Morning came without the sun.
Smoke still clung to Lagos and soured the sky to a sickly gray. Somewhere in the distance there was the sound of something enormous roaring, followed by the sound of several buildings collapsing.
Adams stood outside the shelter with a hand braced against the wall.
His whole body still ached, though not with the sharp pain that he’d felt yesterday, only the dull pressure of muscles that were still recovering.
Riven adjusted the strap over his shoulder where his weapons were slung.
"You sure you can walk?"
Adams gave him a look.
"I just walked out."
"That wasn’t my question."
"I’ll be fine."
Elena gave him a narrow look.
"You’re terrible at answering questions."
"I’ve been told."
They began to walk, though none of them had a real idea of where. Home was no longer a concept that had a particular place attached to it. Their old streets had become alien to them, cars littering the roadways, some crushed under fallen objects or burning buildings, shops reduced to rubble, veins of strange black growths running up through the paving stones.
People had begun to trickle out of the ruined buildings, in small groups, clutching weapons or bags, or simply clutching nothing at all.
Everyone looked tired.
It took nearly an hour of walking before they heard the shouting.
Riven raised a hand, signaling for a halt.
They fell silent.
Voices came from the intersection ahead.
"Push it back!"
"Keep it out of the way!"
"Move!"
Adams looked towards the square where a group of survivors had taken up position, using upturned cars, tables, lengths of metal as barriers against... something. There were about fifteen of them, standing in a loose formation with weapons aimed outwards.
Something was pressing against their defenses.
It was a four legged mass of gray flesh with a maw stretching impossibly wide across its face.
One of the survivors lunged at it with a machete, sticking the weapon in the thing’s neck. It screamed and threw the man against a car.
"Damn!"
Adams took a step forward.
Elena grabbed his arm.
"You’re still injured."I know."
"Adams."
He looked at her, then the writhing mass of muscle and bone. "Someone’s going to die."
Elena released him.
"Then don’t make me save you too."
Adams allowed himself a small smile.
"No promises."
He surged forwards, the curved blade already sliding free of its cloth covering.
Gravemarch.
The moment his fingers wrapped around the handle of the weapon it felt as if it had been waiting for this moment. Not too light, not too heavy, just right.
The creature turned.
Adams brought the weapon up and across, slicing open the thing’s foreleg.
Blood sprayed across the pavement as it stumbled back, but Adams didn’t slow, crowding right into its space and driving his shoulder into its chest. His kinetic reinforcement activated, the power in his movements adding considerably to the impact and sending the abomination sprawling across the ground.
Someone from behind the barricade was already asking a question.
"What the hell was that?"
Adams didn’t answer. The creature was already getting to its feet, its claws coming down to meet the pavement with a sickening sound. He raised Gravemarsh once more, meeting the blow as the thing’s claws raked across the steel of the blade.
Nothing happened.
Then Gravemarsh moved.
Adams twisted his wrist and the weapon slid across the claws of the beast, cutting through two of them with ease.
The creature recoiled. Adams took a step forward and slashed across the stomach, then across the throat. It collapsed to the ground, and there was a long, expectant silence as it lay there.
Adams stood over it, breathing heavily, Gravemarsh still in his grip. It hadn’t moved. That was the scary part.
In the sky above the creature’s corpse there was a faint shimmer, the ghost of a light. Its core hung suspended for a moment before Adams reached out and grasped it.
The moment his fingers closed around it his limbs went numb, then
[Experience Acquired.]
[Level Requirement Reached.]
Adams stiffened. Then
[Level Up.]
His pain vanished. Not reduced, but simply gone. His ribs stopped aching. The tension in his shoulder disappeared. All his wounds and bruises, the strain on his muscles and the damage inside his body, it was all gone in an instant. Adams straightened slowly.
Elena was staring at him.
"You..."
He flexed his fingers experimentally. Everything still worked.
Riven’s mouth was open.
"You leveled up."
Adams looked at his hands, then at Elena. She walked over to him and pressed a hand to his shoulder. Then her ribs. Nothing.
She looked genuinely surprised.
"You were injured ten seconds ago."
"Apparently I’m not anymore."
A new window opened before his eyes.
[Name: Adams Albert]
[Level: 16]
[Class: None]
[Strength: 18]
[Agility: 21]
[Vitality: 18]
[Intelligence: 16]
[Spirit: 17]
[Soul: ERROR]
[Available Attribute Points: 15]
Adams stared at the last line before closing the window.
The survivors around them were watching, but not his System interface. They were watching Gravemarsh.
One of the men edged forwards cautiously. "What is that thing?"
Adams looked down at the curved blade in his hands.
"I don’t know."
The man’s eyes were still fixed on the weapon. "Where did you get it?"
Adams hesitated.
"It’s complicated." was Riven’s answer.
The man turned to him, then back to Adams. He looked as though he might ask another question, but something in Adams’ expression must have changed, because he took a step back.
"Thank you."
Adams nodded once.
Before anyone could say anything the sound of a scream echoed from the other side of the street. Everyone turned towards the sound.
Three more of the creatures were shambling out from between the buildings. Then five. Riven sighed.
"Of course."
Adams tightened his grip on Gravemarch. This time he felt different, not that he was invincible or anything, but that the pain in his ribs and shoulders and the bruises over his chest didn’t really matter.
He took a measured step forward.
"Stay behind me."
Riven snorted. "Absolutely not."
Elena raised her hands. "Both of you, stop arguing."
The creatures charged.
Adams stepped forward first, bringing the blade up and across. This time he didn’t hold back, meeting the first monster’s charge with a strike to the arm that sent a pulse of energy through the weapon. For a moment it seemed to drink in the impact, before a flash of black lightning leapt from the edge of Gravemarsh and took the creature’s whole arm off.
Everyone was silent as he looked down at the weapon.
It was quiet. Almost bored.
Adams cast a glance at the creatures left, then back at Gravemarsh.
"Well."
He raised the blade once more.
"That’s useful."
And the monsters came running.