”

Isaac chimed in. “Well, I think the elves took some people. But yeah, a lot of people died.”

While we were talking we arrived at the first store. It didn’t look good. The front of the store was blown out and there were scorch marks all around the building.

“I’m beginning to think everything has been blasted by lightning. It is going to be a pain in the ass to find anything.” I said as I stepped through the broken front door.

“Hello.” I called out. I winced as soon as I did it. I should know better.

I got what I deserved a moment later when a group of mischievous gremlins emerged from the dark corner of the store. Not the cute ones you feed after midnight, but mean ugly ones. They were only about two feet tall but they had a menacing appearance, with gleaming red eyes that glowed ominously in the dim light.

What they lacked in size, they made up for in sheer numbers and ferocity. Their bodies were covered in thick, dark fur and their sharp, needle-like teeth glistened as they snarled and hissed. Their movements were quick and agile, making them unpredictable and difficult to catch.

Several small darts impacted my ice shield. I countered with entangling vines. It was not as effective as it should have been because I cast it on concrete. There wasn’t enough easily available soil to properly cast the spell. But I still managed to catch most of them in the snare. Too bad I was blocking the door. I quickly fell back.

“Loki, ice the door.” I called out. “Thor, stay clear. Raj and Isaac? Get them as they come out.” I prepared another cast of entangling roots as I backpedaled. I caught three of the little gremlins in the radius of the spell. Loki started casting her ice spells and Isaac’s hands lit up with orange fire. Raj pulled out a baseball bat and prepared to whale on the little critters.

We proceeded to fight the gremlins for what felt like forever. Everything was a jumble of noise and light. Thor gave a warning bark. Behind us another group of gremlins were approaching from around the building. We must have found a nest of the little blighters.

I slammed my hands together and poured my mana into casting lightning blast as hard as I could. My intention must of mattered to the spell because arcs of lightning jumped from outstretched fingers to the gremlins and then began to jump from gremlin to gremlin. I wiped out the entire group in one long, blast of lightening. I also dumped almost my entire mana pool to do that.

I knew they weren’t that strong and so I wasn’t too worried about Raj and Isaac. Despite their initial lack of experience, they adapted quickly to the situation, showing courage and determination in the face of the chaotic and unpredictable attackers. I continued to keep the gremlins pinned down until we managed to finish off the pack.

After the fight was over, I hit everyone with druidic healing. I really wanted a group heal. Tagging people one by one felt so slow. I would have to look into it.

“Oh, wow.” Isaac called out. “I leveled up. I’m level two now. I got an increase in intelligence and mana capacity. I got a level up in my stellar bolt.”

I nodded my head. “Was that the fire spell you were using. It doesn’t look like a fire bolt.”

“That’s because it isn’t.” Isaac told me. “I harness celestial energy to launch a bolt of light at enemies, dealing moderate damage.”

“That’s pretty neat.” Raj chimed in. “I leveled up too. I received a level in improvised weapons. And I got a new skill. Tactical strike. It lets me attack with more precision.”

“Sounds pretty good.” I said. “Everyone needs to get experience. You can’t have just one guy being strong. You need backups in case something happens.”

“That sounds reasonable.” Raj agreed. “So what are we looking for here?”

I squinted at the ground. “You guys seeing a red glow around the gremlins?”

“Uh, no.” Raj said.

“Give me a moment then.” As I surveyed the aftermath, I noticed certain elements were emitting a subtle glow. I bent down to touch one of the gremlins. I received a prompt.

Essence Harvested from Gremlin

Congratulations, Gavrin! You have successfully harvested the life essence from a gremlin. This essence will contribute to the growth and enhancement of your Dimensional Shard.

Current Essence Collection:

Gremlin Essence Absorbed: 15/100 units

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Progress Towards Next Shard Upgrade:

15% complete

Note: The Dimensional Shard requires a total of 100 units of essence to achieve the next level of upgrade. Different creatures provide varying amounts of essence based on their innate magical properties and vitality.

Additional Information:

Essence Type: Gremlin Essence (Minor mystical creature)

Essence Quality: Moderate

Shard Interaction: The absorbed essence contributes to the expansion and enhancement of the shard's capabilities.

Reminder: Exercise discretion in essence collection to maintain the balance of nature and avoid ecological disruptions.

[Press 'OK' to Continue Collecting Essence]

“Ohh.” I said. “This is neat. I only about seven more and I’ll be done with this part.” I bent down to touch another gremlin. I received another prompt for an additional fifteen essence collected. Then the lights went out on the other ones. “oh, now I’m sad.” I should have known it wouldn’t be this easy. I grabbed a couple more because I could. I didn’t know what I would do with the gremlins but I was certain I could think of something.

Now that the gremlins were cleared, the store was wide open. Most of the product in the front was destroyed by fire. In the back room was were the good stuff was at anyways.

I picked up some supplies and got my favorite edibles. I made sure to grab some bud as well. I had some thoughts about growing some mana-infused weed. I could imagine getting hella high with that. Would I be able to perceive the very fabric of the cosmos? I wasn't sure I was ready for that again. I should pace myself.

“Alright. That’s one down. Let’s hit up the grocery stores on the way back.” I said.

Raj collected the rest of the gremlins. I didn’t know what he was going to do with them, but I didn’t need them so I didn’t say anything.

As we went further down the street, I found the first convenience store we went by was burnt out.

