[ Chapter I (1): "03/20/2025— A WEEK INTO THE APOCALYPSE" ]
On the first day, mass panicking happened. People shocked by the monsters that only exist in fantisies couldn't believe what they were seeing. As the said monsters started to materialize all-around Earth, both big and small, all mostly hostile with some avoiding the sight of humans at all.
On the second day, denial kicked in. People didn't believe that such things could happen. Especially because communications between one country to another is mostly cut off, less is-so to neighbor-to-neighbor.
As some brave souls step out their respective doors... Immediately dying in doing so. May that be skewered by green tiny Goblins, crushed by rock Golems, or eaten by the undead Zombies that is now slowly eating the world away. Doesn't matter, as they all died in some way.
On the third day, people angered by seeing their homes, their love ones, their families. They couldn't believe that the said monsters could be that strong, so to some extent, they armed themselves, strategize, then killed and hunted down the monsters.
To say that it failed... Would be stupid, as in first it actually did in fact worked. To foot soldier-like monsters that is, to Goblins which are relatively weak but fast, to Golems which can be destroyed by hammers, to Zombies that can be outsmarted. It was great...
Until it wasn't. Goblin Chiefs, Iron Golems, Zombie Bosses. All such monsters, or variants of the different monster species started to appear; most of which are faster and more skilled at hunting compared to the ordinary, some taller and more destructive, or even intelligent to the point of hivemind-like commanding one another.
To humans who was arrogant, who thought they were slowly reclaiming back their top predator spot... This was a slap to the face, a blatant slap, as then about the total population of the humans slowly dwindled because of this said monster variants. With the said "top predator" not being able to do a thing at all, except watch.
Due to them acting as bosses, leaders, and commanding their own races— it was infuriating, especially because humans started to slowly lose hope. As they get murdered left-and-right, without discrimination at all.
On the fourth day people started to try and bargain with the monsters, offering food, sacrificing people, and even letting them inside their settlements... This immediately became a problem, as more people died left-and-right.
Not that anyone could blame them for trying, as more people is dying and is slowly dying due to hunger and lack of supplies after all... So none can blame them, especially because the population is now cut more than half.
On the fifth day, depression hit. Losing loves ones, losing lives, losing people, hearing the screams of one another but not being able to do a thing. Some people decided that it isn't worth it to live, so they... ended it on their own terms.
Some went out with a bang, some subtle in their ways... But they all died in their own way, and not in the hands of the monsters, something that can be considered as a thing thing; especially now that dying while accepting death is a rare thing.
On the sixth day, a day before the destined day that the announcement talked about in everyone's phones, tablets and computers... Most, if not all the people on Earth started to test what way they could cope with the new reality they found in...
As some drunk, some did unspeakable things, and some focused their own in surviving, protecting what else remains. As population slowly one-by-one, started to reconnect with one another, combating the aliens that now attacks their world...
That's a great thing, especially because on the seventh day... For Elias, he accepted that everything is now in hell, him alone with no way out. So in a last attempt to save his dignity and not die in the hands of the monsters... He, he tied a knot on the ceiling.
[ "Okay, this looks great enough." ] Under the moonlight, which partially came from the mostly blocked window of his. He, the smiling Elias could be seen tugging at the makeshift rope in his hands, while a sturdy but somewhat shaky chair under him, as he stands using just that. A chair.
About to wrap the cloth around his neck, he paused, especially because he could hear a loud bang ringing from outside on the streets, followed by demonic laughter that could only come from a Goblin. [ "Damn piece of trashes!" ]
Pausing his execution, he then went to his window and looked out. His one eye wide, as to stare at the chaotic scene outside... Houses are destroyed, the roads are a mess, the Goblins could be seen creating outpost after outpost, with some even learning how to drive a car...
