SAM

THE DAY OF THE EVENT

Today started so normal, wake-up, jump in the shower, eat some breakfast, a few puffs of Purple Thunder, then off to work. We all get to leave early today, not even sure why we are there if the world was gonna be toast, with only three customers the entire day it was pointless. On the way home I stop off at the magic shop aka my dealer, It really is a magic shop you just pay a little extra for certain magic tricks.

I picked up a new set of throwing cards as well as a few of his bright red specials, some new designer drug from California. A small vibrant red pill with a surfboard on the top, supposed to be good, I picked em up for the event today. I mean, nothing's too good for the last stuff you ever might take.

On the drive home I opened up my new deck, the cards have holes in them supposedly for better flight and the edge is slightly reinforced. I'm running behind I should of had time to get to the place I rent, but I barely got up to 60 on the highway and the world lost itself. Colors, sound, chaos for a moment and I thought I already took the pills. Then I'm just standing staring at a screen of text whizzing by faster than I can read, when it settles down I've got a buzzing headache, all the blinking lights aren't helping, why is it so bright, then a voice in my head told me I was running out of time. I'm not fast at making decisions to begin with let alone under pressure.

The annoying voice told me I had to make choices, at least there only a few to choose from as I'm not a quick thinker most of the time. I selected three skills one was called Scaling, luckily enough I knew that was a term for throwing cards, the other two skills were Driving and Meditation. After the skills It was time to select a class, I was excited as when I played games as kid I always played a rogue or a mage.......those were not the options I received. ten options and they all sucked the big one. One option was Driver...not Race Car Driver...just Driver, under that one was Muse, I mean seriously who is going to pick that for a class. At the end of the list was a Warrior option which lead to the Class Ranged Warrior - Cards, which is how I ended up with a magic deck of throwing cards and my class skill which adds precision, damage to successful hits, and allows the cards to penetrate armor.

It seems like the moment I settled on a Class and read the benefits I was shopping online. My thoughts at the time were this is one crazy high. I lost a couple of minutes just thinking of things and watching the screen flash to options, I mean if you thought fake mustache, pink, in a 70's Magnum P.I. style, you might get three choices to purchase. I grabbed some sweet driving gloves, a tiny pill bottle that would copy whatever you put inside of it, and three decks of throwing cards that had various bonuses.

Purchases made my vision fills up with text again, then more lights, and I was back in my car doing 60. The highway wasn't crowded but the cars that were there started veering all over the place, I noticed at least one that didn't have a driver, it just drove straight into the car in front of it and they both went careening sideways into the barrier. A semi not that far away tried to brake to miss a car then just tipped over with smoke everywhere, I started to slow down then I got hit from behind and the world went spinny.

I don't know how long I was out, but I came to long enough to realize I was hurt and stuck in my car, It was bad because my vision had blinking and flashing lights, my back hurt, I had a headache, and I think my left arm was bleeding. It took awhile but I was able to unbuckle and grabbing the trick box from the magic shop I took two of the red pills.

I don't remember what happened after that.

Sam / Human - Level 3 - Ranged Warrior - Cards / Dexterity / Card Attack

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BEN

The first place I check is where I find Joan. Hard at work and looking like she got zero rest bent over a map on a large table in the center of the area. Three other people are looking at the map and they are talking about checkpoints, a late convoy, and the food and bathroom situation.

Joan / Human - Level 4 Sergeant / Willpower / Command

"Joan, sorry to interrupt, but it felt like you were going to keep talking for a bit."

"Ben! We looked all over for you last night, Those two guys your teamed up with swore you didn't leave yet, but no one could find you."

"It might have had something to do with my Stealth Aura from my Class, It's always active and it would probably make me really hard to find."

"Well, we could of used your help, we had wave after wave of attacks following groups of survivors trying to get out of the city. Now People are just leaving as they wake up as if they've forgotten the creatures attacking last night." Looking at the group around her. She adds, "Take a break everyone I need to talk with Ben."

Walking over to the table I see the map is a large Reno road map, blue circles in sharpie evenly spaced around the city some have a bold red X crossing them out. To the West is a large square with the word SAFE written inside of it. "It looks like you had a busy night?"

"More of the same, people running, driving, or biking ahead of some type of creature or packs of creatures. The more people who showed up the more we could defend. We have tons of people level 3 now and my group all hit level 4 right before the sun came up." Grabbing a a small pile of papers "These will help as well, you have some good ideas here on whats happening, I was just planning the day and what to do next now that we can see farther than a few lights shine."

