Path to the Apocalypse

Andrew frowned as he stared down at the Squirrel he'd just killed. After helping his family move into their temporary home in the City while they waited for their new identities to be established, He, Cathryn, and Li Jing immediately began to hunt. They'd been neglecting their hunting as they dealt with everything, and if they didn't work fast, they wouldn't make their quota for Supply and Demand that week. That wasn't why Andrew was frowning however. Ever since he'd been shot, he'd felt… off. Nothing seemed to be different, but he felt like he was weaker. He just couldn't be sure, because the Beasts around the base camp were weak and had been easy to kill since practically his first week of hunting. He switched his aura to his emotion sense… Was it smaller? He wasn't sure. He switched to his Human ability, and it was the same. He thought it might be smaller, but he wasn't sure. When he'd learned he could move his aura around, he'd messed with his abilities so much he couldn't be sure what was normal anymore. The only thing he was sure about was that his aura sense hadn't changed, still sitting at a radius of about forty meters, which was frustrating in a different way since he still hadn't figured out how to actually grow it. Andrew let out a frustrated groan. He'd need to go see Elder Barry and get his abilities tested.

His mind wandered back to the feeling he'd had when the bullet had pierced through his head, idly rubbing his chest. Something had been different about it. Andrew had been hurt before. His entire chest had been crushed by that Lizard. But… he'd never felt like he'd died before. When that bullet hit him… his cores had tried to leave! If he hadn't caught them with his aura… they would have been gone. Then there was that lump that seemed to dissolve like an ability crystal… the more Andrew thought about it, the more he was sure he'd actually died. His ability crystal had formed in his chest, just like any other Beast. And then… he'd come back, and reabsorbed it. However… an ability crystal wasn't all of a Beast's power. It was only about ten percent. Is that why he felt weak? He only had ten percent of the power he'd had before he was killed?

Andrew shuddered, hoping his theory was wrong, but unable to shake the feeling that it wasn't. Then again… trading ninety percent of his power to avoid dying wasn't a terrible trade. Particularly when he was immortal and had the time to build his power back up again… especially when his dying would take Cathryn with him. Andrew immediately perked up. Even if that bullet had cost him ninety percent of his power, it was worth it. He'd trade a lot more to keep Cathryn safe. Still, he'd have to see Elder Barry to make sure.

*Awww!* Cathryn cooed at him through their connection, having noticed when his thoughts turned to her. *You love~ me!*

Andrew rolled his eyes, unable to keep himself from smiling. *If you didn't already know that, you haven't been paying attention.*

*It's just nice to confirm it every now and then.* Cathryn sent back, along with a feeling of warmth and security. *I love you too.* She added, sending him the mental equivalent of a kiss emoji. A moment later, the image of Andrew's head exploding in front of her flashed through the connection as well, along with a clawing, anxious emotion.

Andrew's eyes widened. *What was that?!?*

*Sorry. I just- I was thinking about how much I love you and how I never want to lose you, and then… when you were shot- I felt it Andrew. It was like you were being torn away from me! I- it just got to me. The idea that something so random could steal you away from me forever…* Cathryn trailed off, a lump catching in her throat.

*Cathryn… I'm not going anywhere.* Andrew assured her. *I mean, let's be honest here, if taking out my head didn't do it, I don't think anything will.*

*I-I know, but… what if they go after me next?* She gulped nervously. *If they get me, they get you. I can't- the idea that I could be the reason to die, when nothing else seems to be able to do it… I'm- I'm just a burden to you now.*

*Cathryn, no.* Andrew retorted firmly. *You will never be a burden to me.*

*But without me, you could be going deeper into the Outside! You could find the powerful Beasts and actually grow! But you're stuck around the base camp because I'm tying you down! It isn't fair!* Cathryn replied, her expression twisting in distress.

*Cathryn, I don't care about power! Power isn't going to make me happy. Hell, if anything, power has made me unhappy more often than not. What does make me happy is you. I wouldn't give you up for all the power this world has to offer.* Andrew insisted.

Cathryn flushed. *Andrew… you should come back soon.* Well, he didn't need to be told that twice.

