“What?” asked Tammi in surprise.
“You’ll look for dad? I want to come!” exclaimed Wayne. Suddenly, everything was right in the world for the kid.
“Yes. I would look. No, none of you can come. I need to rest too, so I won’t be able to go till tomorrow.” said Scott.
“You really do think he is already dead, don’t you?” asked Tammi.
“Yeah, sorry. Unless he survived till dawn the next day, he wouldn’t have even been able to properly fight these things. Normal weapons don’t work. Guns were useless till then,” said Scott.
“Dawn? What happened at dawn?” she asked curiously.
“Did you receive a little treasure chest?” asked Scott.
“Oh! Those? Yeah, four of them popped up out of nowhere,” she said.
"Anna said that you did not open them?" he asked Tammi.
She shook her head. "It—they just came out of nowhere."
"That was a mistake," said Scott with a sigh.
“A mistake? Why? What’s in those boxes? I was so scared that I didn’t want to open them,” she asked wide-eyed.
"A way to survive," said Scott simply.
Tammi shook her head slowly. "What do you mean? I don't... I was so scared, it could have been a bomb or something."
“Yeah, no. Those treasure chests had a way to make you stronger and able to fight back against the monsters. If there was four of them then that meant that there was probably one for you and each of your kids," he said.
“Oh, I didn’t know,” she said in a helpless tone.
Scott said nothing for a moment. What was there to say? She had given in to the fears that he had experienced as well. Now she and her kids were at the mercy of everything in the world. They had lost their chance to increase their ability to survive.
“I don’t see anything out there right now,” said Scott. “We should go soon, if you’re coming.”
“Yes. Of course,” said Tammi. She smiled at Scott then brushed a bit of her hair back over her ear.
He nodded to her then turned to look back out the window. There were no monsters in sight, but he could see a fire in the distance. That could be where the other ghouls were congregating. Something had drawn most of the monsters away from the area, that was good for Scott and his rag-tag band of burdens, but it was not necessarily a good thing overall.
Having a conscience was a terrible thing at times. It would be so easy to abandon these people, but he was not that heartless. Getting them to move out had been difficult. He had even had to tell them a convenient lie.
Look for their dad? Sure, if Scott ran across some guy who fit the man's description and answered to the name given, he'd tell him about his hidden family. Otherwise, he had no intention of roaming about the countryside in search of a man who had probably been dead for days.
Scott left the window and watched the little family deal with preparations to leave. While they did so, he decided to check his loot. He had received six copper coins from the columns of light, two chests, and what looked to be a set of gloves. He looked at the gloves first.
[Arms & Armor]
Inferior Leather Cesti
Both arms and armor, these low-quality Cesti are perfect for punching your way to victory. They can be worn while also wielding a weapon.
Attack: +3
Defense: +2
Value: 30 Copper Daemons
[--]
“Sweet. Martial arts stuff,” said Scott. He took off his riding gloves and put on the cesti. They were a set of leather gloves with a hard flat part near the knuckles and on the back of the hand.
Inside the smaller chest, one that he had gotten from the zombies, there were three different types of items. One type was a small number of copper coins. The other two items wear a small red gemstone, and a vest.
The red gemstone was something called a blood stone. Place it into water and it would become a healing tonic that regenerated wounds. There was a twenty-four hour shelf-life once placed into water, however. The less water used, the more potent the regenerative effect, though there had to be enough water to completely dissolve the stone.
Scott decided to use that when he got home. He felt like he had been beaten half to death as it was. The vest was something he was interested in checking out now.
[Armor]
Sleeve-less Bubba
A denim jacket suitable for rural citizens who have a strong love for freedom. Sleeve-less for easy maneuverability and for inviting people to watch the gun show.
Defense: + 4
Value: 50 Copper Daemons
[--]
“Ah, so it’s a sleeve-less denim jacket and not a vest?” Scott removed his coat, put on the jacket, and then re-equipped his winter wear.
The main item he was interested in was the chest he considered to be his quest reward. Scott opened the bigger golden chest. Inside he found twenty silver coins, a glowing marble, and a small thumbnail sized crystal. There was also a scrap of paper taped to the inside of the lid.
He stuck the coins into his coat pocket along with the rest of his recently acquired loose change. He viewed the information for the crystal then his eyes widened. The salvation crystal was an item that created a safe zone for twenty-four hours. No monsters would sense the presence of the occupants, or enter the area. It did not prevent humans or normal animals from entering, however.
“Bigger crystals can be used more than once.” Scott nodded to the crystal. This was another way that humanity might survive. The one that he held only worked once.
The last item in the box was the glowing marble. He picked it up and it crumbled to dust. A small current of energy raced up his arm, but nothing else happened.
He checked his stats to see what, if anything, happened. Unfortunately, he was greeted to a message screen that told him that his status was updating and he would need to check again later.
“Guess I’ll have to check my status when I get back to see what that does." He pulled the piece of paper free from inside the chest and read it over.
