August 20th. The Sun has released excess Odd into Earth. Next discharge in 01 days, 10 hours, 07 minutes, and 15 seconds.

Removing Skill Orb: Vampiric Venom (Tier 0 – Yellow) [Body]: [27%]

Status

Name: Sen Salazar – Tier 1 Human [15/30]

Ability: Locked – Essence Required [0/500]

Attributes

(0) Mind – Rank V [0/500] (+)

(1) Body – Rank I [0/30] (+)

(0) Spirit – Rank IV [0/250] (+)

Essence: 788

Skill Orbs [6/6]

Bone Armor (Tier 1 - Yellow) [Body] – Shatterburst Augment Claw Fighting (Tier 0 – Orange) [Spirit] – Upgrades Available Darkvision (Tier 0 – Blue) [Mind] – Upgrades Available Fiendish Physique (Tier 0 – Yellow) [Body] – Upgrades Available Predator’s Tongue (Tier 0 – Blue) [Mind] – Upgrades Available Vampiric Venom (Tier 0 – Yellow) [Body] – Removing [27%]

Sen squinted at his interface, and he tried his best to figure out what to do with it all. He had essence—and what looked like a lot of it. But really, what he had was only a drop in the ocean that he needed to make significant progress. But first, he took the easier upgrade of them all.

He tapped on his Body Attribute again.

Body [Tier 1] increased! Rank I -> Rank II

He felt the increase immediately—the way his muscles tightened, then relaxed. The way that it made his recovering wounds hurt less. He felt it in how lightly he held himself, and in the tidal rush of blood cycling from his Flow-drenched heart. For thirty essence, it was an upgrade he was glad to have.

Sen released a breath. Even his lungs felt sturdier. The breaths left him in a gentle, rolling wave, and he laid down, feeling the cold metal below him.

The top of the bus was a surprisingly good place to sit.

It had been a day since Em had carried him to safety, and the timer constantly dropping in the corner of his vision gave him no shortage of questions to ask. Because now, for the first time since the apocalypse started, Sen could afford to lay down and rest. To just wait for his wounds to go away.

That made it so much easier to lose himself in his head.

Sometimes, he thought about his Aunt Sofia. He thought about Nissa, then his friends from club. He wondered about how they were doing—if they survived, and how he would come to find them after he was out of here. Aunt Sofia, especially, who was far and away in Mirador Llevant. At times, he wondered about the interface, the monsters, and the cause of all that was changing the world. Was it an alien attack? Some cosmic being playing sandbox in humanity’s corner of the beach?

He didn’t know. And honestly, Sen got tired of wondering about the mysteries of the universe five minutes into his thoughts.

So now he was here. Sitting. Thinking of how to best distribute his resources.

Fiendish Physique (Tier 0 – Yellow) [Body]

Passive. A Skill Orb filled with a Bloodfiend’s essence modifies the user’s physique. All bones are strengthened. Minor increase to the effect of the user’s Body Attribute. Fiendish origin; future skill augments affected.

Available Augments:

Blood Sacrifice [0/250]

Active. No Flow cost. Sacrifice blood to strengthen skill effect. Increases skill bonus to Body Attribute by a factor of one per 10% of blood sacrificed, capping at 50% and doubling the effect of Fiendish Physique.

Demonic Resilience [0/500]

Passive. The user is immune to all fire effects below the 3rd Tier, and the user’s skin gains the resilience of demonic hide, increasing shock-absorption and natural defense.

Fiendfire Control [0/1,000]

Active. Moderate Flow cost, ongoing. Allows the user to conjure and manipulate green Fiendfire. Evolves [Fiendish Physique] to [Fiendish Bloodline], granting the user additional demonic properties.

This skill, for instance, was downright ridiculous. The available Augments were all over the place, and each one seemed stronger than the last, coming with all kinds of connotations he didn’t even want to think about. And after experiencing the ninety-percent discount he’d gotten from his first skill augment, everything in his list was back to full price. Much of it was out of his budget. Sen scrolled through every single one of his skills and their upgrades, and while many were appealing, they just didn’t feel like the edge he needed.

