Daniel woke up in a panic, clutching his club. All he saw was black, and it took him a second to remember he had passed out in his living room. It was already night, so the room was pitch dark. He fumbled for a bit trying to reach for the wall light, which was thankfully still working.
Surveying his living room, it still looked exactly the same as when he left earlier that morning. The coffee table was still littered with half-drank sodas and some leftover fries. Maps of different continents were plastered on the walls. One of his flatmates had put that up, thinking it was cool. Daniel didn't really care for it, but he was almost never in the living room to begin with, so it didn't matter much to him.
He held his breath and closely listened for movement in the other rooms, but heard nothing. Taking the chance, Daniel tentatively called out his flatmates’ names. “Philip? Louie? Eric? You guys there?”
He was met with silence, and he figured that they must have all been out when the event started. Hoping there wouldn't be any nasty surprises waiting for him, he entered his room and turned on the light.
His room was as he had left it. The air smelled musty and definitively of boy, with a hint of the cherry air freshener he had been trying to use. His walls were devoid of decorations, save for a wooden balsa bridge he had made for an engineering project and a few post-apocalyptic posters. His bedsheets were a mess, and his desk had papers full of math equations scattered all over it. Behind his desk was a small bookshelf, with a few books, notebooks, unused journals and a small fan on top.
Brushing the papers to the side, he booted up the laptop that had been hidden underneath and tried to access the Internet, to no avail. Even before the event, the wifi at his university was pretty shoddy, so he wasn't sure if it was the school's fault or the event’s fault.
Shutting down his laptop, he decided he would take inventory of his supplies.
From his desk, he pulled out a few first aid kits, a roll of duct tape, a pair of handcuffs he had once used for a prank, a set of three throwing knives with their own sheath, a lighter, a couple pocket knives, a knife sharpener, and a Swiss army knife.
Moving towards his bed, he pulled out a guitar bag, placing it on top of the bed, as well as a crowbar and a box of MRE’s his brother had given him. Opening the guitar bag, he took out his trusty .22 pellet rifle and several cases of hunting pellets.
Many of the items he had here were fairly illegal to have on campus, but Daniel and his “family” frequently went on outdoor trips, and he didn't want to leave his gear at their places.
He pulled a hefty backpack from his closet as well. Daniel was a bit of a disaster-prepper, not as bad as the people on that Prepper show, but living in California, the chance of a huge earthquake happening eventually was fairly high, so he wanted to be prepared just in case.
This backpack was essentially his emergency kit, having enough supplies and then some to last him a few days. Included in it was a more extensive first aid kit, rain gear, fire implements, a big tanto knife, a water filter, wool clothes, food, flashlights, a sleeping bag, and other items useful for survival. It would definitely come in handy.
Grabbing another belt from his closet, he strapped his throwing knives and tanto knife onto it. He then cocked the pellet rifle, placing one of his hunting pellets into it, and then placed a few more in a pellet loader he had. One well placed shot with this would be enough to take down a goblin...hopefully.
Since he had so many items on hand, he decided to grind his Identify skill. After going through about half the lot, he heard the ding, followed by the pop-up of a notification window.
Identify (Beginner Lv. 2 - 2%)
Appraises item status.
Unknown items can be identified.
Entities can be evaluated.
Daniel was satisfied that it didn't take that long to level up in the beginning. After identifying all of his items, he found he only had a few items worth noting:
Tanto Knife
A cold steel blade. The handle is wrapped in electrical tape.
Damage: 9-14
+3 Strength
+2 Agility
Silent Cat Pellet Rifle
A .22 caliber break-barrel pellet rifle with a 4x32 scope.
Has a sling ghetto rigged to it with a liberal amount of duct tape.
Built-in baffle at the end of the barrel for attempted silencing.
Holds 1 pellet at a time. Fairly accurate.
Damage: 18-24
+3 Perception
Hexton Crowbar
A useful tool for breaking down doors, windows, and other methods of entry.
Forged from hex bar stock. 18 inches across. Painted black and red. Difficult to break.
Has rust and corrosion resistance.
Damage: 10-12
+2 Dexterity
For now, his main method of attack would be to use the pellet rifle to try and one-shot kill any enemies, and failing that, switch to dual wielding the crowbar and tanto knife. The crowbar he would use primarily for defending, and the knife would be for getting up close and personal.
He would keep the goblin’s club here, leaving it just in case it had some other use. It wasn't a terrible weapon, it was just a bit too unwieldy for him and came with a stat detriment he could do without.
