My eyes couldn’t see the monster who was clearly getting closer. I readied my axe as I scoured the landscape, but-
There it was.
A slim object snaked its way through the rock and sand toward me. Not nearly big enough to be causing these vibrations through the ground, and if I didn’t know any better, I would have said it looked like a… shark fin.
I dove away from the van as the ground opened up, rock splitting away as a large jaw emerged, snapping at the air where I had been. The System gave me the details to stop me from guessing.
[Sand Shark (Level 3)]
Lower level and not Elite. Almost enough to make me sigh in relief. If we had driven down the road and then took this route to the bunker, we would have been attacked - and I’m not sure if I could have defended all three of us. A point of bad luck that Bernie hadn’t scouted east of the bunker yet.
At least now I was prepared. Alone. Picking myself up from the dirt, I ran toward the monster. The smooth skin of the beast pushed through the rock as if it was water, and it turned to face me with an almost circular mouth full of sharp teeth. As I swung for it, it dived beneath the surface; the ground returning to how it had looked before the monster had appeared.
I aborted my attack and tried to sidestep. The fin vanished from view. At a guess, the monster must be at least twelve feet long, which gave me some leeway to move while it repositioned. Not that I had anywhere to go. It didn’t feel dangerous, just annoying - no doubt some hubris that could easily earn me some prosthetic legs. An injury I wouldn’t be able to just walk off.
The vibrations continued, but it didn’t help me locate where the monster might next emerge. I clenched my jaw, frustrated. Not thinking clearly.
My foot slid forward as I brought my axe into the air, and I brought it down just as the shark burst upward.
I hit the ground, the air briefly knocked from my lungs. Head hit a rock, stunning me. Bastard had missed the bite, but moving the ground had thrown me completely off my feet. The sand was warm, almost comfortable. I took in a sharp breath and scrabbled up to my feet, lifting Threadcutter up as I went.
The fin followed me across the ground; the shark submerged again. Hunting me down.
Shark facts spun around in my mind as I sought a solution to the avoidant monster. None of them particularly useful for one that swam through land.
Of course, the solution had been staring me in the face this whole time. Or rather, hadn’t.
I arced around to the front of my dead van, the shark hot on the trail. With a grunt, I leaped onto the hood before hopping onto the roof. The metal complained, but held steady. I swore at my throbbing head injury as the fin dove back out of view.
The monster didn’t have eyes.
It had been tracking me via the vibrations, like echolocation. Movement and noise probably attracted it. Hiding atop my vehicle might keep me safe, but I didn’t plan on living here. I glanced over at the bunker and sighed. Perhaps this was karma.
Gingerly, I sat down on the edge of the van and placed my axe beside me.
From within my Inventory, I withdrew a frying pan stolen—acquired—from the diner. With a sour expression on my face, I threw the utensil down onto the sandy ground. It clanged and bounced once - and off to the side; the fin rose up through the rock. The shark moved over to the object, but sunk away again.
Proof of concept.
I rubbed at my eyes before staring at my STAR some more. All I could think about was that motel and the potential of a shower. A checkpoint between these patchy spates of violence. It was time to kill the shark.
Heavy thud as I dropped from the van. One step. Two steps. On the third, the monster burst up, wide jaws crunching through my legs. Or rather, the legs of the stool I had thrown. I was actually in the air, having leaped over the two other thrown stools. The monster barely had a chance to react as I flashed Threadcutter down, splitting through its upper jaw and skull.
[New Passive: Attack from Above]
[Imposing 2]
I grumbled as I pulled my weapon from the corpse. Not a great deal of experience - I was about a third of the way to level 5. The new passive was a slight increase to my damage when I was airborne, but I didn’t plan on making diving from heights a habit. My ankles and knees weren’t that youthful anymore.
Apparently, I had caused fear in the simple monster, right before I split whatever brains it had in two. Back at the diner, I was reasonably sure that zombies didn’t care much for being scared - otherwise Imposing would have increased when mowing through them. It was an important one, so perhaps I should start finding more monsters to bully around.
