As fast as he could think it, Eric was sprinting, forcing his legs to MOVE like he never had before, crashing into a startled Alice, brown eyes alight with surprise and killing fury… before the snap of razor-sharp jaws snapping shut just feet away resonated through the air.

And Eric’s crossbow was already lined up, pulled from storage as he spun and twisted through the air, already squeezing the trigger when the second lizard burst from camouflage, nearly snapping Alice in half.

Before darting back with an agonized squeal, Eric’s quarrel streaking through the air right where it needed to be, hitting the creature in the very center of its eye, the bolt then blasting through the fragile bone behind it, lodging deep inside the skull cavity. Yet the maimed lizard refused to die, hissing and roaring such that the mortal spearmen were forced back, one outright fleeing, and the lizard immediately gave chase.

Before crashing to the ground, stunned, when Eric’s second bolt struck his prey right where the skull met the spine. Yet before Eric could even think of drawing his spear, the air was crackling with brilliant flashes of lightning in the following seconds.

Then a pale-faced Alice collapsed, and Eric sensed his environment with a greater clarity than he ever had before, quick to raise his gaze to meet Tim's own, who had been too startled and flustered to shoot the beast at all, as Eric's combat epiphany leveled him up near-instantly, the flow of battle itself transforming Eric into a version of himself that was faster, more graceful, and more perceptive than he had ever been before.

It was the only reason why Eric had been able to pull such a miraculous save that would have done even his drill sergeant of a trainer proud.

Best of all, the latest kill had put him more than half way to level Six.

Of course, one miraculous save did nothing for the fresh peril now gazing down at Eric with a predator’s smile.

_____________________________________

Eric Silver Level 5 Conscript

Physical Characteristics

Strength – 14 (01%) (You’re now stronger than 90% of all unleveled mortals still fighting for their lives!)

Vitality – 20 Your Vitality is now superhuman! (Don’t expect to be able to train this any further in the gym!)

Finesse – 17 (Your grace and coordination make you a deadly opponent with spear, sword, or crossbow!)

Quickness – 14 (You’re now faster than 90% of all unleveled mortals still fighting for their lives!)

Appearance – 10 (Healthy skin now shows between scars that looking increasingly like tattoos! Your lips are fully restored, and you finally have eyebrows and a full head of fiery red hair!)

Mental Characteristics

Scholarship – 12 (You’re nothing special, but at least you’re not an idiot!)

Perception – 16 (You’re more perceptive than 98% percent of your mortal peers when it comes to spotting and drawing a bead on your target, or sensing someone trying to draw a bead on you!)

Willpower – 16 (You have the determination and focus to push your body to the limits, and resist a Rat Queen’s Compulsion!)

Charisma – 13 (To bad you don’t have the looks to go with the social radar!)

Stamina – 220 Points (Your stamina and rate of recovery are now super human! You could easily get gold for distance running in the Olympics, if the modern world hadn’t ended!)

Health – 264 Points.

___________________

You have successfully used True Sight twice in the crucible of combat. Experience earned!

You are feeling Mentally Drained. (Temporary effect, duration variable.) You may access no further weapon feats until you feel completely yourself again!

Congratulations! Crossbows is now Rank 11!

But Eric only allowed himself a quick glimpse of the key stats involved in his progression, all his focus on the crossbowman now facing two people who had dared to threaten him, both now depleted, while his crossbow was cocked and ready to go.

Eric was chilled by how well he could sense the thoughts crawling inside the man’s skull.

Tim flashed Eric a cold smile. “You really are an ugly motherfucker, you know that?”

Eric clenched his jaw, eyes locked on Tim’s own, steel-faced shield replacing crossbow as his fingers caressed the hilt of his saber. “Come to think of it, I have been told that a time or two. Mostly by my reflection.”

“Timothy!” Alice hissed, eyes growing wide as the pair of spearmen subtly stepped back.

