Luke and Matthew searched through the massive list of items in between helping Dorian and Lilian bury the dead hunter, albeit it was a shallow grave; it was no more than a few feet deep.
The list of items was far more vast than either of the hunters had expected. While there were obvious weapons and armor, there were also other things like bundles of rope, empty vials, and even minor magical items.
However, nothing looked appealing. All the weapons were no better than the ones either had. Some of them had minor effects at the expense of damage. Such as a sword that, if held steadily in one's hand would begin to point northward. Or a gun that could shoot harmless sparkles without draining MP.
"Don't you think you should get armor? You were nearly killed by one hit to that thrall earlier." Luke noted as he gestured to Matthew's screen as he scrolled past several pieces of armor.
Matthew simply shook his head. "I don't need defense. We just need a way to slow the thrall down so we can get a few decisive hits off." He kept scrolling. "Plus heavy armor has never been my thing." He added.
What about that, Luke pointed to an item as Matthew hastily scrolled past, stopping just in time to see what he had been gesturing to.
Matthew clicked open the item's description. It was a dark blue coat with a brown belt wrapped around its waistband. Small patches of thick leather guarded its back and shoulders from damage.
===================================
[Mercenary's Garb]
[Rank: D-]
[Defense: +5]
[Description: A coat worn by many common mercenaries who had to keep light on their feet during work.]
[Equipment Bonus: +5 Agility]
===================================
Matthew scanned over the item. It was good for sure. While it didn't have as much defense as most of the other armors, it came with a stat bonus.
"Guess it's speed doesn't matter if you can catch up to the bitch." Luke muttered.
Matthew reached his hand forward slowly. His hand went through the screen, disappearing on the other end.
It was a familiar sensation with what he had felt when getting his first item reward. Suddenly, his hand was enclosed around a thick piece of cloth and leather. He pulled his arm back to himself. As his hand became visible once more, so too did the Mercenary's Garb.
Suddenly another screen appeared.
===================================
[Would you like to equip this item: Y/N]
===================================
Matthew gave his answer with a nod of his head and a mutter under his breath.
The coat disappeared in a dim burst of light and briefly appeared around Matthew before quickly fading away and becoming invisible.
Matthew and Luke exchanged glances.
"Did it work?" Luke asked.
Matthew quickly opened his status window.
===================================
[Name: Matthew Adams]
[Level: 4]
[Job: None]
[HP: 48/65]
[MP: 4/33]
[Available Status Points: 0]
[Strength: 16]
[Agility: 18 (+5)]
[Vigor: 13]
[Intelligence: 13]
[Sense: 13]
[Faith: 13]
[Skills]
[Active: Healing Hands]
[Passive: N/A]
===================================
"Huh..." Matthew muttered. "Well.. that'll be helpful."
"Alright let's see what I got," Luke said as he quickly scrolled through the list of items. He snapped his fingers a few times as he glossed over several items of armor and weapons, and passed all the mundane equipment. "Y'know what I need.... my bullets don't do a lot. I need something in conjunction with that skill I got." He muttered.
"Watcha looking for? Are you not getting any armor?" Matthew asked as he crossed his arms and leaned back slightly at the edge of the dried fountain.
"Not at the moment. A sort of system like this is bound to have what I want... shouldn't be too rare either." Luke said.
"What are-" Matthew was cut off when a red screen appeared before Luke.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
[Silver Bullets (x10)]
[Rank: E]
[Description: A casing of 10 silver bullets that can be fired without consuming mana. These bullets deal twice as much damage to undead enemies.]
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
"Well, that'll be useful," Matthew noted as a small bundle of glistening silver bullets appeared on Luke's hand before quickly disappearing into light and flowing into his gun.
"Was hoping for a bit more than ten. But that should still be good enough for that vamp." Luke said as he looked at the cylinder of his gun and spun it. "Wonder if I can blow a limb off with a few good shots."
Suddenly both hunters looked forward as a figure in blue walked towards them; Dorian. His face was less bright than before. It looked like his eyes were sunken into his head, the light above forming a partial shadow over his face.
