Holding my laser pistol in one hand and my knife in the other, I entered the basement leading to the Carolina Union. Most of it was underground, and there was a fast food restaurant and several study rooms between me and the Union. It was a nice, quiet place that students could go to in between classes. Few people passed through that way because a nearby exterior walkway would serve the same purpose. Though this route would be slightly slower, it was less exposed. If a Diluvian or any other monster decided to take a shot at me, they would have to take it from a much closer range.
I had always thought of that basement as a relaxing spot where many of my most cherished memories from college occurred. In that instant, however, the basement was a scene of carnage. The corpses of fleeing, terrified students littered the ground like termites in a fumigated room. Most of the bodies had clearly been torn apart with horrific force. It was as if speeding bullets the size of human arms had struck them.
I tried to keep my nausea at bay and not think about the gore staining the carpeted floor as I walked forward.
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In my hand, I held a pistol. Based on the white letters carved into black metal and the cylindrical mechanism for holding the ammunition, I knew that I was holding Dismas, my first revolver.
I stood in a terrifying dungeon, and the ground was painted red with the blood of innocent people. I had not yet made contact with the monsters that could do such a thing, but the mind boggled at the depths of their depravity.
No, I couldn’t afford to hallucinate at a time like this. I was holding a gun in my hand, for God’s sake. If I misidentified a target, I could end up shooting an innocent person.
The hallucination resisted, but I was able to pull myself back.
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I was back in the basement, though my mind did not like it. The dungeon and basement of the Carolina Union were overlaid on top of one another in a clashing kaleidoscopic pattern of bright electric lights and dull torches. By dispelling the hallucination prematurely, I risked losing control of how they manifested in the future, but the situation was so fraught that I needed full control of my faculties.
After just a few steps through the basement, I saw three Diluvians crouched down around a messy pile of ragged human meat. They shoveled sinewy meat into their bat-like maws with little concern for their surroundings.
Despite their ravenous consumption, the Diluvians seemed painfully thin. Their skin was a light red like blood, which was pulled close to their body. It was as if they had too much muscle and not enough skin. I could count every rib in their rib cages, and I felt as though they would die of starvation without my intervention.
I pointed my laser pistol at the group of Diluvians and started shooting. A painfully bright lance of red light shot out of my gun’s muzzle and struck one of the Diluvians in the head. When the lance contacted the creature’s flesh, it split like a river traveling over mountainous ground, and the five weaker beams struck the wall behind it.
For a moment, I was terrified that the lance of red light had dealt no damage. A moment later, however, I saw that a crater had formed in the side of the Diluvian’s head, and it glowed bright orange. The Diluvian attempted to turn its head in my direction, but the damage was too great, and it fell to the ground spasming in the throes of death.
[DILUVIAN KILLED! +60 EXP, +60 CREDITS]
I was struck by the lightness of the recoil. It was just heavy enough for me to know it was there but light enough that it didn’t really alter my aim. If I didn’t see the effectiveness of the gun with my own eyes, I would swear that I was firing a pistol meant for hunting squirrels and rabbits.
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The other two Diluvians got to their hooved feet and screeched at me like massive, angry bats, but their screams died in their throats. I killed them both in a flurry of red lances. Within seconds, both were lying on the ground, marked with several bright, smoldering craters.
It was only when I was done firing that I realized my teeth were clenched. My teeth scraped against each other, and I could feel the anger surging through my body. I probably could have killed the two Diluvians with four shots total, but I ended up using eight shots in the laser pistol.
I let out a single heavy breath that caught under my tongue and fluttered like an angry dog’s growl. In that moment, I learned something about myself. When the time for violence came, my mind defaulted to rage. It was better than fear, I supposed.
[DILUVIAN KILLED! +60 EXP, +60 CREDITS]
[DILUVIAN KILLED! +20 EXP, +20 CREDITS]
[LEVEL UP!]
[WOULD YOU LIKE TO CHOOSE A NEW SPELL?]
“Take the [Sense Magic] spell,” I commanded.
Sense Magic: When cast, this spell allows you to detect the presence and location of magic within 30 feet. Various insights can be gleaned with this spell, and it lasts until the caster loses concentration or ten minutes pass, whichever comes first.
Sense Magic When cast, this spell allows you to detect the presence and location of magic within 30 feet. Various insights can be gleaned with this spell, and it lasts until the caster loses concentration or ten minutes pass, whichever comes first.
Name: Vinzadir
Class: Eldritch Alchemist
Level: 2
MDC: 20/20
SDC: 19/19
Name Vinzadir Class Eldritch Alchemist Level 2 MDC 20/20 SDC 19/19
[YOU MAY ADD +2 TO YOUR STATS]
[WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO THAT NOW?]
“Sure,” I said, taking cover behind a nearby pillar. I couldn’t see any enemies nearby, but I never knew when they would suddenly pop out. “Show me a full list of my stats.”
Body: 12
Fortitude: 14
Power: 11
Speed: 9
Mind: 16
Reason: 18
Perception: 15
Memory: 15
Body 12 Fortitude 14 Power 11 Speed 9 Mind 16 Reason 18 Perception 15 Memory 15
“System. Break down the stats that fall under the [Mind] umbrella.”
[REASON IS USED BY MAGES AND ALCHEMISTS TO CAST SPELLS]
[THIS STAT MEASURES ONE’S ABILITY TO THINK RATIONALLY AND SOLVE PROBLEMS]
[PERCEPTION IS USED BY CLERICS TO CAST SPELLS]
[THIS STAT MEASURES ONE’S ABILITY TO SEE THE PHYSICAL WORLD AND VIEW IDEAS IN UNIQUE WAYS]
[MEMORY IS USED TO LEARN NEW SPELLS]
[THIS STAT MEASURES ONE’S ABILITY TO LEARN, RETAIN, AND RECALL INFORMATION]
The System put a much greater emphasis on the [Mind] stats’ connection to spellcasting than I would have expected. I suspected that it changed its explanation depending on who was asking. Because I’m a spellcaster, the System thought to emphasize the mechanical effects those stats would have on me.
“Okay, I’ve made a decision.”