Goat

The next few days were calm, Ralph spent most of his time with his own family, and some of his friends visited him.

When asked about training, Ralph gave a simple smile and said it was cool.

To Ralph's surprise, Ana did not appear to be in the city, her parents said she needed to make an urgent trip, but did not elaborate.

Ralph tried to contact her, but to no avail.

In addition, Ralph found that Walkers have a different kind of status in society. Some called them freaks, others called humanity's heroes and lanterns.

Ralph didn't care much about that kind of thing.

"Don't worry, she must be fine." Lucas tried to console Ralph on a visit, but he didn't notice Ralph's dark expression.

"Okay, where's Torvi?" Lucas asked suddenly.

Ralph looked at Lucas strangely and said:

"I thought she had already refused you several times, why do you insist so much?"

"Hehe, you don't understand ... She just hasn't woken up yet." Lucas answered mysteriously.

Ralph clicked his tongue and took his new cell phone.

"What happened to your old cell phone?" Lucas asked.

"It broke ..." Ralph replied casually and started fiddling with his cell phone.

He had to buy another chip to make calls and use messaging apps, and ended up losing all contacts.

Even so, it didn't take long for the army to get his number and add it to the group the general had mentioned.

All the Walkers that went through the training were in it, and it helped Ralph to communicate with others.

Victor lived in the north, so they wouldn't have a chance to meet very early. Junior and Julio lived further south. And Briella lived in Argentina.

In the end, they could only talk on their cell phones.

Briella did not answer any messages from Ralph. The others responded, and asked what happened to him and why he disappeared.

Ralph made up some excuse, but Victor didn't seem convinced.

"Aren't you going to the TULA meeting?" Lucas asked suddenly and stood up, getting ready to leave.

"... Maybe, I don't know if I care." Ralph replied in a bitter tone.

"Leave it alone, will you tell me that you are going to give up your dream of becoming a great scientist?" Lucas looked at Ralph strangely.

"..." Ralph shook his head and didn't answer.

"... Well, you know. But I will, I heard that Professor Letícia will attend, I will try my luck." Lucas laughed.

"That's why you are always refused by my sister ..." Ralph sighed, Lucas was a womanizer.

"... Who doesn't want to have a harem?" Lucas laughed, obviously joking.

Ralph laughed too and accompanied Lucas outside.

When he came back inside, Torvi appeared and said:

"That guy doesn't give up, that way he makes me feel disgusted."

Ralph couldn't help laughing when he saw Torvi's expression and said:

"He just doesn't care about the outside himself, I'm sure he's more responsible than that ... It's just that he looks really anxious to get a wife, if you're not quick, you'll miss the chance, hahaha." Ralph teased Torvi.

Torvi put on an expression of disgust and went upstairs to her room.

Ralph suddenly remembered the gun that was in Torvi's possession, is it still with her? He will ask later.

His cell phone suddenly shook, it looked like he received a message.

Seeing who had sent the message, Ralph's eyes widened in surprise.

(App)

Briella-> Is online?

Ralph thought for a moment and replied:

Ralph-> No.

Briella -> ... Can't you be a little less stupid?

Ralph didn't answer, he was still a little angry that she hadn't answered him before.

After a few minutes, Briella seems to have noticed this and wrote:

Briella-> Whatever, I'm just talking to you to inform you that Commander José called me and appointed me as the leader of a special squad, and gave me permission to recruit members.

Ralph-> ... I thought you didn't like me.

Briella-> Wtf, and what does the ass have to do with the pants?

Ralph-> You have a point.

Ralph-> But I refuse to join this squad, good luck.

Ralph knew Briella's irritable personality well and didn't want to be too close to her.

Briella -> ... You can't refuse, the commander gave me the authorization to recruit any Walker I think fit.

Ralph smiled angrily, that old BASTARDO was never tired of irritating him.

Ralph-> Just tell him to fuck himself, if you don't like it, just kill me or whatever.

Ralph doubted that the commander would do anything to him. Having tasted the marrow, the desire for its flavor grows. Ralph's murder ability proved extremely useful, and no sane military would ever get rid of someone so useful.

Briella didn't write any more, probably surprised by Ralph's message.

Ralph didn't mind and decided to go play a little while he waited. If she transmitted his message to José, he is likely to receive a call or message warning about dangerous behavior and this type of bullshit.

Indeed, after about half an hour, Ralph got a call.

"Boy, are you crazy? Do you really think I won't get rid of you?" José spoke angrily. Ralph simply challenged him this time, if he didn't do something he would show weakness.

"You better do this by activating the device inside me directly, or else there is nothing in this world that can save you!" Ralph scoffed.

"Are you threatening me!?"

"Exactly!"

A freezing silence filled the room.

"You can expect news soon, I will call an emergency meeting just to decide your fate." José spoke, but the bitter tone was clear.

"Hahahhaa, as I thought, you can't do anything against me without permission, huh? You can expect hell when you deal with me!" Ralph scoffed coldly, confirming his own suspicions.

