The Secret World:

Kingsmouth was like any other small New England town. It had fishing, cozy brick houses, fantastic Halloween parties, and the occasional summoned demon. All in all, it was a fine place to live for any metric of individual. Then the fog rolled in, and with it, a horde of nightmares that had never been dreamt of in the dizziest minds of man. However, for one Jaune Arc, this was the moment he was waiting for, the moment he and his compatriots had trained for, a real life honest-to-god Code Ragnarok. As president of the League of Monster Slayers, and perhaps its sole surviving member, Jaune has taken it upon himself to fight off the tides of darkness and save his home. Perhaps with a little help from those strangers as well...

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I recognized him as old man McNamara, the stick in the mud who always complained to the cops about our parties. Even if half his face had rotted off, I could still see that familiar scowl as he laid those cold, dead eyes on me. I felt a pang of grief hit my heart, we were never close, didn't even like eachother but the fact he had been reduced to nothing more than a pitiful zombie wounded me.

Just like all the others I thought to myself sadly, raising my hunting rifle and aiming for his head. Rule #2 in the Comprehensive Guide to Hunting Monsters stated that the head, no matter what the creature you were fighting was, was always a good spot to shoot. Mr. McNamara hit the ground with a wet Thud! and I retreated back into the middle of the skate park that I had boarded myself up in. As the sole surviving member, as well as the president, of The League of Monster Slayers, it was my duty to try and rid our town of the monsters currently vacationing here.

Climbing on top of my wooden lookout tower, I took up my pair of binoculars to survey what was left of our town. The skate park had been built on a hill with plenty of vantage points to look over town. The fires had long since died out, giving way to an eerie stillness that almost betrayed the fact that there were literal nightmares wandering around those streets. Shifting right, I looked out onto the bay and into the swirling mass of fog that had engulfed the island, the beach head had been taken over by those fleshy pods and the grey-skinned fish monsters that looked over them. In the distance, I could vaguely make the outline of some monolith creature lumbering across the waves.

I lowered my binoculars and looked around my little fort, dubbed "Fort Kickass" by moi, and saw a few straggling zombies limping around. I frowned, the mystical runes I had spray painted all over the barricades didn't seem to be very powerful. I fished out my Comprehensive Guide to Hunting Monsters and flipped to the section about runes, the one I had used was simple to draw but it said I had needed goat's blood, I assumed red spray paint would fit the bill but apparently not. All the other runes involved either some kind of ingredients or a strong connection to the force or whatever those losers over at Innsmouth Academy called it.

I raised my binoculars and looked towards the west, towards the Savage Coast. Now that was on fire, and I could vaguely see those Wabanaki folk huddling around in their trailer park. I wondered if Nadir was ok, he had been visiting his grandparents over at the trailer park when the fog rolled in, if he was alive he'd be perhaps one of the two surviving members of The League of Monster Slayers. I put my binoculars down, cruelly reminded of what had happened when the fog first rolled in.

It had been another meeting like any other, our mole in the academy said there was something brewing and it was bad. We had been holding a meeting when the fog had hit the shoreline, five minutes later we got a radio distress signal from our forward group at the library. We rallied our troops (Me, Brawnz, Neptune, and Flynt) and left, while leaving the other half at HQ to give us orders. By the time we had biked to the library, we had quickly realized we were in over our heads.

Zombies, honest to god zombies were shambling around the street. The library was being assaulted by what looked like a bipedal crab on steroids, trying to smash its way inside. Knowing that our knives and bats would do nothing against this foe, I ordered a retreat back to the skate park to regroup with our rear guard. The LoMS (League of Monster Slayers) had small groups all over the island. From Blue Mountain to the Savage Coast, and we were in some deep shit now.

Biking into the woods had been a huge mistake, dozens of monsters were waiting for us there. Later I learned they had been wendigos, and our knives and bats would have been useless against them. Even the pistol I had it my coat pocket would have proved worthless; we lost Brawnz, of that I'm sure, but Flynt and Neptune broke off from myself and only I made it to the skate park.

