Each step down brings the temperature down by a few degrees. It feels as if instead of descending into a burning hell I am descending into a frozen tundra. My mana responds to the cold by racing through my body warming me up by a bit.

The concrete walls next to me glows with blue as viens of mana race just beneath my skin. I feel more alive then ever before. As if I’m teeming with energy. At the thought of energy I realize I forgot something.

I bring up my stats screen looking it over quickly.

Personal Stats:

Attributes:

Value

Name:

Joel Dylan

STR:

10

Level:

10

DEX:

6

To Next Level

60/250

AGI:

7

Sex:

Male

END:

12

Age:

18

INT:

45

Class:

Mage

WIS:

11

LUC:

4

HP

100/100

CHA:

5

Mana

80/80

PER:

8

WIL:

6

Free Attribute points:

10

A quick glance through makes me realize that I’m about to head into a fight that might be more rough than the lobby fight and I still have free stat points. I stop my descent as I put all my free attribute points into Intelligence, bringing it up to fifty-five.

PING!

Title unlocked:

Genius

You're more intelligent than any human in prior history.

I raise an eyebrow at the new title. Does that mean I’m smarter than Einstein? Is that even possible? I don’t feel very smart?

It doesn’t matter right now. What matters is that I have more mana. I reexamine my stat screen and find my mana now sitting at one hundred-and-twenty. Far more than the ten points in Intelligence should have brought it up by.

Titles must be really useful. I should try to figure out how to get more. Imagine a title that gives me infinite mana. Just imagine the power that I could wield.

At the thought of more power I realize something. Have the others been distributing their points? Does Angila know that Intelligence boosts her mana pool?

“Ummm...?” I force out.

The others stop and stare at me.

Is something up Joel?” Decker asks.

“Well. Have you guys been distributing your Attribute points?” I ask.

“No, is that useful?” Decker asks.

I nod my head.

Yeah. That’s how I was able to take out so many in the lobby. I can boost how much mana I have to use by increasing my intelligence. Increasing my other attributes boost things like my strength and speed.” I explain

The group takes a second to review their personal stats. Their eyes grow distant as they focus on invisible screens before them.

“So I should boost my intelligence?” Angila asks.

“Yeah. If I were you I’d put every free point you have into that until it’s at twenty or so.” I say

“What should I do then?” Andy asks.

His tone makes him sound annoyed at something. I ignore it as I ponder on what attributes would be best for him. He seemed so out of breath after fighting a single zombie. So maybe.

“Maybe your Endurance. It might help you fight longer in that fast state.”

“I agree with Joel. How many points do you have Andy?” Decker asks.

“Just five.”

“Put three into Endurance and the other two into Strength.” Decker advises.

Andy nods and soon his focus is off of the air in front of him. Decker takes a second longer to distribute his points while Angila is already done. Satisfied with ourselves we continue the descent.

The smell of them hits me first. Upstairs and through the building it’s been mostly ignorable, with exception of the lobby. But the stench of rotting flesh is horrid. My stomach gurgles threatening to evict the little food I just ate.

I clamp down on the growing urge to vomit. Steeling my resolve and gearing up for the fight ahead. The blue lines under my skin glow in anticipation, warming me to my bone.

Pushing a small amount of mana out, I focus my Magical Sonar to just the area in front of me. We get to the landing and I stop the group sensing a few zombies.

I quietly relay the information to the group. We all tense up, mentality preparing for the coming battle. Then we make the final push.

I materialize two Rifle Rounds noticing that they aren’t pushed out of my body but instead formed from the cloud of mana that surrounds me.

I push forwards letting the two zombies in the concrete entrance to the garage come into sight. The spinning orbs of mana zoom out striking the zombies simultaneously.

Both die on contact with the mana, falling to the ground like empty sacks of potatoes. I race out over them and into the full garage and stop.

Only a few zombies greet me. The rest of the group push around me into the open and stop in their tracks.

“I thought you said there would be a lot in here.” Andy says.

