I glanced at Ryk, who followed patiently as I browsed from case to case. I gestured to the floating screen in front of me and asked, “Is there a difference between the human specialty Mana Manipulation skill and the generic one?”
“I should tell you that the human-focused one will guarantee better results,” replied Ryk. “But in all actuality, you’ll be fine with the generic one unless you have some kind of rare penalty to your learning comprehension or an anti-magic affinity.”
“Why are you being so selflessly helpful?” I asked warily. “You’d make more Credits by convincing me to go for the more expensive option.”
“The Silverhorn clan believes that satisfied customers will be repeat customers and that long-term customers will benefit us far more over time than making a few extra Credits now,” Ryk replied. “There are certainly Shops that are trying to take advantage of human naivety and inexperience.”
“Oh,” I said. “I appreciate your honesty.”
“And I would appreciate your continued patronage,” said Ryk. “The System selected this Shop as your default, but you have the option to change it upon future visits.”
I went back to the magic menu and added “The Basics of Mana Manipulation” to my purchase queue. I would have to earn more Credits before I could afford any actual spells.
I brought up the cart to review my selections and winced at the total, sitting at just over fourteen thousand Credits.
Before I finalized my purchases, I took one last look through the weapons section of the hall. As I walked past one display case, an oddly shaped weapon I had overlooked earlier caught my attention, and my eyes grew wide as I read the weapon description.
Hybrid weapons used energy like the beam weapons did. However, instead of firing that energy to cause damage directly, hybrid weapons used that energy to accelerate solid projectiles to incredible speeds. Not only did the weapon projectile cause damage based on the payload, the added energy gave a damage bonus.
Railguns. I could buy a handheld railgun!
Where the beam weapons had looked futuristically sleek and slim, the hybrid weapons were blocky and bulky. A cylindrical bank of capacitors hung under the barrel, giving the weapon a rectangular profile when viewed from the side, but almost resembling something similar to the dual cylinders of an over-under shotgun from the front. The rifle had a bullpup design with the magazine for the projectiles inserted at the base of the stock, toward the rear of the weapon.
I added a hybrid rifle to my desired purchases, along with a hundred rounds of Standard ammo for it.
Banshee III Gauss Hybrid Rifle
Base Damage: N/A (Dependent Upon Ammunition)
Ammo Capacity: 15/15
Battery Capacity: 30/30
Recharge Rate: 4 per hour per GMU
Cost: 5,400 Credits
A red case, marked with a symbol in the shape of an odd white skull, sat at the bottom of the weapon case below the hybrid weapon display.
“What’s that red box?” I asked Ryk.
Ryk frowned with a confused expression and stepped up to look over my shoulder. “Hmm, I don’t remember stocking that into inventory, but it looks like a sample case of special rounds for the hybrid rifles. You know, the kind of thing manufacturer’s give out as promos? I just don’t have anything in my records for it.”
The ram man focused on the red box, then glanced at me from the corner of his eye, his gaze filled with speculative intensity.
“Tell you what,” Ryk said. “If you buy that Banshee rifle, I’ll throw in the sample rounds for free.”
“That sounds like a deal to me,” I replied. “I definitely want that weapon. It looks awesome.”
“It has far more than looks going for it,” said Ryk confidently. “You’ll find it effective against the most deadly of foes.”
I nodded in agreement and continued on through the Shop.
Finally, I found myself browsing a display tablet that listed the information available to purchase from the System. There were books about hidden quests and ways to obtain rare Perks, but the costs for these were astronomical. Information on Classes and Class Skills were also up for purchase and much more varied in price. Maps of the zone’s classifications with likely levels and Shop locations on Earth were within my reach, so I added some of those basics to my cart. One of the items was a manual supposedly designed just for the humans newly introduced to the System, so I added it to my cart.
Thrasher’s Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse on Earth
This guide imparts basic information about the System, the current apocalypse, and future plans. Included are explanations of common skills, magic, technology, Safe Points, the Shop, and more.
Cost: 50 Credits.
I confirmed my shopping cart selections and watched as my Credits dwindled from thousands down to just 318. As the Credits were drained, my new items appeared in my Inventory and a notification appeared.
The System Quest Update
The journey to understanding the origins of the System and Mana has many beginnings, but all roads lead to the understanding of Mana. You have taken your first step in understanding the System.
Requirement: Learn Mana Manipulation.
Reward: 500 XP
Well, that was interesting. I pulled up my status menus and found that I did indeed have a new quest that matched the update I had received.
The System Quest
Find out what the System is.
Rewards: Knowledge is power.
A chill crawled down my spine as I read the quest reward. It was the second time I had heard that particular phrase, even if the teenagers outside of the Cathedral had been screwing around by chanting something from a video game. I didn’t believe in coincidences.
With my Credits depleted and feeling a little unsettled, I closed the Inventory windows and looked at Ryk. “I don’t suppose you have a place I could change into my new armor, would you?”
“Of course,” replied Ryk.
