1.02
Before he did anything else the first thing Eric did was move the bodies to the corridor. While it may have been dangerous, Eric was far more worried about the smell the corpses would create if he left them in his apartment. While he was swiftly and quietly moving the bodies, he saw no sign of any other ‘Thralls’ or other such things. That didn’t mean there weren’t any. Eric was on the second to top floor of the complex. There were many other places for enemies to linger. And to be honest Eric was expecting goblins to pop out at any moment.
The second action Eric took was to grab a beer from the fridge. Killing people was thirsty work after all. He was mentally and physically exhausted. Physically the combination of exercise and the adrenaline rush was incredibly draining. Mentally he just couldn’t get the feel of the knife penetrating flesh out of his mind. He had to twice rush to the bathroom to gag over the toilet bowl.
Seated in the lounge with his second beer and pretty much the rest of his edible but perishable food Eric tried to relax and suppress the horror of what he done. Desperate for a distraction he decided to allocate his status points. “Status” (He just knew that would work)
Name: Eric Scot
Age: 27
Race: Human
Class:
Level: 1
Faction: Unaffiliated
Distributable Status Points: 5
Hitpoints: 80/80
Stamina: 87/100
Health Regeneration: 0.8/s
Stamina Regeneration: 3.5/s
Vitality: 8
Mana: 100/100
Strength: 7
Mana Regeneration: 0.5/s
Agility: 6
Intelligence:10
Dexterity: 5
Wisdom: 8
Luck: 4
Charm: 3
Eric looked at the stats, okay vitality applies to health and probably stamina. Strength and figured he needed some more strength and of course more agility. After all, why fight when you can run away. End result:
Name: Eric Scot
Age: 27
Race: Human
Class:
Level: 1
Faction: Unaffiliated
Distributable Status Points: 0
Hitpoints: 80/80
Stamina: 87/100
Health Regeneration: 0.8/s
Stamina Regeneration: 4/s
Vitality: 8
Mana: 100/100
Strength: 10
Mana Regeneration: 0.5/s
Agility: 8
Intelligence:10
Dexterity: 5
Wisdom: 8
Luck: 4
Charm: 3
Not bad, Eric decided. Could be worse. Seeing how he went to the gym once a week and even when there he rarely worked hard. Eric sighed. It’s getting dark now. Tomorrow he decided, he would have to level. While it may seem suicidal, he needed to level. He would just have to be careful. Those thralls were a low level and reasonably pathetic. They somehow managed to reach his apartment without being killed by something bigger. So therefore, its likely there is nothing too dangerous in the building.
Anyway, if he wants to get stronger he should go out and kill stuff. Who knows he might even be good at it. The fights won’t be so awkward anymore. Okay tomorrow I go out and stab stuff.
Nothing happened during the night. (Thankfully) No weird horror movie sounds. No screams or knife scratching… you know typical horror movie sounds. It was disconcertingly silent. Eric expected to hear gunshots (if guns still worked) or screams (if they didn’t). Where were all the survivors?
Eric decided to stick with the spatula and knife. He put the same puffa jacket, sweater and jeans as the day before. The puffa jacket and jeans were already bloody after all. He was undecided on footwear. He could wear sneakers or boots. Sneakers would have decent mobility but boots were sturdier. Eventually he decided on sneakers. He would wear boots when his level was higher or if he had to leave the apartment long term. This was a scouting mission after all.
Eric unlocked his door. He listened very carefully for any noises on the other side. It was quiet. He opened the door. And came face to face with a goblin. Shocked he could only stare in surprise as the goblin lunged forward with its spear. “Fuck!”, he shouted as it stabbed into his shoulder. He flailed backwards. It was probably only through his extra agility points that he stayed upright. Taking a step back he was fortunate enough that the spear came out smoothly. Oddly the goblin was still thrusting forward with the spear. It was just like the… The goblin seemed to suddenly notice that its target was several meters away. Before it stepped forward though it let out an ear splitting unnatural screech. Eric swore at himself. He should have stayed in bed.
The battle was actually quite simple after that. The goblin was only 3 feet tall. Of course, it had the unsightly green face, overly large nose and… bloodshot glazed eyes. “Goblin thrall?” I mean even if it has a spear nobody that’s played video games would take a child sized goblin seriously. The fellowship of the ring slaughtered goblins by the hundreds in the movies after all. As the goblin thrust its spear at him, Eric knocked it to the side with his spatula and stabbed his knife into his chest as it stumbled forwards. He realized that while the technique wouldn’t work on someone that knew how to use a spear (even a little bit) It worked on these thralls. Especially since they often stumbled forwards after swinging. Eric ensured the goblin was dead with a stab to the heart. He didn’t want anything standing up behind him. After that he quickly moved to the door shutting and locking it once again.
Glancing at his shoulder he rushed to the kitchen. He grabbed a table cloth and pressed it against his wound. While painful, it never seems to interfere with his movements. Probably wasn’t deep enough. Eric was just thankful that it was the shoulder and not the heart. Eric checked his status to see if his Hitpoints were going up. They were, once they reached 100/100 he checked the wound. It was gone! There was a scar but it looked old. Not something that had occurred less than 5 minutes ago.
