Infrasound Berserker Chapter 30-31

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Chapter 30 Ash

Kate eventually found a bedroll herself, late in the night. Sleep came quickly, despite Logan’s pained breathing and Ethan’s snoring. Her ability to tune out certain sounds definitely helped. She did not dream that night.

Nor was she woken by yet another attack on their quiet castle set on the slope of Steinwacht. Instead she blinked her eyes and opened them wide, sitting up before she looked around. Kate smelled fire and ash. She stood up quickly and rushed to the door of the armory until she remembered the previous night. The planes. The burning valley. She let go of the handle before she rubbed her eyes.

Kate heard the wind whip against the stone building, whistling sounds from above where the wooden roof remained poorly insulated. She heard the Willow River rushing past below. It was rather quiet, all things considered.

Logan, Grey, and Ethan were still asleep. She glanced at the bandage covered man but found his breathing more relaxed than when she had gone to bed. Healing magic, she reminded herself, shaking her head when she thought of similar burns she had seen before. Reconstructive surgery was just one part of it.

No major scars where I was injured. She hoped for the best, quietly moving to her bed again before she grabbed her pack and hammer. She still wore the same clothes, half burnt up. It didn’t matter much to her. They had survived the cavern. And the night.

Slowly, she closed the door behind herself and went down the small stone stairwell. Kate listened before she activated her echo location, trying it out once more whilst steadying herself with one hand against the wall. It was freaky. She shook her head, taking slow and deep breaths before closing her eyes. She tried to calm her breathing and tried again, a clicking noise echoing down the circular stairwell, into the room, and out onto the yard.

Kate knew there was nobody below. The door was closed. Her perception quickly waned as the yard opened up but it felt almost like she could see everything before. Just a flash. A static image. But she knew sound traveled fast. Not nearly as fast as light but at this distance, and with her reaction time, what did it matter? She tried again, but already felt a headache coming. Some food would help. Coffee, a shower. And fresh clothes.

Looking down at her hammer, she decided to clean the thing as well. Even in the stairwell she noticed the less stuffy air. The ability is using magic. Probably can’t keep that up too much with my comparatively low Wisdom.

Kate definitely liked the additional options her Silent Striker Class provided, though it would take time for her to effectively use all of it in battle.

She paused in front of the exit, a wry smile coming to her face. Already thinking of the next fight. How I can use my magic efficiently… to kill things. She shook her head, taking in a deep breath. The air smelled of fire and ash. You’re killing monsters. To survive. And to help others survive. Others who cannot fight.

Kate opened the door and stepped out into the yard. The sun was out, she assumed it to be around ten or eleven in the morning, though the light seemed subdued. She was familiar with the effects, but had never seen it happen to this extent. Looking at her hands, she could see flakes of ash. Kate quickly turned away and moved to Bert’s house. She closed the door behind herself and coughed a few times.

Celeste sat at the table, the girl considering her next move in a game of chess against old man Bert. Eloise watched them, an open book sitting on the table before her. Jon sat on the couch with Melusine, the two talking in whispers.

Light came in through the windows, no lamp or other appliance running.

It’s so quiet, she thought, putting down her pack. “Morning,” she said.

“Good morning!” Celeste said, looking up with a bright smile, her deep brown eyes taking in the slightly burnt up woman. “Your clothes don’t look right.”

Kate smiled. “Yeah. I know.”

“Feeling better?” Melusine asked, the woman looking back to see her. She rested her head on her hands as she slumped on the couch.

“Physically. I’m fine,” Kate said.

Jon chuckled. “If that isn’t a pragmatic assessment.”

“A shower, fresh clothes, food and some coffee,” Melusine said.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Kate said.

“No, that’s my prescription,” the woman answered, a broad grin on her face.

Kate nodded. “Right.”

The healer slapped the couch and stood up. “I’ll check on the others.”

The radio on the table crackled. “Status update. Boring,” resounded the slightly distorted voice of Allison.

Melusine glanced at Jon.

“I’ll go talk to her,” the man said, grabbing his pack before he put a respirator mask on.

“Right, Kate, we added the masks to the packs. I assume these are fine?” Melusine asked.

Kate looked at the thing. “Yeah. Best that we have. It’ll take a few weeks for the smoke to clear. If the forests aren’t still burning.”

“Far less than last night,” Jon said.

“Anything new on the radio?” Kate asked.

He shook his head.

She took in a deep breath before moving up to the showers. At least the water was still running, though she quickly realized it wasn’t hot. The heating was off too. Of course. Oh well. She shivered when the cold water touched her skin, the liquid running black when it reached the drain. Soap they still had, and she was glad for it, though the smell would not be gone for some time regardless. Not if she scrubbed for half a day, and she didn’t plan to stay in the cold water longer than necessary.

Back in a fresh set of clothes, Kate put her hammer into the shower and cleaned it off. She scrubbed away the blood and ash, drying the weapon before she looked at it. Good as new. It impressed her, the tool really one made to withstand incredible abuse. Lewis would like this thing, she thought with a grin. The man regularly went on rants about various pieces of equipment they had in the force, and about how badly some of it was made.

Kate didn’t feel particularly cold, despite definitely feeling the cool air in the bathroom. Without any breakfast. Another benefit of some stat or magic? Or just placebo? She didn’t mind either way. Being more resilient to the cold would be more than welcome in the coming months. We have a stove, she reminded herself, quite pleased with that circumstance.

In theory they could even move a bathtub down into the armory, heat buckets of water, and have a hot bath. Everything is right in the world, she thought, coming down into the living room where she already smelled coffee.

“Using our precious gas to heat up your brew,” Bert murmured.

