The process had even removed the scars from my face, and I ran a hand over the unblemished skin of my jaw in wonder!
I was still me, just better looking and a little taller.
I could also feel the connection that linked me to my new bike in the back of my mind. With a thought, I called up the stats for both the implant in my head and the bike that rested in my Inventory.
Tier V Neural Link
Neural link may support up to 4 connections.
Current connections: Rudianos Class IV Outrider
Software Installed: Rich’lki Fire-wall Class IV, Rudianos Class V Controller
Rudianos Class IV Outrider
Core: Class IV Hephaestus Mana Engine
CPU: Class E Xylik Core CPU
Armor Rating: Tier V
Hard Points: 2 (1 Used for Nano Garage Module)
Soft Points: 2 (1 Used for Neural Link)
Optional: Neural Link for Remote Activation
Battery Capacity: 60/60
Satisfied that everything appeared to be in order, I looked back at Ryk.
“Everything seems great so far,” I said, then looked at my remaining Credit balance. “Except my wallet.”
Ryk chuckled at my complaint and ushered me toward the exit.
A flash of light, and I found myself back in the sanctuary. One of the teens from my escort earlier leaned against the wall as he waited for me. When I appeared, he pushed off the wall and beckoned me to follow him out of the church without disturbing the ongoing Mass.
I walked after the youth and left the church through the front doors. Once outside, I found the sun directly overhead. I said some quick goodbyes and thanked the young man who escorted me to the car barricade at the opposite side of the defensive structure from where I’d entered. I squeezed out through the small gate and waved to the defenders as I activated the new bike from my Inventory.
The sturdy vehicle appeared next to me on the street, and I swung a leg over it before I sank down into the low-riding seat.
The engine started with a touch and rumbled quietly. I enjoyed the gentle vibration for a moment before I punched in coordinates on the small terminal built into the center of the handlebars. The screen was a combined navigation and targeting system, but I didn’t currently have any weapons paired with the bike. Once my destination was set, I revved the throttle and coasted down the street. I let the gentle grade of the downhill slope increase my speed naturally and swerved the bike from sidewalk to sidewalk as I got a feel for how the bike handled. I enjoyed having a clear street for once, as most of the vehicles in the area had clearly been added to the barricade that defended the church at the top of the hill.
I found the clutter in the roadway increased significantly after a few blocks as I wound my way down several streets toward the on-ramp for Interstate 376. Once on the interstate, I really opened up the throttle on the bike as I motored down the shoulder of the highway. Only a few times was I required to zig or zag my way through the snarled traffic of empty vehicles that littered the interstate.
Overall, I was impressed with the way the bike handled and glad I’d picked it up. It had power, speed, and responsiveness. I was curious to see how it would do off-road, but I wasn’t in any hurry to test that out. I was just happy not to be walking everywhere.
It was a relatively short trip after I made it onto the interstate. About ten minutes later, I took the ramp onto I-79 North. I jumped off the highway at the next exit, then continued north on a road that ran parallel to the freeway.
I was a bit surprised that nothing had tried ambushing me during the trip, but as I neared the high school and heard the echoes of gunfire in the direction I was heading, I realized that nothing would ever be easy. The sounds of combat intensified as I neared the school, and it became obvious that a serious fight was taking place.
I ignored a gate with a Do Not Enter sign and cut across a grassy field with a gentle incline that sloped upward toward the school. Cresting the ridge, I found a school bus jammed across the rear entrance to the building and completely blocking the doors. I steered my bike onto the road that circled the building and followed it toward the main entrance.
When I rounded the corner, I braked to a stop as I took in the scene.
Two dark red fire engines—Moon Run Fire-Rescue emblazoned across their sides in gold letters—were pulled across the road that divided the two main high school buildings. A firefighter knelt on top of the tank with his hands glowing blue. It looked as if the man was channeling water directly into the tank.
Two more firefighters in bunker gear manned a hose that blasted a fierce jet of water into a canine shape that was bowled over by the force of the impact and tumbled a dozen or so yards before it skidded to a stop. The firefighters with the hose shifted the forceful stream of water to bat away another of the lanky pack of creatures that circled the area.
Between the two fire engines, a Pennsylvania State Police cruiser closed the gap. Two uniformed troopers stood in front of it with service pistols out, and they fired at any of the beasts that got too close. I could tell the standard firearms weren’t doing much, if any, damage. The weapons were the source of the gunshots I’d heard as I approached.
I counted eight of the beasts, and on closer examination, they looked like coyotes. Unusually aggressive and larger than typical coyotes from before the System came online. Coyotes also didn’t normally hunt in packs, but things hadn’t been normal since the blue boxes started floating in my vision.
I wished briefly that I could have afforded a weapons system for the bike before I throttled up and steered at the battered coyote regaining its feet in a large puddle of water. It never saw me coming and only managed a sharp yelp as my front tire impacted it.
The crunch of snapped bones was faintly audible with each thump of my wheels as I rolled over the creature and left it broken in my wake.
The other coyotes heard the death of their packmate, and three split off after me. I turned sharply to avoid hitting the building and accelerated away.
