Apocalypse game, p.31
Apocalypse Game, page 31
“What are you doing here? You said you weren’t part of this mission.”
“I know. But I was still listening in.” He shrugged. “Our comms might be shit off base, but they still have some functionality. What little I could make out sounded bad.” He shook his head. “We didn’t know. About the survivors. Not all of us at least.”
Finn stepped up. “How is that possible? These are your men. Even Moore reported to you.”
“It was Captain Reynolds and Moore. It had to be. Moore was the one submitting the reports, but he couldn’t have gotten away with it without Reynolds and his men backing him.” He spat. “Moore was always a bit of a fanatic, but this?” Wise held his hands out, motioning to the mall. “Killing civilians over resources? I didn’t think it was this bad.”
“So you’re saying you had nothing to do with this?” I asked, glancing at the men behind him.
“I didn’t. And these men didn’t. That I can say with absolute certainty,” he said. “Beyond that, I can’t say who knew and who didn’t.” He scoffed. “But I guess it doesn’t matter now. Moore’s dead, I presume?”
I nodded. “Along with a good number of soldiers and Salvatore’s men.”
Wise turned to Salvatore and nodded, his eyes pained. “You have my condolences. I’m sorry.”
He grimaced. “I don’t want your apologies. I want retribution. There will be hell to pay for this.”
I held my hands up, stepping between both men. “There will be time for this discussion later. We haven’t heard gunfire, so assuming the rest of the soldiers are dead, we need to focus on regrouping and recovering. Make sure our people are safe.” I motioned to Wise and his men. “Take them with us, and then we can sort everything out.”
Salvatore paused, looking from me to Wise. For a moment, he didn’t say anything, but eventually, he nodded. “You’re right.” He turned to Wise. “Bind your hands with the zip ties I know you’re carrying, and trust that if you try to make a move, your brains will leak out of your skulls before they even have a chance to consider how badly you fucked up.”
Wise nodded, holding up his hands.
“Check them for hidden weapons,” I said.
Salvatore chuckled. “Of course.”
Wise and his men stood in a neat line in front of the outlet as the three of us patted them down. To my surprise, none of them carried a weapon, not even a hidden boot knife. Once we’d checked them over, we took their zip ties and bound them tight.
It was strange being on the opposite end of tying someone up when I was the one bound just an hour or so ago.
Just goes to show how quickly things can change in this new world of ours.
When the last soldier was bound, a notification flashed in front of us.
Side Quest: The Tables Have Turned Completed!
Deal with the invading military presence
Difficulty: Hard
Reward: 2247 Exp!
Experience Boost (22.5%): 506 Exp!
Total Gain: 2753 Exp!
AC Earned: 1,000!
Level Up!
I waved the screen away. “Looks like those were the last of the soldiers.”
“In the mall, at least.” Salvatore sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “This was a declaration of war, and with the losses we’ve already taken, there is no way we can stand against them.”
He stopped walking and leaned against the door frame of a makeup and jewelry store. “I don’t know what we can do besides packing up and leaving, but we won’t survive long out there, not with so many mouths to feed.”
I didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t my decision, wasn’t something I had any stake in. But despite our rocky start, we’d fought together, and there seemed to be at least an uneasy alliance between us.
Even after I told him I was the Demon Lord, we’ve worked together without issue. That’s something no amount of money can buy.
If I could help him, then I would. It was worth the time investment to me just to count him as a potential ally.
“How about you take Wise and his men back to the food court and regroup? We’ll go grab Adeline and meet you there.” I motioned to the soldiers. “Then we can try to come up with a plan to deal with all this.”
Salvatore chuckled before huffing, shaking his head. “Sounds like an idea I can get behind. I’m not thinking straight at the moment anyway, right now.” He stood and drew his pistols. “I’ll see you back there.”
He prodded Wise, and they departed, marching in a line down the hallway.
Finn and I shared a look when they vanished around the corner.
