After making their way through the sewers—and going through a lot of trouble—they finally reached the Nest. Thankfully, Leon had already opened most of the doors, so they didn't have to deal with the more annoying puzzles. Good thing too, Saki thought with relief.
She glanced back and called, "Sherry, how you doing back there?"
"I'm fine," Sherry said softly, though her expression was full of worry. "I'm worried about my mom, though."
"Your mom?" Saki raised a brow.
"Yeah… she's supposed to be down here somewhere. I hope she's okay."
Saki's eyes narrowed slightly as she thought to herself, I never received a mission to save Annette. Even if I did, I'm not sure I would. Honestly, I'm half tempted to kill her myself… but that would be selfish.
As they continued walking deeper into the Nest, Saki stretched her shoulders and said, "You guys keep an eye out for a shower. I'll even take a decontamination chamber if I have to."
"Same," Claire groaned.
"Oh yeah, I smell terrible," Marvin added with a disgusted shake of his head.
"I've thrown up twice already," Elliot muttered, looking pale.
Before anyone could say more, a monstrous roar echoed down the halls, followed by the sharp crack of gunfire.
Saki sighed, already reaching for her sword. "You guys find that shower. I'll go deal with that."
Before they could argue, she bolted ahead, pulling her odachi from her inventory. She followed the noise until she found Leon locked in a desperate battle with William Birkin, who was already in his grotesque third form.
Without hesitation, Saki leapt into the fray, using William's back as a springboard. She vaulted high into the air, then brought her odachi down in a devastating arc, cleaving his mutated arm clean off. The hulking creature reeled back in pain, letting out a distorted roar.
Saki landed lightly, flicking blood from her blade. "Yep. I'm way too overpowered for this place."
She turned to the dazed Leon, who was frozen after witnessing her strike. "Claire and the others are at the lab's entrance. Go lead them to the train—I'll handle this."
Having just seen what she did to William, Leon didn't argue. He rushed back up the catwalk, helping Annette to her feet before carrying her away toward the others.
William roared again and charged, swiping at Saki with his claws. She caught the blow on her odachi, blocking it with ease, before slashing him across the chest in retaliation. Then, cloaking her blade in energy, she began hacking the abomination apart—limb by limb—until William was reduced to nothing but a grotesque pile of flesh and blood.
Just as she had with Nemesis, Saki doused the remains in gasoline, lit them on fire, and didn't relax until her watch beeped.
Sub Mission 3 Complete
William Birkin Eliminated
Rewards Distributed: $10,000 and 1 level
Saki let out a tired laugh. "Damn… I actually hope my next character is weaker than Saki. She's way too strong for Resident Evil 2 and 3. Why couldn't it have been Code Veronica or Resident Evil 4? Then at least I could've fought Wesker."
She glanced down at her watch. "Computer, I'm guessing I can't use my level ups till the mission's over?"
That is correct, Dexter, the watch replied.
"Figures. Oh well. With that quest, the main mission, and maxing out Saki's familiarity, I've got three levels coming. I'll need to make them count."
By the time Saki caught up with the others, Annette had already passed away, leaving Sherry in tears. The group gave her a minute to grieve before Leon led everyone to the train. They managed to get it working, and just as the facility's self-destruct activated, they departed.
Marvin let out a shaky laugh of relief. "Holy fuck—we got out of there just in time."
Saki's watch dinged again, and she looked down at the glowing display:
Sub Mission 5 Complete
Reward Distributed: The LZ Answerer added to inventory
Main Mission Complete
Rewards Distributed: 1 level and 2 weapons of your choice
Saki immediately made her selection. She chose the Raiden and the Shotgun Drake—because, frankly, they were two of her favorites.
Once they reached the end of the line, the group began walking. After a while, just like in canon, Claire separated from them, going her own way. Saki stuck with Leon, Sherry, Marvin, and Elliot.
A little while later, they spotted military vehicles approaching.
Leon's face hardened. "Saki, take Sherry and hide."
"Yeah," Marvin added grimly. "You girls get out of sight and make sure you're not found. I've got a feeling that once we're shoved into those cars, we ain't coming back."
Saki grabbed Sherry's hand and pulled her into cover, watching from the shadows.
Her watch suddenly chimed again. You may return when ready. The Creator asks that you bring Sherry Birkin.
Saki blinked. "Um… okay. Let's return."
Beginning return process, the watch confirmed.
A golden light enveloped Saki and Sherry, lifting them off their feet. In an instant, the two of them vanished from the world of Resident Evil.
When Saki woke up, she was back on the floating island. Only this time, there was a beautiful rustic wooden building with a hearth and a king piece emblazoned on the front of it. At the center of the island stood a large, elegant fountain, its waters sparkling in the light.
From behind her, a youthful voice called, "You can go on inside. I'll take care of Sherry."
