Chapter 17 Bread and Games

Kate turned off the radio a few minutes before they reached the parking lot. She reminded the others that just a few hours prior there were growls coming from where Allison had burst out of the underbrush.

The engine of the car continued to produce considerable noise but they arrived without an interruption. Jon turned the key and got his crossbow ready. Grey and Logan jumped off the side of the truck and grabbed their bags, three each.

Kate got out as well and did the same. The weather was good today, the grass still slightly wet from last night’s downpour. A few clouds remained on the horizon but nothing that suggested more rain. She waited in silence and looked towards the forest but nothing showed itself.

“Kate in front, then Grey, me, and finally Logan,” Jon said in a hushed voice. His weapon was steady.

She was surprised at his initiative but they grouped up all the same, ready to save what they could from the desecrated town. This time they couldn’t spot a single goblin guard as they went into the streets but Kate soon noted a strange difference. “There are fewer bodies.”

The others pondered the whispered comment but nobody added anything. They had discussed the possibility of undead but neither were there any shambling creatures to replace the missing corpses.

A few Wargs were growling at each other in one of the side streets, the group circling them in silence.

Kate ground her teeth but she didn’t have her spells active. They were here for supplies primarily, not to take unnecessary risks. Soon they reached the general store, this time from the back. Kate stopped the others at the entrance when she heard a sound from within. She activated Mindless Ferocity, the steps and gargled words from within instantly more audible. She held up three fingers and gestured the height of a goblin, then she raised one finger and gestured much higher. She moved the finger to her mouth then pointed at herself then inside.

She tried to explain that the others should follow her with some distance, and most importantly to stay quiet.

Furious Dance activated as she willed it, the sounds clearing even more. There were enemies. Monsters she could kill. Monsters she had to kill. Beasts in the way of their goal. Her allies were around but they were no longer relevant. She moved inside, each of her steps deliberate, slow, careful. Her eyes were focused. She didn’t miss a thing. Silent.

Quiet.

Kate was inside. She sneaked through the small corridor and came up on the shelves at the back. The monsters were loud. Loud and unaware. The three goblins were to her right, two, maybe three rows down. The orc she saw, its head sticking up over one of the shelves on the left. Just slightly. He ripped something open, sniffing before he murmured a few words. Kate didn’t waste the opportunity. Distracted. Stupid. She checked her right and saw the goblins but ignored them. They were irrelevant.

Instead she moved farther, coming out into the corridor with the orc. He held his sword with one hand and an open package of crisps in the other. She moved. Reckless Charge activated before he noticed, Kate speeding up with her hammer raised horizontally. She slammed the spike into his head the moment she stopped. A grazing hit, her foe staggering backwards, a hand going to the bleeding wound. She took a step forward and ducked below the wild swing of his sword, coming up with a short handed strike against his jaw. The top bit of her hammer broke something. She did it again and watched him stagger once more. One step forward and she swung with the full force of her body behind it. Her hammer impacted his head with a sickening crunch, his weak counter unable to cut through the fabric covering her arm. Kate watched her prey fall, his blade clattering to the ground as she stepped above the confused and injured orc. She brought the spike down on his head with one last strike, ripping it out before he slumped to the ground, unmoving.

She could feel herself grinning as she turned around, blood on her weapon as she stared at the three goblins now staring at her. They weren’t moving. Fear. She growled. A low noise, something she didn’t know she could produce, but it felt right. Come.

A wooden bolt struck the goblin at the back, the two in the front shrieking at the sudden impact.

Kate ran at them. She brought her hammer up from below, hitting one of the small creatures in its chest. A blade flashed past, blood splattering the shelves. She brought her boot down on the creature’s head. Again and again, until she felt its skull give, a mush of gore below her as she turned and looked around.

One of her allies stood with his blade drawn, looking at her with wide eyes. The armored one was right behind. The two goblins were dead. She listened for more. She knew there were enemies in the town. There had been wargs, large dog-like monsters roaming the streets.

