Apocalypse game, p.36
Apocalypse Game, page 36
That fact put them at the top of my priority target’s list.
My fingers glided along the trigger, and the rifle bucked against me. My aim was true, and my first round took the closest one through the skull, obliterating it and sending a cascade of gore raining around him as his body dropped. The other men turned at the report, and their eyes widened at their dead friend. I flicked it to automatic. One long depression later, the remaining men were dead and leaking from half a dozen holes between them.
Damn. It worked, but that was wasteful.
While effective, I’d essentially burned through half my ammo, killing three men. I switched to semi-auto and was more careful about not firing so much at once.
The highwaymen knew their comrades had been killed, but they couldn’t pinpoint me because of the suppressor and the fact I’d hidden my muzzle flash inside the hay bale.
This really is a nice gun, but far too unwieldy for me to carry. I much prefer my SMG.
The men panicked and began desperately searching around for me, but they were too slow. I was able to get two more kills before they wised up, and I had to burn the rest of my ammo to keep them pinned down.
The SCAR clicked empty, and I cursed, shouldering it and switching to my pistol. By now, they’d guessed at my position and were lighting it up, forcing me to take cover.
Thundering blasts of gunfire tore up the hay and ground next to me, and a bullet passed through the hay dangerously close to my head.
I was living on borrowed time, and sooner or later, I’d get hit. I had to move, or I’d die. Staying still was the worst possible thing I could do. I solidified my reckless plan to come out, guns blazing, when a voice filled the air.
“Hey, you bastards, take your best shot!” Finn screamed at the top of his lungs, but the gunfire still muffled it.
He strolled out in Abyssal Armor, firing with his handgun. His shots forced the men to take cover, and they quickly ducked as Finn kept his shots steady and practiced as he fired at random intervals.
I nearly shouted at seeing him in his pitch-black armor stroll through the dying field like he was invincible. My heart swelled at his unabashed confidence as he kept firing.
“Alright, Ade. Light ‘em up!” he shouted.
She chuckled and leapt from behind her cover, her hands burning with crimson flames. Adeline chucked fireballs like a madwoman, and her aim was true. Each one struck at least nearby to the cover that the highwaymen hid behind, and the blazing tendrils quickly spread.
As soon as they struck, the bandits scattered and jumped from out of cover. As the fires crept along, they fled.
And that’s when Salvatore arrived.
He appeared from the shadows behind the fleeing group with a whisper and dropped the remaining half dozen with well-placed headshots. The men were dead in three seconds, half their skulls missing, and bloody brain matter splashed across the open ground.
That was incredible.
While macabre, I wasn’t going to complain about the results.
Combat Results!
5 Killed (Human): 210 Exp!
Experience Boost (25%): 52 Exp!
Total Gain: 262 Exp!
AC Earned: 742!
We’d killed all the remaining bandits outside, but the quest had yet to update, which meant we hadn’t dealt with everyone.
I turned as the others approached. “You guys seen Matthias?”
Finn shook his head, deactivating Abyssal Armor and returning to normal. “Not since he ran into the farmhouse. Want to go check it out?”
I nodded. “Yeah, but we should be careful. He likely knows we’re coming. I don’t want us walking into a trap.”
“I wouldn’t worry too much about that,” Salvatore said as he reloaded his pistols. “Matthias was always a coward, a vicious bastard that hid behind his beasts. The only reason I kept him at all is because of his class.”
“Alright, let’s go in. Just be careful,” I said, then paused as Adeline walked up. “Oh, here’s your gun back. Thanks.”
“Anytime,” she replied and handed me mine.
I checked it over, dropped the magazine to check the rounds, and shoved a fresh one in, and with that settled, we all headed into the house.
Inside was all well worn but with cared for furniture and some faded yellow portraits on the walls, and yet the place was a pigsty. Empty cans, food containers, and trash littered the place, and some rather rude graffiti was on the walls.
