Apocalypse game, p.8
Apocalypse Game, page 8
“No, I don’t think I will,” I said, sitting on the love seat across from her, leaning back and propping a leg on my knee. “I don’t owe you a damn thing. And I’ve already been exiled from the school. So the way I see it, you have no right to my answers.”
Adeline glared at me as her hand shook. “Do you want me to tell you what I think? I remember you. Always mouthing off. To anyone. It didn’t matter if they’d kick your ass or not. Always quick with that wit of yours, and enough fearlessness to stand up for yourself, even when all it earned you was a beating.
“So for you to clam up means it’s something big.” She tapped a finger to her lips, her emerald eyes boring a hole into me. “And you mentioned Callisto. That he visited you. Spoke to you.” Her gaze narrowed. “That makes you someone important. With those evil-looking claws of yours, there’s only one thing I can think of.”
Adeline leveled her gun at my head and thumbed the hammer back. “You’re the Demon Lord. Aren’t you?”
I sucked in a breath and quickly tried to cover it, but Adeline couldn’t fail to miss it.
“I’m right, aren’t I?”
I shrugged. “I asked Isaac, but he never gave me an answer. How is it that you even know about the Demon Lord in the first place?”
“Callisto told all of us,” Adeline said. She leaned up from the couch, keeping her gun aimed at my skull. “When all this shit started, he told us the rules of the game. Told us we had a choice to make, that we had to pick between two sides, White or Black. Like some demented game of chess.”
“What side did you choose?” I asked, staring at her.
“We didn’t choose at all,” she said. “We became sideless while we waited to see how things went.” She smirked. “Gotta say, though. You’re a little wimpy for the supposed Harbinger of the Apocalypse.”
I chuckled softly, careful not to raise my voice or shout. “Give me a break. It’s my first day. Not like I wanted the job in the first place.”
“Then why?” she asked.
A fire burned in my throat at the thought, and I fought to keep my voice calm. “Callisto has my family, my friends. Everyone I’ve ever cared about. If I didn’t agree to play his game, I’d never see them again.”
Adeline scoffed as she sneered at me. “So, what? You chose the lives of your family over the entire world?”
I stood before my brain could tell me what a stupid idea that was. I was in her face before I realized it. “You get put in my position and then judge me!”
Before I could blink, cold, hard metal pressed under my chin. Adeline gave me a grim smile. “Maybe I just do the whole world a favor and end you right now. Would be so easy.”
She forced the pistol against my skin, pushing my head back as I waited for her to pull the trigger.
“Is it?” I whispered. “Do it, then. Though I saved your life today. Killing me seems like a lousy way to repay that.”
She scoffed, the barrel pressing harder into my chin. Then she surprised me by stepping back, and I dropped back onto the couch.
“What the hell else am I supposed to do? Just let you walk? You’re the Demon Lord!”
I nodded. “But that’s not the only thing I am. And you don’t know the whole story.”
Adeline stopped pacing and just stared at me. “Then spill. Tell me everything.”
“Alright.”
I explained to her the conditions of the game that Callisto had offered me. The fact that I had to destroy the world, but if I completed my task, I’d be given a wish and could put the world back to the way it was. From the skepticism on her face, I could tell she didn’t believe me, but it was the only thing I had left to offer her.
Well, there is one thing, but it’s even more of a gamble than telling the truth.
I took a chance and risked it.
“You could always come with me,” I said.
Her eyes went wide as she processed what I’d said. “Go with you? Why the hell would I do that?”
I shrugged. “I dunno. Seems better than you holed up in the school, fighting for your life with dwindling supplies. Sooner or later, you’ll run out and be forced to leave anyway. If you think I’m so dangerous, why not come with me, watch my back and keep me out of trouble?”
She considered it for half a second. Somewhere, deep in her eyes, I thought she would enjoy doing just that. But her rational mind took over.
