The spider hurls a ball of webs at the spot I just vacated. As I reach full speed, I hug the walls, hearing the spider smashing storefronts in an attempt to keep me in line for a second volley. While running, I quickly pivot to the right, aiming to circle back around.
It mostly works as I manage to curve around and head back in the direction the spider came from. However, what I fail to see is a thick, slimy web oozing from the spider, following in its wake. The web, five feet wide, catches me by surprise. My shoes stick to the web and due to my enhanced strength, they tear as I trip at 20 mph. Fortunately, my momentum carries me past the webbed area, narrowly avoiding getting entangled.
Unluckily for me, it allowed the spider to close the distance. As the spider rapidly approaches, I pull out a smoke grenade, hoping it will provide the cover I need to escape. I pull the pin and drop it at my feet, creating a curtain of smoke in the area. Through the smoke, I can see the monster within 10 yards of me, its glowing body reminding me of the jumping spider. Waiting for it to become even brighter, I activate my Earth Strider ability and dash to the left, narrowly evading an Arcane Lance launched by the spider. However, I'm not completely unscathed. I feel a sharp pain as the edge of the lance grazes my right side, tearing through my flesh and depleting a portion of my HP.
For the second time in the same day, I scramble to my feet, facing off against the behemoth spider. Familiar with its magical abilities and benefiting from the cover of smoke, I attempt to creep away. The spider roars close by, unable to locate me amidst the thick smoke that begins to burn my eyes and lungs. Crawling out of the smoke, I frantically search for an escape route to the outside. As I survey the area, hope begins to wither as I realize there seems to be no way out, acknowledging that this may be where I meet my end.
Determined to take these monsters down with me, I sprint to retrieve the gas can and notice a patch of light emanating from a building that the spider had torn apart. Praying it's not just a broken light, I change my running direction toward the light. Just as the spider rears up and spots me, I reach the light in time, hearing the rhythmic pounding of the spider's legs as it gives chase once again. The light seeps through a crack in the wall, approximately 2 feet wide, revealing a street behind the mall that is mostly free of webs.
Squeezing my body through the narrow opening, I barely fit through. Once I'm clear, I take one of the small 5-gallon gas cans and position it upside down in the hole, igniting it in hopes of trapping the beast long enough for me to get far away from the imminent blast. Now, I turn around, activate Earth Strider, and start running. The three hundred yards it takes to reach full speed feels like an eternity as I hear the scraping of the Arcane Goliath Birdeater attempting to push past the fire and claim its prey.
When I'm about a mile away, I halt my run and turn around, retrieving the Detonator from my storage ring. Praying that the soldiers were able to escape, I stand there with the Detonator in hand, feeling the weight of my decision. It dawns on me that by pulling the trigger, I may be condemning countless lives to a fiery death, but I struggle to find a better alternative. If I don't act, these monsters could overrun and decimate the city of Bakersfield. Although I always believed I would have the strength to sacrifice a few to save many, now that I face this choice, it proves to be far more challenging than I ever anticipated. However, deep down, I know what the right thing is. With a flick of the switch, I depress the plunger.
A truly cacophonous boom follows as the den in which I had been trapped detonates, sending me sprawling onto my back. A cloud of smoke billows above the strip mall, and as I gaze at the destruction, the notification icon on my phone goes into a frenzied, strobe-like seizure. A surge of energy courses through my body, stronger than ever before. As I rise to my feet, I retrieve my phone from my storage device and see a text message from Richard.
"Hey man, just wanted to let you know that we made it out and we're on our way to the F.O.B. We should be clear of the blast range," the text reads. Then a second message comes in. "Holy shit, I thought we were in the clear, but we just got hit by the body parts of a couple of spiders and knocked on our asses. How much gas and ammonium nitrate did you put in them?"
So I respond, "I don't know, a fifth of the bag per ten gallons of gas, then 1/5 of the C4 per bomb. There were 5 ten-gallon cans. How much was in the bag?" I have to wait a moment for the response.
