(Author: Hello! That last chapter took way too long to edit. This is also the last chapter I wrote in high school and the last of the spam release. The chapters also seem long because of the tables. Anyway, Aeron leaves the school and finds out it was all an event. It was as if he was part of a cruel game by whoever or whatever made the system announcement system. Escaping from the zombies, Aeron and company now face new terrors and learn that the terror doesn't end with zombies. The terror starts after them. Enjoy.)
-----------Chapter 4: Ambush in China Town-------------------
"And we're out of gas," Eddy said as the truck slowed to a stop. "Ramming zombies and the extra weight took a toll on the truck."
"Least we're thirty miles out," James said as they all got of the truck.
"Up ahead is China Town. We entered the most populated area in the south western part of the city," Aeron sighed.
"It's better than going north or east. The buildings go on for miles and west is the neighborhoods full of packed houses. In zombie movies, those areas scream of death. At least one major character dies there," James said. "East would be worse. It's downtown. If we proceed, through China Town, we can use the Metro to get out of Los Angeles."
"We can also go to Olvera Street. They have a bunch of cool souvenirs and---" Eddy started.
"We're trying to escape the city, not tour it," Jean said.
"I just want a magic skill. Let me at them," Frankie said, his mood bitter as he still did not have one. Now that his spirit was above ten, he had more than fifty MP. If it was a powerful spell, like James's Fire Ball, he could cast it once as well.
They all saw a large suitcase appear out of nowhere. Aeron took out an air rifle, loaded the oxygen tank, and put a flat pellet in it and gave it to Eddy. Eddy frowned as his brother gave him the air rifle he worked so hard to get. Then, his brother gave him a sausage can full of flat pellets and tossed the suitcase away as he gave his brother two more oxygen tanks and looked at him.
"Use the Frost Enchantment ability on that rifle and use it. We need long range fighters and you don't really know how to fight with a weapon besides an air rifle," Aeron said. "We need to move. I'm pretty sure the more days that pass, the stronger the zombies and whatever else is here will be."
"Right. Jean, Frankie and I will use the air rifles. We got enough air rifles and pellets for it. We'll fight if the numbers are too great. I'm sure certain areas that are hit will have suffer more damage. Kind of like a weak point for a critical hit," Eddy nodded, holding the gold rifle while the others carried a black one.
"I can also practice using Ice Shard. It only costs 5MP per use," James grinned.
"That is totally unfair. That's only 1 spirit per cast," Frankie sighed.
"We should check up on our status screens. Try to see if we can see a mini map or something," James said, everyone nodding as they checked their own status screens.
NameAeron AoLevel 7No ClassTitleNonePersonal StatsStat NumbersStrength12 (12+1)Vitality12 (12+4)Agility16 (16+1)Stamina13 (13+1)Spirit15 (15+3)Resilience15 (15+3)
"Strength and stamina. Those are the stats I have to focus on," Aeron nodded, seeing his agility, spirit, resilience, and vitality was good. He could upgrade the gloves and energy shield. Those two items were the cause those other stats were high. He didn't need to waste any stats to improve those.
"I say we let Aeron and the huge golem take point," James suggested, everyone nodding as Aeron had the highest level. Cindy would be their rogue as she specialized in agility and stamina stats. She also had the Golden Needle skill which would be perfect for targeting the strongest of enemies. James would be fighting behind them and attack from mid-range, taking advantage of his Ice Shard magic and his experience with using a staff.
"Crap, it's full of zombies. It's strange though. They don't look Chinese," Frankie said as they were on the roof of a building over the main strip of China Town. They could see the golden dragon sign that signified the beginning of the China Town street where all the vendors set up stalls and shops to attract tourists.
"We're not on Earth. I imagine this is the only city like it. Once we leave, we don't know where we'll go. The good thing is, the electricity seems to be running. I'm guessing those will stop once the ten days of the quest are over," Aeron said. "Let's go. Most of them are at level 3. Cindy and I might not get much experience, but the rest of you will."
"Now that's cool," Frankie said as a rectangular shield made of permeable crimson energy appeared in Aeron's left hand.
"Watch it!" Aeron shouted as Frankie fired at the energy shield, the pellet ricocheting off the shield.
"Even magic is blocked," James said, seeing the ice shards create a cloud of ice as they hit the shield.
"Let's go!" Cindy said, the first to head down the stairs. Aeron grinned and jumped from the roof, cracking the floor as he landed on his feet from the roof of the two-story building. The golem followed its master, creating a small crater and drawing the attention of the zombies in the process. James sighed and also left the building to get in range to use his ice magic.
