Amazon Apocalypse: Chapter 47 (Patreon)

We retreated to Crownhil. I was surprised when the Chaosborn Lycans didn't pursue us. Sakura dove like a maniac the whole way, and soon we'd caught up with the convoy headed into the city.

On the way back, I was surprised to receive a notification that I'd successfully completed a quest, despite retreating in defeat.

Congratulations! You have successfully completed the quest Command and Conquer

You have purged the Wolfmen from the area surrounding Crownhill!

• +10 Charisma
• +10% to all stats when defending your town.

You have completed the bonus objective and returned with more than half of your forces alive!

• You now have access to the party ultimate system!
• Individuals who party with you will be able to charge a unique ability through group contributions. When these contributions reach their maximum threshold, they will be able to activate an ultimate ability. If a group member does not posses an ultimate ability, a common grade ultimate ability suited to them will be provided.

Apparently, transforming all of the Wolfmen into Chaosborn Lycans counted as purging all Wolfmen from the area. A victory by a technicality was still a victory, in the System's eyes.

And it sure sounded like the Ultimate system was something that would have come in handy a few minutes ago. The System had a habit of handing out abilities that would have been very useful in the situation you just survived to get them. Still, this wouldn't be the last time I fought against a horde of powerful enemies with a handful of companions, so there would be plenty of time to test these ultimates in the future.

With the shadows and the wolves far behind us, we stopped alongside the others along the road into the city.

People had stopped to gather around a circle, and I came closer to figure out what they were staring at. It was a person, one of Sheriff Drayton's men by the uniform. Not that you could tell anymore. Fur had sprouted along his cheeks, far thicker than any natural beard. His ears had shifted higher on his head, growing longer and pointed. It took me a few seconds to figure out what was going on.

"S-Sheriff... it... hurts..." the man stuttered, teeth too big to talk properly. He didn't sound like a man anymore. He sounded like the Wolfmen.

"Those damn things really were Werewolves..." Frank muttered next to me. "They're infectious..."

"We should have guessed as much after what I heard about the people at the clinic," Sheriff Drayton said. "Hold still son. It won't hurt any longer."

Bang!

Sheriff Drayton's shotgun rang out, and a moment later there was a pile of blood and gore where the former policeman's head had been. A few people jumped back, but most had already seen enough blood tonight that they were numb to a little more.

I jogged up and pushed my way through the circle to the downed man. I glared at Sheriff Drayton, arms crossed. "Why'd you do that? Maybe we could have treated his condition."

"The man was growing teeth and fur. There ain't no cure for that." The Sheriff spat back at me, matching me glare for glare. As he spoke, I couldn't help but notice his eyes flick toward Sakura and the horn jutting out of her head. I didn't like the look I saw in his eyes, so I took a step between him and her.

"The world with the System is different from the world without it. Here, where there's a will, there's a way." That was what Myrina had taught me, and so far I'd found it to be true. Even death couldn't stop me when I was determined enough.

But clearly Sheriff Drayton didn't believe me. He snorted and turned away, leaving me standing before the body of one of his men, with a ring of nervous men and women standing in a circle.

Since everyone was already gathered, I figured now was a good time to regroup and get organized. We'd failed to purge the Wolfmen in our surprise attack, and that defeat would have consequences.

"Everyone, we need to group up!" I yelled to catch their attention. "I have a bad feeling that we're going to be in for a rough night when those Chaosborn Lycans attack us again. We need to pool our resources and our defenses. Everyone needs to group up, fortify, and prepare for battle. I suggest we temporarily merge all of our forces. The area around the Obelisk is defensible and big enough to house a few thousand non-combatants. Grab your families and anyone who can't fight to sleep there. It'll be crowded, but it'll be better than sticking it out on your own."

People turned to me as I spoke, and there were a few murmurs of agreement and assent. But many others looked between me and Sheriff Drayton, who wore a furious scowl on his face.

"Listen here." He stomped over to me, jabbing a meaty finger in my chest. "I lost good men on your gamble today. You said it would pay off, and I was willing to trust you. Worse, those shadow things we were fighting? Don't think I didn't notice where they came from. The Wolfmen didn't make them, that's for damn sure. They came from you, Carter Smith. I saw those glowing eyes and sinister shadows seeping from your every pore."

I grimaced. I'd been dreading this conversation the entire ride back. The truth of the matter was that the Chaos Wolf wouldn't have been able to peer into our world without me reaching for the fourth level of Mania. But I hadn't known such a thing was possible until it happened all of a sudden.

People waited with bated breath. That's probably what they wanted to hear, and it would do a lot to help keep everyone working together. Any man in my position who wanted to keep their position of power would deny everything. It would be so easy too.

But I didn't care about being the leader of Crownhill. If I had, I wouldn't have run off to protect everyone from my curse at the first opportunity. And I didn't want to be a liar or a politician.

So I told the truth.

"Yeah, I screwed up. Those Wolfmen aren't natural, and when I used my special class, something was able to peer into our world and contact them through me. It was a risk I didn't know about. I thought I could use my Class's special ability Mania to end the fight with the Alpha Wolfman, but it ended up making things worse. And for that, you have my humble apologies."

Sheriff Drayton scoffed and shook his head. A lot of the people who'd been casting glances between me and him turned away shaking their heads. Some stormed off back to their vehicles. A few looked at me with respect and understanding in their eyes. Not as many as I hoped, but more than I feared.

Good. The only people I wanted watching my back were those I could trust.

I was about to say as much when I felt a heavy weight fall into my arms.

I looked to find it was Bridget, and she was hurt.