I pulled a pistol and carefully aimed and fired over my shoulder as the canines pursued. My route led them past the stadium, then around the elementary school building as I controlled my speed to keep the pack interested enough to chase without really gaining ground. In between shots with the energy pistol, I cast my new Frostbolt spell for the first time.
With a few words and a rush of Mana, a jagged shard of ice about the size of a crayon materialized in front of my hand and shot directly toward my target. When it impacted the chest of the nearest coyote, the shard sank partly into its chest, and a white sheen of frost spread out around the wound. The coyote slowed, and its packmates quickly dashed past it.
I somehow managed to hit with most of my pistol shots and all of the Frostbolts. All of those points placed into Agility and Perception were paying off as I chipped away at my pursuers.
I had put enough shots into one coyote to kill it, and a second had been wounded badly enough that it limped far behind as I finished a lap of the complex. Since my beam pistol was over half empty, I swapped it for the full one from my Inventory as I stopped my bike and dismounted.
I set myself into a two-handed shooting stance as the third coyote rushed at me, and I dumped charges into the beast’s muzzle until it face-planted into the ground, skidding to a halt several paces from me. Blood leaked from the fallen animal’s ruined maw and it wheezed out a dying gasp before it went still.
Only a single creature remained following me, the one I had first used Frostbolt upon. The injured coyote had almost reached me, so I holstered the pistol and drew out my melee weapons.
With its front leg already wounded by my earlier pistol fire and Frostbolts, I used Hinder to slow the coyote even further and quickly dispatched the beast. I cleaned the blades of my weapons on the coyote’s fur before I looted the bodies and remounted my bike.
I returned to the front of the school, where I found that the fight had devolved into another melee. O
ne of the firefighters who had manned the hose lay still next to the engine, while the other rolled across the ground in a desperate attempt to keep from being mauled by the coyote on top of him.
The firefighter who had been on top of the engine now wildly swung a fire axe in an attempt to keep two other coyotes from piling onto the prone firefighter.
The final coyote was menacing one of the uniformed troopers, who fired at it with a standard firearm from close range. The coyote flinched with each shot but still stalked closer. The other trooper was on the ground behind them, one arm hanging limply as he attempted to crawl away.
The flailing axe seemed to keep the pair of coyotes at bay and the wrestling coyote didn’t seem to be making much progress with the heavy material of the firefighter’s turnout gear, so I headed to assist the deputy.
When I reached the coyote, I jumped from the seat of my still-moving bike and drew my knife as I landed on the back of the unusually large canine. I wrapped my left arm around the neck of the beast as I jammed the knife into the side of its head.
The coyote bucked then rolled onto its back, slamming me into the ground as it tried to dislodge me. I wrapped my legs around the coyote’s torso and dug in my heels as I continued to stab my knife into the beast’s neck. With every thrust, hot blood ran over my hand, and the creature’s thrashing grew slowly weaker until it finally lay limp on top of me.
With a groan, I pushed the corpse off me and stood to find the wide-eyed trooper gaping at me. He was an older man with a deeply lined face and salt-and-pepper hair trimmed close on the sides.
“Pick your jaw up off the floor,” I snapped. “We have work to do.”
The pair of coyotes had gained the upper hand on the firefighter with the axe and had taken the man to the ground. One animal had the haft of the axe in its mouth, locked in a tug-of-war with the firefighter, who had managed to keep the weapon in his grip so far. The other coyote had its jaws locked onto the man’s ankle, pulling him in the opposite direction.
My right hand was still covered in gore, so I pulled the pistol from my left hip with my off hand. The Luxor thundered as I put a round into the side of the coyote tugging on the axe, and it yipped sharply in pain as it jumped back and released its grip.
Before it could attack anyone further, I fired several more times. Each impact of the projectile rounds staggered the coyote until it finally fell over dead.
With the axe freed, the firefighter swung it at the coyote clutching his ankle. The blade of the axe sank deep into the back of the canine’s head, and it instantly let go of the firefighter’s leg. The coyote tried to jerk away, but the axe stayed lodged in the bone of its skull, and the beast only managed to drag the firefighter as it attempted to back away.
I activated Hinder again, since the coyote remained close enough, and the creature slowed further. I fired the Luxor once, and the round sank deep into the rear leg, which collapsed under the impact. The struggling firefighter used the opportunity to stand, and he pulled the axe free of the creature before slamming it back down into the beast’s head.
I left the firefighter to pummel the crippled coyote and headed toward the only other fight that still continued. The last pair of combatants were locked together as they rolled across the ground. The weaponless firefighter clutched the coyote so tightly that the beast couldn’t get enough of a purchase on the thick material of the firefighter’s bunker gear.
That left me with a dilemma.
I couldn’t shoot the coyote because the round might pass through the monster and hit the firefighter. I also couldn’t stab the coyote, because the two were flailing so uncontrollably that I’d be just as likely to stab the person instead.
