Leon

I walk west with the sun heating my backpack. Well, Adams backpack. He had a bunch in his closet and I didn't care enough to ask why. The situation outside isn't quite what I was expecting. Instead of full-blown Apocalypse, it's more third world chic. Only a few bodies lie in the street, far less than I thought would be the case. The debris, however, lives up to my expectations. I saw other people occasionally scavenging, or hunting maybe, like myself. I had nothing to say to others just yet though, so I avoid them. I was sure we all had the same information at this point. And besides I was also sure I was worth EXP too, I didn't want to get close enough to find out.

As I walk, I shoot the purple rats that try to attack with [Fire shot].

Fire shot

10 MP

Magic Attack

Damage 5-12

Ignite

Kill it with Fire

My MP regen as shot up from 1.6 to 9.5/m. Hmm, I could probably work out the math if I had time, but with the addition of 3 INT points and 5 wisdom, I feel confident in handling these small fries for a while. The goblins, on the other hand, I avoid like the plague, I just don't know enough about the situation to risk my life like that. They cluster in some of the houses and you can tell which ones. They aren't the hiding type. Still, aside from brandishing their spears, they don't really seem inclined to attack like mindless beasts. That could be a problem later. But for now, I just cross the street when I see them.

Rodentia

Level

Type

Health

Mana

1

Vermin

11

10

Identifying everything in the house brought that skill up to level 2, otherwise, I bet I wouldn't get its HP and MP stats. These little shits are pretty brazen, they charge right up and try to bite. I don't know what they use mana for but I don't give them a chance to demonstrate as I don't intend to find out. About 1 in 4 of the things dropped a [copper coin]. Ahh, now that's interesting a [sharp tooth]. They go in the bag and the coins go in the [Inventory]. Thankfully they don't take up any slots.

The reason I'm heading west is to get away from the population center. This area is poor residential, and east leads to the city center, right through affluent hood. Since there doesn't seem to be anything stopping monsters from kicking in your door, I have no reason to head that way. Instead, I plan to head past the warehouse district area and out into the country.

All law and order and government as been destroyed or forced to play dead. Things might have been bad when everything was going to hell, but I guarantee it'll be worse when people start to rebuild. Every Tom Dick and Harry is going to want to be King shit and won't likely take it well when everyone else doesn't want to play peasant.

I walk all morning 2-shotting rodents and making sure my MP doesn't run too low. I level up 2 times and find out the experience needed until the next level only pops up briefly when you think about it. Maybe the Celestials felt it was a distraction. I could see that. Life wasn't a game even if the rules had changed drastically.

Each level earns 5 stat points to distribute and raises the original four stats by 1 each. doesn't seem like a lot but as long as everyone is playing by the same rules, it doesn't matter too much. I'm going to throw all the bonus stat points into [Wisdom] but I'm doing fine for now, so I hold off. A pleasant surprise occurs when I stop for lunch, I could eat and walk, but I'm not exactly in a hurry to get nowhere. Plus the [STA] drain is noticeable while I walk, slightly above the regen rate.

New Stat Endurance

Accept

Decline

Hmm, Walking all morning earned a new stat, eh? Well, now the question is should I take it?

I hit [Decline] I wasn't willing to throw any points into it just yet and I didn't know how to change out stats just yet either. I probably didn't need 3 empty stat slots for a 'just in case' scenario but I'm the cautious type. I wanted to save those until I earn some magic based stats. Besides now I know how to earn [Endurance] again if I need to.

I keep walking after a long lunch. Long because I had to keep shooting rats as I ate so I couldn't really enjoy my food. But hey, at least eating fully restored my STA and fairly quickly. The coins and [sharp tooth] didn't really make up for it though.

Item

Sharp Tooth

Crafting Reagent

A short distance later my Firebolt is level 2 and it takes one shot to kill the rats, one less MP to use as well. Not bad, but the EXP is lacking now that I'm triple these guys level. I should really think about at least scouting the [Goblins], but the truth of the matter is I'm afraid.

Coming out of your house, going to school and work, just living your life is a risk. But going after a goblin is actively courting death. I could die. Literally, die. Today! But even worse, maybe, is the fact that the Goblins are obvious humanoids and not brainless animals. I'm not one of those people who sought out gore shit online. blood and guts don't appeal to any part of me. No fascination, no curiosity, no desire to see my enemies bleed at my feet. I'm not sure I could...

...

I start keeping an eye out for the next goblin hold out. I need to get stronger, 'this is our world, not theirs'. I tell myself whatever I have to in order to psych myself up. Fact of the matter is there is no moving forward except through those guys. I knew that when I choose a combat class.

It was obvious there were other ways to get stronger. The Celestials have [House Keeper] as a class for crying out loud! I chose this, now I've got to live with it.

