Earth Tactics Advance: Volume 1

by Scottie Futch

  There was nothing left to do now. He had a fortified home and no amount of pushing furniture around to block exits would make it any better than it was before. All he could do now was wait. He sat alone in his well-secured tomb as the world died all around him.

  Chapter 2

  A land of mist and shadow, that was what Scott saw before him. The last thing that he remembered was lying down on his couch. Now, he was somewhere else. It seemed to be some sort of grassland covered in an all-encompassing fog.

  He walked through that dark and dreary land in search for some sign of another human being. Barring that, perhaps a place to get away from the endless fog.

  Finally, unable to stand the sheer loneliness of his surroundings, he called out into the darkness. “Hello!”

  He was greatly surprised to hear someone answer him. “Hello.”

  Scott looked toward where he believed that the voice had come from. “Hello! Is someone out there?”

  “Yes,” replied the voice quietly.

  “Well, where are you? Who are you?” called back Scott before he walked toward the sound of the voice.

  “That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are here, hovering in the space between life and death. Congratulations. You survived the first day,” replied the voice.

  “What do you mean? Do you know what’s happening?” asked Scott.

  “Yes,” said the voice simply.

  Scott growled. “Can you tell me what’s happening then!”

  “Yes," replied the voice.

  Scott waited expectantly for a moment, but it became obvious after a while that no explanation was forth-coming. "Hello?"

  "Hello," said the voice softly.

  Scott's left eyelid twitched spastically for a moment. "Tell me what's happening, dammit!"

  "You’ll learn more at dawn,” said the voice in a quiet tone.

  Scott started to ask another question, but the grassland faded away. Soon, his eyes snapped open and he sat up. It was dark. In fact, it was far too dark.

  He groped at the air around him and smacked against something soft, pliant. It felt like his couch cushion. He continued to search blindly and discovered something flat and hard, like a table. Realization hit him. He kept searching and found the little LED lantern that he had gotten from Dale.

  After turning the battery powered lantern on, he was able to discern that he was in his living room. “The power must have gone out.”

  Scott made a quick search of the house, it still smelled of various cooked meats. He had not slept that long, or so he believed. The windows seemed to still be shuttered, and the doors were barred.

  He turned his lantern out and peeked through the peep hole in his front door. Overtime he noticed that it was starting to become brighter outside. It was close to morning. He could see a short distance down the road, though beyond the next house things were blurry. There were a few people wandering around outside. He assumed they were shark-toothed ghouls.

  Disheartened that everything he experienced had not been a dream, he stepped away from the door and turned his lantern back on. The shutters would prevent the light from escaping the room, but the things outside prevented him from escaping from it as well. He had plenty of food and water for the moment, but his situation would grow dire in a few days.

  He went to check his refrigerator. It was still cool on the inside. The power must not have been out for long. He shut the door quickly to avoid ruining his food too soon, and checked the freezer. Unfortunately, the food in the freezer did not manage to completely freeze before the power went out. Scott poked at a piece of half frozen fried chicken then closed the freezer with a sigh.

  The muffled sound of moans and growls drifted to his ears. The freaks outside were feeling chatty it seemed. Unfortunately, that also meant they were closer to his house than he would like.

  Scott went and looked out through the peep hole again. There was a shark-tooth standing on the road just in front of his house. It was not looking at his door, but it did seem to be fine with standing where it was. It scented the air like a hunting animal. Could it smell the food that he cooked earlier, or was it after something else? The house was locked up pretty tight. The smell of cooking food should not have escaped in any great degree since he had not opened the doors and windows once he locked them down.

  The shark-tooth stopped in place then slowly turned around to look in the opposite direction. It tilted its head to the side as though it were listening for something. Suddenly, a bright yellow light flared outward from the monster. Scott noticed that the light did not extend through his door, as it was focused like a cone, or a flashlight, toward his neighbor's house.

  It was then that Scott saw other movement. A small brown blur bounded out from the bushes near his neighbor’s house. It crossed properly into his field of vision and revealed itself to be a rabbit. The shark-tooth immediately let out a strangled cry of, "Meat!" just before the yellow light turned blue. Scott watched it move one step toward the rabbit, and then watched the rabbit bound away a distance that had to be at least ten, perhaps fifteen, full steps compared to the zombie.

  It was not long before the rabbit made its way to the edge of the blue field of light then hauled bunny tail across the grass. The light winked out a few seconds later and the ghoul hungrily trotted off to try and capture its speedy prey.

  “So, that’s what it was after?” Scott asked quietly. He stepped back from the door and returned to his couch. The monsters did not know he was in here, he was sure of it. If they did, he doubted they would just wander off after a rabbit.

  It was almost dawn. Scott was not too hungry, but he ate anyway. The food needed to be eaten or it would go to waste. Whatever meat was not eaten today would quickly become a problem.

  He brought out his little emergency radio and turned it on to find some sort of news broadcast. After dialing through a lot of static, he changed it over to AM broadcasting and found a station with little effort. The static level was higher than he would like, but it was still a broadcast.

