Reincarnation Trials: A LitRPG Apocalypse (Systems of Salvation Book 1)

by Han Yang

  “We collected some firearms from the building and formed a party. About thirty of us tried to leave Opo for Lornsto. When we reached the stables, most of us managed to get on horses and attach wagons. I decided to find additional supplies.

  “The four of us heard Sally screaming. Her dog faced off against a narock. It didn’t go well for the dog. We managed to save Sally, kill the beast, and… and we were cut off. We ran into a cellar meant for city cleaning supplies.

  “Every time we tried to run, we found ourselves in a fight. Throughout the city, survivors huddle in their homes, fearful of the streets, and we were one of those groups. Eventually, we risked it when we heard another group making a run for it.

  “We reached the docks in a small ship and drifted out to sea, ecstatic to be alive. That euphoria faded when we realized we went from one certain death to another,” Kevin said unhappily.

  “Ah, sorry to hear about your struggles. Glad you survived,” I said, stealing a glance at the impressive city as the morning sun cast its glow over the steel buildings. “How is the city since the narocks own it?”

  “No one goes into the city, because it’s a death trap. Well, let me correct that statement. We drifted for about two weeks, watching other survivors hunkering down and realizing the ocean was safe. While most tried to flee to Lornsto, others joined us and fled the shores for the deeps via dinghies.

  “Unfortunately, we didn’t bring enough food to be accepted by the big group where meals are rationed and evenly divided, or so the gatekeepers said. I had lost hope and we were contemplating raiding the city after four days without food.

  “The problem is, as survivors starve, they venture back for food or supplies to catch fish. Because of this, all the easy to raid locations have long since been picked clean. Narocks wait on the docks, protecting food because we keep coming. In hindsight, something as simple as a fishing pole becomes essential.

  “The situation all around us is bad and there’s very little hope in sight. Yilissa said you have food, shelter, weapons, and clean water. Well, and a steamboat. I’m surprised the flotilla hasn’t tried to steal this from you,” Kevin said.

  Yilissa exited the suite, drying her hair with a towel.

  “They tried before I met you. They rowed away from the flotilla with guns at the ready and I fired a warning shot. I hollered that the Apple is stable, their rowboat was not. They shouted they needed the boat for their people.

  “I said over their dead bodies because the first shot was a warning. They hesitated. When I fired up the engines - that turned them around. I saw you and your group on your lonesome, and we need more capable men,” Yilissa said.

  “And we will be forever grateful for our hero,” Kevin said warmly. Yilissa blushed when he kissed the back of her hand. “If you’ll excuse me, I must retire.”

  “How are you feeling?” I asked, once it was just us.

  “Should wait an hour or two, I’m feeling good though. The vomit of my swig helped more than likely,” Yilissa said.

  “I’m going to fire up the furnace. If you need to just provide overwatch then so be it,” I said.

  “What about Dex, Fen, and Matt? They can carry stuff,” Yilissa said.

  “We have a single spare weapon set. Put Sally on the wheel and have the lads watch with you. Go over gun basics,” I said. “And Yilissa -”

  “They’ll be in good hands.”

  I left, having to trust her. It wasn’t ideal, but it wasn’t worth shooting her over, or sending her to the flotilla. It wasn’t lost on me that she mentioned wanting to leave living in the mine. I’m sure she realized they’d starve sooner or later, and we were a known quantity.

  “Morning,” I said to three young men and a grandma.

  The men wore common western outfits. If I had to guess, now that they could, they washed up and cleaned their clothes. Ally wore a summer dress with a big bonnet. I didn’t draw a pistol and instead waved.

  “Yilissa will be down here in a moment with your assignments. You,” I pointed to the youngest looking one, “follow me.”

  I didn’t slow, taking the downward stairs a few at a time.

  “You want me in the furnace room?” a hesitant voice asked from the top portion of the stairs.

  “Yes,” I said, “Your name?”

  “Fen, Sir.”