“Go to he─”
“You really should consider the offer,” a soft voice chimed in.
We both turned towards the source of the sound to find Callisto stretched out on the love seat like he’d been there all along.
“Who the hell are you?” Adeline asked.
Callisto smiled and introduced himself. “My name is Callisto, God of Chaos and Mischief, at your service.”
She just pointed at him and looked at me. “Callisto’s a kid?”
“Yep.”
“So why should I join him? Why not kill him right now and save the world?”
Callisto disappeared in an instant and reappeared, standing before Adeline. Even though he was shorter than her, her face went ghost white as she looked into his sunburst eyes. “Because I would pluck you from this world before you could pull the trigger, and I would send an army of my pets to destroy your friends at the school out of spite.”
Adeline fell to her knees as if her legs were made of Jell-O, and she stared in shock at the child god. “You…you wouldn’t,” she stammered.
“I will if you try to ruin my fun,” he said as he vanished and draped himself back on the love seat. “Besides, there are a few benefits to agreeing to join Killian.”
“Like what?” she asked as she picked herself up off the ground and sat beside me.
“Well, for one, I promise I’ll spare the rest of those souls in the school. As long as they stay on the school grounds, they’ll be safe from attack. And there’s plenty of perks to becoming one of Killian’s Pieces. Not least of which is a new class.”
“My what now?” I interjected. “What do you mean?”
Callisto hopped up from the couch and padded across the floor to sit on the table in front of us. “I was going to save this until you got a little more well-adjusted and had some levels under your belt. But I didn’t expect you to find a potential ally so soon,” he said, holding out his hand.
A black leather-bound briefcase appeared before us, and Callisto grabbed it by the handle and held it out to me. With a nod from him to open it, I unlatched the golden locks. Inside, nestled in secure foam placements, were two rows of eight.
Each slot but one held a single chess piece—all of them a solid glossy black. I picked one up out of curiosity, and as soon as I touched it and held it in my hand, it glowed as numerous lights flickered to life and formed a swirling galaxy in the center.
Out of the sixteen slots, only fifteen were present.
The king was missing.
Now that I think about it, in the parentheses next to Demon Lord, didn’t it say king?
So, I’m the king?
“What do I do with these?” I asked.
“You give them to your allies. They’re your vicious pieces, and they’ll help you in your fight against the White.”
“My fight against the who now? You never mentioned anything about fighting anyone.”
“Well, of course. If you’re set to destroy the world, there must be someone in place to stop you. As the Demon Lord, your natural enemy is the Archangel and their righteous pieces.”
I closed the case and stood. “What if I don’t want to fight?”
“Then that would make for very boring entertainment, and who knows what would happen to your family and friends.”
“Fine, I get it. No need to get nasty,” I said, setting down the case. I turned to Adeline. “So, how about it? Care to join me?”
She held up a hand. “I’m thinking, gimme a damn minute,” she said before growing quiet.
I walked over and sat on the floor next to Callisto and leaned back against the table leg. “So, you’ve dropped me into the thick of things without even a whisper of what I’m supposed to do. You told me to destroy the world, but I don’t have the first clue on how to go about it.”
Callisto smiled down at me. “I told you before. You want to play games with me, that’s fine, but you have to suffer the consequences if you choose not to burn one of your favors.
“Besides, I already gave you all the help you need. Don’t forget what I told you at the start. Work on leveling up. There’s a few potent skills that will come in handy in guiding you.”
I waved him off. “Not even a hint about where I should put my stats.”
“That’s for you to decide." He paused and looked over at me with a bemused grin. "But I’ll give you a single piece of free advice. You could stand to be a little wiser.”
“Haha. Funny.”
He might be an ass, but the first rank of the demon soul gave a boost to my Wisdom, so that might’ve just been a backhanded way of telling me exactly what I should focus on.
I looked over at Adeline, who was still lost in thought and stayed that way for another minute or two while working through her options. She paused and turned to Callisto.
