《A Reluctant Adventurer》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 His name was Marcus Rogers and as he drove his silver Jeep Gladiator Rubicon through the snowy landscape he mused on the things that had brought him to this point. Up until recently his biggest aspiration had been buying the extremely expensive but incredibly badass Jeep pickup he now found himself blasting through snow drifts with. Then about a week ago everything had changed, literally everything. He¡¯d woken up to find his house empty, his wife, the kids, the animals, hell even the frog were all gone. Unfortunately his cell phone and the wifi were also gone so he had no way to contact anyone. A quick glance out the window also revealed that not only had his family left him but they had taken the neighbourhood with them. Now even by Marcus¡¯ standards that was a little extreme. Interestingly they had left his beloved Jeep, so named Goliath, after a couple of other silver badass suits of electronic armour. They had also left all his weapons, survival gear, and food. So with no electricity and nothing else to do Marcus loaded his standard Weird Shit Going On kit into the Jeep and started driving. He didn¡¯t really have a destination so he decided to head downtown. The Jeep had a full tank of gas he knew wouldn¡¯t last long so he decided to look for a gas station. It became quickly apparent that some serious shit had gone down while he¡¯d been asleep. The city had a very post-apocalyptic feel to it, what with most of the buildings being destroyed and the worse than usual condition of the road underneath the Jeep¡¯s big tires. Shifting the manual transfer case into four high Marcus turned onto what he thought might have been the highway, admittedly it had been hard to tell before but without regular snow removal it was even worse. By now the heater was blowing hot and heavy so Marcus figured he was safe to roll down the window without freezing. He dug the disposable vape from his pocket and puffed away while wondering if he¡¯d be able to find more. The big Jeep rounded a corner to reveal that downtown had not faired much better than his own neighbourhood although there appeared to be more standing buildings. Hey, that was a good sign. Not having his phone to stream music Marcus flipped through the FM stations in a futile hope for something. At one point he thought he heard an emergency broadcast but it quickly faded to static. He cursed the really cool but completely useless bullet antenna he had installed. It was still early morning which this far north meant really dark and really cold. Except for the Jeep¡¯s v6 engine and 33 inch tires crunching on snow there wasn¡¯t a sound. The LED headlights played tricks with the shadows, a couple of times forcing Marcus to stop and take a second look. It was becoming quickly apparent that there was no one else around. Many of the buildings looked long abandoned, with some even appearing burnt out. Suddenly waking up fully Marcus locked up the brakes, causing the Jeep to slide for several heart pounding seconds. Last night he had gone to bed with a family in a lively city that had definitely not been abandoned and clearly through some type of violence. This meant one of two things. The first possibility was that much like Bruce Campbell¡¯s Ash he had slept too long while the world fell apart around him. Which was highly unlikely because his kids wouldn¡¯t even let him sleep until noon, let alone through the apocalypse. Which pretty much ruled out that theory, plus why were his house and Jeep untouched while everything around them got absolutely wrecked. Which meant that through the process of Quantum Bullshit, Marcus, his house, and his Jeep had been teleported overnight to an alternate and also post-apocalyptic Earth. This meant that more than likely his family, his life, and his earth were continuing on without him, possibly only a step away but also possibly an infinite away. This realisation pissed Marcus off to no end but he also realised that sitting in the middle of an empty intersection, wasting gas, was not a productive use of his time. So he started driving again and decided to make his way to his favourite gas station, because why not. He also decided to take his Sig Sauer P320 M17 out of the center console and reminded himself to take the Mossberg 464-SPX 30-30 out the backseat lockbox. He found himself wishing at the moment he was American rather than Canadian so he could have a cooler rifle.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. He also lamented the ten round mag cap as he put the M17 into the cupholder. He looked back up from that quick action just in time to lock up the brakes again as something darted across the road, once again causing the Jeep to go into a heart stopping slide as the off road radials fought for traction. Throwing the Gladiator into park Marcus grabbed the pistol from the cupholder and jumped out scanning the predawn gloom just outside the white zone of the obnoxiously bright LEDs. The thing that had forced him to stop came bounding through the snow, pausing to bark at a comically surprised Marcus before hopping into the Jeep through the open driver¡¯s door. Once safely in the passenger seat the shape barked again, as if to say ¡°we should leave now.¡± Stunned into obedience Marcus climbed back into the driver¡¯s seat and placed the pistol into the cupholder. Once he had the Jeep moving and took another puff of his vape Marcus finally looked at his new passenger. It was in fact, a dog, a rather funny but cute looking Corgi and Husky cross. Short stubby legs, long thick winter fur, huge pointed ears, brown and white colouration, with bright blue eyes. Of all the things that had happened Marcus was most impressed with the fact that those stubby legs had propelled the round fluff ball up into the Jeep with no difficulty. He had known adults that had struggled to get in. The dog appeared to have no collar or symbol of ownership and since it was the first living thing he¡¯d seen since waking up that morning Marcus decided not to argue with the company. Instead he turned his eyes back to the road, they were nearing the gas station. Once again the shadows played tricks on his eyes as he made the turn into the parking lot. Surprisingly the building looked relatively undamaged, all four pumps standing and only the glass in one door broken. It had clearly been looted but not too thoroughly he thought as he put the Jeep in park. The dog gave him one of those forty five degree head tilts as he got out. ¡°I just need to grab a few things and stock up, you staying here?