I don't own RWBY.
Hours later, I woke up to many grey windows greeting me in front of my eyes.
The [Poison Resistance] stat has increased by one.
The [Vitality] stat has increased by one.
The [Poison Resistance] stat has increased by one.
The [Poison Resistance] stat has increased by one.
The [Vitality] stat has increased by one.
The [Poison Resistance] stat has increased by one.
No longuer poisoned!
Wound fully healed!
Wound fully healed!
Compensation removed : +500% healing boost.
[The Gamer] : You have successfully survived a lethal dose of poison for the first time!
[The Gamer] : Reward: +10 Poison Resistance
[The Gamer] : You have successfully survived being on the verge of death for the first time!
[The Gamer] : Reward: +10 Vitality, +10 Willpower
New status effect: [Weakened] (5 hours)
Effects:- 20% physical stats.
"Ugh..." I groaned. Too much information.
"Shean!"
"Shean!"
Within a few seconds, two people rushed at my bedside.
Except I had no bed. Just a shitty satchel for a pillow.
"Are you all right?" Ebony asked.
"I'm okay, I've survived the poison." I said, "Still a bit weak though."
My eyes settled on the dog faunus besides her. Or rather, they settled on the bright white letters above his head.
Steele Yellowleaf
- No Title -
Now what the hell is that? I frowned. Ebony didn't have her name hanging out above her for everyone to see. So why did this guy...? Was it because I knew him a little? He was my classmate, after all.
It didn't seem like an effect from [The Gamer]. Which meant, he would also see my name... and title.
"Oh my GOD, dude. I thought you were going to die." The blonde girl stressed out, her voice filled with relief, "You still have the arrow in your shoulder."
"Oh." I blinked at her. Now that she'd said it, I did feel some pain in my shoulder. "...Pull it out then."
"No way," She shook her head, half chuckling. "You just woke up."
I frowned at her. "Pull it out, or I'll do it myself."
"Absolutely not." Ebony replied, glaring at me.
I paused to stare at her. She didn't flinch.
Oh well... I raised my hand to my shoulder and grabbed the arrow.
"No! W-wait!" Ebony exclaimed in panic. "O-okay! I'll do it, just... don't do it yourself!"
"Make up your mind," I groaned in annoyance as she got in position behind me.
"Man, why are you always such a mood?" She sighed, "Don't answer that. Ready?" She asked. "On three."
"Yes." I nodded.
"One..."
"AH!" I cried as she suddenly yanked the arrow out. Hearing my cry, the zombies started growling in the corridor. "Y-you bitch...!" I panted, eyes wide. "You said on three!"
"It's better when you don't expect it, Shean." The other guy in the room explained, "Doing it this way is optimal, since the muscles are less tense, so it's easier to pull the arrow out. Which results in less damage overall!"
"Who the hell asked you?" I barked as I rubbed my shoulder, causing the faunus to flush, looking down.
"Shh!" Ebony hissed, slapping my head. "You be a good boy and cooperate Or I'll slap your shoulder."
"..." I looked over my shoulder to throw her an unimpressed glare while she bandaged me with a piece of curtain. She grinned at me innocently and sent me a wink.
I scoffed and turned my head back to the boy.
"And... who are you again?"
"Steele! We're in the same class."
"Right. Good to see you, Seal." I grinned mockingly.
"It's Steele... Not Seal." The boy sighed, resigned. "Steele. Like, metallic steel."
"Sure thing, Steve." I nodded, and Ebony gave me another light slap on the other shoulder that I ignored. "So, you managed to tear up the curtains, huh."
"Ye-yeah," He flushed a little at that, "I closed the window on it, put my back against the wall... then my leg on the curtain. And boom. The power of legs!"
"Wow." I sighed, shaking my head. Look at what they need to mimic a fraction of my power.
"So, you said you got poisoned?" Ebony asked from behind me.
"Yeah. From a goblin."