*

"I've been having weird dreams lately." Andrew muttered as he and Cathryn cuddled on the couch after a heavy make out session. They were both a little frustrated they couldn't go any further, surprisingly Cathryn more than Andrew, but Andrew figured it was a matter of perspective. As a Bonded, Andrew had always been taught that the main purpose of sex was procreation. Because the birth rate of Bonded was so low, they were pressured to have as many kids as they could as often as possible. Pretty much as soon as you could, you were supposed to find a mate and get to work so you could help increase the Bonded population. So he'd always half viewed sex as some sort of duty. However, for Cathryn, she barely even considered the fact that sex made babies. She focused more on the intimacy and pleasure of it. Almost like sex was how you proved to someone you actually loved them. So the closer she got to Andrew, the more she wanted to do something, and the more it frustrated her that she couldn't.

"What kind of dreams?" Cathryn asked absently, idly stroking his chest.

"I keep dreaming I'm trapped in this dark sack with all these other little squirmy things all around me. I can't see, and all I can hear are vague, muffled noises around me." Andrew explained.

Cathryn frowned. "That's weird…"

"Right?" Andrew agreed. "I've been having it for like a week now, and I just can't figure out why."

"A week?!?" Cathryn exclaimed. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

Andrew shrugged. "Didn't seem important, and we were kind of dealing with other stuff, you know?"

Cathryn paused. "Yeah… what do you think it means?"

"I feel like I'm trapped and surrounded by maggots?" Andrew offered tentatively. "Like, I mean, dreams are weird. It could be from frustration, or stress, or I could just be sleeping weird."

"True…" Cathryn sighed. "Still, if you've been having it that frequently, it probably means something right?"

"I guess, but I couldn't say what." Andrew shrugged.

*

Elder Barry blinked at the displays on the testing machines. "I don't- how is this possible?!?" Andrew's power had reverted to practically the same as the first time he'd been tested! An entire summer's worth of effort, simply gone!

"I think I died." Andrew sighed, frowning slightly.

Elder Barry blinked, then blinked again. "What?"

Andrew coughed awkwardly. "Well… okay, so, a bit ago, I learned that I could use my aura to heal myself. When that Monster Hunter shot me… well, it wasn't being a Beast that saved me. I- my head kind of exploded? But then it got better, cause of the aura. Still, in the instant between… I think I died. I felt something hard form in my chest, before dissolving, like an ability crystal. I think… all the power I'd gathered before did whatever happens when a Beast dies, and all I got back was what was in the crystal."

Elder Barry blinked yet again. "Ah." He paused. "I'm going to be honest here, I've been an Elder for a couple thousand years now, and all my experience in that time has given me absolutely no idea how to advise you in this situation."

Andrew cocked his head. "Hunt more and try not to die again?" He offered tentatively.

Elder Barry paused again, before grinning as he let out a low chuckle. "Well, it's a little simple, but I can't argue against it."

Andrew shrugged. "I mean, let's be honest, most advice boils down to just keep doing what you need to do. The problems come in when you don't know what you need to do, which isn't the case here."

"Succinctly said." Elder Barry nodded. "Well, you best get to it then."

*

Andrew was having that dream again. He was trapped in a dark, wet sack, surrounded by small, wriggling forms. Every night the sack seemed to get smaller, tighter, all the wriggling things struggling against the pressure. That night was the worst one. The pressure felt crushing, the wriggling things barely able to move with how tightly packed they all were. Andrew felt like if nothing changed, soon all of the wriggling things, including him, would be dead, and the others seemed to feel the same way as they began to struggle fiercely, thrashing around in a panic, until something burst! Andrew felt himself tumble to the ground in a pile with the other wriggling things, a cry involuntarily escaping from him. Moments later, he felt himself get scooped up by soft hands, carrying him away. Andrew felt something brush against his lips, his mouth instinctively opening as a piece of meat was placed in his mouth and he quickly began to chew as hunger surged within him, devouring the meat voraciously. More meat followed, until he was full. Then a bottle full of water was placed against his lips and he began to drink until his thirst was quenched. Finally, he was wrapped in a warm, soft blanket and placed in what he assumed was a crib.