"I know I said I wanted to be a mage, but that is awesome," Frankie said, seeing Aeron and the golem charge into the zombie horde. Aeron would bash and hack while the golem would shoulder tackle or slam the zombies into the ground.
"Quick your hero-worshipping and start shooting!" Jean said, shooting the gun, pulling the bolt, put another pellet in, and putting the bolt back in place to shoot once more.
"We have to go up close. We're not getting much experience if more than one person attacks the same zombie to kill it," Eddy said.
"We need storage rings, like your brother," Jean said as they took out the oxygen tanks, put the cylinder tanks and rifles in their cases, and ran down stairs. They left the cases up there as they could afford to lose it as their backpacks were more important. As they left, they didn't see green goblins narrow their eyes as they sat on giant boars. One goblin pointed at the cases and four goblins snuck onto the roof and crushed them.
"Tru gak hul jafa," one goblin said in its native tongue. The English interpretation being: "We destroyed the weird bows."
"Marut yak jiso," a giant goblin said, laughing as it watched the humans fight the zombies. In English: "Kill the archers first."
Not knowing the danger that watched them, the three friends joined the golem and the fighters in killing the zombies. Aeron and the golem killed the higher leveled zombies, letting the weaker ones through as Aeron saw Eddy, Frankie, and Jean enter the battlefield. James was laughing hysterically, using his Ice Shard magic as he bashed on the zombies with his staff. He was only one level higher, but his ice magic had a freezing effect. Thus, the zombies moved slow enough for him to leisurely use his staff to finish them off.
"Where's the rifle I gave you?" Aeron asked as he saw Eddy kill a zombie, ice appearing on every scratch and stab.
"Back on the roof," Eddy shouted, doing a left uppercut on a zombie and finishing it off with a stab to the chest.
Aeron looked back and his eyes widened as he saw giant, dark brown boars with strange green creatures on top. As Frankie killed the last zombie and reached level 4, one goblin blew a curved horn and a cavalry of goblins appeared from the sides of the building, one directing the boar as the other wielded a bow with flames on the arrowheads.
"Goblin ambush!" Aeron said, recognizing the appearance of the goblins from many video games. Most were four feet high with bandanas covering their faces below the eyes.
"Goblins?" Frankie asked, screaming as an arrow scratched his left arm as he turned.
"James, target the riders!" Aeron shouted as they ran down the road. "Blood Golem, throw heavy objects at them!"
"Fucking goblins," Frankie cursed as he and Eddy ran into a restaurant, closing and locking the door after Jean entered. Aeron, James, and Cindy were fighting on the road as the golem threw whatever it could grab in sight. Aeron grunted as one boar ran into his shield. He roared and jumped on the boar's head as it was dazed from the recoil. He soccer kicked the first goblin and hacked his axe into the skull of the archer behind it. Then he jumped up and put all his strength into his arms, beheading the boar with the bottom edge of the energy shield. He retrieved his axe and saw fire condense in front of James, casting his Fire Ball spell to destroy the rest of the raiding goblins.
"I'm out of MP," James cried as Eddy, Frankie, and Jean exited.
"Finish off the ones on the ground!" Aeron roared and they all charged. The goblins were level 5, but they were dazed and burned from James's spell. It was easy for Aeron to cut through their skin, but the others had to cut twice to kill the downed goblins. Aeron looked up and saw an even bigger boar with an eight feet tall goblin staring down.
"Turis ras vare. Trulok pika wala mijo sasa. Ruka lama powa nula," the goblin chief laughed and disappeared from sight. In English: "So these humans can fight. Better wait for them to enter our territory. We will kill them there.."
"What the fuck just happened?" Frankie yelled, stomping on a dead goblin and scattering its brains on the road. "Zombies and now goblin bacon riders?"
"They'll be back," Aeron said. "Everyone alright?"
"Yeah. I think they destroyed the rifles. Sorry," Eddy said.
"At least you didn't leave your backpacks there," Aeron said.
"What level was that giant one? Was it a goblin chief?" Cindy asked.
"It was level 9. I think it is the boss. We probably need to enter the Metro. I think it counts as an exit if we escape through the tunnels," Eddy said. "We encountered it way too soon. I think it's because we drove here instead of walking."
