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Chapter 4 — Gathering Experience
The two blank cards shimmered faintly as you lifted them from the metal case.
They felt warm—like holding tiny hearts.
You slid them carefully into your deck, the edges clicking softly into place.
Your deck pulsed once.
Now you had options again.
You closed the case quietly and stepped toward the hallway, crouched low, prybar card between your fingers.
ITEM: RUST-BENT PRYBAR
RARITY: COMMON
FUNCTION: smash or pry
CONDITION: UNSTABLE
A whisper of ink rolled off the card, forming a ghost-image of the metal in your palm.
It was ready to manifest the second you summoned it.
Up the stairs, the voice repeated—
soft, cautious, shaking:
"Hello…? I-I heard yelling… is someone hurt?"
You didn't answer.
You moved silently, heel to toe, hugging the cracked drywall.
One foot up the next step.
Then another.
Every movement careful.
The building was old.
One wrong step and the wood would creak loud enough to ruin everything.
At the top of the stairs, dim yellow emergency lights flickered.
A shadow moved behind the open doorway, pacing slowly.
You could hear his uneven breathing.
He wasn't a monster.
But people from your world…
They were becoming just as unpredictable.
You approached the doorway silently, kept your back low, and peeked around the corner.
---
The Survivor
A man in his late twenties stood near a broken vending machine, clutching a cracked flashlight like a weapon.
He wore a torn hoodie from your world—an actual brand you recognized.
His hands trembled.
He kept turning toward the stairs, then toward the window, like he wasn't sure where danger would come from.
He hadn't seen you.
Not yet.
And he looked scared enough that if you spooked him, he might swing that flashlight like a knife.
You tightened your grip on the prybar card.
Your Rib-Crawler throbbed inside the deck, sensing your tension, eager to be summoned again after its last kill.
But this wasn't a monster.
Not yet.
---
Your Choice of Approach
You inhaled once.
Slow. Silent.
Then, in one controlled motion, you stepped through the doorway and—
MONSTER: RIB-CRAWLER
TYPE: PREDATORY
EFFECT: SUMMON TO DISTRACT OR SCOUT
STATUS: OWNED
Experience 5-10
ITEM: RUST-BENT PRYBAR
RARITY: COMMON
FUNCTION: breach or leverage or smash open heads
CONDITION: UNSTABLE
Expeirence 5-10
---
You didn't give him a chance.
No warning.
No hesitation.
You yanked the card from your deck—
ITEM: RUST-BENT PRYBAR
RARITY: COMMON
CONDITION: UNSTABLE
—and slammed it onto the floor.
Ink pulsed outward, shaping itself into cold iron just as you sprinted forward.
The man barely turned his head.
He got out half a word.
"Wai—"
CRACK
The prybar smashed into the side of his neck with a sharp, brutal snap.
His flashlight clattered to the floor, rolling in a slow, wobbling circle.
He collapsed against the vending machine, body twitching once before going still.
Your breath steamed in the cold air.
Silence swallowed the hallway.
Your deck vibrated softly, recognizing the kill.
The prybar shimmered and dissolved back into its card form, sliding into your deck with a faint click.
---
CARD EXPERIENCE GAINED
Your cards pulsed as glowing bars appeared briefly:
RIB-CRAWLER — EXP +2
(9/10)
RUST-BENT PRYBAR — EXP +3
(9/10)
Killing humans gave more experience than monsters.
That thought sat uncomfortably in your chest—but also… empowering.
In this world, power was the only thing that kept you alive.
And you were getting stronger.
---
Checking the Body
You knelt beside the corpse.
His hoodie pockets were already turned out—poor guy must've been starving.
But he had one thing worth taking:
A small black pouch tied to his belt.
Inside were:
3 silver ration tokens
A folded hand-drawn map
A torn half of a card (useless… for now)
You pocketed everything.
Then something else tugged at your mind—the sound of wind pushing through a nearby broken window.
You turned and saw a balcony door half-hanging on its hinges.
It led outside.
To the rooftops.
To the rest of this dying, twisted world.
---
A New View
You stepped out onto the balcony.
The city was dark, but flickering lights and strange glowing fog swirled between the buildings like something alive.
Far below, you saw others—
humans from your world—
running, fighting, screaming, summoning random creatures from decks they barely understood.
The Dreadshift didn't care about fairness.
Everyone was prey.
---
A New Threat Approaches
Behind you, inside the building, you heard something slam against a door.
Slow, heavy.
Repeated.
Something big.
Something aware of you.
And getting closer.
You tightened your deck strap.
Your cards pulsed.
You had two blank cards ready now.
You had options.
You had XP.
You had blood on your hands.
And the Dreadshift wasn't slowing down.
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