I'm walking along, the pep talk going well, on the look out for my next [Fire Shot] recipient, hopefully of the Greened skin variety. Then all that get's put on the back burner. The cause would be the foolish female perched in the tree. The reason for her chosen seating arrangement would be the dozen or so [Rodentia] at the base. They are trying to climb up, she is knocking them down. But it isn't a stalemate, she is obviously on the losing side of the battle of attrition.

They are still at least a block away, I was just too lost in thought not to hear her yelling earlier. It isn't constant, might be only when she gets bitten. I really shouldn't loose my situational awareness like that, might cost me my life one day.

I start to jog closer, no point in running flat out and getting swarmed by those things. Can't believe I was taking these rats lightly just a few minutes ago. They could literally be about to kill someone, two someones if I'm not careful!

Note to self, underestimate nothing, ever!

I get within 30 yards and can see how this played out. She's using a knife and a bow to knock the rats off the tree, but her arrows are on the ground scattered at the base of the tree. Hmm, ok so she got swarmed before she lost her ammo, lost it climbing the tree and then... But it doesn't matter, There was no real choice about helping. I'm glad to say I barely even hesitated before making that decision.

I swear to God if this turns out to be some sort of hero complex, I'll bathe in herbs and spices before finding the nearest monster nest.

I can shoot 21 [Fire Shots] at my current mana, plus one or two more depending on my regen and the rats reactions. There's a little over a dozen it looks like. Deep breath, aim.. and fire... aim... and fire... ok then, their reaction time is quicker than I had hoped. I feel the swell of panic but fight it down, panic is death plain and simple. I aim and fire and back step, rinse and repeat. ok, not bad, 6 down. ok, too close, turn and run. ok, I'm a fucking idiots idiot!

I've been so repetitive all morning I literally forgot I have 3 other spells at my disposal. Right well, mana is down by 54 points. Stone skin cost 50 MP, then 10 more shots to deal with about 10 more rats AND all the while they will be biting me, and I don't know how much damage they do per attack. How much damage could ten rats do per second... SHIT! I could actually die here! fuck! fuck fuck fuck!! Instead of [Stone Skin] I use [Haste], run across the street and back the way we came. Making a wide circle around the rodents.

Haste

30 MP, 1MP/s

Magic Assist

10% Spd

--

He who fights and runs away...

I'm leading the rat race right back to the tree the girl was trapped in. Was, because she's picking up arrows and doesn't see the party heading her way. Seriously? I'm starting to see how she got stuck in a tree in the first place.

Choice one, take her former perch and let her deal with this shit. Choice two, run past and divide the vermin between us. Or the choice I already know I'm going to make because she's already injured and I don't know how much HP she has left.

Sigh.

I veer away from the girl, realizing I wasted 30 MP because now I have to use stone skin anyway. I'm strangely calm now. I'm really about to die. Oh well.

I stop and turn into the swarm, then start shooting after using stone skin. 1 down... next shot, 2 down... next shot...3 down. They're on me now, 6, 7, 8? hard to count. I calmly shoot as soon as I feel the next fire shot is available, my HP steady in decline as per the very fucking helpful red bar that appears in the corner of my vision. Then more good news

Minor Bleed

Losing 2 HP/s for 5s

Whelp, just found out what these little bastards use MP for! Then I'm hit with [Bleed] Three. more. fucking. times. I'm not even mad, I'm impressed.

But then for some reason, the rats stop attacking. Great, now I get to bleed to death in peace. Chu, like that's gonna happen. I sit down and start to meditate. I also throw 2 points into Strength which boost HP by 20. I really am A dumb-ass, I should have done that BEFORE the fight!

I watch my HP sink lower and lower and realize I might possibly have made it without [Meditate] by 5 or 10 HP or so. Not that I would really want to test it. Anyway, I don't bother to open my eyes, because this is that position of weakness I was worried about earlier. No way I'm even looking at that girl, not when a stiff wind could hold me over a barrel and tell me I've got a pretty mouth.

Meditate

Sit

Aura Assist

10% Regen

While Sitting

If it's too hard, just sit quietly and think about nothing

My current HP regen would take half an hour to refill my health, I don't want to sit in the road with my eyes closed for that long, but I'll be damned if I don't take a few minutes to distress from the fact that I almost got myself killed. Ahh, this is interesting, my body is shaking and ...

'Blergh!!"

I throw up in the street, luckily missing myself and.. why the hell is this chick so close to me? And why the fuck is she holding an Arrow aimed at me?

Are you fucking kidding me right now?

Status

Name

Leon

Level

3

Health

150

Mana

195

Stamina

140

Strength

15

Intelligence

21 (18)

Dexterity

10

Agility

14

Wisdom

5

N/A

0

N/A

0

N/A

0