by Naosu N R
"Wake him up. We've got trouble!" she said.
In the throes of passion, Simone was suddenly startled and almost fell off me, but didn't. She made a move to cover her breasts but didn't make it in time.
"Jay wake up," Linz told me.
"What's going on?"
"My former boss just herded a train of zombies around this building. We're screwed," Linz said.
We hurriedly got dressed.
Damn.
I should have anticipated this. Well that is why I had guards up. So I wasn't defenseless.
Simone and I are hurriedly putting our clothes on. Then we ran out to meet the others.
But they are already frowning.
"Its too late bro," Miguel told me.
"What? The whole building is surrounded?" Simone asked.
"Unfortunately. For now the front doors are holding. I brace them myself. But we can't get out," Linz said.
"Let's review what we have. What can you tell me about this building?" I asked.
Surprisingly that was a good question that brought rewards.
"I have a map. We raided the city hall blueprints for it. My former boss doesn't know I have it," Linz told me.
She laid it out and described it for us.
6 story building with 2 sub-basements.
We're currently on the 2nd floor.
The previous... 'tenants', AKA the bandit gang had fully braced all windows on the first floor intending for this to be a lair. They'd also welded most of the doors and windows shut over the many months they'd been here, she tells us.
(This raises questions to how long she was with them?)
(And how many people did they kill here?)
Some of the floors, the bandits don't like to go into. She says they don't know why but some floors and rooms are more attractive to darklings than others.
Like the 2 sub-basements.
We discussed this a bit.
"Wait, so your telling us both sub-basements are full of darklings?" Shelly asked alarmed.
"Yes. Whole nests of them," Linz said.
"Why didn't you tell us this sooner?" Melanie asked horrified.
"It wouldn't have changed anything. Jay was still passed out. He still wanted to help that other blonde girl. How is she by the way?" Linz asked.
"She's in the other room asleep," Mel told her.
"Wake her up. We can't leave any tool unused," Mandy urged.
"Um, isn't this Jay's party? He calls the shots," Melanie frowned at her.
Surprisingly Mandy glared at her.
What is this?
Was Mandy hoping to take over?
"Do it," I told them.
In about a minute that blonde girl came out looking good, and looking mentally well also. Surprisingly my experiment worked!
Her trauma I expect is still there. But its being masked by my mind control!
And unexpectedly, I accidentally have a new skill!
[Pacify] is showing up in my skill list!
Nice!
Pacify, seems to cost about 10 mana. So its not something I want to use often. But it will help with nullifying angry mental states, violence, aggression, and hate like an anti-threat skill!
This thing is bad ass
I wonder how it will affect zombies?
And it seems it also works on PTSD.
Melanie tells me that's what she thinks this new blonde girl has.
I had to renew the [Pacify] skill then. Or at least test it on her!
"What did you just do to her?" Miguel demanded.
"I didn't do any harm. I just soothed her mental state. She has PTSD," I said.
Actually, it was Linz and Melanie that had told me that first.
Miguel seems to be having trust issues with me now. After seeing me 'recruit' Linz, he's become extremely wary. And now he keeps looking at my other minions faces often, switching to each one.
No doubt he's wondering if I did that to the others also.
But it doesn't matter.
We did take the bandits food supply! This is the best gain we'd hoped for also.
Simone...as part of her trying to become a ranger informed us of this and had done a count on the canned and dry goods stored here.
(Although she did this for her ranger job. Its also true however, that nobody trusts anyone else to count the food alone, when things are this bad. Melanie had counted it with her.)
While discussing this I'm trying to not ogle 'bad girl', Linz, who is dressed provocatively again, and sometimes is winking at me.
Wow.
I could enjoy this life.
...
But there are problems other than that also.
Only 2 hours later.
Not long after that, we decided to ask the new blonde girl (who hasn't even told us her name yet) what she sees in her status screen.
I found out from Melanie first that I needed to go check her again and look at her more closely. She'd been worried about this and feels its necessary. (How did Melanie know this was the right thing to do? Maybe she's smarter than I thought. She'd figured out on her own that I could just fix it again with [Pacify] even before I could.
That's when it clicked that I'd made a mistake in not approaching her more. But earlier I'd wanted to give her space because the last thing a girl with PTSD needs is some unknown guy hanging around pushing her.