"You guys ready to go?" He asked in a low voice. He turned to the cathedral off into the distance. "It's fine if you don't to be honest. I didn't think we'd have any losses today. You two are just E-ranks, and I don't want you biting off more than you can chew here." He began to turn and walk away. "You guys can head back to the gate if-" he stopped when a handset was on his shoulder.
Dorian turned back to he the solemn smile of Matthew back at him. "We're hunters. Putting our lives on the line is our job."
A small smirk appeared on Dorian's face before it quickly faded as he turned away. "Alright then, let's make our way to the cathedral. Lilian... we're ready." He shouted at the red knight as she took one last look at Horris's shallow grave and donned her helm.
***
It didn't take long for the group to stumble across more zombies as they got closer to the cathedral.
"Lilian, keep your shield up. Keep their attention." Dorian shouted as he and Luke fired upon the oncoming hoard of zombies.
Matthew ducked below the swipe of undead before stabbing into its torso, forming a large hole the size of one's fist within it.
He then quickly turned and beheaded another approaching zombie with the blade of his spear. As he spun he caught a glimpse of a pair of zombies crawling over the ledge of a balcony above where Luke and Dorian stood.
"Luke above you!" He shouted as he knocked another zombie away with the pole of his spear.
Just as the zombies tumbled over the edge of the balcony, Luke turned and shot upward at the two falling creatures. Several loud bangs rang out as he filled the undead with magical holes.
Then Luke turned and planted a magical bullet into the skull of a zombie just as they lunged toward Lilian's unshielded flank.
"Lilian, back up a bit near Dorian," Matthew shouted as he took several steps backward while putting another hole into the chest of a walking corpse.
Lilian did as she was ordered and began stepping back as more zombies began to emerge from the corners of buildings.
From the center of the crowd, through the shambles of hovering names, Matthew spotted a light orange name among the bright yellow the names of the average zombie had turned: [Bloated Zombie].
Matthew beheaded another corpse as he finally noticed the owner of the name. Mostly, it was the same as all the others, except for the fact it was, in fact, bloated. Its stomach hung nearly a foot from its waistline. Inside its stretched skin Matthew could spot bright green ooze swirling within its gut.
"Luke, the fat one in the middle, shoot it!" Matthew shouted to his friend as he impaled another zombie and stepped back.
On command, Luke turned and fired several shots into the bloated zombie. The magical bullets impacted the bloated undead causing it to stumble, however, it persisted in advancing.
"Oh c'mon, you shit-" Luke muttered as he fired a sundering bullet. A stream of purple smoke tailed behind the projectile before planting itself in the collar of the bloated zombie. Seeing the purple mist wrap around the bloated creature, Luke fired yet another bullet directly at the stomach of the creature.
As the bullet impacted the zombie, it suddenly burst in a loud screech at the center of the hoard, taking several other undead with it as its, seemingly acidic, stomach fluid melted through the bones of the other creatures around them.
"Who, that's how you take down a hoard," Luke shouted in triumph as he shot more shots into the remaining undead.
"Don't get too lax. There's still more to deal with," Dorian suggested as he fired an ice spike into another zombie.
***
As the final zombie fell, everyone exchanged glances. Lilian propped her hands on her knees to keep herself upright as she took deep breaths. Beads of sweat poured down her face.
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Dorian sat against a building to catch his breath while Matthew and Luke sat in the middle of the stone road, glancing up at their modicum of rewards.
===================================
[Milestone Reached (level 10)]
[Allocating Rewards]
[ +5 ability points, 1 D-Rank skill]
...
[Spear Proficiency]
[Rank: D]
[Type: Passive]
[Description: You've become more comfortable with wielding various types of spears and polearms. Damage and speed of spear attacks are increased by 5%]
...
[Name: Matthew Adams]
[Level: 11]
[Job: None]
[HP: 83/100]
[MP: 50/50]
[Available Status Points: 5]
[Strength: 23]
[Agility: 25 (+5)]
[Vigor: 20]
[Intelligence: 20]
[Sense: 20]
[Faith: 20]
[Skills]
[Active: Healing Hands]
[Passive: Spear Mastery]
...
