1
It's December 31st, 2021 and my college classes are out for the day, so I'm walking around campus. When I passed by a lamp post, I felt a shiver down my neck and remembered the reports going around lately. Something about a shooter on campus hunting students. This shiver from my spine is reminiscent of when Howard looks at me with a gun during MJROTC. The darker side of my mind screams to duck suddenly, and I hit the deck as concrete flies from a bullet.
The hair on my neck shoots up, and my body runs off instincts as I roll to the left suddenly. A shot meant for my heart blows a chunk out of the sidewalk. Scrambling to my feet, I just don't think I just acted and U-turned onto the shot path. Running like a madman as my mind screams commands, my body hyper focused by adrenaline reacts to the slightest disturbed feeling. A bullet rips my left ear to shreds as my head swerves to the side quickly.
Feeling the trickle of warm blood and the loss of most of my left ear. My feet pounded on the ground harder as my right hand shot forward and physically slapped a bullet somehow. A kinetic burn marks my hand, but I kept running. The voice of my dark desires snarled in my mind, threatening a psychotic break. The sniper seemed to have realized what's going on, though. The shots stopped.
From the arts building a figure walked out shaking her head in disbelief. A hunting rifle in her hands as she takes a pot shot at my legs. My left leg shot out, taking the bullet to my thigh as I propelled myself forwards. This catches the fucking bitch off guard as I literally flung myself onto her. She shrieked in surprise and anger as my teeth sunk into her right ear. I ripped it off and spit it out while wrestling her for the gun.
"GET OFF ME, CADET SERGEANT CARTSON! YOU SHOULD'VE JUST LET ME USE YOU FOR TARGET PRACTICE, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!"
A shrill hysterical voice came from her mouth, but I headbutted her violently in response. The shooter was Jessica Goldez, commander of Bravo company. She had shoulder-length black hair tied into a ponytail, green eyes, tan skin, and is of Japanese descent. She, if I remembered correctly, wanted to become a special forces marksman. Furthermore, she tried tilting the gun barrel towards me, but I growled, forcing the body of the gun into her throat. Pressing it into her throat as she fought against me.
"End of the line, bitch! You can't try to snipe someone crazy without a game plan. We're pretty inhuman at times."
Choking the life out of the company commander with her gun. Her struggles slowly lessened as her eyes started losing focus. With one last forceful push of the gun into her throat, I broke her neck. I killed my first person. I don't feel much about it. As my body tried to relax, a hand grabbed my head from behind. A knife slit my throat as a man cackled.
"Hahahagaha! Fucking wonderful fight! But I was out for some prey, so goodbye kid. The Bellton Hunter adds you to my legacy!"
A second killer in one night? My rotten fucking luck. With blood escaping from my slit throat, I in my defiance aimed the gun I still held behind me. Pulling the trigger, I heard a pained whine from the fucking SECOND killer. My world eroded into darkness and I fell forward, lifeless.
— — — — —
"Last night at Dalton University in Lamburg Colorado, two students and one male adult in his late thirties were found dead. One student, Jessica Goldez, was a company leader for the MJROTC was found strangled to death. She was found below student Dakota Cartson, a fellow MJROTC student who had been shot and had his throat cut open. The final person found deceased on campus was thirty-seven years old Austin Valdez, a gunshot wound in his chest.
Police say this was a three-way murder case in which Jessica Goldez, now stated to be the campus shooter, tried to kill her fellow cadet. Who in retaliation ended her life in what is assumed to be a violent struggle. Austin Valdez, now certain to be the Bellton Killer, slit cadet Cartson's throat after the fight. Where he was possibly shot by the cadet in one last act of defiance."
— — — — —
Walking down a path of gray light, I looked around at the area I found myself in. It's a stormy black white area with this gray glowing road. Each step I took caused white or black ripples as I stepped on what felt like a watery surface. Eventually, I came up to a pedestal with an old bulky tablet on it. The words "RECYCLE SOUL" flashing on the screen. When I stood in front of it, the screen changed to explaining something.
{Welcome to limbo, you've died, and your soul is being recycled into a newer life. However, you've spilt blood and did not think about it as something horrible. You shrugged it off like it was another Monday. Hence, the gray road of Limbo you stand on. You who would be a black road killed two black roads in self-defense. Thus, you are neither black nor white, but gray.
