Amazon Apocalypse: Chapter 39 (Patreon)

Sakura and I dashed through the tattered buildings, putting ourselves out of sight of the snipers on the roofs. We hadn't been hit yet, but given our speed, I wouldn't have been surprised if we were mistaken for werewolves ourselves. The only time I'd been shot at, I was able to jump out of the way before the bullets landed, thanks to the guidance of Sure Step. Whenever the faintly glowing footprints in my vision took a sudden swerve, I knew I needed to move quickly.

Before long, we spotted Wolfmen gathering in the distance, huddled between a tall outcrop of buildings where they were sheltered from incoming bullets. Most of the Wolfmen wore leather straps and carried stone daggers or other primitive tools, marking them as slightly more intelligent than their feral cousins. There were humans there of varying ages, but none of particularly high levels. They were gathered like so much fodder, nearly piled on top of one another as they crowded together to escape the snarling Wolfmen encircling them.

The humans shuffled awkwardly as the Wolfmen herded them towards the closest exit to the city, growling and barking like a pack of dogs chasing game. The Wolfmen were driving these frightened people out of the city, likely to become sacrifices, as the first Wolfman had mentioned. But Sakura and I had something to say about that.

"I'm counting sixteen Wolfmen. Average level, about thirteen. You up for this?" I whispered to Sakura.

She nodded. "I just hit level twenty in berserker during that last fight, and twenty-two in oni. As long as we catch a few in a surprise attack, we should be able to take down most of them. If not, we can definitely create enough commotion for the people they've rounded up to slip away."

I gave her a grim smile of determination. "Sounds like a plan."

Sakura readied her weapons, and I used Exploit Weakness, hoping something would stand out. The System suggested headshots, if I could hit them from this distance. A few of the Wolfmen were near the back of the pack, and if I took them out silently, the others might not notice for a while. I used Power Jump to scale a nearby building and perched myself atop it, much like the snipers who had been defending the humans of Crownhill. However, I wouldn't be shooting to kill. Tough as these Wolfmen were, there were few that I could fell with Mana Bolt, and none that I could do so without alerting the others.

I took aim with Eldritch Blast. Among the shadows and noise, it would merely feel like an eerie gust of dark wind, instead of the magical bullet that was Mana Bolt. I landed three shots, washing over several Wolfmen and inflicting them with Corrupting Marks. The first of many, I hoped. These marks would deal a tiny bit of damage on their own, but when enough of them added up it would hopefully let me neutralize a whole bunch of these guys at once.

Sakura held back while I did what I could. While I could shoot at the Wolfmen from afar, Sakura was harder to miss when she came charging in, screaming at the top of her lungs and swinging her club left and right. Eventually, the Wolfmen would notice me, and that was when she would strike and draw their attention to her.

A few of the Wolfmen I'd struck stopped to sniff the air, growing warier of the shadows. The air around them stank of burnt fur, and though my Eldritch Blasts weren't too concentrated when fired from so far away, they still hurt. The Corrupting Marks they left behind were probably noticeable on their status screens if these Wolfmen were smart enough to look.

I was only able to deal so much damage before they caught on, so I wasn't surprised when a group of three Wolfmen peeled off from the main group. They were headed in the wrong direction at first, so I guided them where they needed to go. When they were out of sight of the rest of their group, I started using Mana Bolt.

Unlike Eldritch Blast, these dense points of magical energy stayed tightly packed throughout their long flight, and I got in a few good hits to heads and shoulders. I even scored a direct headshot on one Wolfman and nearly brought him down before the battle had even begun. I was getting better at aiming my Mana Bolts from a distance. I wasn't sure if it was from my stats, the skill, or my growing Caster proficiency, but whatever it was was helping.

That last blast had been obvious enough that they traced my attack back to my hiding place atop one of the nearby buildings, and the two unwounded Wolfmen bounded toward me. I paid them no mind, since they were going right where we wanted them. Instead, I focused on taking out the one I'd already wounded.

When the Wolfmen were nearly on top of me, I used Warp Step. I found that when two buildings were close enough together, I could use the skill to compress the space between them and cross the intervening distance as though stepping over a pothole instead of a three-story plummet. Thanks to the skill, instead of the squishy magic caster the Wolfmen were hoping to tear apart, they were face to face with an angry Oni Berserker wielding a club. I took a few more potshots at the group of Wolfmen, who were now making good progress out of the city. I hit a few more of them with Eldritch Blast, but if we let them go much further, I'd run out of tall buildings to hide in. As a result, I had to get a little more aggressive and start mixing in more Eldritch Blasts.

Sakura caught up with me a while later. She lacked Warp Step,  so she had to climb the stairs and get to me the long way. We repeated the process once more and peeled off three Wolfmen, then took care of them one at a time. The group of sixteen we'd started with had been whittled down considerably, which would make the real battle far easier.

But those kills came at a cost. The Wolfmen were far warier than they used to be, and now they were ducking behind buildings and taking cover wherever they could. The humans they were herding out of the city looked around and scanned the upper buildings, wondering if they were being saved or taken prisoner by someone even worse than the Wolfmen. I heard them whispering from my perch.

