Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System

Chapter 4: Ghost Town

The building they entered was a bar, or at least it used to be, as most of the bottles were destroyed along with the furniture inside. Still, it was more intact than most establishments, as Finn found a seat to rest on, placing his arms on the marble countertop where bartenders used to serve drinks.

"Look at this. Still a ton of booze left unharmed," Damian remarked, perusing the display of drinks on the wall behind the counter.

Finn was less than focused on the idea of alcohol, still deep in thought about everything going on as he stared at the surface of the table, "What the hell is even going on? I woke up and everything was just–well, like how it is."

"I'd like to know too, trust me. Started a couple hours ago, right before nightfall, I think," Damian recalled. "I was out on a jog by the highway and there was this huge flash of light in the sky–I mean, I thought the damn sun exploded or something, ya know?"

"Yeah, shocking, I bet," Finn said, listening closely.

"Next thing I knew, people were screaming, cars were crashing–these monsters just came out of nowhere, wrecking havoc," Damian told him. "I heard that voice in my head start talking and found an axe in my hand, so I fought."

Hearing the story from the man bestowed with the ["Warrior"] class, Finn decided to test out if another skill was present in reality now.

He squinted, focusing on the idea of present information about the man he looked at:

["Sleuth Status"]

[...Assessing information about [Damian]...]

[Name: Damian Hawkwell]

[Age: 22]

[Designated Class: Warrior]

[Level: 4]

"Hey, why're you staring at me so hard?" Damian asked as though his clothes were see through.

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"What level did you start at?" Finn asked, finding it peculiar that the man was a level lower than what he himself began with.

Damian scratched his chin in thought, recalling it, "Ah...I think one? Isn't that normal, like a game?"

That confirmed it for him, that there were factors that played into the starting parameters given to people. It seemed unfair, though it was all quite that way.

"This is all built like a game, isn't it? Just like Avalon Online. Ever play it?" Finn asked, glancing behind him at the windows of the desolate bar, making sure there were no monsters prowling.

"Nope. Played some when I was younger, but don't get that much time with work and all–well, I doubt I'll be working a nine-to-five anytime soon," Damian said, fiddling with the bottles left behind the counter. "Silver lining, right?"

"I guess," Finn responded.

He quietly observed the boisterous man who poured himself a shot from a bottle of whisky, not seeming to even feel the pain from the earlier attack. What was more surprising was that the bruising already seemed to lighten up somewhat, merely looking as if a blunt blow had been received by Damian.

'That's the toughness of the Warrior class, definitely...Still, I'd say this guy started with an especially tough body,' Finn thought.

It seemed as though the man he met hardly had any more information than him on the apocalyptic event, perhaps even less.

"So, what're you planning on doing? Going anywhere in particular?" Damian asked. "I haven't seen anything about shelters...doesn't seem like the military has any grasp on this."

"I'm going to find my mom–she lives alone on Renton avenue," Finn answered.

"Ah, man...Renton? That's not too far, 'bout a half hour walk, give or take," Damian said, putting his hand to his chin in thought.

"If there weren't monsters around every corner," Finn corrected him.

"True," Damian conceded.

Finn looked at the whisky-pouring man, "What about you? Any plans?"

"Not really. You seem pretty skilled though, so I think my best chances are with you. Besides, I want to help out," Damian offered.

The idea of having a companion amidst the dreadful situation didn't sound like a bad idea to Finn. Still, operating alone was part of his favor as an assassin.

'...A Warrior is a great thing to have on your side. It outweighs the negatives,' he decided.

Finn responded, "Do you know how to use your skills? Did you receive a special "system" of some sort?"

"Skills? Like RPG abilities?" Damian asked curiously.

"I'll take that as a no then. Let's see...The skills at level four with a Warrior should be: Bolster, Commanding Shout, and Earthen Slam," Finn recalled.

Seeing as he would be having the man alongside him, he taught him how to use his skills. The process was the same as it was in Avalon Online:

"So, I have to think of the skill in my mind and visualize it? That's all?" Damian asked.

"Yeah, for now try "Bolster"—it toughens up your body briefly," Finn advised him.

Damian flexed his body, causing his muscles to swell and harden as if made of steel, "Like this—?"

"Yup. Nice," Finn said. "We'll definitely get some practice on the way, I'm sure."

Leaving the bounds of the bar, the two young men ventured back into the chaotic downtown of Seattle.

To best increase their odds, he led the way as his senses were more honed and his movements were quiet. Besides that, having a Warrior to watch his back put him at ease.

"Man, look at all this...Just a shame, isn't it? Grew up here, and it's all burning down," Damian remarked sadly, looking at the ruined shops and the sights of death.

