“He is young and foolish. If this trash doesn’t kill him, another will soon enough. He believes his limited knowledge of our System makes him stronger than he truly is.” Hel spat on the floor in disgust.
Loki tilted his head to one side, watching as the octopoid died. “He is clever. Thinks fast on his feet. This one will bear watching.”
“Shall we send him another, stronger opponent?” Hel’s smile was pure evil.
“No!” Baldur slammed a fist on the table, causing the mist to swirl in a reflection of his anger. “You will adhere to the rules, Hel. And you, Loki.” He looked at the scrolling information as he spoke. “This man must already face the void titan that killed his parents and most of his townspeople in the last hour. That opponent is more than three times his level. That is enough. The humans and other species of this world must be given their fair chance to survive, grow and thrive. Any interference will be looked upon as an act of defiance by Odin and myself. Judgment will be swift and severe.”
“Thrive? By the end of Stabilization, they will be living like dogs in caves and old ruins, killing and eating each other to survive. Most cannot even make fire! And they do not understand the System or its power. They do not even have a word for the Neutrocosm.” Hel’s voice was filled with contempt.
“They are close.” Loki held up a finger. “They may not know the word, but they have touched on the concept in their stories and their science. They speak of ‘The Force’ and ‘Magic’ in their popular tales. And minuscule machines they call ‘nanotech’. Given a little more time, they might have made that final leap to discover and eventually manipulate the Neutrocosm.”
“And now that we have brought them into the System, their awareness of it has already increased greatly. This young man, for example, has embraced the concept of training by action. Greatly increasing his strength in a matter of days through extensive strenuous physical activity. Granted, at such low levels, the dramatic increases are easy. But the fact that he has embraced the System is what is important. Let us see if he continues to improve. And whether he shares this knowledge with others.”
Baldur paused to give Hel a significant look. “Over the past few millennia, there have been a rare few humans born with the ability to sense the Neutrocosm, even manipulate it in some small ways. But in their greed and ambition for power or fame, or perhaps their wisdom in the case of Merlin, they kept the knowledge to themselves. In Merlin’s time, the human race was little more than rutting livestock. Able to speak, make fire, farm and trade, but little else. Warlike, but only able to damage each other on a small scale with primitive weapons in petty wars for territory. If he had spread his knowledge to the uneducated masses at that time, the race might have wiped itself out.”
“And now, we’re wiping them out!” Loki grinned. “And you’re hoping that the knowledge will save some of them.”
“That is indeed my hope. Humankind has long been a favorite of mine,” Baldur agreed.
Chapter Two
Salvation
Allistor took a minute or two to bask in the glory of his new skill, and then he got back down to business. This new system now governing Earth didn’t forgive slackers or people who stood around admiring themselves for too long.
Knowing what he would find, but needing to check anyway, he took hold of his spear and dropped down into the manhole. Producing a work light from his bag, he strapped it onto his forehead and scanned both directions. He could see the scrapes in the muck at the bottom of the tunnel indicating that the octopoid had come from his left. Assuming the only way the woman and her daughter could have gone and lived was the opposite direction, he went right.
He caught himself ducking down unconsciously, though there was no need. The storm drain tunnel ceiling was at least seven feet high, providing plenty of room for him to walk upright. Straightening his back and gripping his new spear in both hands, he moved down the tunnel to a junction. Shining his light on the floor, he noted a small footprint pointing toward the junction. “They’re alive?” he murmured to himself.
Looking left and right again, it wasn’t clear from the footprint which way they might have gone. He took a chance that, based on only finding one in his basement, octopoids were solitary creatures that didn’t run in packs.
“Hello? Lady? Are you there?” he called out once in each direction. Echoes of his own voice were the only answer he received. He crouched down low and examined the first several feet in each direction but found no tracks. Then his gamer instincts took over.