  “Alright Fen. Open the side windows,” I said as he arrived. I used the big mitt to open the doors, seeing a small fire going. “Do you know how to make a fire bigger?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Excellent, make this fire bigger until this gauge right here is showing the bottom part of the green. Once that’s done, don’t add anything more,” I said.

  I stood off to the side, watching him work. It didn’t take long for the room to become unbearable. Even with the fresh air, the heat sucked. I waited though, and when Fen said the gauge was good, I talked him through the process of starting the wheel.

  We jolted forward and I left for the captain’s bridge. Yilissa discussed how to operate Craig’s rifle with Dex and Matt. Sally altered the wheel, taking us toward the warehouse section of Opo.

  Our ship had drifted until we hit a spot where the ocean pushed against the current, and now we headed back up the river. I did spare a glance back toward the flotilla, noting a few ships not part of the fleet. None tried to come to us.

  That was the telling factor. If they approached out of desperation, I would have helped. Going to them one by one would mean we would enter the range of the humans managing the group of ships. That could lead to a fight and one lucky shot would kill me.

  With a heavy heart, I watched us leave those survivors behind. I couldn’t save them all.

  The wheel propelled us forward, taking us closer to a ruined city and with it, a different chance at death.

  The towering casinos and hotels occupied the upper shoreline. I scanned for signs of humans seeking an escape, not finding any.

  Where the city butted against the river, a series of docks jutted into the water. On the shore, all sorts of taverns mixed with whorehouses and warehouses - basically everything a sailor could want or need.

  Most of the buildings had the main doors broken open. If the narocks failed to enter through an easy way, they clawed, chewed, or burst through a wall. I couldn’t see from the top down, but I had to assume roofs were opportune entries too.

  This was my second time inspecting the city from the water. Even though a day and a half had almost slipped by, I didn’t see much change.

  “Thoughts?” Yilissa asked.

  I sighed. “We can live from eating narock, as gross as it sounds. Ammunition seems like a priority.”

  “There’s canned fish on those barges, pickled too,” Sally said, pointing to the extensive dock network. Her arm shook with age. “The Apple can tow one of those barges up to Laro, seen it with my own eyes.”

  “Uh… we hadn’t considered that,” I muttered. “That and the narocks are sleeping on them constantly. I know a way to fix that though.”

  I left the group and walked along the sliver of a catwalk toward the ship’s stern. Two massive metal brackets held the wheel in place. At the tip of those constructs, eyelets waited for towing.

  I crawled onto the housing above where Craig slept. I asked Yilissa to fetch me Henry and a second later, began inspecting the barges again through a scope.

  When I finished, I said, “Do we want spices or canned fish?”

  “Canned fish.”

  “Fine, but I’ll toss a crate of spices on, I guess. After we raid the ammunition. Best to show these narocks who’s coming to their shores. Put me about fifty feet off the docks across from the ammunition warehouse,” I ordered. “Open the vents to slow us.”

  Sally moved away from the wheel and Yilissa took over. When we drew close, Yilissa opened the exhaust vent to slow the wheel. The water boiled, but the pressure stopped building, and therefore the piston’s thrusts slowed until they halted.

  Yilissa let the ship
drift toward the dock with the warehouse I wanted to raid. Four big narocks basked in the sun, letting the morning rays warm them. Two of them snoozed on the barges and two rested near the warehouse we approached.

  I licked a finger lifting it as I watched a flag.

  “What are you doing?” Fen asked inquisitively.

  “The ship is moving to my left at about walking pace. The wind is moving at a cross angle, almost directly in my face. Aim a bit high and to the left,” I said.

  I sighted the first target, closest to the ammunition warehouse. The steamboat slowed to a crawl, giving my target time to glance up at our boat with mild interest. This prog’narock hadn’t reached alpha stage, but it certainly had fed well.

  The thick head adorned an extra-large jaw. Muscles bulged off the predator's body and I saw a killer created by a misguided human.

  When I knew the shot was excellent, I squeezed the trigger back.

  Boom!

  The round zipped out, slamming into the beast’s face.

  The head erupted in a shower of gore, splattering against the wall behind the beast.

