It was like another set of eyes opened, like my skin breathed, and every hair on my body could speak. And then more. Like another sensory organ had opened itself up to me, only it gave me an awareness of myself and the world around me in an inexplicable way.

A blessing for someone moving around dangerous places alone.

Skill: [Solo’s Instinct]

You have an innate sense of your immediate surroundings. An uncanny awareness of potential harm, opportunity, and the world around you.

Multiplied further, by the presence of my clones. It gave shape to the way I would be carrying myself in this apocalypse. A network of stealth and awareness.

The level-up had come out of nowhere and gave credence to a theory I had. I’d leveled when acting in accordance with my Class. I’d been alone, solo. Sure, First had been with a group of people, but I’d chosen a more independent way.

And discovered a marvel.

Class aside, I wasn’t naive enough to think I could brave the apocalypse alone, though I was certain I was among the most capable to do so. It took me an hour to make it to that vast tree, that skyscraper that looked like a bastion of humanity, despite the fact it had been in my view that entire time. The distance between us had been immense, compounded by the uneven terrain.

I was curious and hopeful. These people seemed less haggard then those from the library. And in truth, I hadn’t been expecting to find anyone else. Let alone in these numbers.

“Hey, check it out.” A muddied man nudged another stranger. Both wore business attire, ripped at the sleeves and knees. Had they been office workers before all this? Working in the skyscraper?

“Another group.” One whispered. There were more?

There was a handful of whispers around but no one stopped me. Maybe that was because I walked in a group of four, that I seemed so imposing. Or that I had come straight from the wilderness.

The place looked like a refugee camp. There was no organization here. People gathered in small groups, congregating around a larger whole, but that was it. My presence wasn’t questioned, just remarked upon. As if they were blind to the danger of this place.

I found a throng of people debating in the open, at the base of the skyscraper. My clones melted into the crowd, listening. I made myself small, standing to the edge of the group.

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“We can’t stay here forever.” A burly man argued, crossing his arms. “We need to get out of this swamp or we’ll starve.”

“Why would we leave a perfectly good shelter? Jackson gives us freshwater, the building…”

I tuned out once I got the gist of the debate. To stay or to go. The same conversation I assume the people from the library had. Only this group was much larger, and had a much better place to stay, if they decided so.

Something itched at my back though. I wasn’t sure what exactly it was but [Solo’s Instinct] was kicking into overdrive. Something was wrong here. The certainty was like a pit in my stomach.

“We can’t stay here forever. We need to get out of this swamp or we’ll starve.” The pitch, the tone, the volume, it was all exactly the same.

“Why would we leave a perfectly good shelter? Jackson gives us freshwater, the building is all the shelter we need.” Came the response.

What was happening? I looked around and realized people were barely moving. Or rather, they were just in the same motions. All of my clones started looking around, moving closer towards me.

And then I spotted something that chilled me to my core. A sapling. Embedded into the stranger’s neck, roots piercing into the skin, spreading like veins. Barely visible under the hair and then clothes.

Everyone had them.

One of my clones stared at my original self. I saw it, like some wriggling worm, or a stick bug, just made of roots. A small thing. Crawling up my arm.

I smashed it in a small spray of sap, the clones checked each other, smashing two more, and then I was running. Running from these people.

I had walked into a trap. A large group like this? Why wouldn’t they be attacked? They were too lax, too easygoing, for this all to be real. I caught my breath, looking backward, and realized nothing had followed me. No one had followed me.

Whatever it was, it had me dead to rights. Why? What happened? Was it controlling those people? Were they already dead? It looked like… a parasite, or something.

That thing was embedded right in the spinal cord. I’d seen the roots spreading upward toward the head, and downward across the spine. Those people were possessed by something. I knew they were.

So why didn’t they chase me?

Skill: [Low Profile]

You are immune to unwarranted magical and technological scrying. Abilities, spells, or equipment that reveal your location are negated. Your presence can only be detected by the physical senses.

I was breathing hard and any semblance of peace that I had was shattered. I’d thought dying would be the worst fate offered to me. I’d been wrong, there was more to fear than something so merciful.

I stared at the dozens of figures across the roots, a shadow across my face. It was some kind of magical parasite then, and it hadn’t noted my presence. That little… thing, had seen me, crawled on me, but the people who were enthralled hadn’t seen me.

It had to be some kind of other sense, negated by [Low Profile], the only thing that had saved me in the end. And all these people had fallen prey to it.

I realized that I wasn’t just staring at a single group of people transported by this skyscraper, but countless others that had been lured here.