Infrasound Berserker - Chapter 34 Scales (Patreon)

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Chapter 34 Scales

Kate put one boot against the Wyvern skull and pulled out her hammer. It came out with a spray of dark red blood. She listened for more enemies, hearing a groan from the top of the stairs. She rushed up and found the injured human, blue eyes staring at her as it tried to get up and attack her.

She raised her hammer behind her shoulder and swung it down into the man’s forehead, the metal shattering through bone as his skull was crushed against the stone wall behind. Kate watched the corpse for a few seconds as she listened for more monsters. All she heard were her allies, fast breaths and panicked words.

Fight.

Hunt.

She shook her head, looking for more monsters. Kate knew there could be monsters outside.

“Kate!” a voice came from below.

Kate growled. She took a step towards where she knew the exit was, then hesitated. It hurt. She wanted to go, wanted to fight. There were more monsters out there, waiting. Waiting to face her.

Why was she standing here?

Was there someone else there?

Allies?

Did someone call for her?

She heard the voice again, one hand going to her temple as she staggered. Stop.

Stop!

STOP!

Kate felt the weight of her body, stumbling before she hit the wall. She breathed hard, smelling the blood and sweat. The death and decay. Grey, Ethan, she thought as her eyes widened. She took a step and nearly fell. Her chest hurt, her throat ached with every breath. Check, or you won’t be able to help them.

She looked down on herself, finding her jacket mostly ripped apart, the sweatshirt, shirt, and sports bra below in better shape but not exactly store bought either. Blood seeped through the fabric near her chest. Kate didn’t know if she was still bleeding, nor could she see her throat. Breathing still works. That’s good.

And I wanted to keep fighting. With all that.

Didn’t even feel it when I ran up the stairs. Fucking hell.

There were notifications in the corner of her vision, Kate moving towards the stairs before she went down, trying to avoid all the corpses. She didn’t feel particularly dizzy and the red blot on her sweatshirt didn’t grow, nor was there blood dripping down from any of the injured areas. She wasn’t bleeding out. Not yet. Which meant the others were a priority.

“I…” she started, unable to get out more. She closed her eyes for a moment to handle the pain from her jaw and throat. Fuck.

She refocused and walked down, finding Ethan sitting on the ground in front of Grey. “Thank god you’re back. He’s bleeding, Kate,” the man spoke in a panicked voice.

“G…” Kate spoke then gestured to her shoulders, trying to mimic the straps of a backpack.

“The pack… yes,” Ethan said and rushed away.

She went down to her knees, more falling than anything. The edges of her vision blurred for a moment as she breathed heavily.

“You don’t look well,” Grey murmured, his eyes open as he sat against the wall, his arms limp.

Kate looked up and smiled. She felt tired. Shut it.

There was a wound on his leg, the fabric of his pants soaked through entirely. She took off her jacket. What was left of it. Kate folded it and pressed it down on the wound. He winced.

“I can’t… decide…” he murmured.

Kate looked at him, unsure what he meant. She raised a brow.

His lips quivered slightly, tears in his eyes as he tried to handle the pain. “I can’t decide… which support class… the options are… good… ah this hurts,” he said, closing his eyes.

He’s bleeding out and this is his concern? Grey. You goddamned idiot.

She shook her head, flicking his face before she pointed at the wound on his leg.

“I… made a mistake,” he said. “Failed to… d… dodge the Wyvern.”

Ethan came back and handed her the pack.

Kate noticed his limp, blood on his arms. She nodded to the wounds and opened the pack with one hand. Scissors. She cut through the pant leg as fast as she could, opening the area up before she took out the patches of fabric meant to be put below a bandage. She patted away the blood and applied a wound spray. Not quite an anesthetic but it would help a little. Pressing down the last thick patch of white fabric, she ripped open a bandage with her teeth, pressing it down before she moved it around his leg, making sure to tighten it. She grabbed the other two bandages and did the same, finishing up with a set of knots before she checked the man for other wounds.

She took out a set of painkillers and raised them in front of his face.

Grey glanced at them, considered, then shook his head.

He looked even paler, lost in thought or with a high fever. Touching his forehead, she assumed the former. This absolute nerd, she thought with a sigh, a light smile on her face. He survived. For now. She looked at the spray and opened up her shirt, moving away the bits of torn fabric before she liberally sprayed her chest and throat area. Melusine can figure out the rest, she thought then nodded to Ethan, the man watching everything with wide eyes.

She motioned to his hands which he raised.

Kate doused a clean rag in the disinfectant before she handed it to him. She grabbed a marker from the pack and shook it, removing the cap before she wrote on the wall. Wounds. Packs. Leave.

Ethan nodded. “I’ll h… help.”

Stay. Grey, she wrote.

“A… are you okay?” Ethan asked.