"Those aren't bullets from any gun I've ever heard of. They look like laser beams!" one woman whispered. "Maybe we're getting attacked by aliens now."

"Anything is better than becoming wolf food..." another replied.

"Eaten alive or anally probed..." A man muttered, as though weighing the two options in his mind.

After losing two groups in attempts to find out who was attacking them, the Wolfmen were unwilling to send out any more scouting parties. That meant it would be harder for Sakura and me to whittle their group down any further, but it also meant I could get a lot bolder with my Mana Bolts.

I no longer tried to be subtle as I danced between buildings and fired magical missiles from afar. I was dealing a lot of damage, and Lifesteal had topped up any wounds I'd picked up during the fighting. With the health flowing into me, I even used Blood Sacrifice a few times to weaken the Wolfmen. Though these guys healed so fast, I wasn't sure if it was worth it. They must have had hefty bonuses to regeneration because it seemed like they could patch themselves up right before my eyes.

I would have been getting nervous if not for my Corrupting Marks. Those clung to the Wolfmen like gum in hair, and no matter how they regenerated, I just kept stacking more. Eventually, the passive damage of my curse would burden them to the point that it offset their regeneration. But I planned to detonate the Corrupting Marks long before then.

"Sakura, we're running out of buildings. I think we're going to have to take a more hands-on approach," I said as I eyed the group.

"Finally." Sakura hefted her bat. "Join me in the fray!"
Without another word, Sakura jumped from the three-story window, letting out a deafening battle cry as she whipped her club overhead and brought it down with a thunderous smash. The sidewalk where she landed shattered into a dozen pieces, as did the Wolfman whose head she'd landed on.

Sakura left behind crimson streaks of energy as she moved, each swing of her club carrying supernatural weight behind it. She struck a Wolfman in the chest, and he left the ground and flew through a nearby shop window, shattering glass and lacerating his flesh all the while.

Sakura laughed in delight. "Fight me, little doggies!"

Still up on the balcony, I realized I was very grateful I'd never gotten on her bad side. Who could have known such a savage warrior was hiding deep within my office worker boss?

This was going to be a tough fight, and I needed all the strength I could muster. I activated Enlightenment and felt its effects take hold.

Your Mania has increased to level 1: Dissonance.
The world grows faint, and your connection to reality weakens.
20% increase to all Scholar of Forbidden Knowledge abilities.

While this skill was something of a double-edged sword, I couldn't deny its usefulness in battle. Someday, I would learn the price for leaning on it, but not yet.

A moment later, I was right behind Sakura, wind whipping back my hair and spells buzzing to life between my fingertips. I activated Exploit Weakness again and used it to target my prey.

The glow of my eyes intensified as I honed in on a Wolfman's weakened knee. With a swift kick, I shattered the joint, sending the creature howling in pain before it crumpled to the ground. Between my heightened Mania and Eldritch Augmentation, I realized my physical stats were well above those of the Wolfmen. Though they had tooth and claws, otherworldly power flowed through my veins.

Sakura's club struck another Wolfman, the force of her swing tearing through the air like a crack of thunder. The beast went soaring into a nearby wall, its body crumpling under the impact.

Our battle seemed to flow like water, every move a natural response to the shifting tide of combat. I danced around a Wolfman's swipe, ducking low and sliding between its legs.

With a quick flick of my wrist, I sent a Corrupting Mark onto the creature's back, the dark energy seeping into its fur. Sakura spun, her club a whirlwind of destruction as she decimated another Wolfman. The beast's bones crunched under the sheer power of her attack, and it flew across the street, landing in a heap of fur and broken limbs.

As the fight continued, I focused on the Corrupting Marks I'd placed on the Wolfmen. The dark energy pulsed and writhed, growing in intensity with every passing second. With a thought, I triggered the detonation, sending a cacophony of dark explosions through their ranks. The Wolfmen howled in agony as the curse tore through them, crippling their regeneration and leaving them vulnerable.

Seizing the moment, Sakura and I pressed our attack. We moved like a whirlwind of destruction, cutting down the remaining Wolfmen one by one. With each enemy that fell, our confidence grew, and we fought with renewed determination.

Finally, only one Wolfman remained. It snarled and backed away, its eyes wide with fear. Sakura and I shared a determined glance before closing in on the last beast.

I fired a final Mana Bolt, striking the creature in the chest and sending it stumbling backward. Sakura charged forward, her club raised high, and with a mighty swing, she brought it down upon the Wolfman's skull. The creature's body collapsed to the ground, its fur matted with blood and its bones shattered.

The two of us stood there, panting and waiting. I turned to the prisoners, and they shrank back in fright. My clothes were tattered and stained with blood, but that hadn't been what scared them.

"Carter, your eyes are glowing again..." Sakura warned me.

I blinked. "Right. Sorry."

I took a step back, trying to shrug off the effects of Mania. I needed to take a few deep breaths and calm down. My body didn't want to calm down, though—it wanted to pick another fight.