“I want your word that not only will my friends not be harmed, but that they can continue to get everything they need to thrive at the school. Food, clothing, supplies—all of it. You’re a god. Magic up those things regularly for them.”
Callisto laughed loudly, his suns bathing the room in a soft orange glow. “You’ve got the nerve to make demands of a god? Bold of you.” He looked at me and chuckled. “Is all of your generation so demanding?”
I laughed. “We’ve just been through enough shit that we know a conman when we see one.”
“Well, Callisto? I’m waiting,” she said.
“Oh, you’re going to be a handful for Killian to deal with. But lucky for you, I’m in a generous mood. How about this? I upgrade your little school from an Outpost to a Hardened Outpost so it can activate its safe zone, and I’ll give them a couple thousand coins to get by for a few months.”
Her face scrunched like she’d tasted something sour. She folded her arms under her chest. “Not good enough. I want them taken care of for good or no deal.”
He grumbled but nodded. “Fine. Fine. The other incarnations are going to start calling me a pushover, but whatever. It’s fine.” He snapped his fingers and grinned. “It’s done.”
Adeline blinked like she didn’t think he was going to agree to it. She scowled, stowing her gun away before crossing her arms. “Fine, I’ll join you. But this doesn’t change things between us. I’m only doing this to help my friends. That’s it. And don’t think for a second that I’ll let you get away with whatever you have planned for this world. Got it?”
“Excellent, I get a trigger-happy hipster who hates my guts as a traveling companion. But wait, it’s not my birthday.”
“Yeah, keep up the smartass comments and I’ll punch you.”
I laughed. “Best warm up your knuckles, then. Even the apocalypse isn’t enough for me to keep my mouth shut,” I said, standing and offering her my hand.
She took it with a frown, but a glimmer of excitement rose in her eyes.
“Glad to have you on the team,” I said, smiling at her.
“Go fuck yourself.”
“Maybe when the pervy god’s no longer watching, definitely not now, though.”
Adeline laughed and then shook her head, sighing. “What did I just get myself into?”
“Adventure, excitement, and about an eighty percent chance of dying a horribly gruesome death.” I turned to Callisto and opened the briefcase. “What piece should I give her?”
He looked from her to the case for a second and picked up the knight. “Might I recommend the Revenant Piece? It would suit her well, I think.”
“That works─”
“Oh no,” she began, stalking over to the briefcase. “If I’m doing this, I’m your Queen. Nothing less.”
I shrugged. “Fine by me. If that’s what it takes to get you on my side, then it’s worth it.”
Callisto gave me a sidelong glance. “Are you sure about that, Killian, given her distrust towards you? The Demoness is your most powerful piece. Which will make her nearly as strong as yourself.”
“It’s perfectly fine. I know that Adeline’s a good person under that foul mouth and temper.” I shrugged. “Hell, she joined up with the Demon Lord just to keep her friends safe. But she needs a reason to trust me. I’m willing to extend a little faith to earn some of that trust.”
“Very well. They’re your pieces, after all, but a word of caution to you. Your current acquisition aside, I would choose your next pieces carefully. They will be your greatest allies or can send you to ruin if you let them.
“And do yourself a favor and hold off on using the pawns just yet.”
I looked down at the case, at the eight blackened pawn pieces. “What do they do?”
He picked one up and twirled it through his fingers before throwing it in the air. It nearly hit the whitewashed ceiling before sailing back down. He caught it between his fingers and rolled it into his palm. “Think of them as power-ups. They would be wasted at lower levels. Best to save them for when you really need them.”
I looked up at Callisto, who was now floating in the air, playing cat’s cradle with a long, red string. Callisto finished his stunningly realistic Eiffel Tower in a few seconds, then balled it up and tossed it aside.
With that, he dropped to the ground and gave us both a bow. “Well, I’ve got to be off. There are plenty of exciting things for me to witness, but I’ll keep an eye on you here and there. Have fun, you two!”