Tim flashed a manic grin, his hungry eyes lingering on a pale-faced and clearly drained Alice for far too long.

Then he barked a short, sharp laugh

“But you sure as shit can shoot, I’ll give you that, kid.”

Tim then smirked Alice’s way, the predatory hunger gone as if it had never been, tapping his crossbow with a cocky smile. “Good thing one of us kept his cool and didn’t waste his ammo. Because sure as shit, now’s when the stone dogs and scorps would be coming for our asses. I’ll cover you while you catch your breath, princess. Then we got a tunnel to clear.”

Eric and Alice exchanged a look as Tim glared at the pair of spearmen before him. “What the hell! Do I have to do everything around here? Are you chumps good for anything? You didn’t even try to stab that fucker! Now go tell Vincent to get the fuck back here and help you both patrol the fucking area.”

This earned him a pair of hard-eyed stares.

“We didn’t stab it, because it's a twenty-foot long lizard, asshole! And our spears were jury-rigged from shit at the hardware store!" snarled the smaller spearman, the bearded one quickly smacking the first one’s shoulder and shaking his head with a glare.

“What he means to say is that we’ll get Vincent back here ASAP, boss.” said John.

Eric noted that their spears were, in fact, little more than a pair of wooden poles topped by butcher knife blades. No wonder they had done virtually nothing against the massive lizard. At least the tang seemed securely slotted in the wood, and the metal strips and nails securing it made it clear that more than a bit of effort had been made into making something that would last. Eric had no doubt it would hold, at least for a time. But it was clear to everyone that they wouldn’t do shit against the lizard’s thick, scaly hide.

“The boss lady is Alice,” Tim snapped. “And I told you two to grab some crossbows after the last run. Or at least proper fucking spears.”

This earned a snort from the closest spearman, scratching under his thick beard. “There’s one fucking smith in the entire town, some journeyman blacksmith who was working at a home supply depot to make ends meet, just two months ago. Because who the fuck needs blacksmiths in this day and age?”

“We do?” Alice said with a wry smile, earning a bitter chuckle from the guard.

“Damn right. Now we do. Probably the only bastard who can forge a nail in the entire city, let alone a decent dagger or spearhead, and even he admits that his swords will never be better than middling average. Hell, it seems all he’s willing to forge are bardiches, of all things! But now that the world ended, that cat’s acting like he’s some fucking prince! You think I can afford what he’s charging for one of his fancy polearms? And Velvet wants actual silver for his crossbows! You got any silver on you?”

The bearded man gave an angry shake of his head. "I'm just earning supplies and store credits, so my family doesn't starve. You think I like these suicidal runs? You think I’m going to sell the armor I risked my life for, dodging fucking orcs to grab, just so Velvet can play me for a fool? The hell with that. My spear cuts up thieves and wild dogs just fine. Everything except for oversized fucking lizards!”

Eric's eyes widened as the patter washed over him, all his attention honing in on a few key words. "Excuse me, did you say someone sells crossbows in town?"

“That’s right,” The bearded man said. “Cocky little bastard named Velvet. Not that you need to worry about that, with whatever the fuck backwards firing shit you're using, but he’s charging actual silver coins for the privilege of buying one of those weapons. And who the hell thought to bring old coins while fleeing for their lives?”

“The assholes who now own half the town. Who the hell do you think?” Tim said with a short sharp bark of laughter. “I’m just glad I thought to bring my recurve, knowing hunting would soon mean everything.” He then frowned at Eric. "Why, you having problems with your bow? You looking to trade it, or something?"

Eric smirked "Or something. Certainly, I can always use some fresh bolts," he said. And that part was true enough. After weeks of losing none of them, those two lizards had already cost him a handful.

“Don’t worry about that, Eric. I’ll show you Velvet’s, and every other place of interest in our little bit of paradise, just as soon as we’re done this run.” Alice flashed a relieved smile when they hit another intersection, Eric surprised to see the far tunnel actually glowing with faint light. But it was only after following her several hundred yards down each of the branching tunnels that she finally said, “Home stretch. Looks like we made it, boys. Let’s go get the caravan and call it a day.”