The two you have killed walked the black road straight to damnation for the lives reaped. The white road would lead to a better life with a clean slate of memories. You, however, must see where this is going, right? You walk the gray, your soul is being recycled, your memories will be partially erased, and you will live remembering and feeling your death. But no longer as Dakota Cartson but someone else, but compensated with a boon for your services. A 32 round cylinder revolver being your boon's main form, with a gun shop as your assisting boon function.}
"Anything special about this gun and what does this assistant gun shop offer?"
{Good, you're thinking this out and asking the right questions. Not many ask interdimensional gods or entities this kind of shit, it's sad they always walk into a trap that way. For your inquiry though, I'll gladly give you an answer. Your gun is a self - growth and soul - bound item that will play to your strengths. It will fire a mix of 9 mm and .305 rounds for a scary roulette of chance. Your gun shop will enable you to be able to buy weapon upgrades such as modifications. However, your revolver will not require you to buy ammunition; it will refill one round every thirty seconds. Other guns you buy, you will need ammunition for from the shop.
There will, however, be a buy limit of items per day before it restocks two days later. The only exception will be low caliber rounds such as 9 mm or slingshot rounds. To buy from the gun store though you will need GD or Gun Dollars, which can be earned through daily practice, slaughter, scare tactics, virtually anything if you use a gun. Which is fair because the Gun Store Assistant will have weapons of various eras and technological levels.
Wild West, World War One through World War Two firearms will be the cheapest to buy. As they will be at most just under $200 GD due to their level of advancement. Modern era weapons such as the HK417 and Vector will be at most $6000 GD. You can see how this will scale, yes? Good. Now a new screen will appear, you must select your background, then Limbo will do the rest.}
With that, over a million different options were presented to me. Thankfully, Limbo seemed to be considerate and provided a search bar on the tablet. Searching through the backgrounds after typing out gun into the search bar. I found a few promising candidates and compared them together.
{Magic Gunslinger: You know how to wield both magic and marksmanship together, birthing a magic gunslinger. You have an affinity for every element yet no mastery of any.}
{Wandering Gun: You're a disgraced soldier turned merc after you were used as a scapegoat. You have high physical abilities and excellent combat senses forged by war.}
{Royal Gunslinger: You are a part of the royal family, but you are not looked favorably upon. Your surroundings have a distaste for you and your strange weapon that seems useless. You'll show them just what a gunslinger can do. Gain one magical affinity at random.}
{Draconian Marksman: You are a hermit that lived in isolation surrounded by dragons. You learned to hunt these apex monsters effectively and quietly with just a weapon considered trash. Your achievements have earned the dragon communities respect; thus they consider you one of their own. You are the Draconian Marksman, an apex predator. Gain dragon leather armor and a Wyrmling dragon egg.}
{Lost Adventurer: Your past is all but a mystery. The only thing you know is you have a gun and a strange 'spirit'. Start from the lowest rank of Adventurer after having vanished from the world for six hundred years. Gain one magical affinity, and a random companion that had been lost with you. This background can learn from all others, but never master anything but how to use a gun.}
They all have their pros and cons, which I considered seriously as I compared them all. Chewing on my bottom lip a little, I decided on the jack of all trades, master of one. Tapping the option on the tablet, the surroundings began to tremble violently, catching me off guard. Stepping away from the tablet, I watched the surroundings fall apart and reform. It all stopped into a deathly calm tranquility when I heard something behind me.
Closing my eyes, I cursed silently when something hit me. My soul shatters and becomes glass fragments that sink into the road of Limbo. Whatever suddenly appeared behind me was gone after breaking my soul.
— — — — — —
My eyes shot open, feeling something touch my hand as my body seemed to float in water. Groaning, I looked around, covering my eyes from the sun's glare as my body floated. The thing that touched me before in the water bites into my right side, trying to drag me under. My right hand darted the holster on my chest, pulling my gun from its confines. Flipping my body violently in the water, I get a taste of salt as I grapple my assailant.