"Did the other checkpoints make it through the night?" pointing at the map "It looks like you might of lost some"

"The supply convoy was ambushed on its next run around the loop, and that was hours ago and half the other locations are overrun or abandoned, the X's on the map here are the locations no one can reach by radio any longer. People have been fleeing the city however they can but it's not any safer out here or where they are heading." Sighing she stares at the map like it has answers. Gesturing to two of the blue circles "These two locations had thousands of people show up from the downtown area and they were able to make it just fine, it seems the larger the group defending the less likely you are to get overrun. Our convoy crew didn't make it back around though." she yawns and runs her fingers through her hair.

"Did you get any rest?"

"I'm fine.....really I'm fine....just tired."

"Can I try something, I have a spell 'Revitalize' and it might perk you up." I mean nothing wrong with a guinea pig for a spell I've never used.

"Sure, whatever."

Let's see sub vocalize the spell name, add Mana Energy, focus on the target, done. A silver mist in Mana Sight moves from me to Joan and in moments she is clean, awake, and at full attention.

"Oh my! That's the stuff. Wow, that's better than sex." Blushing she adds "Thanks, whatever that is bottle it up and sell it." With a bit better focus she points over to a pile of boxes against one of the walls "Those are the items, we haven't really sorted them out yet and I guess they have no owners any longer, help yourself." Then a moment later adds "Before you go can you use your magic on a few more things for John?"

"I can, we don't need to rush, especially if people are heading out In front of us, The night predators should sleep at some point but who knows whats awake during the day." separating the four boxes I do a quick scan first then start making a pile of 'good things' I let luck guide my hand as well as my new skill 'Cherry Picking' the whole purpose of the skill is to select the best things first.

Reading the description of each item I quickly realize people buy crap when they go shopping. From the four boxes I find seven things of interest a drone, a headlamp, two cell phone devices, another ring, a baseball cap, and the fire wand from last night.

With the new items tucked away in my inventory. I turn back around to Joan. "I found a few useful things, thanks for letting me have them"

"No problem there is a-lot more going on then some stuff in boxes, I need to get back to planning, will you check in before you head out if I can't reach base by then I may ask you to stop see them since they are West of us."

"Sure thing that's easy enough. I'll go find Craig and Sam and make a plan."

Turning to leave Corbie peeks out of my hood and around my neck with a "Kraaaa" he says hi to Joan. "Corbie says hi."

Laughing she turns back to the map. I wander off to find my party.

The two guys are easy to locate. Sitting at one of the picnic table they are both staring at a 5 foot something brown haired enchantress. Well her class is Enchantress and she is wearing tight fitting leathery armor and charming up the two drooling idiots.

Elise / Level 2 - Half Elf - Enchantress / Intelligence - Charm

As I get closer they all turn to me, the guys look sheepish and the girls face brightens up "You must be Ben! I'm Elise, Craig and Sam invited me to leave with you in a bit"

"Only if you can keep up, we won't be moving slow. Were you guys able to learn a speed skill last night?"

Before they can answer she pipes in "They did! Craig promised to cast his Haste spell on me!"

Sighing I say "Sam, what about you, if Craig learned a Haste spell were you able to get a skill?"

Craig answers first, "Not quite as good as a haste It's called Quick and doubles travel speed and actions. I can cast it twice and refresh my Mana Energy before both spells run out." Sam picks up immediately "I learned a skill called Dash I can go from standing to triple speed instantly, I discovered last night that the skill doesn't end unless I run out of stamina and it uses less if i go slower"

Ignoring the girl I look at Craig "So your plan is to use your spell on Elise and you'll basically be out of Mana Energy if we get in a fight?"

"Only at first, I mean we will level and the spell will get better or she will learn her own"

"Whatever, just so long as we can make time, I want to leave soon I just have to help John with a few things then we will go, make sure you eat if there's still food."

Sulking the girl mutters "I won't be a drag, I can do my share." Turning to Sam and Craig she brightens up and says "Food! lets see what they have!"

Watching them go I have a premonition of an interesting day.

I'm directed to find John through the main gate area, he's got a squad of at least 30 people now and they are all carrying a staff or spear of some sort "John, Joan said you needed some help?"