[Skill 'Healing Hands' has increased in power due to your Faith]
[Current Conversion Rate: 1 MP > 2 HP]
===================================
Matthew could hardly hold back the smirk on his face. Not only had he gotten plenty of levels due to all the zombies he'd killed, but he'd also gotten a skill and extra ability points.
He quickly held a palm to the wound on the somewhat closed wound on his chest before pouring his mana into it.
[HP: 83/100 > 100/100]
[MP: 50/50 > 41/50]
Matthew looked to his side to see Luke's face similarly alight as briar-rimmed screens filled his vision.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
[Name: Luke Sirius]
[Level: 11]
[Job: None]
[HP: 100/100]
[MP: 24/58]
[Available Status Points: 5]
[Strength: 20]
[Agility: 20]
[Vigor: 20]
[Intelligence: 23]
[Sense: 20]
[Faith: 20]
[Skills]
[Active: Sundering Blow, Ember Step]
[Passive: N/A]
...
[Ember Step]
[Rank: D]
[Type: Active]
[MP Cost: 10]
[You have gained the ability to teleport in a shroud of flames. Creatures near where you teleport to and from will be scorched by the flames. The distance you can travel with this skill increases with your Faith stat]
[Current Maximum Distance: 60 feet]
...
[Skill 'Sundering Blow' has increased in power due to your Faith]
[Current Reduction: 15%]
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
"Damn... I'm starting to like this thing." Luke muttered as a smirk spread across his face.
"Where are you putting your points?" Matthew asked as he allocated his points to his liking.
===================================
[Name: Matthew Adams]
[Level: 11]
[Job: None]
[HP: 100/100]
[MP: 41/50]
[Available Status Points: 0]
[Strength: 23]
[Agility: 30 (+5)]
[Vigor: 20]
[Intelligence: 20]
[Sense: 20]
[Faith: 20]
[Skills]
[Active: Healing Hands]
[Passive: Spear Proficiency]
===================================
"Why agility?" Luke asked, a single brow raised.
"I noticed something when fighting the zombies: I could react to them much quicker than before. It felt like they were moving slower. Not only that, but my body itself felt much lighter. That vampire is quick, but hopefully, with my increased agility I can keep up with it." Matthew thought for a moment.
Then his gaze turned to Lilian and Dorian as they caught their breath. "I'm not sure how strong I am compared to other hunters, but I'm definitely beyond anything an E-rank could do. I'm probably well within D-rank."
The smirk faded from Luke's face as he looked down at himself. "Guess I still got a long way to go until I get back to what I'd been before." He said. It didn't feel like he was speaking to Matthew, but rather himself.
"Look on the bright side, by the time you're an A-rank, you'll be much stronger than you were. You only have the explosive bullets and that tracking skill before right? You already have two skills as a D-rank. And who knows how much more we'll get moving forward." Matthew explained.
Luke nodded. "Guess that makes sense." He said as he allocated his points and rose to his feet.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
[Name: Luke Sirius]
[Level: 11]
[Job: None]
[HP: 100/100]
[MP: 36/70]
[Available Status Points: 0]
[Strength: 20]
[Agility: 20]
[Vigor: 20]
[Intelligence: 28]
[Sense: 20]
[Faith: 20]
[Skills]
[Active: Sundering Blow, Ember Step]
[Passive: N/A]
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
"Do you think we're ready to face the thrall? Before I could hardly pierce it with my spear; and that was with you using [Sundering Blow]." Matthew asked as he got to his feet.
"With how much stronger we've gotten, if we play our cards right, it shouldn't be too big an issue," Luke assured.
Suddenly, a low rumble began to fill the pathway they were taking rest in.
The hunters looked at each other as if expecting one of them to be the source of the sound.
However, Lilian quickly turned to the camera of the road and passed Matthew and Luke. "Watch out!" She shouted as she began to run forward.
Luke and Matthew quickly turned to see an old wooden wagon soaring towards them.