“Well, glad to see we rid the world of some scumbags,” Finn said, poking at a moldy plate in the sink with one of his pistols.
“I have to agree with you on that one. Now let’s split up and find Matthias,” I said and started up the stairs.
“I’ve got this floor,” Salvatore said.
“We’ll check the basement,” Adeline said. “Watch your ass.”
I nodded and went up to the second floor with my gun drawn.
The second floor was empty, with a few bedrooms and bathrooms just as worn and filthy as the downstairs. I had the misfortune to check the closets and under the beds for Matthias. While I found plenty of rancid filth, the specific piece of trash I was searching for continued to elude me.
He’s either in the basement or in the attic. Let’s find out which.
I went up to the third and final floor. The only thing was a door that led to the attic itself. I tested the knob and found it locked.
Guess I have my answer.
My heart rate increased as the adrenaline kicked in and my hands shook. I fought down the nerves and steeled myself. I shifted to Demon Form and swiped a hand up. Rend took hold, and as the blades connected to the door, they severed it and some of the wall into neat slivers of wood.
Matthias shouted as the door fell to pieces, screaming bloody murder.
And as I stepped in, I found out why. Rend had caught him in the side. Half his leg was hanging off him, and his chest was a mess of blood as he tried to keep his intestines from spilling out. Too red blood was pooling under him as he stared up at me with glassy eyes.
He raised his pistol, but he was too slow.
My second Rend took him in the head, and Matthias was no more.
His pistol barked once as his body jerked and then went still as he crumbled, blood and gray matter spilling out of what remained of his head.
Combat Results!
1 Killed (Human): 42 Exp!
Experience Boost (25%): 11 Exp!
Total Gain: 53 Exp!
AC Earned: 1,238!
Side Quest: It’s a Jungle Out There Completed!
Reward: 1200 Exp!
Experience Boost (25%): 300 Exp!
Total Gain: 1500 Exp!
AC Earned: 800!
Level Up!
Alright! Nice─
My thoughts became hazy as a cold numbness spread from my side. A rapidly spreading bloodstain dripped from just above my hip.
Matthias had actually tagged me with his shot.
It missed my Kevlar vest by less than an inch and was pouring too much of my blood out and down my leg.
Ailment: Critically Wounded
-75 HP per Minute
Ah, hell.
I blinked, and the cool numbness spreading through me turned into a burning agony as waves of pain traveled up my body. It was as if I’d left a poker in the fire for too long and then shoved it into my guts.
I dropped to the ground as the pain became too intense.
Damn. This hurts!
I clamped my hands over the wound as blood spilled over my fingers. It was a gut wound, and I had no idea if it’d hit anything vital or how much time I had. I needed to stabilize the wound.
But needing something and having the ability to get it were two different things. My satchel tumbled off me when I dropped, and it lay a few feet away. I scrambled for it, but it might as well have been miles away.
As my fingers brushed the leather, my strength failed me, and my thoughts became jumbled as my head grew hazy.
Footsteps pounded up the stairs.
Adeline gasped. “Killian!”
I turned over and tried to sit up, but it looked like I’d spent what little strength I’d gathered.
“Just to let you guys know. Getting shot isn’t like the movies at all. It kinda sucks.”
“Shit, shit, shit. Hold on, Hermano. We’ll get you patched up.” Finn scrambled for my bag and pulled out the med kit.
“Cool. Think I’m going to pass out while you work.”
He said something else, but I couldn’t make it out as I fell unconscious.
We were on the road when I awoke. The engine's thrum vibrated through me, and the scrape of tires rolling over asphalt told me as much. There was no pain, save for a throbbing ache coming from my side.
I sat up slowly, making sure I was whole, but beyond some ruined clothing, I was fine.
Salvatore looked over when I moved. “Guys, he’s up.”
Adeline and Finn both jerked around at Salvatore’s words. Waves of sweeping relief fell off them as they found me up and blinking.