“What a day, huh?” I asked.
“Yeah.” He bumped his knuckles against my shoulder. “I know it had to be done. But asking Adeline to kill those men?” He shook his head. “I don’t know, man. This whole world is fucked up, and she’s already been through so much. Now this?”
“I know.” I sighed. “I know.”
“Anyway. Let’s get going. I’m not leaving her down there for another minute longer.”
Without waiting, he took off, and I ran to catch up to him. We traced our steps back through the mall and hit the basement. From there, we entered the tunnels, and Finn led me through a few passageways to a locked door.
He approached and knocked softly. “It’s me, Amante.”
After a few brief seconds, the bolt unlatched, and Adeline peeked her head out. Her face was still a little puffy, but she’d stopped crying at least.
Finn instantly wrapped her in a hug when we walked in, and she returned it fiercely. She shook slightly, but her breathing was solid and steady, and I knew she wasn’t going to break down again.
I knew exactly what she was going through, and there was nothing I could do to entirely fix her, but I could do what Death did for me. Be her voice of reason to remind her that what she did was necessary.
Half of the blame landed on my shoulders, maybe all of it.
And she needed to know that.
“It was my call, Adeline, my orders,” I said. “Their deaths are on my hands, not yours.”
She sniffed. “I’m the one that killed them, though.”
“No, you were just the weapon I used, and weapons aren’t to blame for the acts they commit. That blame falls on the wielder. I wielded you like I would a gun. That blood is on me, not you.”
I didn’t know if my words were of any help, but she sniffed once more and wiped her eyes, finally cracking a semblance of a smile.
“There you go again, shouldering the entire weight of everything yourself. Some things never change.”
“Can’t help it.” I smiled at her, to which I received a genuine laugh.
Adeline nodded. “Alright. Catch me up on what I missed.”
Finn smiled and held out his hand. “We’ll talk on the way back to the food court. I’ll fill you in.”
She nodded, her fingers clutching at his palms, and she grinned, letting him help her to her feet.
I didn’t know if she would be okay after this. It was something she would have to come to terms with herself. But I knew Finn would be there for her to lean on, and that was all that mattered.
The three of us left, and as we walked back to the food court, Finn and I caught her up on everything that had happened.
By the time we arrived, the scent of stale corndogs and pizza that even the apocalypse couldn’t get to come out sent a rumble through my stomach. It reminded me that I hadn’t eaten before we left this morning, and I was starving. My health had at least refilled, and the pain in my chest and leg from the gunshots had vanished, which I was grateful for.
When we arrived at the court, the gate opened, and we headed in.
At once, I could tell a good number of Salvatore’s men simply hadn’t made it back. Maybe a third or more were gone, and nearly everyone else was sporting blood-soaked clothes as they sat around the cafeteria tables, eating or cleaning and checking over their weapons.
Salvatore was busy walking around the camp, talking to the survivors, while Wise and his men were tied up by the fountain and held at gunpoint.
There was a lot to do, but for a single moment, I just wanted to sit down and process everything. So, we found an empty table towards the back and sat.
The adrenaline from combat had worn off, and I was shaking, trying my damndest not to fall asleep. At least my ravenous stomach helped me stay awake.
I pulled out some bottles of water and protein bars and handed them to Finn and Adeline. In under a minute, I’d scarfed down the chalky cookies and cream bar and drained my bottle.
I need to buy some more food, so I don’t lose my Well-Fed bonus.
When I finished, I opened my Mantle.
Character Page
Name: Killian Dunn
Race: Human
Class: Demon Lord (King)
Health: 450/450 (495)
Mana: 500/500
Stamina: 450/450
Level: 14
Exp: 1236/1639
30 Stat Points Available!
Damn, even if it wasn’t nearly as much experience for the quest Reynolds gave us, it still was enough to level me up quite a bit.