Trying is the much more fitting term, as the said Goblin earlier apparently crashed to a house across the street, the car then exploding due to the sheer impact. Thus, alerting the other Goblins to the tattered remains of their kin; laughing rather than pitying the fried bastard. [ "O-oh god..." ]
To them it is hilarious, but to Elias, it is disgusting. Not just the road littered with dead human remains, but also due to the fact that Goblins actively love capturing humans, then killing them through different ways. One of the ways? Through strapping a live individual in front of a car.
As in this said case, that human skinny remains was even more prominent than the fried carcass of the Goblin driver and passengers... Disgusting Elias even more, as he worries about his own fate... Wanting to continue with his self execution even more.
[ "I-I need to do this...!" ] Swallowing a lump of saliva down his throat, Elias forced his shaky body to move. The normal sarcastic venom in his voice disappearing, as isolation and fear does that to a person.
Before then finally, stepping up back to the chair of his, the cloth in his hands. He wrapped it tightly around his neck, as he then prepares himself for what is about to come next... [ "Better to die o-on my terms, than to live in this h-hellhole." ]
He quoted someone... He just doesn't know which, but he is quite sure someone said that before. If it wasn't written, then someone aspiring to be a poet... Heh, po-et. Someone aspiring to be one, probably said so years back... He have no idea on who just did thought.
Subtly grinning to himself, Elias could feel a tear escaping the side of his eye. That, or his eyes are sweating, so does his forehead and every fiber of his being, as he forces himself to continue what he is about to do. The laughter outside being a great motivator for him to do what he do.
About to do it, he paused, when the phone of his, busted and old turned on without prompt. Glancing at the phone placed on his bed, Elias was immediately greeted by the familiar red background and text that appeared a week prior, when everything started to turn to hell... [ "Th-this again..." ]
[ CONGRATULATIONS CITIZEN, YOU HAVE SURVIVED FOR A WEEK LONG. PLEASE PICK A CLASSIFICATION MOVING FORWARD ]
His eyes glanced to the phone, as he approached it, one that seemingly turned broke, not being able to be of any use to him since the mysterious cryptic text appeared... His hands collided, and his consciousness shifted to a different plain of existence entirely with him dragged along for a first-class ride.
[ "..." ] Confused by everything, he stared at his hands, the same as before, then at his clothes, dirty and the same as before. Then glanced at his surrounding which is near infinite, black void. This caused Elias who has been stuck inside his house for a week, to have blurry vision.
Alongside the blurry vision he is feeling, he also felt his stomach twist, his head having headache, his body seemingly frozen in place, in fear that it'll fall forever in the void he finds himself in... [ "Where am I...?" ]
Afraid, but really curious to where he is. Elias asked that to himself, as he then scans his surroundings for any signs that could say where he is... But other than the black void, and him seemingly stepping on something even though it doesn't look like that, then nothing.
He waited for something to happen, and just like he expected... Something did happen, as cards appeared from seemingly out of nowhere, materializing into a plain of existence, as thousands of them form a pretty spacious circle around the confused Elias. [ "Cards..." ]
He glanced at one of them, focus his gaze, as it then started flying to a spot. He was immediately greeted by an image of a shadow person, holding a staff or some sorts, the background of it in war, with the text saying, [ WIZARD ] and [ 2 STARS ] under it.
He looked at other cards and could see the same thing with little variations. Mostly the images inside the card which changes occupation time-to-time, even races, or appearances that could be tall or short. The name under it and the stars also changes.
[ ROGUE ], [ TRADER ], [ DEMON ], [ GOBLIN ], [ ROCK MONSTER ], [ FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER ], [ PROFESSOR ], [ SHAPESHIFTER ], [ DRUID ], [ 1 STAR ], [ 2 STARS ], or [ 3 STARS ]. And other such more bizzare occupations.
When all of the said cards finally stopped, Elias was finally able to estimate the count of the cards. They totaling about in thousands which reaches high, towering over him, inwhich he stares up in response.