It took awhile to find her, with the help of Melanie and Simone. This is good also because they are both very non-threatening. And they can help with any girl issues that might be hard for me to deal with.
We finally found her in one of the offices in the office building hiding under a desk, looking a bit haunted.
And Melanie is very empathetic and told her we'd try to help her. That helped to win over her trust.
Without realizing it, she confirmed she knew about status screens and levels. This means she's already part of the murim underground world. She didn't need us to explain this system. She opened her screen, but still has it censored so we can't see what level, class, or jobs she has. We just know she has the screen but she's got it in stealth mode...meaning we only see censored blurs when its open.
She also confirmed that I need to use [Pacify] frequently on the new blonde girl, or she becomes overcome with her trauma again. But while under my pacify effect she's able to fight, talk, react, and talk to us while like a normal person.
Still, she is extremely nervous because it seems she feels self conscious about the others seeing her problems. (That would make me feel that way also.)
And because of that it makes her really embarrassed and not want to talk to us.
She told us that her screen shows the [pacify] skill in effect on her, but acting like a buff instead of a debuff. But then she insisted she'd seen the skill before many times and was sure it was a debuff normally.
Its just that with her condition it acts differently!
This will mean that this new blonde girl will need to be in my care full time however. She will have to remain in our party.
There just aren't that many people with a pacify skill.
And she is good looking also, so if she tries to find someone else they would very likely take advantage of her. But I won't.
...
But things turned sour when Linz shows us that this place can only be approached by 2 positions, and both have their streets full of hundreds and hundreds of zombies.
We're literally snowed in by zombies!
"Wait, if they are outside is the building even strong enough to keep them out? With those numbers, in theory they could push through the front building's glass doors!" Miguel said.
"Wait, the doors are made out of glass?!" Melanie asked with wide eyes.
"Oh shit..." Simone said.
We began running to the front doors just like that.
Surprisingly Linz led the way and isn't squeamish about getting her hands duty to protect me, her new 'master'.
The others are surprised by this.
> ...
We raced down an escalator that was turned off. Partly this was because there was no electricity.
We began arriving just as they began banging on the glass window like doors.
Bam....
Bam....
Bam....
"My gosh. Its like a sea of undead," Shelly gasped.
"Guys, the glass is shaking pretty hard," Simone pointed out.
"Is this the only way out?" Miguel asked Linz.
"The other way is more dangerous and has both undead and darklings. This one was safer," Linz said.
"Damn," Miguel gasped.
"Guys, the glass is cracking," Shelly pointed.
Fuck...
There's only one chance...
The safe zone formula! If I turn the front door AND the lobby into a safe zone they won't be able to attack us!
I'd only realized early this morning when brushing my teeth that, that was what the safe zone formula was for!
"Jay, we need to do something. If you aren't capable enough of being the leader, give it to me," Mandy said.
Um, what the hell?
The others are looking at her weird.
"So your true intentions are revealed," Shelly told her.
"We don't have time for this," Miguel said.
But then I was surprised when Miguel pointed at Mandy.
"Sorry Jay, but Mandy's level is way higher than yours. Its her turn now."
A mutiny is occurring?!
Just because I'm not the highest level in the party?!
What the hell.
I was surprised when Shelly, and Miguel both joined Mandy.
And to my surprise they began running back to the other second way out of the building, which we'd briefly talked about.
"So we just lost a healer. Great," Melanie said.
I hurriedly opened up my status screen. Then I went to my skill tab.
Shit...
It will cost a lot of mana.
If I do this skill there's also a chance it will fail also because I'm not that high level yet!
I'm also not even at the point where I can see the success rate probability!
But the good news is that using my skill tab and description with the help button in the status screen I can easily see a highlighter of energy illuminating the room.
I began to play with it.
While this is happening zombies are going all over the glass doors trying to break them!
Bam...bam...bam...bam....bam....
Over and over.
I had to concentrate and block them out.
"Jay? Hurry p-p-please!" Simone said. As the most alert this is the situation that actually intensifies her fears.
The others are also pleading for me to hurry.
"Don't worry. I have a plan. A skill to use," I told them.
"What is that?" Melanie asked suddenly.
"I don't see it," Linz said.
Wow!
Melanie can see me highlighting parts of the room to get ready to enchant the room!
This part has me quite surprised!
