Winter had co, blanketing the region around the settlent in a thick layer of snow. The temperatures had plumted well below freezing, and as a result, food – as well as every other necessary resource – had grown scarce. Alyssa and a few of the other hunters with martial archetypes hunted as much as possible, and other mbers of the growing community frequently gathered supplies from the remnants of the town.
But the pickings were growing slimr by the day. Already, the local market had been picked clean of non-perishable goods, and the gathering parties had been forced to range further with every passing week. They’d found a few gas stations here and there, as well as a couple of fast-food restaurants, but for the most part, they had been forced to gather wild edibles like mushrooms and berries.
With winter having descended, even those sources of food had dried up.
Alyssa sat next to Carn’s forge, where her wife was busy shaping a hunk of tal into what would probably beco a sword. She watched as the other woman’s hamr repeatedly fell upon the hot steel. The spear that Alyssa favored – another of Carn’s creations – was never far away. They’d been attacked often enough that she didn’t dare walk around unard.
Not anymore.
Finally, Carn was satisfied with the shape, so she shoved it into the forge – which was really just a fire pit – and let out a sigh. Then, she turned to Alyssa and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Alyssa said. She sat in a camp chair she’d retrieved from the house when she and a few others had returned to gather any supplies they’d left behind. Most of the house had been ripped to pieces by so unknown monster, but the chair – along with a few other essentials – had survived.
“Yeah – not buying it,” Carn said. “C’mon. Lay it on .”
“Why does sothing have to be wrong? Can’t I just want to watch my wife work?” she asked.
“Again – not buying it. You never stop moving unless sothing’s gone wrong. So, what’s going on?” Carn asked.
Alyssa sighed. “Sa as always. Not enough food,” she said. “Not enough wood. Not enough of anything, really. We have almost three-hundred people living here now, and unless sothing changes, there’s no way we can survive the winter.”
“Oh. That.”
“Yeah. That,” Alyssa agreed.
Carn wiped the sweat from her brow, then grabbed a huge stump she often used as a chair. It had to weigh at least three-hundred pounds, but with her enhanced Strength, she didn’t even struggle with it. Carn had always been a strong woman, but she’d begun to approach superhuman levels.
Of course, that had co at the cost of her other attributes, none of which had seen any significant investnt. Despite Alyssa’s words of caution, Carn had no interest in increasing her Dexterity, Constitution, or the more epheral Ethera attributes.
“We’re going to have to go on another supply run soon,” Alyssa said. “I was talking to Roman about it, and he thinks we should go tomorrow.”
“Miggy won’t like that,” Carn said.
“And you?”
“I don’t like it either,” she admitted. “But I’m an adult, and I know what’s going on here. Either you do what needs to be done, or none of us survive.”
“Soone else could go.”
Carn shook her head, then put her hand on Alyssa’s thigh. “You’re the highest level here,” she said. “Face it – you’re the most important person in this whole community.”
“Roman –”
“Is an asshole who nobody likes,” Carn stated. “He tries. He works as hard as anybody. Harder, even. But think about it, Alyssa. Everyone sees you out there on the front lines, leading the charge. anwhile, Roman’s in the back with all the non-combatants, firing away from relative safety. On top of that, he’s the guy who’s telling everyone they can only have so much food. That they have to work or get kicked out.”
“This place would collapse without him.”
“I know that. You know that. And deep down, most other people do, too. But just because they recognize that he’s essential doesn’t an they like the guy. Hell, he’s saved my life twice now, and I still barely tolerate him,” Carn said.
The fact that most people didn’t particularly care for Roman wasn’t news to Alyssa, though she certainly didn’t think it was fair. Without his influence, the small community would have long since failed. People would have starved if he hadn’t instituted rationing or insisted that everyone had to contribute in so way. Whether it was gathering or hunting, no one was exempt from food procurent duties.
“He’s a good man.”
“Again, not arguing that he isn’t,” Carn said, holding up her hands in surrender. “I’m just saying he’s an asshole. And nobody likes assholes.”
Alyssa shook her head, then leaned over, her head in her hands as she massaged her temples. She certainly hadn’t signed up to lead a community, and she didn’t think she was cut out for it. However, because she’d reached level nine – making her the highest level person in the settlent – people looked to her for guidance. As she went, the community would follow.
“Doesn’t matter,” she said.
“I think it matters more than you want to admit, but okay,” Carn said. “So – how far do you think you’ll have to go?”
Alyssa shrugged. “At least a few miles,” she said. “Maybe further. Last ti he climbed the water tower, Rick said he thought he saw so buildings about ten miles to the north. So, at worst, we’ll have to go there.”
“Any signs its inhabited?”
“Not by people,” Alyssa answered.
Not for the first ti, she tried to wrap her head around how much the world had been transford. Before, Easton had been only a few miles from Seattle’s city limits, but now, there was nothing but forest for dozens of miles all around, with only pockets of the abandoned remnants of civilization. Alyssa had confird it for herself when she’d climbed the water tower at the center of town.
It seed that they’d managed to gather all the local survivors into one place, which was both horrifying and gratifying. Horrifying because it suggested that the mortality rate approached seventy or eighty percent. On the other hand, the fact that everyone was willing to gather in one spot and work together for the greater good was certainly a good thing. Alyssa had seen enough post-apocalyptic movies where the world was ruled by warlords to be thankful that such a fate hadn’t co to pass.
Perhaps it was different in more populated areas. Or maybe not. Either way, she couldn’t concern herself with hypotheticals that couldn’t be proved one way or another. Instead, she needed to focus on her own situation.
For a while, she and Carn sat together, just enjoying one another’s company. Miguel was in the main building with the other surviving children. Without the benefit of an archetype – the cut-off seed to be fifteen-years-old – they weren’t yet equipped to make it in the new world.