"C-Carter... I... I don't feel so good..." Bridget stuttered. Her had was clenched over her neck. She'd been bitten there by a Wolfman before when she'd been captured, and now she'd been scratched again by the Servant of the Chaos Wolf. The first wound I'd shrugged off as something that would get better with time, and it looked like it had been... but this time was different.

The wound sizzled with dark mana, clear for me to see. It burbled along her neck where Bridget had been bitten, and my heart leaped at the sight of it.

"Medic! Who's got a first aid kit?" I asked, hauling Bridget back and laying her on my now-empty truck bed.

Marcus ran out with a first aid kit, and I rummaged around for the antibiotics. It had worked on the Rat Matriarch bite. Why not on a Chaosborn Lycan's bite?

I was busy applying the medicine when I heard the distinctive click of a gun.

"Stand aside, Carter Smith. I'll deal with her," Sheriff Drayton said.

My expression darkened at the sight of Sheriff Drayton's gun. "What do you mean by deal with her, Sheriff?"

"Put her down. You think she's the only one who got bit? A few of my men got hit too. We already dealt with them. You weren't there. Those wolves... they do things to people. Pretty soon this girl won't be human anymore. It's best to end things while you can," the Sheriff said.

Voice cold, I spoke slowly and quietly. "Sheriff. Put your gun away."

A moment of silent tension passed throughout the entire crowd. Despite the number of people present, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Eventually, the Sheriff did as I asked and put his gun away. He scoffed. "It's just one bad call after another with you, isn't it? I won't risk my men for you any further. All those who seek shelter with you do so at their own risk."

He and his men crowded into their police vans, and one by one they left. I ignored them and finished applying the antibiotic to Bridget's wound.

I turned, surprised to find Michael still there. Most of his men had returned to their own shelter, but a few had stayed.

"So... uh... is your offer open to me and mine?" Michael asked hopefully.

I held out my hand. "Sure. After fighting side by side, we should let bygones be bygones."

Michael shook it vigorously, and soon we were headed back to the Obelisk.

***

Sakura drove us back, since I had a lot of notifications to go through. Exploring the Party Ultimate system was going to take a whole night of reading and some combat practice, but I had to save that for later. For now, I had points to allocate and notifications to go through.

Most of them were combat notifications. I kept those minimized during battle most of the time to reduce distractions, but a few would have been useful to have in the heat of the moment. I would have to fiddle with my filters. A few more weeks with the System and I'd have something that suited me.

But then I came across the notification I was looking for.

Congratulations! Your race, Human, has reached level 25.

Level 25 is the cap for your race.

As you are the first individual on this shard to achieve level 25 as a pure-blooded human, you have been granted a unique racial quest.

Should you accept, you will be entrusted with the momentous responsibility of determining the future of humanity on your shard.

Select an option from the list below to define the evolution for humans on this shard upon becoming a D-Grade human.

1. Homo Celestius (Rare): Enhance your race's affinity for holy-aspect magic and spells.
2. Homo Ferus (Rare): Embrace your race's primal instincts and gain improved physical strength, agility, and senses.
3. Homo Machina (Rare): Merge with your race's powerful technology, and become equal parts machine and man.
4. Homo Aethereus (Rare): Harness the power of the elements, granting your race affinity for powerful elemental magic.
5. Homo Harmonia (Rare): Form deep connections with nature and other living beings, fostering a world of balance and unity.
6. Homo Acceleratus (Rare): Receive an enhanced rate of experience towards jobs and proficiencies.
7. Homo Superia (Rare): Enhance all aspects of humanity equally, gaining racial bonuses across the board.

There were many more potential evolutions for humanity, though these were at the top of the list. They were the only rare ones, and the uncommon racial upgrades hardly seemed like an upgrade in comparison, so I kept my focus on only the best.

There were a lot of potential choices there. I was tempted to pick one of the arcane-focused classes. Even though none of them were truly tailored toward me, I might be able to eke out some benefits from them.

But I reread the prompt once more. This choice wasn't just for me. I was making this choice for every man and woman in Crownhill. Presumably people like Sakura or the Tiefling family I'd met could pave their own way, but everyone who was still a human would be dependent on me to make the right choice here and now.

I needed something that would be useful to all of us, if I was to pave the way for humanity on this shard. So ultimately I picked what I thought to be the racial evolution with the most potential.

Homo Acceleratus (Rare): Humans of this sub classification will learn, grow, and progress through jobs and proficiency at an enhanced rate, allowing for increased leveling speed in jobs and increased bonuses from high proficiency stats.

This pick was riskier than the others, since instead of providing an immediate bonus, it merely provided potential that could be realized by those with the will to chase after it.

But for those who had the will to fight for their future, this racial choice would yield the greatest results of all. I liked to dream big, and I hoped others thought the same

I selected Homo Acceleratus, and was immediately granted a new quest.

Racial Evolution Quest Available!

Evolve your race and advance to the D Grade!

To meet the qualifications to open this evolutionary path for humanity on your shard, you must complete the following objectives.

• Unlock twenty proficiencies.
• Reach twenty or higher in eight of these proficiencies.

Warning: This quest is not exclusive to you! Should another human reach level 25 and complete their racial evolution quest before you, they will decide the future of humanity on this shard, and your race selection will be overridden by theirs!

I closed the prompt. I'd have to save any further reading for later, because right now, I had some proficiencies to grind. And I was pretty sure my opponents were on their way.


<Note>

Hey, if you're reading this, if you could do me a favor and leave a like or a comment I'd be grateful.

I'm trying to get a good read on how many people are actively reading this chapter by chapter and how many are waiting for it on Amazon.

Patreon's analytics show me about 90, but that seems off.