"What, did they spit at you?" Steve asked excitedly, "Do they have, like, poison glands?"
"..." I looked at him, pausing for two seconds as I wondered if he was all right in the head. "...No."
"Oh..."
"They use poison flasks to coat their weapons. There's one in the bag." I said, nodding at the bag at my feet.
The kid gasped, his eyes widening. "Can I?!"
"Knock yourself out."
He grabbed the backpack and started searching its contents.
"Oh wow! There's a bow in there!" The boy gushed, spreading the loot on the ground. I guessed they couldn't have checked what was inside since I was hugging it in my sleep for that sweet vitality boost.
"Man, it's hard to believe you two are the same age," Ebony giggled behind me.
"...That guy is so annoying." I groaned. "It's like he's still in middle school."
"Hey, come on. Don't be mean," Ebony chuckled awkwardly, patting my shoulder lightly, having finished with the bandage. "We need that kind of lightheartedness right now."
"I sure don't. He's just creeping me out." I said, standing up, and moving my arm carefully.
"Don't move it too much!" Ebony warned, anxious that I would reopen the wound. I nodded. "Did something happen between the two of you?" She asked, pointing at Seal.
"You could say that." I groaned. "Some things happened that annoyed me. I ended up in a fight and I beat his ass." Ebony froze when she heard that, her smile vanishing. "But he's still sucking up to me after that. It's fucking creepy."
A frown made its way on her pretty eyes. "You- you did what?" She crossed her arms, her gaze turning cold. "You beat him up?! I didn't think you were like that! Were there a good reason or ...?"
"Look at the saint judging the sinner. Sorry to disappoint," I said mockingly, to which she lightly punched my shoulder. "Hey. I'm still healing. Don't do that."
"Fine!" She groaned, before stomping her way to Sylvia.
Who was awake, I just noticed. Still injured and lying down, but awake. With the huge boost that the [Nursing] skill offered, I was only a little surprised that she had managed to survive.
Her eyes open, she had been staring at us, her expression was full of suspicion and distrust. She had probably heard everything. When our eyes met, she nervously looked away to the ceiling.
That's right, look away. What are you looking at me like that for?
"Sylvia is still in bad condition," Steve came to inform me as he readjusted his glasses. "She's lost a lot of blood. Now, I think she needs food to continue healing. I don't think Ebony's nursing skill is doing much anymore."
"Don't underestimate her nursing skill." I replied, "It's powerful. It saved my life."
"I guess. But she hasn't eaten for days. Uh... I saw you brought back water bottle in the bag... C-can I...?"
"What? Take a drink? No."
"Not me. Sylvia. Sh-she... She really needs it. So please-"
"I got it." I nodded, rolling my eyes. "Give her the bottle."
"Th-thanks!"
As he walked to the other side of the classroom to offer Sylvia some water, I looked at the loot that he had spread out. Specifically, at the two weird fleshy blobs.
'Identify'
Goblin Battle Ration
A preparation made by goblins to eat on the go. It is made of some kind of meat.
It tastes disgusting, but it is edible.
Calories: 743.
Man. That thing was so shitty that even The Gamer skill didn't give it a bonus.
"Steve!" I called, making the boy stop in the middle of the room. "Catch!" I threw the disgusting thing, aiming at in his face.
Splash!
Headshot. I laughed.
"E-ewwww!" He cried out, but still bent down to pick it up from the ground.
"Hey, it's food." I told him, annoyed. "Stop being a pussy."
"Ewww! Eeeeewwww!" He cringed constantly as he went to the two girls.
Meanwhile Ebony was glaring at me, watching our interaction.
She was starting to piss me off with that look, honestly.
I was never the kind to let these things slide.
"What?" I asked her, "Something to say?" I asked, tilting my head to the side, slightly raising my hands, "Do I have something on my face?"
"Hey. I nursed you back to health, and you're talking to me like that?" She narrowed her eyes. "I think I misjudged you."
