Opening my eyes I stare at the ceiling hoping it's a dream and I'll wake up again back in my own bed.
It must have been 10 minutes with me just staring at the ceiling with a blank look.
Sighing I got up and looked around the room for anything odd now that I wasn't physically exhausted and mentally drained.
Spotting none I stood stretching the creek out of my back and got to thinking. Calling the system, I see that I had a gr4and whopping 13 essence.
Firstly, I created more ammo for my good gun. good being a relative term.
Now what would be the best use of my remaining essence. I had both range and melee down and I couldn't make any good defense with what I had.
Since I couldn't go defense, I should go for dodging but that was unrealistic.
Unless I killed everyone before they realized I was even there, but again I needed more points to do that.
Well, a silencer would help. Letting me take out at least 1 more thing before being spotted.
Grabbing my gun, I look at it trying to picture the perfect silence for it. Feeling what I've felt every time I made something I will all my remaining essence into my new creation.
This time, however, the essence didn't condense in my open palm but flow towards the end of the barrel where a black silencer remained once the glow dissipated.
With that done I make sure it's fully loaded then make my way to the door. Removing furniture until only a wardrobe remains, I listen. After a minute of no sound, I crack it open a bit.
Still nothing I reclose it before relocking and removing the wardrobe stopping every few seconds to listen if the noise, I'm creating attracted anything.
Once, done I draw my gun and slowly open the door. Poking my machete out the door with nothing trying to grab it I look out ready to shoot anything that moves. Seeing the hallway clear I make my way towards the stairs.
Seeing them clear I make my way up to the roof. Looking out at the mountains I can't help but marvel at their beauty, momentarily forgetting that there are billions of things out there that would try to eat me on sight.
Bringing my spy glass out I look around the land while keeping an ear out for buzzards. Wouldn't want to be shot or bombed by some assholes in their mini chopper.
I spot a few small nests I feel confident in taking out including the one I took out yesterday that now has a couple of varkids milling about poking at the statues of their brethren.
With my route planned I headed downstairs gun ready. You could never know with this fucked up world.
Walking out of the building I headed to the nest I took out yesterday. It was the closest and had the lowest number of varkids if my thought that the ones there were newly hatched was true.
Stopping around 25 meters I look around spotting a hill that would give me a slight elevation on them. Nodding I take aim and fire.
I missed by a bit the bullet hitting the ground by its feet.
The varkid seems to get spooked quickly turning to look at what spooked it.
Before it could do more than that I raised the gun slightly so only half its head was visibly above the guns sight and fired.
I will admit I felt satisfied at getting a head shot. That feeling intensified at seeing it drop dead from that one shot.
Turning to the other I see it approaching its fallen kin before a bullet finds itself in its midsection.
Looking around I see no other bugs crawling out of their nests, so I approach the already inflating sack.
I spend the next 30 seconds or so draining the sack and dead bug before making my way towards my next target.
The walk there was uneventful, thankfully, though I did become cautious at seeing 11 varkids milling about knowing there were more withing their nests.
Sighing I stop at 30 meters this time and take aim.
The silencer continues to work like a charm as it muffles most of the sound the gun makes. Though they do manage to find me after my 7th kill.
Seeing them walk and jump towards me was alarming but throwing a look behind me I proceed to back up as I shoot.
This simple strategy of walking away from the enemy rather than towards them works so well that I begin questioning why in every movie I ever watched the one with the gun would walk towards the approaching enemy.
Shaking my head I drain the 17 corpses before being on my way.
Letting out a sigh I smile looking at another drained nest. Really it looks like some weird twisted art display. Bug bits here some there and the piece de resistance the rock and purple crystal bug statues. Also, the sacks, can't forget the sacks.
This marking my 4th nest the first not counting I feel myself become a bit braver. Just a bit.
Looking at my essence, I can't help but want to use it.
I still can't afford a shield and armor seems redundant when some shit head with and rpg could pop out any moment so I don't know what to get.
Leaning against the varkid nest I suddenly jolted back staring wide eyed before breaking out into manic laughter.
Who could blame me.
I just felt the biggest source of essence I've felt so far, the sacred sacks included from a fucking inanimate object.
Though it made sense.
Bugs and everything else that hatched from eggs already had all the energy they needed to be born, they just needed time.
Time they wouldn't get as I begin draining. I can't help the giant grin that spreads across my face. It's already been longer than it would have taken me to drain a sack and those gave me 5 essence. How much would this thing give me I wondered.
The answer was 24.
Heading to the next nest I start to drain.
While draining I take a closer look at the nest. Even bringing my head closer to it which proved to be a huge mistake. Holding my breath, I take a closer look again.
Once done I smile thanking Madame Von Bartlesby who I now proclaim the varkid goddess for having her children make their nests out of dead body parts, decomposing meat and their shit.