The ram man beckoned me to follow and clopped off between several display cases. He stopped a few feet later beside one of the larger mannequins and pointed at the wall behind it. Within the wall was the rectangular outline of a door with a slight indent about where a doorknob would appear. I placed my hand within the indentation, and the door responded by sliding back into the wall.
Behind the door was a small room with a table, chair, and a wall-mounted mirror.
“I’ll be waiting for you whenever you are finished with changing out your equipment,” said Ryk as I walked into the room.
As soon as I was completely within the room, the door slid shut behind me and left me alone for the first time since I had encountered the road crew all those long hours ago. I sank down into the padded chair and closed my eyes as I leaned back against the wall and breathed deeply.
In one sense, the excitement and danger invigorated me in ways I couldn’t fully explain. Still, combat stressors were multiplicative in effect on the body. The need for constant alertness added up and contributed to fatigue. My improved constitution and other attributes gained from leveling up seemed to be improving my health beyond the human norm, but it still felt good to relax and not feel the pressure of reacting at a moment’s notice to a life-or-death situation.
I only sat for a minute before standing and stripping off my bloodstained clothes. The new armored jumpsuit slid on easily, and I snapped the various armored plates into place before buckling the armored greaves that locked my boots in place. The suit fit snugly but was surprisingly comfortable for as tight as it appeared when I looked over myself in the mirror.
Once I was dressed, I took a moment to fold my old clothing and neatly arrange all of my old weapons and equipment on the table.
I twisted my torso from side to side, bent forward and backward, then jumped up and down a couple times as I worked through testing my mobility in this new outfit. Surprisingly, my mobility wasn’t decreased in the slightest. Instead, my range of motion was actually i
ncreased over the gear I had worn previously.
A customizable weapon harness had been included with the armored suit, so I spent several minutes arranging the holsters and pouches to my liking. A holster that could carry any of my pistols sat on each hip. The axe was sheathed in the small of my back, able to be drawn easily with my right hand, but I could still reach it with my left. An inverted scabbard on my chest held the combat knife over my heart where I could reach it with either hand. I decided to keep the railgun and other spare weapons in my Inventory. It might take time to pull them out, but having spares seemed smart, and I thought the railgun would be too bulky to carry comfortably.
Finished with equipping myself and satisfied with everything I had bought, I opened the door. True to his word, Ryk waited outside.
I gestured to the table where my damaged clothes and weapons sat. “What can I do with all of my old stuff?”
“Actually,” said Ryk, “I have a proposal for you about that.”
“Go on,” I replied.
“I’ll give you five hundred Credits for all of your pre-System weapons and the clothing you arrived here in,” Ryk offered. “It would be an honor to add your likeness to the exhibits we have on display.”
I really couldn’t turn down the offer, as low on funds as I was at the moment. The weapons weren’t going to do me any good, since they had been doing less and less damage as the day wore on. Some of the other gear held sentimental value, but it was nothing I couldn’t live without.
After only a moment of hesitation, I said, “Sure.”
The Credits poured into my inventory as Ryk closed the door behind me. He turned to me and offered me his hand.
“I believe in your culture, a handshake is appropriate for concluding business,” said Ryk.
I shook his hand firmly.
“Thank you for your business, and good luck,” said Ryk. “I certainly hope to see you again.”
“Thank you for the gear and advice,” I replied before releasing the handshake.
As our hands parted, the world around me fell away and I found myself back in the Cathedral of Learning with my hand hovering just above the emerald crystal.
I looked around as I stepped away from the crystal. I saw no sign of Zeke in the crowd nearby and figured he must still be in the Shop. I leaned against a nearby wall as I pulled up my digital copy of Thrasher’s Guide in one of my System windows.
I only made it through a half dozen pages before Zeke popped into existence beside the crystal. The big man was now also clad in an armored jumpsuit, though the hardened plates that covered his armor were much thicker than the ones on my suit. His sledgehammer had been exchanged for a massive two-handed Warhammer. The front face of the hammer was serrated, and the backside of the head narrowed down into a single spike.
Zeke easily swung the heavy weapon up onto one shoulder as he turned around and caught sight of me. I closed the System window with the guidebook and pushed off the wall to stride over to him.
The crowd murmured around us and made it difficult to speak over the noise. I jerked my head toward the front doors, and Zeke nodded before pushing his way through the throng. I followed in his wake.
It only took a couple minutes to work our way back out of the packed building. Most of the conversations I overheard as we passed by were people who couldn’t believe what was happening or were too terrified by the things they had seen to go back outside.
When we reached the door, the people nearby gave us a wide berth as they took in our heavily armed appearances and it became obvious that we were going out. Zeke shook his head sadly as he opened the door, but I could barely hold in a frown.
I knew that if these people just waited inside, things would only get worse. The levels around here were no starter zones. The map I’d purchased showed that the majority of the state consisted of zones in the mid-forties with a variety of areas that both climbed higher and dropped lower. There was a solitary newbie zone around level 10 that stretched from Hershey to Elysburg, but that zone was practically on the opposite end of the state.