"You think? You're the one glaring at me." I replied, "Even though I'm the one who had the balls to go outside, while you stayed behind, pissing your pants and hyperventilating about whether or not I would come back. So I think I can talk to you however the fuck I want!" I raised my voice at the last sentence.
"GrrraAah!" The zombies behind the door cheered me on.
"I-it's fine, Ebony!" Seal squeaked, stepping between us. "Sh-shh. D-Don't make too much noise...!"
I ignored him and crossed my arms, still waiting for an answer.
On the other side of the classroom, the blonde girl shut up, staring at me for a moment with a frown. I raised an eyebrow at her, ready to go off again. She scowled, shaking her head in disappointment, and focused back on Sylvia, who didn't even want to eat the blob.
Hah... Useless, all of them. I brought them food and water and this was how I was treated? Why couldn't I have been stuck with my best-bro Daryl and the quiet Caitlyn?
I hoped they were okay.
I sighed, and noticed Seal still standing awkwardly between me and Ebony. "Cute." I ruffled his hair and pushed him towards them so I could walk to the window alone in peace.
We were missing a curtain now. It was probably a good idea to go loot some in the classrooms nearby. When the zombies were gone, of course.
Outside, it was dusk. The sky was brightly colored orange. The night was going to fall soon.
I hummed quietly.
"Status."
Status Window:
Name: Shean Mauve
Age: 15
Race: Human
Title: [The First Player]
Strength: 21(+6)
Vitality: 19 (+10)
Agility: 7 (+9)
Dexterity: 9 (+9)
Intelligence: 11(+10)
Wisdom: 8 (+10)
Physical Resistance: 6(+9)
Poison Resistance: 19(+6)
Luck: 1 (+10)
Leadership: 0 (+10)
Willpower: 50 (+10)
Current Status Effects:
- [Minor Wound (Bandaged)] (right hand)
- [Minor Wound (Bandaged] (right shoulder)
- [Energy Bar] (+3 Vitality) (2 hours)
- [Weakened] (-20% to physical stats) (5 hours)
Conditions: [Asthmatic]
Perks: None
Other titles: None
Equipment:
- Grey Sneakers (+3% move speed, -5% footstep noise)
- School Bag (+2 Vitality)
- Goblin Knife (+1 Dexterity, +2 Vitality)
I still got some wounds, huh. Though now they were minor. The healing compensation had done most of the work ; but now it was removed so these would take longer to heal, unless I got nursed by Ebony.
Well, that was not going to happen. Now that I was stabilized, Sylvia took priority.
That [Weakened] status was pretty brutal, too, substantially nerfing my physical stats. But I couldn't wait 5 hours before doing anything else; not when we needed food and water and Sylvia had still not recovered.
I looked at the window for a moment. I wondered where was the level of the average Huntsman. Probably over a hundred in all physical stats, at the very least. Those people weren't human, they were basically demigods walking on Remnant. Not to mention their Aura. I never knew how it worked, so I had no clue how to go about unlocking it.
Still, though. 60 Willpower. Wow. And I went from no Poison Resist to 29 Poison Resist. And from 17 Vitality to 29 Vitality.
Pretty big jumps.
Those rewards had come from bonuses received from The Gamer skill. But I hadn't read anything about that...
'The Gamer skill'
[Skill: The Gamer (Passive)]
Rank: Unique
Level: Beginner Level 2
Effects: +25 % effectiveness of [Luck]on item drops. +25% XP to stats and skills. -25% stat requirements to gain stats, learn skills, or use items. Negates other requirements to gain stats, learn skills or use items. Grants immunity to stats and skills decay. Grants additional benefits for many items. Grants rewards for completing hidden achievements.
Available Sub-skills: [Identify]
The effects only increased by 5%, huh.
But there was a new effect, too.
Grants rewards for completing hidden achievements.
So that was why I got +10 Poison Resist, +10 Vitality and +10 Willpower.
It was an insane boost.