He opened up his Status while holding the crowbar, wanting to see if the stat bonuses showed up there.
StatusName:Daniel FinnleyAge:20Race:HumanLevel:1Titles:ExorcistStatus Effects:DrowsinessHealth:30/30Strength:14Vitality:12Agility:14Dexterity:15Intelligence:13Perception:11SkillsIdentifyStat Points:0
That was a negative, though it was nice to see the drowsiness status effect had disappeared. That sort of status confirmation was good to have.
Now that he had that settled, his mind started wandering. Unless this event was localized, it was unlikely he would ever see his parents or younger sister ever again. Daniel was across the state, 8 hours by car, weeks away if he had to walk.
His sister, Jess, had just started college. She was a brat, annoying at times, but he still loved her. But if the event happened around her too, there was a slim chance she'd stay alive for long.
He didn't want to admit it, but she had a strong tendency to freeze up and break down in times of stress. Jess had a weak will, and Daniel was afraid for her. He hoped her boyfriend would be able to take care of her, and in Daniel’s mind, he was forced to pass off the reigns.
He knew his parents wouldn't be able to make it. They were old, and although his mom had the capabilities of a quick-witted leader, and demonstrated it in her position as a bank manager and fraud specialist, neither she nor his father had the strength.
Daniel and his sister were born late, so his parents were pushing their early 60’s. Unless they somehow miraculously found both weapons and a good group, they wouldn't last long.
His mind moved back to the image of the guy in the hallway, being torn apart by the goblins and their mad frenzy, only this time, he imagined it happening to his parents. With a whimper and a tear, he laid down on his bed, pushing his face into his pillow and wept. He continued to cry, thinking of his family, and eventually fell asleep again.
Daniel woke up hours later, the morning light shining behind his white curtains, giving the room a soft, orange glow. His throat was parched, and lurching off his bed, he moved over to the closet, grabbing a water bottle from his water bottle case. He only had about a dozen or so left, and it wouldn't last him too long. He needed to get more water.
He wasn't sure if the school's water filtration system was still working, and frankly, he didn't trust it much in the first place. However, there was a river running around the back end of the school, so if he could secure that, he was good on water.
His MRE’s would last him a little under two weeks if he ate one a day. They were the 2400 calorie kind, and although they didn't taste great, they did the job. However, it did make Daniel feel uncomfortable, as he would like to obtain a bit more food security.
Until he figured out how to deal with the giggling ghost, the cafeteria was off limits. That meant that, for now, he would have to scour the other cafe and check out the vending machines. Luckily, there were a few vending machine extremely close by.
His priorities would be in this order: First, gathering information. Information is power, and without it, he would be at a clear disadvantage against the event. The more information he had, the better.
Second, food, water, hygiene. He would have to figure out how to handle bathroom needs, as he couldn't use his toilet anymore; although it would be nasty, it was an emergency water supply.
Third, his own personal strength. He needed to get better at fighting, and only knowing fencing wasn’t going to cut it. He didn't have a rapier, and fencing techniques didn't translate too well to non-piercing weapons. Not to mention, the formal competition style he had been taught was fairly useless in anywhere but a small hallway.
He also wanted to level up and hopefully increase his stats. He didn't have an experience bar like in most RPGS, not to mention he wasn't 100% certain whether just killing mobs would level him up. He needed more information.
Fourth, his base’s security. Although he was on the second floor, there were still other apartments attached to his, separated only by a wall. He would need to block off not only his staircase, but also the other staircases, as well as clear out the other apartments. There were a few garbage container units around he could use for barricading the stairs, the nearest one being right in front of his apartment.
Lastly, survivors. He wasn't sure how long he could last by himself, mentally and emotionally. He was fine being by himself for awhile, but loneliness would set in eventually.
He also needed somebody to watch his back while he was fighting, as well as take watch. Until he could do that, he would have to risk sleeping. It would probably be a good idea to set alarm traps as well.
The people that were highest on his priority list were the rest of his “family”. Although he had already found Joshua, he wanted to find the others. Unlike Joshua, they had skills that would be extremely useful to the situation.
Jonathan had great charisma, and would be great at negotiations and handling people.
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Alex was a...chemist, and would probably know how to manufacture some useful items. He was also great with a pistol, having constantly competed in competitions, and he had a .308 rifle in his apartment, off campus.
