"And I…will carry out great vengeance on thee with wrathful rebukes; and thou shall know that I am the LORD when I lay my retribution on thee."

Ezekiel 25:17, The Book of ancient, pre-historic people

1

Screams of numerous strangers both man and beast reverberates intensely in Bast’s head as he regained a portion of his consciousness. He remembered being blown away as metal, stone and debris exploded near his location, machinated unknowingly by a gigantic snake the circumference of a plane. It came from nowhere, creating havoc in its wake. Chaos ensued as he was buried alive and passed out.

Today was supposed to be just an ordinary day.

Yet fate has other plans. Little did he know that today, more than half the population of Earth ceased to exist. Today, the topography of the world shifted in random, dividing humanity. Today, all electronics either malfunctioned or stopped working altogether due to massive energy interference. An ambient environmental power we would come to know as mana. Today, the humans known as the dominant species were replaced by beings of legend, myths and stories.

Today, is not a very good day.

Sebastian, known as Bast by his peers struggled to get up, hindered by the rubbles and supporting a burning headache. He didn’t exactly know how much time has passed since he was flung by the force of impact and left him out of commission. His left thigh’s punctured by a thin metal stick that came from a miniscule portion of a building. The one that got destroyed by a giant snake fighting a monstrous and equally large chicken. Humorous as it sounds, the sight of the destruction, the blood and gore streaked generously on walls and on the street, says otherwise. There are no living souls as far as his human eyes can see.

Only Death.

And the ever lingering sound of silence...and ofcourse, a fuckload of dead bodies both familiar and foreign in his eyes.

Of innocent people, humans that once were the hunters were now perceived as prey. Of monsters he encountered only in literature, games and lore now leisurely roam the lands. Bast stood up weakly. As the pain and nausea subsides he felt another feeling. A feeling felt after being a witness, nay, a surviving testament to the apocalyptic thema of his imminent surroundings. A feeling long overdue.

Fear.

An emotion so primal he wondered why only now does this dread appear. All the carnage in the surroundings left him faintly feeble.

He belched his lunch, vomiting all of it on the cracked floor. The scene of disfigured, charred, mauled, scratched, bloodied and mangled human carcass was not a sight you can stomach in a small amount of time. Aside from humans, dead bodies of monsters were present as well. It was quite obvious to identify what they were. Mostly orcs, goblins and larger versioned animals and insects were scattered.

The cruel realization that the end of the world just happened struck him hard. This is it. He won’t survive this. He will definitely die. In order to survive, he would need to do something, anything. Anything at all. And standing still won’t solve his problems.

So he moved his cowering ass.

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Bast felt the pain once more when he tried to scuttle. Mustering all his strength, he pulled the damned metal out of his legs, ripped a long gash from his polo shirt and applied first aid to most of his wounds. When all the bottled pain, frustration, anger, fear, and depression becomes unbearable to wear, he screamed.

The roar travelled far, echoing to the horizon. It might have been an idiotic idea at that time but Bast did not care. It helped him focus. It maintained his sanity, or what’s left of it. It lessened his fear of the unknown. But most of all, it gave him the ability to deal.

Acceptance.

A term that isn’t acquired immediately by common and ordinary men. It builds up over time. But Bast is far from being common nor ordinary. He understood that he might be late to save his loved ones and that they may already be dead. That the world is not the same as it was. That beings aside from us exists. That he might do drastic measures in order to survive. That his harsh upbringing may even help him in the long run.

His mind raced for possible outcomes and causes of this apocalypse. He arranged in his mind what he can and can’t do. He thought a dozen of ways to proceed from here, only in a matter of minutes.

To put it bluntly, his brain’s so dope right now. His thought process was working many times faster than ever before. Sebastian Bonifacio was a sane and rational man, he wasn’t queer nor eccentric.

Okay, so maybe a little. He thanked his adrenaline rush for clearing his mind and helped him think with foresight. He prayed to his immune system to toughen up and slay whatever disease he may get from his wounds. He gave praise and worship to his brain for outlining what to do from now on.

Like I said, he was sane.

His earlier outburst helped him calm down. From this point on he will find out whoever did this shit and beat the hell out of him, or her. He limped across the butchery farm to scout. He knew when no one responded from his shout earlier that the city, or what’s left of it, was either entirely deserted or dead. Traversing the block, he searched for the tallest, undestroyed building in the entire town and made way to the top.

Bast hoped for a silver lining and he found it. Medical supplies on a first-aid kit box and the elevator was still working due to the backup generator. While waiting to reach the top floor he applied the first aid on him and shove the rest in a large bag he found lying around. He might need the stuff later on. Money now probably ain’t worth a dog’s testicle. Resources would be scarce and can only be bartered with useful stuff of equivalent value, numbered 3rd on his to-fucking-do-list. And the list follows

1st. ORGANIZE

Get a clear understanding of what in Jesus’ dong is happening. Compile all information and variables and from there, and make a short-term plan.