Though, only because I was had low stats. Also, I did almost die: the achievements said the poison dose was lethal and I was on the verge of death.
I probably would have died if not for Ebony's Nursing skill.
I felt a small surge of guilt within me at the thought of the Arc girl, remembering the disappointed scowl on her pretty face. But I quickly crushed it under all my willpower. I was not going to apologize. I was right.
Back to the topic at hand. I wondered what other achievements there were. Had this effect of [The Gamer] been hidden to me all this time, or was it something I gained at level 2? I wasn't sure.
What else did I get again? Oh, right.
[Skill: Sneak (Active)]
Rank: Common
Level: Beginner Level 1
Effects: -5 % chance to be noticed. -5% movement noise.
Available Sub-Skills: [Sneak Attack]
An active skill with no cost? Didn't that mean I could spam it all the time?
"Sneak." I muttered to myself.
Nothing happened.
I guess I can't just turn it on like that. I actually have to go through the motions of sneaking to trigger it.
This was probably going to be one of my most used skills, especially before battle. Stealth attacks were the quickest, safest way to kill a monster, after all.
It probably scaled of the Agility stat since I had also gained a point in it at the same time I gained the skill.
I looked at the sub-skill.
[Skill: Sneak Attack (Active)]
Rank: Common
Level: Beginner Level 1
Requires: [Sneak] skill active, target unaware of your presence, melee critical strike
Effects: +10% damage, -10% noise from the target.
Overall, a very good skill to be able to stay undetected even after killing a monster. The requirements made sense too, although I was a bit curious about the 'melee critical strike' requirement. Did that mean I had to target specific vital parts of the enemy's body, like the throat or the heart, to trigger a critical strike?
Probably. Another thing to test out later.
"You think we could take advantage of the night?"
I turned my head to my right. The dog Faunus was there, standing besides me.
"It's risky." I said, "Ebony and I don't have night vision. You do... Right?"
"I've got a [Night Vision] perk, 20 points in the [Hearing] stat and 53 points in the [Olfaction] stat." He said, as if making a presentation of a commercial product.
"Olfaction?" I frowned at the complicated word. I didn't like to be reminded of my stupidity. "The hell is that?"
"It's the sense of smell," He smiled, pointing at his nose. I stared at its two dog ears. They perked up under my gaze, as if having a conscience of their own.
"Huh... Makes sense. What about Eyesight, you don't have a stat like that?" Since he had [Night Vision], I thought it was fair to ask.
"I actually do. But, uh..."
"...It's trash." I assumed. The nerd did wear glasses after all.
"It's at 4." He coughed awkwardly, embarrassed, and readjusted his glasses. "But...I've got pretty high intelligence and decent agility."
I snorted. "How much is 'decent' ?"
"Uh... 14?"
"..." Wisely, I chose not to comment on that.
This meant that all the other stats he didn't mention - because he didn't consider 'decent' - were lower than that. Probably single digit.
I exhaled quietly, looking back at the orange sky, and we fell into a silence that made the guy uncomfortable. I stayed silent, enjoying his awkwardness as I channelled by inner Caitlyn.
So. Perception stats. [Hearing], [Olfaction] and [Eyesight]. There were probably stats for the sense of taste and the sense of touch, too. And maybe there were stats for senses that humans and faunus didn't possess as a race. But why didn't I have these stats? It couldn't be because they weren't high enough , since the boy had only 4 Eyesight. I knew for a fact that I had better eyesight than him, even though I didn't have the stat. Was it because he was Faunus and I was human? No, it must be because of the [Night Vision] perk. That must be it.
I hummed quietly, forming a hypothesis in my head.
There were two types of stats. Unlocked stats and Locked stats.
Some stats were unlocked from the start by everyone. [Strength], [Vitality], [Agility],[Dexterity], [Intelligence] and [Wisdom]. These six made the 'base' stats.