"Yeah," Finn responded, staying focused on not getting ambushed by monsters as he carefully stepped over a crack in the street.

He decided to put to use one of the abilities he plundered from the fiends he killed so far, specifically from the slain goblin:

["Superior Sense: Smell"]

As soon as he activated it, there was immediate regret; the foul stench of corpses infiltrated his nose, causing his stomach to turn as he gagged, coming to a stop.

"Hey–you alright, man?!" Damian placed his hand on the assassin's back in concern.

Finn took a moment to compose himself, deactivating the skill as he covered his nose, nodding his head slowly, "Yeah...I'm good."

At least for the time being, the skill was more detrimental than beneficial. Through cutting into alleyways and avoiding the prowling fiends, he found himself in the Chinatown-International district of downtown.

It was a more art-prominent, tourist area of Seattle, with sculptures on display in the streets among more novel sights. He led the way onto a courtyard near an intersection, built of red tiles that were home to teal squares.

Damian followed close behind, keeping his axe rested against his shoulder, "It's quiet around here, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I don't know if that's a good thing or not," Finn responded, keeping his guard raised.

The Chinatown district was a place he'd been too frequently, always finding it an area that was lively even at night.

"Hey, it's not just quiet..." Damian remarked.

Finn kept his eyes forward, nodding, "Yeah. There's not even a single body out here—it's like nobody was ever here."

Compared to the areas before, the presence of bodies and bloodstained asphalt was gone. It was as if nobody was ever there harboring an unsettling silence in the once bustling sector of the city.

"Think they evacuated? Maybe they had more time to react and prepare," Damian asked.

"I doubt it. That's assuming this is just happening in Seattle...I'm thinking all of this is on a global scale," Finn replied, carefully looking around.

"That's a scary thought, but I can't deny it," Damian said.

Though there weren't any signs of corpses on the streets, Finn discovered that the buildings were certainly damaged. He looked into the shattered windows of a tea shop–"Emerald Tea Spring"--finding that the interior was completely ransacked.

Damian reached down, picking up a plastic bottle that contained tea in it, shaking it a bit, "Still cold. This is weirding me out."

"Just stay alert," Finn advised, keeping watch as he looked towards the top of the buildings along the Chinatown section of the city.

Still, none of anything in the area made sense; the complete absence of anybody–human and monster alike–yet there was damage done as if destruction had swept through nonetheless.

'Did all the monsters just move on? That doesn't fit...Were the bodies taken away–wait,' he stumbled upon a realization.

A vague thought appeared into his mind of one such entity that fit the criteria for the situation he found himself in, one that was not fondly remembered in the world of Avalon.

"Get in the store–find somewhere to hide," Finn suddenly warned the man who was inspecting the plastic cup. "--Now!"

"Huh? What's going on? Is something coming?" Damian asked, standing up as he readied his axe.

There was no chance for further conversation as both men felt it; the wind itself breathed as if a groan trembled from the clouds. What was mistaken as the sight of a sea of pale clouds above was something else entirely; it moved, stepping down from the sky.

"What the hell is–?!" Damian began to ask in horror.

Finn only had enough time to cover his companion's mouth before pulling him along into the shop, ducking behind the fallen countertop.

A colossus of sleek, white skin descended upon the chinatown; it stood on two legs with a rectangular hood as if wearing a hood, possessing a single, scarlet eye and a massive maw storing a valley of sharp teeth.

The entity of terrifying stature had a basket-like appendage on its stomach. Each breath the eerie giant let out moved like a mist throughout the block, further exemplified as it leaned down.

Its unnaturally long, slender limbs used the nearby buildings as grips as it lowered, inspecting the shops with its glowing, crimson eye.

"...What is that thing...?" Damian asked in a whisper, pressing himself against the counter to completely conceal himself.

Finn had to control his breathing, only daring to peek no more than an inch, not responding as any noise was a dangerous gamble.

As the enigmatic colossus scoped out the buildings as if merely checking cupboards for a snack, the interior of the sack it carried was seen: it was filled with a red paste with bits and pieces of clothing mixed in.

It was only for a moment that he caught a glance, though it was enough to sicken Finn as he could see the lifeless face of a boy in the sack.

'Shit...Shit!' He thought, making sure to stay still right beside the warrior.

Every noise made by the predatory giant rumbled the ground as peculiar vibrations emitted from its maw in the form of echoing clicks.

["Cloud-Fallen Collector": a creature that existed as more of a force of nature rather than a normal monster to be challenged. The skyscraper-esque being drifts through the sky, camouflaging itself as a cloud, waiting to pass over a city before descending.]