It was clear that Ralph's utility was visible, and even Joseph couldn't make a decision alone when it came to Ralph's life and death.

José hung up the call and Ralph continued playing Hollow Souls.

After a few hours, Ralph received another call. This time he was an officer.

"Sergeant Ralph, it was decided at the meeting chaired by General José that you are completely forbidden to act in an undisciplined way, being subject to punishment if you do not obey."

"Bring it on ..." Ralph replied and hung up directly, such a weak threat wouldn't work for him. If it were so easy to punish Ralph, they would have done it already.

Although he himself knew that his behavior was excessive, that contract that he was forced to sign was also.

Briella suddenly sent another message.

Briella-> Won't you change your mind?

Ralph-> No, good luck.

Briella-> Doesn't matter what?

Ralph frowned and typed:

Ralph-> Wtf, why do you want me so much in your squad?

Briella-> ... Your skill is useful.

Ralph-> Swear? I never realized.

Briella spent the next few minutes trying to convince Ralph to join the squad, but Ralph was just having fun seeing the same "brown ice" working so hard.

Ralph even considered whether Briella was hiding the real reason she wanted him so much to join.

Ralph-> If you are not sincere, forget it.

Briella did not respond immediately, probably thinking.

Briella-> I want you to participate because I sincerely find your skill useful.

Ralph couldn't help laughing when he read the message and decided not to write any more. Despite Briella's attitude being cute, Ralph got tired quickly.

Ralph got up from the chair where he was sitting and decided to call BD, he had his number decorated.

"Hey man, where are you?" Ralph asked. He remembers the deal the two had to meet, but they never got the chance.

"I thought you died, what happened to you?" BD asked.

"It's a long story, are you up for a few beers?" Ralph suggested.

"... It won't work, I'm not in São Paulo at the moment, I'm on a business trip." BD spoke.

"Tsk ... So beauty, when you arrive in São Paulo you call me that we agree to meet." Ralph spoke.

"Okay Bro." BD laughed and spoke.

After hanging up, Ralph thought about what to do for the rest of the day.

-I think I'll spend time practicing.

Ralph thought and sat down again.

He has made some strides in the illusion of smells, but he is far from synchronizing this with the other factors. But Ralph was sure that if he did that he would advance to another level.

Ralph wondered if there was a limit to how far the skill could evolve, but he came to no conclusion. If there was no limit, he would undoubtedly reach a point of perfect invisibility, being able to "erase" the traces of his existence in this world.

Image, sounds, temperature and now smell. Ralph wonders what the next factor will be.

He was already able to create scents out of nothing, but they were all very simple, without complexity. He couldn't even erase himself yet.

Ralph was increasingly certain that his ability was not simply "illusion", it interfered directly in the real world. To create smells, certain molecules need to be created in the air. To erase himself, he needed to camouflage him with the smell of the environment.

"Heavens! Did any sewers explode in the neighborhood !?" Torvi yelled from her room, making Ralph laugh.

He continued practicing until nightfall, when he got a little tired and decided to take a break.

He took his sword, which was covered in cloths in one corner, and started examining it again, it had already become a habit.

The blade was one of the most beautiful that Ralph had seen, even in games. Its gray appearance was discreet and the blade was unadorned.

When Ralph wielded it, the inscriptions glowed a dark green, giving the blade a dark look.

"A name for you?" Ralph murmured to himself.

The blade was very similar to a Ninjato, if not the same. The gray tone of the blade and dagger made it look simple. The inscriptions made it special.

-Gray death, green power. Why not then indomitable death?

Ralph fantasized and decided on a name after a while.

"Indogren, the indomitable green." Ralph laughed and thought it was an original, unique name.

Ralph thought he saw the sword shine brighter the moment he gave the name, but it was just his imagination.

"WTF are you doing?" Torvi suddenly appeared and asked.

Ralph almost bit his tongue in fright.

"Don't you know how to knock on the door?" He screamed.

"The bad smell was coming from your room, I thought you were having diarrhea or something." Torvi explained.

Ralph contorted the corners of his mouth but didn't explain anything.

"But what is it? Are you thinking about cosplaying?" Torvi pointed to the sword.

"It's my work tool ..." Ralph spoke casually.

"... Oh, what was it like? Indogren? What a dumb name!" Torvi put his hand over his mouth, trying to hide his laughter.

"I don't need you to like the name." Ralph spoke as he covered the sword with a cloth.

"Okay ..." Torvi left the room laughing.

Ralph sighed deeply and looked at the sword with a somber expression.

-One day ... With this sword or not, I will cut, destroy these chains.

Ralph then went to the dining room, he was hungry.

One day, two days ... Time passed, and Ralph wondered if the military had anyone who "needed his services".

After a week, Ralph finally had some progress in the synchronization of the factors, managing to synchronize the image and smell completely, but without camouflaging the other factors.

The effort was great, and his brain was clearly overloaded. Maybe only if he had some kind of lighting again or managed to increase the stat points would he be able to advance further.

There was still no news from Ana, and BD was still on his "trip". Ralph was feeling bored.