"Holy shit, man! That was a 5-pound block of C4 and 2 pounds of ammonium nitrate. No wonder you almost blew us up too!" Richard exclaims.
"Well, if it's any consolation, I didn't see your guys' text message until after I already blew it up. Turns out big spiders can move really fast, but I can move just that much faster. It was a hot mess all around. I'll head to the base and meet up with you, then I'll have to hit the road," I explain.
As I finish healing, I look up the nearby base and start making my way to the F.O.B. While increasing my speed, I decided to check my notifications. What I find is both horrifying and exciting.
"Congratulations! You've earned the title 'The Unseen Reaper' for killing 50 people without ever laying eyes on them.
Congratulations! You've earned the title 'Mass Butcher' for killing 50 monsters with one attack.
Congratulations! You've earned the title 'Butchered by the Hundreds' for killing over 100 monsters with one attack.
Congratulations! You've earned the title 'Earthshaker' for being responsible for an attack that can be felt for miles.
Congratulations! You've earned the title 'Bathe in Blood' for extinguishing 150 lives with one attack.
Congratulations! You've earned the title 'Spare the Young' for killing over 50 people in one attack, and not one of them was a child."
"Congratulations! You've been forcefully given the title 'Slaughterer of the Innocents.' This title cannot be removed or changed unless by a ruling power of the land. Everybody can see this title, regardless of whether or not they scan you. Most people don't look kindly on people who murder their race so indiscriminately."
"Due to you being at the maximum of 10 titles, you have 2 hours to combine or remove the excess titles, or they will be randomly removed."
"You've learned the skills Explosive Handling, Alchemy, Demolitionist, Stealth, and Improvise."
"You have leveled up your skills: Stealth, Explosive Handling, Demolitionist, Alchemy, and Inverse Ingredients."
"You have leveled up your ability Earth Strider, and it is now level 10."
I stop my run shortly after starting so I can throw up at the sight of everything I've done. But was it right to kill over 50 people to stop what could have been a massive horde of spiders? Was it really my call to make? What would have been the right thing to do in the first place? These questions and much more race through my mind. As I hear a high-pitched screech that I recognize, I turn around with only one thought in my mind: "No fucking way."
Lumbering out of the wreckage of the building down the street is the Arcane Goliath Birdeater. It's missing a couple of legs and a chunk of the thorax, but otherwise, it looks intact. I scan it again, only to reveal that it has 750 health left. "Come on! How is that fair? Just die!" I shout while flipping it off. I turn around and sprint away, pulling out my phone while casting Earth's Strider. After the second ring, Richard picks up.
"Hey, are you at the forward operating base?" I ask.
"We're almost there, like 1 minute away. Why do you sound like you're running?" Richard asks.
"I am running away from that big-ass spider. It didn't die! How did they not die?" I explain.
"What do you mean it did not die? We almost died, and we weren't even near it," Richard says.
"I don't know, but it's chasing me. I'm pretty sure I can outrun it. I just need one of you to sprint up to the base and tell them that I'm bringing a very big boy to the party, and they might want to bring out the big guns," I say.
"Okay, I'm on it. I'll run up there right now," Richard says.
I relate the street I'm heading down, and as I do, there's another high-pitched screech, this time answered by other high-pitched screeches. It sounds like a bunch of them.
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"Can you hear that? I think the big boy is bringing friends. Tell them to be ready for anything," I say, looking back and seeing that now other smaller spiders are chasing the bigger spider, who's in turn chasing me.
"Tell them it is now a horde with at least two Elites," I add, while maintaining my maximum speed. As I'm running, spiders start pouring out from alleyways and on top of buildings. Most of them are behind, but some come out in front, forcing me to bob and weave around them. Taking a quick peek behind, I see that two more Elites have joined the horde chasing me. I put the phone back up to my ear and shout, "There are 4 Elites! No wait... 5 Elites and at least 40 mobs. It's a train. I'm sorry, I'm running a train on you. Are you at the base? Are they ready? I'm 1 minute away, traveling roughly 30 MPH on California Avenue heading east."