“Kate,” someone said.

She felt a tugging on her arm. One of her allies.

“Kate it’s over,” the voice said.

“She’s not there,” the armored one said.

She had to go out, find the other monsters. Kate looked up and found her armored ally standing in her way. She tried to walk past. He stepped in her way again.

“Try this,” a third voice said. He held a knife and something else in his hand.

She turned and looked at him, her nose sniffing the air. She watched as he poured out more of the powder, holding it closer to her as he approached with careful steps. She took in a deep breath. That’s the stuff. Her eyes closed before she opened them again. Disable the skills. The fight is over, she told herself and did as she asked.

“It actually worked,” Logan said, his face covered by his helmet.

Jon smiled. “A simple creature, acting on instinct.”

“You know I can hear you,” Kate said, squinting at the man. She glanced down at the handful of coffee powder he held and the open package to the side. “And you’re wasting coffee.”

The man gulped and handed her the open package.

She shook her head lightly but took the thing anyway, looking for tape to close it again. Kate noticed the others staring at the gore but she found herself less caring. They were monsters in their way, and more importantly they were responsible for the carnage out there.

‘ding’ ‘You have defeated [Orc Warrior]’

…

‘ding’ ‘You have defeated [Goblin Scout]’

‘ding’ ‘Berserker reaches lvl 8’

Stat points +2

Perseverance +1

‘ding’ ‘Mindless Ferocity reaches lvl 10’

‘ding’ ‘Furious Dance reaches lvl 10’

‘ding’ ‘Reckless Charge reaches lvl 7’

‘ding’ ‘Courage of the Unarmored reaches lvl 7’

‘ding’ ‘Two Handed Weapon Fighting reaches lvl 8’

‘ding’ ‘You have unlocked the active skill: Hunting Leap – lvl 1

Active: Hunting Leap – lvl 1

Power surges through your legs, propelling you upwards. Charge your muscles for 15% of your total stamina and jump up to 2.25m high. Not cliffs nor walls shall stand between you and your prey.

A jump? Sounds good, Kate thought as she bandaged the poor injured package. It’ll hurt like a bitch though if I fall from that height. Or maybe not? With my high Vitality? She looked at the two stat points she still had and pondered for a few seconds. A look at the orc showed blood pooling under his head, various injuries where she had struck it. That needed so many hits. She decided on Strength, her hands shaking and her muscles tensing up when she allocated the points, feeling the magical surge go through her body.

She panted a few times before she calmed down, sweat on her brow as she felt the weight of her hammer lessen. Considerably so. She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, refocusing on their task.

The others hadn’t seemed to notice. Grey seemed preoccupied with his own notification and Jon was already packing things.

Kate looked at the armored Logan before she tapped his shoulder. “Are you okay?” His gaze was focused on one of the goblins.

He didn’t react for a few seconds before he recoiled, taking a step back.

“Turn around,” Kate said and helped him move. She took his sword. “Sit down.”

He listened, his armored arms on his legs as he sat on the ground. Jon gave them a look but didn’t stop what he was doing. Grey now started collecting goods as well.

“Talk to me, Logan,” Kate said and helped him take off his helmet. The man was sweat covered, his eyes slightly unfocused and his jaw clenched to a noticeable degree. She had seen similar reactions before, crouching down next to him as she put a hand on his shoulder. “We won, Logan. Hear me? We’re here to collect food and other goods, okay?”

He looked her way and started rubbing his eyes.

“Can you do that? Just the back aisles? Fill your bags and then we go back outside,” she said and handed him one of them.

Logan closed his eyes for a few seconds before he opened them again. “I… yes.” He stood up and started towards the shelves.

Kate watched him go. No time for this. She intended to talk to him later and went to go through the goods herself.

