Jose had a migraine from all the mental gymnastics he'd been doing. But even so, he had to see the results of his hard work.
He had primed Strike at the start of his ether exploration. It had answered his first question: Could he push more ether into a skill? The answer had been yes. Now came the second: Did loading more ether result in a stronger effect?
Testing on inanimate objects wouldn't suffice. He needed to know how it would perform in combat.
He stepped into the hall, hunting for Tainted. Soon, he found a pack of six near the room where he'd fought the night before. They turned in unison, tilted their heads, and uttered that disturbing "Huh?" followed by their hyena-like laughter. Then they charged.
The first Tainted reached him—and Jose released the primed Strike with a punch.
The result exceeded expectations.
His fist struck with such explosive force that thunder cracked the air, a sonic wave blasting outward and obliterating the heads of the two Tainted behind his target. He smiled, drawing his blades and weaving through the final three. Heads rolled.
Despite the pounding in his skull, Jose couldn't help smiling on the way back to the apartment. His migraine had worsened, but it was a small price. His skills had become stronger. His ether, more potent. And his body—now conditioned and honed—reflected that growth.
He sprayed bleach and chemicals near the apartment entrance, hoping to mask his scent. He was in no shape for another night of fighting.
Fortunately, he found clothing to fit his new frame, bottled water, and food. He cleaned himself as best he could and ate sparingly—many of his previous supplies having been lost in the chaos of the night before.
***
In the Days That Followed…
Tainted were no longer a challenge.
By day, Jose primed Orbs and honed control. By night, he baited the horde into ambushes and slaughtered them in droves. On the third day, he stood atop the highest floor—now an open-air rooftop.
But despite killing hundreds of the monsters, his level remained stuck at eight.
He wasn't sure if the plateau was due to fighting weaker monsters or simply a diminishing return system. Was he only able to level by killing stronger enemies now? The thought was unsettling.
He paced the roof, scanning the landscape. He'd come from the south. To the north and east lay a vast desert, and to the west, forest. Pillars of black smoke rose from the desert. Fighting? Monsters? Or humans?
If people were fighting monsters, he'd help. But if it was people fighting each other… the choice became far murkier.
What were they fighting about? Could he know who was right—or if any side deserved to win? He remembered the last time he'd killed a person. It had been knee jerk reaction, but the memory still haunted him.
And yet… what if someone he loved was there? What if his family was caught in that chaos?
He knew, deep down, he'd go.
He had to.
Even if it meant facing truths he didn't want to see. Even if it meant killing again.
This was all assuming, of course, that he be allowed the time to find these answers before having to protect himself from others.
***
Every ten floors, Jose created cache piles—one for extra food and water, and another for weapons. Non-perishables, bottled liquids, anything potentially useful. The weapons varied: guns, knives, blunt objects—whatever could help a desperate soul survive.
He debated taking a gun but ultimately decided against it. His skills were evolving, and ammo would only get rarer. Better to leave guns for those who needed them.
Jose doubted he'd return to this building. But it was the tallest in the area—a beacon for people and monsters alike. If someone found it, he wanted them to have a fighting chance.
He resolved to leave similar caches at every place he stayed, so long as it was safe to do so.
***
As he neared the city's edge, a loud bark cracked through the air, followed by gunfire.
Jose ran toward the sound and found six people surrounded by dogs—ten regular ones and several larger beasts. A massive rottweiler led them, its eyes cold and calculating. Its lieutenants were muscular, monstrous, but lacked the reptilian tail the leader possessed.
The group of people was surrounded by the dog pack, with the larger ones interspersed between the regular dogs. The humans all had guns, but every time they fired at the pack, one of the larger dogs' eyes would glow and a barrier would appear blocking the bullets.
They're waiting for the humans to run out of ammo, Jose realized.
He quickly assessed the scene. The humans had killed many dogs already. Only one appeared galvanized: a large man with a riot shield who used a skill to block the alpha's sonic bark. The rest relied on guns—except a woman standing in the center.
She had no weapon, yet everyone shielded her.
And when Jose looked at her, something strange stirred within him. A feeling of recognition. She's beautiful... kind... an angel. His thoughts became hazy. She must be protected... I must—
A bark snapped him back.
A group of dogs, led by one lieutenant, rushed toward him. He dropped an Orb, but the larger dog summoned a barrier.
He wondered if the dogs could only produce one barrier at a time and fired off a Bolt. He hit the large dog and it tumbled back a few feet, yowling and barking, it quickly recovered and made haste toward him growling angrily.
Confirming his theory, he dropped two more Orbs, pulled his knives, and ran to meet the charge.
Unable to protect every angle, the Orbs made short work of the smaller dogs. He reached the larger one and risked a bite to the vambrace for positioning.
As the dog chomped down on his vambrace he struck out with a knife in his other hand and gutted it.
The dog fell with a whimper, and he stomped its head defeating it. The tough hide of the vambrace had kept the teeth from causing any real damage, except for a sore arm.
[You have received nourishment for defeating a Canis Herald.]
"Herald, huh?" Jose sneered. "Pretentious mutt." He scoffed as he turned and ran for the rest of the pack.
The pack leader seemed to reconsider its strategy and barked orders at the others as it decided to face Jose itself.
The rest of the pack rearranged their formation around the others to block them from interfering with the alpha's fight.
It ran in at an incredible speed and released a sonic bark at Jose. He was forced to evade to the right—a sharp tail—a stab in the shoulder.
Jose threw up two Orbs as he backed up, widening the gap.
The leader pounced around evading the lightning as it rained down on it.
On one such jump, it landed hard and dashed at Jose. When it reached him it fainted left, then right, then whipped around swiping its tail at Jose's abdomen opening a shallow cut.
Jose accepted the swipe, noticing it too late to avoid. He dashed to the side throwing up another Orb, but it was just a decoy.
When the leader began pouncing around evading the lightning Jose watched—overcharged Bolt.
The leader crumpled as the Bolt struck—tried to stand—tumbled and fell back down. Its front left leg was charred and bloody from the powerful strike.
Jose wasted little time in throwing several knives at the monster, scoring gashes along its right flank as it tried to guard the injured leg.
He closed in with a dagger primed with Strike—but it was a trap. The beast let loose a sonic bark at point-blank range.
Jose reeled back, ears ringing, blood dripping from his nose. But he recovered quickly, rolled clear, and eyed the alpha with newfound caution.
It was indeed badly injured, but not enough to incapacitate it to the extent it had been acting.
Jose spat out a wad of blood and wiped his nose. "Sneaky fuck, aren't you," he said to the dog as he prepared for another round. Only, this time, he was more cautious and vigilant of its tricks.
They circled each other like predators—injured, but not broken.
The dog released two sonic barks in quick succession, left and right, trying to trap Jose in one spot. Then it lunged center, aiming to tear him apart with its deadly claws and teeth.
However, Jose was ready for its craftiness now and wouldn't be caught lacking.
He slammed his foot down and triggered Thunder Wave, sending a concussive force outward. The alpha staggered mid-air.
He closed the distance, stabbed the injured leg with a Strike-infused dagger—bone cracked, ribs splintered. He yanked the blade, infused it with Bolt, and stabbed again.
Lightning coursed through the beast's chest.
Finally, with a spinning Strike kick to the head, Jose snapped its neck—so violently, it was nearly decapitated.
[You have received nourishment for defeating a Canis Harbinger.]
[You have leveled up.]