“’Bout time you got your lazy ass up,” Adeline said. “It’s almost your turn to drive.”
I chuckled. “Sorry for laying down on the job, boss.”
Finn laughed. “She’s all talk. She carried you back herself. Was terrified you were going to die.”
“Finn!” Adeline shouted, slapping him on the arm. “What part of sworn to secrecy did you not understand?”
He grinned. “All of it, to be honest.”
“Don’t worry, guys. No way would I let myself get taken down by a glorified circus performer,” I said.
Finn knocked his fist against my knee. “Course not. It was a good thing he hit you where he did. Gut wounds are slow killers.” He laughed, but it was cold. “Though from what I saw in the attic, you got lion tamer Picasso back for shooting you.
“Anyway, I got you stabilized and ensured you wouldn’t bleed out. Your Mantle’s auto-healing took care of the rest.”
“Ah. Good to know for the next time I get shot,” I said, working the kinks out as I shifted in my seat.
Salvatore snorted. “Yeah, let’s be honest. That’s probably a guarantee at this point.”
I glanced out the window. The day had come and gone; the sky was fading into a soft purple to signal night was coming.
“How long was I out for?”
“Couple hours. Guess your system needed time to recover from the blood loss. We were just discussing stopping for the night.”
Even though I’d been asleep, I was exhausted. “I agree. How far is the next town?”
Finn shook his head. “Too far, we’re probably going to park the car and just camp out here for the night.”
“Sounds good.”
With that, we all settled in while Finn looked for a spot to camp.
While he drove, I opened my Mantle to deal with my status. With our destination fast approaching, I wanted to be as prepared as possible.
I came close to death today. I snorted. I much prefer cuddling Death than courting her.
Character Page
Name: Killian Dunn
Race: Human
Class: Demon Lord (King)
Health: 500/500 (550)
Mana: 550/550
Stamina: 400/400
Level: 16
Exp: 342/2232
30 Stat Points Available!
New Skills Available!
Skill Point: 1
Damn, two levels? That’s a nice surprise. Though, I’m not sure it was worth getting shot over.
As I cracked a smile, I had to think over the fight with Matthias and his beasts.
Those Pallid Beasts were pretty tough, and bullets didn’t seem to do much to them. Hell, Finn had to empty his shotgun just to take down two of them. They were mid-tier, which means the monsters we’re going to come across as we continue are going to be tougher. We all need to get stronger.
And that meant I had to be precise with how I allocated my points.
I’d like to keep leveling up Charisma. It’s incredibly valuable, but I’m neglecting my other stats to focus on it every level. The highest Charisma score possible won’t help me if I get myself killed before benefiting from it.
Though with thirty stat points, I could pretty much do what I wanted…within reason.
But I should see what my new skills are before I put points anywhere. They’ll affect my decision for sure.
I pulled up my skills list.
Current Skills
Demon Form (First Form)
Rend (Rank 1)
Skills List
Grasp of the Abyss (Rank 1)
Barrier (Rank 1)
Displacement (Rank 1)
Demonic Gaze (Passive)
New Skills
Tracker (Rank 1): Places a magical beacon on target, can follow for long distances. Drains 10 mana per minute with it active. Can toggle on and off. Tracker disappears after 24 hours. (Range improves with Demonic Gaze)
Cost: 25 Mana
Cooldown: Instant
Coagulation (Rank 1): Harden a target’s blood in their veins to deal damage and stop them from moving for a short time. Cannot be used on targets without blood.
Damage: 300 (Magical) (Scales with Wisdom)
Cost: 150 Mana
Cooldown: Instant
Promotion (Rank 1): Temporarily take the attributes of another vicious piece and gain their skills for a short time. Cannot use other class skills while Promotion is active.
Duration: 10 Minutes (Scales with Charisma)
Cost: None
Cooldown: 1 Hour
Damn, all of those are cool. Tracker and Demonic Gaze are useless in combat, but they are useful skills to have if I ever need them. Not worth spending my skill point on either of them, though. Promotion is also a must, but I need to figure out my own skills for the time being before I tackle the others.