“She went right the first time, let’s assume she’d do it again. Everyone knows once you pick a direction you should keep it up. Until you can’t.” With a last look down the left tunnel, he went right. He moved as quickly as he could while scanning the floor for any hint that they’d come this way. Maybe fifty yards down the tunnel, he froze. A chittering sound echoed faintly from the darkness outside the range of his light. He gripped his weapon tightly and spread his feet, preparing to battle whatever monster emerged from the dark.
What he heard next sent him sprinting forward. A little girl’s scream of fear bounced off the rounded concrete walls. “Aaaaahh! Mommy! Rats!”
Allistor’s light finally reached the little girl, who was huddled up against her mother, the two of them pressed against one wall of the tunnel as half a dozen rat-like creatures surrounded them. The mother looked up at him, only able to see his rough outline behind the light shining in her eyes. “Please, help us.” She gasped. Her voice was weak, and she looked to be on her last legs. She held a kitchen knife in one hand, her grip so tight her knuckles were white.
Without even thinking, Allistor jabbed forward, skewering one of the rat things. It died instantly. He turned and swung the spear with the rat-thing on the end like a golf club, smashing another of the creatures down the tunnel and clearing the first corpse from the end. The remaining four backed up as he moved to stand between them and the other humans.
Vermin Scout
Level 2
Health 250/250
They were larger than normal rats, at least the ones Allistor had seen before the assimilation. These were the size of overfed housecats, with wicked-looking claws and incisors as long as his fingers. Their eyes were bloodshot with bright red pupils.
One of them lunged at him, leaping into the air with surprising speed and strength. He didn’t have time to bring his weapon to bear, and his instinct was to dodge. But his brain screwed with his instinct, reminding him that the unprotected females were behind him. The hesitation allowed the nasty thing to latch onto his thigh with its razor claws, then chomp down with its teeth. Allistor screamed, his voice nearly as high-pitched as the little girl’s, as the thing removed a solid chunk of his jeans and the flesh of his leg and swallowed it whole.
Letting go of his weapon with his left hand, he grabbed the thing by the neck and yanked it off him. The claws did more damage as he ripped them free, and red numbers flashed across his interface. He throttled the thing, shaking it while squeezing with all his considerable strength. Its neck snapped, and it stopped struggling. He hurled it at the remaining three vermin. They looked at him, then at the corpse, and decided on the easier meal. One of them grabbed hold of its dead brethren and began to drag it away into the darkness. The other two followed, walking backward and baring their teeth at Allistor.
When he could no longer hear them scurrying away, he waved away the experience notifications on his interface and turned to face the woman behind him. He had one hand clamped to the wound on his leg, trying to stop the flow of blood. She looked down as she said, “Thank you… Allistor, right?” She didn’t wait for confirmation. “You’re hurt. We need to stop the bleeding.”
Reaching into her own bag, she pulled out a small jar and a rag. Then she said, “Take off your belt and wrap it around your leg, twist it tight.
Allistor shook his head. His health bar was down to seventy percent and was ticking downward slowly. A blinking icon on his interface indicated
a bleeding debuff. “Later. Those things were called scouts. Which means there are probably more of them down here somewhere. Let’s get you out of here, then we can fix my leg.”
She nodded and took the frightened little girl by the hand. With Allistor’s light leading the way, the three of them walked side by side back to the junction and went left.
“I’m sorry,” Allistor said as he limped along. “I don’t think I know your name.”
She smiled unsteadily, her teeth white against her tear and dirt-stained face. “I’m not surprised. I know your mother, but the last time I saw you in person was at one of your little league games. You were maybe… ten? But your mom has… had… your picture on her desk. I’m Nancy. And this little bundle of snot and tears is Chloe.” She smiled as Chloe wiped her runny nose on a dirty sleeve, leaving streaks of snot-crusted dirt across her face.
“Nice to meet you… err… again.” Allistor couldn’t shake hands, with one on his leg and the other holding his weapon. Chloe gave a halfhearted wave, looking over her shoulder fearfully. They picked up the pace a bit, moving as fast as Allistor could with his injured leg. It was only a few minutes before they reached the ladder leading up to the manhole.
