The apocalypse is a side.., p.1
The Apocalypse is a Side Quest: Book Two, page 1
THE APOCALYPSE IS A SIDE QUEST
Book 2
LIAM LAWLESS
Contents
Summary
Shadow Alley Press Mailing List
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
FREE Short Stories
The Adventure Continues…
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About the Author
Summary
Some heroes save the world. Nathan's busy fixing the irrigation system.
Nathan—the apocalypse's strongest man with an inexplicable talent for fishing—has a problem with priorities. After being separated from his allies during the final battle of the first circle, he's trapped in the second circle—an endless desert wasteland where survivors have cobbled together a fragile kingdom on the brink of collapse. And there’s something worse hiding in the dunes: the Dustend, a magical storm strong enough to rip through Nathan's Constitution like tissue paper.
The main goal is obvious: avoid the arcane tempest and find his way to the Third Circle before it's too late.
But Nathan's attention? Thoroughly elsewhere.
There's a dying city-state to save, with farms to repair (the blue window promised him XP!), political factions to navigate, and a gang war between magical fish that desperately needs his intervention. Will the countless hours Nathan spent on farming simulators back on Earth somehow save a people on the brink? Or will his remarkable talent for getting distracted by optional objectives finally lead him fish-first into oblivion?
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Chapter One
Nathan was having a confusing day.
Granted, it might’ve been better to say that he’d been having a confusing… week? Month? It was hard to keep track.
About five minutes ago, he’d been fighting against a cultist who could summon laser beams with a scroll. Nathan’s allies had been a gunslinger sadist, a dudebro streamer, a literal elf princess, and a former special forces orc.
And now he was in the middle of an endless desert expanse, completely and utterly alone save for the occasional cactus.
He reached up to scratch his stomach.
A ripping sound.
Nathan’s shirt had developed a tear.
He sighed. He shouldn’t have been surprised, to be honest. He’d had this same stupid wedding suit since the very first day of the apocalypse. He was more surprised that it lasted as long as it had.
[Quests Updated!]
[New Feature Added: Dither]
New updates.
Nathan was about to check them out when he stopped and looked back at his new arm. He lifted it up and dropped it. In the background, the sandy wind swept across his cheeks, carrying away a droplet of sweat that had appeared on his brow.
He reached his (non-plant) hand up and tapped it against his new arm. He could feel the tapping, but it was distant, muffled, like the sensation was being felt through a layer of glass.
He turned his head back toward another cactus and tossed his arm out. In a split second, vines with thorny tips burst forth and stabbed into the cactus, and it burst apart into dozens of shattered plant material.
Nathan’s jaw dropped. A moment later, the vines receded back into his plant arm.
He took a closer look at where his arm stub had been. There didn’t seem to be a point at which his flesh turned to plant. The transition was so smooth and seamless that he might not have noticed it at all.
“What is this thing?” he muttered.
A split second later, he felt a tingle roll up his bones. Something sprouted from his arm. A rose head unfolded itself before Nathan, its pattern a familiar half-black, half-white.
“It’s you,” Nathan said.
The flower tilted toward him ever so slightly.
I guess Gius and Papim weren’t kidding about unexpected side effects.
Out of nowhere, another vine burst forth from his arm and stabbed through another cactus—this time, without his will.
Oh, that’s concerning.
If that happened to some random individual as he was passing by, he’d be charged with murder.
“Um, flower-thing?” Nathan said. “Can you not murder people? You know, because that’ll get me in trouble?”
The flower didn’t respond.
Nathan sighed. “And now I’ve been reduced to talking to a plant. Awesome.”
What I wouldn’t do to have my friends with me…
Nathan looked back at his notifications.
I should probably check this out, huh?
Nathan started with the quest bar.
The first thing he noticed was that the Global Quest bar had been grayed out and blurred. He tapped on the menu. Nothing. He tapped again, still nothing.
He frowned and drew his finger away.
Why would I be unable to access this? Isn’t it important to getting out of here?
Well, then again, supposedly anyone can accomplish the Global Quests, right? I’m sure someone else will take care of things.
All at once, a wave of relief slammed into Nathan. There would be no death-defying quests, there would be no desperate battles—not if he didn’t want it. He was free to do whatever he wanted.
He hadn’t realized how stress-inducing it was during the First Circle. He’d dug it deep down, but the whole thing had been incredibly nerve-wracking. He had a duty, a job, to get the Pandora for the sake of his fellow man, open the portal, and stop the Harrowed Hand.