"Ben! Just the guy I need I have some additions to my group and I was hoping you can do your salvage thing to their items to make them store-able and enhance-able?"

"Sure, Joan let me pick through the boxes so I'm even already compensated, haha. Line up, my skill increased so it won't even take too long." There were eighteen items to do and they took less than five seconds to do each one with a small bit of Mana Energy which I have plenty of. "Can I have one of those spears if there are extras?"

John walks over to the wall where I see a line up of weapons, grabbing two of them he says "how about adding a few more to my enhanced pool and you can have two? one of the crafters was able to use those beetle wings as a spear tip and they work pretty good, so far they cut everything that's attacked us"

"Deal!" five minutes later he has ten more weapons and mine are stashed in my inventory, which is getting full of stuff. I'll need to organize it at some point. "I'll be heading out with my party shortly, anything we should know?"

"Only what we can see from here, and what we hear about. The city seems to be flooding, something has blocked the Truckee River and its a mess, the lake to the East is now at least four times the size it was before. The earthquakes yesterday knocked out most of the power grid, some places seem to have backup generators going, and some of the people from the North said the power still works fine so who knows" Shaking his head he adds "Last night we were attacked by insects, rodents, doglike things, birds, more of those croaking frogs, some scaled things 3 feet tall which no one recognized, The worst was actually some type of slug there were only three of them but they were at least four feet long and nothing seemed to penetrate their skin until someone threw beer at them, saved by beer, they weren't fast though."

"Thanks John."

"Sure thing, I think you did more to help us." Lifting his staff up, he turns back to his crew.

Heading back into the Garrison my own crew is finishing up some food chatting with each other and I join them. Pulling the wand out I hand it to Craig. "I got a few things to help us, Craig this is a Wand of Flame Whip, I'm hoping you can learn the spell by using the item but regardless your magic should mesh well with the spell" Undoing the bracelet on my right wrist I hand it to Sam "This is a Shield Bracelet, Infuse it with Mana Energy and you can get a shield to form. Its good to block 1 or 2 attacks with and should help considerably" turning to look at Elise "It looks like your armored up, does it affect your class?"

Running her hands over her armor drawing the eyes of every male nearby she says "It's actually cloth armor, very thin, and acts as light armor for defense. It's what I bought at the store the whole set acts as one piece." Lifting the bottom edge of her half shirt, I assume on purpose as she shows just the under edge of a breast "very thin, see. But it acts as armor and protects me even though it's skin tight" Spreading her arms out, which causes her her chest to catch every eye nearby she adds "Plus, I have a class skill to enhance all party members"

Laughing, and thinking she probably doesn't need the help I summon out the earring that increases charm "Have this, It's an ear ring that adds and increases the charm attribute. But I bet you have already unlocked it with your class"

"How did you know?"

I motion around us at every man in the place looking in our direction "Well it's either that or all these guys are way more desperate than they should be, you might want to figure out how to control it better" thinking a moment "I may have picked up other things you could use I'll have to check them out later."

Sending her an Invite to the party, once she joins the stunned look on Sam and Craig's faces tones down a bit. I wonder if charm doesn't work as well on party members

"Elise, meet our fifth party member Corbie." poking his head out of the hood of my jacket The Raven adds a "Kraaaaa"

"Oh I heard about him, he looks so cool!"

"One last thing, I know most of what Sam and Craig can do, what skills or spells do you have?"

"My class is Enchantress, My class skill allows my to enchant items for a short time with a chance of making it permanent, and my class item I don't understand." Holding out her palm she summons an orb of light, bright silver as if its made of liquid metal. "the description says coat an item with liquid Mana Energy to make an item mine, but I haven't figured it out yet"

Having a thought about it I ask her to wait a moment and walk out to grab another spear from the pile out front, Bringing it back to Elise I hold it out to her. "Use your ball of Mana Energy and coat this spear with it, at the same time think of making lightning as if the staff contained a lightning bolt."

Reaching out for the weapon she runs her hand containing the ball of silvery liquid Mana Energy along the shaft being careful to not cut herself on the spear tip. She ends up holding a glowing six foot tall spear made of liquid metal and when she sends her Class Item away the spear begins to crackle with lightning energy. The spear now shining less than a moment ago, but still obviously charged with lightning now Identifies as

(sys) Lightning Spear / Weapon - Enchanted / Moderate Damage / Adds lightning damage to every successful attack

Elise collapses on the picnic table, drained.