¡± The dog raised an eyebrow in a way that suggested both humanity and incredulity. So Marcus chalked it up to the human tendency to project onto non humans and got out. Staring at the rear door for a second he remembered his rifle and retrieved it from the lock box, then he remembered his pistol and reached to the front cup holder. All the while the dog was staring at him like he was crazy, it was honestly kind of unnerving. Holstering the pistol and hefting the rifle Marcus made his way through the ever increasing light towards the broken glass door. The wind had begun to pick up, bringing with it the creepy sounds of blown snow and emptiness, Marcus took one last look around but seeing nothing stepped through the door. Once inside the silence became deafening, except it was silent. There was something else in the store with him. The sun was rising rapidly and reflecting off the snow that he now realized had a rather disgusting grey tinge to it. Shadows in the store stretched and distorted into horror movie shapes, almost seeming to reach for him. Marcus decided now would be a good time to turn on his flashlight. Just like with the Jeep¡¯s LED¡¯s a brilliant white light fought back the shadows and brought the store into stark contrast. It also had the unfortunate side effect of royally pissing off the other humanoid figure in the store. ¡°Fuck me, I¡¯m in a zombie apocalypse....¡± Marcus took a step back, ¡°Are you the kind of zombie that can talk?¡± The zombie shrieked in response and started towards him. ¡°Are you the fast or slow kind?¡± It started running. Marcus took in a slow breath, sighted the black lever action on the zombie¡¯s cranium and as he exhaled, squeezed the trigger. An ear shattering blast accompanied the blinding light, leaving Marcus momentarily blind and deaf, stupid lying Hollywood. He didn¡¯t feel undead teeth biting into his flesh as his ears rang and he tried to blink away the light, so he must not have missed. ¡°Well, at least now I know headshots work and its fast zombies.¡± He looked down at the lifeless corpse at his feet. Looking around and finding no other walking dead Marcus lowered the rifle, shook the last few bells from his ears and went shopping. The store had been mostly cleaned out, but there were still a few treasures to be found. Energy drinks, disposable vapes, energy bars, and an honest to goodness newspaper. It was dated two years before Marcus went to sleep at home, and the headline was the rather uninspired ¡°THE DEAD WALK!¡± written all in caps with an exclamation point. ¡°From what I saw they can run, and they won.¡± Chuckling at his own rhyme Marcus armpitted the newspaper and headed back outside. The sun had fully crested the horizon now and brought with it a stark, grey clarity that just accented how shitty this version of earth had become. Not wanting to hang around longer than he had to, Marcus threw his bounty into the back seat, grabbed his pry bar and ripped the cover off the nearest gas pump. Underneath he found the manual pump, which he used to fill his four GI style Jerry Cans. This done, he put the Jerry Cans back in the bed of the pickup and returned to the driver¡¯s seat, where he found the dog looking at him with a very impatient look. Marcus again chalked this up to his imagination and put the Jeep into drive. Deciding there was no more reason to stick around an abandoned city that might be full of zombies Marcus turned onto the highway and headed south. It was a four hour drive to the next major city under normal circumstances but a lack of urgency and a desire to conserve fuel meant it was probably closer to seven. Apparently happy with this decision, the dog turned three circles before curling up on the passenger seat. Marcus wished he had some music as he blew a cloud of cola flavoured vapour out into the frozen air. From somewhere behind them something roared, Marcus rolled up the window and pressed the gas a little harder. Chapter 2 The drive south proved rather uneventful, the most difficult part being keeping the Jeep on what was hopefully the road. Not that the Jeep would have any issues off road but on top of an increased risk from hitting something hidden by the snow it would slow their pace considerably. Marcus took a moment to wonder why they had passed so few abandoned cars along the way. Hollywood movies always made it seem like every major roadway would be completely blocked by dead vehicles, but in a little over two hundred kilometers Marcus could count the number of cars he¡¯d seen on one hand. With little else to do and tired of talking in his own head he¡¯d taken up attempting to figure out the dog¡¯s name. ¡°Lucille?¡± wrong guesses were met with a growl, this try being no different. ¡°Fluffers?¡± ¡°Rosie?¡± ¡°Letisha?¡± ¡°Kali?¡± ¡°Cinnamon?¡± This went on for far longer than Marcus would ever admit to another human being. ¡°Peyton?¡± rather than a growl this was met with an enthusiastic barking, ¡°alright, Peyton it is.¡± Having learned the dog¡¯s name Marcus briefly wondered if the dog was a boy or a girl but decided he didn¡¯t want to know how he¡¯d learn the answer. Instead he took another sip of the energy drink in his cup holder and put his focus back on the road. There was a small town coming up on the right and he was curious to see what had happened to it. Something terrible apparently, the only evidence there had ever been a town here was a lone gas station sign, standing vigil like a red and white grave marker. Everything else had been completely flattened and buried by the disgusting grey snow. Gripping the steering wheel a little tighter Marcus pressed the accelerator a little harder and quickly left the ghoulish sight in his rear view. It wouldn¡¯t take long to come upon another ghoulish sight, this one even worse than the first.