Apocalypse game, p.40
Apocalypse Game, page 40
After a moment, I pulled up my Mantle.
Character Page
Name: Killian Dunn
Race: Human
Class: Demon Lord (King)
Health: 176/650 (715)
Mana: 0/650
Stamina: 0/600
Level: 19
Exp: 21/2906
15 Stat Points Available!
Again, I couldn’t afford to drop any more points into Charisma when I needed every single one just to keep surviving. Five went to Endurance and Wisdom while I used the last to bring up Strength to give Rend some more bite.
Stat Page
Strength: 50
Constitution: 45
Perception: 30
Endurance: 45
Agility: 45
Wisdom: 50
Charisma: 45
My body ached as I hit select. Fire melted through me, setting my bones and muscles alight before pumping glass through my veins. It burned out the painkillers in my system, locking me up in perpetual agony for a split second before it receded, leaving me a sweaty mess in even more pain than when I sat down.
“Ah.” I choked on air, groaning as I stood from the ground. I brushed my sweaty hair back and basked in the winter chill that dripped snow across the street. “Damn. That wasn’t fun.”
“Hit another threshold?” Salvatore asked.
“Looks like it. Though I don’t know if it’s worth going through all that pain.”
He just shrugged and turned back to his Mantle.
When our stats were sorted, I glanced down at myself and grimaced. “Well, these clothes are ruined.”
The constant monster attacks and stat increases had thoroughly destroyed our clothing.
“Tell me about it,” Adeline said, and then grinned. “I say, while we’re in New York, we should at least go shopping.”
We all agreed, so we hit up the nearest clothing store and acquired some new clothes. My Kevlar vest was still usable, but the armored leather coat was pretty much a goner. I tossed it aside, grateful that it had served its purpose well.
I also traded in my military gear for a pair of espresso-colored chore pants and a raw denim button-up with a black wool pea coat and a brand-new pair of leather boots. I’d choose sturdy and durable over fashionable any day, but it never hurt when your clothes ticked both boxes.
The others wore similar attire. Adeline chose gray denim jeans and a black button-up with a navy-blue overcoat. While Finn and Salvatore dressed for the weather with thick pants and dark-colored shirts and overcoats.
All in all, we looked trendy, hip, and ready to kick serious ass in the apocalypse.
What else could we ask for?
Once our shopping spree ended, we took stock of our ammo.
“I’m down to two hundred rounds for my SMG and pistol. How about you guys?”
“Couple hundred for the SCAR, but my pistol ammo is dwindling.”
“Same here, I’ve got plenty of shotgun shells, but for range, I’ve been using my pistol.”
Salvatore just grunted and dumped out his duffel. Hundreds of 9mm rounds in boxes and magazines for his Berettas spilled out. “I’ve got plenty left.”
I just chuckled. “Alright, get your magazines loaded, and then take a short break before we get back out there. I want to reach Yankee Stadium before nightfall.”
After close to an hour to let ourselves heal, we got up and set off.
The city streets were worse as we got closer to the stadium, as we kept finding more and more signs of battle and slaughter. I stepped over thousands of spent shell casings, and even though the brown and yellow-brown stains were faded, I knew exactly what we were standing in.
We were told New York was overrun, but this is proof of that.
The wind picked up, and I was thankful for the new clothing. I buttoned my coat and fought down the chill. I had to focus on keeping us alive as we walked to Yankee Stadium.
We kept going, passing Madison Ave. Bridge and instead headed for 145th St. Bridge to cross the river to reach the Bronx. From there, all we had to do was crisscross a few streets till we hit River Avenue, and it was a straight shot to the stadium.
Though a few dozen monsters stood in our way, and if we wanted to reach the Bronx, we were going to have to go through them.
As we went into battle, we unleashed hell. With our enhanced bodies and skills, we were all more than a match for the packs of Carnival, Pallid, and Statue Beasts that littered the streets. And while a few at a time might not have been an issue, they just didn’t stop coming.
The others wanted to use their guns, but I told them to switch to their magic to conserve bullets since we had limited ammo.
I dismembered scores of them with Displacement and then used Rend on the few I missed, tearing them apart with my claws, which worked a hell of a lot better than my guns.
Adeline burned them to a crisp with her flames. Finn provided defense and kept them from ganging up on us while Salvatore danced around them, aiming for one-shot kills.
Our new skills and abilities were showing as we fought, and our added levels were helping tremendously, but even then, we were still running ourselves ragged.
Combat Results!
4 Killed (Carnival Beasts): 408 Exp!
3 Killed (Pallid Beasts): 672 Exp!
2 Killed (Statue Beasts): 248 Exp!
Experience Boost (+27.5%): 365 Exp!
Total Gain: 1693 Exp!
AC Earned: 654!
Level Up!
I huffed as the last monster died, and silence once more stretched through the city street, broken only by our labored breathing and the drip of our blood as it splashed along the street.
Can this never-ending parade of monsters hold off for five fucking minutes!
“You know. And here I thought our levels were going to be slow to gain after we reached the city,” I said, breathless.