It's a strange green fish with yellow eyes that literally SNARLED at me. Pressing my gun barrel to its head while it tried ripping my side out. I pulled the trigger as the hammer cocked back. The strange fishs head explodes into a bloody mess with its jaw still in my side. Kicking the water and the dead body the size of myself I distanced myself from it. Blood leaking out of my impaled side slowly, not great. No clue who the fuck I am, what I am, where I am, or how the fuck I got here just that I'm in water and bleeding!
Thinking this is one big shit show I heard something cracking in the air. A distorted rip in the air appeared with a sound of glass shattering. Two metallic clawed hands ripped the distorted rip wider with a shadowy creature peeking out from it. The creature was looking around but I found it vaguely familiar as its amethyst eyes looked onto my floating figure. Seeing me and the blood in the water the creature stiffened up before rocketing from the rip that snaps closed once more. I'm scooped from the ocean in one hand, the creature hitting the ocean water with its remaining feet.
Looking at it I chuckle a bit. I can't help but chuckle. It's big like an SUV, what's that again? Fucking Limbo wasn't kidding anything basically nonmilitary or needed knowledge was erased from my fucking brain. Anyways the creature holding me looks like a giant pitch black bear husky with red eyes. It's holding me very carefully with a low growl of annoyance looking at the remains left inside of my side. I pushed my gun barrel against its face while looking between the iron sights. Faintly I could see something very strange.
[Ally, Alpha Shadow Stalker]
Ally Alpha Shadow Stalker? My mind aches suddenly like I just got fucking took a hammer to the head. Causing my free hand to grab my head as memories literally not my own distortedly flash by in my head. Renewal… Cave… United States…. Strange cub…. Monsters…. Hummingbird…. Grendel…. Fuck there's a lot of distorted information there. Looking at the big shadow creature still holding me, its ears flattened backwards I snarl a low pained guess.
"Grendel?"
Its ears perked up instantly with its mouth opening with a squeak? It squeaks? Whatever it sounded like a happy squeak. So big gu- okay no girl, touchy don't need to snarl at me. So big girl is Grendel that means Hummingbird has to be…
"Hummingbird? What's my balance?"
[$625 GD - recommended buying armor]
"Ffff yeah armor sounds good Hummingbird but first I need these teeth out and healed."
Mentioning teeth being removed from me Grendel fucking sends my pain to another level. A loud violent sound of flesh being ripped apart is heard as my side is ripped the fuck wide open. Suppressing a screaming snarl when shadows start stitching me back together.
[Blood Lost 40% - Weakened in effect]
'You don't say?! You don't fucking say! Fucking shit that hurt! Anyways Hummingbird what fucking armor can I buy? Because I'm gonna need clothing.'
[US Infantry Fatigues - $25 GD
Russian Infantry Fatigues -$26 GD
Ect….]
[While there are a lot of good armors there I would recommend this one. As it has some functions to help you survive due to it being changed in this time period.
Fallout NV Armor - $225]
'Fine since from what my distorted memories are suggesting you helped me til everything went blank. Though what's the Renewal and all that shit honestly?'
[Balance: $400 GD]
[Can not answer, unrelated to primary function.]
Sighing a bit tiredly I watched the wet clothing I'm in be replaced by my new armor. Now in a helmet with red tinted lenses, the helmet retracted into the collar of a dark grey duster trench coat with armor platings, a red dress shirt with armor covering my chest and stomach, digital camo grey combat pants, and tan steel toed combat boots. Looks nice honestly, holstering my gun into the ever present chest holster. I looked at Grendel and well asked something even though it's a shot in the dark.
"So do you know where land or a boat is?"
"Skre? Skree skree skkrree."
"Huh?"
"..."
Shrugging I take that as no. So I asked something else because fucking why not see where it'll lead!
"Wanna take me to the last place we ever fucking were?"
With ears perked Grendel gladly takes me to that place through the void. Where we ended up was fucking not great, the place we came out at was a very corrupted and decrepit looking city in America. Or what's left of the old country. Question is where are we? Sighing while I got my gun ready we skulked the streets towards a bus stop. Looking at the rather ancient map of the city in it I sighed. Washington D.C. was the place we last were ever seen apparently. But what the fuck is wrong with this area? It's literally corrupted. Aiming by gun around I saw a quick glimpse of why.