“I thought there would be. The lobby was swarmed with them.”

“Don’t think about it. The goal is to close the garage door and secure the building.” Decker says bringing us back on track.

Angila lets fly two Rifle Rounds, one after the other. Two zombies hit the floor dead. Decker races out to the control panel for the garage doors. If possible he’s moving even faster than before, I guess stopping them to distribute their free Attribute Points wasn’t a waste of time.

He crosses thirty feet in less than a second. Once at the opening to the garage he slams his fist into the control panel and a beeping blairs out from the system. A warning that the gate is coming down.

HUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNGNGGG!!!!

The hungry horse moans of countless zombies echo out from the lower level of the garage. Motion in the street catches my attention. Zombies start crawling out from random places, as if they’ve been hiding.

One zombie with a blurred red light above its head races fast towards the garage. My heart races as I run towards the opening. If the zombie crosses the sensors to the garage the gate will roll back up and only close after thirty seconds of the sensors being uninterrupted.

I call forth twenty points of my mana forming an orb the size of an exercise ball in front of me. In the time it takes me to take a single step the zombie manages to cross twenty feet. Out of the corner of my eye I see Decker tensing, ready to intervene the zombie.

With another step I force the giant orb of mana in front of me to spin. The orb elongates as it does so. The sound of a large industrial fan drowns out everything else. With another step I let the spell loose. It zips through the air faster than my eyes can track. It crosses the garage and connects with the chest of the zombie.

A loud explosion rings out as a white light blinds me. I stumble and fall, my face dragging on concrete painfully. My ears ring and white dots dance in my vision as I pick myself up.

Through the small gap between the nearly closed gate and the ground I can see the high leveled zombie embedded in the door of a car parked across the street. The name tage above it is still glowing red.

Zombie

Level: 15

HP: 10/50

The gate closes with a metallic clang and the beeping of the warning ends. However the sounds of countless moans echo up from further into the garages.

Decker picks me up and checks me over.

“You okay kid?” He asks.

I nod in acknowledgement and turn to the tunnel leading to the second part of the garage. From just around the corner I see hands reaching forwards in the stereotypical zombie like fashion. Then a second later another red light flashes into view as a zombie breaks from the pack.

Zombie

Level: 17

HP: 60/60

My heart sinks. A whole seven levels above me. A level twelve was hard enough as is.

Decker vanishes from my side, racing out to meet the zombie. His feet pump powerfully into the group springing him forwards. He reaches speeds that I’ve only seen olympic level athletes achieve.

“Get on top of the cars.” He commands us.

His words break Angila and Andy from their stupor. Andy’s limbs become a blur as he races to the nearest car and leaps on top of it with a single bound. He slides on top of it’s roof as the concrete ceiling of the garage only gives about two feet of breathing room.

The acrobatic leap he just made astonishes me. A feat that I would never be able to replicate seems so easy for him. Is that the power of the warrior class?

Angila starts racing to the same car. Unsteady legs failing her as she tries to hurry. I conjure a tendral of mana to catch her and force her back onto her feet. Together we get to the car just as the zombie and Decker meet.

Decker slashes out at the zombies head in a horizontal arc. The zombie dips beneath him and continues racing forwards, ignoring the tall man with a sword. It’s hungry eyes lock onto me as I realize the bloody drool falling from it’s open mouth falls for me.

Panic rises in me as the monster quickly closes the gap between us. I lash out with one of my new spells. Two tendrils of mana snake out from my hands.

The glowing tendrils push into the body of the zombie and I quickly wrap them around the fast thing. It’s body flailing as I lift it in the air.

I feel my mana instantly start draining dropping from nearly full to almost half in a mere second. My eyes widen as I realize that I’ve barely managed to slow it down at the cost of nearly half of my mana.

My hand drops to my baton releasing it from it’s place on my utility belt. The familiar spell of Mana Saw activates with barely even a thought. Blue light coats the metal shaft spinning in a fierce spiral.