*This dream is getting weird.* Andrew thought to himself absently. He spent a few hours lying in the crib, until he was able to finally blink open his eyes, the room suddenly coming into focus. He looked around, seeing that he was in a crib, a nice looking wooden one. He looked out through the thin bars, seeing another crib next to him with another bundle inside it. Another… baby? Andrew frowned. Why was it green? Andrew struggled against his swaddling, trying to get an arm out. It took him a bit, but eventually he pulled his arm out enough to see it was green as well! *I'm dreaming I'm a green baby… neat.*

Andrew was pretty much helpless at the moment, so he had to just stare at the ceiling, bored. Occasionally he'd see a larger green 'person?' moving among the cradles. He'd tried crying at them, not able to form words for some reason, but they'd just try to give him meat or water again, so he stopped. Unless he was hungry, of course, which was happening almost alarmingly often. It seemed like every time he ate, he'd just get hungry again in like half an hour! The crib also seemed to be shrinking, or rather, he was growing. He'd started as a baby, but a few hours later, he was a full blown toddler! At least that meant he could start moving though.

Andrew kicked out of the blanket, shakily climbing to his feet by grabbing the bars of the crib, pulling himself up. He looked over the edge, getting a better look at his surroundings. He was in a largeish room, full of cribs, all of them containing green babies, or toddlers now. He also saw a small sitting area where the larger green people waited and observed the cribs. As one of the green people noticed him, coming over to see what he needed, Andrew suddenly heard a *ding* in his mind.

[General Skill - Observe acquired. System unlocked! One skill point awarded.]

Andrew blinked. *Uh… what?* In the next instant, a… status page? opened up in front of him.

[Observant Goblin: 1

Strength: 1

Agility: 2

Will: 14

Intellect: 16

Energy: 2

Sensitivity: 444

General Skill - Observe: 12

Skill Points: 1]

"Wahut?!?" Andrew exclaimed out loud, staring at the screen in disbelief, before he remembered he was dreaming. He'd been in the dream so long at this point, he'd forgotten.

[Oh, we have a smart one!] The green person coming over to check on him announced. [Look, he's already gotten his first skill!]

Andrew glanced over at the green person, frowning slightly. What were they saying? He shook his head. It didn't really matter. He then turned his attention back to the status page, studying it with a curious expression. His stats were completely nonsensical, which, he supposed, made sense for a dream. His physical stats were terrible, his mental stats were great, and whatever this 'sensitivity' thing was, it was just plain ridiculous. Assuming the average was ten, where the fuck had that Sensitivity stat come from?!?

Andrew's train of thought was interrupted by the green person, or goblin if the status page was to be believed, picking him up, rewrapping the blanket around him, before carrying him out of the room. There was a small hallway with a few more rooms, the ones Andrew saw full of goblin children of various ages. The goblin carrying him didn't take him to any of those rooms however, instead taking him out of the building entirely, carrying him down some cobblestone streets full of even more goblins. Andrew looked around, wide eyed, taking in the sight of what looked like a small, medieval town, the definition of quaint. The goblin carrying him took him towards a large building in the center of town. The goblin walked up to a small desk as they entered the building. [I need to see the shaman.]

The goblin behind the desk looked up, looking between the goblin carrying Andrew and him with a surprised expression. [Already? He looks like he was born this morning!]

The goblin nodded. [He was! But he was clearly looking at a status screen earlier.]

[I hope he didn't get something like 'Walking Goblin'. It'd be such a waste.] The goblin behind the desk commented, shaking their head. [The Shaman is just busy going over the reports on the harvest. You can head back now.]

The goblin carrying Andrew nodded, taking him down a small hall, knocking on a certain door. [Come in!] A voice called from inside, prompting the goblin to open the door and walk in. [Ah, a unique system activation?] An older goblin stood to their feet as the goblin brought Andrew in, blinking as they took Andrew in. [A little young, isn't he?]

[He seemed to see the status page.] The goblin explained, a bit more hesitantly than they had when they'd told the goblin out front.

[Well, let's see then. No harm in checking, right?] The Shaman gave the goblin a smile, before focusing on Andrew. His eyes flashed, before widening in shock. [Four hundred and forty-four!?! Where did that come from?!?]

Andrew frowned as the goblins began to freak out around him, yelling in gibberish. Even when things were happening this dream was boring! He almost preferred when he was in the sack. At least that was somewhat relaxing. This was just a bunch of weird, nonsensical crap! He wanted to go to sleep and he was already sleeping! *That's it, I'm waking up.* Andrew grumbled internally, closing his eyes and attempting to force himself awake. The good news: it worked. Andrew woke up in his bed, cuddled up between Li Jing and Cathryn. The bad news: he was still in the dream. Andrew sat up in his bed as both sets of eyes widened in shock, causing the girls to wake up in a panic.