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Ding!
Victory!
You have slain: Goblin Vampire Thrall level 3!
Experience Received: 55
Loot Received:
Goblin body, 4 copper coins, tattered clothing and crude spear
Once again Eric sat on the sofa. He knew that he would have to go out and face the goblins reinforcements. It had called for them after all. Well that’s what he assumed anyway. He would also have to find those copper coins. In some of the novels he had read, the coins found became the new worlds currency. There were places to buy gear strewn around. Possibly these ‘copper coins’ were something like that.
After the icky job of searching for copper coins (you don’t want to know where they were) Eric was ready to go out slay some peeps. He expected the enemies to be standing right outside the door so as soon as he pulled the door open he took several steps back. The spear was next to his pile of Baked Beans cans. In case he lost his weapons. The area right outside his door was empty but that didn’t calm Eric down. He honestly expected a horde of enemies to come charging through his door at any moment. He slowly, cautiously walked towards the door. Passing through the door he noted worriedly that the corpses that he had placed outside the day before were gone…
In the corridor for the first time in what seemed weeks Eric stood silently. He closed his door behind him but chose not to lock it. He may need to make a quick retreat. Obviously, the lifts were out of service. The only other way up to this floor was the fire exit but that should be locked… You need a security key to pass through. Hmmm possibly without electricity the door didn’t stay locked? That just seems so… unreliable. If that’s the case I don’t know why I was paying for it. Eric very carefully passed by the other doors. Those that were open, he closed. Those that were closed he ignored. Hopefully if any of them opened he would at least get a warning before….
It turned out that the fire exit door was held open by a brick. Eric left it open for now. At least now he had another way to retreat. What worried him was if someone closed the door behind him… He looked back down the corridor. It was dark, dreary but empty.
“Ready or not…”, he muttered to himself.
Walking down the fire exit stairs he tried to be as quiet as possible. Half a flight down he began to hear steps. It sounded like… You know when toddlers first begin to climb stairs. Where they occasionally make a successful step but other times they fall over the step. That’s what it sounded like. 3 or 4 heavy toddlers walking up the stairs. Eric decided to retreat to the fire exit door. They were coming to him. He just had to be patient. Best to be as close as possible to the brick.
Eric waited in quiet, fearful anticipation for around half an hour. That was his guess anyway. He didn’t have a way to tell the time. Making one last fearful look down the empty corridor. He looked down and saw three human thralls and one goblin turning the corner to begin climbing the staircase at the halfway point between levels. The goblin had another spear, two of the humans were unarmed while one human was carrying a kitchen knife. Incredibly like the one he had actually. Probably shopped at the same store.
The goblin was the front runner by two stairs. This time Eric tried something different. As it lunged with the spear he used his spatula to knock it to the side. Then he smashed the heel of his right foot into the goblins chest. A truly herculean effort. The goblin went flying backwards, toppling the humans behind it. Eric waited a few moments to check the results. He also retreated up the stairs to check the (hopefully) empty corridor. The falling thralls had made quite a ruckus so he wanted to ensure nothing else was alerted. He didn’t even know if there were any enemies in the apartments but until he checked he wasn’t going to make any assumptions. The corridor was still empty.
Although scared and cautious he was kind of confident. These thralls were weak and slightly pathetic. What truly worried him was the Vampire. This could very easily be him stumbling about like an idiot. A fate worse than death! That vampire had to be avoided.
The thralls were struggling to stand up. Whenever one worked out that its arm had to be used to support its rise, another would knock said arm. Collapsing the attempted movement. Eric approached carefully. The flailing limbs were dangerous. A misstep could mean that he would trip. Eric didn’t particularly want to dwell on what could happen if he did. Other than that it was simple. Stepping forward he drove his knife into the goblins chest. It attempted to stab him with its spear but it wasn’t a weapon to be used while prone. A couple of the humans tried to grab him as he pulled the knife out of the dying goblin. (well he hoped it was dying) He stabbed it again to quicken its demise. It stilled. While stabbing goblins was fine (to an extent), there was something morbid about cutting into humans. Hesitating over his three opponents. Eric swallowed his horror at his situation and began to thrust into the human bodies. If he was careful there was no skill involved. Step forward stab, step back. And repeat. When he was done, all he could hope for is that in the future there isn’t a cure to being a thrall. (If he was to guess it would entail slaying a Vampire) This may seem a terrible thought to have, after all there may be hundreds of people enthralled to vampires by now. At that moment, Eric could only hope that he wouldn’t have reason to feel guilt in the future.
Eric grabbed the kitchen knife, spear and 2 copper coins that the goblin had. He removed the brick, shutting the fire exit door. He planned to clear the apartments on his level tomorrow. Dropping the brick by the door he retreated to his apartment. Still wary of the other apartment doors. Entering and locking his apartment door. Eric once again he collapsed onto the sofa.
Ding!
Victory!
You have slain: Goblin Vampire Thrall level 3!