Hell, he didn’t even know what edge he needed to have.

Looking at his skill list was like opening the movie folder on his old laptop—hundreds upon hundreds of films, all classics and highly acclaimed rollercoasters that everyone wanted him to watch. There was just so many that it was paralyzing.

As Sen stared at his interface, he could already feel the headache coming along.

Still, it wasn’t hard to hold off on a decision yet. At the very least, he would wait until he could replace Vampiric Venom with the Skill Orb Em had looted from the dead boss. She’d given it to him the day after he woke up—a glowing, embered marble. Molten crags smoldered over its smooth surface.

Sen held it up in front of his face.

Purple Skill Orb [Tier 1] – Psionic Force

Assimilate? Y/N

It was the first Tier 1 Skill Orb he’d seen, and Sen had no idea what kind of insane Augments it was going to give him. All he hoped for was that once it assimilated, it would be a good enough option for an Augment that he’d stopped agonizing over what to use his essence on.

And if it wasn’t…

Sen sighed.

“That’s the sixth sigh in the last hour,” a voice came from below, and Sen opened his eyes. He rolled over to the edge of the roof and looked down at Em, who had her arms crossed below. She raised an eyebrow his way. “Still upset you lost the last chocolate bar to me in rock-paper-scissors?”

“I wasn’t anymore, but now I am and I hate you again. How are you feeling?”

Em smiled and clambered up the side of a car, before jumping onto the roof of the bus. She pulled herself up with the ease of an enhanced human in their new world, giving him a questioning look.

“Better,” she said. “I can move around better now, at least. What were you moping around up there for?”

Sen sighed and spread his arms across the surface of the bus roof. “I’m thinking about how to spend my essence. There’s just so many options for me to take since I unlocked the second tier, and none of them feel right. I never played video games that much because they were boring as hell, but I’d have slogged through more if I knew the apocalypse was gonna be like this.”

“You have no idea how many people you’d piss off by saying that. If you were more of a geek, maybe you’d already be a master of surviving the end of the world.”

“Ugh. What about you then, miss geek? Got some expert advice to give?”

“Dump everything into one stat and hope for the best.”

“You’re just a bundle of terrible ideas.”

Em smirked, then motioned to the parking lot beyond the bus. “Well, if you’re going to do nothing but mope around up here, come down and help me prepare. We’re still going through with the plan, right?”

“The completely idiotic, reckless plan that will probably kill us instead of getting us out of here?”

“That’s the one.”

“Then yes.”

She dropped off the side of the bus and landed without so much as a stagger, and Sen followed her, the motions fluid and easy despite the small aches that still remained. All things considered, her wounds were worse than his and it showed. Em still walked with a slight limp, favoring her uninjured side over the other.

She brought him to a line of cars where some of their stolen—or more accurately put, scavenged—supplies were arranged next to the abandoned vehicles. Sen crossed his arms.

“We’re looting again?”

“Yep. So I need you to help me.”

“And by help, you mean watch, right?”

“I’m moral support. You stand there and do the work, and I stand here and look pretty.”

“You still smell like a dumpster, though.”

“Rude.”

“At least you’re pretty, right?”

Em laughed and Sen smiled as he strode past her and towards one of the cars. Aside from the foreboding tunnel in the distance, the parking lot was largely empty. There were no monsters here. No threats. And so, all the cars left underneath by all the faculty were there for them to plunder as they saw fit.

Sen conjured [Bone Armor] into his arms, before smashing his fists through the car windows. The glass shattered easily in the face of his strength—like punching through a thin layer of candy.

Once broken, Sen reached in and unlocked the door.

“Don’t forget to check under the seats.”

“Got it.”

He walked off from the car and Em moved in, crawling inside to search the cars. There were a surprising amount of knick-knacks inside each one, from spare clothes, to power banks and even food, there was plenty for them to gather before trying to move on. Sen wore clothes they’d looted from a sedan, even. A professor’s spare jacket, under a dress shirt and pants, while Em wore a loose hoodie under fresh jeans, taken from a random student car’s backseat.