He then remembered a news story he saw that day, which said that some beasts were seen in forest areas a few kilometers to the north.

-Maybe I should go there? Anyway, I can already assure myself.

Ralph thought, if he couldn't win, running away wouldn't be a problem.

He got up from his bed, and started to put some things together. Some supplies, the weapon he had taken back from Torvi a few days earlier, ammunition.

Ralph looked at the sword for a moment and decided to take it too.

"Where are you going?" Ingrid asked in surprise.

"A friend of mine asked me to camp," Ralph said.

"And are you going to sleep in his tent?" Ingrid narrowed her eyes.

Ralph sighed and said:

"Don't worry, I'm not going to sleep outside."

Ingrid did not go deeper and was silent.

Ralph had his driver's license canceled due to a certain incident, so he had to call an Taxi.

Ralph had made a credit card with a high limit, since he was going to earn a high salary. That way he was no longer dependent on his parents.

The Taxi charged 60 reais for the ride, Ralph paid with the card.

He had arrived in the middle of nowhere, the driver was even in doubt with the location.

A few hundred meters from the track, there was a forest.

Ralph didn't hesitate and started walking towards the forest.

There were no fences, the field was open. Just before the forest he became invisible. He manipulated three factors, sound, image and smell, leaving the temperature aside for now.

As it was daytime, most animals with keen senses for thermal sensations were hidden. His scent was what really delivered the location the most.

Despite not being able to synchronize these three factors perfectly yet, there were not many flaws and the camouflage was efficient.

Ralph started walking carefully, holding the pistol in one hand and with the sword in his back along with his backpack.

His objective was to find a beast, and to assess whether it was possible to kill it safely, if it were not possible, he would retreat.

Ralph heard reports of beast appearances in that region in the newspaper, so he decided to make this "visit".

The air was damp, it rained the day before and the muddy forest floor was slippery. Ralph had to work hard to keep from falling.

Suddenly Ralph stopped. He felt something.

- That smell ...

Ralph frowned.

There was a rotten smell in the air, as if something had died nearby.

Ralph stayed alert and searched for the source of the smell, finding it after walking for a few minutes.

It was the corpse of a goat, but what a goat was doing in that region.

Ralph was quick to notice a difference.

-These horns ...

Ralph looked at the animal's horns, they were completely blood red.

Ralph thought the goat was actually a beast, but who had killed it? Walker or another beast?

Ralph examined the goat's body and noticed that the wounds looked like claw tears.

- It must have been another beast.

Ralph thought and raised the alert level.

There were no signs of teeth on the goat, so the beast simply abandoned the corpse without eating the goat ... But why?

Ralph had heard that the intelligence of some beasts was somewhat evolved while he was at the military base, perhaps that is the case?

-A beast may be using that corpse as bait to attract other beasts ... Or maybe not.

Ralph slowly moved away from the site, focusing on skill, a failure could be dangerous.

Suddenly, Ralph heard a noise coming from far away, he controlled his breathing while he waited.

The noise grew louder and louder, and Ralph could hear voices.

"This is it, the smell is coming from here ..." A male voice spoke as if murmuring to himself.

Soon, the figure of a man with a machete appeared in Ralph's field of vision. He was a tall, strong man, with a rifle in his back.

-A Walker? ..

Ralph pondered and waited.

The man looked at the goat and the environment with caution and attention, he knew something was strange there.

He went slowly to the goat and ducked.

"What kind of beast kills just for fun?" The man asked himself and stood up.

When he was turning around, however, the goat appeared to have revived and attacked the man, who was caught off guard.

A horn pierced the man's leg, and the man screamed in pain.

Ralph's eyes widened and his spine went cold.

"What the hell!" The man swung his machete, wanting to cut the goat, but he could only scratch it's skin a little.

He then tried to pick up the other rifle, but suddenly his movements were slow and the goat pierced his other leg with one of the horns.

The man screamed in pain and fell to the floor, while suffering from a sudden paralysis, he seemed to have been poisoned.

Ralph was sweating cold, the red-horned goat's movements were extremely fast, and he almost couldn't see.

-Venom, speed and resistance.

Ralph came to a quick conclusion about the skills of the beast and swallowed his own saliva, he did not know if pistol shots could cause any damage. Furthermore, if he tried to use the sword and failed, he would certainly be the one to die.

Ralph thought for a brief moment and started shooting, either way he could camouflage his location.

The beast, being struck suddenly, looked sideways in search of a culprit while roaring in pain.

Ralph frowned, while the bullets did some damage, it was far from fatal.

The beast was terrified when he couldn't find the source of the projectiles and decided to flee, but before he could ...

~ Chop

Ralph's blade beheaded the beast.

Ralph blew out a sigh of relief. The fact that the beast took damage from projectiles meant that he had a chance to kill it.

He then looked at the blade he was holding, the inscriptions were glowing, but that was not what attracted attention.

-Sharp! Very Sharp!

Ralph was impressed with how sharp the blade was, it looked like he was cutting bread when cutting the goat's head.