The group of monsters had destroyed quite a few packages but there was still enough to feed half a town. Jon helped Grey figure out what to pack, the others experienced enough to focus on anything that wouldn’t go bad quickly. It took them the good part of twenty minutes to fill their bags before they went outside again. The walk back was largely unproblematic. Kate did note that the wargs weren’t in the same alley anymore.

Jon and Grey struggled considerably with their bags but they managed it in the end, piling everything into the back of the truck.

“We should go for more while we’re here,” Jon said.

“Packs from the skiing store? We can clear that one out too,” she said.

The man gave her a nod, the others following in silence. They remained alert as they walked back into the streets. This time they did have to avoid a goblin guard they spotted near one of the homes, though it seemed the monsters’ ability to see them in broad daylight was limited at best.

The skiing store looked just like they had left it, all four of them going to work immediately. There were many backpacks and sports bags, soon filled to the brim with climbing equipment, hunting knives, clothes, binoculars, and everything else that seemed useful.

“What other stores are there, Kate?” Jon asked before they were done.

“Not much else that would be immediately useful. I got enough from the electronics store,” she said. “And we have several sets of clothing now for everyone.”

The man looked at her. “What about games?”

“Games?” she asked. Grey perked up.

“Well yes. Games. Boardgames, cards, gameboys or whatever they’re called these days. Books too maybe. Bert didn’t have the largest collection and I did see his dvds,” he said.

“Don’t think any of that is a priority right now,” Kate answered.

“I think it is. It should be. We can’t be thinking about monsters all the time. It’s been barely a few days and I can already feel myself spiral. You’re good with coffee but I’d prefer something to read,” he said.

“And music,” Logan said. The first thing he had said since the general store.

“I mean we can check, sure. There was a small store with board games and the like. I think they had some games and music too,” she said.

“Herbert’s Corner,” Grey said. “I w… went there… sometimes.”

No need to be ashamed about that, she thought. He was looking down, intently focused on his full backpack.

“It was at the northern edge of town, right?” she asked.

“Y… yes. We can g… get there from the car,” he said.

“Then let’s go. Everyone ready?” Jon asked.

They all confirmed, covered in bags and holding their weapons. The equipment was considerably lighter than the dozen bags of rice and cans of veggies Kate had carried before.

“Quiet and steady, there are still monsters out there,” Jon added before he opened the back door.

Kate went first, followed by Grey. As alert and silent as they could, the group continued through the quiet town. There was no sign of the wargs they had seen before, nor any other creatures. Kate glanced around and gripped her weapon. She would’ve preferred to know where the monsters were. Knowing they moved around added a lot of uncertainty to the whole endeavor. They soon reached the truck again and deposited their full bags.

Ready with more storage, the group continued to Herbert’s Corner, the store located just a few minutes away from the parking lot at the northern edge of town. It looked small from the outside, a door wedged between the entrances to a bakery and a butcher’s shop.

Kate opened the door as slowly as she could. She winced when a jingle resounded from the bells above the entrance. A breeze flowed through as she waited, no other noise joining in, no steps, or growls added to the mix. She entered. The ground floor remained lit, most of everything piled on the floor. Shelves had been toppled over, dvd cases smashed, boxes ripped apart. She had trouble finding a spot on the floor that wasn’t covered in pieces.

Grey held the bells in place after Logan had entered, closing the miraculously intact glass door behind himself.

The store was quite narrow, filled to the absolute brim with goods, in front and behind the counter. A back door led to the back of the building and a path alongside the town’s edge. It remained open, a single body lying on the ground a few meters away. Blood had collected below.

“That… that’s him,” Grey said with a gulp.

“We’ll send him off too,” Kate said. “But not now.”

“It won’t do them any good if we die in the process,” Jon said, having heard their conversation. He was looking through the shelves and chaos. “I don’t think any of this is particularly usable. The games have all mixed together.”

Grey stepped aside without a word, crouching down next to the counter before he pulled away a small rug. Below was a latch. He turned and opened it, revealing a step ladder that led downwards. The man reached below and flicked a switch, light now coming from the cellar.