[--]
To my number one fan... XOXO
~ Brittani Rotten
PS: Don't keep a girl waiting too long.
Address: Brittani Rotten care of Skull Orchard.
[--]
It was a name and address for sending letters to Brittani Rotten. There was a perfectly placed pink kiss next to it where she had kissed the paper. "Seriously? Damn, ghoul chicks be thirsty..." he said with a tired grin. He still didn't know what the hell that musical business had all been about. More to the point, how the hell did anyone send mail anymore?
Scott shrugged then put the paper in his pocket. There was probably a way to do it.
Just like before, the treasure chests disappeared once their contents were removed. Scott glanced over to the small family and they all stood up. The younger daughter, Daisy, looked at him nervously but she smiled a little. She was a cute kid with honey-blond hair.
“We ready?” asked Scott.
“Yes,” said Tammi.
Scott told them that he would briefly scout the area and that they should be ready to move as soon as possible when he returns. Not long after that, he went outside and made certain no monsters were in the immediate area.
Soon, they were on the move. It was a tense journey as they walked as quickly as they could through the remnants of suburbia. It was slow going due to the fact that they were incredibly weak and had abysmal stamina. Scott was forced to fight two more small packs of ghouls on the way back to his home, but otherwise it was an uneventful trip. Thankfully the fire had kept the other ghouls and various monsters busy.
“This is your house?” asked Tammi once they made it inside over an hour and a half later. It seemed nice enough, but it was a bit bare.
Scott turned on his LED lantern then shut and barred the door. “Yeah, it’s dark in here for now. Sorry.”
“No, its fine. Creepy, but fine,” said Tammi with a short laugh. She ran her hands down her hips sl
ightly then sat down on his couch.
“Right. It’s boring and dark, but still home. There is food in the fridge. A lot of it. In fact, please eat it if you're willing to risk eating something that was cooked yesterday and left in the fridge. I’ll have to toss it out later today otherwise.” said Scott. He doubted that they would get sick from eating it, even if it smelled slightly funky.
Anna spoke up. “Food?” Her eyes lit-up.
“Already cooked. I cooked everything in the freezer the day this all started because I figured the power would go out,” said Scott.
“Smart.” said Tammi. “Are you sure you want to let us eat?”
“Sure, it’ll go to waste otherwise. You guys eat, and I’ll go see if the water is still working. Need to clean some stuff and change clothes.”
“Hot water?” asked Tammi, a hopeful expression on her face.
“Nope. The water might not even still be on,” said Scott.
“Ah.” A cold bath did not sound as appealing.
Scott grabbed the first aid kit that he’d acquired earlier, then took his bush axe to the bathroom. The small family tore into the pre-made food like a pack of starving wolves. They had not eaten anything since the day before.
The water still worked, so Scott cleaned his weapon, and then cleaned himself as well. The LED lantern that he stationed in the bathroom revealed dozens of cuts and several hideous bruises. A bright fanfare erupted around him as a surprising, but welcome, system message popped up while he treated his wounds.
[Level-Up]
After a series of harrowing encounters, you have risen to level seven.
Upgrade Point utilized. Pick one stat to upgrade before updates will take effect.
[--]
"Seriously? Level seven?" Either there was little difference in the amount of monsters that needed to be defeated between levels, or perhaps he had garnered extra experience for completing a quest?
Scott blinked at the screen after he read further. "My stats will update after I upgrade one of them?" He checked his status carefully. The most logical ones to increase were strength or vitality. They were part of almost all major stats. The only problem with choosing either one of those was that he already knew how to increase them easily enough.
No, what he needed was to increase his weaker stats such as agility or reflexes. They had increased the least after his class change. "Reflexes... probably good for countering." Scott chose to upgrade his reflexes then blinked again when a four sided die appeared in the air before him. He reached out to take the strange floating die then received a message that told him to roll it to determine how much his reflexes would increase.
Scott followed the directions. The four-sided die came to a stop on three. "Sweet," said Scott. His reflexes had increased by three points!
[Level-up]
Hit Points: + 60
Mana: + 78
Stamina: + 63
Attack: + 6
Arcane Attack: +9
Defense: + 6
Arcane Defense: + 9
Evasion: + 6
Arcane Evasion: + 6
Speed: + 6
Counter: + 9
Movement: + 12
Jump: + 3
Load = 70
[--]
"Oh, hell yes!" Scott eagerly looked to his stats to see what had changed.