  “Holy shit,” Matt said while I readied another round. “That… that was a great shot.”

  “Yeah, it takes a few thousand to get that good. Now we wait,” I said.

  “For what?” Dex asked, clearly confused.

  Yilissa scoffed and said, “A dead narock means a free snack for the hungry.”

  We only had to wait a few seconds for a set of baby narocks to stalk out of a nearby warehouse, sniffing the air.

  “What happens next?” Fen asked.

  I locked Henry’s lever down, sighted a baby, controlled my exhale and squeezed gently.

  Bang!

  Instead of watching, I hurried to reload. Each movement was measured and purposeful. When I had a new round in the chamber with the bolt locked, I sighted the next baby.

  Boom!

  Both of the youngins weren’t clean kills. The hits were mortal, it’d just take time. All around the area, narocks left their perches. A set of four adults came to inspect why the babies shrieked in torment. After watching the hulking brutes near the scene, these adults would be classified as alpha variant prog’narocks.

  They also sulked forward, cautious of whatever lurked around the corners. Based on their hale and hearty appearance, I doubted the infighting had started already.

  “What are they scared of?” Dex asked.

  “We wait and find out. If nothing comes while they eat, I start shooting,” I said nonchalantly.

  The most assertive of the four, sniffed a dying baby. The infinitely smaller monster shrieked, struggling to retreat from the alpha.

  The maw of the adult snapped down on the neck, killing the baby. The big adult pranced away with its kill dangling from its mouth.

  The remaining baby hurried for the water, seeking refuge in the depths. The first adult encouraged the others and they stalked after the baby.

  From my angle, a set of immense eyes poked out of the water near the docks.

  “And now we know they are fearful,” I said with a grunt.

  “Oh, you wounded them on purpose,” Yilissa said, piecing together what was about to happen.

  I leaned into Henry and said, “The shot was a hundred yards with a moving target. They should have died, and I find the little ones are harder to put down with a single round because their vital spots are smaller. Anyway, no. This wasn’t part of the plan, but worthy of improvising over.”

  The lobo’narock inched closer and closer to the docks. The baby stumbled over the dock’s edge and splashed into the water.

  The hidden giant waited, ignoring the bleating baby. When the two chasing prog’narocks reached the lip of the docks, the lobo’narock attacked.

  Each of its lobster claws surged out of the water, snapping onto the adults. The loud cracking of spines resulted in quick deaths and caused my arm hairs to raise. The lobo’narock jumped onto the docks, speeding toward the alpha that sniffed a dead body.

  The sudden arrival caused the alpha to spin, putting on a burst of speed. A claw lanced forward, and the pincers clipped the head off. My jaw dropped as the lobo’narock ate the body while the head rolled across the street.

  I grinned, knowing the beast would seek the water with its prey dead.

  “Holy shit,” Sally said. “I can’t believe how fast it is. Look, it’s already taking it’s -”

  Bang!

  Henry bucked against my shoulder. The round zoomed over the water at an incredible speed. One second the lobo’narock’s right eye was filled with smug satisfaction, the next it exploded.

  The massive creature stuttered in its steps. The good eye crossed, and the nervous system failed to understand what happened. Much like the baby that floundered in the water, the lobo’narock sought the lapping waves.

  Each step proved a struggle as the brain failed to send signals. The front legs wobbled before losing their ability to hold the turtle body upright.

  Squish!

  The big frame crushed the dead prog’narocks, ejecting a spray of blood.

  “You’re nuts,” Matt said. “Those don’t attack humans.”

  I closed the vents that poured out steam. A reply wasn’t needed, ammunition was. A dead lobo’narock ensured this area would be avoided.

  “Yeah, why did you kill that?” Dex asked.

  I slid a new round into Henry, deciding to answer.

  “When the prog’narocks and webo’narocks stop feeding them, they’ll turn to humans. Do no mistake their current kindness as an alliance, because it is not one,” I told them.

  “How do you know that?” Sally asked.