With thirty stat points, it gave me a good bit of room to improve. There were any number of things I could do. But with how things kept going, I was going to need more offensive capabilities before too long.
Strength boosts Rend, so it’s a no-brainer.
I was rather impressed with how well it sliced through the steel and glass walkway like it was nothing and how it ripped through the Carnival Beasts. I was confident I’d made the right call in picking it.
It’s been a minute since I’ve upgraded Wisdom, but with a skill point coming to me next level, it stands to reason that I’ll probably need to improve it.
I added five to Wisdom and Endurance, ensuring I had a steady supply of attacks to throw if and when I’d need them. Five went to Strength, Constitution, Agility, and finally Charisma, evening out most of my stats.
Stat Page
Strength: 40
Constitution: 30
Perception: 25
Endurance: 30
Agility: 35
Wisdom: 35
Charisma: 40
I hit select and nearly dropped to the floor as pain shoved an ice pick through my brain, and my body grew into a raging inferno.
My body grew heavy, and my clothes ripped slightly as my muscles expanded. My body was as weak as a kitten, and yet I felt stronger than I’d ever had in my life.
Like when I’d increased Charisma, the sensation flooded through me and then faded an instant later.
“Woah,” I said, my head spinning as I blinked my eyes clear. “That felt weird.”
Adeline snorted. “Yeah, tell me about it.”
I glanced over and blinked. “I just boosted my Strength, so it makes sense my body had to adapt, but what the hell did you do, Ade?”
She’d been gorgeous before, but whatever she’d done had accentuated her beauty even more now, and I’d swear her breasts had even gotten bigger.
“Boosted the hell out of Charisma and Wisdom,” she said, giving me a wicked smile.
I snorted. “Yeah. I get smoother skin, and you turn into a supermodel. That sounds about right.”
Finn laughed. “Won’t hear me complaining.”
As I glanced at him, I laughed.
If I thought I needed a change of clothes, Finn’s shirt had split in two.
“Damn, Finn. You’re jacked!”
He just gave me a cocky smile and looked down at himself and grinned. “It should be illegal to be this gorgeous, I know.” His grin widened. “But yeah. Good thing we’re in the mall. I definitely need new clothes.”
“We can go after we figure out what the hell we’re going to do next,” I said.
My stomach growled again, despite having just eaten. I chalked it up to the physical increase I’d just gained, but I was ravenous like I hadn’t eaten for days. My stomach rumbled, and I tried to ignore it while I focused on what to do about the soldiers and Reynolds.
If Wise is to be believed, then this was something that Reynolds and Moore cooked up by themselves or with just a handful of others. I can’t imagine most of the soldiers I’ve met the last few days would willingly condone this.
Most of them seemed to be decent, honorable people. But the captain is going to be a problem. After killing his men, we’ll likely be declared persona non grata. I shrugged. So what? Reynolds tried to use us to slaughter innocents. Salvatore is right. There needs to be some swift retribution for that.
I was justifying my actions. I knew that. But he’d betrayed us, and I was furious at what I’d almost been a part of.
Reynolds is going to suffer for this.
The others were too absorbed in their conversation to notice the slight smirk I wore.
By the time Salvatore joined us, I’d worked out how I would go about getting what I was owed from Reynolds and how to solve the incoming retaliation from the military.
He might not like it, but I think it’s the best solution for long-term peace.
Salvatore sat down and opened a water bottle, chugging the contents as Clara came over with a tray filled with steaming bowls. She placed the tray in the center of the table and sat down beside me.
“Hungry?” she asked.
“Starved,” I replied and gladly took one of the bowls offered to me.
It was broth with hunks of ramen noodles steeping in the center. It wasn’t much, but it was hot, salty, and delicious. I greedily slurped up the noodles and drained the bowl.
Clara smiled as she watched me devour the food. “Did you enjoy it?”
“Yes, thank you. It was wonderful.”