"Yes, I'm here, and they're mostly ready. They will be when you get here. What car are you driving?" Richard asks.
"I'm not driving a car. I am running. Don't ask. Leave the gate open enough for me to get through," I say, panting for breath.
"Sorry, I can't. The Major ordered the gate barred," Richard sadly says, knowing that it could mean my death.
"What? Fine, I'll figure something out." I hang up and throw the phone into my inventory, racking my brain for anything I can use to scale a 10-foot wall. I have an idea that I pray will work, hoping it will support my weight as I draw closer to the gates.
Now that I can see the home stretch, I sprint as hard as I can, wishing I could spend attributes on the fly. As I approach the F.O.B, I see Richard waving and pointing at me. It's only because I was looking at him that I got to see the look on his face when he saw the horde on my heels. It's a mixture of absolute horror with a touch of satisfaction. These monsters that killed his brother were about to be put down. Definitely horror first, then satisfaction, then a very seriously confused face wondering how I'm running so fast.
I slow down as I approach the gate and cast Earth Spike, focusing on making it as tall as possible while aiming at the top of the wall. It works, and I use it as a ramp to sprint up. This draws the attention of the guards on the wall and almost gets me shot. Once I reach the top, I stop and pull out my weapon, more for support than to use right at this moment.
I look at Richard and say, "Well, that was a lovely stroll." pant pant pant "Hope you don't mind I brought some friends." pant pant pant "Are you ready to greet them?" I finally catch my breath.
We turn around to witness an absolute bloodbath. Spiders exploding left and right. At some point, a helicopter swoops in, conducting a couple of strafing runs before departing. All four 50-caliber mounted machine guns are firing together, creating a deafening roar. Wave after wave of spiders are destroyed, and hundreds upon hundreds of spider bodies litter the ground. After a couple of minutes, the remaining spiders turn and run away.
I look over at Richard and ask, "Can I talk to the leader of the F.O.B? He will probably want to speak with me."
"Yeah, no problem. We'll head over there right now," Richard responds.
"Cool, we'll go right over there, then I can get out of here," I reply.
"Well, I guess we don't need to go find him because he is coming up to us right now," Richard says.
The commander approaches with a high and tight haircut, a strong jaw, and an air of no-nonsense. Without displaying any anger or inflection, he looks at the soldier next to me and says, "Report." As Richard gives his report, I notice that everyone around me is both at ease and has a hand on their weapons. I take a deep breath and remember what the title says. This is probably just a reaction to the title. As Richard finishes his explanation of the events, the commander turns his steely gaze toward me and says, "Now, I would like to hear your side of the events that led to this situation."
"No problem," I say. As I begin to explain, the commander listens silently until I reach the part about the roadblock. He asks, "Did they have a banner? Were they all wearing the same color? Anything to indicate what group they might belong to?"
"Not that I can remember, but I do recall there being more sky-blue than any other color among their apparel. However, when you're running that fast, it's hard to distinguish individual colors," I respond. Then I proceed to explain everything else, and the commander remains silent for the rest of the time. In the end, he asks me, "Why? Why did you rescue these men at all? You could have just planted the bombs and ran without caring about anyone, farming the experience. Why?"
"Well, I was one of those people—wrapped up, unable to move, not knowing if I was going to die or not. So I wanted to give them a chance. Like the people I left unconscious, I gave them a chance. I'm sure I could have blown everything up and walked away, but that's not the kind of person I am or want to be. Even so, it still twists me up that I had to kill so many people. The size of their nests was just too large. If I didn't do something, they would have overrun the entire city, and maybe the state, given enough time. That's the burden I have to bear," I say, tears welling up in my eyes.