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. It was a rural property completely surrounded by a rather high chain link fence, which wasn¡¯t too bad. The still writhing zombies suspended from poles at regular intervals around the property were a completely different story. Marcus decided pretty quickly that he did not want to stick around, a glance at the dog and its absolutely horrified demeanour suggested he shouldn¡¯t. The Jeep¡¯s v6 growled as the big off road tires churned through snow and away from the tableau. Marcus realised that zombies might not be the only problems in this version of earth, he didn¡¯t realize how right that statement was. The next interesting thing they came upon was a massive wall, stretching into the distance in either direction. Built entirely out of crushed cars, which explained why Marcus didn¡¯t see any on the road. It also didn¡¯t have a gate, at least not where they were. One thing was apparent, Peyton did not like the wall, the dog was pressed against the passenger seat with hackles raised growling at the wall. Marcus took one last look at the wall of metal that must have been fifty feet tall and wondered briefly if it was meant to keep something out or in. He decided that question definitely did not need to be answered at the moment, if it ever needed to be answered, made a K turn and headed in the other direction. Turning onto a secondary highway Marcus looked over to find Peyton once again curled up on the passenger seat, the danger apparently passed. He then took a second to appreciate that the geography for the most part matched his earth. That is, until he nearly drove into the giant crater. It stretched off into the horizon in nearly all directions and seemed to fall away forever, though he knew that was just an optical illusion. Putting the Jeep in park and grabbing his binoculars Marcus stepped out and surveyed the landscape. While not bottomless the crater was pretty damn deep, almost a kilometer straight down from the edge, while easily being three or four across. As his breathing slowed and his heart levelled off he became aware of two distinct sounds. The first was a frantic barking from the passenger seat of his Gladiator, the second was difficult to describe but most definitely coming from the crater and was undoubtedly a very bad thing. Deciding for the moment that he was in way over his head and the dog hadn¡¯t led him astray so far, Marcus jumped into the Jeep and advanced in the other direction hoping he¡¯d never have to find out what was in that crater. In order to avoid the crater of shit he didn¡¯t want to know about, Marcus found himself driving towards the next province over. He also discovered that he needed to put gas in the Jeep and the sun was setting. In the middle of nowhere, in winter, in the post apocalyptic version of earth this was very much so a bad thing. So Marcus did the only sensible thing he could think of, come to a complete stop in the middle of the road and got out to fill the Jeep. Peyton decided this was a good time to get out and do their business. Marcus thought watching the dog pee might let him know what gender it was. This proved ineffective in the knee high snow. As was typical of the empty, apocalyptical earth it was disturbingly quiet, like hear your own heartbeat quiet. This would prove advantageous as the silence was broken by the sound of trees cracking. Not branches. Trees. Marcus decided he had put enough gas in the Jeep and Peyton apparently agreed as the dog quickly jumped back into the passenger seat and began barking. Marcus started twisting the gas cap into place as a nearby stand of trees began shaking violently. Not just one or two but a whole stand of them. In other disturbing news the earth had started shaking, violently. This was more than enough for Marcus to hop back into the Gladiator, depressing the brake pedal and starter button as he did so. Thankfully this wasn¡¯t some piece of shit horror movie car but rather a well maintained modern vehicle so the Jeep turned over with a purr. Whatever was coming through the woods was coming very near the treeline as Marcus shifted into drive and shoved his seatbelt home. The Jeep¡¯s v6 growled as the big tires churned up clouds of snow and the Gladiator shot towards the ever encroaching twilight. Marcus glanced into the rearview mirror but all it revealed was an ever expanding cloud of the sickening grey snow blowing out behind the Jeep. Chapter 3 It wasn¡¯t long afterwards the winter sun set completely and the only light came from the Jeep¡¯s LEDs, which Marcus had to admit was a lot of light when you thought about it. It did however have a downside, as it attracted every nocturnal zombie with a working pair of eyes in the tri county area. After dodging a third grasping figure Marcus decided it was both time for sleep and time to get off the road. The Jeep¡¯s exterior thermometer read a balmy -10 celsius, not incredibly cold but definitely not sleep with the windows open weather. Opting to avoid anywhere where zombies might be Marcus instead opted to park the Jeep in a long abandoned farmer¡¯s field. Shutting of the Jeep¡¯s engine to conserve fuel he put his parka over the dog and after leaning his seat back, slid feet first into his sub zero sleeping bag. At a little over six foot he was too tall to sleep across the narrow Jeep, plus sleeping with his legs bent gave him muscle spasms. The sleeping bag was more than warm enough in the enclosed Jeep and Marcus had plenty of practice sleeping in a vehicle so it didn¡¯t take him long to drift off. Unfortunately it took him a little longer to drift on, at which point he was assaulted by the sounds of a barking dog, something hitting the jeep, and an unnecessary rocking motion for this early in the morning. As his sleep addled brain finished booting back up he quickly realized what all that meant and his eyes popped open, rather painfully. The dull sunlight doing its level best to murder his vision meant two things, one important and one not so much. The less important thing was that the day was overcast. The much more important thing was that it was now daylight. This meant Marcus had slept way longer than he¡¯d originally intended and that their so-called hiding spot had been discovered. He looked around to discover quite a crowd of zombies rocking the Jeep from all sides, and the dog giving him a rather hurtful ¡°are you serious¡± look. Marcus made a mental note that while this earth¡¯s zombies were fast they were not particularly strong as they seemed unable to damage any of the windows on the Gladiator. This was when one of the zombies accidentally ripped off the back fender with a rather heart wrenching cracking noise. Marcus let out a defiant roar at this that seemed to even give the zombies outside pause as he quickly unzipped the sleeping bag, put his boots and parka back on, then grabbed the sword from the back seat. He was pissed, not stupid. All that done and still filled with rage Marcus threw open the driver¡¯s door and plowed through the closest zombies. There were only about ten zombies around the Jeep so this literally meant knocking down two zombies while the rest turned to look at him. Marcus paused for a moment to reflect that all the zombies looked like that chick who thought tanning was a religion. Their varying heights being the only way to tell them apart.