Logan was an amazing marksman, bagging bucks every hunting season. He was also an engineer, and he could probably build some useful items.
Daniel himself had a plethora of survival information, and whatever he didn't know, he had a few survival books on his shelf that he could learn from.
For now, he would try to clear the immediate area. He could save his building for later, when he was more comfortable with close-quarters combat. He also didn't know what was in the other rooms, and he didn't want to get attacked by something he wouldn't be able to handle.
Daniel put on his outdoors jacket, which he used whenever he went camping or hunting. It has multiple pockets, was durable, and the sleeves could come off if needed.
His normal shoes were replaced by some military boots he had been given as a gift. He had actually forgotten to identify these yesterday, and took the time to do so now.
Combat Boots
Surplus combat boots used by the United States’ Navy.
Partially covered in a layer of dust, slightly worn.
The toe is inset with steel.
Damage: 4-7
+2 Vitality
-2 Agility
Although its stats would cancel out the bonus he gained from the tanto knife, he didn't mind the tradeoff. He would rather be slower than accidentally roll an ankle anyways. Under his pants, he had equipped the kinds of shin guards used for soccer, which were lightweight, felt nonexistent, and were fairly durable.
Daniel then wore the belt that held his knives over his shirt and pocketed a Swiss army knife, a flashlight, his keys, a small mirror, a tin case of pellets, and the handcuffs. He also slipped a water bottle into his back left pocket and wore a black bandana over his neck, which he could move over his mouth and nose if necessary.
On his hands were a pair of black, hard-knuckled, half-fingered tactical gloves. Once he was done with that, Daniel grabbed a carabiner from his backpack, putting it on the left belt loop of his pants, passing the crowbar in it. It would hold it for now, though he would like to get something more stable.
He then wore his backpack, which had a first aid kit, water bottle, and MRE in it. Once that was on, he shouldered his rifle, which had the pellet loader velcro-taped to the side, and was ready to go.
Although he had a lot of gear on him, it couldn't be helped. The only things that really impeded his movement were the crowbar and rifle anyways, and he could toss those to the side if he really had to.
Now that he was all geared up, he stepped outside. His destination: the nearby vending machines.
The moment he stepped outside, he immediately noticed two goblins between him and the vending machine room. However, they hadn't noticed him yet as they were slowly lumbering away from him. Walking down the steps, he took the pellet rifle off his back and double-checked that it had a pellet in it.
At the bottom of the steps, Daniel took a quick look around, checking for any more goblins. Not seeing any in sight, he held his rifle up, eyeing down a goblin in the sights.
He could've sworn he saw extremely tiny hairs on the backs of their heads, and wondered if that was the effect of the Perception bonus or just his rifle scope. He would need to test how much the stat bonuses affected him.
Although it was a bit dangerous, as he could notify and unseen dangers of his existence and base, he thought he could afford the risk. He wanted to see how well the rifle did against a goblin, as well as test how well they could hear his rifle when he used subsonic pellets.
Flicking off the safety, he held the rifle up, his right index finger just touching the trigger. As soon as he felt he was ready, he squeezed the trigger.
Bang!
A blue notification window popped up in front of him.
Critical Hit!
Although it didn't notify Daniel how much damage that did, he still grinned, and he willed the window away in time to see a goblin slump over, dead on the floor. The second goblin howled, outraged that its comrade died.
It turned around, immediately seeking out and finding Daniel. He wasn't too surprised, as he wasn't testing to see if that goblin had heard the sound, but if others in the area did.
The goblin rushed at him, dirty loincloth fluttering between its legs. Daniel judged he didn't have time to reload another pellet and set his gun down against the staircase railing.
His torso started shaking, as if his heart was cold and needed warming. This happened a lot whenever he first started playing a new shooter, but he would eventually get over it. It wasn't a problem when he was shooting at people, just when he couldn't see anybody or was about to shoot someone. Hopefully, he'd get over this pretty soon.
His hands unsteady, he fumbled a bit while reaching for his tanto knife and crowbar, the seconds stretching as he did. He managed to get them in time to take a few steps forward and met the goblin head on.
Swinging his crowbar, steel met wood as Daniel’s weapon blocked the goblin’s club. His arm numbed from the impact, and he nearly dropped the crowbar but somehow managed to keep his grip. His opponent's weapon momentarily occupied, he decided to kick out at the goblin, wanting to knock it down for a coup de grace.