[Corrupted Undead of Jesus Christ]
"Hummingbird some information please…"
[This all I can answer. For you must thrive and survive so here's a lesson on your first enemy.
The Holy Gods turned on Humanity, the Neutral Gods became guardians, the Demonic Gods became the new Gods of Light. The God who had struck everything in a six hundred mile radius here was Jesus Christ. Who had killed and consumed his father. He became the first Holy God to turn on Humanity.
The Corrupted Undead are only his first and most dangerous creations. They have been sealed within a barrier to stop them from consuming the world. You want out? You and Grendel have a long walk ahead of you. Or you could clean them out one by one to improve your arsenal and to survive. It would also remove the worst infected area of them besides the wild roamers.]
"So what is the state of the world if I can know…."
[You're a broke basic bitch for now. So no, not unless you find stuff to learn that knowledge. However, there is something worth your attention inside the Pentagon. It is like the watch known as ISAC from an old game, but this AI is able to access all Old Era technology regardless of how things have changed. It could even help to give me more tactical functions… so if you want a 12% survival increase then find them.]
Looks like I got a quest, a tomb raider quest.
"Grendel, we have a directive. Up to raid the Pentagon and slaughter the dead?"
In response to my question the big burly Shadow Stalker lets out an excited hiss. Ears folding back as her claws carved out the ancient pavement in excitement. At least I have an eager pet! Making sure my gun is fully reloaded I looked at the surroundings Grendel's hiss attracting some friends. Cocking the hammer back I stared at the monstrous husk once called people. Hollow burning green eyes, gray skin with black veins, mutated fingers into claws, and sharpened teeth with thick red sludge dripping from their mouths.
Getting back to back with my dear pet and fellow fighter in this situation I raised my gun. Seeing this the monstrosities snarled and charged us with abandon. Unpredictable but predictable.
"Let the symphony of war sing aloud."
*BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG*
Seven rapid shots, seven dead husk with their heads blown apart or limbs flying. Twenty-five shots left, fifty husk, two time washed fighters, acceptable odds honestly. Crouching under the claws of a husk my gun barks under their chin blowing their head away. Moving my gun quickly I fan fire nine shots causing collateral damage. Grendel is holding the back line with glee as she ripped the dead apart. Watching her use the shadows to extend her claws I think of trying something early to conserve shots. Focusing on my gun I imagine the shadows creating a blade like attachment along the under barrel.
Just in time as I blocked the fangs of a husk with the shadowy blade. Firing my gun while pushing against the undead at an angle, a bullet bounces around before killing two more undead. Kicking the increasingly angry undead husk in the stomach I cut its head in half. Growling I coat my free arm in shadows to create a shadow blade construct like a Warforged arm. Just with shotgun-like barrels embedded near the tip of the large shadow construct. The fight after that was just sickeningly easy but we had to move things were going to devolve soon. I could just feel that warning for some reason as if instinctively.
"Hummingbird, how can I fight like this? How do I know shit was going to get worse? As far as I remember I'm from a different world and time."
[That's what Limbo does. It puts people like you into timelines of their original world. Into a version of their home where the apocalypse runs free unlike the one they came from. You are no longer who you once were but you also are still the same person. You are someone who was but another you, a you who LIVED the start but fell prey to anomalies caused by the world. Would you like to see your basic Biographical Data to understand this? It won't fix the holes in your mind but it'll help you know who you are for now.]
"Roger dodger, show me as we move."
[Name: Dakota Levi Carter, Sex: Male, Age: 625
Occupation: Special Forces Adventurer
Curse: Timeless - Can not age pass physical peak till soul has fallen or risen. Impossible to achieve.
Boon: Eternal Marksman - Growth Weapon & Gun Assistant
Familiar: Grendel (Alpha Void Stalker)
Race Perk: Human Adaptability, Void Stalker
Affinity: Shadow Domain, Hunt Domain
Heritage: Artemis's Hunter(Descendant), Hestia's Hearth(Descendant), Orion's Legacy(Descendant) Human
Corruption: N/A (No Perks)
Neutral: 999,999,999% (Unchanging) (Stay The Path, Unwavering Chaos, Unwavering Morals)
Purity: N/A (No Perks)]
[Your character traits of both worlds have really made you luckily and unlucky with a permanent alignment. You'll never get anywhere but be dragged back here, only to be revived, just to die again and again. But as God's exist in this timeline very much so, by being here you do get some advantages through it. Which has helped you know certain things instinctively. Note: Hestia is one of the only twelve Holy God's left untainted thus she will seek to protect you from most things, like cold and hunger.]