[32 Gold]
[Uncut Diamond]
[Sturdy Boots]
[Solar Shard (1)]
My eyebrows raised at the loot, which caused a pain across the side of my head. I felt at the bump and my hand withdrew slightly bloody. Not enough of a HP loss to use a bandage. I’d just have to live with the ache while I dug through these items.
Starting with the most important - footwear.
[Sturdy Boots]
[+1 Stamina]
[These boots were made for profit. Designed for walking, though]
I rolled my eyes and equipped them immediately, placing my dress shoes in my Inventory. The new boots were black and quite sleek, not clashing with my outfit - or at least once the burned off and gore-soaked slacks had been repaired and could cover the top half of the new footwear.
Maybe the System was throwing me a bone, after I had wished for decent footwear. I took a quick moment to wish for my enemy's downfall, just in case. All of them.
[Uncut Diamond]
[Sells for a high price. Can be refined by a Jewelsmith]
[It won’t be your best friend, trust me]
[Solar Shard]
[Combine 10 to receive a blessing from the Gods]
Not… trash, but equally not helpful right now. I had four of those shards, although I was apprehensive about who those gods might be. A gift by any other name was a burden, and I already had enough shit on my plate.
Just as I thought that, a message pinged through the Chat.
//Bernie: Ah, apologies if this is interrupting anything…
//Bernie: The others are arguing about the STAR pods.
//Bernie: Being the middle-man for Richard is…
//Bernie: I’m struggling.
//Scarlet: I’ll be there. Don’t worry.
Serves me right. I had hoped the four of them could have worked something out between them and I could focus on my role in all this… but I guess I owed them more than that. My eyes went up to the position of the sun in the sky, and then to my experience bar. I exhaled through my nose as I picked up the two unbroken stools and went off towards the bunker.
A twist of the two doors, and I was back inside the cool chamber. Richard and Bernie looked exasperated, while Sally and Doris looked fed up and frustrated.
“I can’t leave you children alone for five minutes?” I asked, closing the door behind me. “What is the problem?”
“I want to go into the STAR pod, but Doris thinks I’ll just die.” Sally crossed her arms and scowled at the diner owner.
It was unfair of me to go immediately on the offensive when I had set up this up to fail, but I had to push myself as the one in charge here. If only for my own sanity.
“I didn’t die,” Bernie tried to offer. “Although, there was a chance.”
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Poor guy looked like he was stuck between the two of them, unable to please either or pick a side. Richard was probably no help. The trouble was, I didn’t exactly have a solution either.
I crossed my arms, putting my two unassigned stat points into Morale while I addressed the group. “Why is it you are so keen on going through it, Sally?”
“To survive, of course. Get some powers and help keep us safe.”
Doris clicked her tongue and shook her head. “She just wants to run off to the city to find the boy.”
“Why wouldn’t I do that?” she snapped back.
Ah. I had almost gotten lucky, but one of us still had a connection to the city interior. There wasn’t an easy way to tell her that he was probably dead, and it also wasn’t likely she would listen. I knew that expression on her face. The terrible mix of naïve optimism and hard-headed stubbornness.
“The city has things way beyond what I’ve been dealing with,” I began. “STAR or not, you won’t be able to survive on your own. That said…” I sighed and rubbed at the bump on my head. “I’m not your keeper. You’re all adults, and if you want to take the risk, then go for it. I’ll not shed a tear when I have to bury your dumbass corpses. If they're even in a recoverable state.”
All three of them pulled faces, but didn’t have an immediate response. I wanted them to be safe and alive, but I didn’t sign up for babysitting or managing social connections. My role was to murder every last monster polluting the world, or die trying. My point made, I shook my head and turned to Richard.
“Change of plans. Get me something local to kill and I’ll get to level 5 and choose my Class before heading to the motel.”
He nodded. “Smart. Sorry about the sand shark.”
I rolled my eyes and turned to the others. “I’m not a people person. It would be nice if you all got through this, just as I want to. Even this holographic asshole can’t tell us your chances without the STAR. Getting it has risks and will put you in danger, but the world is fucked. Nobody is coming to save you.” that I knew of. It was unlikely there was some benevolent force that cared for us plebs.