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Marcus immediately went to work with his sword as the zombies charged, technically it was a machete shaped like a sword rather than an actual sword. This had not stopped Marcus from giving it a razor¡¯s edge and sweet paint job. Said badass paint job included some Norse runes along the blade, which had been painted to appear as though they were glowing. As Marcus went to town on the undead group he could have sworn the runes on the sword began to actually glow faintly. Which he realized sounded crazy but he¡¯d also woken up the day before in an alternate dimension so he wasn¡¯t about to discount anything at this point. Less than a minute later he found himself surrounded by nine headless zombies and one that happened to be missing both its arms and head. Said arms lay nearby still clutching the rear driver¡¯s side fender of his beloved Gladiator. The fender was removed from the undead clutches and clipped back into its rightful place above the tire. The fender back in place Marcus took a step back to look over the rest of the driver¡¯s side of the Jeep. It was at this point he noticed the dog looking at him from the open driver¡¯s door with what could only be described as an ¡°oh really¡± eyebrow. The dog¡¯s very human expressions were starting to unnerve Marcus, especially this one. ¡°What? I¡¯m very protective over him.¡± At this the dog actually shook its head before hopping back into the passenger seat. Marcus went to wipe off his sword but found it already clean, muttering to himself about weird dogs and alternate universes he placed the sword in the back seat and started the Jeep. The Jeeps heavy duty tires crunched through the nasty grey snow back onto the road and pointed east all the while a steady stream of scented vapour poured out the driver¡¯s window. Marcus was rapidly starting to hate his current situation and wondered which of the gods he had pissed off to end up here. He also really wished he had some music to listen to. It was at this moment the stereo shrieked to life, having apparently been doing its best to find him something to listen to. It was obviously a broadcast on repeat but because this wasn¡¯t a movie and Marcus wasn¡¯t any sort of lucky so it started at some random point. ¡°...If you can make your way there we have safety and supplies. This is a message for anyone still living. We are here and still alive as long as this message is still broadcasting. We offer safety for anyone who can make it here.¡± Marcus glared at the radio with murderous intent as the speaker continued speaking without ever actually giving a location. ¡°Be safe and god bless¡­ This is the human outpost located in the town of Lloydminister. We located east of the crater along highway sixteen. If you can make your way there¡­¡± Marcus slowed the Jeep down, he was surprised to find that he was so close to Lloydminister but that the crater had really been that big. Putting the Jeep in park he went around to the box and retrieved a map book from one of the storage bins he kept back there. While totally useless without any landmarks and probably even more so depending on how different this earth was at least it was something. His supply of gasoline was getting low so hopefully the outpost would be able to resupply him, but first he¡¯d have to get there. Best chance he had was to point the Jeep east and go until he ran out of road. With any luck it would be at a landmark. Chapter 4 It was a landmark and it was quite possibly the most horrifying thing Marcus had ever seen. It had been a town, population of about thirty thousand people according to the half demolished sign marking where the devastation began. Actually devastation was an understatement by Marcus¡¯ standards, was there a word worse than devastation he pondered as he surveyed the landscape. The town very much looked as though a giant monster had decided to play lego with an entire town. Right up to the crater sized footprints scattered about. Another interesting fact was the surprising amount of springtime plant growth¡­ in the middle of winter. It was scattered about like a child with their first open top drink had run through spilling flowers and greenery as they went. Not long after entering the town proper Marcus began to realize how recently the event had happened. Many of the buildings didn¡¯t even have snow in them yet, in some cases sidewalks had even been cleared recently. There were also bodies, not a lot, but a few, and not the zombies either. Here and there Marcus the bodies of ordinary people, in various states of dress and injury, appeared to have been running from the whatever it was that caused all the damage and impact craters. Closer to the center of town things got even stranger, he started seeing people in outlandish outfits and with weapons nearby. Interestingly they weren¡¯t all firearms, which Marcus figured made sense in a zombie apocalypse, though he was starting to wonder if it was just a zombie apocalypse. Never one to turn down a little light looting and some further investigation Marcus brought the Jeep to a stop and killed the engine. Once the engine was silent Marcus grabbed his sword from the back seat and stepped out in the cold yet oddly fragrant air. It smelled of spring and flowers despite the frigid temperatures, and dead bodies everywhere. It was also deathly quiet, even the wind not wanting anything to do with the warzone of a town. The nearest body to the Jeep was a man slightly above average height dressed in green robes of all things. His body was face down in the snow, the robe covering everything from his feet to his head like an accidental funeral shroud. Marcus knelt down and flipped the body over.