With a sigh, I stepped up beside them and hit the coyote with Hinder. Then I wound my leg back and levered a full speed punt into the back of the coyote as the pair rolled around. The coyote yelped at the sharp pain delivered by my armored boot, and I kicked it again. And again. I felt ribs break beneath my foot on the second blow, so I continued. Over and over.
I kicked the coyote to death by breaking its spine and crushing its torso.
The firefighter managed to roll away from the dying beast, but not before getting covered in gore that leaked from the coyote's mouth. Once free, the firefighter whipped off the helmet to reveal sweat-damped, shoulder-length black hair before the woman doubled over and emptied her stomach in revulsion.
By the time I finished off the coyote, the other one was dead too, and I realized that I had gained an audience.
A nurse in scrubs now knelt over the prone firefighter, but the rest of the newcomers watched me warily. The older trooper seemed to have recovered his composure and appeared cautious but relaxed. The injured trooper had made it to his feet and joined the group, but he still had his gun out at his side.
I looked at the nervous man and wryly raised an eyebrow as I glanced at the gun. I was pretty sure that with my Constitution, he wouldn’t kill me with a single shot, and I wouldn’t give him the chance for any more.
I cast the Cleanse spell on myself for the first time, and a rush of Mana swept over me from head to toe. I felt all of the gore evaporate from where it had clung to my hand. My whole body felt refreshed, and even my teeth felt as if they had been freshly brushed.
That spell had been worth every Credit.
Especially with the amazed expressions of everyone watching me. I couldn’t hold back my amusement as I grinned. To further my demonstration that things were no longer the same, I walked over to my bike and stored it in my Inventory. The Nano Garage Module upgrade just paid for itself.
If I had amazed them with my ability to be instantly clean, disappearing the bike may have broken them.
“So who’s in charge here?” I asked the group.
“I guess it’s me,” said the older trooper with a shrug as he stepped forward and extended a hand. “Trooper Nelson.”
“Hal Mason,” I replied and gave him a firm handshake.
“Thank you for your help,” Nelson said. “I think things would have gotten much worse if you hadn’t arrived when you did.”
I nodded uncomfortably in acknowledgement. He was right.
“Well, what brings you here?” Nelson asked.
“I need to talk to a couple of students who were supposed to be here.”
“What for?” the other trooper interjected suspiciously.
“I was with their dad yesterday,” I replied.
“Oh, and you just need to take them to him,” accused the trooper.
“No,” I said solemnly and looked the man in the eyes. “I need to tell them that he didn’t make it.”
That shut the man up, and he turned away in embarrassment, unable to meet my gaze. He stomped over to the nurse, who had helped the injured firefighter up to his feet and asked that she look at his wounded arm.
Several school officials joined the discussion, and the topic turned to the System. I quickly explained everything I had learned so far. This conversation about Shops and loot was becoming a well-rehearsed spiel as often as I repeated it.
After the school officials had been brought up to speed, one of them guided me inside and sent someone off to find the two Thomas kids.
I could only imagine the pain I was about to bring into their world. With their mother long gone, I couldn’t fathom how important their father had been to them.
It wasn’t long before the pair were brought to where I waited inside the school’s main entrance. The two teenagers were dressed casually in jeans and T-shirts, but they shared their father’s athletic build, and I easily saw the family resemblance to Zeke in their faces. When they reached me, the school official stepped away and left me alone with the kids for my unenviable task.
“Gabrielle and Jordan Thomas?” I asked. Their father had called them Gabby and Jordie in his stories, but I wouldn’t presume that familiarity, not now and not like this.
“Yes,” replied Gabrielle with hesitation.
“Please have a seat.�
�� I pointed the pair to a nearby bench.
The pair looked around nervously. Their eyes flicked between me, the school official who waited nearby, and back. From Jordan’s expression, I could tell the young man knew something was gravely wrong.
Once they were seated, I took a deep breath and looked them in the eyes. “I’m sorry, there’s no easy way to say this. Your father is dead.”
“What?” Gabrielle blinked as she processed my words.
Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes and she leaned against her brother. Jordan wrapped his arm protectively around the young woman’s shoulders, pulling his sister into a hug as she broke down.
Then he looked at me fiercely. “How did you know my father? What happened?”
Standing over the grief-stricken kids felt so awkward, as if I was talking down to them. Instead of responding to the question right away, I pulled a chair over and sat down in front of them as I gathered my thoughts. Now on their level, responding to Jordan’s question seemed much more natural.
“I met your father yesterday morning,” I said. “After we survived a swarm of monsters, all he cared about, with all of the insanity going on around us, was getting to you two.”
Though her shoulders shook from silent sobs, Gabrielle’s head turned toward me from where it rested on her brother’s arm.
“We walked all the way across the city from Squirrel Hill. We fought monsters mostly, but there were some people who tried to stop us, so we fought them too.
“In the middle of the night, a massive creature appeared over the city and rampaged through downtown. This morning, the jabberwock attacked the place where we sheltered, and I tried to lead it away. I would have died then, if not for Zeke. His special ability broke through the creature’s armor and diverted its attention from me.
Fist Full of Credits: A New Apocalyptic LitRPG Series (System Apocalypse - Relentless Book 1) Page 13