Matthew quickly stepped forward and braced himself as the wagon approached. Just as it was about to crash into him he swung upward with his spear, slicing the wagon in half.
The halves of the wagon were tossed behind him, flying over the heads of the people behind him as they all hit the deck to avoid being hit.
The hunters exchanged glances once again. "The hell was-" Dorian was cut off when a large boulder, the size of a horse, suddenly crashed through the side of the building next to them causing wooden debris to shower the hunters as they hastily dodged aside to not be crushed by the large rock.
The hunters cleared away as a large creature began to stomp onto the street through the hole in the wall. It was well over 10 feet tall. Whilst its pale skin was partially decayed revealing its tendons beneath it, its physic was daunting. It had muscles akin to a bodybuilder which only added to the monster's size. One of its arms had been dismembered halfway up its forearm only to be replaced with a thick chain that was now embedded into its skin. The other end of the chain was hooked to the large boulder that had been thrown through the building.
Matthew glanced above the creature's head where a dark orange text box read the creature's name: [Undead Ogre].
Matthew braced his spear and took a step forward to charge at the beast, however, a bellowing roar erupted from the ogre, causing another rumble through the street.
Suddenly, Matthew felt his body tense up as a thin red aura began to seep from his skin.
===================================
[You've been affected by 'Bellow']
[Speed reduced by 25% for 15 seconds]
===================================
"Are you fucking serious?" Matthew shouted through his clenched teeth.
Matthew quickly glanced about to see the same aura emitting from the rest of the raiding party.
The ogre growled and swung his chain arm to the side, causing the large boulder to grind along the stone floor, tearing up chunks of earth, straight towards Lilian.
Despite being slowed, the knight still had enough time to raise her shield against the impact. Regardless of her large shield blocking most of the damage the boulder crashed through her iron barrier and rammed into her, denting her armor as the rock's force carried it onward this time toward Dorian.
He held up his hands as an icy Sigil began to form in his hands, however, he didn't have time to cast his spell before Luke dove at him and tackled him out of the way of the oncoming stone.
The chained boulder slammed into the side of the ruined building next to Dorian, denting its walls inward.
Quickly getting back to his feet, Luke aimed the barrel of his revolver at the ogre and fired two shots; one carried a trail of purple mist behind it while the other came out like a streak of silver.
[MP: 36/70 > 31/70]
[Silver Bullets: 10 > 9]
The first bullet pierced into the ogre's skin causing purple mist to begin radiating from the beast. The second bullet struck the ogre in the collar before pulsing in a sudden flicker of light and exploding.
The ogre roared and stomped forward towards Luke. A large wound now lay on its collar where the silver bullet had pierced its skin, exposing torn muscles and broken bones.
The ogre reared its chain arm backward, pulling the boulder towards it before swinging it up, over its head, then downward where Luke and Dorian were standing.
The two hunters began to back away, but it was clear neither was fast enough to avoid the chunk of earth as it approached.
However just as the shadow of the rock covered Luke and Dorian, a metal spear slammed into the Boulder, lodging itself nearly a foot into it and shoving the rock into the side of the wall next to them.
Luke looked over to see Matthew retracting his arm from throwing his spear. He glanced down at his hands for a second in mild confusion before snapping from his awe and rushing forward to grab his spear.
He dashed forward and pried his spear from the stone with a grunt.
Luke and Matthew exchanged glances just as the red aura weighing them down dissipated.
"Let's kill the bitch." Luke smirked.
Matthew nodded and turned towards the ogre as it pulled the boulder towards itself.
The ogre roared again only to be met with two silver bullets filling its chest.
[Silver Bullets: 9 > 7]
The ogre stumbled backward only to have the blade of a spear slice open its knee, nearly cleaving its calf from its body. The ogre fell to one knee as it swung its fist at Matthew who quickly stepped back then onto the beast's arm as it struck the ground.
Using his newfound speed, Matthew dashed up the creature's arm and swung his spear again towards its face. The ogre roared again as both its eyes were cut across.
Matthew quickly jumped from the back of the ogre just as another silver bullet slammed into its face.