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Two things were immediately apparent as Marcus took a step back. The first being the man had died when something had crushed his chest, it looked like a mac truck had hit the man but only from the waist to the neck. The second being, the man wasn¡¯t human. He was very human looking, two arms, two legs, two eyes, two ears, two nipples¡­ Actually judging by the state of his torso he might not have any nipples. He was tall, slender, pale, extremely attractive, and delicate looking. He also had pointed ears, ¡°That¡¯s a goddamn Elf, this just keeps getting worse.¡± Marcus sighed and went to check the other bodies. There were two bodies that were well below average height, one being a surprisingly stocky woman and the other being a man with no shoes. ¡°I¡¯m in a damn fantasy universe.¡± Marcus went back to his Jeep and sat on the tailgate, Peyton the Corgi trotting over, something hanging from the dog¡¯s mouth. On closer inspection it was a necklace, more specifically a ring of dull grey metal on a leather cord. Marcus took the necklace from the dog who immediately started barking. ¡°Oh, hell no! I am not putting on the chosen one necklace and getting all mixed up in whatever fucked this place up.¡± It was at this very moment Marcus realized if he had been in a Ford Explorer with a glass on the dash, that glass would be vibrating in a very ominous way. ¡°To hell with this, I¡¯m out. Come on Peyton, time to get in the Jeep.¡± Marcus had moved to the front of the Gladiator and motioned towards the open door. The dog made no move to get in, choosing instead to begin barking even louder than before. This had the effect of causing the ominous vibrations to increase to pants shitting vibrations. Marcus looked from the barking dog, to the direction of the now audible foot falls, to the necklace in his hand, and to the Jeep¡¯s driver seat. Marcus tried very hard to convince himself to jump in the Jeep and just leave the dog and drive as far as he could, even considering throwing the necklace away. Unfortunately for him, the counter argument part of his brain brought its A game today and pointed out two things. First, everything else seemed to be just as fucked as here and this might get him some answers, and second, he really liked animals. So against his better judgement Marcus pulled the leather cord up and over his head. A move he immediately regretted as the necklace melted through his clothes and into his chest. This proved to be surprisingly painful as the necklace burned into his chest, starting where the ring had gone through his clothes and expanding outwards rapidly. When it reached his head he started to scream. When it reached his unmentionables he passed out. Chapter 5 ¡°WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!¡± Marcus slowly came back into consciousness to the sound of a feminine voice telling him to wake up and the sound of Peyton the Corgi barking. Attempting to sit up proved impossible and Marcus did his best to gather his thoughts while lying on the snow covered ground. He was no longer in pain, that was good. The booming footsteps were now really close, probably too close to escape, that was not good. There was clearly someone else alive in town so that was good. Their constant shouts of wake up were not so good. Finally feeling safe to do so, Marcus sat up and looked around. He immediately discovered two problems, there was no one there but the dog and the shouts of wake up were coming from the dog. Marcus let out a long groan, ¡°Why can I understand the dog?¡± He asked of no one in particular. Turns out someone had an answer as directly in front of him a display window appeared in his vision. ¡°Oh, fuck me.¡± CANINE AFFINITY PASSIVE ABILITY RANGER CLASS ¡°Due to your love of animals, especially canines, you can now understand and communicate with all species of canine. You also have enhanced olfactory and auditory senses. This is Tier 1, at higher Tiers your senses will improve drastically and you will be able to communicate with canines over longer distances.¡± ¡®¡¯You have got to be kidding me, a video game world¡­ I want to go home now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s coming!¡± The very feminine dog¡¯s voice didn¡¯t give him a minute to process. ¡°What is?¡± He asked the dog, ¡°can¡¯t believe I¡¯m talking to a dog.¡± ¡°That!¡± Marcus turned around to see a goddamn Ent coming down the street towards. Okay, it wasn¡¯t exactly an Ent, it was a walking tree but it was not a plodding government official but rather a rampaging willow or an oak. Marcus wasn¡¯t good with trees, he could tell birch, evergreen, and willows but that was about it. ¡°What the hell is that!¡± Forest Elemental: The heart of the forest given physical form. They are strong, with tough bark, and bleed a concentrated plant energy. They are weak against fire and edged weapons. ¡°That is going to get annoying.¡± Marcus looked around at the corpses of people probably way better than him at this who had numbers and better gear. He had a sword machete and a Corgi. Marcus pulled the painted sword from its sheath looking from the sword to the Elemental, the sword measuring roughly two feet long while the pissed off tree was just shy of two stories tall. Marcus looked over his sword, black handle, yellow and black swirl pattern, and the red painted runes. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re magical in this universe?¡± You can enchant Katana Machete with Enchant Weapon ability. Would you like to enchant Katana Machete?I ¡°Enchant weapon?¡± ENCHANT WEAPON SPELL ARTIFICER CLASS ¡°Your affinity for modifying and customizing weapons has given you the enchant weapon spell. Cast Enchant Weapon on any weapon you are holding to permanently give the weapon a random magical attribute. Once a weapon has been enchanted it cannot be reenchanted or have its enchantment removed.¡± ¡°What are you doing!¡± Apparently reading these prompts was not a pause function. ¡°Enchant Weapon!¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. You have enchanted Katana Machete. Katana Machete has been imbued with Biting Edge. Biting Edge has enhanced the blade¡¯s edge and wounds made by this weapon will take longer to heal without magical assistance. Marcus turned the sword over in his hand, the edge taking on a sinister gleam. It was at this moment a tree hand the size of a car door slammed in Marcus, launching him into a nearby snowbank. Turns out being hit by a tree hard enough the throw you across a yard is surprisingly painful. ¡°That really fucking hurts.¡± Marcus groaned as he struggled to extricate himself from the snow. Nothing felt broken but he was definitely going to be bruised in the morning. Thankfully, he had managed to keep a hold on his sword. Unfortunately, the Elemental was closing the distance quickly. Marcus had no formal fight training, and even if he did, he doubted it would cover fighting giant, angry trees. He was looking over at his Jeep when suddenly inspiration hit like an AT-AT, this was immediately followed by the roided up tree hitting him like a Star Destroyer once again knocking him across the street. Marcus was pretty sure he now had at least one cracked rib and his bell had definitely been rung. He would swear the dog was talking, then he remembered the dog really was talking. ¡°Peyton!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Distract the tree!¡± ¡°How!¡± ¡°Bite him!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I have a plan, just keep it busy!¡± ¡°We¡¯re both gonna die.¡± ¡°Probably, but do it anyway!¡± ¡°Fine!¡± And with that Marcus started running for the Jeep and Peyton the Corgi charged for the ankle of a two story tree god. It turned out the little dog was both surprisingly fast and incredibly loud, crossing the distance to the gigantic bark covered ankle in the blink of an eye. Once there the now decidedly female dog began chewing on the tree monster''s ankle and running around the thing in circles. While the dog had Treenuts distracted Marcus dashed for the front of his Jeep, ribs screaming at him with every step. ¡°This would be way easier if my ribs weren¡¯t killing me.¡± Marcus wheezed. Spell available: HEAL MINOR WOUNDS SPELL RANGER CLASS ¡°Convert an amount of magical energy into healing energy, mana cost and healing are based on your level of injury and available mana.¡± ¡°I have Mana?¡± In answer to the question a counter appeared in the top right on Marcus¡¯ vision. MANA 13/20 ¡°Heal minor wounds.¡± Instantly Marcus¡¯ ribs began to feel better, his Mana counter dropping ten points. Without waiting another second Marcus unlocked the winch clutch and grabbed the hook. Peyton was still running rings around the Forest Elemental, so Marcus straight out from the Jeep and past the dog and tree battle. ¡°Peyton, get out of there!¡± Without answering the dog took off running again and Marcus did the exact same thing, winch hook still in hand, he began running rings around the angry aspen. He managed to dodge several swung branches and after the third loop he clipped the hook onto the steel cable and started running for the Jeep. Realizing it had been wrapped up the incredible tree was just reaching down to find out what was securing it as Marcus reached the Jeep. He locked the clutch on the winch as he passed and threw himself into the driver¡¯s seat. With the push of a button the Jeep purred to life, and without missing a beat Marcus threw the truck into reverse. As the Jeep¡¯s off road tires threw snow up over the side and the engine growled the steel winch cable snapped tight. With an audible crack the cable cinched tight around a pair of woody legs, and promptly pulled them towards the Jeep. The tree made a very loud noise as it fell. Felled like a tree the Forest Elemental hit the ground in an explosion of snow and noise, momentarily covering the street in a miniature white out. Not wanting to give the creature time to recover Marcus leapt from the Jeep, sword back in hand and charged towards the turtled tree. He slashed at a leafy arm, losing all momentum as the sword cleaved through the Elemental like a mall katana through a milk jug. This proved to be a good thing as a fountain of forest energy poured from the severed limb, spreading greenery and the smell of springtime over the snow covered street. As the creature thrashed in pain Marcus did the only thing he could think of, he leapt onto the wooden chest and drove his sword directly into the center of it. This proved to be both the correct and worst thing he could have done. As the creature died, several things happened all at once. For starters the creature immediately began to rot, along with everything that had sprouted from his blood. This had the simultaneous effect of covering Marcus¡¯ boots which were sitting in rotting plant matter and producing a horrifically bad smell. Marcus immediately started gagging, discovering the wonders of his now enhanced olfactory senses. He was attempting to flee the rotting wood carcass when he found himself blinded by several info screens. This proved to be his undoing as he tripped over a curb he couldn''t see and went sprawling headlong into a front yard. He was annoyed to discover even with his eyes closed, laying face first in a snowbank he could still see the info windows. He sighed and started looking them over. Chapter 6 You have unlocked the Ranger Skill NATURAL CAMOUFLAGE. NEW SKILL NATURAL CAMOUFLAGE PASSIVE ABILITY RANGER CLASS ¡°You can now blend in with any natural environment, this effect can be increased by wearing clothing of colours complimentary to your surroundings. Rapid Movement can reduce the effectiveness of this ability.¡± Your mana has increased by 10 points. MANA 24/30 SPELL UNLOCKED ENCHANT VEHICLE SPELL ARTIFICER ¡°You can now use your mana to enchant any vehicle. The effect of this enchantment is both random and permanent. Good Luck.¡± Marcus did a double take at that last entry before looking over at his beloved Jeep Gladiator. Enchanting his Katana Machete had been a boon, but would he be so lucky with the truck? He decided there was only one way to find out, he marched over to the silver and put his hand on the fender. Taking a deep breath he cast the spell, ¡°Enchant Vehicle.