  The sound went in and out, but he got the gist of what was being said. Everyone should stay in their homes, avoid the monsters at all cost, and should not venture outside under any circumstances.

  There were assurances that the government was planning rescue operations and emergency shelters were being erected, but Scott had his doubts. How would they protect such a place or rescue anyone?

  If the army rode in guns blazing, a few seconds later everything killed would get back up and be perfectly fine. Even the ones that could not jump or climb could easily overwhelm a wall or crawl over the bodies of the temporarily fallen to get over the top of a fence. The people inside the shelter would not even be able to escape easily since they would only be able to do it one step at a time.

  Humanity’s days were numbered. Scott knew that. There was nothing that could be done.

  It was hard to discern what the voice on the radio was trying to say. Yet, it was a human voice. It was garbled and sounded like nonsense, but it was his only link to humanity at the moment. It reminded him that he was alive.

  Time wore on, dawn finally came, and with it came something even stranger than immortal monsters. A bright light flared upward from the center of his coffee table. Scott turned toward it in shock and then saw an ornate box reminiscent of a little treasure chest.

  “What the hell?” Scott eyed the box critically for a moment. What was this? Was it another monster, or was it something else.

  The dream that he’d had not long ago entered his mind. His eyes widened in realization. “I would learn more come the dawn…”

  He had little recourse, if it was a monster-in-a-box or whatever, he would die either way. But what if it was something useful? Scott reached forward and opened the little treasure chest. Inside of it there were two marbles and what looked like an envelope.

  Scott took the envelope out and opened it. Inside, he found a letter and several brown coins with the number one on them. The
letter was short and to the point:

  [--]

  Congratulations, Scott Keen, on surviving till dawn!

  As a true survivor, you are granted an opportunity to better your situation. Each person who survived until now will be granted the same sort of basic deal. Each of you can choose to take it or not.

  The coins in this envelope are an initial payment. They are a type of currency that you can use to buy better equipment, train your abilities, and other things. The two spheres that accompanied this letter are unique items. Each person will be granted access to them only once. If you have not used them by dawn tomorrow, they will disappear.

  The red sphere is a weapon sphere. It can turn an ordinary item into an item capable of harming demons. That is the preferred term for any non-human, or non-standard Earth creature, transported to the world that you reside upon. As you no doubt know, ordinary human weapons cannot harm the supernatural beings unleashed upon your world.

  Please be advised: Even though the weapon sphere can change a firearm into a demon slaying weapon, it does not guarantee ammunition. Normal ammunition will not work to kill a demon. You will need to find or purchase devil slayer rounds from the weapon shop. The term devil slayer will not appear anywhere on the item, however any ammunition sold or generated by the system will have this capacity associated with it.

  The white sphere is the more vital of the two spheres. Swallow the white sphere and your body, mind, and spirit will change to reflect a new supernatural reality. You will be able to become stronger and more capable than you ever dreamed... Should you survive the horrors to come.

  If you choose not to use these two items, your safety cannot be guaranteed. If you choose to use them, the same is true. However, only by using the spheres can you obtain the power to survive in this new world without the constant need for someone to protect your life.

  Note: You may only have one weapon in hand when combing the stone with your chosen weapon.

  [--]

  “This is…” Scott was not sure what it was. Currency to buy better equipment and abilities? Weapon upgrade spheres? What was going on here?

  He eyed the two spheres in the box then frowned. It smelled like absolute bullshit. On any other day it would be nothing but said bullshit. After what he experienced recently, however, he had to accept any help given to him.

  Concerned by his choices, he eyed the two spheres carefully. “Better test the red one first then.”

  Scott retrieved his bush axe then took the red sphere out of the box. “So how does it work?”

  He tried telling the sphere to upgrade his bush axe. He waved them both around. Nothing happened. How did he combine the thing with his weapon?

  He set his bush axe to the side then frowned. He rubbed his forehead a little then hissed. He had scratched himself with his ring. Not one for jewelry or finery, Scott wore it solely because it was a gift from his grandmother. It originally belonged to his grandfather and was meant for the man of the family to keep and pass on to the next generation. His father had not earned it, for obvious reasons. So, it fell to him.

  The stone had long since fallen out of the ring, but his grandfather chose to leave it that way for sentimental reasons. Scott smiled at the thing for a moment. Then he glanced at the red stone. Out of a strange sense of curiosity, he placed the stone atop the empty ring setting. His eyes widened when the ring rippled like water. The stone was absorbed into it and the tiny bit of jewelry shifted. Originally, it was old and worn, but now it held the appearance of a brand new ruby ring set in a silver band.

  “Shit…” he said quietly, his eyes still opened wide. The effect proved to be both disturbing and cool. He tried to remove the sphere from the ring, but it would not budge.

  "What the hell? This thing was supposed to make a weapon." Scott took his bush axe in hand and lightly pressed the stone in his ring against the blade of his weapon. "Get in there dammit."

  Nothing happened. "Fuck. How do I fight with a ring? Come on, get in there!" He pushed the sphere against the blade once more and this time maintained steady pressure. Soon, the bush axe rippled then dissolved into motes of light that flowed into the ring.