Other stats were 'locked', or 'hidden'. Everyone had them, but they weren't visible. They could start at zero, but they could also start at higher values, in which case they would still working for the player, but needed to be unlocked to become visible in the status window and be increased further. If the eyesight didn't work for me, I would be able to see nothing. Therefore, it had to be working, even if it was locked.
Some people started with some of these stats unlocked, according to their skillset, but also their physical attributes in the case of a Faunus. [Willpower]. [Eyesight]. [Hearing]. [Olfaction]. [Accuracy]. [Luck]. [Leadership]. All of these were examples of Locked stats that could be Unlocked.
And some of those 'locked' stats would be starting at zero for everyone no matter what. [Luck], for example. I couldn't imagine people start with a random amount of [Luck]. Or the stat of a sense that humans and faunus didn't have, for example. Like, let's say, the Grimm's ability to sense negativity. If that was a stat, it would probably start at zero for everyone.
All in all, I couldn't be certain of any of it, but I felt like my theory was a pretty reasonable one.
"...The monsters outside may not have night vision."The boy besides me eventually said. "We could take advantage of that."
"I don't know about that.I could see goblins having night vision." I replied. "We can't know."
"G-goblins..." Seal stuttered. "So there's really goblins out there?"
"Didn't you see the goblin zombies?"
"N-n-no..." He stuttered, eyeing the door anxiously.
"You scared?" I smirked, "They're the weakest enemy out there. Don't crap your pants." He flushed in embarrassment. "But yeah. I killed three. Two scouts and an archer."
"Hence the bow and the knives..."
"Hmm. They're weaker than a zombie, but because the zombies are mindless, I'm pretty sure a goblin is harder to deal with. "
"They're smart?"
"Kinda. More like arrogant. They like to talk shit."
"They talk?"
"No, you idiot. They laugh at you and mock you when you fuck up, and provoke you to make you overextend. It's pretty annoying."
"Your worst weakness," Seal giggled.
I paused, and turned my head at him, fixing him with a glare. "...What did you say?"
"S-sorry," He half-smiled, his eyes widening in fear. "N-nothing."
"Yeah, that's what I thought."
I stepped away from the window, went to the other side of the room to sit in a chair near the loot.
Seal followed me.
"I'm gonna check the loot." I groaned to the lost puppy.
"Ok," He nodded.
I paused to stare at him. "You can fuck off now," I explained, smiling curtly.
"O-oh, r-right..." He flushed, his dog ears flattening on his head. He nodded and went back to Ebony, who sent me a glare and patted him on the arm.
Fucking hell. Out of all my classmates, why couldn't it be my partner Caitlyn. Why did it have to be this dog that seeked my attention all the time. I had enough going on with Carl already.
Shaking the thoughts away, I looked at the goblin bow on the floor.
'Identify'
Goblin Bow
A short bow with decently strong tension, about 70cm tall. Made for goblins, by goblins, it is smaller than most bows.
It doesn't pack much of a punch, but the goblins compensate the low damage by using poison.
Used to fire basic arrows. It is in good condition.
Requires: 8(-2)Strength , 15(-4)Dexterity
Effect : +3 Agility
[The Gamer]: +2 Dexterity, +1 Poison Resistance
This was the first time I saw the -25% stat requirement from [The Gamer] skill in action.
This was going to come in handy once I found a weapon that was actually good.
Other than that, nothing unexpected about this bow.
'Identify'
Wooden Arrow
A sharpened wood stick with poor fletching.
It has decent balance.
It was made by goblins with the purpose of poisoning the target, not dealing damage.
Goblins use it as arrows for their archers.
...Huh. I suddenly wondered if the arrow that hit me had been poisoned. That might have 'helped' with me almost dying and getting those achievements.
Still, that bow probably wouldn't do shit against a zombie unless we hit them in the eye.
As for the trolls? Shit, I didn't even want to think about them. None of our current weapons would be able to do anything beyond tickling them. We needed to avoid them at all cost.
"GrrRRrrgl." Something suddenly growled loudly.