Nancy went first, her knife in hand as she struggled to climb the ladder that was bolted into the wall. She popped her head up and looked around carefully before continuing up. Next Chloe scampered up the ladder with surprising dexterity. She was frightened and clearly anxious to get away from the rats and back into the sunlight.
Allistor passed his spear up to Nancy, then climbed himself. That necessitated removing his hand from his wound, relieving the pressure, and allowing the blood to pump more freely. He’d lost a good bit since the battle, and he was going to need to stop the flow soon or risk losing consciousness.
Upon reaching the top, they paused while he let Nancy treat his wound. He used his belt to restrict the circulation in his leg while she poured some water on it, then applied the salve she carried in a jar. Afterward, she tied a rag around his thigh tightly enough to keep pressure on the wound without cutting off blood flow completely. Then she made him turn around so she could put some of the salve on his back.
“What did this?” she asked.
Chloe made a face and said, “Ew.”
“Octopoid. Came up out of that hole right after you went in. You got very lucky you went the direction you did. I figured it had killed you. Lured it up here for a little vengeance.”
Nancy shuddered. “Those things are horrible. I’m glad you killed it. And that it didn’t see us. That would have been bad.”
Allistor studied the terrain as she worked on his back. Whatever was in that salve was working wonders. The sting of the hooks was completely gone, and it felt cool on his skin. “What is that stuff?”
“Hmmm?” Nancy looked down at her hand. “Oh, a little something I mixed up. Gardening is my hobby, and I’ve somehow picked up a skill called Herbology. It tells me what some of my plants can do when I focus on them. And when I started mixing them together, I learned Alchemy, too. The description for this stuff says it helps with coagulation to stop bleeds, prevents infections, and heals for 5 points per minute over ten minutes.”
“That’s awesome! I just learned Weaponsmithing. Totally by accident. This new world… it’s a lot like the virtual games I’ve played.”
Nancy grinned behind his back. “I played my share of those as a kid. That was a long time ago, though. Still, you’re right. This does feel familiar.”
Allistor wasn’t sure where in the town they were. All the usual landmarks had been crushed to rubble and ruins by the monstrosity that had invaded their town that morning. Not a single wholly undamaged building still stood. The thing was like a petulant child smashing a sandcastle on the beach.
“I saw some others leading that titan toward the river. We could follow, see if they’ve found a safe place?” he offered.
Nancy looked down at Chloe, who was sitting on the ground with her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth slightly. The child was clearly exhausted, and Nancy wasn’t looking much better. “I’ll have to carry her. She’s had about all she can take.”
Allistor shook his head. “What level are you?”
Nancy replied, “I am almost level two.”
“You’re obviously a tough lady, but you look exhausted. I’m guessing you couldn’t carry her a hundred yards. I’ll take her. She can ride on my shoulders.”
Nancy gave him a grateful smile and nodded. As he squatted down, she lifted the little girl and placed her atop his shoulders. When he straightened, he gave a little hop to adjust her weight evenly, and they were ready to go. Allistor set off in the general direction the titan had headed.
Both adults kept wary eyes on their surroundings. Likely the recent passing of the sixty-foot monster had scared away any other predators, at least temporarily. But hard lessons had been learned over the past few days. Friends and neighbors who acted foolishly or even less than vigilantly had perished in nasty ways.
And while the Earthlings got experience for killing the newly spawned creatures sent by the Collective and were able to loot them for items of value… the creatures themselves seem to grow stronger by consuming their prey. Every human they consumed made them just a little bit harder to kill.
As they walked, Nancy tried to make small talk. Very quiet small talk. “So… your family?”
Allistor did his best not to let his voice betray the sorrow that crushed him right then. “Gone,” was all that he managed to push out in response. Nancy nodded with understanding.