However, he misjudged the distance, missing the kick. As he stepped down, the goblin grinned a nasty smile at him, crooked fangs bared. It headbutted Daniel, knocking him back and making him see stars. He managed to stay on his feet and almost checked out his status, but decided against it. A momentary distraction could prove fatal.
The goblin howled again, its screeching voice piercing Daniel's ears. Moving forward, it swung its club down, and Daniel managed to sweep the club to the side.
Stepping in, Daniel stabbed his knife into the goblin, aiming for its neck, but missed and hit its shoulder. Before he could dislodge it, the goblin swung out with his club, hitting him on the arm. Since Daniel was so close, it didn't do too much damage to him, but his arm was probably bruised.
He backed off, pulling out one of his throwing knives. The goblin looked at its shoulder, but doesn't take the knife out, instead opting to flare its nostrils and give out an angry cry. It rushed him once more, but this time Daniel threw the knife at its face.
He was hoping the blade would lodge itself in its eyes, but he wasn't particularly skilled with the weapon. As expected, the knife harmlessly bounced off its face, the handle just glancing off its forehead before clattering to the floor. However, it did cause the goblin to stop mid-rush and close its eyes.
Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Daniel bashed the crowbar at the goblin’s hand, causing it to cry in pain and drop its club. He then kicked the club away and then stepped forward, turning around and performing a spinning back kick on it.
Although his technique was sloppy, it did the job and knocked it on its back, knocking the wind out of it. Pulling out a second throwing knife, he closed in on the goblin, kneeling on its chest and swiftly stabbed it in the throat.
He sighed, slightly tired from the fight. He returned all his knives to their proper places before scanning his surroundings. He was lucky, as this fight didn't attract any others to the area. He had almost forgotten about the gigantic bird as well and immediately checked the skies as well, but saw nothing.
He was lucky, extremely lucky, and careless. Although this mistake was fine right now, it could get him killed in the future.
Moving back to the staircase, he picked up his pellet rifle again, taking the time to load another pellet in it. If his plan didn't work, he was planning on bottlenecking the goblins at the staircase.
Since it did in fact work, he moved out only to improve his combat experience. This, he didn't have enough, as clearly demonstrated by his bruised arm and aching head.
StatusName:Daniel FinnleyAge:20Race:HumanLevel:1Titles:ExorcistStatus Effects:Bruised Right ArmHealth:28/30Strength:14Vitality:12Agility:14Dexterity:15Intelligence:13Perception:11SkillsIdentifyStat Points:0
Well, he'll deal with the pain. It's not like his movement was hampered. He did wish he had some soothing muscle ointment, but then thought better of it. It wasn't a big deal, and he couldn't be wasting his medical supplies on little things like this.
Shaking his head, he remembered that he had the Identify skill and forgot to use it during the fight. If he had a clear head, he might have remembered, but it was a bit difficult with all the adrenaline muddling his thoughts. Not to mention, he was preoccupied with trying not to get battered by the club.
Checking the goblin corpses, he didn't find anything useful. He was hoping a useful item might appear like it did in video games, but nothing so far.
Daniel didn't want to rule out the possibility, as that sort of thing would would be a major boon. He would need to do more “testing” to be certain.
Making his way over to the vending machine room, the door was locked shut. Luckily, he had a crowbar with him. Wedging the crowbar in between the door and its frame, he pried the door open.
The automatic lights went on as Daniel entered the room, sensing his movement. As soon as the lights went on, he was surprised at what he saw.
He knew he shouldn’t keep being surprised at every little thing, but it would take him more exposure before he got used to the event.
In front of him, there were three vending machines, holding drinks, snacks, and actual meals respectively. However, to the left side of the room, where the wall was once plastered with posters of school events, there was now a door.
It was sage green, with little royal purple tendrils swirling out from the center. It wasn't a design he recognized, and he was sure it wasn't something school-affiliated. The door knob was less fancy, just matte black in color, almost blending in with the green of the door.
Daniel walked up to the door, pressing his ear against it, but could hear nothing beyond it. It was flush with the floor, so there was no chance to look underneath it. His curiosity piqued, he pushed the issue of food aside and readied his crowbar.
He wasn't sure what was beyond it, but he had a hint of an idea of what it could hold. Still, with danger lurking behind every corner, he had to be careful. Turning the doorknob with his free hand, he opened it to find a swirling mass of white light behind it.
Taking a deep breath, he unsheathed his tanto knife and stepped through.