There was a tense silence in the room as everyone turned to stare at Ebony, who turned bright red.
"S-sorry. I'm getting a bit hungry... I guess you two, huh."
"Yeah..." Steve nodded.
"A little, yeah." I admitted.
"I'm sorry, I just ate your food..." Sylvia muttered weakly.
"I'm more worried about water." I declared, walking to them, "Speaking of. I'm thirsty. Give me some."
"..." Wordlessly, Ebony handed me the bottle.
I stared at the bottle that only had one centimeter of water left.
I sighed and grabbed it, finishing all of it.
"A-ah! You finished all of it!" Ebony exclaimed.
"I was thirsty." I replied, "Still am."
"You could have taken a sip only..." She pouted, "We need to share..."
"Relax. I'm going out to get some more."
"No! You're still injured!"
"Don't care, it needs to be done," I said. "And nobody else wants to do it anyway."
"I'll do it!" Steele exclaimed.
"You?" I scoffed at him, "You won't do shit, you're just going to get yourself killed."
"And you won't?" He asked vehemently.
"No. Because I've got a plan." I said, turning away and walking to the loot.
I grabbed the bag, put the empty water bottle and bleach bottle inside, and checked my pocket, making sure I still had one of the goblin knife.
"Wh-where are you going?" Ebony demanded. Both she and Steve had stood up to follow me.
I stayed quiet, walked to the window, and opened it.
I glanced outside, right below the window.
"There's a small ledge right there. I'll be able to stand on it." I said, climbing up through window. A cool breeze welcomed me. "I'll follow that ledge along towards the south, until I reach the second classroom. That one classroom has its door locked, I checked it earlier today when I was out looting. And I didn't hear anything inside when I pressed my ear against it."
"I see!" Steve's eyes widened in excitement. "And how will you get inside? The windows will probably be locked, too!"
"There's a chance that there were zombies trapped inside," I explained, "and -"
"-And they could have thrown themselves out the window." Ebony finished for me. "When that explosion happened."
"In a nutshell," I nodded.
"And if not?"
"Eh. I'll just break it with one of the knives."
"That's a good plan," Seal nodded, "I'm coming with you."
"Why?" I simply asked.
"I'm smaller than you, It'll be easier for me to stay on the edge. I'll carry the bag with the bottles, too. You... You're still injured."
"No." I refused with a cold voice, "I'll carry it. If you fall I don't want us to lose our bottles."
He blushed. "I-I won't fall!"
"I am not giving you the bottles." I glared at him, "That's final."
"What about me?" Ebony asked, a little embarrassed to be left alone again.
I smirked at her, seeing an opportunity for a little payback."You be a good girl and keep nursing Sylvie."
"It's Sylvia." She flushed in annoyance. She blushed and looking away, playing with her hair with a pout on her face. At least she had the decency to look embarrassed.
"Whatever." I rolled my eyes, and carefully stepped out.
Once my feet were both firmly on the ledge, I took a deep breath. "I'm going." I looked at Seal, who was still staring at me with wide eyes. "Follow me or not, I don't care."
With that, I looked to my right. There was a piece of wall that extended from the wall perpendicularly, blocking the ledge.
With the [Weakened] status effect and my injuries on my hand and shoulder, it was probably going to be a challenge. But If I could go through that, I could go through the whole thing, provided I had enough stamina. Considering I had just gained 12 points in vitality, I wasn't too worried about that. The destination to reach was that far, about a dozen meters or so.
"Be careful," Ebony said, still in the classroom.
I grabbed the corner of the wall extension, sliding my feet along the edge.
I rotated my body, lifted my feet and moved it around the pillar. My heart started beating in my chest, and I gulped, doing my best not to look down. With my left hand, I gripped the window's edge with all my strength, and very slightly leaned back, which allowed me to quickly place my foot on the other side.
"Hngh!"