[Silver Bullets: 7 > 6]
As Matthew landed he quickly spun and cut at the ogre's injured leg, this time cleaving the limb apart at the knee.
The ogre groaned in pain once more as it fell forward, slamming its jaw into the stony street.
Matthew took the opportunity to dash forward onto the creature's back before leaping up and plunging the tip of his spear into the back of the ogre's head.
The beast roared once again in agony for a brief moment before the roar became reminiscent of the dying squeal of a hog. Then, finally, the beast ceased movement as several screens appeared before both Luke and Matthew.
===================================
[Leveled-Up]
[Leveled-Up]
[Leveled-Up]
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
The hunters exchanged glances then they finally turned their heads to Lilian who was still lying on the ground, her shield and chest plate were both dented deeply inward, and crimson liquid spilled from the gaps in her armor.
"Shit, Lilian," Dorian shouted as he quickly scrambled towards his fallen comrade.
He kneeled next to her and removed her helm to see the pale face of Lilian, blood spilled from her mouth in a stream on either side of her face. Her eyes were dull, her skin pale and cold, lacking any form of life.
"Shit shit shit shit shit." Dorian continuously muttered as he held Lilian's head in his hands. Tears welled up in his eyes as they began streaming down his cheeks.
Matthew quickly kneeled next to him and held his hands to her chest as his hands began to glow.
[MP: 49/58 > 39/58]
He pulled his hand away and waited a few seconds. Then another. And another.
"What are you doing?" Dorian asked, fighting back the tightness in his voice.
"Hold on," Matthew said as he put his hands over her again.
[MP: 39/58 > 24/58]
"Damn it." He said more forcefully as his hands grew brighter. However before he could start pooling mana into the hunter, Luke grabbed his hands and pulled them away.
"She's dead, don't waste your magic. You're going to need it against the vampire." He said calmly.
Matthew quickly tore his hands from Luke's grasp before placing them over the knight's corpse.
Matthew could feel his eyes begin to sting as tears began to form. "I just need to put a bit more-" he was cut off when a hand grabbed his shoulder and quickly turned him to the side.
Although as he came to a halt Matthew didn't see Luke, but instead the glare of confusion and anger from Dorian. "You can heal!?" He shouted.
Dorian quickly stood up and pulled Matthew to his feet only to ram a fist into his jaw, causing Matthew to stumble back.
"You could heal this whole time and you didn't once think to use it when Horris was bleeding out. Or when Lilian had her armor caved into her chest." The mage shouted as tears continued flowing down his face.
"And let you and Luke get crushed by a boulder? In the fight with the vampire, if I hadn't gotten back up and stepped in, Lilian would have nearly died as well." Matthew explained with more force in his voice.
"Shut up, if you could heal why did you keep it a secret? I don't give a damn if you're an E-rank or not, you could have saved-" his voice trailed off as his vision turned over Matthew's shoulder, toward the corpse of the ogre.
Luke and Matthew quickly turned to see a familiar bloody figure crouched atop the ogre's back, digging into its flesh and eating it in large chunks.
It was the vampire from before. However, the wounds it had once sustained had since healed. Not only that as it devoured the ogre's flesh the veins beneath its skin began to turn bright red throughout its body.
The hunters watched for a moment as the form of the vampire became somewhat more bulky; its muscles were much more defined and its claws seemingly became sharper. Its eyes became a deeper shade of red, as did the name above its head which now changed: [Vampire Fledgling]
A second later a screen appeared before both Luke and Matthew.
===================================
[Quest 'Bloody Vengeance' has altered]
[Updating Quest]
...
[Quest: Bloody Vengeance]
[Rank: C]
[Objective: Slay the vampire fledgling]
[Rewards: +5 attribute points to all stats, 1 C-rank skill of your choice, 1 unique item]
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
The screen quickly disappeared as Luke fired a silvery bullet towards the vampire.
[Silver Bullets: 6 > 5]
The fledgling quickly ducked out of the way and began to dash away.
Luke and Matthew exchanged a glance before quickly giving chase to the creature through the damp and decrepit streets the gate had brought to be.