Sen thought he looked pretty crisp in professor’s clothes, if he was anyone to judge. With his long hair tied in a knot, he looked like some easygoing teacher. On top of it all, the sleeves were even wide enough for him to use his armor skill without tearing the fabric. He nodded at his reflection on the window before punching through the glass again.

“I should wear smart casual more often,” he muttered, as he smashed a car’s windows again. “Tía always said my dad looked good in a suit.”

Em seemed to hear him as she rifled through a car’s compartments.

“Do you always ogle yourself in front of a mirror?”

Crash! Another window shattered again.

“It would be a waste not to.”

“Wow,” she said, poking her head out of a broken window behind him. “I’m impressed you actually said that.”

“Just admit it. I’m stunning.”

“Meh. Too chiseled.”

He looked at her from across the parking lot, offended. “But that’s the best part!” Sen narrowed his eyes at her and huffed. He looked away and—crack! Another window broke again as he sighed. “No one appreciates a good body nowadays. I swear, only my gym buddies appreciate the work I put in.”

He paused as his expression darkened.

"I hope they survived," he muttered. Em seemed to hear him.

"If they're anything like you? They'd be too persistent to lose to some vampires."

Sen looked at her, and he felt himself smile. "You're right," he said. "Gym junkies like those guys won't let an apocalypse pull them down. Makes you wish you spent more time working out, huh?"

Em smiled, shrugged, and ducked down again.

“I’ve been to the gym a few times. It’s just sweaty blokes making weird noises and touching each other all day.”

"You’re not wrong, but I’ll never forgive you for putting it that way.”

“It’s alright. You may be a sweaty jock, but you’re cool. So I promise only to judge you once a—” she stopped, and Sen turned towards her direction, an eyebrow raised. He saw Em sitting still inside the car, staring at something in the glove compartment. She blinked, as If trying to convince herself that what she was seeing was real, before reaching in.

She poked it.

“Holy shit.”

Sen strode over and peered inside. “What’d you… oh.”

He stopped and stared. Em sat in the passenger seat, holding a handgun in her grip. An old Glock; a dark, steel grey, like stormclouds in the shape of a pistol. It looked like a toy in her hands. Like a replica. And yet, as Em pulled the magazine out with a click, Sen saw nothing but real bullets inside.

She looked at him, and Sen’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit,” he said.

Em looked down at the gun like it was some sort of mythical being. “I forgot these were a thing,” she said, blinking. “I wasn’t even thinking there’d be any here. But…”

She looked up at him and waved it around. She grinned.

“Gun.”

Sen nodded. “Yeah. We just found a fucking gun. Holy hell. Do you know how to shoot?”

Em hesitated.

“No, I…” her shoulders sagged. “I don’t. Not that well, anyway. I’ve only been to the shooting range a few times. You?”

“I used to go hunting with my uncle. I never hit anything, but…”

They glanced at the gun once. Twice. They stared at each other, then down at the gun, then back to each other again. Em hesitated, thought for a moment, and then held it out. She offered it to him.

“Uh,” she said. “I guess you better keep it, then?”

Sen blinked at her. “Me?”

“You seem like you’re a better shot. I think.”

“But…”

“Take it, okay?”

He took it. Sen held the gun in his hand, tightening his grip around it once. Twice. He felt the weight of it in his palm. With his Body, it was no lighter than a feather. And yet, it was heavy to the touch. Like it was dragging his hand down by the mere presence of it.

Sen was holding a weapon for killing. Something that was invaluable here, in a place where getting close to monsters was a visceral, everyday threat.

But then he sighed, shook his head, and handed it back to her again.

“Nah,” Sen said. “It’s better on you. You’re Tier 0. I’m Tier 1. You need it more than I do.”

“Yeah, but this—it’s gun.”

“I mean, I get it, but what are you trying to say?”