I reached over with my right arm to grab the other side's window edge. A little pain surged in my hand, but I ignored it. Then I lifted my left foot off the left side, and pushed my body further towards the other side, allowing me to place my foot on the orher side, all the while supporting myself on the pillar with my left hand.
"Ph-phew..." I sighed, sweat tolling down my neck.
I continued moving along the wall, until I reached the next , same obstacle. I would be less scared the second time.
Still, I took a breather to look into the classroom through the window in front of my face. This was the room where the seven zombies had been. The windows were closed. If I broke them, the zombies would come running for sure.
I looked at the remnants of the door, in the corridor. Below it, I could see a shield, a spear and... no, two spears. The weapons of the now-zombified goblins.
Goblin loot in the corridor. I made a mental note of it.
"H-hngh..."
I widened my eyes, looking to my left.
Steele was actually following me.
Fucking hell.
I slid my feet again to make my way towards him, and watched him struggle to go around the pillar. His arms and legs were smaller than mine... so that he had less reach.
Shit.
Boom boom. My heart accelerated as I watched the frail Faunus struggle, ready to grab him at any moment.
"Gg-gh..."
"..."
Somehow, he made it around the obstacle.
I released my breath that I didn't notice I was holding.
The bastard turned his head towards me, slightly panting. Our eyes met. He was scared, but he gave an hesitant nod. I could see his arms trembling slightly.
Climbing wasn't just about agility, I suddenly understood. It was about strength and vitality, too, and even dexterity and willpower.
All things he did not have.
"Stop. You're going back." I stated.
He gulped. "O-okay..." He nodded, eyes wide with fear. "What about you?"
"I'll be fine. You see my title, right?"
"Y-yeah. The First Player."
"Do you see the effects, too?"
"N-no..." He stuttered, widening his eyes as he looked down below us.
A few zombies were eyeing us from down there, waiting for us to fall.
I pat his shoulder, making him look up at me instead of downwards.
"It has good effects. I can do this." I assured him. "Come on. Go back now, "I ordered, "While you still can."
He nodded shakily, and started grabbing the wall again.
"..." I watched him again, tense.
When he was about to lift his second feet off my side, I reached over and grabbed his remaining hand. He gripped it desperately. Summoning all my strength, I gritted my teeth and squeezed his hand, helping his balance and support as best as I could.
Then, his body fully disappeared behind the wall protuberance, and he stopped holding my hand.
"Hngh..."
"You okay?" I heard Ebony ask anxiously. "Come in. You did your best."
The boy stayed quiet, not answering.
"You better hope I don't come back," I raised my voice so they could hear me. "Cause i'm gonna beat your ass for that."
Silence.
A zombie growled below me.
I didn't look. I continued on my path.
With the experience of going through one of these obstacles on the ledge, the next ones were easier to go through than the ones before. So I got more confident, though I was still careful, progressing slowly. But towards the end, I was starting to pant pretty hard, as I had been doing this for 20 minutes already. I did gain two points in Agility and one point in Strength and Vitality for my troubles though.
It turns out, climbing is pretty good training.
I finally reached my destination. Peeking inside, it was pretty dark, but I couldn't see any enemy.
The windows were not broken.
"Tch..." I grimaced, and grabbed the goblin knife from my pocket.
I looked away, and gave the window a little stab.
Tink!
Nothing.
I tried again, harder this time.
Crrrk!
Cracks spread like a web around the window.
I hit the window again.
Crack!
Clink clink clink.
The window shattered, making a lot less noise than I thought it would. Broken glass spread on the floor inside. I worked to remove as much glass as I could, with my left arm starting to hurt as it did all the work of holding my body without the right arm helping.
Eventually, it was wide enough to get in. I needed to be careful since my chest was nude.
I managed to step inside, without any scratch. The glass creaked under my sneakers, and I stumbled away from the window, lying down, panting.
Thank god I didn't get an asthma attack this time. Thinking about it, it had probably been the ingestion of poison that had triggered it. My asthma was the 'allergic' type, triggered by things like pollen, pets, dust mites, smoke, and some foods. However, that was not to say I was very allergic to these things... It just triggered my asthma if I hadn't taken my medicine prior to it.
