Walking back home with an old gym bag full of leftovers, Devin didn’t linger in the relative safety of the center of town. No, he strode towards the outer ridges with purpose—that way, he could get home without a fuss. He circled around the more recent, shoddily-built, shadier parts of town, taking shortcuts between ruined buildings whenever he had a clear view inside.
He rolled his shoulders as he kept a lookout, testing the range of motion while stretching his tired muscles. I need a whole day of sleep. I deserve it. He reasoned with himself, but it didn't stick. He felt restless, excited even. It didn't take a genius to figure out why.
Anyone would be when they’re sitting on a boatload of superpowers.
Looking around to make sure no one was paying him an extraordinary amount of attention, Devin brought up his status screen once more. His eyes lingered on the change in his inherent status, and the multiple notifications it brought in its wake.
Devin Carter
Shards:2021/1012
Circle: Nature's Elite
Archetype: N/A
Life:87%
Stamina:90%
Arcanium:100%
POW:0.3
ACU:0.5 (0.7)
CHA:0.6
Meta-Awareness:0.2
Meta-Finesse:0.2
Main Deck: [Empty]
Side Deck: Stealy’s Red Cap
Skill list: Seize, Subjugate
Vault: Rage, Boar’s Charge, Stick Tribe’s Bag O’ Tricks, Rusty’s Dusty Lost & Found Emporium, Obsession
Secondary Scores Detected
Multiple Delayed Achievements Detected
Achievement—Talented
Awaken with 2 Meta Scores
Reward: 2 Uncommon Best of the Bloodline Card Pack
Achievement—Savior
Save 10 people from certain death.
Reward: Common Heaven’s
Do-Gooder Card Pack
Achievement—Follower of Hercules
Defeat a Boss one grade
higher than you.
Reward: A Laborious Trial Card
Achievement—Genius
Possess 2 uncommon
skills before Awakening
Reward: Uncommon Untapped
Potential Card Pack
Achievement—Disciple of David
Defeat an Elite before Awakening
Reward: 5 Rare Untapped
Potential Card Pack
Achievement—Hunter of Goliath
Defeat a BOSS before awakening
Reward: 2 Uncommon Commander Card Packs
Achievement—Trailblazer
First 10 in Initiation
to defeat a Boss
Reward: Request Reward Ticket
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Achievement—Face of Death
Survive Certain Death
Reward: Uncommon
Survivor Card Pack
Oh my god, look at all those packs. Devin’s eyes went wide at the multitude of screens that slid into his sight. He smiled as he confirmed one of his longtime suspicions.
There were multiple ways to get stronger, not all of which included killing something else.
Except, only Supers can use those methods. The strong get stronger while the weak wastes away. Devin sighed at the thought, closing the screens so he wouldn’t be tempted to open the packs right now.
“Makes you think, how is the little guy supposed to compete?” He thought out loud. Foot traffic in town slowed to a trickle as afternoon bled into dusk. “Are we supposed to just keep our heads down until we have enough shards?”
He sighed, stopping himself from going down the rabbit hole. Instead, he steered his thoughts in another direction.
Wonder how the twins are spending their earnings. Devin thought about the bag of shards each of them had gotten. His only amounted to a fraction of a percent in the total shards he used for his circle, yet it should be more than enough to get them filthy drunk.
Although Devin had used every shard he had—leaving him effectively broke—he still felt like he won the lottery. As a superhuman, he had access to an ever-growing shard repository. The lack of physical money meant nothing to him when he could pull it right out of thin air.
And that was ignoring all the rewards he got for his good deeds.
Devin thought about his Achievements, but then his mind flashed to the body of the bus driver. Blood leaked from the old man’s skull as it smashed through the window. The internal struggle was cut short, and Devin only able to slip away with a single card before the light in the core vanished.
The newly awakened superhuman shook his head out of his depressing thoughts. Devin wanted to head home and take inventory, but he happened to pass by one of the few buildings in the outer city unmarked by the apocalypse.
A bar.
It was a wooden Irish-style pub surrounded by cobblestone that didn’t belong anywhere in America. Rowdy yells and music echoed from the inside, the lights in the pub showing the shadow of the crowd inside.
Which was pretty weird, because he was sure the only places to have power were the hospital and the military area of operations.
“Also, I’m pretty sure there’s only one bar in town, and it got destroyed by a mutated buck.” Devin muttered as he fixed the bag on his shoulder and poked his head inside to take a peek. He scanned the inside of the pub for anyone familiar, and stopped once he saw the twins sulking at the bar.
“Man, I wish that was us.” Ken drunkenly confessed as Devin walked up from behind them.
“We can save money, and get carried. We won’t have to depend on handouts to get better.” Ben comforted his brother.
A heavy smack on both of their backs made the brothers jump. Devin laughed. “What’s got y’all down in the dumps?”
““Devin!”” The teens livened up.
“We didn't think you’d come.” Ben said.
“You look a lot less shit now.” Ken noted, barely able to keep his head straight.
“Thanks for that,” Devin laughed it off. “I wasn’t going to come at first, but then I saw this bar on my way home, and I thought ‘why not?’”
“You look a lot better,” Ken corrected his observation, a slight slur on his lips.
“Feel better too.” He patted his bicep, then reached down and took a swig of the bottle between them, which burned all the way down to his gut. “Yuck. What the hell is that? Ethanol?”
“Some crap the owner brews in the back. Says it's some ancient family recipe.”
“Oh, but it is, boyo.” A gray-haired man with a thick irish accent intruded into their conversation from behind the bar. “Been in my family for generations, along with this pub of mine. The O'Brians' inheritance was so great, that when the world was scrambled, my pub came right along with me.”
“Anyone ever tell you it's illegal to sell gasoline as alcohol.” Devin said, looking at the mug skeptically.
“Oh, all the time, but I don't let it stop me.” The bartender said, happily serving his next customer.
Devin shook his head. “Anyway, what’s got you boys so down in the dumps?” He asked, putting down the bottle.
“Jealousy.” Ken snatched the bottle as soon as it touched the table, and didn’t hesitate to down another swig.
“A couple of people got accepted into the army brotherhood, or whatever, and will be carried to their first circle.” Ben explained.
“That’s nice.” Devin noted.
“More than nice—that’s life-changing!” Ken yelled at the top of his lungs. “Being a super is the only way to get respect! To get anything.”
His brother shut him up with a shove.
“And what’s stopping you guys?” Devin asked. “Isn’t that exactly what you want?”
“The bastards are only picking their friends and families. Without a connection, you’re nothing to them.” Ben said, before taking another swig of his drink.
“Only reason we found out was ‘cause someone was celebrating.” Ken pointed towards the group in the booths next to the working jukebox. Devin could see the excitement on the guy’s face as they celebrated, but it was the table off to the side that caught his attention.
A pair of rough-looking dudes—one tall and skinny, the other short and fat—dressed in biker chic occupied a table directly in between the trio and the exit, staring in Devin's direction—specifically, right at the twin’s.
“Hey, what do you know about those guys?” Devin asked Ben, subtly pointing with a head nod.
“Hm?” Ben looked in their direction discreetly, “Oh crap. Those are Bateman’s guys.”
“You think they have a problem with us?”
“Maybe, but I'm pretty sure he does.” Ken pointed with his finger at the door. Ben and Devin turned to look at a tall, white guy in the same biker get-up, glaring daggers at the three of them.