“I’m sorry. I lost Michael, too. And Chloe’s big brother, Chris.”
Allistor knew he should offer condolences, but he just didn’t have it in him. Losing Leah on that first day had been traumatic enough. But it had only been hours since his mother and father perished. He hadn’t really even had time to process it.
They continued on in silence until they reached the river. There had been two bridges large enough for vehicle traffic, and a smaller stone footbridge that crossed a narrow spot where the water dropped into a natural defile thirty feet below. Both the larger bridges were damaged, one with the center section completely gone, the other bent and twisted. But the footbridge seemed to have escaped the giant’s attention so far. None of the trees in the forest on the other side had been damaged.
Allistor led them across, spear at the ready as he scoured the opposite bank looking for monsters. They were high enough above the water that he doubted they had to worry about octopoids or other aquatic menaces.
His attention proved worthwhile as he spotted a squat, burly creature emerging from the shrubs not far from the end of the bridge. He froze, gripping Chloe’s leg with one hand hoping she would understand and remain still herself. Nancy bumped into his back, then went still herself as she followed his gaze.
Wolvite
Level 3
Health 850/850
The thing was aptly named. It resembled a wolverine in size and form, its body low to the ground atop four short but powerful legs with wicked, taloned paws. Its head was angled, as with most predators, from its widest point at the ears to a narrowing face that ended in a snout full of teeth. Its eyes were jet black, void of any emotion. Sniffing the air with its head raised revealed a heavily muscled chest and neck. This creature was a natural tank if ever there was one. Able to take and dish out horrible damaging blows.
Allistor hoped it would pass on by. They were downwind of it, and still far enough away that it might not notice them. He and his father had learned when one of them wandered into their back yard and attempted to break into the kitchen that the wolvite’s eyesight was poor, but that their sense of smell was incredible. They had barely managed to kill it.
This one made a snuffling noise as it searched the various scents brought to it on the breeze. All three humans were holding their breath, watching the monster as its head swayed back and forth, sampling the breeze. It chuffed a couple times, sounding
almost thoughtful. Then with a slow turn of its head, its gaze fell directly on Allistor.
The growl that emerged from deep in its chest seemed to resonate through the stone of the bridge. It shifted its body so that it faced the humans and began to waddle toward the bridgehead. Allistor acted fast, pushing Chloe’s legs up and over his shoulder to dump her into her mother’s arms. Then he stepped forward, spear at the ready.
“Come on then, just move along. No easy lunch here. You come onto this bridge, fella, and I’ll be forced to kill you.” He wished he felt as confident as he sounded, trying to dissuade the wolvite from attacking. He took several steps forward, to put some distance between himself and the ladies behind him.
The wolvite ignored his words, ambling along at a sedate but steady pace as it continued to approach. Its head shifted to look at Chloe when she whimpered and clutched at her mother’s leg.
“Hyah! Hyah!” He half-thrust the spear at the creature, trying to drive it off. This time it focused its gaze on him but didn’t slow. Its lips raised in a snarl, revealing the rows of sharp teeth beneath.
When it was within a dozen feet of him, it lowered its head and charged. The slowly ambling predator was suddenly as swift as the wind as it closed the distance between them. Teeth bared and eyes still a dead black, the image was horrifying.
Again, mostly out of instinct. He brandished his spear at the charging beast. Holding it like a two-handed paddle, he thrust the butt end toward the oncoming hairy missile. It connected with a loud crack as the momentum of both creature and weapon combined for an effective blow. The rebar struck the creature just to the side of its snout, peeling back skin and delivering a stunning blow. The wolvite backed up a couple steps, shaking its head and briefly whining like an injured dog. Allistor stepped toward it, using his body momentum to jab the point of the spear into the creature’s side. The tip bit deep into flesh, causing another whimper of pain from the wolvite. Allistor mercilessly twisted the rebar as he pulled it free, doing extra damage.
Shadow Sun Survival: Shadow Sun Book One Page 3