She just glared at him and got to work, stepping over the dead creatures while collecting the knives she had used. She found all but one, entering the evidence room where she found the stack of bags mostly untouched. She gave the shelves a last quick look, straight up dropping chests and boxes to see if they had missed anything particularly useful.

Kate paused when she saw something slightly shiny stick out from behind a set of bags. Moving them aside, she found what looked like a shotgun. Not a double barrel model like the one Bert had. She reached up and grabbed the thing, finding its weight comfortable in her hands. Thanks Arnie. This might come in useful.

She checked the bags and found one that had red shells. Might not be the right ammo but it’s worth a shot, she thought and put it all into one of the bags. The entire haul was heavy, even for her. The main issue was the sheer logistics of carrying over ten near entirely full bags at the same time. She came out into the hallway where she found Ethan cutting into the wyvern corpse with one of his hunting knives.

Kate moved away two goblin corpses with her boot before she set down the bags. She spread her arms in a what the fuck gesture.

“Grey told me to start cutting away parts. The head, wings, claws,” Ethan explained.

She glanced at the sitting man, his complexion a little better than before.

“They’re valuable parts. For Allison. We should get meat too for Celeste. Who knows what Wyvern blood and flesh can bring. Might be good for support class requirements but could also be used for the food section in our status that we haven’t figured out,” Grey explained. “The Wolves too. If you can, get what you can.”

Kate hesitated. She didn’t hear any more monsters come but more could reach this place at any time. And Grey was injured. She checked her clock and looked at them, signing a three.

“Three minutes, gotcha. Maybe you take the Wyvern, I can barely get through the scales,” Ethan said.

She obliged, getting to work as she checked both the time and Grey. She got most of one wing, folding it as well as she could before she stuffed it into an empty bag. Moving on, she hacked away into the neck of the creature, removing its head and throwing it into the bag, some of the horns sticking out. Next she cut into where its left leg connected to its torso, cutting into it before she ripped away the entire chunk. Into the bag you go. She checked the time, less than a minute remaining.

Kate moved the body to the side and started hacking into its chest. The serrated blade of the hunting knife helped sever the scales, ripping through the tissue that held them together. She grabbed on and ripped away a sizable chunk of its chest.

Grey glanced around the corner. “Get the heart.”

What the fuck.

She shook her head and cut deeper, ripping out flesh until she saw the large organ. Fantasy, fucking, bullshit.

Everything went into the bag, filling it fully, with yellow Wyvern pieces, horns, and claws sticking out. Kate had no clue how much it weighed. More than the gun bag.

She tapped the wall with her knife and sheathed it, Ethan rushing over with his bag of wolf bits.

“I… I had no clue what I was doing,” he said.

Kate took out the disinfectant spray again and pointed to his arms, throwing the thing his way.

“You should’ve leveled up too. Your stats,” Grey said.

Right. Might as well, if it helps survive the next fight.

‘ding’ ‘You have defeated [Undead Direwolf]
‘ding’ ‘You have defeated [Undead Goblin]
…
‘ding’ ‘You have defeated [Young Acid Wyvern]

‘ding’ ‘Berserker reaches lvl 14’

Stat points +2
Perseverance +1

‘ding’ ‘Berserker reaches lvl 15’

Stat points +2
Perseverance +1

Kate instantly put all four distributable points into Vitality and read on. She shuddered as the heat flowed through her veins, sighing when she felt that breathing had become a little easier.

‘ding’ ‘Mindless Ferocity reaches lvl 20’
‘ding’ ‘Mindless Ferocity reaches 2nd lvl 1’

Active: Mindless Ferocity – 2nd lvl 1
Tune out all but the sound of battle. Sacrifice what is not required to increase your resistance against pain, shock, and trauma from both injuries and enemy attacks by 15.5%. Auto activates when at 25% health (set value).
2nd stage: When active, Mindless Ferocity grants a low grade resistance against all mental attacks.

“Mental attacks, great,” she murmured. And I guess after level twenty skills get a second stage.

“You can speak again,” Grey said.

“Right…” she said and touched her throat. “Still hurts a little.”

Could’ve saved myself the trouble of writing on the wall.

‘ding’ ‘Furious Dance reaches lvl 17’
‘ding’ ‘Furious Dance reaches lvl 18’
‘ding’ ‘Furious Dance reaches lvl 19’

‘ding’ ‘Reckless Charge reaches lvl 15’
‘ding’ ‘Reckless Charge reaches lvl 16’

‘ding’ ‘Hunting Leap reaches lvl 5’

‘ding’ ‘Shattering Step reaches lvl 5’
‘ding’ ‘Shattering Step reaches lvl 6’

‘ding’ ‘Toll for the Living reaches lvl 17’
‘ding’ ‘Toll for the Living reaches lvl 18’

‘ding’ ‘Courage of the Unarmored reaches lvl 16’
‘ding’ ‘Courage of the Unarmored reaches lvl 17’
‘ding’ ‘Courage of the Unarmored reaches lvl 18’