¡± This caused his mana to drop by 20 points. MANA 4/30 You have enchanted Jeep Gladiator, thanks to your recent defeat of the Forest Elemental Enchant Vehicle is Ultra effective. Jeep Gladiator has gained the trait Rolling Armour, this ability increases the overall toughness of the vehicle. Jeep Gladiator has gained the trait Self Propelled, Jeep Gladiator will no longer require external forces for locomotion. ¡°Oh, hell yeah! Good boy Goliath,¡± Speaking of which, ¡°Peyton! Where are you?¡± ¡°Right here!¡± Came the muffled reply around what was clearly one of the Forest Guardian¡¯s severed fingers. ¡°Keep forgetting I can talk to dogs now¡­ Wonder what other abilities I have?¡± Of course the help prompts were right there waiting for him. Marcus Rogers Human Ranger/Artificer Split Class Standard Power Rating PASSIVE ABILITIES Canine Affinity Natural Camouflage Night Sight SPELLS Heal Minor Wounds Enchant Weapon Enchant Vehicle ¡°What¡¯s Night Sight?¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. NIGHT SIGHT PASSIVE ABILITY RANGER CLASS ¡°You have the ability to see in pure darkness as long as the sky is above you, and in low light in interior situations. As you no longer dilate your pupils you can longer be blinded by sudden shifts in lighting.¡± ¡°Interesting, Peyton, what say we get the hell out of here?¡± ¡°Don''t gotta tell me twice.¡± The dog immediately leapt into the Jeep and over to the passenger seat. Marcus climbed into the Jeep and pulled the door shut, the engine was still running from his fight with the tree and sounded as it always did but something had changed. The fuel gauge was now an infinity sign. Marcus double checked the map, shifted the Jeep into drive and they headed for their original destination. Engine humming as the big tires tore through snow Marcus marvelled at his new powers, He could talk to dogs, heal injuries, enchant weapons¡­ Speaking of which. Marcus pulled his M17 pistol from the center console, ¡°Enchant Weapon.¡± You have enchanted Sig Sauer M17 pistol, Sig Sauer M17 pistol has gained the ability Elemental Bullet. For a small Mana cost you can attach one of four elemental energies to the next bullet fired. Available energies are: Fire Water Lightning Void ¡°What¡¯s Void energy?¡± Guess you¡¯ll have to wait to find out. Marcus noticed his help popups had been developing a bit of sass after the defeat of the Forest Guardian. ¡°Is there a person running this interface?¡± Not a person, I am a Cognitive Interface and Neural Database, or CIND for short. I was created to help keep you from dying, try not to make me a failure. Great, a database with attitude, just what Marcus needed. He looked over at Peyton, the dog happily lounging across the passenger seat. ¡°What¡¯s your deal?¡± ¡°I was sent to guide you, keep you out of trouble.¡± The dog didn¡¯t exactly speak like Dug, but Marcus was under the impression she wasn¡¯t a thrilling conversationalist. Marcus returned to eyes to the road, once again wishing he had music to listen to. Magic propulsion was cool and all but some tunes would be amazing at the moment. With only the sound of the tires, engine, and a breathing dog Marcus quickly descended into the depths of his own mind. He was alone in an alternate dimension or earth or whatever. He assumed his family and reality were still fine without him. He wondered what they would think of his disappearance and if his reality¡¯s Goliath and gear had come with him or if these were duplicates. He jumped to thinking about his abilities and why that seemed to be the only difference to his home. He had no level, no stats, no skill points, and his abilities seemed to be linked to things he did before coming to this alternate realm or activated by things he did. Absently he went to haul on his vape only to be met with a blinking red light. ¡°Was time to quit anyways.¡± He groaned as he tossed the useless piece of plastic into the trash can. As the Jeep¡¯s aggressive tires chewed through the snow that was somehow alien yet familiar Marcus was glad he had chosen the rugged vehicle. He also realized how much of a difference cleaned highways made when it came to travel time. It should only have been about three hours to Lloydminister but it was going to take closer to eight on the desolate snow covered roads in front of him. The sun had set and Marcus decided he¡¯d had enough driving for one day. He couldn¡¯t remember the last time he¡¯d eaten and he needed to rest. He pulled the Jeep off the road and into a driveway, leaving the magically powered engine running to keep warm. He did shut off the lights before getting out to scout the area, no sense in advertising. After exiting the Gladiator he discovered sure enough he could see in the dark clear as day. ¡°Well, that will make things easier.¡± Putting his sword on his belt he carried his M17 in his right hand, the four magical symbols glowing along the side of the slide. He could see an abandoned run down barn but no evidence of a home or vehicles on the property. A cool wind blew through the trees bringing with it the sounds of ghosts and the strange smells of a strange world. Marcus approached the rotten barn cautiously, having seen enough horror movies to know better than to just waltz in. He paused near the largest opening and held his breath trying to hear inside, the only sound coming from the haunting wind and rustling trees. He peeked around and in through the gaping hole but there was another wall only a few feet away obstructing his vision. ¡°Fuck.¡± He growled, taking a step through the portal. It was at this moment as the whole world went black he remembered the catch to his Night Sight ability. As long as the sky is above you. Marcus immediately took a step back out of the barn and the world lit up again. ¡°That¡¯s annoying, but I guess Rangers are meant to be outside.¡± Marcus had thought he¡¯d said that purely to himself. The rage filled shriek from inside the barn informed him otherwise. He also found he could now hear something moving around inside the barn. That something sounded both large and pissed off. Marcus began backing even further away from the barn. ¡°I hate this place.¡± Chapter 7 Marcus was still backing away, his now rather inadequate feeling pistol gripped tight in his right hand. He was about thirty feet away when the monster came smashing through the side of the barn. It was big, white, and incredibly pissed off. ¡°What the fuck is that!