Eric pretended he didn’t see so many flinches, when people caught sight of him in the better light as he played patrolling guard, knowing that the luminescent glow wasn’t doing his scarred visage any favors. Still, the thought of leaving behind valuable resources bothered him almost as much as the stares.

He cleared his throat, catching Alice’s attention.

“Alice? I have to get something. I’ll be right back.”

Alice blinked, jaw tightening, and Eric was surprised to see the look of fear flicker across her features before becoming one of simple concern. “We’re in a monster-filled series of caverns, Eric. Now’s not the time to split up. Besides, don’t you want to make it to Junk Town? Didn’t you say I could count on you for at least the rest of the journey?”

Eric pointed down the hallway, in the direction of the massive lizard corpses hidden by the bend. “Just so happens that I think I can recover at least one of my quarrels.” He did his best at a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. If the fucker’s lodged too deep, I’ll count it a lost cause. But down here? Only an idiot discards an irreplaceable quarrel like it was trash.”

“I’d be careful, kid,” said the bearded spearman, fear evident in his gaze. “The bats are going to sense the stench of fresh carcasses soon enough. Bats, and worse. Trust me, you don’t want to get stuck in the dark when a hundred giant bats are swarming.”

Tim snorted. “My question is why the fuck they don’t attack the living. They outnumber us twenty to one.”

“Because they’re not ants,” said one of the gaunt-faced survivors, adjusting his glasses. “They care about their individual lives as much as anyone. And between your spears, crossbows, and lightning… well, it’s the same reason why riots against totalitarian regimes rarely succeed. The front line insurgents almost always perish, and no one wants to be that front line.”

Tim sneered at the man spat. “What would a guy like you know about bats and riots?”

“Quite a bit, actually,” the man wearing a tweed jacket said, clearing his throat. "In my previous life, I was something of a… ahem, guest lecturer. And one who also happens to have some small knowledge of hydroponics, which was what my family and I needed to make young Lady Alicia’s… cut, and I assure you, the bats, unlike the lizards are a creature we are relatively safe from.” He cleared his throat. “At least, so long as we travel in sufficient numbers, and they don’t mutate any further than they already have.”

“Yeah, fine,” Alicia said, nervous hands lighting up a cigarette with a lighter that still worked just fine, Eric was bemused to see. And why wouldn’t it? It was just an extremely refined use of flint and steel, creating a spark. Perhaps the most primitive of all man’s technologies.

Alice took a long drag and blew out a lungful of smoke before turning back to Eric. He frowned, surprised at the tremble in her fingers that made the burning tip bounce and shake. But perhaps he shouldn’t be. Badass as her lightning was, they had just survived fighting for their lives, and not everyone had made it. And here he was, acting like an idiot, more concerned with a few cheap quarrels than his own precious life.

Or at least, that’s how it looked to everyone else.

“Go find your crossbow bolts. Just try to not get fucking killed, alright?”

Eric just smiled as he dashed off at a dead sprint.

“How the fuck is he not tripping on his ass?” he heard the bearded spearman muttering at his backside, but Eric didn’t bother listening for a response, instead enjoying the liberating feel of running without fatigue, infravision pointing out every ankle-twisting stone and pothole in the mostly smooth center of the tunnel, eyes keeping careful note of the countless scores of brightly glowing bats roosting upside down, high overhead on the cavernous ceiling. Bats that, at least for now, made no move to claim either Eric or the pair of massive lizard corpses he was rapidly approaching.

Eric took a deep breath, his heart racing at the madness of what he was about to attempt as much as he was from the quarter-mile sprint. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained," he said to himself, his hand hovering right above the massive multi-ton lizard.