And now he didn’t.
All of a sudden, a shiver went down his spine.
Hopefully I didn’t just jinx myself…
He opened his menu and clicked on personal skills. Instantly, five quests appeared in rapid succession.
[Upgrade Riptide Grasp to Silver Rank]
[Upgrade Ocean’s Embrace to Silver Rank]
[Upgrade Tidal Shield to Silver Rank]
[Upgrade Throw Harpoon to Silver Rank]
[Obtain ability: Summon Fish]
[Upgrade Class to Silver Rank]
All of those seemed interesting, but he clicked on the final one.
[Upgrade Class to Silver Rank]
You have done well.
At every turn, you have continued to surpass my expectations. At every turn, the System has been dealt a blow. At every turn, your strength has only grown.
I chose correctly.
Continue to develop, Nathan Lee. Upgrade each of your skills, obtain the Heart of the Desert. And most importantly, find me where the ocean meets the land.
Before Nathan could react to this, the message disappeared before his eyes.
[Upgrade Class to Silver Rank]
-Upgrade all Ocean Warden skills
-Learn Summon Fish
-Obtain and use the Heart of the Desert
Okay, what the heck just happened?
That was a message, right? A message straight from the sea. And then it just… vanished. It was like it’d never even been there. Had he just hallucinated the whole thing?
No, I can’t doubt my senses; that’s just going to drive me crazy.
For now, Nathan was just going to do what the quests said: continue to develop. He added a small mental note: and stay out of trouble, too.
The faint smell of salt filled his nose before vanishing as quickly as it came. If he didn’t know any better, he could’ve sworn that he heard the cry of a gull and a faint laugh on the breeze.
Next,
Nathan Lee - Lv. 46
Age: 22
Race: Human (E)
Class: Ocean Warden
Stats:
Strength: 30 (+92) = 122
Dexterity: 50 (+13) = 63
Constitution: 50 (+40) = 90
Magic: 3 (+15) = 18
Luck: 22 (+66) = 88
Soul: 30 (+30) = 60
Available Stats: 8
Skill List:
[Reel] (Diamond+)
[Bait] (Diamond+)
[Cast] (Diamond+)
[Ocean’s Embrace] (Bronze)
[Tidal Shield] (Bronze)
[Ocean’s Embrace] (Bronze)
[Basic Inspect] (Copper)
[Shell of Protection] (Copper)
[Throw Harpoon] (Bronze)
[Fundamental Cooking] (Copper)
[Suspicious Gathering] (Copper)
[Gardening] (Copper)
He moved to the next quest menu.
Side Quests.
???
???
???
???
???
???
???
Nathan blinked.
He had side quests now!
…
He just had no idea what they were.
I really hope that there’s a way to figure out what these are. Otherwise, this is going to get really inconvenient really fast.
One final notification he had to look at:
[New Feature Added: Dither]
He clicked the notification.
A new window popped up. The bottom was divided into four bars: Home Feed, Communities, Videos, Messages, and Profile. Home Feed was currently selected, revealing post after post after post.
[Water4Days]: Wait, what is this? Why am I getting notifications in my HUD? Is this another trap???
└ [RockThrower69]: Tell me about it, this is so bizarre.
[ShieldBae]: Who thought it was a good idea to add a social feed in the middle of the apocalypse? I don’t need likes, I need a way to destroy the Dustend and finish the main quest!
└ [StillAlive27]: Preach. Can I trade my follower count for a bandage?
└ [SystemOfficial]: No.
[DefinitelyNotDying]: Great, now I can live tweet my death.
└ [YouWillBeMissed]: Please don’t.
└ [BearSurvivor90] Just got mauled. One star. Would not recommend.
└ [TruthSeeker123]: That wasn’t a bear. It was a bioweapon. The bears died out years ago. Open your eyes.
[ThirstyForVictory]: What’s the point of followers if we’re all going to die? Asking for a friend
└ [TheRealHero]: Friends are temporary. Clout is eternal.
[TruthSeeker123]: SYSTEM SOCIAL MEDIA IS A HONEYPOT. Don’t post. They’re tracking our every move. If you read this, it’s already too late.
After scrolling for a minute, Nathan came across a post by the System.
[SystemOfficial]: Social Media Activated: Use this feature to connect with other survivors! Likes and reposts now contribute to your social score. Social score has no current use. Have fun!
└ [SurvivorInDenial] Why are you like this?
Nathan clicked over to the Communities tab to check that out.
