Penny stood in a crowd of other scavengers as Luke, Sam, and Travis stood on one of the vehicles to address the group.
She palmed her bronze dagger, her hands sweaty as she tried to get her anxiety under control. This wasn't a desperate battle for life and death. This was going to be safe. Skippy had been true to his word. He had taken her out at the crack of dawn for some light monster hunting after she had reset her classes. Skippy had crippled the monster, and then she walked up and stabbed it with her knife.
As she gained more levels, she started using [Air Magic] and summoning her demon instead of just stabbing everything. Regardless, she managed to reach level ten, five in [Warlock] and five in [Coutasian]. Most of her skills had leveled up. But she did get two personal skills [Meditation] and [Storage] and upgraded her [Poisoned Nails].
DING!!!
Congratulations!!!
Skill Fusion Detected
[Poisoned Nails] - Rare + [Daggers] - Lesser + [Unarmed Fighting] - Lesser → [Viper Style: Touch of the Jellyfish] - Mythic
[Viper Style: Touch of the Jellyfish] - Mythic: Jellyfish appear beautiful in the ocean while hiding a deadly touch. Grants +1.25% increase to unarmed and small blade mastery per skill level. This skill applies a subtle paralytic poison on contact, mildly inhibiting the target’s movement with each touch. Repeated exposure deepens the paralysis, progressing from slowed movements to full-body immobility. Prolonged exposure will halt vital functions, ultimately stopping the target's heart. Increase the rate of toxin injection by 3% per skill level. The poison can be toggled to inflict either a numbing, painless effect or a searing, excruciating sensation. The user gains +10% to their DEX stat.
It was easily her highest-ranked skill she had. And yet. A part of her had wanted to pick up [Musician] or [Bard]. Before all of this, she had wanted to be a music star, and even now, she wanted music to be a part of her life again. But it didn't feel safe. She didn't think music would protect her from the goblins, it wouldn't keep her fed, and it wouldn't keep the cold away.
Now, however, she wasn't going with a safety net. She was heading out with the standard scavenging teams to help gather supplies.
"Thanks for joining us. This is the scavenging expedition. The hunting expeditions are over by the silver truck with Joey." Luke called out to the crowd.
One or two people left for the smaller hunting expedition. But most stayed.
"Alright, Travis here is going to take everyone's name and classes then we're going to sort you into groups based on skill synergies. Each group will receive a vehicle and a list of locations we want you to head to. You will have no fewer than three groups to a location." Luke continued.
Penny got sorted into Luke's group as another [Mage]. They were going to collect gasoline. More than half of the scavengers were going after food, clothing, water, gas, medical supplies, or some other resource they needed for survival. The others were probably heading off for more friendly items: TVs, computers, books, games, radios, alcohol, and other luxury items.
"How much longer do we need to wait for Gareth?" Travis asked as the other groups started driving off to their locations.
More than anyone else, the lizard wizard was covered up in heavy winter clothing to try and battle back the cold. Weirdly enough, Sam and Luke seemed far less affected.
"He's getting his brother," Sam said before turning to Travis. "I thought you were supposed to be dealing with creating a tower?"
"It's a gatehouse, and I don't have enough levels for it. I only picked up the first level of [Ritual Architect]," Travis admitted.
"Hey Travis, could I ask you something?" Penny asked, pulling Travis to the side.
"Sure what is it you want to know?" Travis responded happily.
"Why did you get [Ritual Architect]?" Penny asked.
Travis was the first Beta Tester she met who didn't have pure combat classes. She hadn't officially met Duncan yet, so she would bug Travis about her questions.
"Because I wanted to," Travis said.
"Yea,h but … but the world has gone to shit. Before all this, I wanted to be a musician, but now we have goblins and monsters everywhere. Shouldn't you put everything into combat classes to keep yourself safe?" Penny asked.
"Hmm, I understand your question is more about you than me. But there are two answers to your question."
"What are they?" Penny asked, a little desperate.
"The first answer is that no class is without combat potential. Even [Ritual Architect] has skills that can be used for combat [Fang of Man], [Compound Impacts], [Worker Ant,] and [Warehouse] are all skills I'm hoping to pick up that can directly add me in combat. The other skills could help me if I'm clever." Travis explained.
"I'm not sure that really applies to me," Penny admitted. "What about the other reason?"
Travis shrugged. "It's true I'm losing out on some combat potential because I'm taking [Ritual Architect] instead of something else. But I went to college for a degree in architecture because I wanted a career as an architect."