We both just stared at the spot where the mad god had been standing for a minute afterward before Adeline turned to me and spoke. “For a god, he’s really not what I was expecting.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.”
Chapter 7- Grissom City
When Callisto left, so, too, did Adeline. She told me it was to let Isaac know what had happened and the deal she had made.
I shrugged. “That’s fine.”
She paused in the doorway, arching an eyebrow. “Just like that?”
“Well, I can’t go with you, not when your friends will probably want to dangle me from a tree for target practice.”
“Hey, that’s not a terrible idea, dibs on the first shot,” she said with a chuckle. “But I figured you’d try to stop me.”
“Why?” I shook my head. “If you don’t come back…or come back with your friends in tow…well, I don’t think it’d go the way you want. I may not kill innocents, but Callisto won’t have any reservations about leveling the school in revenge.” I grinned. “So, in this case, I don’t have to take it on faith that you’ll come back.”
Her cocky attitude faded. “You’re probably right. Not that I was going to anyway. I made a deal. No backing out now.”
Then she was gone.
I sighed when the door shut behind her.
Day one in the apocalypse and I’ve picked a girl who hates me as my partner. Good job. A hell of a way to kick off my grand, world-ending adventure.
I stood in the entryway, staring at the door for a few minutes while I tried to figure out my game plan. With nothing to do but wait for when Adeline returned, I decided to participate in an apocalyptic staple.
Looting.
There was only the master bedroom downstairs, and I figured if there was anything good, it would be in there, so I saved that for last and headed to the kitchen first.
The fridge was stocked to the brim with month-old food and drinks, but the power was still on, so it was all cold. Most of it was too old. But there were some nonperishable food items in the kitchen cabinets and a couple of cases of water nestled between the washer and dryer in the adjoining laundry room.
This wouldn’t be a bad temporary base. It’s got enough food and water for a couple of weeks at least.
As soon as I had the thought, a notification popped in front of my face.
Assign 1248 Wilkerson Ln. as [Temporary Home]
Cost: 10 Coins
Y/N
[Temporary Home] Grants [Well-Rested] Buff.
Fortification Scales with Party Members (Increases by 1 every 5 levels)
1248 Wilkerson Ln.
Fortification Level: 2
Grissom City Threat Level: 6
Safe Zone: Inactive
I read through the notification and paused over the Well-Rested buff. I didn’t know what it did exactly, but anything that gave me a boost was well worth a few coins that I otherwise couldn’t spend.
So with a thought, I purchased the temporary home.
It’s tempting just to hunker down and attempt to weather the storm. But I am the storm, and the storm is currently miles off course.
We can’t stay here long.
With the only other rooms downstairs being the master bedroom and the door that led to the garage, I wanted to save the master for last and headed upstairs to the kiddos’ bedrooms.
One was a girl’s room, young from the lavender walls and stuffed animals all over the bed. I ignored that one and went into the second bedroom.
It was a boy’s room, probably around my age, just from a cursory glance. Though from the piled-up clothes on the bed, we had drastically different tastes in fashion. I gave the closet a perusal, just to see if there was anything I could stand wearing.
There wasn’t. It was all baggy jeans and graphic tees depicting some bands and rappers I’d never heard of. However, the sneakers were nice, all expensive and flashy, but not to my tastes.
But underneath the heaps of underwear in his dresser, I found something surprising.
A pistol.
Well, that’s unexpected.
I picked it up carefully and checked if it was loaded. It had a full magazine. It was blocky, black, and vaguely familiar. I wanted to call it a Glock, and thankfully, my Mantle had my back.
Weapon: Glock 17
The serial number has been filed off even though it was initially purchased legally. Bought using money stolen from Daddy and selling a few leftover painkillers to a local gang member for twice the normal rate because the owner thought it’d make him a badass. Side note. It didn’t.