I spent a few minutes calming myself down and watched my own shadow until the red glow coming from my eyes faded, and I was able to look at the people we rescued without them flinching away in fear.

I turned to them and spoke. "It seems like everybody is rallying near the old police station."

"Y-you killed those monsters like it was nothing!" A woman gasped as she met my eyes for the first time. "Who are you?"

"Carter and Sakura, at your service," I gave her a little bow. "We're not aliens, and we have in interest in anal probing. Also, those weren't monsters. They were Wolfmen. I know it's a bit pedantic, but monsters are made by the System. They're their own thing. Beasts are regular creatures turned powerful by gaining levels. Those Wolfmen were sapient humanoids just like us."

"O-oh... sorry..." the woman toyed with her hair nervously. I figured she was too frightened to talk to the man covered in blood, whose eyes had been shining crimson just a moment ago, so I turned away from the group and started walking in the direction of safety. They got the idea and fell into line behind me.

***

I wasn't sure how much of their silence was shock and how much was fear of me, but the survivors hurried along behind Sakura and I even faster than they had for the Wolfmen taking them captive. We made quick progress, and eventually Margaret came into sight again with her megaphone in hand. She was looking much better than the last time I'd seen her.

Her brown hair had been combed straight again, and she must have risked a trip back to her old home, because she was dressed in a new pantsuit. She'd skipped the makeup she'd worn when I'd first met her, but a point or two in charisma did just as much, and I suspected most women would go in that direction once knowledge of the hidden stat became common knowledge.

"Margaret, it's good to see you again," I smiled as I approached.

She gave me an ear to ear grin in reply. "Carter! Sakura! I should have known the two of you would be here to help when you saw the commotion."

Gone was the grim melancholy that had enveloped her after her husband's death. It was gone so fast that she couldn't have gotten over his loss. I suspected she'd found more solace in the fact that his soul was still around and awaiting an opportunity to return, rather than coming to terms with his death.

But regardless of her reasons, she looked like she was ready to wrap the two of us in a warm embrace. Though, the same couldn't be said of the uniformed sheriff standing next to her. It took me a moment to place him, though I'd seen his feature on billboards everywhere when he was running for sheriff. If not for my enhanced memory, I probably never would have identified him without using Examine.

"Sheriff Nolan Drayton, right?" I asked, holding out my hand. "Good to see you made it. What were the losses at the police department?"

The sheriff nodded and wrapped my hand in his. His grip was like iron, and another man would have felt their bones on the verge of cracking in the sheriff's grip. "Bad, but we're not out of the picture yet. First the monsters, then the convicts escaping... it's been a rough few days. But we're still kicking, and by God, I'll see us through this mess. I gave my oath to protect this town, and I plan to keep it."

I tightened my own grip in reply, and the sheriff's eyes widened slightly as I matched his tight squeeze. Before the integration, he'd probably established dominance with such a technique many times in the past. Unfortunately for him, the integration had given me greatly enhanced strength, and I was using only the tiniest fraction of it now.

"So you're the Carter Smith I've heard so much about. They say you own the obelisk downtown. It's a mighty useful pillar you've got there, provided by the System. Logistics are a lot easier without needing to set up a market square for everything. But I'm a little concerned about having such a strategic asset in private hands." He eyed me warily. "I recommend turning over the obelisk to the city government while you have the chance."

We locked gazes, and a moment of tension passed between us.

I held his gaze, not backing down. "I've earned the obelisk, Sheriff. I've protected this town and used it for everyone's benefit."

Sheriff Drayton narrowed his eyes. "You're an unelected civilian with too much power. The obelisk should be controlled by the city."

I raised an eyebrow. "The System chose me, Sheriff. I've been responsible and reliable. Besides, we're not exactly running elections right now, are we?"

Drayton narrowed his eyes.

Sakura chimed in. "We just want to help. Carter's as good a man as you could hope to have such power. Ask the people around the Obelisk and you'll see."

Margaret nodded. "Carter and Sakura have been invaluable. We need unity."

Sheriff Drayton hesitated, then relented. "Fine, Smith. But I'm watching you. Any abuse, and I'll step in."

Then the Sheriff stormed off, presumably to see to the defenses elsewhere.

"I'm sorry, he can be a bit of a handful. But he has a good heart. And he means what he says about protecting the city." Margaret shrugged. "I doubt he would try to take the Obelisk, if such a thing can even be done."

I frowned. I knew for a fact that it was very possible. All someone had to do was make the attempt. I hadn't read up on the full details yet, but perhaps I should do that sooner rather than later.

"Sakura and I will be back in a bit. I'm sure there are more survivors out there that need our help." I turned and Margaret picked up her megaphone. Then, Sakura and I sprinted back into the Crownhill to hunt down any remaining Wolfmen.

<Author's Note>

So you guys remember when I was doing links between chapters? Was that useful and worth doing again or nah?

I see readership numbers have dropped off a little due to the long break where we worked on Paladin (combined with the fact that I added so many changes) so I want to reduce any friction you guys might have between you and reading this.

Then again, maybe it's best to just get it done and out the door, and everybody can start at the same place for book 2.