“It’s okay,” Finn said, his hands on his knees as blood trailed from several nasty gashes along his cheek. “We’re all allowed to be wrong at least a few times.”
Adeline chuckled, then groaned. “Don’t make me laugh. It hurts too much.”
Salvatore said nothing, just breathed in and out slowly, keeping an eye on the side alleys as he spun in a circle. Blood caked on his pant leg from a Pallid Beast’s errant claw.
I sat back, lying against a mailbox that likely would never see another letter as I pulled out my first aid kit, and grabbed the rest of my bandages and tossed them to the others.
Finn caught it. “Thanks, Hermano.”
I nodded. “You can buy me a new one when we finally reach civilization. Better yet, your own so I’m not the only one playing medic.”
“Deal,” he breathed.
I popped the pills, then wrapped my numerous lacerations that dotted my body so it would stop the bleeding long enough that my healing would start working.
When the drugs kicked in, I fished out a bottle of water and a protein bar, downing them in a hurry to get some sugar and fluids in my system before I passed out.
I’m so tired. I just want to rest.
But we couldn’t. Even this brief respite had to come to an end soon. We were still in the middle of a crumbling city infested with abominations, and they kept crawling out of the woodwork.
Even after a few moments to catch our breath and heal, I still groaned at the prospect of standing back up when Finn came over and offered me his hand.
He snorted. “I feel that, Kill. But, c’mon. We can rest all we want when we reach Yankee Stadium. They’ll have a makeshift beach, with cute girls in hula skirts serving piña coladas. All waiting for us.”
I laughed, grabbing his hand even as Adeline scowled at him.
He turned to her and winked. “You can join them. I’d love to see what you look like in a hula skirt.”
“Okay. I don’t need to hear your weird bedroom fantasies,” I said as I stood. “I’d rather take the monsters.”
Salvatore smirked. “Well, let’s get going, then.”
“Right.”
We stood and slowly gathered ourselves before pushing on.
With how things had been going for us since we got into the city, as we crossed 145th St. Bridge, I was expecting to be met with even more monsters. I was prepared to have to fight all the way to the stadium, but as we stepped off the bridge, we were met with a rather heavily guarded checkpoint.
Half a dozen heavily armed soldiers stood guard and pointed their weapons past us. They weren’t aimed at us, but they could be in under a second. I couldn’t really read the ranks on their collars, but a middle-aged man with a bald head and three-day stubble stared down at us with impassive brown eyes and spoke to us in a raised tone.
“Halt! State your name and class!”
Okay. Think fast.
“Killian Dunn. Class is Magician.”
“Prove it!” he snapped.
I shrugged and palmed Displacement. I aimed for a corner of their barricade, making sure no one was in the way. I cast the spell, and the air around the green steel grew hazy and warped. A nearly invisible sphere appeared in an instant and swallowed the corner whole, leaving a neatly carved crescent where the barricade had been half a second before.
The now crumpled and twisted hunk of metal dropped at my feet and hit the bridge with a thunk.
“Proof enough?”
The men gaped at me before they composed themselves. “What about the rest of your party?”
I gulped and hoped it didn’t show.
C’mon, guys, you’ve got this.
“Adeline Woods. Pyromancer.” Her hand lit up with Hellbent.
“Finn Aquilla. Gloom Knight.” He activated Abyssal Armor.
“Salvatore Russo. Acrobat.”
They each lied effortlessly, and I fought the smile that threatened my lips.
The soldiers grunted. “All unique classes. That’s a strong party you have. What’s your business here?”
“Looking for work,” I replied.
The man in charge stared at us for a long moment, deciding something. After some deliberation, he nodded and stood aside.
“We could always use more questers, so I’ll let you pass, but watch yourselves. We won’t hesitate to put you down if you cause trouble.”
I promised the man that we would behave, and we crossed the bridge.
Chapter 27- Yankee Stadium
The rest of the walk to the stadium was straightforward. There weren’t any signs of monsters or any corpses, for that matter. What we did see were regular patrols of soldiers and a strong military presence around the stadium. Something Finn commented on.
“Not a bad plan, from what I’m seeing. They probably don’t have the resources to guard the whole district, so they concentrated on guarding a single location with everything they have.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Makes sense considering the state of the rest of the city. No telling how many millions died and how many people are actually left…”
“I don’t even want to think about where the corpses of everyone are,” Salvatore said. “This place kinda feels like a last-ditch effort, which means a lot of people died before they got to this point. Where are the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of corpses?”
The answer was something I didn’t want to think about. Yankee Stadium couldn’t hold more than fifty thousand or so, and I doubted there would be even half that number, so it left a hell of a lot of people unaccounted for.
“Probably in places like Holland Tunnel. Out of the way, dark, and easily guarded.” I glanced down. “I suggest we try to stay out of the subway systems.”
The three of them shuddered as we continued. We reached the entrance to Yankee Stadium a few minutes later and were met with even more guards and a heavily fortified barricade. There were even a few tanks in the parking lot, along with a ton of military vehicles. The gray stone loomed overhead as we passed under a sign that read Gate 4.
As we approached, the familiar screen popped up.
