Stepping back out of the bunker knocked all the wind from my sails.

I had expected to see some shapes now occupying the desert. If areas like the graveyard were appearing throughout the world, then seeing the distant shapes of small buildings or groups of monsters sounded reasonable.

What I hadn’t expected was the density of it all. It was almost like a festival was gathered across the miles that I could see. Over to the right, far past where the ratmen had been, I could see a tall castle. Between the cluttered horizon and my location, there were tents, moving groups of shadowed figures, and odd terrain pieces not belonging to the desert. There was still a decent amount of space between everything - I knew this. The distance just made it looked packed.

Gathering my senses, I shook my head off and walked to the left. The morning sun was warm, allowing for another contrast as I paced past the front of the bunker and saw the city again for the first time. A sharp chill ran through me.

It looked as though it had been sitting for years in disrepair. Several of the larger skyscrapers and office blocks were totally burned out. There were a dozen muted sounds coming from the city, but I couldn’t pick anything specific out. Combined with the populated land around me, there was just a dull hum of varying noises merging together. Was anyone still alive?

A sobering thought. Part of me felt my actions out here were for nothing. The city needed saving. But the other part of me wanted to be as far away as possible from there. Richard had said something about the monster spawns being based on population density. The ocean would be mostly untouched, whereas cities would have the strongest Bosses and depth of corruption.

As removed from society as I often was… I didn’t want this fate for anyone. A nice thought to circle me back around to the current mission: travel to the diner and see if the two women there had perished. Solely because that waitress had extended a helping hand, despite not knowing who or what I was.

Which was a rather dramatic sentence, given that I was mostly just a loser with an axe to grind. Somewhat literally, it now seemed.

I took another look at the surroundings before getting an update from the Map. Pinned the direction to the diner as sourly as I was able, and added something else to my survival list.

Some way of traveling.

There was no chance Richard could convince me to walk my way through miles of dangerous monster groups and dry sand. My wagon was dead, and venturing to the city to find a working car that I could hot-wire was… well, asking for more problems. Maybe Bernie would pick up something useful as he revealed more of the area around us.

I set off toward the diner, getting myself ready to rendezvous with the goblin group patrolling ahead of the bunker. However, a new addition to the desert blocked the path so that I couldn’t directly see where they would be - a singular ruined townhouse.

Ominous. I looked up to the Chat function. Although Bernie and I had exchanged the unique ID’s we needed to be able to speak long distance, we were now in a party together, so we could do so anyway. A holographic keyboard appeared at the bottom of my vision and I typed mostly by thought alone.

//Scarlet: Any intel on this house? Looks suspicious.

I waited several seconds as I slowly approached it. Bless him, but Bernie wasn’t the fastest with typing even when the System was lending a hand. Our Guide expressed some apologies about not being able to message us himself, so for now I just had to wait.

//Bernie: Richard says it might contain monsters, or might be something else…

//Bernie: Map just reports it as ‘Abandoned Home’…

I grunted and returned my glare toward the structure. It looked as burned out and derelict as some of the buildings I could see in the city, just smaller. Something you might see in the suburbs - the victim of arson or an accident in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, it could just be full of monsters. Richard had mentioned that there would be oddities amongst the groups of creatures the roaches had collected. Interesting traps, treasures that would be difficult to attain, or even dungeons. I preferred it when it was just things to kill. A simple routine I was planning on getting used to… or at least dissociating from enough to get by day to day.

I used Lightbulb, but the small sprite was barely a dim glow out in the sunlight. Since there was no ongoing cost to keeping it out, it seemed prudent to pre-cast it before potentially entering a dark space. Threadcutter weighed in my hands. I had put in far too much effort to fall to something basic at this point. All the blood, sweat, and tears to get a step up over most people in this time zone would go to waste if I stepped on a trap and impaled myself.

Of course, avoiding it was also an option. By the time that I reached it, I had convinced myself to just circle it at first to get a better look. The sides of the building had little flower gardens that had burned to ash. I could see furniture inside that was dark, reduced to charcoal in places. Around the left side of the building, half the wall had collapsed, allowing me to see a staircase that was flimsy at best, leading to what remained of the top floor.

Should I avoid it?

Part of me said yes, but a much more vocal side of me wanted to scrape away at any advantage I could get. I was getting closer to 300 gold now, and that had to be useful for something. Buying potions, or better gear.

//Scarlet: Cautiously investigating.

I wasn't sure why I told them. Perhaps just in case they wanted to talk me out of it. Then again, for Bernie, I was his lifeline to the outside world. Without me… well, I didn’t want to think about that. A quick look around this shell of a house and then back to murdering.