“Lightning hit it.” Isaac told me in response to my unasked question. “Everything got really hectic right after the lightning fell.”

Raj asked. “Do we want to check out the police station? It was right next to the courthouse. We might find something useful.”

I thought about it. “I don’t know. I don’t want to deviate from the plan. Also, those bizzaro elves you guys spoke about might still be hanging around. We should probably be going a little faster. Thor didn’t scout that side of town very well. I wasn’t expecting to go there.”

We made it to the first grocery store with no issue. I had learned my lesson from the first go around. We hid across the street in a city park and I sent Thor on ahead to check it out. “All I need you to do Thor is stay in shadow form and scout it out. Let me know what is in there.”

I waited a tense couple of minutes until Thor began to report in. There was no human smell, but there was a putrid stench Thor couldn’t identify but he thought might be rats. He couldn’t find them. I took this to mean either they had a higher stealth than him or they weren’t there anymore.

“Make sure any buffs are up and refreshed.” I reminded my companions as I re-cast Loki’s ice shield on myself. The swirl of cold air was refreshing. It made me shiver.

“One of you want to take point?” I asked. I didn’t want to steal all their experience. It was only fair.

“No.”

“No, I am good.”

“Alright then.” I said. I faded into my natural camouflage. I knew it wasn’t as effective here in town, but used in connection with Thor’s abilities it made me nearly undetectable.

I slowly made my way into the store and began searching the aisles. I walked and forth in the front and quickly checked the condition of the store out. As expected, the cash registers at the front of the store were completely wrecked. I went to the front door and gave the all clear.

“I didn’t see anything.” I whispered. “But still be quiet. Thor said there was something here. Smelled like rats. It’s not here now, but you never can tell.”

Once I warned the two new guys, I headed back in and made my way to the vegetable department. I knew getting fresh food would be important, but more importantly there were seeds in the vegetables. And anything without seeds, I was going to start a sprout.

The first fruit I picked up happened to be a mango. I figured maybe that would take the longest to go bad. I received a prompt once I picked it up.

New Plant Species Registered for Cultivation in Dimensional Shard

Gavrin, the mango you have picked up is now catalogued for growth within your Dimensional Shard. This species will be available for cultivation once your shard is fully operational.

Registered Vegetable/Fruit:

Mango

Cultivation Details:

Growth Requirements: Tropical climate, well-drained soil, and plenty of sunlight.

Harvest Time: Mango trees can take several years to bear fruit, but time may be accelerated within the shard.

Nutritional Value: Mangoes are rich in vitamins A and C and contain dietary fiber.

Shard Cultivation Capabilities:

Automated Growth: The shard can sustain and automate the growth of the mango tree, providing a continuous supply of fruit.

Enhanced Yield: Mangoes grown within the shard may exhibit increased size, sweetness, and nutritional value.

Adaptive Environment: The shard can simulate the ideal tropical conditions required for mango cultivation.

Note: Additional plant species can be added to the shard's database through similar means. Experimentation with a variety of species is encouraged to maximize the shard's botanical potential.

Reminder: The cultivation feature of the Dimensional Shard is designed to offer a renewable source of nutrition and resources. Responsible and sustainable use of this feature is essential for maintaining ecological balance.

[Press 'OK' to Acknowledge and Plan Your Orchard]

I went on a spree, gathering all the fruits and vegetables I could find. Apples, tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, bananas, potatoes, onions, strawberries, bell peppers and cucumbers. The system prompt I received made giggle with anticipation. Almost all of them had a continuous harvest and reached maturity in a fraction of the time. I was going to be eating good.

I noticed I could now grow bananas even though they didn’t have seeds. Did that mean I could grow anything I could get a sample of?

I wandered down the aisle grabbing items off the shelf. The jams and jellies didn’t work. So too much processing would ruin the food.

I had better luck with the coffee. It took several bags of coffee beans before I received a prompt. The tea didn’t work and the store didn’t have any whole leaf so I think I was out of luck there. Meat didn’t count either, looked like I was going vegan. I remember to grab some mushrooms, I bet they’d come in handy later on. If nothing else, they'd be delicious.

I met back up with Raj and Isaac. They both seemed excited to be getting food.

“I’m telling you we should swing by my house. I have camping gear and shit. We can cook a hot meal. We could find a barbeque grill over and cook up some good food. The burger in the freezer is still good.” I overheard Isaac talking to Raj.

Rah was hesitant. “I don’t know. The power has been off for at least a week.”

Isaac responded. “Naw man. The freezer door has been closed. The boxes were still cool to the touch. We’ll just cook them well done.”

I shook my head. “I’m not sure if we are that hungry. But if we do get any food related illness, I can probably heal the status ailment."

Raj answered with a smile. “I keep forgetting about that.”

We left and headed back for the camp. The trip back was uneventful and nothing happened. It really bugged me. I was expecting an attack somewhere along the way. I had visions of a giant rat ogre attacking. A swarm of rats, maybe. I shook my head. Was I becoming a battle maniac?

Once back, the food was distributed. I didn’t share though. I hadn’t really gathered stuff for eating. I gathered stuff for growing. And I needed to figure out how to finish my dimensional shard. I went back outside and hopped up on the roof. Thor and Loki quickly jumped up after me. I activated both my shadow and plant camouflage. I didn’t want to be disturbed. I began to channel my mana into the shard to at least the second requirement.