I wonder what skill she has that's doing that.
"Jay, wait. I-is that the safe zone enchant skill" Melanie asked in shock.
"Yes."
"Oh wow. You have that? Holy crap. Do you know how much that's worth?! Almost no enchanters get it. Its a lost skill!" Linz cried in shock.
The others are shocked and in awe.
I began to play with the highlighter over the room even more expanding it.
Come on...hang on...
My forehead is sweating knowing the cracks in the glass are intensifying even more and more.
I have to only think about the enchant and putting in all my power to it!
I expanded the highlighter to encompass most of the lobby...
But then when I'd done all of the lobby and the elevator the mana cost was too high.
Actually I'm even lucky I can handle the mana cost at all!
I reduced the amount a bit to not include the stairs and the broken elevators.
But I kept the lobby's reception desk in the safe room.
"Jay! Hurry! Its going to give!" Linz shouted in panic.
Huh?
I glanced at my status screen.
Just then I'd felt a surge in my power. But it had come from the feeling of adrenaline and near panic, not from anything else...
Something had triggered when I felt that.
Looking at my skills, I see I have a new skill!
[Overload]
I clicked on it and read the description.
[Once per day the caster can increase the power in a skill by as much as +10% +1% per 5 levels. This skill cannot be used in offense as an [Enchanter] class, but can be used to craft a skill that can be used in offense. Once activated, the skill will activate a buff which will be used on the very next skill the enchanter uses, regardless of whether or not its a compatible skill. Skill costs 50 mana per use.]
Amazing!
I clicked on it.
When I looked at the figures...its hard to take it all in.
When I activate this skill, it will put me in mana sickness with a deficit mana, and probably put me unconscious. It has high risks also with chances for permanent damage.
Screw this. I can't even use it! Its like a suicide skill. I'll probably lock it out of my status screen to not use it after this!
I warned Melanie and told her as soon as I activate the skill to dump a blue mana potion down my throat and do CPR.
"What the hell Jay! Don't do anything dangerous!" she cried.
"He has to! Jay! Please! Don't leave us! Please" Linz cried.
I activated the skill.
The room floods with energy while I drift into a dream and unconscious.
I feel myself falling.
"Catch him!" I heard Linz say, but near the end her voice sounded sort of slow.
I think I felt Simone catching me, who was standing closest to me.
Then it all went black.
Chapter 35
I checked my status screen as soon as I got up, sitting up.
I'm in a bed.
Near me, Linz is asleep in a chair beside the bed holding a crossbow. She'd fallen asleep while standing guard over me I think.
The clock says 1:57 AM.
Name; Jay Williams
Race; Type 349F human hybrid
Magic job; Mind/Enchanter Mage
Titles unlocked; Support Mage (+1 MP), Novice Tactician (+1 MP), 'Mage Combat Survivor' (+1 to magic resistance)
Level; 10!
Health; 118/118 → 123/123
Mana; 214/389 → 214/396
Mana Regen; 27 (per hour)
Health regen; 3 (per day)
Element affinities; mind, enchantment
Str; 31Agi; 36Con; 41
Int; 106 Wis; 95App; 105
Skills; athletics (+1 con), jogging (+2 agi), math (+2 int), physics (+1 int), mana affinity (enabled), defend+3, block+1, parry, (weak) Stun (4 seconds), First aid, alertness,
Magic skills; Seduce +3, Charm +3, Mesmerize +1, Enchant +1, Enhance, Hypnotism (Temporary Charm), Dungeon Map Detection, Ice snap (new!)(reduced damage +2, element incompatibility), Love (emotion magic), Spell Evade, Safe Zone enchant, repair magic (enchant), Pacify(new!), Hide & Sneak (limited, weak), Blunt Weapon skill,
Passive skills; Demon Lord Clan Heritage (bonus starting mana +50), demon lord heritage (bonus mana; +2 mana points per level), Mind Control +1. Team leader skill (+1% to group offense), Party Team Window Management Magic, Weapon Enhancement+1; Mind Control Efficiency (+13%), Quick Reflexes, Mana Sensing, Love Magic Efficiency +1, Clan Heir (+5 bonus to Health, mana, and stamina., Love Magic Relationship Tracker(new!)(Demon lord clan only!), Magic Resistance (passive)(new!)(self only)(Mage blood trait)