"And you're not willing to give up on your dream? Even now?" Penny asked
"Especially now," Travis said. Now, I can build whatever I desire. I'm not even constrained by reality as it was. Now I can create magical buildings, Flying Castles, hidden cities, great tombs, and impossible eldritch cities. I am limited only by my magic, my imagination, and my wallet." Travis said as his eyes gleamed. Then he gave her a reptilian smile.
"What is your dream?" Travis asked.
Penny blushed. "Music. I had a YouTube channel full of me playing music. I wanted to be a musician."
"And you think you can't become powerful with music?" Travis asked.
"Can I?" Penny asked, a little desperate.
"Of course. [Bards] specialize in wide-area effects using their music; they are weaker than mages one-on-one, but they excel in large groups. At the same time, they also function as the faces of their parties, doing the standard meet and greets. There are also many variants, such as [Scalds], which are melee fighters who bring their own theme songs into battle. A [Muge] uses their music as a way of compressing and simplifying complex spells. A [Muse] can inspire others to greater heights," Travis explained.
Penny's mind raced as she considered what Travis was saying. Further conversation was cut off when Gareth and Issac walked up to join the group.
"Alright, where are we going?" Gareth asked with a massive smile on his face, his large moonstone ax slung on his back.
Issac held a simple hammer he had gotten from somebody's garage as they stood outside in the heavy snow.
"We're heading to a gas station on the edge of Newton. Most of the other groups are getting animal feed before it goes bad." Sam said.
"We're going with two other groups of nine, there with the two minivans up on the road," Sam said.
Sam led the way, trudging through the freshly fallen snow as they approached two minivans. The first thing that caught Penny's eye was Chad waiting in the driver's seat of one of the cars with a large machete strapped to his back.
"You assholes took long enough, we're freezing our butts off here," Chad called out.
"Stop winning," Gareth called back as he opened the van door and shoved his brother inside. Sam got into the shotgun seat next to Chad while Luke got into the back.
Penny reflected on the group. Most of her team consisted of people she had thought of as friends before this all began. Now, those relationships felt a bit shallow, even compared to Eve. She had met Eve less than a week ago, yet she considered her one of her best friends now. It's funny how quickly things can change.
"So, no horses this time?" Luke asked as they buckled in
He was clearly disappointed in the lack of equine locomotion.
"The snow is falling pretty heavily. We don't want to push the horses needlessly." Sam explained.
"Also, horses don't have heated saddles." Gareth pointed out.
"Not yet." Travis countered. "If we can get a good enchanter, we can get heated saddles and enchant the barding to protect the horses from the weather."
Chad ignored them as he started the car and drove them out of the parking lot. Penny kept her dagger in hand as she stared out the window, searching for goblins as they flew down the road.
"This is so humiliating," Chad muttered.
"What's humiliating, Chad?" Luke asked.
"We're stuck working for those freak geeks, and you don't find it grating?" Chad asked.
Travis glared at Chad, his reptilian face glaring at the back of Chad's head menacingly.
"We might not be alive if not for those freak geeks." Gareth pointed out.
"Better than the goblins," Penny added.
"Pretty sure I would still be dead." Issac agreed.
Chad scoffed. "You're just saying that because he bought you off with that title."
Penny decided not to point out that asking the guy you bullied for more power was a losing proposition. It took a few minutes, but soon enough, they arrived at the edges of the city and made their way to the gas station on Highway 10 and 152 St. While they didn't currently need power for Hopkins, they did need gas for their cars, and propane for the kitchen. More importantly, there was a wellness center close by, and Eve had given them her shopping list for pharmaceuticals.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Penny felt like a panic attack was just at the edge of her mind. This was where she had escaped the goblins the first time. In fact, she was pretty sure she could see the corpses that Des had left behind. While the farmlands between Cloverdale and Newton weren't much of a barrier, it had been working so far, and right now, they were on the goblin side of the line.
When they arrived at the gas station, it was trashed. The glass doors and windows had broken, and only scrapes of candy were left inside. A tanker truck had been left outside; no one was around. At this point, everyone in the Newton area was either captured, dead or had left the area, thanks to the goblins.
“Looks like someone already looted the place,” Penny said as she walked up beside Sam.
Sam shrugged as she stashed as much bubble gum as she could, tossing a piece of Hubba Bubba into her mouth before she started chewing loudly.