She gave the gun a helpless look and waved it around, as if there was something he was supposed to understand from that gesture alone. “You know,” she said, seeming unsure herself. “It’s a gun. This is a big deal. And not to mention… these.”

Em reached into her pocket and took out three Skill Orbs, smoldering in the light. They were the ones left over that Sen hadn’t used himself.

Blue Skill Orb [Tier 0] – Darkvision

Blue Skill Orb [Tier 0] – Supernatural Instinct

Purple Skill Orb [Tier 0] – Blood Manipulation

Still, Em stared at the orb before flashing him a guilty look. “I know I don’t have as many Attribute ranks as you, but this… You already gave me these Skill Orbs, Sen. You honestly can’t be giving me the gun, too.”

He blinked at her.

“…Are you the type of person who’s bad with gifts?”

Em sighed and reached up to her ear, her fingers awkwardly touching at her lower piercings. “Listen,” she said. “I’m not very good with handouts. And y’know. Favors. Just getting them out of nowhere like this feels weird.”

“You know, your personality’s surprisingly adorable under all that shit talk.”

She looked away.

“Shut up.”

“Oh my god, you’re blushing.”

“You know what?” she asked, glaring. “I don’t feel bad about eating the last chocolate bar in in front of you anymore.”

Sen laughed, before sliding into the driver’s seat. The two of them sat together inside of the car, staring out into a parking lot full of plundered vehicles. Sen willed his Flow to move. And immediately, on a single finger, his Bone Armor coalesced in an instant. Sen tapped it against the wheel.

“You do realize I essentially gave you leftovers, right? I’m not using those Skill Orbs because I have better ones already.”

Em gave him a sideways glance. “As if tasting the air with a skill is better than something as metal as Blood Manipulation,” she muttered. “You’re being generous and you know it.”

“Well, what’s wrong with that?”

“It’s the end of the world, you know. Shouldn’t it be every man for himself?”

Sen rolled his eyes as he snapped his fingers, willing the Bone Armor to fade away from his hand. “That’s stupid,” he said. “The apocalypse should be a team game. Just like how football isn’t played alone, the end of the world’s no fun without other players. It’s not like you’ll take it and run off without me.”

“It’s just… you can’t be that generous. Or stupidly trusting. Or both. I just don’t see how—” Em paused, then sighed. She gave him a wry look. “Am I being a hassle to deal with?”

Sen cuffed her on the shoulder and grinned.

“You’re kind of a pain in the ass, yeah.”

Em gave a small laugh.

“I guess I am.”

“You still gonna say no to the Skill Orbs I’m giving you?”

“No,” she shook her head, before pursing her lips. “I’d just make this weirder if I said no. But still—I don’t feel right just getting gifts, so I’ll owe you, okay?”

Sen thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, yeah. Fine. And if you’re so insistent on owing me, do your best to keep us both alive. You can pay me back by helping me get out of here in one piece, minion. I expect this investment to break even by next week."

Em laughed and shook her head. She turned to him, her tired eyes playful, as she gave him a lazy salute. “Got it,” she said. “Try not to work me too hard, Chief.”

Sen nodded and put on a stern voice. “It’s good to have you on board, Minion One. Let’s get to work.”

With a snort, Em turned away and stuffed the gun into her pack. She pocketed the Skill Orbs and started rummaging through the car again. Satisfied with her enthusiasm, Sen stood up from the driver's seat and got out, heading for another car to break into, when...

A small ping plinked into his ear.

Vampiric Venom (Tier 0 – Yellow) [Body] has been removed. Skill Orb has been stored in reserve [1/6].

He grinned as the notification came. Finally, he thought. He could finally move on to spending his hard-won essence. Sen dug the essence vampire’s Skill Orb out from his pocket and held it up, letting it smolder under the parking lot’s crimson glow. It was time to progress, and maybe even see what that Ability in his interface was all about.

Purple Skill Orb [Tier 1] – Psionic Force

Assimilate? Y/N

Sen pressed yes.