"Who- what- where?!?" Cathryn stammered blearily, looking around for something dangerous, Li Jing doing the same.

Andrew flushed. "Sorry, I didn't- uh, something weird is going on and… do you remember that dream I was telling you about?" Cathryn nodded while Li Jing frowned. "Well… I'm having it."

Cathryn frowned. "That's what made you wake us both up? A bad dream?!?" She asked incredulously.

"No, Cathryn, you don't understand." Andrew shook his head. "I'm still having it! Like, right now! I'm some goblin baby and there's these older goblins just freaking out around me, and I have a status page! I'm literally looking at it right now!" He paused as he noticed another oddity. From his perspective, the dream felt sped up, but from the dream him's perspective, he seemed like he was slowed down. It was just so weird!

Both girls looked at him like he was crazy, before sharing a look. "We should take him to a doctor." Li Jing stated firmly.

"We should." Cathryn nodded in agreement.

"Guys, I can literally heal myself! I'm fine!" Andrew protested, quickly running his aura over himself, just to see if that would get rid of the dream. No such luck.

"You were shot in the head." Li Jing pointed out.

Andrew paused. "Okay, yeah, I should see a doctor."

*

While the three of them quickly got dressed and ready to go, the dream had taken a turn. The goblins had stopped arguing, and the younger goblin had taken him back to the first building, but not to the same room. They'd taken him to a smaller room, and seemed to be trying to teach him how to talk. Weirdly, it seemed to be working too. The language just seemed to click, like he already kind of knew it, and just needed to learn the words. "What's this?" Andrew asked, pointing at a picture of an apple.

"That's an apple." The goblin, who Andrew had recently learned was named Tapilek, replied, enunciating each syllable.

"Apple." Andrew repeated slowly, getting a feel for the word. "And this?" Andrew continued, pointing at a picture of a banana.

"A banana." Tapilek replied patiently.

"Banana." Andrew repeated again. They were currently going over food in a large book full of pictures. Once Tapilek had taught Andrew how to ask questions, they'd started practically flying through the book. Tapilek only had to teach Andrew a word once, maybe twice if the pronunciation was particularly tricky, before he had it down. They'd already gone over colors and simple shapes, as well as basic needs like hunger and thirst, and after they finished with food, they moved on to simple tools and everyday objects, before moving on to more complex ideas like pronouns and emotions. After spending the entire afternoon on the book, Andrew felt pretty comfortable with at least basic conversation.

Once it got dark, Tapilek fed Andrew one last time before taking him back to the crib room and putting him down to sleep for the night. Andrew laid in the crib, staring at the ceiling as thoughts whirled through his mind, keeping him from sleep. The more he thought about it, the more he believed this world was actually real! It seemed ridiculous, especially with the status page, but… Andrew couldn't think of any other explanation. He couldn't have a dream while he was awake, could he? Plus, this world felt real, at least, the parts that weren't the status page. Though even that didn't seem too weird when he considered the Beasts and their abilities in his world. Many mortals would look at that as something ridiculous and unrealistic, simply because they'd never experienced something like it before. Could this status page be like that? Something he was rejecting simply because he'd never seen anything like it before?

Andrew brought up the status page, staring at it with a frown.

[Observant Goblin: 1

Strength: 1 > 2

Agility: 2 > 4

Will: 14

Intellect: 16

Energy: 2 > 3

Sensitivity: 444

General Skill - Observe: 12 > 24

Skill Points: 1]

He'd kept growing throughout the day, his physical stats growing along with him. Additionally, as he kept observing things, his Observe skill had grown as well, though Andrew couldn't say he noticed any difference because of it. The thing that confused him though was the Skill Point. What was he supposed to do with it? Suddenly, as he focused on the Skill Point, a new window appeared.

[How would you like to spend your Skill Point?

-Acquire Class Skill

-Upgrade General Skill]

Andrew blinked at the screen, before suddenly feeling like an idiot. Obviously the Skill Point was for skills! He focused on the Acquire Class Skill option, and a list appeared next.

[Available skills:

Claw

Concentrate

Eat

Imitate

Introspect

Kick

Memorize

Punch

Rest]

Andrew frowned. *Well, those suck… I think. I don't really have much of a reference, do I? Maybe I should hold off until I talk to someone…* He closed the pages with a sigh, before focusing on getting to sleep.