Yankee Stadium: Tent City
Fortification Level: 30
New York City Threat Level: 20
Safe Zone: Active
A few men were talking just in front of the gate, and one of them turned to us as we approached.
He was tall, good-looking, with swept-back fine blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a movie star jaw. He wore bright white leather armor and had a golden sword belted at his waist. As he got closer, he flashed us a thousand-watt smile and held out his hand.
“Hi, there! Sorry to just walk up on you guys, but our soldiers reported a party of strong questers, and I wanted to meet you before you got swallowed up by the chaos inside.”
I frowned.
Another pretty boy. Though I have no real reason to be threatened by his good looks…still pisses me off, though. The Mantle has enhanced me, and I’m still not that handsome. Some people have all the luck.
“What can we do for you?” I asked, folding my arms under my chest.
“Actually, it’s what I can do for you. I’d like to help you navigate your way through the stadium, help you get your bearings, show you the ropes as it were.” His smile deepened as he finished speaking.
He definitely wants something. He said questers? So did the soldiers…is that what they call people who take quests to exterminate the monsters?
This guy wants us to take jobs for him. He’s just trying to butter us up first.
“And in return?”
The man tilted his head, his smile faltering somewhat. “Ah, that is…”
“You want us to run jobs, right?”
He sighed before nodding. “We could really use the help. There just aren’t enough of us to take every quest that comes in. Several a day, sometimes more. It’s a nightmare trying to deal with.”
I grinned and walked past him. “Should’ve led with that. It’s what we’re here for anyway. It just so happens our interests align.”
He did a double-take and ran to catch up. “Excellent! It will really help! My name’s Ray. I should’ve introduced myself earlier.”
“Killian. Good to meet you.”
We walked through the door and went into the concourse. While Yankee Stadium was pristine in the brochures I’d seen, reality and an apocalypse had a way to really fuck up the varnish.
The concrete tile had seen better days and was scuffed and worn from thousands of footsteps, and no one had bothered to buff them out while the world went to hell. Vinyl banners of baseball players still lined the curvature of the building as they wound out of sight, but they hadn’t been maintained and were sagging slightly.
Where there was supposed to be cleanliness lay untold destitution. Thousands of souls lay strewn about, huddled in thin blankets every few feet. Once concession stands, now slop kitchens and first aid station. Dozens of repurposed stalls now helped the refugees find some semblance of peace.
Even with Ray guiding us, it was too much. I swept my gaze from side to side as we all followed behind him. The sights and stench of misery were hard to witness. The people here had lost everything and were clinging to life by a thread.
I didn’t know where to go or what I was supposed to do. The despair was palpable, and I wanted to do something, anything, to help the people here.
Ray turned back to us. “You see what we’re having to work with here. People have just given up hope. We try to do what we can, but it’s never enough.”
He led us deeper around the concourse, stopping every so often to speak to one of the refugees. He seemed to know many of them by name and made a point to ask how they were doing or comment about a family member or a problem they were facing.
My opinion of him went up by several degrees. He seemed to genuinely care about the people here, and that was commendable.
It’s such a stark contrast to what I’ve come to witness in this new world of ours. People who are only out for themselves. It’s good to see some kindness here.
As we passed by one of the many soup kitchens, a man in a crisp military uniform came up to Ray.
“Sir, General Wescott needs you.”
Ray nodded. “Understood, I’ll be up to see him straight away.”
As the soldier walked away, Ray turned back to us. “Sorry, my duties never cease. I was hoping to give you a tour, but it looks like I’m going to have to cut it short.” His eyes lit up. “Hold up one moment.”
He made a beeline to the nearby makeshift kitchens, where a young woman stood working.
She was stationed in one of the soup kitchens, wearing a stained apron and helping to feed a massive line of refugees who looked famished. She was a cute girl, maybe nineteen or twenty, with curly chestnut hair and chocolate eyes. Though she looked exhausted, she was doing it without complaint and with a smile on her face.
Ray walked over to her and spoke for a short minute before pointing back over to us. After some back and forth, she nodded and whistled. A young man wearing similar attire came over and took over her duties as she took off her apron and walked over to us.
Underneath, the girl wore a pair of jeans that hugged her hips well and a loose-fitting white T-shirt with a sunflower on it.
She waved as she met us. “Hello! I’m Julia. Ray asked me to give you the VIP tour of this place.”
I held out my hand. “I’m Killian. It’s nice to meet you.”
Julia shook my hand and smiled. “Likewise. So, you’re questers, right? Must be pretty strong. Ray said your class is Magician?”
I nodded. “That’s right.”
She paused, a half-smile frozen on her lips for a second, before she shook her head and grinned. “Well, I’m here to help. What would you like to see first?”
We needed a lot to get situated; supplies, food and a place to stay, and the quest board. But after burning through our ammo like crazy just getting here, I knew what I wanted to check out first.
“Can we see the vendors? I’d like to get restocked first.”
She beamed. “Of course. Follow me!”
Julia led us around for a few minutes until we reached a section for the concourse that was less populated than the others. Along the walls were nearly a dozen of the silver machines I’d come to know as vendors.