  I confidently replied, “Mother Nature herself told me. I am an agent for the Goddess. The arrival of the narocks is never a boon and always a curse. Even when the arrangement is beneficial, it is never an alliance, merely two sides waiting to betray each other.”

  “But you may have just killed some people because the lobo’narocks will attack now,” Matt said, folding his arms.

  “Look, Matt, right?” I asked, and he nodded. “Do you really think that group on the water is going to survive? They’re not. These beasts will start to fight each other and become bigger and bigger. Soon, my rifle won’t kill them and more importantly, neither will the lobo’narocks. When that happens, being on the ocean won’t save them,” I said.

  “Oh,” his reply, while short, was sufficient.

  “Where’s the closest general store where we can get towels, clothing, weapons, food, and such?” I asked.

  Sally said, “A block back, between those two buildings is the Sailor’s General. It won’t have stuff for a missus, but it will have essentials. Risky though, even with the docks cleared.”

  The wheel spun again, kicking water off its frame. As Yilissa guided us, I watched the baby prog’narock sink below the water, never to surface again.

  “Which of you are coming with me?” I asked.

  “For what?” Matt asked.

  The three young men stared at each other hesitantly. Yilissa opened the steam port back up, calculating that we’d hit the docks with our current speed.

  Kevin exited the captain’s quarters and said, “Can’t sleep with all the commotion, so I’ll go. There’ll be plenty of sleep on the journey upriver and we need just about everything. I take it by the shooting that we won?” He stretched, surveying the damage. “By the Great Mother, you killed a lobo’narock.”

  “A fifty round right to the eye from a hundred yards,” Dex said proudly.

  “We are lucky that Lady Yilissa saved us,” Kevin said. His mere presence boosted the lads’ courage. “We should do our part if we want to stay here and live in the mines.”

  Yilissa scoffed, “It’s not up for debate. We all do our part. Now get ready, because we reach the docks in less than a minute.”

  34

  Snagglewood Day 32

  Opo Docks

  “Dex, Fen, you’re with me. Yilissa will stay up t
op with a rifle. Kevin, you work the ramp and ensure we fill the hold evenly. Sally, if we have to leave in a hurry, pull that lever to close the vent and the wheel will start spinning. Matt, uh… you’re the runner and when you’re free, help Kevin,” I said, hurrying down to the bow of the ship.

  I had just arrived by the cargo hatch when the Apple slid into the docks from the side. I snatched the tether rope off the deck before jumping onto the wooden brace.

  After a quick tie off, I secured the ship to the cleat. Kevin stood at the stern waiting for the back of the ship to swing toward the docks. I ran down there, catching the rope he threw.

  “Sally, if you need to engage the wheel in a hurry, this rope will slip free from enough pressure, understood?” I shouted just loud enough for her to hear. “The front will have to be untied since all the weight is going there.”

  I ran back to the front of the ship, noting Yilissa was in place. My boot splashed pooling blood and the stench of iron filled my nostrils.

  Even with the death nearby being a beacon call, I didn’t hesitate, running toward the ammunition warehouse.

  I ripped a forty-five off my belt, leveling the weapon in anticipation of threats.

  My heart slammed against my chest in fear. Yeah, I was a crack shot, yeah, I could handle battle; however, the warehouse was sparsely illuminated and killing a narock from a hundred yards was far different than when their snarls resulted in saliva landing on you.

  The first set of boxes displayed a big branding of .46 revolver ammunition. This was the least used caliber we had, but we did have the revolvers. I hoisted a single crate up and handed it to Fen by the rope handles.

  I stepped through the ruined hole that a narock created. The boards showed a mix of claw and bite marks. The dimly lit warehouse contained a musky smell of wood and gunpowder.

  The orange hue from the rising sun revealed at least a dozen pallets with crates stacked ten high. Each of those long and shallow boxes were branded - TNT.

  For a second, I pondered if adding TNT onto a ship was smart and came to the conclusion that I already had whale oil on the ship. If something went boom, I’d die before I knew it. Hesitant footsteps arrived behind me.