Saki turned around and blinked in surprise—Tet was standing there, smiling casually.
Sherry peeked from behind Saki and asked nervously, "Who are you?"
"I'm Tet, the god of games," Tet said brightly, giving her a little bow. "Nice to meet you, young lady."
"Where will you take me?" Sherry asked, her small hands fidgeting with the hem of her dress.
"That depends on what you want," Tet replied smoothly. "There are a few gods in my pantheon that take in orphans. But if you don't want to go with any of them, I know a few places where you can live a normal life."
Sherry's wide eyes turned to Saki, uncertain. Saki gave her a gentle nod. "It's okay, Sherry. You can trust him."
Sherry nodded hesitantly, and Tet clapped his hands. "Go on inside, I'll be along soon."
Saki turned and walked into the building. Inside, she found a large dark wooden conference table with six comfy-looking leather chairs around it. Three of them were already occupied by people she didn't recognize.
Before she could speak, an upbeat feminine voice piped up: "Holy crap, this lucky bastard got Saki for his first world! Also—why are you still in character?"
"Because I don't know how to turn it off," Saki admitted flatly.
The same girl burst into laughter. "Hah! You noob. You navigate to the character page, find your name, and select it."
Saki followed her advice, tapping the name Dexter on the character page. She was enveloped in light, and when it dispersed, Saki was gone—Dexter sat there instead.
"Ah, damnit," Dexter muttered, rubbing his arms. "Actually feels a bit weird being me again." He dropped into an empty chair and gave the group a sheepish smile. "Hi everyone, my name's Dexter."
The blonde girl from earlier leaned back and grinned. "The name's Regina, but friends call me Rey."
Dexter got a better look at her now—tall, with short blonde hair cut in a pixie style, hazel eyes sharp with energy. She wore a blue T-shirt, a black jacket, denim pants, and blue sneakers.
The girl next to her smiled warmly. "Nice to meet you, Dexter. I'm Eliza."
Dexter looked her over—she was a pretty, curvaceous young woman with long flowing chestnut hair, forest-green eyes, and tan skin. She wore a white dress with a brown cardigan, silver earrings glinting in the light.
A deep, friendly voice came from the next chair. "Nice to meet you, man. My name's Edgar, but friends call me Eddy."
Dexter turned to see him—a tall, athletic man with sharp, intelligent features, dark skin, short black hair, and piercing blue eyes. He wore a white tank top, a brown leather jacket, silver-rimmed glasses, Levi's, and brown boots.
"Nice to meet all of you. You can call me Dex," Dexter said with a smile.
"So," Eddy leaned forward, interest in his eyes, "Rey said that character was Saki. Can't say I recognized her—what's she from?"
"OneeChanbara," Dex answered.
"Ah," Eddy nodded, adjusting his glasses. "I've only heard of that. Never got around to playing."
"You missed out," Rey said, smirking. "It was a fun series. The first few games were Japan-only—I had to play them in Japanese."
Dex shrugged. "I, unfortunately, only played the ones that got American releases. Can't read Japanese."
"What world'd you end up in, Dex?" Eddy asked.
"Resident Evil," Dex replied.
"Huh, that's weird," Rey said, raising an eyebrow. "I ended up in Left 4 Dead. And funny enough, the character I got was Lei from OneeChanbara Origins. That's why I was jealous when I saw you got Saki."
"Huh." Eddy tilted his head. "I ended up in Highschool of the Dead as Ryu Hayabusa."
"Really?" Eliza chimed in, eyes sparkling. "I ended up in Dead Island as Ayane."
Eddy leaned back with a grin. "I'm noticing a theme here. If I had to guess, I'd say our worlds and characters weren't as random as we were told."
The doors swung open, and Tet strolled in, smirking. "Right you are, Eddy." He slid into a chair and clasped his hands together. "I sent each of you to zombie worlds on purpose."
Dex frowned. "Why exactly?"
"Best place to get your feet wet," Tet said matter-of-factly. "Zombie worlds are great for training."
"...Makes sense, I guess," Eddy admitted. "But did you also manipulate our character draws?"
"Yep," Tet said cheerfully. "But not in the way you think. I made sure each of you got characters from the same world as your partner."
Rey slammed her palm on the table. "So me and Dex are paired up?"
"Uh huh," Tet said with a grin. "And so are Eliza and Eddy."
Rey threw her head back. "Then why didn't I get Aya?! I mean—I don't hate Lei, but she's not a main character. Hell, she doesn't even start out playable!"
Tet raised his hands innocently. "The only part of the draw that's fixed is the world the character comes from—not the character themselves. So, honestly, that was just your luck."
Rey groaned and dropped her head onto the table. "Dammit…"
"Now, before we continue," Tet said, clapping once, "any quality-of-life improvements you guys want for your watches?"