  "Damn... What now?" He asked, confusion obvious in his tone. That confusion only grew when a bright blue screen of light appeared before him.

  [Item Upgrade Complete]

  Congratulations! You have successfully created the [Burning Soul Ring of the Arcane Warrior].

  Abilities Granted while wielding the ring:

  Arcane Stat Development

  Arcane Attack: + 4

  Arcane Defense: + 2

  Arcane Evasion: + 1

  Mana: + 20

  Hit Points: +10

  Stamina Points: + 10

  Burning Soul

  Blade Weapon Competency

  Summon Weapon: Long-handled sword

  [—]

  Further information was shown as well. He was given general information about how to access the weapon he stored within the ring, and how to use his [Burning Soul] attack. Blade weapon competency was something he simply increased through training. He was also privy to basic information about increasing his stats and how to access those as well.

  "This. What's with this?" It was obvious that it looked like some sort of game interface, but that could not possibly be true.

  Scott rubbed his face then looked to the screen once more. The events of the day before came to mind. Now that he saw the stats, the strange turn-based nature of what happened when the blue light flared made a bizarre sort of sense. "Holy shit... The world turned into a strategy RPG."

  A laugh bubbled up inside of him, though it did not reach his eyes. Had it finally happened? Had he cracked under the pressure of his life? How the hell could life become a turn-based strategy RPG?

  "Wait. How was it that I saw my stats again?" Scott looked to the blue screen then smirked. "Oh yeah. Show Status!"

  [Status]

  Scott Keen

  Age: 20

  Level: 1

  [HP: 1][11/11]

  [MP: 0[1][21/21]

  [SP: 1][11/11]

  COMBAT

  [Attack: 1] | [Arcane Attack: 0[1][5]

  [Defense: 1] | [Arcane Defense: 0[1][3]

  [Evasion: 1] | [Arcane Evasion: 0[1][2]

  ABILITIES

  [Strength: 1] | [Agility: 1] | [Vitality: 1]

  [Durability: 1] | [Reflexes: 1] | [Arcane: 0][1]

  [Intellect: 1] | [Charisma: 1] | [Luck: 1]

  MANEUVERING

  [Speed: 1]

  [Counter: 1]

  [Movement: 1]

  [Jump: 1]

  [Load: 10]

  [—]

  The appearance of a stat screen had caused him to lose his currently tenuous grip on reality for a moment. It took him quite a few minutes of ridiculous, if quiet, laughter before he calmed down enough to give his new skills a try.

  Burning Soul was a power that would cause his body to burst into flames and generate intense heat and pressure for a short time. Alternatively, the weapon summoning skill would summon out a version of his bush axe that would work as a system weapon.

  Scott did as the information stated. He focused on the image of his weapon then strongly desired its presence. "Equip Long-Handled Sword." His stalwart blade appeared before him in a ripple of light and energy. It floated in the air briefly until he took it in hand.

  Technically, the bush axe was considered a long-handled sword, but he did not need to say the whole thing. He could change the name of the weapon if he found a weapon shop, which would allow him to equip it by name. Alternatively, he could upgrade it by finding a better sword type weapon to take its place. Though, changing the weapon stored within the ring would remove the system weapon status from his former weapon.

  When the light died down, the bush axe looked no different. Scott wondered for a moment if something had gone wrong, but decided to just let it go. Something had happened, he just did not truly know what good it would do him at t
he moment.

  The blade was returned to storage after a moment, just so he could see if it worked. He spent a few minutes calling it out and sending it back before he felt like he was comfortable with the process.

  He took a moment to consider why the stone turned his ring into a system item instead of his bush axe. He re-read the note then paid extra attention to the notice at the bottom. "Can only hold one weapon when upgrading... Was that it?" Scott glanced at his ring. He quickly came to the conclusion that his ring must have been considered a candidate for a system item as well as his bush axe. When he put the bush axe down, he was able to upgrade his ring.

  Now that he had a reasonable answer to his concerns, it was time for the other item to be used. He picked up the white sphere. This was the item that worried him. If the note was to be believed, he would have to swallow it. The idea of ingesting something that he had no knowledge of was disconcerting to say the least.

  Finally, he sighed then said, “Fuck it.” He would die here either way. If the letter was telling the truth, then he would have a chance. If not, he probably would not have lived to see next week anyway.

  Scott popped the marble sized sphere into his mouth then worked up a little saliva. It took some effort but he in the end, he did manage to swallow it.

  A ripple similar to what had happened to the bush axe moved through his body. A bright light flared outward from the core of his body and continued to do so for several seconds. He felt a sense of heat and pressure, but not any particular discomfort.

  Once the light died away, Scott sat there in confusion. Had anything changed? He did not feel any different. Well, if anything he felt weaker than before. He glanced down at his ring to see if it changed in any way.

  He blinked in surprise as a sudden image appeared with his mind. It was two images, actually. One was his ring. The other was the bush axe. If he focused on one of them, it rotated to the forefront like it was part of an item selection ring in a game. The bush axe rotated to the front. There was a series of words and numbers that surrounded the mental image.