The commander nods and says, "You did the right thing. While it is a burden you have to live with, it isn't a burden that you should have to be judged by. By the power invested in me by the United States government, I relieve you of the title 'Slaughterer of Innocents' and hereby grant you the title 'Savior of Cities.' The other titles you've gained, I cannot remove, but they can be gotten rid of once you hit the cap. Now, if you don't mind, I have other duties I have to attend to. Thank you for saving the city."
"Thank you so much for removing the title. I do have one last thing to offer you guys. I have a combat log. It should have the names of everybody that I killed. It would mean a lot to me if you guys could take down the names and inform the next of kin. This will also give you the chance to get an accounting of the fallen soldiers," I say with a tightening throat.
He looks at me again, this time taking a closer look. "You're a good man," he says. "That will be great. Thank you for offering that information. It is the least we can do for the families of those that we could not protect. Can I get your name for our records?"
"No problem, it is Havoc Deamhan," I say proudly.
In the first bit of emotion other than sadness, the commander laughs and says, "That is a wild name doesn’t Deamhan mean demon in Gaelic? No way that's your name. Mine is Commander Rhonas Shepherd. A pleasure to meet you," sticking out his hand while laughing.
I flash my empty hand in front of him, snap my fingers, and my ID appears in my fingers. "See it for yourself in all of its glory," I say with a flourish.
This brings another round of laughter from the commander as he reads the name printed on the California state driver's license.
"My God, man. Did your parents hate you?" he asks, wiping a tear from his eye.
"Nope, they just believed that a unique name makes a unique person. Wouldn't you agree, Rhonas?" I say with a chuckle.
"You got me there. Sorry about that. The last 5 minutes of chaos and slaughter, followed by a normal-looking man that can run faster than 30 MPH with a wild name. Come with me, and we can get it all sorted and maybe have a drink," he finishes with a chuckle.
Remembering that I need to combine some titles I decide to throw all of my stat-boosting titles into the pot so hoping that they consolidate into something strong. Once that was done I left the notification unread while I finished the task at hand.
Sorting through the log takes a full two hours of work, but we get them all down. 54 names in total, every last one of them dead at my hands. The only solace I can find is that not a single one took more than 10 damage, meaning they were all close to dying anyway, so it was more of a mercy. Commander Rhonas explains to me that the abundance of spiders outside was likely due to the nest needing to hunt more food. He informs me about the battles happening across the city, fighting different kinds of monsters, and offers for me to hold up here for a while. However, I explain that I have to get to my wife's family and ensure that they find somewhere safe before I head off-world.
With our drinks finished, I tell him that I will help out next time I'm passing through town.
After finding James and Richard, we exchange numbers and handshakes to ensure we're on each other's friends list. As I prepare to leave town, I can't help but notice soldiers out among the bodies, using their looting abilities. I approach the largest one and touch it, receiving a prompt that says, "As you were the one who did the most damage to this monster, you get the right to loot it first." I quickly loot everything and take a moment to glance at my titles and loot before heading out.
Spider fangs X2, poison gland X2, and a monster core. All of these has unknown in all of the other Categories.
Congratulations you've earned the following titles:
The Unseen Reaper: +5% damage to sneak attacks
Mass Butcherer: +5 damage Physical attacks
Butcherer of Hundreds: +10 damage Physical attacks
Bathe in Blood: +5 to all damage
Earthshaker: Area of effect damage +5
Spare the Young: +10 luck
Savior of Cities: + 1 basin rank
Remembering that I combined some titles earlier I look over the notifications for that and the title change.
Congratulations you've been forcefully given the title Slaughterer of the Innocents. This title cannot be removed or changed unless by a ruling power of the land.
Congratulations the title Slaughter of Innocents has been changed to Savior of Cities by a ruling power of the land.
Congratulations you have successfully combined the following titles Minute Man, Brave and the Bold, and Quartz Hunter into Bold Quartz Hunter this is a Trio title combination you may not combine any more titles with this one.
Bold Quartz Hunter: Gives a +10% to all attributes.
Congratulations you have reached level 14. You have 18 unspent attribute points to spend.