James slowed down as he drove into the first cluster of homes he'd seen since driving away from the floating town. It had taken twenty minutes of driving. He'd had to take a turn into a slightly less dusty section of road that led away from the section of forest he’d first explored. His eyes roamed the silent houses, searching for any sign of habitation. Human or otherwise. He'd considered walking by foot after parking far from the houses but decided against it. The roar of his truck engine was making him regret that decision.

A strange sight made him pause and slow the truck down. Blood red leaves waved in the wind mockingly in front of him. A swath of the forest had cropped up out of thin air, merging with the dirt road and leaving it still visible in some patches. The road past the cluster of houses was blockaded and his truck wouldn't be usable past this point.

“Mother-” James clenched his teeth and checked the houses for any movement.

There was a glint of light from one of the house windows. It came from the residence at the furthest end of the cluster. James parked the vehicle outside the house, making sure to keep it close to the property's wall. There were cars parked within the driveways of the houses he'd passed. None of them looked like they'd been attacked or used to make a getaway from Khul.

Six houses in all, but only one of them had caught his attention. That wasn't a good sign. He gripped his spear tightly and swung the truck door open, making his way across the wall until he reached its gate. He couldn't climb over the property walls because the people in this area had barbed wire at the tops of their walls to stop incoming predators and chicken stealers.

He was hoping to find allies here. The words scrolling across his eyes had been clear. There were over three hundred ‘invaders’ and only a hundred survivors. Each Khul was strong enough to kill him in one shot. Another person in his team meant he would have someone to hold another weapon.

James had checked the status screen carefully during his drive. One crucial decision he'd made was distributing his stat points. His [free stats] had stared at him temptingly, and he was sure that assigning them earlier would be the best decision. Holding onto them and dying was silly.

James Andross

Level: 3

Title: N/A

Class: N/A

Race: Undetermined (Progress 0.5%)

Spirit Rank: Unranked

Health: 100/100

Mana: 100/100

Stats:

Vitality: 10

Strength: 17

Intelligence: 10

Wisdom: 11

Free Stat Points: 0

Pillars:

Pillar 1: Unknown Common (Progress: 33%)

Pillar 2: Unearned.

Pillar 3: Unearned.

Skills:

None.

James had put all of his free stat points into strength. Each level had given him two stat points to distribute, and strength had already been his forte. He couldn't describe the increase in power, but he was starting to understand why the creatures were so strong even with their scrawny bodies. He hadn't gained any more muscle, but his fingers were digging deeper into the rubber of the steering wheel. As he gripped the spear tightly with both his hands, he could feel the difference. The cumbersome weapon had become easier to wield. It felt lighter but in reality, it was his strength at work.

There was one other change he'd managed to uncover. When he'd focused on the ‘pillars’ section of his status screen the first one had shifted. Now the screen listed [unknown common] instead of [unearned]. He didn't know what it meant.

A sound from within the house grabbed James’s attention.

"Is there anybody in there?” James called out lightly as he reached the door. He pressed his ear against the edge of the door, wary of the surroundings as he knocked.

There was a small bang as something tipped over inside, followed by a curse. James stepped back as footsteps hurried toward the door. It didn't open. Instead, the curtain of the window beside the door opened slightly and a weathered face peeked through it.

"Are ye’ an alien?" A gruff female voice called out to him. James could see the suspicion in her eyes, but it wasn't directed at him. She was looking out toward the other houses around him.

"I'm just a person looking for some friends." James considered going back to the truck. He wanted to find someone that could hold a weapon. Not an old lady talking about aliens.

The decision was made for him as the door lock was unbolted and the wooden structure creaked open. In its place was an elderly lady holding a rifle up to James’s head. He blinked in surprise and raised his spear defensively. Before anything could happen, the gun lowered, and a pair of beady eyes gazed at him.

“You look like you can hold your own.” The woman scanned him from head to toe. “Get in and shut up. You and your truck are making too much noise, and something could have snuck in by now.”

James let himself into the house, raising his spear warily. She was right. He was making a lot of noise. Without prompting he made his way through the house, checking each room and making sure that nothing had snuck in through a window or the back door. The elderly lady followed closely behind him, gun raised and ready to fire. To his surprise he couldn't hear her footsteps. It was like he was being followed by a shadow. Moments later they had checked all the rooms in the house and James lowered his spear. This place was safe. For now.