She nodded and scooted closer to me, but I didn’t think it was in a flirtatious manner, more like she sought me because she felt safe around me. Clara didn’t get close enough to touch me, but enough that her body heat brushed against me.
I wasn’t uncomfortable with having her there and didn’t feel like it was worth mentioning, but someone else at the table misconstrued the situation and spoke up.
“I’d be careful, Clara. Killian’s girlfriend is one scary lady,” Finn said.
Her blush deepened, and she stammered. “I…that isn’t…I wasn’t─“
I held my hand up. “One. Don’t get her so worked up. And two. She’s not my girlfriend.”
“Keep telling yourself that, but you’re in denial, Kill.” Adeline smirked, a little light and life flickering in her eyes once more.
“Shut up.”
I crossed my arms, which just caused both Finn and Adeline to laugh.
Clara looked at my exasperated face to Adeline’s smirk and started laughing. “You three seem like you’re very close.”
“Yeah, we’ve been through hell together.”
Finn looked up with a mouthful of dripping noodles and spoke. “Speaking of,” he said, turning to me. “What’s our next move?”
“An excellent question, one that I would like answered as well,” Salvatore said, placing his arms on the table. “I’ll admit, I don’t have any ideas that don’t end in bloodshed.”
I sighed, hoping he might have had an alternative, but that’s not how life works.
Sometimes you have to choose the lesser of two evils.
The Devil, you know, well, I’m the only Devil I know, and this ends bloody either way.
I pushed away my bowl and laid my arms flat on the table. “Can you grab Wise for us?” I asked.
Salvatore nodded and stood. He walked over to the sergeant and quickly brought him over to the table.
As they both sat down, I reached over and shifted into Demon Form. I hooked a clawed finger through Wise’s zip cuffs and severed them with a swift flick.
He paled at the sight of me and stood very still as the plastic fell away.
“Killian. What─”
I dropped it and sat back. “Cards on the table, Wise. I’m the Demon Lord.”
“You’re…” He blew out a breath. “I don’t understand. You seemed like a good man.”
“I am. Or I used to be, at least. Can any one of us say that this game of Callisto’s has changed us for the better?” I held up a finger. “But who or what I am is irrelevant. I just needed you to know before we began.”
“Why?” he asked. “Why tell me something like that? What benefit does me knowing grant you?”
“Trust.” I blew out a breath. “What I’m about to propose is going to require some trust on both our parts. I told you because I believe you to be a good, honorable man. And I need you to extend a little faith that I’m not the monster you might think I am. Can you do that?”
Wise placed his hands on the table and drummed his fingers on the plastic. He stared at me for a long moment. Eventually, he sighed and nodded.
“I don’t know. But I can at least hear you out.”
I nodded. “It’ll have to be enough for now.” I turned to the others. “Alright. I think we can all agree that this falls on Captain Reynolds?”
“Agreed,” Salvatore said.
“Wise?”
He sighed, but nodded. “Yes. This should have never happened. But Captain Reynolds is at the center of it. I can’t argue that. Not after what happened.”
“Then he dies,” I said. “It’s retribution for the lives he robbed today.”
Wise held his hand up. “But─”
“No.” I shook my head. “He tried to use us to murder survivors. He dies. This isn’t up for discussion.”
“What you’re talking about is mutiny. Even if it works, what comes after? The command structure has been crumbling since we lost Major Becker. If Reynolds dies, it collapses.”
I nodded. “That’s where Salvatore and his men come into the equation.” I glanced at Salvatore. “How do you feel about an alliance between your group and the military?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s only been a month, but in this hellscape, that’s a lot of time, and there’s a lot of bad blood between us. It’d be rocky at best, hostile at worst.”
“Not if Wise took command.” I turned to him. “From what I can see, you have the respect of the soldiers. You could keep order and work to bridge the divide between both groups.”
“It’s possible. I guess. If Reynolds isn’t in command and with most of his loyalists now dead…it’s possible.”