I don't know if I'd be able to drain shit and honestly, I don't care to try but the body parts and meat should be possible so long as not much time has passed, I think.
Like I know I should be able to drain bones but not fossils.
As for my powers rule set of only draining 1 thing at a time what is considered 1 thing. Cause when you think about it nothing is truly touching. The electrons that make up everything repel each other prevent you from having true contact with anything. It may seem like you are but there will always be that small distance.
What that means is that my power classifies 1 object as everything within that distance.
If I'm right and I think I am, I could create a line around the planet made of corpses and I'd be able to drain it at once.
Sure, it'd take an absurd amount of time, but it would work.
Unless there's a size limit. Though then I could just drain 1 chunk and then another for as many times as needed. Kinda like a giant corpse pizza.
Looking at the 4 stone towers I smile. I smile further upon seeing my essence count.
173 stared back at me and to me that was all that mattered.
Done marveling at the result of my own genius I begin working backwards.
Once more in my little room I look at my system.
I now had 684 essence.
After an admittedly long time I settle on what I would be making.
A companion for a start as they would be invaluable for my survival. At least they could be used as a meat shield or a distraction while I made my escape. Second a better gun though that was the last thing I would be making and finally but certainly not least I would enhance myself.
Firstly I began creating my new best friend and who else than a doggo.
Not just any doggo mind you but a Doberman.
In total he cost me 278 essence but looking at the meter tall, muscular good boy I think it should have been more.
Incapable of resisting I glomp him in a hug while scratching behind his ear. Seeing his tail start moving back and forth fills me with joy.
I admit I spent probably the better part of an hour petting and playing with Titan but who could blame me. He's just the cutes little ball of protective rage.
The great thing about my power I realized while creating him is that anything I create will already be loyal to me. They would even understand what I want them to do and do it if they're capable. Obviously, I couldn't create a fish, and have it climb a tree but tell it to tackle⦠say a shark despite being a goldfish and it would do it.
I was also able to understand him. Not quite speaking or hearing its thoughts but I instinctively knew what he was trying to say.
Next up was upgrading myself. With my remaining essence I increased my strength to 1.3 making me 30 percent stronger than I should be which from what I saw was average.
Finally with the last bit of essence I created a gun. Not just any gun but a hand cannon. This 6-bullet revolver shoots .50 caliber bullets that would make anyone have a bad day. This gun went against my current strategy of stealth, but this wasn't for stealth.
This was insurance in case I encountered something my little gun couldn't handle.
For instance, a varkid managing to transform. I don't know how tough they are but with this baby I should be able to take it down.
The other reason, which is probably the real reason. I always wanted a hand cannon. Now I did and with my increased strength I would be able to fire it one-handed easily.
My new equipment ready, my energy restored thanks to enhancing myself though really from hugging Titan I set off towards another nest.
This one is bigger than the previous ones.
From what I saw this one only had 3 nests, but they were all 2-3 times the size of the normal sized ones.
That was on the surface too and honestly who knows how big they'd be underground.
Despite this unknown the other reason I chose this one is because it was more isolated than the rest.
On the way Titan already more than made up for his cost by telling me when something drew near.
Nowhere close enough for me to hear or see through all the hills but close enough for him to hear or smell.
Using his senses we walked around whatever it was he sensed making it to the nest without any encounters.
Using the same strategy as before I take potshots from a distance, finding it much easier than before thanks to my improved strength. I was also able to line up my shots quicker thanks to my increased agility from increasing my strength.
With my new improvements helping I was able to kill over a dozen before they spotted me.
Repeating my strategy, I kept shooting while backing up though this time I left checking the rear to Titan.
I had killed well over 20 when I saw the first sack form. Wasting no time, I drew my revolver and fired.
The recoil mildly numbed my arm though that quickly went way. The sack though got a hole the size of a baseball straight through.
Seeing it tilt and fall over I refocused on killing anything the was getting close.
Once done I counted my remaining bullets and realized I killed 58 varkids and 3 sacks.
After making sure everything was dead with nothing nearby thanks to Titan I performed an experiment.
Stacking 5 corpses together I began to drain.
Once the time began to stretch out, I smiled seeing that I was right.
Giving Titan an order to begin stacking the bodies onto my already existing pile though to keep an ear out for anything approaching I kept draining. What remained was some weird amalgamation of bodies and sack remains draped over each other.
That and trails of bug blood all leading to it.
With the bodies drained I went over to the closest nest and began draining.
After an hour or so of draining I saw that I had 893. Nearly enough to increase my drain speed.
That came later though as making sure I lived was a more pressing matter.
With that thought I created what I felt necessary.
First, I created ammo and then a nice navy-blue spiked collar with a dog tag that has Titan inscribed on it.
Putting it on him caused his tail to start wagging as he began to radiate joy.
With that done I once more enhance myself before setting off towards the next nest once more invigorated by cuddles.