If this didn’t work…

He clenched his jaw. It took a major effort of will just to touch the scales of the massive lizard in front of him… about to risk what he feared might be a very messy death over something that was arguably incredibly stupid and totally not worth it… before stepping back with a ragged breath.

“Shit. I’m not a complete idiot. Let’s at least lighten the load and better my odds,” he muttered, quickly pulling out almost the entirety of the rat carcasses he had in storage. Much to his satisfaction, all of them were still perfectly preserved, at least as far as his nose was concerned, even the ones he hadn’t gotten around to gutting smelling fresh as ever, even possessing the same body heat they had had from the moment Eric had taken them down.

Almost as if his ES Space had somehow frozen them in time, or put all biological processes in suspended animation, from the moment he had put them in storage, which opened all sorts of fascinating possibilities, Eric realized, before frowning, realizing what he was doing.

He was putting off attempting the most daring and stupid feat of his life.

For good reason.

He chuckled softly. “Fuck it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

Heart pounding with a surge of dread, he touched the massive carcass before him, and dared to draw it in.

Much to his surprise and incredible relief, save for a slight gust of air at his back when the lizard abruptly vanished, not even making a pop which he would have thought would be the norm, but apparently not… he felt fine.

Even when he dared repeat that feat, touching the still warm scales of a second lizard and willing it into storage… he felt no strain at all. “Shit. That’s at least, what, fifteen thousand pounds of meat I’m storing?” he muttered to himself.

It was only when he reclaimed each and every last rat that he began to feel the slightest tingling of pressure. Nothing painful or definite, more the feeling of finally being sated after eating a good-sized meal… but of course, with plenty of room for dessert.

Eric whistled, more than a bit awed at his own capacity. "Twenty thousand pounds, give or take? Is that what a Novice tier Extra-Dimensional Storage Space gets me?" He chuckled bitterly. "Fuck. This almost makes being popped out of that pod an emaciated fuck worth it." His gaze hardened. "Almost."

Congratulations! ES Space has now been fully integrated into the System.

Pristine Node Configuration allows you to evolve your ****** Tier Enhancement!

ES Space quantified at Rank 1!

You have only begun tapping into the potential of this enhancement!

Eric blinked at the messages flickering inside his head, a part of him both excited that, according to his interface, he had only just begun tapping into this gift’s potential, getting just the tiniest flash of what it was capable of, a grain of sand that could quickly become a mountain’s significance, in a very short period of time.

Then his eyes widened, feeling a sudden jolt of alarm when the significance of that message finally sunk in.

This System, whatever it was, was only now acknowledging what the pod had done to him? And it couldn’t even tell him what Tier this advancement was? Just how fucking unorthodox was this extradimensional storage space?

Eric winced, chilled to the bone.

A cynical part of him was suddenly certain that what that damned pod had done had been the equivalent of black sight researchers engaging in the most dangerous of experiments that would result in countless horrific deaths, for every miracle they hoped one day to replicate for the rich and powerful who sponsored them.

He shook his head. Because the truth was, even with that revelation, for him, it had been worth it. More than worth all he had gone through. A few weeks of training his ass off had equated to a boon of incalculable value. He now had an athlete's grace and an Olympian's endurance. Not just a half-decent Strength stat boosted by endogenous testosterone he had planned on stopping altogether, once he finally struck out on his own. And his present physique was thanks to his efforts alone.

Even the scars, which, really, were no one’s fault but his own, and the damned orcs, of course, but he had thought it more than worth a shot at saving his sister’s life. And even they had healed, at least to the point that he looked less a horror show and more a once-handsome guy who had been through some shit.

As had everyone else who survived to see this brave new world.

He would actually be grateful, if he wasn't so certain that the pod that had transformed him... or perhaps, just wakened his dormant potential, was fully sentient, malicious, and had most definitely been fucking with him. At least when it realized Eric wasn't going to give it what it so clearly hungered for. So it crossed out all options save to the most basic of all classes, and made sure that his ES Space bit deep, claiming a considerable amount of his own muscle mass to instill.