Eliza's hand shot up eagerly. "Oh, oh! Can you add a trade function so that we can trade rewards even when we're in other worlds?"
Eddy raised an eyebrow. "Actually… that's not a bad idea."
Tet snapped his fingers. "Done. You'll find it in the communication tab."
All their eyes widened.
Tet blinked. "What? Did you all forget about the communication function?"
They all nodded sheepishly.
"That would've helped so much," Rey muttered, slumping back in her chair. "I was all alone in Left 4 Dead. Having no one to talk to actually messed with me more than I thought it would."
"Okayyyy," Tet drawled. "Moving on. Anything else?"
Dex raised his hand. "The minimap helped, but I'm worried that nothing being labeled on it will cause confusion in larger worlds."
"Good point." Tet snapped his fingers again, updating their watches. "While I was at it, I also added a Spells page. It'll be on a different page than your stats since it's bound to get too big to cram onto the same one."
"Any more questions?" he asked.
Eliza perked up. "Are you adding anime characters to the draw?"
Tet sighed, rubbing his temple. "Guys… I'm the god of games, not anime."
But when he saw Eliza's disappointed expression, he groaned. "Okay, fine. I'll let each of you have four anime character draws—but that's it."
Eddy raised his hand. "I noticed there's no other rooms or houses here. Where are we gonna sleep?"
Tet grinned slyly. "I'm glad you asked. But we'll get to that later."
Then Tet said, "For now, let's take care of your level-ups. We'll start with Dex since he showed up last."
Tet snapped his fingers, and Dex felt a rush of energy surge through him as his body was momentarily covered with a kaleidoscopic aura. His watch beeped and displayed:
You have reached Level Four
6 stat points available for use
3 skill or ability points available
Then Tet said, "Three levels, not bad."
He created a glowing list of skills and abilities floating in the air in front of Dex. Most were drawn from Resident Evil and some were basic mechanics from other games. But then Dex's eyes widened when he spotted something unusual: The Baneful Bloodline.
Dex pointed at it and said, wide-eyed, "Wait—the Baneful Bloodline? Wouldn't that be more of a race change than anything?"
Tet gave a casual nod. "Yep. And I'll only allow one race change for each of you. Any more than that would be cheating, since it also grants a huge stat boost. But if you're gonna pick that, I'd save it for last—because it's gonna hurt."
Dex grimaced but took his advice. He picked his new skills first, settling on Basic Destruction Magic from Skyrim and Basic Alteration Magic, also from Skyrim. Then he placed his stat points carefully—two into Strength, two into Luck, and two into Charisma. Finally, his finger hovered hesitantly before selecting The Baneful Bloodline.
The moment he did, agony unlike anything he'd ever known consumed him. His body felt like it was on fire, his blood boiling. His organs, bones, nerves, and muscles began to melt and seep out of his pores in a blood-red mist. His screams caught in his throat—but no sound came, his vocal cords and esophagus dissolving along with everything else inside him.
New bones, organs, muscles, and nerves grew in place of the old, snapping and tearing into place as if he were being remade from scratch. His new heart thundered, pumping fresh blood through his reconstructed body. Finally, his skin and hair flaked away into dust and drifted off him, replaced by brand-new flesh and strands of hair sprouting as if he were reborn.
Dex collapsed to his knees, gasping for his first breath in his new form. "Holy fuck… that was painful…" he rasped, sweat and blood still dripping down his face.
Rey, still wide-eyed, said, "It looked terrifying—but you didn't even scream."
Dex gave her a grim look. "That's because my vocal cords melted… along with my esophagus."
At that description, everyone's eyes widened, their faces shifting between shock and disbelief.
Tet rubbed his temple with a frown. "Yeah… I'm gonna patch that. I tried to make it as painless as possible, but I apparently didn't do enough."
Rey suddenly grinned and waved her hand dismissively. "Nah, leave it."
Eliza chimed in, leaning forward eagerly. "Yes, don't change it!"
Eddy crossed his arms with a firm nod. "Agreed."
Tet looked around at them all in disbelief. "Are you all nuts?"
Eddy leaned in, his tone steady. "You told us we only get one race change, and that's it. So we only gotta go through it once. And it ain't fair for only Dex to have to go through it. On top of that, we're probably gonna have to endure worse on some of our adventures."
Tet blinked at them in surprise, then slowly smiled. "Wow… I picked the right people after all."
Eddy raised a brow. "That brings up a question, though—what happens when we die as one of our characters?"
Tet shrugged casually. "Oh, that? Nothing really. You just get returned to your base form and lose access to that character for twenty-four hours. Which is why I made it easy to get character draws—this way, you can slowly stockpile lives."
Then Tet said, "Now Dex, let's see your stats."