From the first few pages of the guide I’d managed to get through, it was obvious that the more time passed and the more Mana in the area stabilized, the higher the level the monsters would become.
All of humanity had been unwillingly entered into a race for life or death. We had to level up before the zone out-leveled us, and it was obvious that most people were going to fall far behind the pace needed to survive.
Chapter 10
The wooden doors to the Cathedral of Learning thudded shut behind Zeke and me, cutting off the concerned chatter from the crowd inside. I sighed and pushed aside my concern for those who remained behind. If they weren’t willing to fight for themselves, there was nothing I could do for them. I could only do my best to survive now.
“How did you make out in the Shop?” I asked. Despite our agreement that I would receive Zeke’s share of the loot, I recognized that we both stood a better chance of surviving if we each had decent equipment. He tried to insist at first, but ultimately gave in and kept his loot. Thankfully, his desire to reach his kids outweighed his need to stand around arguing about who got more bug guts and deer antlers.
Zeke shrugged. “Got a new hammer and some armor but couldn’t afford much else.”
“I mostly focused on gear too,” I said. “I did get a map though.”
“Oh?”
“There’s another Shop downtown on the north side of the rivers and one up on Mount Washington, so depending on how we head toward your kids, we should pass one of them.”
“Would it be better to go through the North Shore or up over Mount Washington?” Zeke asked.
“I’m not sure,” I replied. “I couldn’t afford any more information, but the map shows that Fort Duquesne is an actual fort now, so maybe we just wait to make the decision about our route there?”
“That works,” replied Zeke.
Since Zeke and I had exited the building on the opposite side from where we entered, we now faced Fifth Avenue. I turned left and led us southwest down the street.
A block and a half later, we reached the sprawling complex of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. On our right, UPMC Presbyterian sat back from the road, with a few administrative buildings between the main hospital and us, but the silence that seemed to emanate from the darkened building creeped me out a bit. I thought hospitals were eerie at the best of times, and the end of the world only seemed to magnify that feeling.
We passed UPMC Montefiore next, also without incident. Even though the building loomed above us on our right, I didn’t see any movement within. After some of the things I had already encountered today, I was fine with not being ambushed by yet another mutated monster.
A block later, we followed Fifth Avenue as it curved past a towering apartment building, and I found that mutated monsters were far from done with us yet.
Racoons the size of large dogs snarled at Zeke and me from a pile of smashed recycling bins. There was nothing cute about the rabid trash pandas when the pack of beasts charged at us, but with our new and upgraded equipment, the monsters proved to be little challenge.
The first of my new beam pistols eliminated two of the racoons before they reached us, then I switched to my knife and axe to assist Zeke with finishing off the last several. Neither of us suffered a scratch before the beasts were all dead. The usual bits of bone and fur went into my Inventory when the fight was over.
“That was way easier,” Zeke commented as we finished looting.
“No kidding. Having System weapons makes a huge difference.”
Zeke nodded.
We continued down Fifth Avenue, below a forested hill that rose on the right as we slowly descended toward downtown. Several times, enraged animals rushed from the trees or brush to attack us, but Zeke and I easily fought our way through the mutated wildlife. Streaks of blood on the street and chunks of gore remained in a number of places to attest that others had been less succe
ssful.
Occasionally we encountered another survivor or two.
Sometimes it was an armed guardian sitting on their front porch and regarding us with suspicion. Often it would be the twitch of a window curtain pulled aside just enough to let us know we were being watched. Zeke would stop and wave at the observer. If they came out of their house to talk, then we would give them some info and fill them in on the location of the Shop before we moved on.
We never stayed for long as Zeke’s concern for his kids kept us pressing onward.
These regular encounters slowed us. Even though a brisk walk should have gotten us downtown within an hour, it was late in the afternoon before we reached the edges of the district.
I’d gained another Level, without the chance to review any notifications along the way, but had completely depleted the charges from one beam pistol and was halfway through the second. I had turned to fighting with melee weapons to preserve the remaining charges, letting Zeke draw the monsters’ attention while I struck from behind.
It took another hour of constant skirmishing to push our way past PPG Paints Arena, the home of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team, and into the heart of downtown.
It was like entering a war zone.
A smoky haze filled the air with the scent of fire, gun smoke, and blood. Corpses were lying on the streets and sidewalks or slumped in doorways, and several ominous blood trails hinted where bodies of the dead or wounded had been dragged inside.
We passed a pizza shop I had visited on a date only a month or two ago. The front windows were already smashed out and the take-out cooler just inside the front door emptied of six-packs.
I thought back to that evening and frowned. It had turned out that appreciation of a decent pie was about the only thing we had in common, and the rest of the night had gone poorly. She’d pressured me on my war experiences, even after I’d expressed hesitation about opening up that quickly to someone I had just met. The woman had stormed out not long after, leaving me to pay the entire check.
Fist Full of Credits: A New Apocalyptic LitRPG Series (System Apocalypse - Relentless Book 1) Page 8