With a humorless smile, I stepped through a gap in the outer walls and into what was probably the living room. The couches had been reduced to a pile of melted faux leather; the scar left on the floorboards showing the shape of where the furniture used to be was the only clue to how this scene used to look. A folded over mess of plastic and electric components from the tv, and…

I pulled a face and crouched down near where the seats had been. In amongst the ash were charred bones. Not quite enough to make a human. Not that I had much of a clue, but aside from legs and ribs, there were definitely no skulls. That could only mean that the heads were…

My body tensed as a creak came from the upper floor. With my breath held, my eyes slowly raised to the top of the staircase. The open doorway above was silent. It could have been the breeze, or part of the foundations complaining as the building deteriorated.

A second creak put those thoughts to bed.

Aches spread through my hands as I gripped the handle of the axe tighter. From the charred doorway above, a clawed hand emerged and gripped onto the frame. I continued to hold my breath. As the top of the staircase groaned with the weight of the other unseen hand, a reptilian head pushed through into the light.

If it wasn’t for the System giving me a heads up, I would have shit myself, thinking it was a dragon.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

[Pyromander (Level 3 Elite)]

It reminded me of a Komodo dragon, but mixed with a fire Pokemon. Deep red shiny scales shimmering in the morning light. As he extended his face out onto the open landing, his head tilted - a bright amber eye looking down at me.

I wasn’t sure I fancied my chances of beating an elite at my own level. Not without warming up first.

A poor choice of words, as the monster turned his head to face me and opened up his wide maw.

Almost dropping my weapon in the process, I rolled across the hard floor as a spout of fire erupted from the creature. The smell of freshly charred wood washed over me. I didn’t stop, and powered up forward, rushing into the room opposite.

A kitchen. Equally as scarred by flames as the rest of the house, but with one difference. The wall was complete and there was no side entrance to allow me a swift exit. It was a dead end. My eyes scoured the burned out furnishings for anything helpful as the staircase behind me squealed under the weight of the pyromander.

I squashed any rising panic with a deep breath. Surely I was smarter than a monster. It would be a gamble, but I’d been in tighter squeezes than this and squirreled my way out. Maybe with slightly lower stakes, but…

The clawed hands of the pyromander vibrated through the floor as they pounded their way across the living room toward me. I clicked my tongue and rolled the dice.

A wave of flame burst through the open door, licking at the cupboards and shuttered window. Heated air billowed around me, almost burning my arms. I winced through three straight seconds of this biological flamethrower before the flames then receded.

The merryweather hat at the end of my axe shaft, held in front of the doorway, had been reduced to cinders. I withdrew the metal end of my weapon that was now glowing from the intense heat and stepped into the opening. The monster looked practically grumpy at being deceived, but I didn’t leave him time to complain.

I slashed out with the Threadcutter in a wide arc, the bladed end catching the reptile across the face. He hissed and darted forward with one of his clawed hands in retaliation. With the head of the axe, I parried it away, circling so that I could get into the room more - but opening me up to the second swipe.

“Fuck!” I stumbled back as the knife-like claws slashed through my lower left leg. Briefly, my mobility was shot. Instead of capitalizing on this, however, the monster remained in place.

He opened his mouth wide again.

I had gotten lucky with assuming there was some refractory period to using the flames. It had allowed me access to the more open room, with a chance to run for it - if my leg hadn’t just been injured. I entirely blamed Richard for this.

With a growl, I spun around on my good foot and launched my axe. An awkward throw that would barely earn me a second unless it did decent damage. Surprise ran across my face - it was a partial success.

Flames burst out, lighting up my lower legs before petering out. The axe head had wedged in the open mouth of the monster, the edges of each side cutting partly into their scaled cheeks. It had prevented some of the flame, aside from a plume angled beneath the weapon.

Even with the agony of the burns wracking at my legs, I took the initiative. My right foot came down on the smooth curve of the inside of the right blade. I held the handle and weighed into it. The monster choked and screeched, trying to back away. I was too driven by anger to allow it. As the creature squirmed, I put my all into it.

With a wet tearing noise, the axe dug further into his scaled flesh. Bones split and the lower jaw separated from the monster, shredding muscle and cracking cartilage as I used the weapon like a lever.

The pyromander spluttered and slunk away, trying to grab at his face with his clawed hands. Threadcutter spun in my hands before I lashed around, striking the panicked monster at the top of his head. Skull cracked, and the monster spasmed before deflating onto the floor. I wrenched my weapon away and stepped back from the pooling blood and oil-like substance leaking from the mouth wound.

I grimaced at my quiet System, about to disparage it for not being entertained enough for a prize, when a skill popped up.