All because he refused to give up that tiny flickering flame that made up one of his essences. A flame he really should be doing more to train and evolve and see just what it was capable of… if only he had the time.

Then he blinked, his infravision suddenly pinging a couple of loping presences from quite a ways down the tunnel cautiously approaching that moved like the great cats of the Serengeti.

Infravision is now Rank 7!

His heart kicked into high gear. He didn't even take comfort in the fact that he could see the orange heat signatures of the massive cats steadily approaching from a distance greater than he had been able to make out before, at least 70 yards. In fact, everything about the cool blue tunnels was snapping into sharper, clearer focus, nearly as detailed as looking at the world by the golden light of sunset, only without the shadows. Revelations aside, his hammering heart took all the joy out of the wonder he would otherwise feel, his only interest at that moment being turning around and racing back the way he came at a dead sprint. A sprint he could now maintain for hours.

The cats didn’t seem interested in following, and he decided that him leaving a fat juicy rat carcass behind, still warm, hadn’t been an act of cowardice, but prudence.

Another time, when he was established, had traps or a fallback position set up, and knew what he was getting into… maybe had even made a few friends who might just be willing to dare the deeps with him, he might try hunting those cats. But for now, he was more than happy to return to the surprised-looking caravanners just as fast as he could, dutifully laughing off at several cracks that burning men sure could run like the wind.

The remainder of the trip to town was uneventful, and Eric's features lit up with joy at seeing the fortified and gate of wood and stone blocking one of the branches of the winding side tunnel that had spoked off the main thoroughfare a short ways back, complete with a pair of smiling guards wearing a hodgepodge of sheet steel and cured animal hide, though at least they were carrying proper looking spears about the same height they were.

“Alice, you made it!” Said a young guard who couldn’t have been older than twenty, gazing at Alice with big puppy-dog eyes and a goofy grin, clearly smitten.

She flashed a teasing smile. “Damn right I did, Philip. With dozens of survivors ready to bring this town to its full glory!”

Philip grinned. “Awesome, let me go get the captain!”

His quickly scanning eyes then locked on to Eric. He visibly winced. “What the fuck happened to you?”

Eric forced a chuckle. “Got on the wrong side of an orc. And if you think I look bad… you should see the orc! Positively fucking crispy.” Eric’s grin turned fierce. The youth, who was older than Eric, paled. “Uh… sure. Right. Let me get the captain. You all know there’s a tax to immigrate to the city, right?”

This earned some surprised glares and curses. Alice just shrugged and smiled. “Sorry, must have slipped my mind. But if anyone wants to go back to Gilton, and live in constant fear of being collard by the orcs, in which case you’ll just be someone else’s property, or thrown into a hell pit, like poor Eric here, just say the word.”

Her bemused smile hardened. "No one's making you enter Freetown, and you won't be taxed as a guest or a trader. But that's only if you're actually planning on leaving in less than a week. Important thing is we made it, the bartender takes copper, silver, goods, and work credits, and if you want a celebratory cigarette, that's on me,” she said, lighting up a fresh smoke and offering her pack to a handful of surly-looking men as a peace-offering of sorts.

Of course, Tim and the other guards taking up defensive positions at Alice’s flanks and giving all the refugees death glares while Alice played diplomat, a diplomat who could blast giant lizards with bolts of lightning, was also working in her favor.

“But if you're goal is to start your life over someplace safe, someplace where you and the handful of you who brought wives and kids can live without having to fear orc slave collars or monsters devouring your children in your sleep, a fifth of what you're carrying is a small price to pay, especially if we can get you work. Don't you all agree?"

This earned some grumbles quickly stilled by several women glaring at their men while holding exhausted-looking children close to their side, the angry husbands and fathers realizing they had far more at stake than their own frustrated pride. And despite some bitter sighs and curses, in the end no one wanted to go back the way they had come, and the one or two who actually looked angry enough to head back soon thought better of it when they realized that they were in the absolute minority.