[Second Circle Survivors]
Description: For those who’ve just made it to the Second Circle and have no idea what’s going on. Share tips and vent your frustrations.
Nathan clicked on the community.
[Water4Days]: Does anyone know if we’re supposed to be building alliances or just hoarding stuff? #Help #SecondCircle
└ [ShieldBae]: Alliances are a scam. Hoard everything.
Yeah, that’s exactly the attitude we need to reach the bottom.
Nathan clicked on Videos next. No one had posted anything except for a video titled Test. Nathan ignored it and shifted over to messages. Once again, nothing.
Nathan clicked on the final one, Profile.
Nathan Lee (Rank: 1)
There was a box to change his biography and add a profile picture. Nathan ignored it and went back to the home feed. He typed out a quick message and submitted it.
[Nathan Lee]: Hi everyone. I was looking for my friends, Chad Mann, Emi, Bjorn, and Mara. Has anyone seen them on this platform? Thanks.
Nathan then exited the menu.
His thoughts drifted back to his friends. He hoped he’d be able to find them on the social media platform and that there’d be a way for them to meet up.
Nathan stared off into the horizon. His clothes brushed against his body as he rolled his shoulders. In the distance, a massive storm stretched from horizon to horizon. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say that it was getting closer. Fast.
The winds howled across the vast expanse. Lightning crackled from within, lighting up the storm with flashes of violet. The dunes below were destroyed and leveled into random valleys and hills.
The breeze kicked up, flapping Nathan’s clothes.
He looked down.
It’s kind of amazing that this suit has held up as long as it has. Shouldn’t it have fallen apart by now?
He’d had it since the start of this whole mess. It’s survived monster attacks, people attacks, attack-attacks. It was ripped to pieces and barely held together by a handful of strings.
Nathan twisted his body to get a better look and heard a long ripping noise.
A half-second later, his suit flopped to the ground, leaving him in nothing but underwear.
Nathan blinked slowly.
“That’s not good.”
The sound of wind caught his attention. He turned back toward the storm.
It had definitely gotten closer since he had last checked.
“That’s definitely not good.”
Nathan looked back. There was nowhere to run. There was nowhere to hide.
He clenched his jaw.
All right then. This won’t be too bad. Probably.
Lightning cracked.
The wind howled.
And the world turned to a cacophony of dust and noise.
Chapter Two
With no way to escape or shelter from the storm, Nathan was looking pretty cooked.
I guess I’ll have to ride it out.
Nathan briefly considered opening his town portal before he shook his head. It would take five minutes to open, and the storm was going to reach him in around three.
A flicker of worry ran down his spine. The storm was clearly unnatural. It extended on for infinity, and the purple lightning was obviously magical in nature.
I’ve got E-rank power now, but I don’t want to take the risk of getting exposed to something.
His eyes darted around for a cave of some sort.
Nothing.
Nathan looked down at his feet.
He stuffed his fingers into the ground. He scooped up a massive pile of dirt and shoveled the dirt behind him and under his rear.
He frowned. Not fast enough.
As if in response to his thought, his new plant arm expanded in mass and size, creating a complex web of branches roughly in the shape of a trowel. Nathan doubled his efforts.
The storm grew louder and louder.
Done.
He jumped into the foxhole. A moment later, the howl of the wind grew to a persistent crescendo, and the sun was blotted out by the dust of the storm.
Lightning flashed, and the air lit up with a bright purple glow. A moment later, the sound slammed into Nathan’s eardrums.
Despite the chaos overhead, Nathan’s foxhole held up against the storm. Sand splashed inside, but not so much that he got covered. If it got to be too much, he’d just shovel it out.
Nathan felt his heart slow down. This wasn’t too bad. He’d be able to ride this out relatively easily.
At least, that was the plan.
At first, Nathan was able to manage without much thinking. But the storm kept going… and going… and going. It’d already been an hour—maybe two hours, it was hard to tell—and the wind had yet to let up. In fact, it had gotten worse. Nathan was constantly shoveling with his hands to keep himself from getting buried alive.
It was getting harder to breathe as well. His nose was clogged with dust, and his lungs were starting to burn. It wasn’t just the dust, though—Nathan was fairly certain he should’ve been able to handle that with his Constitution. No, something else was in the air, sapping at his strength like a thick blanket laid over the air.
Another half hour passed, and Nathan noted that the sand had gotten up to his chest.
I’m going to get buried alive.
Was that such a bad thing, though? As long as he had his head out, he’d be able to breathe…