[Status]
Scott Keen
Age: 20
Profession: Arcane Slayer
Level: 7
[HP: 108][97][107/107]
[MP: 133[153/153]
[SP: 146][141][151/151]
COMBAT
[Attack: 12][16] | [Arcane Attack: 19[23]
[Defense: 10][20] | [Arcane Defense: 16[18]
[Evasion: 9] | [Arcane Evasion: 11[13]
ABILITIES
[Strength: 7] | [Agility: 4] | [Vitality: 7]
[Durability: 6] | [Reflexes: 4] | [Arcane: 10]
[Intellect: 7] | [Charisma: 4] | [Luck: 4]
MANEUVERING
[Speed: 12]
[Counter: 13]
[Movement: 19]
[Jump: 5]
[Load: 70]
[Moderate Injuries]
[—]
“So, this is level seven?” Scott was slightly surprised originally that his level increases had increased his stats so much. He had no way to be certain about anything to do with the system, yet. The concert earlier had also proven that such problems also stretched out to encompass the actual combat system. There were many things to doubt about the way the world currently worked. In some ways, it almost seemed like the supposed system was not yet completely online.
When the end of the world began, it seemed as though everyone froze when it was not their turn to move. Yet, at times both he and his opponents could move a little or even speak out of turn. They could not leave their spot but it almost seemed like there was some sort of special rule that allowed for limited movement at times. The more dramatic the moment, or the event, the more likely those rules were to come into play.
The musical number was a clear indicator of that fact. The ghouls turning their heads in unison at the start of the previous battle was a solid tell, his ability to take a half-step back out of shock during the musical event spoke highly toward some sort of shift in the rules for the sake of drama was the key.
Scott came to the conclusion that whatever caused the world to become the way it was now wanted a good show. "Screw the rules, when the rules would get in the way of entertainment value?" he asked curiously. Was it really so simple?
Chapter 6
The day wore on as the little family made themselves at home in the dark house. It was the safest place around, but it was also quite depressing. The only light was generated by an LED lantern in each room. Neither of them illuminated much, but at least the little refugee family was able to get around without stumbling over things.
“So, this place isn’t good enough?” asked Tammi. She sat on the couch next to Scott with a towel wrapped around her head. She had just finished her cold shower.
“No, the walls are strong and the doors could stand up to a lot, but there is no way out if surrounded." He paused briefly then added one additional item of note. "It’s also too close to the city.”
“I see what you mean.” She crossed her legs then smiled at him. “You’ve thought this through, huh.”
Scott glanced at her then nodded. “Nothing better to do while sitting in here.”
“Sure. Where would you go?” she asked.
“That’s the problem. Nowhere is safe, and it would be impossible to secure a large area by myself.”
“Well, you have us,” said Tammi, before leaning to the side and propping her head up in her palm.
“No, he doesn’t,” muttered Wayne.
Tammi glanced at her son. “Don’t start.”
“You don’t even care about dad, do you?” asked the little boy.
“If I didn’t care, we wouldn’t have gone looking for him,” said the woman with a growl.
Wayne snorted and crossed his little arms over his chest. He was not convinced.
Daisy took a puff from her inhaler then walked over to sit next to her mother. The cute little girl leaned against Tammi and said, “Mommy. When can we go home?”
“Soon baby,” said Tammi.
“OK,” said Daisy before she yawned a little.
Anna made a noise as she came out of the bathroom, a towel around her head as well. She shivered a little and said, “Cold.”
Tammi looked over to her and laughed softly. “Problem?”
Anna walked over and sat down next to Scott. “Nope. I’m good.”
Tammi glanced at Anna, but her eldest daughter ignored her. Scott closed his eyes. He wasn’t blind. It was obvious what was going on, here.
“Better check the doors.” mumbled Scott. He stood up and moved to peek out the peep holes. Wayne moved in and took his spot on the couch, to Tammi’s protest.
Several ghouls were milling a
round the area. He suspected they were drawn by all the noise. They were not overly loud, but multiple voices might make things different. Of course, they might just be in the area because they were in the area. The city had a population of over fifty thousand people. Migration was bound to happen.
He moved to the back door and noted two of the monsters were out there as well. There were too many for him to be comfortable. Scott went back to the small family group and made a shushing noise.
“What’s wrong?” asked Tammi softly.
“There are too many outside. I’m going to have to go deal with them. If they discover us in here, it’ll be impossible to go outside safely if the numbers keep increasing,” said Scott.
Tammi acquired a fearful look. Things had felt so safe over the course of the last few hours. Had they been talking too loudly?
Scott snatched up his bush axe then headed to the back door after telling Tammi to lock and bar it once he leaves. She agreed to open it when he knocked on it.
Once outside, he immediately set about hacking his opponents apart. The ghouls were still as slow and stupid as ever. There was no sign of a stronger monster in the area, much to his relief.
Despite the step-by-step nature of battle, it did not take too long to kill off all of the ghouls gathered in the immediate area. In the process Scott acquired another letter and a few more copper coins.
The letter was an invitation to shop at the local shopping arcade. There was a discount until dawn, and a map that showed both his current location and the location of the shop.
[Open Invitation]
Shop Till You Drop
The local shopping arcade has opened for business. If you have daemons to spend, you’re in luck! There is a 50% discount on all goods until dawn. Of course, it is also only open at night. Be careful though, monsters are harder to see in the dark and will become more aggressive. It will do wonders for your modern life experience, however.
Earth Tactics Advance: Volume 1 Page 12