"They didn't do a good job," she said. "Let's grab what we can. No point in letting it go to waste, especially with our freaking inventory."
Luke and Sam went back into the shop to start looting while she, Gareth, and Issac were left with the gas tanker. The others spread out to scout the area.
"I just hope some monsters show up,” Gareth replied as he unloaded a fridge full of drinks into his [Storage]. "I’m getting tired of all this walking around. I want to kill something! Where are all the monsters?!"
“You want to fight monsters?” Issac asked again. "Did you hit your head while I was dead?"
"I like fighting," Gareth said with a shrug.
"Do you know where the keys are?" Penny asked as he searched the inside of the tanker truck.
They would be golden for fuel if they could drive this entire thing back home.
"Is there a dead body nearby?" Gareth asked.
"What?!" Penny asked in shock.
"The diver probably has the keys. Maybe the dude died nearby." Gareth said with a shrug.
"Gareth, I'm starting to think you need therapy," Penny said as she started to search for dead bodies.
"Hey dude, don't hate on me because I know what I like," Gareth said. "Also, I think our guy is under the truck."
Penny looked under the truck, finding a boot sticking out. Grabbing it, she pulled out the bottom half of the driver with her enhanced strength.
"Holy shit!!" Penny said, jumping nearly three feet into the air as she stared at where the rest of the driver's torso was supposed to be.
Something had eaten the top half of the guy. Bits of stringy red meat dragged behind the bottom half, along with a thick red smear.
"Stop being a baby dude," Gareth said as he patted the dismembered body's bloody pockets like it was nothing more than a magician in red paint.
Gareth's hands were stained red by the time he pulled out the keys.
"Found them," Gareth said as he held up the bloody keys to Penny.
"Uuuuh," Penny said, "maybe you should take them."
Gareth shrugged. "Ok, man, cool."
Leaning down, Gareth tapped the remains, stashing them in his inventory, before he turned back towards the tanker, got in, and started up the engine. He grins the entire time despite his arms being covered in blood. Penny had always thought of Gareth as this big teddy bear, but she was seriously starting to wonder if there was something wrong with her friend.
"You guys got the truck working?" Sam asked as she came back out with Luke.
"Oh yeah," Penny said.
But before he could say anything more, Chad and his lackeys came back.
"Hey Chad, what did you find?!" Luke asked as his friend came back to the group.
"I found a Lair." were the first words out of his mouth. "Let's take it."
"Fuck yes, where is it" Gareth cheered.
"Wait, where did you find a Lair?" Sam asked, confused. "You were supposed to be scouting the perimeter for monsters."
"It's the Bank Montreal building just down the block," Chad said, ignoring Sam. It's the size of a castle now, and we can take it for ourselves."
"We're supposed to call it in." Sam pointed out.
"And what let the freak geeks take it? We're not a part of the guild. We won't get any of those rewards. We found it. Shouldn't we get the rewards!?" Chad argued as he held up a turtle with its head smashed in. Only its shell appeared to be made out of literal rubies.
The other members of the scavenger team stopped and stared at the glittering gems in the light.
"I found this monster inside," Chad said. "And there's more just like it. The entire place is one big treasure chest. "Think about what else we might get. Are you willing to give that all up to those freak geeks?"
"Chad, we can't claim a Lair," Sam said.
"He's claimed one," Chad said, pointing at Travis. "Why can't we?"
"Because you're incompetent." Travis pointed out.
Penny had to stifle a laugh as Chad turned as red as a tomato.
"Fuck you guys." Chad said, shaking the dead ruby turtle at Travis, "You're one of the freaks. You just want to keep all the loot for yourself.'
"You're not even level 10 yet. You're never going to beat a level 20 boss monster," Travis said.
Chad sneered at Travis.
"Says you, Lizard? Why do we have to listen to you freak geeks when we could go ahead and get our own base? We could be rich and powerful. Why should we let that go just because you're scared?" Chad challenged.
"Hell no," Kevin called back.
"Then let's get out there and take our kingdom with our own hands," Chad called out, raising his machete over his head. "Who's with me?!"
The scavengers raised their arms as they cheered.
"Well, come on then, follow me," Chad called out as he turned and started marching away.
Gareth grabbed Issac and dragged him along. Penny, Sam, Luke, and Travis followed after them, not willing to be left behind.
"Gareth, what are you doing?" Penny hissed. "Why are you following this idiot?"