[ PLEASE, PLAYER, PICK A CLASSIFICATION TO START YOUR JOURNEY. YOU HAVE 2 MINUTES 59 SECONDS LEFT ]
A pop-up, with red coloring for a background and black text, similar to that of the announcement appeared. Elias was immediately put out of his stuppor, as he felt his body being able to move again.
Doing what the text said, he then approached the cards and tried to pick one, a classification for himself. His vision somewhat messed up, but not enough to make him inable, he then grabbed one... A card, as he then looks at it.
[ VAMPIRE LORD ] [ 4 STARS ]
[ TO PICK THIS CLASS, YOU NEED TO RIP THE CARD AND MAKE THE POWER YOURS ]
He was attracted by the image inside it, and also the star in it, which is higher compared to the rest, which is mostly filled with 1 stars, or 2, or if lucky then 3... He was about to rip at it, but paused.
He glanced behind him and could see the floating panel counting down, the time it has being about 2 minutes and 32 seconds left... Plenty of time to pick and choose his class, and not just go with whatever he sees closest. So even though he wanted to rip at it, he paused himself...
Going on about to search for another worthy card, meanwhile though, he pocketed the Vampire Lord card, as his best pick at the moment. His eyes was greeted by weird anomalies, titles and names, one even saying [ INCUBUS ], which he didn't even spare a second glance.
2 minutes went and pass, with him not being able to see anything worthy. He isn't stupid, he isn't wasting his time in picking, as he at the moment is sprinting, his eyes darting from left-to-right, to right-to-left. Not wanting to waste his opportunity to attain supernatural powers that one can only see through movies, or books...
But no matter what he does, he couldn't find a single card that could be useful, what the hell is a [ GRIMMACE ], or even a [ SPADER ]... He doesn't know, so he ignored them all without hesitation at all. [ "These are all... garbage." ]
Apparently so, as he could only see weird occupations that has long way past, probably used 2000+ years ago, like [ POET ] for example, does anyone ever use that...? Does anyone actually work as one... Sounds like no one does anymore. So shaking his head, he was ready to tear the ace of his.
[ "Here goes nothing..." ] His eyes focused on the card, which has a person in it drinking someone elses blood... He paused, especially because his vision landed on a card near the floor, on the bottom most part, with it having catch the eye of Elias.
The said card has a person lounging around, monsters on the other side, seemingly trying to reach it, but an invisible barrier could be seen stopping them in doing so. [ "Hmm?" ]
Curious about this card, he paused his action, as he then approached it. The timer behind him only having about 15 seconds left in it, in which he ignores, in favor of looking at the card. [ ULTIMATE DWELLER ]
He crouched down and picked it up, in doing so, he accidentally let go of the Vampire Lord card that he was holding. [ "Wait...!" ] It then flying to where it was originally positioned, like it wasn't grabbed at all, causing Elias to panic.
About to abandon this curious cade of Ultimate Dweller card, which is a star less than the Vampire Lord. Elias was about to do so, but he immediately noticed that the timer only has about 4 seconds in it, not enough time for Elias to grab the Vampire Lord card which is way across from him.
[ "This is bad... REALLY bad." ] He glanced momentarily at the card he is holding, then at the timer which only has 3 seconds in it. Not wanting to miss out on receiving supernatural powers, especially because supernatural creatures now roam and prowl the streets, hunting on the defenseless.
With no time fo waste, he immediately began to rip away at the card he is holding. The card easily being split in half due to Elias' eagerness... At the same time, the timer reached zero, with the cards all-around him then turning to nothing.
As Elias then felt his eyelids heavy, not wanting to close it, he fought it. But was no match, as he reluctantly closed it for a second... Then opening it wide, with the surroundings then having changed from the void of space, back to his cramped apartment. [ "What the hell... just happened?" ]
[ ——— ] [ ——— ] [ ——— ] [ ——— ]
[ 06/06/2025 ]
[ 06/07/2024 ]