I take as many steps back as I can before releasing the tendrils of mana holding the zombie at bay. The tendrils snake back into me as I try to recover as much mana as possible.

The zombie falls to the ground in a heap. Then not even a second later it’s back on its feet racing after me. I form three Rifle Rounds letting them all go into its head.

The three spells strike true with tiny pops. The zombie’s health drops a few points but otherwise the spells barely affect the thing. Then it’s on me.

It lashes out with a swipe of it’s hand. Long yellow nails trailing in the air as I barely manage to fling my head backwards. Then another swipe catches me in the side. I feel something crack in me as I’m sent sprawling backwards.

The zombie jumps, landing on me. It smiles in glee as I look up at it. It’s apparent joy sparks something deep in me that I try to keep repressed. Rage boils forth as I lose focus on the world around me.

Summoning every ounce of strength I have I buck my hips up. The zombie’s weight shifts enough that I can twist it off of me.

As it slides on the ground I conjure two more Rifle Rounds but instead of sending them into the beast I merge them. Growing from the size of a quarter to a ping pong ball I force the energy to spin even faster. The hum becomes a high pitched scream as the spell zips through the air. It plunges into the shoulder of the zombie, boring a hole clean through.

The zombie spins in place falling to the ground as it loses more health. With the chance to breathe I throw myself to my feet and call more mana out of me.

Six Rifle Rounds manifest from me. Higher level zombies have a better defense, just adding more power behind my attacks won't do. I need the attacks to pierce into them.

I combine three Rifle Rounds into a spinning orb the size of a tennis ball. Then I force it to spin faster and faster. It’s shape elongates into long thick needles. I do the same to the other set of three Rifle Rounds creating two High Velocity Rounds.

The zombie flashes to its feet and belts out a roar far scarier than anything Andy has managed. It’s eyes almost glow with hatred for me.

“Come at me!” I cry back.

I’m not prey. I won’t let these level gaps define what can and can’t kill me.

The world around me disappears as the zombie in front of me becomes everything. I can make out the black veins bulging just beneath it’s skin. The red of its eyes almost glows with hunger.

The zombie races forwards, its limbs becoming a blur. With only feet between up it leaps into the air, its mouth snapping open. The skin at the corners of it’s lips splits as it’s jaw opens unnaturally wide.

I focus on it’s head letting the High Velocity Rounds build up as much speed as they can.

Decker races into the small world of me and the zombie. His silver sword slicing out at the zombie. It slices through one arm and then digs deep into its torso. Decker’s leap carries him past the zombie, forcing the sword from his grip.

Zombie

Level: 17

HP: 36/60

The zombie’s health drops by a chunk as Decker falls out of the small world I created. Regaining my focus I let the High Velocity Rounds sail with a roar that leaves my throat horse.

The arctic blue needles of energy disappear leaving only a tail of blue light. They zip through the air with a high pitched scream. They collide with the zombie’s eyes and instantly obliterate them.

Zombie

Level: 17

HP: 24/60

Then they dig deep into its skull, shredding everything in its wake.

Zombie

Level: 17

HP: 9/60

Like all my other long range spells the balls of energy finally explode.

Zombie

Level: 17

HP: 2/60

The zombie’s head rockets backwards but the monster’s forward momentum carries its body to me. Out of instinct more than anything else I swing my mana coated baton out with all my might. The blue energy connects with the pale skin of the zombie's neck.

Blood splurts into the air as the spiraling blue energy digs deep into the thing's neck. I feel resistance as if I’m trying to saw into concrete and not flesh.

The weight of the zombie slams wholly into my arm as I feel something in my wrist snap. I howl out in pain but don’t stop. I twist my body forcing my arm to push back against the zombie.

I spin in place almost throwing the zombie off to the side. An ear splitting snap sounds through the small world of this battle. The thing’s body slides on the concrete trailing blood as it does so.

My eyes watch as red becomes black.

Zombie

Level: 17

HP: 0/60

PING!

Level Up