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“Aliens.” He turned toward the old lady. “Why on Earth do you think that they're aliens miss…?”

“Spire. Mrs Spire to the young gentlemen.” Mrs Spire pursed her lips. “And that's what they look like. You put one in front of me and tell me its not an alien, unless uou got a better idea?”

James paused. She had a point. It also confirmed his suspicions. The old lady had seen one of the monsters. Possibly even fought one. The question was, where were the other people? Several houses worth of people and guns would help.

"Are there any others?” James kept an eye on his car through the window. Mrs Spire gazed out the back, gun at the ready. It was an old thing that looked like it would either fire a single shot every five minutes or break. James was willing to bet on both.

"Gone." She grimaced. “Aliens abducted them yesterday. The fools.”

"What?” James glanced at her in surprise.

He'd left the town in the morning, and it had been safe and planted firmly in the ground. If the old lady was telling the truth, then that meant that the creatures had come earlier to other parts of the forest. That didn't bode well. Organisation took time and so did planning. The creatures that he'd met didn't look smart but the two he'd killed had only been listed as scouts. That implied a bigger force.

“They got us in the dead of night.” Mrs Spire spat to her side and the thick liquid hit a bucket she'd laid on the ground. “I caught ‘em taking Mark -that's my neighbor- out of his house and through the backyard.

I got one of ‘em visiting me too. Damned thing was sneaking right through my backyard.” A glint crossed her eyes. “Nobody crosses my backyard without permission unless they want a bullet in their head. Aliens are no exception.”

"You've got one of them?" James leaned forward. “You're a tough one Mrs Spire.”

The only stop he had made was a quick one to check the contents of his truck’s passenger’s head. The dead Khul underneath the tarp at the back of his truck was now missing its scalp and the top of its skull. His efforts hadn't been in vain. James had found a single small crystal in its head, the same size as the one inside the other Khul. It had given him the same prompt as well.

[You have picked up a lesser spirit crystal (water). Would you like to consume the object?]

He wasn't sure what they were, but they glimmered with energy. It almost looked like electricity, or a firefly. He'd cupped one in his hand and confirmed it glowed in the dark. At the very least they would make good torches.

"I've got him up here." Mrs Spire pulled James toward the back and pointed her gun at her lawn. James stared at a figure among the grass. It was a Khul strung up on a stick like a scarecrow. "What do you want with ‘em?”

"I want to cut its head open." James eyed the trees that gathered beyond the yard. Every house here had their backyards open out into the rest of their property for easy access. That meant anything coming to hit them could get through with ease once they tore the barbed wire.

“You're a mean son of a gun.” Mrs Spire grunted. "I like your style.”

[You have picked up a lesser spirit crystal (water). Would you like to consume the object?]

The retrieval of the body was easy. The spear sliced through the Khul scarecrow’s throat with ease and James dragged the creature's head to the door until Mrs Spire stopped him from bringing it inside. A quick search of the head showed him that there was a crystal inside that was the same size as the others. Mrs Spire didn't comment on it, choosing to look out to the woods and grunt. James also found a bullet inside the skull. The old lady was a good shot.

“Get any of that on my carpet and we’ll see if yours matches.” Mrs Spire let him back in the house.

“If your old bones can even get me in time.” James shot back. “Try fighting these guys up close. Their faces and breath might make your old heart give up.”

“Good. I've had a life worth living.” She cracked a smile. "What about the pink ones?”

"Pink ones? I didn't see any pink ones." James looked at her in confusion. She wasn't talking about the crystals. She pointed at the head and then toward the forest.

“The pink one was in charge of the red ones. It had a big head and looked like a light bulb.” She resumed her vigilant watch from her chair. “I tried to get a shot at it, but it dodged. Not very fast, but it moved before I could shoot.”

James narrowed his eyes. That sounded like trouble. A Khul was already tough to deal with. His eyes wandered toward her gun, and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"It won’t do you any good." She pursed her lips. “The words said there were three hundred of them. Try firing that many bullets with this and it might take you a few years. If it lasts past the next bullet.”