“Are you going to be back for Christmas?” Carn asked.
“I hope so,” Alyssa answered, fervently hoping that she could spend the holiday – if such a thing even mattered anymore – with her family. It was three days away – as far as they could tell, at least – and she wanted more than anything to be there for what would probably be a very subdued celebration. However, the needs of the many outweighed her desire for family ti. She hoped Miguel understood why she just didn’t have as much ti for him as she would have liked.
Eventually, duty called, and Alyssa bade her wife goodbye. After that, she stopped by to see Miguel before reporting to the armory. She was the first of the hunters to do so, which gave her a few minutes to look her status over:
If you co across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Na
Alyssa Hart
Level
9
Archetype
Warrior
Class
N/A
Specialization
N/A
Alignnt
N/A
Strength
10
Dexterity
10
Constitution
10
Ethera
7
Regeneration
7
Attunent
None
Cultivation
Body
Core
Mind
Soul
Unford
Unford
Unford
Unford
Unlike Carn, Alyssa had chosen to spread the sixteen free attribute points out, allocating a few into each category. She’d brought all of her physical attributes to double digits, but Ethera and Regeneration had lagged a little behind.
The benefits were apparent, and she felt stronger, more coordinated, and far more durable than she ever had before. She’d never been in bad shape, but with the increased physical capability that ca with her new attributes, Alyssa had no trouble throwing a grown man over her shoulder in a fireman’s carry. She knew that because she’d been forced to do just that on more than one occasion, and even hindered by the extra weight, she could sprint at speeds appropriate for a professional athlete.
And during her frequent hunts, she’d also taken enough wounds to know precisely how much more durable she’d beco. Attacks that would have once been debilitating were far less severe, and she healed from them far more quickly than ever before.
But even with her increased attributes, the most important change had co from her abilities:
Archetype: Warrior
A versatile lee archetype, proficient with most weaponry. Features bonuses to durability, Strength, and learning martial techniques.
Required Aspect:
[Martial]
Abilities
Heavy Blow
Increase the damage of your lee attacks by 5%. Toggled personal augntation.
Charge
Dash forward at 200% your normal speed for three seconds. Your next attack will do 30% more damage.
Shockwave
Stomp the ground, sending a wave of force to stun opponents. Incapacitates lesser enemies.
Hardened Skin
Increase your Constitution by one (1) point per level. Current: Nine (9). Toggled personal augntation
Recover
Focus your Ethera, tripling your Regeneration.
Impale
Strike an enemy, causing damage over ti.
Bulwark
Summon a shield of Ethera to protect allies.
Weapon Mastery
Grants basic competence with any weapon.
Champion’s Shout
Strike fear into your enemies’ hearts, weakening their resolve.
Enrage
Channel Ethera into rage, increasing all physical attributes.
All of her abilities were powerful, though a few of them ca with significant caveats. For instance, Recover allowed her to heal from grievous injuries in a fraction of the ti that would normally be required, but it rapidly drained her Ethera as well. The other abilities were also limited, either by Ethera, ti, or an epheral cap on how many self-buffs she could maintain.
At present, she usually had Heavy Blows active, but she’d found a few occasions where Hardened Skin was more useful. The only one that didn’t seem to count toward her limit was Weapon Mastery, which seed to always be active, regardless of the situation.
Alyssa was busy considering it when the others arrived. First, there was Tony – one of the town’s Rangers. Thin and dark-skinned, he was level six, which made him the fourth highest leveled person in the community behind Alyssa, Carn, and Roman.
“Hey,” he said as he ca into the room. Following him was Fiona, a mousey woman who’d chosen the Sorcerer archetype. Then, finally, Trish ca into view. She was one of only three Healers in the settlent. Alyssa had argued against her inclusion, but Trish had insisted upon coming, citing the very probable need for a healer. Alyssa had reluctantly acknowledged that the blonde woman was right, but she’d have still preferred it if one of the other healers had been available.
They all exchanged greetings before Alyssa said, “I guess we need to get going. If we move quickly, we should be able to make it to the Robinson House before nightfall.”
There wasn’t much else to say, so they quickly set out, passing through the building’s lobby, then crossing the parking lot, and exiting through the gate. Often, Alyssa found herself marveling at how much had changed, and in only a handful of months.
Tony ranged ahead, using his abilities to stay hidden as he scouted their route. Periodically, he would return to the road to report his findings while the others moved at a much more sedate pace. Alyssa could have gone much faster, but neither Trish nor Fiona had invested heavily in their physical attributes. Even so, Alyssa knew that if they were attacked, both would prove their worth.
Gradually, they covered ground until, as the sun began to set, they reached a large log cabin. The mailbox labeled it as belonging to the Robinsons, though no one knew what had happened to the original owners. What they did know was that the house, with its sturdy walls, made for a great shelter, and it had often been used as such by foragers who needed to spend the night away from the settlent.
Though it was technically labeled as a log cabin, the house was more of a mansion than anything else. The sort of place the incredibly wealthy built, and when they stayed there, they called it roughing it. So, to make it safe, Alyssa and the others had been forced to board the windows and block most of the doors.
That had been months back, and the house had proved its worth on more than one occasion. So, as the group settled in for the night, they had every reason to feel secure.
They weren’t.
A little after midnight, sothing huge and scaly burst through the door, tearing it free of its hinges. Alyssa, who was the one who happened to be on watch at the ti, sprang into action, using Champion’s Shout. At the sound of Alyssa’s raised voice, the creature stumbled a bit, but it was otherwise unaffected.
Shocked, Alyssa raised her spear and sprang forward, engaging the massive creature so the others would have a chance to respond.
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