“You do seem familiar with the shop,” Kate said as she walked over.

“I’ll stay up here to keep an eye out,” Logan said.

Grey gave him a nod before he stepped down, followed by Kate and Jon.

She nearly whistled, stopping herself due to the potential noise. The cellar was near four times as large as the ground floor, and just as packed if not more so. Ground to ceiling shelves were stacked with games, magazines, books, and electronics. Everything was well lit, one corner of the large room dedicated to an old blocky TV, beanbags set in front of it with a variety of consoles hooked up to the large device.

“Let’s get to work then. Anything that seems fun,” Jon murmured as he started looking through the shelves.

Grey already had his bag half full, the man reaching out with precision and speed, much like his Class suggested. He navigated the tight space with ease, choosing entire stacks of comics seemingly without consideration.

Kate watched him for a few seconds before she started looking herself. Absolute treasure trove this place. Must’ve kept the valuable or rare stuff down here. She grabbed a few board games she was familiar with and put them into her bag, moving on to the extensive CD collection. Suppose we can’t use all the cloud services anymore. She didn’t go for her own favorites and instead chose a varied selection of genres, most of it more than twenty years old at least. Kate stashed all of the CD players themselves too. Most used batteries of which they now had a shit load. Herbert had made sure of that, an entire box full standing next to the stack of players.

Jon chuckled. “Even I know some of these books. Asimov’s Foundation,” he said and held up a copy. “Might as well start here with the collection of human knowledge, this place might as well be a library.”

“Foundation is good. Just wish there was more action in it… and the characters change all the time,” Grey said. “If you like sci-fi, you should read Ha-”

A knock came from above, Logan crouching down near the entrance. “Monsters,” he hissed through his helmet.

Kate moved to the steps and put on her backpack. They had enough games, books, and music. She got up with her hammer in hand and found Logan hiding behind the counter. She joined him with quiet steps, trying to see the creatures he mentioned. She found nothing.

“Group of Orcs, three or four, and five goblins, maybe more. Walked past and towards the town center,” he whispered.

The others joined them with their packs. Grey turned off the light and closed the hatch with a quiet click. He put the rug back and joined them, a hand on his sword’s handle.

“Are they patrolling?” Kate asked.

“I don’t know, but we should leave as soon as we can. Those were too many for us to fight,” Logan said. He looked at her through the slit in his helmet, concern obvious.

“I don’t have my skills active, Logan. I won’t run after them,” Kate said.

“We should go out in the back,” Jon said.

Kate nodded and opened the door. She checked the small path and went outside, circling around the building with careful steps, listening for monsters. She reached the road and pressed herself against the wall, slowly moving her head around the corner to get a look at the street. What are they…

Four Orcs and five goblins were walking down the street, one of the large beings pulling a modified door behind himself. She watched as the others moved out to collect corpses. One had already been placed onto the board. The sound of wood dragging against concrete continued as more bodies were piled onto the door, Kate grinding her teeth as she watched with her hands gripping the hammer.

“We have to go,” Jon whispered to her.

She was ripped away from the sight and looked at her three companions. “They’re taking the dead.”

Kate Lindgren

Unspent stat points: 0

Class: Berserker – lvl 8

- Active: Mindless Ferocity – lvl 10

- Active: Furious Dance – lvl 10

- Active: Reckless Charge – lvl 7

- Active: Hunting Leap – lvl 1

- Active:

- Passive: Toll for the Living – lvl 8

- Passive: Courage of the Unarmored – lvl 7

- Passive: Two Handed Weapon Fighting – lvl 8

- Passive: Unrelenting Carnage – lvl 1

- Passive:

Support class: Locked

Status:

Vitality: 20

Endurance: 14

Perseverance: 8

Strength: 13

Dexterity: 8

Intelligence: 7

Wisdom: 10

Equipment:

Torso: -

Legs: -

Trinket: -

Food: -