Ducking under some collapsed rubble making a short tunnel I listen and check my biography. So this all started when I was potentially twenty-five, possibly earlier. Then sometime during the start of the end some time fuckery got me and possibly shredded my soul. Just enough that Limbo decided to paste my ass into a broken me. Followed by dumping me somewhere random, leaving it to time to decide where and when to vomit me out. Hestia is in my family though so that's kinda awesome, she's well essentially SUPER MOTHER basically.
Don't remember jackshit about if I have parents here, if I do they're fucking dead. Unless Hestia is my mother and my dad was basically just a regular Human. A cookie dropped onto my head suddenly, grabbing it off my head. I looked at it. It's a regular cookie but with chocolate chips arranged into a heart, yep super mom. Grendel also seemed to have got something, but well she ate it quickly. Shrugging I took a bite from the cookie I had received. Huh cinnamon was mixed in and it tasted like pure diabetic love… I am fine with this.
[Balance: $32,000]
[You had earned quite a bit from your earlier fight but Lady Hestia thought it best to mess with me. She drives a hard bargain, she has asked me to give you extra for learning your a Demi-God essentially, because you're her son, so you can buy some of the metaphysical traits for your survival. Do it or she nags my spiritual ass, please. Don't ever give her a reason to lecture you. She's scary when serious and mad, yet adorable and tiny.]
"Pffft I think I like this new hell already, because momma has my back literally. Plus free cookies... So what survival boosting stuff can I get that my heritage doesn't cover?"
[There's quite a few but I have some suggestions of both metaphysical traits, Assistant Upgrades, and growth upgrades for your weapon. As with the amount you have you can currently buy these all.]
[Magical Damage - $2,000
Second Shift (SMG MP5, 200 Double Drum Mag) - $5,000
Ultraviolet UV Flashlight attachment - $1,000
Adaptive Silencer Attachment - $2,000]
[Research Function - $5,000
Gear Repair Function - $7,000]
[Chameleon - $2,000
Fall Nullification - $4,000
Inhuman Sight - $2,000
Internal Regeneration - $1,000
External Regeneration - $500
Beastial Speak - $500]
[Would you like to purchase these for $32,000 GD?]
"Yes, if it'll keep me alive and please the momma bear. I know it's not good to worry such a pure soul, especially if she's my new mother."
[Integration of Biological Traits 40%... 70%... 95%... 100%]
[Gun upgrading…. gun name found: Heathen]
[Research and Repair Functions restored to primary functions.]
[Beastial Speak: Understand the general conveyance of a BEAST type entity's words and intentions. BEAST type entities understand you completely.
Chameleon: You've adapted to be able magically camouflage yourself from the perception of most creatures.
Inhuman Sight: Just think of a vision mode and your sight shall shift to it. (True Sight, Tremor Sense, and other high end sights are not included.)
External Regeneration: Can't regrow limbs instantly but after a month you'll have it back. Smaller stuff heals by the second or hour depending on severity. Metabolism uses biomass to heal if no sufficient food source is eaten.
Internal Regeneration: Regenerate and heal those horrendously exploded or soupy organs, ruptured veins, or broken bones with top priority! Consumes considerable biomass and energy!
Fall Nullification: Fall Damage? Never heard of it.]
Well those are some interesting messages Hummingbird, but more importantly gun name. Heathen… I'm gonna assume that it has some sort of effect on my gun, even if only a small one. Jumping over a car wreckage I looked closely at the surroundings. Before shaking my head and walking alongside Grendel with my gun still drawn. Things have been quiet so far with the undead scrambling towards the first contact area. Some warily have watched us but decided to hunt us later as they seemed more intelligent. Along the way we came across an old military barricade which became a graveyard.