I’ll save that one for when we are all stronger.
I liked both Coagulation and Displacement. They were equally powerful, but just from the briefest glance, Displacement was infinitely more versatile. It sounded like a spell that would be incredibly useful for combat, and I’d already come up with a few ways to use it.
Can I use it to take an enemy’s gun away, or what if I focus on just an individual body part? Could I take just an arm? Or even a heart? Kali Ma!
After that very enticing thought, I obviously chose Displacement.
Displacement (Rank 1): Displaces matter in a two-foot sphere.
Damage: Unknown (Spatial)
Wisdom: 35 (35% Increase in Range)
Range: 50 feet in front of the caster. (Scales with Wisdom) (67 Feet)
Cost: 100 Mana
Cooldown: Instant
Progress to Rank 2: 0/50
While I’m here, I might as well check Rend's progress.
Rend (Rank 1)
Damage: 100-150 (Abyssal)
Cost: 50 Stamina
Cooldown: 5 Seconds
Strength: 35 (35% Damage Boost)
Progress to Rank 2: 7/50
I really hadn’t used it that much since I’d acquired it, but I had a feeling that was going to change as we got to the city.
With my skill chosen, I now had to deal with my stats. Thirty points gave me a lot of room to work, and with my new spell, Wisdom was a must. I also wanted to keep Endurance climbing as well to keep my offensive options open.
Five went into each, and then I added some more to Strength and Constitution. With ten left, I put five into Agility and Charisma.
When I’d made my choices, I hit accept.
Stat Page
Strength: 45
Constitution: 35
Perception: 25
Endurance: 35
Agility: 40
Wisdom: 40
Charisma: 45
By the time I’d finished, Finn had found a good spot to set up camp for the night and pulled off the road and into a ditch. It was low enough that it would hide our presence from anyone not actively looking for us. He quickly shut off the engine and turned around.
“Who’s up for first watch?”
“Nose goes!” Adeline raised her finger to her nose quickly.
I followed suit, and so did Finn, leaving one very confused Salvatore.
“Oh, right.” He chuckled, grinning. “I forgot I’m running with children. Don’t worry. I’ll take first watch.”
I pulled my jacket tighter around myself, and before I knew it, I was asleep again.
Whatever affected my healing sent my subconscious into overload, and I experienced the most intense fever dream of my life. All of it jumbled and distorted like a fireworks display catching fire in a house of mirrors. Too nauseatingly bright and colorful.
I was grateful when I jolted out of my slumber.
My head smacked against the glass, and I bolted up. “What the hell?”
“Sorry, Hermano,” Finn said, concentrating solely on driving. “You might want to buckle up, though.”
Before I could ask what was happening, I noticed Salvatore and Adeline hanging out the window with their handguns, firing sporadically at something I couldn’t see.
I craned my neck around to stare out the back window, and I really wished I hadn’t.
Ten or fifteen Midnight Beasts were hightailing it, chasing after us on the interstate.
“What the hell?”
Adeline popped off with her pistol in one hand, but the car was swerving too much for her to aim properly, so she was mostly blind firing. And the bullets that managed to strike the beasts just passed harmlessly through them as their bodies turned to wisps of smoke.
“Dammit!” She snarled, and as the slide locked back, she dropped the empty gun onto the seat, and her hand erupted with crimson flames. “Take this, you bastards!”
As Adeline let loose with her magic, Salvatore sighed, taking careful aim before he fired. The bullet struck the lead Midnight Beast in the head, but it did no damage.
“This is an exercise in futility,” he muttered, and kept up his string of pinpoint shots.
“What the hell happened while I was asleep?”
“Woke up to a pack of them sniffing around the car,” Finn said. “So I took off like a bat out of hell. Been trying to shake them for half an hour now, but they’re persistent.”