"You're right about that." James shook his head. “Does anyone around here have anything better?”

“I'd be using it if there were.” Mrs Spire said.

The creatures he'd fought before had been dispatched by normal weapons, but their heads were hard enough to break his knife and dent his tire iron. He wasn't sure how the spear would fair. It had cut through Khul corpses easily enough. It felt like carving through a tomato. Whatever material the spearhead was made out of wasn't iron or steel. It looked like it was a dull grey colour similar to the two metals, but it had felt heavier than them before he'd raised his strength.

“How many Khuls were there?” James saw her stare turn vacant. “I mean, aliens?”

“Six including the pink fella. You got fighting eyes. I like that. These old bones of mine aren't made for that kind of moving any more. Are you goin’ to stay here?” Mrs Spire asked. "I have food.”

James shook his head. He'd thought about it carefully and there was no reason to stay huddled inside. He didn't know what was happening, but he did know that he was stronger now. Killing Khuls gave him the chance to level up and gain more stat points. He liked that. Excitement bloomed in his heart every time he thought about it.

The mission he had been given by the mysterious words had also told him that the humans needed to win against the invaders to get a reward. Failure couldn't be considered. He'd be dead if the mission failed. Besides, if he waited until the town was destroyed then the Khuls would have the upperhand. It didn't matter how hard he fought if hundreds of the things tag teamed him at the same time.

"Then you'll be wanting to get out before dark.” Mrs Spire stared toward the backyard.

“You should as well. Those things know you're here. I’d come back to kill you if I were an alien. And if you can't drive then I have a truck." James said. Normally he would leave the old lady behind, but she left quite an impression on him. At least he knew that she could use a gun.

"They’ll be getting me out of my house over my dead body.” Mrs Spire raised her rifle. “I'll take one or two with me for good measure. Don't you worry about old Spire.” She turned toward James and motioned at the house across the street. “Crackpot Mclain kept a knife collection. I took one myself a few hours ago. Always bragged about it but didn't bring one out yesterday. Dumbass. The rest got their guns taken. I saw the pink thing doing something to ‘em. Melting ‘em maybe.”

James got the hint. That was probably the only set of weapons left in the house cluster except for the gun. The old lady was resolute in her decision to stay with the house. They both knew what that would mean for her if the creatures came back. She had already killed one of them and put up his body in her backyard. They wouldn't be making that mistake again.

"Aim well. I'll be hunting, so maybe they'll never get to you." He made his way out the front, spear at the ready.

One house ransacking later, and he’d had a quick fruit snack and an empty bladder. The fights had taken it out of him, even if his health points were at maximum, and he needed some proper food. Unfortunately, there were no rations in the house to add to his own, but he did pocket a few protein bars just in case. He wasn't sure yet if all food would heal wounds, or if there was something special about the food, he’d had on him when he'd gotten lost.

James had also found the occupants' knife collection. He couldn't take the whole thing, but he could fit three hunting knives in his coat before they grew too cumbersome to be worth the effort. Unfortunately, the man didn't have anything bigger than seven inches. It was still bigger than his old knife, which he left among the collection. If the owner came back, they'd find themselves with a new knife. Other than the ones he'd stolen.

The sky was growing dimmer as the evening took over the afternoon with a vengeance. The last thing he took was a pair of shoes and socks that fit him better than he'd thought they would. He'd even gotten time to clean some of the blood off his face. By the time he was out of the house and near his truck, there was nothing left to do but enact the next part of his plan. Finding and killing as many Khuls as possible.

James looked at the tire iron but didn't take it from the truck. From now on he wanted to be light and make as little noise as possible. His goal was exploring the forest area that Mrs Spire had seen the Khuls walk into when abducting the house owners. He wasn't sure what the creatures wanted with the humans, but on this path he'd either find allies or things to kill. Or both, He raised his eyes and looked at the evening sun. It would grow fully dark in a few hours, so there was no time to waste. The truck was too loud and couldn't go through the treeline. This time he would go by foot. But first there was the small matter of the shining crystals he'd found inside the heads of the slain Khuls. He took one out of his pocket and rolled it in his palm.

[You have picked up a lesser spirit crystal (water). Would you like to consume the object?]

What would happen if he consumed these crystals?