Done? Good.

2nd. RECON

Move. Observe the surroundings carefully. Scout. Take the highest vantage point and have the higher ground. (Thank master Obi-wan for the teachings) Map the surroundings and look for a relatively safe spot. Note the positions of still living monsters. Lay low.

3rd. GATHER

Loot. Firearms, ammunitions, food, supplies. Hit the Grocer’s store. Or the Mall. Restock till you have atleast a year’s worth. Hide all the stuff into a safe house and stay clear of danger.

If you have time, look for your relatives.

4th. ADAPT

Accept that everything is not the way it once was. you must go along with the changes. Evolve. Flow with the river towards your fortune.

5th. SURVIVE

Exercise. Learn to hunt. Leant how to kill. Train and master your survival skills.

6th. MASSACRE

Kill the monsters if you can. Kill whoever was responsible for this bloody shit. Destroy them all.

*Ding*

Organize

Recon

Gather

Adapt

Survive

Massacre.

Not a bad plan if Bast says so himself. Lost in his own thoughts, He was startled when the elevator door stood ajar but only halfway. It seems that the generator lost power just in time as he reached the top floor. The ceiling was ripped open revealing the vast pinkish skies. Far in the horizon, flock of birds are screeching. Scratch that, they weren’t birds…

Wyverns!

They were wyverns snacking on screaming humans. He had no time to make a scared expression as Bast noticed hot air that was blowing behind him in a very familiar rhythm. Terror filled his entire being as he quickly turned and was stunned by a very peculiar scene. It wasn’t just warm air.

It was laboured breathing.

The large head of a serpent turned upside down near the endpoint of the building. Its mouth was opened slightly revealing long spear length fangs, smaller in the molars getting larger till the canines. The canine fangs were immensely massive. The left great fang was not there. Some of the fangs were missing and it was not a mystery where they’re embedded.

A large bird-like monstrosity with rainbow pallet feathers with long boat like beak was piercing the throat of the titanic serpent. The mangled neck of the serpent has silver liquid acid dripping through them, making holes in the building floors.

Great, one was acidic and the other venomous. Mr. Chicken’s face was riddled with the serpent's detached fangs. It’s half closed eyes were twitching. It was obvious that it was nearly dead, waiting for the venom to snap its tether in the realm of the living. Bast also noticed the same with the large snake. Just a little push.

Just a little more.

Then he noticed the serpent’s glare. Its luminescent golden eye was daring him to come hither. Bast was no fool. The snake may have a last fight left in it. 2 boss class monsters were right in front of his eyes, only an idiot will not practice caution.

Suddenly he felt a piercing presence swept all over his body. The aura of the serpent just marked him a threat and bore down like heaven's judgement on him making him tumble in his feet. It exerted such a strong pressure that rooted Bast on the spot. He felt his muscles tremble and his bones creak. His blood started boiling and his lungs collapsing.

Immeasurable pain assaulted him, body and soul. He can feel it in his entire being. It was not only physical. His mind was reeling in a quagmire of agony. Something inside of him was slowly dying. If he knew that this was less than 1% of the serpent's original skill in its peak, he would've run away faster than a thief fleeing from a cop.

“This…fucking…WORM!”

He was splayed on the floor again for the second time today. This wasn’t fair. All the things happening right now were not at all fair. All these pain Bast was experiencing pushed down his fears. His tears stream down his face as he struggled to crawl.

The intensity even if fluctuating, becomes stronger as he draws near. His guess was if this monster was at full strength, he'll probably die by just standing in its presence. Those eyes contain so much malice that even though it was nearly dead, its malevolent will remains. All the instincts in Bast’s body screamed danger and death.

“Okay so you want to play?! Fine, let’s have a game. Let’s see who dies first!” Muttering, Bast started standing up. If this beast wants to go down with him, then why not. He doesn’t even know if he still has something to live for. If he dies…Then so be it.

Bast sprinted forward, ignoring the pain. The pressure. The malice. He left everything, all his worries and fears. It wasn’t willpower, no. It was just blind idiocy the inexperienced possesses. Be as it may, Only the young idiots pave the way forward the unsurpassable goals the old could not. Either succeed or perish, as simple as that.

As soon as he was near the snake, he made a beeline for the chicken, surprising even himself. Bast pushed himself to go faster. He willed all of the powers he can draw from his pathetic self. the Image of a version of his unyielding person. all his emotions, all his remaining doubts and regrets. he collected them all and pulled them and let them course through his steps. he will not go down without a fight.

"You misunderstand you pathetic worm, You are not one who'll take me to see the God of death, I am the one who will take you to him!"

He took a leap of faith.

[tbc]