"We have to go through Olvera Street. There, the goblins would not be able to ride the boars if they follow us. We can also use the stalls as cover in case they shoot from above the buildings," Aeron nodded. "We'll stay here until we all reach level 8 and higher. That way, the injuries from the goblins will do less damage. As for me, I'll try to hunt any goblin scouts in the area. The zombies here are too weak for me to level. I'll leave the golem to guard the store you guys hid in. It is a restaurant and bound to have food."
Stolen novel; please report.
"Foo Chow Restaurant?" James asked, seeing the sign. "Ah, the food there was great. A movie was even filmed there, but I like the food better."
"Wait! Since this is like a game, there might not be a map but there should be a friend's list!" Frankie said, asking the system about it. "There is! Quick, let's add each other."
"Testing," James said, aloud and nothing happened and a small box appeared next to Frankie with a volume button and his name there.
"I can hear you. Well, I'm next to you but I can hear you in my head," Frankie laughed.
"Use the friend list to send a telepathic message if something comes up," Aeron said after they all added each other to the friend lists.
"Good luck," Cindy said, Aeron nodding as he left toward Olvera Street as the blood golem stood beside the door to the restaurant.
"Those bastards were actually testing us. Let's see how they like being killed," Aeron growled as he just bashed the zombies out of his way, taking his anger out on them as he finished them off. He collected hundreds of black coins, but his level didn't reach level 8. Level 3 zombies didn't give much experience. However, he gained battle experience with using his axe and shield together. He also used his Bone Dragon Pistol, switching to the training axe once he used all six bullets. After an hour of killing, he could now aim with his pistol and got used to the recoil.
He noticed he didn't even need to go to the zombies, his shield drawing them to him with the hostility effect when used. He shot many zombies in the head, seeing their heads explode due to the special effect of the bullets. If he blew off an arm, he could see a small ember appear before disappearing. The pistol did damage depending on where the bullets landed. He assumed it was the same as all metal projectiles as Frankie screamed but didn't seem to be hurt much when the arrow only scratched him.
The training axe now had damage of (12-17). The damage dealt depended on the axe, his strength, and the enemy's resilience. Vitality also slightly increased defense and increased the health of the enemy. As he killed the final zombies in front of Olvera Street, he had come to realize that he and the rest of the students had higher stats than the residents of the planet. Even the goblins seemed easy to kill. It was just like how NPCs, non-player characters, were easier to kill than other online players.
As he reached Olvera Street, he deactivated his energy shield. In such a closed space, it would be difficult to use his shield and his mobility would be impaired. He snuck through the street, going into the restaurants to grab some food before going back into the street. He moved incredibly slow, sweating as the pressure got to him.
He learned goblin scouts always moved in pairs, whether on a boar or patrolling the alleys or inspecting the buildings. Due to increased exposure, he was beginning to understand how they acted. He throw his axe at one goblin's back, doing a jump kick as the other turned back. He would finish it off by strangling it to death. At first, it disturbed him to see it rasp for breath. He would punch it in the neck with his gauntlet and succeeding in choking the goblin as it coughed for breath. After strangling twelve goblins, he became numbed to the feeling of guilt and mercy to the goblins.
System AnnouncmentAeron Ao is promoted to level 8.
3 stat points awarded.
"+2 to strength and +1 to stamina," Aeron said and felt his body grow more powerful as he exited Olivera Street.
System AnnouncementCongratulations
Aeron Ao has killed multiple goblins. You have studied them and strangled them, cruelly, until they choked death. Due to understanding your enemy, you have learned their language.
System AnnouncementUnlocked Quest: Kill the False God
Every race has a god they worship. Some live among them, some were mortals that died and became legend, and some have been told but believed, never seen by a soul. Even goblins have gods. One of their living gods sleeps in the city. Kill the false god and take his treasures. Who hasn't dreamed of killing a godlike being?
Awards
+10,000 black dragon coins.
+1 level up
+1 item upgrade
+1 storage ring. Free storage ring upgrade if 1 owned.
+1 title.
Meet a Legendary Being.
Restriction: Aeron Ao must fight alone.
"A fake god?" Aeron frowned, staring at the dead goblin in front of him. "If the coins are being awarded in such a high amount, it must be incredibly difficult. First, I have to find out where the fake god is. A hidden boss should not be easy to find. If I needed to learn the language, I should interrogate the goblins."
Aeron brandished his axe as he snuck toward Union Station. He stared silently at the goblins as they patrolled the perimeter. Seeing no boars, he grinned and took out his pistol.