Experience Received: 55
Loot Received:
Goblin body, 3 copper coins, tattered clothing and crude spear
Ding!
Victory!
You have slain: (x2) Human Vampire Thrall level 0!
Experience Received: (x2) 30
Loot Received:
(x2) human bodies, worn clothing and (x2) wallet
Ding!
Victory!
You have slain: Human Vampire Thrall level 1!
Experience Received: 40
Loot Received:
human bodies, worn clothing, kitchen knife, keys and wallet
Ding!
Congratulations!
You have reached level 2!
You now have 5 unallocated status points available.
Cool, I guess… He sat there a moment, breathing slowly trying to minimize the effect of the prior adrenaline rush. Not to mention the soul damaging effect stabbing human bodies does. Okay, now I’m calm (?) lets decide where to add these status points. Agility is easy from what he had noticed it helped him move faster, it also benefited his balance. He was generally lighter on his feet. So 2 points into agility making it 10. What next? Hmmm, extra strength is always good but right now it’s not necessary. Dexterity is probably his best bet. It sounded like it would help him aim and generally make him more accurate whether he is stabbing or throwing. 2 points into dexterity making it 7. 1 more point to go. Maybe luck? He pondered over whether it would be useful. What the hell, 1 point into luck making it 5. A nice round number. Now finished, Eric promptly took a nap.
At some point over the next few hours he stripped off his (even more) bloody clothes. Dumping them in the bathtub. He wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about wearing them again tomorrow. He then realized that his favorite seat for the sofa was covered in blood. Before eating he used an old towel to wipe up the blood. He wanted a shower. Perhaps he could have one but he had no idea how much water he had left. After eating the last of his perishables, he bagged the (now) inedible food in plastic bags. Best to get rid of it before it starts to stink up the house. Time for bed.
He woke up pretty early, the sun had risen though which was the main thing. Today he planned to clear his apartment floor. He hadn’t heard anything wandering about the day before but he would be truly stupid if he didn’t at least check. It would also have the benefit of collecting some more non-perishable food. Everyone has at least a few cans at home. Outfitted in his gross clothes Eric began searching the apartments. There were 7 on his floor and 4 of which were locked. Eric started on the unlocked doors. They were the most likely to have enemies anyway.
The first apartment was next-door to his own. There was a very conspicuous puddle of slightly dried blood. The apartment itself was the same design as his own just didn’t have his awesome furniture. Hopefully they were all the same, best to know your way about. It was disappointingly empty, although he never let down his guard. He checked everywhere; under the bed, bathtub, wardrobe and storeroom. Empty, whatever died in here was removed. Next room… Empty again. Although he was happy that they were empty. (and that this apartment had no blood) He was truly hoping for some easy levels. As soon as he stepped into the next room he knew something was up. Sitting on the breakfast counter was an old fashioned wooden box. Something you would see in a pirate movie or well… a fantasy game. While Eric was tempted to run up and see what is inside. His instincts were screaming TRAP! He felt like there were 2 ways this was going to go. Either the box was placed there by the apartment owner and he took something out of it before he left. Or, it was placed there as bait. Nothing comes for free after all. So, Eric did the smart thing. He searched the entire apartment top to bottom. Then he went out into the corridor to listen for movement within the other apartments. Nothing… So not a trap?
Eric stared at the box in confusion and annoyance, where were his enemies? Determined he slowly approached. VERY slowly. First he poked it with a spatula. Nothing. Second, he poked it again. Nothing. There was an old-fashioned key hole. (which he didn’t have a key for) He just hoped it wasn’t locked. Hmm, He placed the spatula next to the box. Knife at the ready. He slowly opened it.
Eric was lucky. Lucky lucky lucky. As he opened the box he noticed a flash of blue and at that moment stumbled backwards in alarm, letting go of the box in the process. At the same moment, the box morphed into a blue slime (?) and sprung at him. Eric stepped to the left. The slime stuck his right arm and knife. He felt burns all along the place of contact. Somehow he shook it off. Eric stumbled backwards. After being shaken off, the slime landed 3-4 meters away. Aghast Eric stared at his arm. His lower right arm was devoid of clothing and the flesh on his arm was corroded. Terrifying! Furthermore, the knife was gone. Looking back at the slime and in the process taking a few hurried steps away from it. He could see the knife inside the slime. The wooden handle was gone and the blade looked like it was being melted. Did the slime look bigger than it did before?
Eric was rapidly trying to recall everything he knew about slimes from the books he had read. How the hell do you kill it?? Right, magic is the most common one that I remember. Pity I don’t know magic… The Core! From what he recalled the core was the weak point. And yes! He could see the core. It was a thin cylinder; it was a shade of blue darker than the slime. Therefore, it was easily visible through the transparent goo. The center of the cylinder was a source of light that glowed within the slime. This inner light made the slime a very vibrant blue. Now how to reach the core? At that moment, his arm resounded in pain. The hell with it. Eric retreated from the slowly approaching slime. Scared that at any moment it would once again leap at him. He didn’t stop until he was resting on the sofa. Time to heal. Time to plan.