It had been deserted, the defenders routing after a fair bit of zombies had advanced on them. Even so, they had at least tried to set up barricades, flimsy things of plywood and chain fencing. Hell, a few of them even got some zombies on their way out if the rotting corpses were any indication. Still, not all of the slayers made it out, and I could make out the faces of a few long time friends lying still on the pavement. The creatures were slow, as well as stupid so biking past them was easy. After that I cleared out a few more with the bricks we kept on hand and started putting up better barricades. That was two weeks ago, my distress signals had been met with static, my food supplies were running low, and the hunting rifle I had scavenged was my only means of defense should the Wendigos track down my scent. I had done my best to honor the fallen, covering their bodies with some tarp and saying a small prayer for each of them.

I sighed and slumped against the old wood, maybe it was better this way. Maybe The League had done enough with finding and killing the few small creatures that tried to enter Kingsmouth, we were out of our depth here. Hell, the police were hanging on by a thread, my parents were gone, I didn't know where my sisters were, and for all I know all my friends are dead.

Perhaps I could just walk out into the woods, leave a message and my remaining supplies and let the monsters take me. Or maybe I could use my hunting rifle, make it quick and painless. I was startled out of my suicidal musings by a wave of static over the the radio, I quickly dropped down from the tower and scrambled over to the old thing and waited.

"W... Co- in... This..." I adjusted the knobs, trying to get the signal before finally finding it. "Is there anyone there? Come in, we need sanctuary! We are approaching Birnam Woods, I repeat, we are approaching Birnam Woods! Come in."

"This is Jaune Arc, head north through the woods to the skate park. I have a base set up there." I answered, hopeful that perhaps they were police, or government, or hell I'd take those academy goons right now.

"We're on our way." the voice replied with a hiss of static, I just noticed it was girl's voice.

Maybe 5 minutes later the sound of gunshots grew close, a group of three bursting from the foliage and booking it towards my barricade. I raised the gate and my rifle towards the greenery behind them, so imagine my surprise when a wendigo the size of a truck crashed its way onto the small parking lot. For whatever good it did, I got two shots off into its hide and drew the thing's attention from the girl in black who was the closest to it. It screamed its rage at me, sounding more like a person than an actual monster.

The guy in the lead, a young asian man in a green jacket, whirled around, his hand covered in a glowing red, and lobbed what appeared to be a congealed red ball of energy at the thing. It struck dead center, slamming the creature away with more force than should be possible for a sphere the size of a baseball. The monster limped away, growling its annoyance as the three entered my fort.

The green guy caught his breath first and raised himself to look at me, holding out a hand to shake. "Thank you sir, Lie Ren of The Dragon at your service."

"President Jaune Arc of The League of Monster Slayers, Mr. Ren." I responded professionally, slinging my rifle over my shoulder.

Ren blinked in surprise, shooting a look back at his two partners, the girl in the black and a girl wearing almost all red. Eventually he turned back to me after they both shrugged and he regarded me differently.

"You... Hunt monsters?" he asked slowly.

"Yes sir, before this damn fog rolled in we had it made. Kept the little critters from slinking their way into town, kept journals on all the beasts we had encountered, and passed down our knowledge to those who came after. The LoMS is about 70 years old." I drawled, a proud smile on my face.

"The League? Ren, we didn't have any notes on other factions here besides the Orochi and The Academy." the girl in red told her friend.

"She's right, you're new to us. You work with the academy?" Ren asked me.

"Like hell, those goons like to clown around with dark magic. Always trying to shut us down, curb our investigations, and then there's that asshole Montag. Guy gives me the creeps." I answered, before realization dawned on me. "We're a local organization, not exactly widespread outside the island. You probably haven't heard of us, that said, who are you?"

The three glanced at eachother before the girl in black nodded and Ren turned back to me. "As I said, I am Lie Ren of The Dragon, this is Blake Belladonna of the Illuminati, and Pyrrha Nikos of the Templar."