*Bang. Bang. Bang*.
Aeron fired his pistol at the three farthest goblins, killing them as he cut off the arm of the closest goblin before kicking behind the knee and finishing it off with a hack at the head. Ten goblins rushed at him and he shot three more times.
*Bang. Bang. Bang*.
He missed one shot, blasted the arm off another, and killed a third with a hole in its chest formed as it was sent flying. The other goblins shouting, the veins on their heads bulging as they rushed at him. Aeron put his Bone Dragon Pistol in his storage ring and took out his training axe. He grinned as an energy shield appeared in his left and ran forward. A goblin spat blood and crashed onto the floor, its bones broken as if it got hit by a truck. The goblin that lost on arm howled as its blood sprayed on the floor, its green face and pointy ears turning a lighter shade as it lost too much blood. It could feel its arm burn, as if it was branded and shouted.
"The human has some kind of fire enchantment!" the goblin warned in its language.
"Like that will help you. You will still die. Tralaja moksa luwa. Marut gosa cox," Aeron mocked, the goblins shocked as the human spoke their language.
"No hero human can kill us. Our god protects us!" a goblin laughed, a huge fire ball flying from its right hand toward Aeron.
Aeron deactivated his shield and ran to his left, narrowly dodging the fire ball with his superior agility. He watched as it hit a car by the front gate, a large explosion that knocked everyone off their feet. Aeron shook his head and got up, bashing the nearest goblin near him. He yelled as he hacked at it as it leaned back from the impact. Blood sprayed and bones cracked as his axe broke through its ribs and sliced the heart in half.
He activated his shield and blocked two clubs from the other goblins. He swung his axe low, cutting off the feet of one goblin. He also struck the chest of the other goblin ,with his elbow, as he rose to his feet. he quickly finished off the goblins by jumping high and landing on their heads with his feet after the fell onto the ground. He threw his axe, cutting the hand of the goblin that used magic.
He deactivated his shield, tackling two and snapping their necks after they crashed. The last goblin tried to run but Aeron was faster and he grabbed the goblin's shoulder, digging his fingers into it. The goblin fell to the ground and Aeron put one hand on its head as another held its chin. With a malicious smile, he snapped the neck of the goblin and let it fall to the ground. He got his axe from the ground and shook his head at the pale-faced goblin as he beheaded it.
"Who was going to kill who now?" Aeron mocked as the mage goblin glared at him as it tried to stop the blood from leaving its right wrist.
"What do you want, human?" the goblin growled.
"You can speak my language now?" Aeron frowned.
"I ate enough of your kind," it spat and smiled.
"That right?" Aeron said and push kicked the goblin onto the ground, a massive bruise appearing on its chest. "Where is this god of yours? You said he would protect you? Where was he when your nine friends died? Where was he when I killed dozens of your kind past this area?"
"You---!" the goblin started until Aeron slapped it with his shield, the goblin spitting blood and teeth onto the ground.
"Where?" Aeron snarled, his axe drawing blood on its neck as the goblin was about to scream. It grit what teeth it had as it felt the wound burn. "Why did you come here? Answer me or I will kill you slowly. Very slowly.
"....it's to the south, past Union Station. It's in what you human's called, The Japanese American National Museum. After my world fused with this Alternate Earth, this human city is one of the few that did not disappear," the goblin spouted, fearing the look in Aeron's eyes. "I don't know why my world and this planet merged, but we sensed a disturbance in the mana and found ourselves here. We killed the humans that hid here, eating their flesh to learn your language. We didn't expect survivors from our purge. We assumed the zombies, beings not from my own world, killed you all off."
"I see," Aeron said coldly, giving the golem a quick death by beheading it.
"Eddy, tell the others I am going to the Japanese American National Museum. I have business in Little Tokyo. Once you guys reach level 7, kill the goblins around Olvera Street like I did. I never saw any of the boars, so they must be in the tunnels with the goblin chief. They probably made their village there. If you can, kill them. I'll catch up," Aeron said using telepathy. Friend lists were convenient for communication. He closed his eyes and ordered the golem to come to him. He could feel some sort of mysterious connection to it as its creator and master.
"What are you going to do? We can kill the boss, but we thought you would kill it with us?" Eddy asked. "Where is your golem going anyway? Is it going to you?"
"Yes it is.," Aeron answered, as his test to control the golem from afar worked. "Just wipe out the village of goblins and boars. As for me, I'm going to kill their god."