In very short order, Eric found himself sitting across from Alice on a wooden bench just inside a rickety clapboard building, one of dozens lining a massive underground cavern that had filled Eric with a certain amount of wonder when he first looked up and caught sight of the green glowing moss lighting up the whole town. Much to his surprise, the air had been fresh, and the massive cavern that seemed to be breaking at least a few laws of physics being so vast, stretched out for what seemed a good mile in circumference. Eric could actually make out a field of grass beyond the tiny town by the cavern entrance, with a crystal clear pool in the center and a rather nice-looking manor just beyond.

And all he had to do was look back the way they had come to think that maybe the refugees were coming out ahead, at least as far as security went, noting that the entire entrance to the branching tunnel had been walled off and fortified with four crossbowmen dressed in a combination of swat gear and steel armor standing guard.

“Thank you for your help today, Eric. I think you just might have saved our hides.” Alice flashed a wry smile, taking a sip of her drink and lighting her third cigarette in less than an hour. “Or at least a few hides.”

Eric smiled back. "Honestly, I was just happy to help, and who knows? Maybe make a friend or two along the way."

Alice nodded. “That you did,” she said, taking a luxurious drag before exhaling streams of smoke from her nostrils, and Eric could all too readily sense what was hiding beneath her wry smile. “And I apologize for Timothy. Seriously.”

She swallowed, shaking her head, a haunted look coming to her soft brown eyes. “I knew he could be a bit of an asshole, and the men who are as much his crew as my hires, well, I knew they were more desperate and in need of work than actual soldiers. But we had three good runs together, and I thought, hell… I thought we made an alright team. They giving me cover, and me blasting the shit out of anything that came our way. But the way Tim acted after he lost two of his best men? Men who were a hell of a lot better than him? Totally fucking unprofessional. So let me make this clear. That was strictly a side gig. My regular crew? We’re nothing like that. I promise you that.” She glared down at her own cigarette and the trembling hand holding it, before taking another deep drag. “Fucking run’s turning me into a chain-smoking bitch.”

Eric flashed a teasing smile. “Careful, those things will kill you.”

Alice laughed so hard tears came out of her eyes. “Would you believe I was a health nut before the world ended? Crossfit training every day.” She gave a rueful shake of her head. “I quit these things and a bunch of other shit, back in college. Promised myself I’d graduate clean as a whistle.” She snorted. “We can all see how that turned out.”

Eric gave a sympathetic shrug. "Life happens. You can always quit again, when we're not a half-breath away from extinction. Right now, it's all about putting one foot in front of the other and doing all we can to level up,” he said with a smile. "And how fucking awesome is that? We can actually transform our bodies in ways that would have taken a decade of intensive training before, or just been outright impossible. Now, we can become whoever and whatever we want to be." He grinned, gazing at her wand. "Even become heroes capable of wielding magic."

She paled and flinched, before giving a quick nod. “You’re damned right. We’re adventurers. This is our once in a lifetime chance to push ourselves to the limit, and become just as strong and powerful as any action star or fairy tale hero.” She gave him an approving smile. “Hell, you sound like my brother, come to think of it. I think he’d like you.”

Eric grinned. “Even with the scars?”

She smiled, her soft hand gently squeezing his own. “Even with your scars.” She then sat back, staring at him thoughtfully for long moments. Her hawk-sharp eyes then quickly scanned the nearly empty clapboard tavern. Only the barkeep, a rotund man wearing a half tuxedo that had seen better days, caught her once-over, giving her a respectful nod back, before turning to his sole other customer, a man lost in his cups at the rickety counter.

Only then did Alice turn back around, a fresh stream of tobacco smoke slipping free of brightly glossed lips. “So, Eric, how’d you like to make some serious fucking money?”