[New Passive: Two-Handed Axe Mastery 1]

“Gee, thanks.” I rolled my eyes as I withdrew a bandage and applied it to my leg. I had a few corpses to make before the axe caught up with my Hammer Mastery, but given the different between the boosts was 2% currently… with one of the weapons being an old workman's hammer and Threadcutter being a named item…

//Scarlet: A little warning about anything odd in my path next time, please.

//Bernie: Okay!

Anything not originally in the desert was suspect. I took another deep breath and considered the fact that even without the sedating buff, things were okay. I wasn’t so shaken up about beating the brains out of this monster. A duck to water, almost. I should be freaking out. Gripped by fear. One wrong move and I would be nothing more than a terribly overcooked meal for the reptile, but… I survived it.

I kneeled and picked through the offered loot, being careful not to soak my slacks in the flammable blood.

[51 Gold]

[Ring of Firewalking]

[Flammable Sacs (2)]

Not exactly overflowing with items, but it looked like Elites were more likely to have magical gear. The ring had a flat +10% fire damage resistance on it, as well as a glib line about warming my soul. The sacs were basically biological molotov cocktails. The gold was... appreciated.

I ran my tongue around my teeth and looked around the quiet house. Was there any treasure here? The System hadn’t given me a pat on the back for cleansing this area, but it hadn’t at the graveyard either. With the living room and kitchen all but gutted, that mostly left the upstairs left to explore. I had time to kill before Bernie could scout again and wanted to compose myself before I tracked down the group of goblins.

What had my life become?

The staircase was looking worse for wear. Thanks to the fire damage, the wooden boards were weakened, and many were split and falling apart thanks to the clumsy weight of the reptile coming to seek me out. Swearing at myself under my breath, I put the axe back into my Inventory and stepped on the stairs, keeping against the wall where it should be structurally safest.

As everything creaked and shifted with every step, I wondered how much of this was all just me running on autopilot.

I wasn’t the type to plant my feet and fight things out. But where could I even run at this point? The world was fucked, and I was more likely to get myself into fatal danger by rushing. As much as I hated it, I had to wait for the right time.

With one last groan, I paused at the top of the stairs. From here I could see out of some of the collapsed roof, into the cluttered desert beyond. Were they… still after me? It was likely they were dead or preoccupied with the world ending. There was still the slim chance. I waited a few seconds before shaking the thoughts from my head.

Across the landing, I stepped cautiously into the single bedroom. It was dark in there, and I realized my Lightbulb had vanished during combat. I refreshed the cast, as my nose got a whiff of something foul. Brimstone and blood. The light moved forward, illuminating a destroyed bed.

Well, I had found the skulls missing from the skeletal parts downstairs. The pyromander had been making a nest, the bones of several bodies lining shattered wood and filth. I couldn’t tell if they were human or how long they had been here. Flame had all but bleached and charred the bones beyond recognition. I didn’t feel like digging around the mess for scraps.

Rather than face the stairs again, I went to the edge of the broken landing and clambered down - hanging from the stable edge and dropping to the living room floor again. Even with the gloves on, my white shirt was covered in patches of soot and ash.

Glancing around, I stepped into the kitchen, out of sight of the outside world. I unbuttoned my shirt and placed it on the counter, before pulling on the white undershirt from my Inventory. I did the same with the gym shorts, which were the compression kind. Shirt and slacks went back on, and I felt more comfortable. A few extra layers between me and the violent hordes made me almost invincible.

If only.

I stepped out of the house and into the warmth of unhindered sunlight. At this point, I had given up the hope of finding a shower. Blood, sweat, and grease covered me like a thin film. But… I still lived. Surviving despite the odds.

//Scarlet: Knowledge gear good for scouting? Ask Richard.

Map directed me toward the diner, and I set off. I wondered if they’d accept gold in exchange for cooking me up breakfast. Second breakfast. That is… if they were alive. As dour and heartless as it was, there might at least be something to loot from the building to help me and Bernie survive.

I brought Threadcutter out, just in case, as I watched the messages ping back.

//Bernie: He says yes.

//Bernie: Knowledge or Guile can improve the scouting.

//Scarlet: Noted.

I had a sword that needed unveiling by someone with enough Knowledge, and some blank scrolls that were probably for a similar purpose. If I could funnel gear with those stats to Bernie then he might be able to be useful without ever getting into danger.

Something told me it wouldn’t be tenable for much longer. I turned my head to the side to glance at the city. How many had the aliens killed there? Before even showing up themselves.

It left a bad taste in my mouth.

Yet, I wasn’t doing this to be a hero. Not even to protect people like Bernie or those at the diner. Saving the world? Unlikely.

I was just angry with my lot in life, and taking it out on these monsters was my therapy. Hell, I was even being rewarded for it.

With a grim smile of determination across my face, I reached the top of the current dune of rough sand and spied the small group of goblins trying to set up a camp.

I’d show them who was the real monster.