Inside, I took a few minutes to rest. Honestly, I wasn't sure I could make it back right away, especially if I was this thirsty.
After a moment, I stood up and examined my surroundings.
This was clearly an unused classroom; untouched by the apocalypse.
Tables and chairs were stacked on top of each other in a neat way against the wall. There was a bunch of boxes and crates, too. It was clearly a room used for some kind of storage.
And on the far corner, next to a metallic shelf and some counters...
A sink.
"Oh, thank fuck," I grinned widely, jogging to it.
I reached my bag, opened the faucet and filled the bottles.
Once they were full, my smile dropped a little. Fuck, my bag was heavier now. It would be harder to go back.
'Identify'
Bleach Bottle.
A plastic bleach bottle full of potable water.
Remaining: 1,85L
Once I confirmed it was potable just to be safe, I turned to the faucet again to drink from it. I moaned in delight at the feeling of the liquid going down my throat to revitalize my body.
Then I washed my hands with soap, and splashed my body with water, too, sighing in pleasure at the fresh water.
'Identify' I thought as I did so, eyeing the water bottle.
Water Bottle.
A standard plastic water bottle, full of potable water.
Remaining: 1,06L
Ding!
[Identify]'s level has increased to Beginner level 3 !
Almost three litres of water. A decent quantity for four people. We only needed to climb there again to fill up our bottles. This secured our near future quite a lot.
If only I managed to carry them back.
Still, I sighed in satisfaction, taking a look around. My eyes landed on the door again.
I remembered how quickly the seven zombies had been able to bust through the other door. I had been on the other side to help them take it down, but still.
No barricades behind the door made me uncomfortable.
Putting my bag on a desk, I approached a metallic shelf near the door, and pushed it in front of it. Because it was metallic, it was very heavy, and it made a loud sliding noise. On the ground.
"Grrraaah?!" I heard the zombies scream, having heard the noise. Shit. I put my back against the metallic shelf, and used my feet to push.
Bang!
The zombies started banging on the door right as I finished pushing the shelf in front of it. I positioned myself in front, and pushed the metallic shelf against the door until it touched it, which reinforced the door.
Bang! Bang!
"GrraaaHHhh..."
"Haaa..."
The zombies and I sighed together. Them in disappointment. Me in relief.
Thinking about it, they were much closer to the stairs now, and we were right above the goblin spawn. With the zombies being here, the chances of them attacking the goblins had increased a lot.
I smiled, looking at the metallic shelf. On its doors, it had a padlock. I examined it, curious. Locked.
Maybe there was something precious inside?
I hummed, looking around the classroom, before settling my eyes on another shelf. I went to search it, but no keys there, only cleaning liquids and other chemicals. I tried the counters next. Another bottle of bleach, a dirty sponge and a bucket, but no keys. Was this classroom used as storage for janitor supplies? Fuck.
Maybe this drawer here? I mused, opening it. There was a bunch of clutter inside, papers, pens, a screwdriver, and...
Keys! There we go.
I grabbed them and walked to the shelf, inserting the key into the padlock.
It fit.
I set it aside, and opened the metallic doors of the shelf.
My eyes widened.
Hammer.
Hammer! In there!
"Helllooooooo there," I grinned widely, grabbing the tool and caressing it.
'Identify'
Hammer
Good quality back up hammer, for the school's janitor work.
It is in great condition and has not been used much. It deals great blunt damage but the range is somewhat short.
Effects: +3 Strength, +3 Vitality
[The Gamer]: +3 Strength, +3 Physical Resistance
"Man, that is nice," I grinned, before looking back at the contents of the metallic shelf.
Crowbar.
Crowbar! In there! A fucking crowbar!
And...!
"...Bloody hell," I breathed, gaping at the content of the shelf, eyes wide.
This was a treasure trove.