“You came and saved us,” Sally said, now more of a pout than a scowl on her face.
“Then don’t spit on my struggle by being reckless. Stop exhausting Bernie with your bickering as well. He is actually helping me survive, so… just sort it out.” I shrugged, exasperated, and went for the door.
Nobody stopped me as I left, and I stepped back out into the warmth of the day. That wasn’t… too bad. I’d certainly had worse public speaking skills in less stressful situations. Conflict resolution wasn't in my list of real skills. They both needed to accept the STAR, but I’d feel guilty if they didn’t survive it. How ironic when I ended the lives of monsters with no thought.
I checked the position of the sun again. I’d need to focus if I wanted to get everything done and back to the bunker before night. Even with Lightbulb, I didn’t want to be traveling through the dark… now knowing that there could be surprises like the sand shark around.
//Bernie: Richard says to head north.
//Bernie: I’m scouting now, will let you know what is closest.
Toward the city. I swore under my breath a few times before getting my head back in the game. It was much more simple when it was just me. Even Bernie had been an acceptable addition to my one-person warpath through the apocalypse. With the others now…
I took two steps toward the side of the building before flattening myself against it.
A thrum shook the air, shortly followed by another. I leaned forward to the edge of the wall, my breath held. As soon as my head poked around the corner, my heart stopped to leap straight into my throat.
It was too far away for the System to tell me what it was, but I had a few words of my own.
Giant. Titan. Fucking horrifying. Easily fifty-feet tall, the lumbering monster was stepping outside of the city limits. It looked as though it was covered with moss - shaggy green vines hanging from its round body. Dripping as if it had just emerged from the sea. Small sporadic patches on it burned bright amber, like it was diseased or perhaps wounded by something. In one hand it held a crushed school bus handily, as if it was just a toy.
I watched, frozen with shock, as it continue walking… but not in this direction. Thank fuck.
While waiting for my heart rate to calm down, I almost wished the others could have seen it as well. Maybe then they’d get the hint that things were bad. That said, I regretted seeing it. How was I meant to fight something like that?
Something else to twist Richard’s ear about when I had some downtime. Learning everything piecemeal was aggravating, but there was too much to hold in my thick skull from the outset. It was a whole new world, almost. All I had to do was keep moving and make these numbers go up. Stay alive.
I continued watching the huge monster stomp off into the distance, heading east. There seemed to be a fog down past that end of the city that he faded away into. Now I could breathe.
Axe in hand, I stepped around to the back of the bunker and looked to the north. The state of the city had been distracting to the point that I hadn’t seen how dotted the terrain was with monsters and oddities in this direction. Although the desert seemed to be changing somehow.
//Bernie: Sending scout result.
//Bernie: Looks like a fighting arena…
He didn’t really need to tell me, as I could see it up ahead. The desert dipped down from my current position, allowing me a decent view of how populated the next few miles were. It was like looking at a cockroach infestation… which was ironic.
I just wanted to sweep my hand out and erase them all from the world. Not exactly a new desire, given my past. I pulled a face and looked back at my target.
If it was any larger, I would have said it was a colosseum. It was neither grand nor particularly well-built. More of a walled fighting pit than anything, but some effort had been made to fashion it into a sturdy, long-lasting feature.
At least, from whatever planet or reality it had been stolen from.
To me, it looked like the place I’d get my level up and increase my two-handed axe mastery skill to 5. Maybe get my teeth kicked in. Either way, I was in control.
I even started humming to myself as I walked toward the fighting arena. At first, it seemed as though the structure was vacant. That made some sense… as odd as this all was, it would be even stranger to have a populated stadium of monsters sitting around and waiting for someone to step up to entertain them.
A thought wandered through my mind, and I opened up Chat.
//Scarlet: Can you ask Rich if monsters are NPCs or real?
//Scarlet: He’ll know what I mean.
The Guide had been the one to paint this with the video game brush, and I wanted to know how deep that analogy went. Whether these creatures were brainless automatons going about a set routine - or if they had free will and choice in what they did now that they were on Earth.