"Technically, I'm not," Gareth said. "I just think it's a good idea. Besides, Issac needs to level up; he's only level 6, thanks to all those quests Tom gave out."
"I'm against this plan." Issac shot back. "I only have one combat ability."
"Which is why you need to get more levels." Gareth pointed out.
"Travis, what are our actual chances of taking a Lair?" Penny asked.
Travis stroked the frills under his chin as if they were a beard. Iguana Beard?
"I could do it solo. You, Luke, Issac, Gareth, and Samatha might be able to do it on your own if you get a good matchup. The others … depend on how many are willing to die," Travis said.
Luke frowned at his words.
"Why? I mean, Tom and his friends took Hopkins when they were at a lower level than us." Luke asked.
Penny was also curious about the answer to this question. She had seen Skippy fight, and he made the rest of them look like the three stooges. But how much of that was his level? Travis rolled his eyes.
"Tell me, Luke, what was that turtle called?" Travis asked.
Luke frowns, looking back to the dead ruby turtle in Chad's hand before looking back to Travis.
"It's called a gem tortoise," Luke said.
"Do you know what skills it has? What are its types? What other creatures can we expect to find in this Lair? What skills do they have? What are their tactics?" Travis asked.
Luke blushed in embarrassment as he shrugged.
"I can't see any of the gem tortoises' skills, and I don't know the rest," he admitted.
"Exactly, you don't know," Travis said. "I do. The other creatures in that lair are likely to be a mix of Reptiles and Elemental types. I know the most likely creatures and what skills they will have, and I already know their tactics and how I can counter them."
"But how?" Luke asked, confused. We hadn't even reached the lair yet, and I couldn't see the skills of dead creatures."
"Experience. Six years of experience," Travis said. "Awoken Myths was one of the top raid guilds in the world in our heyday, and we had a few PVP pros. Getting to that level meant we had to figure out how to play on a meta-level. That means memorizing skills, strengths, weaknesses, and attack patterns. It's kind of like taking the mystery out of a magic trick."
"Um, congratulations," Luke said.
"Yeah, I make it sound like we have no life. But you're in an apocalypse, and I'm living a fantasy," Travis said. Now, let's go after Chad."
"I thought you said it was too risky?" Luke asked.
"I didn't say that; I just said it would be close. And that's only if the Lizard Wizard joins the battle. Well, that or, at the very least, we can receive the bodies." Travis chuckled darkly.
Penny rolled her eyes as she summoned up her demon.
You may skip to the next chapter.
Name: Penny Noel
Race: Human
Type: Humanoid
LVL: 10
SubRace: Caucasian
Age 18
Health: 450
Stamina: 750
Mana: 800
Health Regen: 7.0 per hour
Stamina Regen: 10.0 per min
Mana Regen: 6.0 per min
Titles: Free*, Breaker of Chains
Immune
N/A
Resistances
N/A
Weakness
N/A
Bane
Manslayer
Classes: Courtesan 5 / Warlock 5
Total
STR: 10
AGIL: 10
DEX: 33
CON: 40
END: 30
PER: 40
INT: 40
WILL: 30
SPIRIT: 30
EGO: 20
CHA: 55
LCK: 10
Base
STR: 10
AGIL: 10
DEX: 30 +10%
CON: 40
END: 30
PER: 40
INT: 40
WILL: 30
SPIRIT: 30
EGO: 20
CHA: 50 +10%
LCK: 10
Personal: +4 CHA +3 PER +3 INT +2 DEX +2 WILL
Racial: +3 CON +2 END +2 SPIRIT +1 EGO
Level Bonus: +1 to all Stats
Skill Slots: 18/60: Skill Points: 4
Personal Skills
* [Pursuit Hunter] - Level 10 >> Level 15
* [StoryTeller] - N/A
* [Storage] - Level 1
* [Meditation] - Level 1
Courtesan 5/11
* [Viper Style: Touch of the Jellyfish] - Level 6
* [Charm Speak] - Level 8
* [Walk of Shame] - Level 7 >> Level 14
* [Pheromone Control] - Level 1 >> Level 2
* [Get Naked] - Level 2
Warlock 5/11
* [Summon Demonic Familiar] - Level 7 >> Level 10
* [Blood Conversion] - Level N/A
* [Air Magic] - Level 1 >> Level 19
* [Channel Magic] - Level 4 >> Level 7
* [Demonology] - Level 3 >> Level 4