¡± Undead War Bear: This reanimated Polar Bear has one thing on its mind and one thing only, your destruction. It is heavily armoured with massive claws and teeth, it¡¯s also surprisingly fast. It has no weaknesses, try not to die. ¡°Sonofabitch!¡± With no other options Marcus did the bravest thing he could think of. He leapt into a nearby bush and crouched low. As he watched his skin and clothes changed to match the bush he was currently cowering in. While Marcus was playing chameleon, the angry, undead killer bear continued to roar like a dragon with a stubbed toe, looking for the fool that disturbed it¡¯s slumber. A little bigger than the Jeep Gladiator covered in white fur and off white bone armour with a mouth the size of a dinner plate filled with teeth the size of combat knives. While the beast raged about looking for its lost prey Marcus did a mental inventory of his weapons. He had no combat abilities, a super sharp magical sword, a pistol that fired magic bullets, and a non magical Ka-Bar Combat Kukri. He didn¡¯t like his chances with any of those options. In the Jeep he had a non magic 30-30 lever action rifle, a combat tomahawk, a tactical spear, and a sapper shovel. Oh, and a Corgi named Peyton with no discernable supernatural abilities. Marcus could see no outcome where he didn¡¯t die. ¡°Well, shit.¡± Marcus tapped the fire symbol on his pistol and aimed at the unmissable target. With a not so subtle boom the 9MM fireball rocketed out of the barrel and streaked like a flare towards the giant murder bear. It exploded against the monster¡¯s side, setting its fur ablaze. This succeeded only in making it more made and exposings Marcus¡¯ hiding spot. Marcus tapped the lighting bolt and fired again, a small caliber Thor¡¯s hammer slamming into the giant¡¯s chest. While not doing any serious damage the mini lightning bolt did cause the undead ursine goliath to stumble momentarily. Marcus took the distraction and went running towards his Jeep, boots kicking up snow with each step. Marcus plowed into the side of Goliath and threw open the back door. He had no illusions about escaping the monster zombie bear in the Jeep, so he went for the next best thing. He grabbed his lever action rifle and dashed away from the Jeep, not wanting the Golden Compass reject to damage his only mode of transportation. Marcus turned to see the now panda coloured monster bear thundering through the snow, a massive vortex blowing in its wake. ¡°Enchant weapon!¡± You have enchanted Mossberg 464-SPX, 464-SPX has gained the Expanding Bullet and Silent Firing abilities. You can expend Mana to either enlarge a bullet after it leaves the barrel or to silence both the combustion and sonic boom of a fired round. Marcus aimed the tactical lever action towards the charging bear train and pulled the trigger. ¡°Expand!¡± With a sonic boom that left Marcus¡¯ ears ringing a bullet the size of a cannon round blasted out of the rifle and slammed into the bear¡¯s face like it had been fired from a battleship. In a blizzard of blood, bone, and bear hair the creature''s dome disintegrated, leaving nothing but a ragged hole. The big ursine body still had a lot of momentum, forcing Marcus to dive out the way as the now dead undead monster¡¯s body continued towards and past him before crashing into a copse of trees.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Your Mana has increased. Mana 22/40 PASSIVE ABILITY UNLOCKED SURE FOOTED PASSIVE ABILITY RANGER CLASS ¡°You always know where to put your foot next no matter how fast you run or how treacherous the terrain. You can balance on a knife edge while sprinting. You are still going to run into counter edges and door frames if you don¡¯t pay attention.¡± Good job not dying, knew you could do it. ¡°CIND are you a person?¡± Marcus brushed snow off himself as he got back to his feet.¡± No, I am an interface created to help guide you through this world, kind of like the dog, but you won¡¯t trip over me and I won¡¯t pee in the Jeep. ¡°Pee in the¡­ Oh, shit, Peyton!¡± It was at this point Marcus realized he could hear the dog¡¯s voice coming from the Gladiator. ¡°Out, out, out, out.¡± The fact that Marcus could hear both barking and words still weirded him out to no end as he rushed to the Jeep and yanked the front door open. Peyton nearly bowled Marcus over as she fired out the open door and into the snow like a furry missile. As the dog did her business Marcus decided to ask CIND some questions. ¡°So do you know how I got here?¡± I do not have that information in my database, I¡¯m guessing you drove. ¡°You know you remind me of someone. Do you know why I¡¯m here?¡± Think of my database more like a skill sheet than a quest list. ¡°Fine, so how come I don¡¯t have any of your usual stats like a typical RPG?¡± You do have those stats but you don¡¯t level up or get skill points. This isn¡¯t an RPG, you are who you are, and you can augment your stats the normal way but you will never be a superhero, you¡¯re limited by human physiology. Would you like to see your stats? ¡°Sure?¡± Marcus Rogers HEALTH - Good MANA - 23/40 Constitution - 9 Strength - 11 Dexterity - 9 Intelligence - 10 Charisma - 6 Wisdom - 6 Luck - ? ¡°Are those any good?¡± As far as a basic human goes you¡¯re above average but your blunt nature and high risk tolerance don¡¯t help you. You¡¯re no super soldier serum savante but you definitely aren¡¯t a couch potato, too bad about your personality. ¡°Well that¡¯s just hurtful, what about my luck stat? Why is that a question mark?¡± Luck is not technically quantifiable, but between the Forest Elemental and Undead War Bear I¡¯d say yours is rather on the bad side. ¡°That sounds about right.¡± Although you have been quite lucky with your enchantments so maybe there is a balance. I guess we¡¯ll have to wait and see. ¡°I guess we will. Time to get some sleep. Come on Peyton, back in the truck.¡± ¡°Coming!¡± The stubby legged dog once again making the surprising leap into the Gladiator with ease. Marcus climbed into the driver''s seat, pulling off his boots and pulling on his sleeping bag. ¡°Good night Peyton, good night CIND.¡± ¡°Good night!¡± Came on half asleep barked reply. Good night Marcus