Level-Up Apocalypse: Surviving With The Assimilation System

Chapter 5: Cloud-Fallen Collector

Finn knew better than to attempt to flee, let alone fight it. He kept himself completely still, even so much as opting not to breathe as he listened to his own heartbeat trickle to a slow pace.

'...Just pass,' he hoped, listening to the colossus searching the area.

While he had confidence in his ability to remain undetected, the same couldn't be said for the man beside him.

Damian clutched his axe close to his body, trembling with heavy breaths. It wasn't a display of cowardice, rather an inability to calm his adrenaline; Finn understood that.

'Just stay calm—endure it a bit longer,' Finn thought, unable to say it out loud.

Though neither looked at it, they both felt as its attention turned to the building they were in. The presence of the colossus closed in as its mouth was just in front of the shop.

He could feel its breath expelling into the store like a hot wind, carrying with it a stench of foul meat. Even its breathing was enough to cause the structure to tremble in its colossal might.

There wasn't a thought in either of the men's minds as they remained still, almost too still as they forgot to breathe.

Just as Finn felt his chest throbbing, aching for oxygen, he felt a weight lift from the ground as the tremendous sound of the giant rising up reverberated through the ground.

"Are we...good?" Damian hesitantly asked in a whisper.

Finn sat up, glancing over the top of the flipped-over countertop as he saw the translucent-skinned entity climbing back into the sky as if stepping on the air itself. It was an unnerving sight, though relieving to see it leave.

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"It left," Finn told him.

"Phew..." Damian exhaled, regaining his breath.

As they both stood up, there was still an air of unease that weighed down on them. It was an encounter that made one feel small and insignificant, like a mouse cornered by a predator; an eye-opening experience.

"What was that thing? It was huge," Damian asked, still fixing his breathing.

"A Cloud-Fallen Collector," Finn answered. "It was in Avalon Online–the fact it's real now is probably the scariest thing I've seen. That's why this area is a ghost town–it collected everyone. We can't fight it, not at our current strength."

The truth of what they encountered settled in with an unnerving look at reality. Beyond mere goblins and cyclops, it stood as an existence far too cruel to reasonably understand.

Damian looked around at the desolated, green-walled tea shop, "So, what now? If that thing is waiting above, then what the hell are we supposed to do?"

Finn carefully peeked just beyond the front entrance of the shop, seeing the terrifying colossus curling up into a fetal position in the sky as it once more camouflaged itself as a cloud, "The best we can do is just wait until it drifts away. The problem with that is..."

"What is it?" Damian asked, seeming tired of the growing dangers already.

"It's probably drifting in the direction we're headed," Finn said, looking up as he watched the dormant giant in the sky.

"So, we're screwed then?" Damian expelled a heavy breath, rubbing his forehead as if trying to rack his mind for a solution. "Maybe we can go another way?"

"Yeah, we can. But, we can't use the streets–it's too risky with that thing overhead," Finn agreed, walking towards the back of the small shop. "We'll have to cut through the buildings and the alleyways between."

He found a door that led into the back of the shop, where the product was kept stored on metal racks. There were an assortment of utensils and beverage-making wares, along with bags of tea.

"That door back there should lead into the alleyway," Finn pointed out across the storage room of the shop.

"Yeah," Damian said, walking in.

Finn kept his wits about him while moving along, inspecting the room as it looked to have gone through some mess of its own, with a rack toppled over and liquid staining the concrete flooring.

"Hold on," Finn said, peeking into what appeared to be the freezer for the shop.

It was hard to make out what was in it, seeing as the window was frosted over. As he pressed closer to see, what he found only made him look away.

"What is it?" Damian asked.

"I guess one of the people who worked here—they locked themself in and well..." Finn explained.

Damian sighed, "I understand. Damn it. It's just death around every corner, isn't it?"

That seemed to be the one truth in the confusing, hellish situation. Finn moved towards the end of the storage area, opening the door slowly as he slipped into the alleyway with his companion following.

Under the guide of shadows, they moved along with the looming presence of the colossus collector in the sky above. Even from such a disparity in altitude, quietness was needed.

"Even from all the way up there, it can hear us?" Damian asked in a whisper, keeping up as he looked up at the pale, white lurker in the vast blue.

Finn nodded, turning to the side as he slipped past a garbage can and a few, black bags, "As long as we stay diligent, it should be fine. Just nothing loud–that means we have to avoid any monsters on the streets, too."

"Speaking of that...I haven't seen any monsters around here," Damian said, peering back down the alleyway as there was nothing to be seen. "Does it target them, too?"

"Yeah. In Avalon Online, I remember reading an entry that mentioned the collector as like a plantlife; it moves on instinct, eats on instinct," Finn said. "So it doesn't discriminate."

"Man, I don't think that made it any less scary," Damian remarked with a shake of his head.

As Finn led the way through the narrow alleyway, they came to its end, facing an open street with the next alley just across the way. There was no way around it, they'd have to cross.

"Shit–can we make it?" Damian asked.

Finn stood right by the edge of the alleyway, watching as the far-spanning shadow of the colossus in the sky slowly passed over the street, "Yeah, just need to be quick."

As he glanced back at his warrior-classed companion, he took notice of the fact that Damian was still carrying his axe, even though the prospect of a fight was not something to look out for at the moment. At first, he thought the man simply kept it out to remain ready at all times, but now he thought differently.

"Hey, Damian. You know how to recall your weapon, right?" Finn quietly asked.

"What? What's that?" The salt-and-pepper haired man asked.

Finn held a furrowed expression before holding his hand out, "Like this."

The concept of the "weapon" he bound to himself was thought of as the dagger manifested in his grip without a word. In the same amount of ease, it was recalled back to nothing.

"Woah–how'd you do that?" Damian asked.

"Just think of storing your weapon, like into a conceptual pocket. Then when you want it, just think of holding it," Finn instructed him, "That's how it was in Avalon."

Damian nodded his head and focused with a grunt, clasping his hands before–poof. The large axe vanished without a trace.

"Ah, that's handy," Damian remarked.

"Yeah. It'll be easier for you to move now," Finn said. "Won't have to lug around that giant weapon."

He led the way, making the first dash across the street as he swiftly sprinted from the alleyway over to the next sidewalk. Just as he reached the other side, he ducked into the alleyway, turning back to gesture for his friend to follow.

With a lot less grace, Damian followed behind with a dash of his own, running beneath the drifting shadow in the sky. Just as he reached the other side, the warrior slid into the alley before releasing a breath of relief.

"Safe," Damian said.

"Nice one. Let's keep moving," Finn said.

By some miracle, the shadow of the colossus in the sky above was avoided as they traversed outside of the Chinatown sector.