I felt my breath still in my throat, the knowledge on these three groups was few and far between among our archives, but it was generally agreed upon that they were experts in supernatural shit.

"So, you come here to help clear out the tourists?" I tried to joke, only to summon up a weak laugh. "Could use you're help, or maybe you could use mine."

"Yes, well, we're here to help investigate this matter as a sort of joint mission. We're making our way to the Savage Coast, and then to Blue Mountain." Pyrrha, the Templar, said to me. "If I may, you said you were a part of an organization, where are your other members?"

My enthusiasm died in my throat, I glanced back to the covered bodies and when I spoke my voice was thick. "I think I'm the only one left."

Pyrrha followed my eyes and apologized, a sad look in her eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"They would have wanted me to save the island, as the last living member I'm the only one who can take up that responsibility." I told them sadly, remembering all the good times we had. "If you need passage to the Savage Coast and Blue Mountain, I'm your man. I know this whole island like the back of my hand, even know where those sasquatches are."

Ren blinked in surprise before nodding. "Well, I suppose having a guide would be beneficial. But if you're coming along with us you'll need more than a hunting rifle."

"I've got that under control." I smiled, pulling off a the white, oil stained tarp on a nearby workbench. Underneath it, was a gleaming device of black and silver metal, a device I called "The Torch". "Been working on this baby for sometime now, just finished my last specs on it. I know a little something about combating monsters, I know these bastards hate fire."

"An astute observation, and one not founded incorrectly." Ren nodded, glancing at the flamethrower. "I suppose with that you'll be joining us?"

"Yep, looks like I'm your tour guide, huh?" I grinned, slinging the flamethrower over my shoulder.

Pyrrha and Ren smiled as I gathered some necessary supplies and lead them out onto the road towards the Savage Coast.

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Even before Hell itself bubbled up from beneath the earth, I always thought the name "Savage Coast" was a little... forward? Like the rest of the island there was always strange happenings and dark creatures, but the name itself had come from the rapids barring the coastline from ships. More than a few sea vessels had sunken in that sea, a mere mile from shore. It didn't help my mind that they were probably all teeming with nightmarish creatures by now.

Our troupe walked onwards, sticking to the now desolate road as my three new friends picked off the creatures inhabiting the pavement. It seemed Ren was partial to swordplay and that- what did Ruby call it? Chaos magic? Whatever it was it allowed Ren to throw zombies into rock about 3 feet deep. Pyrrha was more modern, using a pair of pistols and a rifle on her back that was loaded with "Anima rounds", whatever the hell that means, that seemed to do the trick. Blake had taken to using a shotgun and a pistol, similar to Pyrrha but much more... graceful. She liked to jump around and hit enemies fast and hard.

Me? I just torched the damn buggers.

"So, where are we going exactly?" I asked Ren, the apparent leader of their trio. "I know the Savage Coast like the back of my hand, sure, but that doesn't help if we have no clue where to go."

"Without revealing too much, we're looking for any serious disturbances on the island. Something that could signal us back onto the path we had lost, you know of anywhere like that?" Pyrrha chimed in, keeping close to my side as she inspected the overhanging cliffs to our right.

I felt something sour rise in my throat, my expression must have been obvious for Ren had caught it.

"I suspect that is a yes?"

"Atlantic Amusement Park." I ground out, teeth clench in a bitter snarl.

"An amusement park? Why there?" Blake asked, a furrow in her brow and a handheld device in her hand.

"The bogeyman." was all I replied, more than ready to drop the subject. "If you're going to the park, you gotta give me this one thing."

"What is that?"

"I wanna come with."

"This bogeyman I presume?" I snorted, as if he even needed to ask.

"Yeah, butchered a few of my friends. Made the adults forget, tore up Neptune's little sis too. Bastard deserves to fry." I snarled, Ren nodding passively.

"Yes, it seems this place might have something to do with our mission."

"Still though, a bogeyman is serious business. Didn't think this place had monsters like that." Blake commented, narrowing her eyes at a shadow in the tree line. "We weren't briefed on anything that powerful."