‘ding’ ‘Two Handed Weapon Fighting reaches lvl 16’
‘ding’ ‘Two Handed Weapon Fighting reaches lvl 17’
‘ding’ ‘Two Handed Weapon Fighting reaches lvl 18’

‘ding’ ‘Unrelenting Carnage reaches lvl 5’
‘ding’ ‘Unrelenting Carnage reaches lvl 6’
‘ding’ ‘Unrelenting Carnage reaches lvl 7’

‘ding’ ‘Silent Striker reaches lvl 8’

Serenity +1

‘ding’ ‘Silent Striker reaches lvl 9’

Serenity +1

‘ding’ ‘Frightening Growl reaches lvl 6’

‘ding’ ‘Bewildering Wave reaches lvl 4’

‘ding’ ‘Heightened Hearing reaches lvl 11’
‘ding’ ‘Heightened Hearing reaches lvl 12’

‘ding’ ‘You have unlocked the passive skill: Hushed Presence – lvl 1

Passive: Hushed Presence – lvl 1
Your movements become softer, all of your actions producing less sound in turn, should you will it so.

Kate found the new skill toggleable, similar to her heightened hearing and intimidating presence.

Even more stuff.

‘ding’ ‘Requirements met for Class Evolution [Berserker] becomes [Scion of Wrath]’

She saw the additional text and closed the notifications again. There was too much for her to read in a reasonable time, and it looked like there were several options. They had to leave. “I got evolution options for my Berserker Class,” she said, crouching down next to Grey. “Think you can move?”

“I have to,” Grey said.

She raised her brows and smiled. “I could carry you.”

“And leave the loot behind? No,” he said, as if her suggestion was downright sacrilegious.

Kate helped him up, slowly. She glanced at his still unsheathed sword. “How is it?”

He took in a few breaths with closed eyes, opening them before he nodded slightly. “Don’t think… I can carry much. You said class evolution?”

“We can talk in the car, or when we’re back,” Kate said. “Ethan, ready?”

The man nodded, grabbing four of the bags.

“Take two and help Grey walk,” she said. “I take the rest.”

Ethan looked at her. “T… that’s a lot.”

“I know,” Kate said and grabbed everything, activating her new Hushed Presence as she took in a deep breath. Right. She felt like a Christmas tree with all the bags slung around her shoulder and those held in her hand. I suppose with all the presents we’re getting out, it might as well be.

If we can avoid any monsters on the way, she thought, nodding towards the back exit.

Ethan helped Grey walk, the door to the hallway open. They reached the exit, finding it only locked from the outside.

“Open it slightly, I want to listen,” Kate said.

The cool and fresh air that came into the hallway reminded her of the state of the station. They had to get out before more creatures turned undead. Already she could hear noises from the upper floors again. “Nothing outside. Headlamps,” she said, her hammer held atop the bags in her right hand. “I go first.”

Ethan turned off her lamp and opened the door, Kate walking out into the open. It felt strange, her steps producing considerably less sound than before, as did her breathing. Even her heartbeat. Though it was difficult for her to tell how much the difference was exactly, same as it was difficult for her to gauge how heavy things were, both her strength and hearing having gone through considerable changes.

She walked over to the next building, hearing Ethan close the exit behind himself. They continued through the village, Kate constantly checking for monsters until they reached the main road. She used her echo location, pausing for a moment before she rushed over the street.

Back near the small slide and sandbox, the three continued onward and into the forest. Kate tried to crouch slightly, avoiding branches and bushes. She paused again and clicked her tongue, finding no monsters in the vicinity. The truck remained where they had parked it.

She put the bags down and loaded the back area. “Ethan you get on the back this time,” she said.

“Keys,” he said.

She threw them over to him and finished loading.

The man helped Grey enter the car before he climbed on. “Sure thing, ma’am.”

Kate ignored the comment, getting in the car herself before she closed the door.

Grey handed her the keys. He winced slightly at the movement, relaxing in the chair as he slowly put on his seat belt, sheathed sword by his side. “There were fewer corpses,” he said in a quiet voice.

Kate nodded. “I know.” She kept her eyes on the trees and turned the keys. Driving out onto the street, she saw movement in the left back mirror, several small green creatures rushing out of the underbrush and towards them. They were still quite a way’s off.

Goblins running with strange movements, faster than they had any right to be, mouths wide open, cuts on their bodies visible even at the distance.

How about no?

She drove off, keeping her eyes on the road while Grey watched the skies for any Wyverns.

“Think they will follow us all the way?” Grey asked.

“Let’s talk about that once we’re back,” she said and put on some music, changing tracks until she came across some power metal.

Let’s hope the Wyverns and Ogres don’t stand up again.

She sighed, gripping the steering wheel with both hands. One fire at a time.