Picking up an ancient AK-47 that's in relatively good condition I tie some strings to its gun strap attachments. Slinging it over my right shoulder to let it get repaired over time, I also scavenged some ammo for it that Hummingbird stored as replacement ammo. Because everything was basically preserved in time it didn't need much care to be used once more. Free of charge the ammunition types were restored from whatever aging had taken place. So I got a good amount of free ammo from this stop along with a good old AK-47 that's built to last. Six hundred years and it's still relatively good. Banged up but still good to use.
Most of the stuff here had undoubtedly been worn and broken by time. Yet I saw a still relatively intact bike that looked to be a lone person APC for quick and fast strikes. I thought about maybe adapting it to the current world, like say a mana and solar engine so it would be useful, so I had Hummingbird store it to research it. Since it was basically intact it had cut down the main bike research leaving only the improvements to be done.
All in all it was a good deal that would make future travel easier. But with how basically everything isn't all consumed by nature, or flooding. The previously mentioned barrier must be stopping that to a degree. Wouldn't want these undead creatures to escape I guess, if there are intelligent ones, then there's bound to be worse hiding. After the barricade we did encounter more military styled undead. So if there's these armored ones, there's bound to be ones in juggernaut armor, still carrying minigun packs. Sighing I just hope none are in the Pentagon if there are those kinds.
That would be challenging but with Hestia's help my bullet's can probably do something. Not gonna hold my breath on that hope though, bullets hurt non-heavy good, heavy bad for my bullets. Stepping back, my gun barked as a headless corpse flew by before landing. Grendel was pinning an undead animal herd with a hiss as shadow magic ate at their flesh. Without much ceremony or anything I executed the undead animals without blinking. Monster's are the norm here, God's are the norm, survival is law, so to bat an eye at this stuff would be stupid.
Not saying you shouldn't feel anything about it but you can't get your panties all twisted up. You'll just die in a world like this if you do so
Hestia however seemed to have noticed something as a small trail of fire suddenly appeared. Looking at Grendel she shook her body and trudged along the trail of flames. Following after my companion and the godly guidance for a short bit. We came across an unexpected sight, Hestia had led us to find a cub in a ruined building that was on fire. What had lit the fire was a Chimera cub stranded on some old metal shelves in the building, undead snarling as they tried to grab them. The remains of a larger slowly reanimating Chimera turning from its usual vibrant color to that of a Corrupted Undead.
'She gave her life for her child after traveling into these lands to find a home. She knew the Hearth was still pure thus told her child should she fall to the corrupt God's to light a fire praying for family. Monster's…. Aren't all that different from Human's, Demi-God's, God's, and other races now in this world? Put her to rest and take care of the cub please?'
Hearing the quiet echoes of Hestia's voice in my head I whistled a shrill sound while firing a shot at the older Chimera. Blowing one of its heads apart, Grendel with a growl pounced and started thrashing the other undead while I focused on the mother. Firing quickly I killed the snake tail that was ready to strike as the body got up. A good amount of her was just gone, devoured, the corruption dripping from wherever the corrupt husk ate at her flesh. The last remaining head that's partly been eaten snarled at me before it sports a new hole. The undead Chimera dropping, not suffering any longer, not putting her cub in danger, no longer risking them being forced to watch her fate.
Grendel skulked to me with a sad hissing squeak for the mother. Looking up towards the cub I gesture my hand towards them creating shadow stairs for the cub. The cub understandably hesitated at the shadow stairs but came down slowly. It knew, it knew what happened to its mother…. Yet was just relieved she didn't TRULY become what lurked here. Letting the cub have time to mourn me and Grendel silently stood around.
May not know or cared for the duo, but Hestia had a heart of gold to help them. Us? We have a goal but even then seeing how damned this world is. It doesn't hurt to give others some help and mercy… it makes us better than the ones causing this. After maybe an hour I gently picked up the big cub holding him against my chest armor then we got a move on. Night was approaching, we must take shelter before then or we'll meet something nasty. Buying a Greek Incendiary Grenade from Hummingbird regardless of the cost of what I had earned. I holstered my gun and tossed the grenade behind us right next to the mother.
"May the Hearth give you respite. Your cub will be safe with the Hunting Hearth."
A rough day but also a rather tame day all in all pretty much. Ducking into an overturned military APC that could carry fifty-six men. I closed the doors and set up camp while setting the cub down against Grendel who curled up. A little cramped in here but it'll do for a temporary camp and home.