"Yeah, well, Kingsmouth, you gotta understand, was- still is, an evil place. Lots of bad shit happened here since it was founded, and not just monsters from the woods but, like, sacrifices and like evil gods and shit." I told her grimly. "Despite growing up here, it's a fact of life that anyone under the age of 18 is liable to just getting chewed to bits whenever they go to make a milk run."

"That... must've been hard." Pyrrha said somewhat sadly.

"Yeah, seen a lot of people come and go. Lot of Slayers die at the hands of monsters." I lowered my gaze to the ground before suddenly perking up with an idea. "Oh shit!"

"What?" Ren turned.

"The Savage Coast is where our HQ is located! If we can get into there, maybe we can find my friends." I felt a small amount of hope trickle back into me. "And we can activate the League's defense measures against invasive forces!"

"The League has defensive measures in place? Like weapons?" Blake asked, typing something into her phone.

"Yeah, four golems that have been passed down through the generations to help defend the island in case things ever got like this. With the hidden code in our treehouse, we can activate them to defend the towns." I cheered.

"Interesting," Ren observed, looking me over. "I'll admit, when I first heard of your organization I thought you were just hapless children. But to have four golems on standby? That's impressive."

"He's right, not too many local organizations can attest to that. Let alone one run by teenagers." Pyrrha noted with a smile. "Say, after all this is done how'd you like to come work with the Templars? We offer insurance benefits, dental, and paid vacation."

"Now's not the time for a recruitment spiel, Pyrrha." Blake cut in, throwing an annoyed glance at her partner. "And, my employers said they'd like to have some words with him before you sink your claws into him."

"Words?" I asked nervously, I imagined "having words" with the Illuminati would involve a car battery and handcuffs.

We continued onward, most of the bigger game keeping off the road and more onto the beaches and hills. Still, that didn't mean we were scot free and we managed to run into a lot of zombified townsfolk on our way to Ellisburg. As we continued onward we came across a lone car, the battery having died and a smear of blood over the hood. Behind it, the sound of munching and tearing could be heard.

"Be ready." I told them, not that I needed to.

Whatever was had heard me, and shambled out from behind the car to take a look. I dropped my flamethrower, a horrified expression cast over my face as I backed away from the hideous creature. His skin may have paled, there may have been blood covering him head to toe, and the wound on his head marred his visage slightly but there was no mistaking that face for anyone else.

Neptune, my best friend.

"Neptune." I breathed, tears prickling my eyes. "I'm sorry."

Ren stepped past me, not looking me in the eye as he raised his sword and brought it down on the man I had grown up with. A heavy silence hung in the air, and for a moment I wished it had been me. I felt a hand fall on my shoulder, Pyrrha gave it a small squeeze as she muttered her condolences.

"He was an honourable man, if he was one of the Slayers." Ren spoke, looking at the fallen corpse of my best friend. "May he forever rest in peace."

We continued onward, not saying a word to one another. Eventually we stopped at Ellisburg, and I was disappointed to find that the whole town had been overrun with zombies like the rest of the island.

"We'll make camp in one of the houses tonight. In the morning, we'll go out and look for your friends. A few golems would be helpful right about now." Ren said, motioning us into Mrs. Eckerle's old house.

"Ugh, the sun doesn't rise anymore." I pointed out, it had been night since the fog rolled in.

"You get my meaning."

Clearing the house wasn't hard, Mrs. Eckerle deserved to be put to rest and we were able to find a room suitable enough for all of us. I drifted into a restless sleep that night, tormented by the friends I couldn't save and by some monolith creature beneath Blue Mountain.

God help us all.

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I know its been too long since another chapter, I'm sorry. But at least I updated Among Friends and Monsters right? Anyways, this chapter is based off of my favorite game The Secret World Legends. You can buy it on steam and if you're a horror/action/mmorpg junkie, this game will hit all the right spots.

Until next time.

XOXOXO

CoffeyJoe