Dex nodded, and Tet displayed his updated stats on a large transparent screen:
---
Name: Dexter M. Cutler
Race: Baneful
Health: 600
Mana: 500
Bloodlust: 0
Level: 4
Strength: 12
Perception: 16
Endurance: 15
Charisma: 14
Intelligence: 19
Agility: 13
Luck: 20
Perks: S.T.A.R.S, Good Samaritan, Undead Slayer
Skills: Swordsmanship, Archery, Throwing, Unarmed Combat, , Energy Manipulation (Locked)
Abilities: Enhanced Strength (Locked), Enhanced Speed (Locked), Enhanced Endurance (Locked), Accelerated Perception (Locked), Berserk Form, Xtatic Form (Locked),Novice Destruction Magic, Novice Alteration Magic
Characters: Saki
Bloodline Mastery: 000%
---
Dex whistled low. "Holy shit… I jumped pretty high. Now—why are those skills and abilities back? And why are they locked again?"
Tet explained, "They're back because all of that is typical of the Baneful Bloodline. And they're locked because you're basically a newborn. If you didn't notice, there's a new stat now: Bloodline Mastery. You unlock your Baneful skills and abilities by mastering your bloodline—which means training. Lots of training. Fighting, surviving, pushing yourself. Don't get too excited for the enhanced stat abilities—they'll provide ten points at most."
Dex frowned. "I noticed the Bloodlust meter is back."
Tet nodded. "Yep. Until you can unlock your Xtatic Form, you'll have to manage your Bloodlust. It goes down as you calm your adrenaline. So if I were you, I'd pick a meditation skill now."
He turned his eyes toward Rey. "Your turn. You also leveled three times, so let's see it."
Rey cracked her knuckles, trying to look confident despite her nerves. "Alright." She placed two points into Endurance, two into Intelligence, and two into Strength. Then she picked Novice Conjuration Magic and Novice Destruction Magic.
She smirked at Dex. "I'm not gonna let my partner go it alone. So—I'll also become a Baneful."
Then she, too, went through the same agonizing transformation. Her scream tore through the room as her body dissolved and remade itself in a blood-red haze, her hands trembling as she clutched at her chest. When it was over, she collapsed forward, breathing heavily, sweat streaming down her face.
Eddy winced. "Damn… I didn't think I'd watch that twice today."
Rey looked up at them with wide, haunted eyes. "Oh my God… that was the most painful thing I've ever experienced…"
Dex reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving a sympathetic smile. "I know, right?"
Rey exhaled shakily, then forced a grin. "I need to think about something else… Let's see my stats."
Name: Regina
Race: Baneful
Health: 600
Mana: 500
Bloodlust: 0
Level: 4
Strength: 14
Perception: 18
Endurance: 12
Charisma: 20
Intelligence: 22
Agility: 18
Luck: 12
Perks: Undead Slayer
Skills: Firearms, Knife Fighting, Throwing, Unarmed Combat, Energy Manipulation (Locked)
Abilities: Enhanced Strength (Locked), Enhanced Speed (Locked), Enhanced Endurance (Locked), Accelerated Perception (Locked), Berserk Form, Xtatic Form (Locked), Novice Destruction Magic, Novice Conjuration Magic
Characters: Lei
Bloodline Mastery: 000%
Then Rey smiled wide and said, "Awesome."
Tet gave a nod. "Alright, Eliza, you're up."
Eliza straightened in her chair, then carefully put two points into Strength, two into Endurance, and two into Agility. After a moment of consideration, she picked Novice Restoration Magic, Novice Illusion Magic, and finally Novice Stealth.
Tet clapped his hands together once. "Alright? Let's see those stats."
---
Name: Eliza
Race: Human
Health: 400
Mana: 400
Level: 4
Strength: 6
Perception: 7
Endurance: 6
Charisma: 9
Intelligence: 8
Agility: 5
Luck: 10
Perks: Undead Slayer
Skills: Novice Dagger Combat, Swimming, Diving, Stealth, Cooking, Throwing
Abilities: Novice Restoration Magic, Novice Illusion Magic
Characters: Ayane
---
Tet gave an approving smile. "Okay, not bad. Now finally—you're up, Eddy."
Eddy leaned forward with a confident grin. He distributed two points into Endurance, two into Intelligence, and two into Agility. Then he picked Lockpicking, Pickpocket, and Novice Destruction Magic.
---
Name: Edgar
Race: Human
Health: 400
Mana: 400
Level: 4
Strength: 7
Perception: 6
Endurance: 8
Charisma: 7
Intelligence: 12
Agility: 6
Luck: 6
Perks: Undead Slayer
Skills: Novice Swordsmanship, Throwing, Lockpicking, Pickpocket
Abilities: Novice Destruction Magic
Characters: Ryu Hayabusa
---
Tet looked over all four of them and nodded with satisfaction. "Excellent. You're all coming along very well. Take five, and then I'll talk to you about your accommodations."