I wasn’t sure which answer would be worse.
//Bernie: He says… yes.
//Bernie: It varies, but you’ll come across both.
Ah, that was definitely a worse answer. It meant that some monsters were glorified loot pinatas, and others probably didn’t have to try too hard to outsmart me. I needed to take Richard to the side soon and really get some answers out of him… preferably without the others overhearing.
With a sigh, my thoughts returned to the bunker trio. Sally was going to be a problem. She knew what was important to her and would risk her life to go find her boyfriend. A shame, as the fact that the waitress was so unphased by everything would probably make her a decent fighter - depending on what the System gave her.
Doris wasn’t likely to take up the STAR… unless she was convinced it would give her the ability to punish whichever group of people she thought caused the apocalypse. I didn’t rate her chances much with how high stakes combat was here, but she had the venom for punching back at our oppressors.
Lastly, Bernie was a trooper. We were lucky that he received such a useful skill that could be used while he stayed out of danger… and it didn’t overwhelm him. Being cooped up in the bunker wasn’t exactly a fate he deserved either, but I didn’t have any other way of keeping him safe.
I tried to remind myself that it wasn’t my responsibility, but it was fruitless.
Pre-apocalypse Scarlet was eager to find the first working vehicle and high-tail it away from all of this. But for the me living now—who had possibly taken too many hits to the head—I could see the glimmer of possibility. Of hope.
Every kill, and every skill upgrade… was slowly paving an area of existence that was mine. The others were opportunistic anchors, willing me to stick to the new resolution of staying put for once in my adult life. After all, what was left of that me? With the world in turmoil, it was likely my mom…
I pulled a face and focused on the building ahead. Maybe the violence was just a different form of escapism.
The brickwork of the arena was covered in mossy patches and looked to be built with mud and roughly hewn rocks rather than mortar and bricks. Vines ran up one side, adding a flourish that reminded me of the deep woodlands. Even the smell of it… earthy and old. Just like that family trip when I broke my left wrist by climbing trees. Or failing at climbing them, as the case had been.
While I rubbed at my left wrist by reflex, I walked around to the front of the arena - which was east facing. An arched opening led inside to where the fighting pit was. Nothing more than an oval of dried dirt surrounded by thick... fifteen feet high walls. Despite looking rather archaic and basic, I raised my eyebrow at a notice pinned to the rocky wall beside the door.
Surprisingly, it was in English - and relatively understandable handwriting.
There were three challenge levels that had to be completed in order.
[Stage 1 - Krull (3), Level 2 Elites]
[Rewards: 100 Gold, Common Skillbook, Common Equipment Chest]
[Stage 2 - A’l-Ghar the Hungry, Level 4 Elite]
[Rewards: 200 Gold, Uncommon Skillbook, Uncommon Equipment Chest]
[Stage 3 - Blue Eye, Level 6 Elite]
[Rewards: 400 Gold, Rare Skillbook, Rare Equipment Chest]
That was a lot of gold, which could be useful for when I found somewhere to spend it. My eyes lingered on the word Rare for the last combatant’s rewards, before looking at their level again. My luck was probably running out, so I should keep a tight grip on the dice in my hand.
Rare, though.
Both Threadcutter and Killing Blow were Rare and carried the weight of my current power. No use being a greedy corpse, however. I could at least get the Common rewards and see how I felt about the Uncommon one. I shouldn’t be too eager to become a zombie.
I lifted up the axe over my shoulder and walked underneath the arch and into the arena. Even empty, it was imposing. Center stage where my middling combat skills would be put to the test… for dubious rewards.
Still, with level 5 on the line—and a shower in my near future—it would be worth the effort. An arena setting made the violence seem more structured and acceptable.
A gate made out of of criss-crossed wooden beams dropped down behind me, noisily, blocking off the exit. There was a similar gate opposite me, darkness further in. No doubt where the monsters were standing in wait.
I got into position, stretching out my muscles. A deep breath, and I was calm. Just focus and kill. Things would be-
My whole body tensed up as a shrill laugh came from the stands.