Kate took a glance at the chess board. He had double the pieces, absolutely destroying the frowning little girl. She raised a brow towards him but didn’t comment.

“She’s our Striker,” Eloise said with a bright smile. “And the striker needs to be fueled up.” She filled a mug and held it out towards Kate.

The living room was a little warmer, though Kate assumed it would become quite uncomfortable in just a few weeks. We’ll have to move furniture. Make the armory a home. It’s more defensible anyway.

She forgot the plans when she smelled the brew, taking a sip before she shuddered, the heat slightly burning her throat.

“It’s hot,” Eloise said.

Kate looked at her and took another sip.

“No… I mean it’s really hot. Near boiling… you shouldn’t drink it,” she said, her eyes widening a little.

“Oh,” Kate said and looked down at the steaming cup. “Right. Yeah Vitality makes your body tougher. I’m pretty sure it’s just that. Don’t think I would be standing h-” she stopped herself.

“There’s bread, cold cuts, and cheese. Eat as much as you can. It’s going to go bad soon,” Eloise said, ignoring the comment with a glance to Celeste. She hesitated before looking up at Kate. “Thanks.”

“Thanks for what?” Kate asked.

Eloise looked down. “For being here. For staying. For fighting.”

Kate smiled. “It’s what I do.”

They remained in silence for a few seconds before Bert spoke up.

“Check mate.”

Celeste growled, hitting the table with her fists.

“Anger will not change the result of the game,” Bert said.

“Then explain it to me,” Celeste said, focused entirely on the board.

“She gets intense like that,” Eloise said.

Kate took another sip of her coffee, making herself a simple sandwich with her free hand. “She could make it to the nationals.”

“She also gets quickly distracted again,” Eloise said. “And… I don’t think there will be nationals.”

Much less competition now, I’m sure.

She decided not to voice that thought to the present people.

“Your backpack was too damaged, but there are new ones ready,” Eloise said, putting a pack onto the table.

“Thanks. I’ll go to the ramparts,” Kate said and put the thing on.

“Oh… I… we found this for you,” Eloise said, searching through the contents of a box near the couch. “Here it is,” she said and held out a piece of leather. “You can put it onto your belt. For your hammer. It should be less annoying than using the belt itself or your backpack.”

Kate smiled, unbuckling her belt before she added the small strap. Sliding her hammer into it, she found it sturdy enough to keep the handle from hitting her leg, the metal instead angled behind herself. “Thanks. Let me know if you find more of them.”

“Will do. Bert has a lot of stuff in his… well everywhere. This place is a treasure trove,” Eloise said. “I’m sorting and categorizing everything,” she added in a whisper. “It’s a mess.”

Kate smiled. “Great. And we’ll get you more stuff, I’m sure.” She waved to the others with two sandwiches in hand, hammer strapped to her new belt addition, and her mug of hot coffee in her other hand. A shit, the mask. She checked her pack and found it, quickly putting the thing on before she went outside and up to the battlements.

When she came out from the old stone guard tower, she slowed, looking at the forest. Smoke still rose from distant sections up on the slope, but what made her slow was the layer of gray covering the trees. The leaves moved in serene patterns, the sound quiet even to her ears. The parking lot too was coated in a thin film of gray.

Almost like snow, she thought, breathing through her mask when she saw the corpses from her fight the previous night. A thin layer of ash covered them too, but it wasn’t enough to hide what they were.

“Coming up,” she said, seeing the two men absorbed in conversation.

Jon twitched ever so slightly, turning her way before he gave her a nod.

She didn’t miss his hand going towards the crossbow leaned against the stone.

Ethan smiled. “Good morning.”

Of course he’s in a good fucking mood. With half the world burned down, she thought with a sigh, joining them below the wooden roof on the battlements. Kate tried sitting down, finding her hammer in the way before she moved it to the side. She left her mask hanging from one ear and sipped on her coffee.

“Morning,” she said, looking at the two of them. She glanced to the right when she saw something move in the corner of her vision. A winged creature in the far distance. It flew high. Kate lost it a few seconds later when the roof got in the way.

“There are quite a few of them out there,” Jon said.

“Wyverns, yes,” Kate said. “Pretty large too. I don’t know if it’s a good idea to fight them.”

“Yet,” Ethan said and nodded her way.

She looked at him, unsure why she wanted to reprimand him. She supposed it was confusing for her too. Every time someone had talked about fighting, self defense, or even war, the most reasonable thing was running away, avoiding all of it entirely. Nothing good would come of it. With fires, it was about saving people. From the elements, she supposed. Animal attacks were rare, but now there were monsters around. Monsters that couldn’t be reasoned with. This wasn’t a political thing. Nor an angry drunk idiot trying to start a fight. More just an infestation. And if there was an infestation, Kate called an exterminator.

She took a sip of coffee, looking at the young man. The fire magic user. A fucking wizard. Or a mage? Sorcerer? Who the fuck cares.

“I saw you out there yesterday,” Ethan said. “I think you can take a Wyvern.”

“How could you possibly know that?” Kate asked.

He shrugged. “Intuition.”

She chuckled. “Fucking idiot.”

He laughed.

“It doesn’t matter. Kate is not going to be here all the time. The walls help us deal with anything that can’t fly, jump four meters high, or can break through stone or a massive gate with ease,” Jon said. “But we don’t have much against flying creatures. Other than crossbows.”

“What’s your suggestion?” Kate asked.

He sighed. “The valley is on fire. Maybe we managed to remove the orcs that attacked us at night. Allison checked for tracks, and she’s rather sure the ones you killed… did not come from the same direction.” He looked northwards and to the sky. “The military… if things are as desperate as we assume. And we have to plan for the worst. Then we need to prepare for winter. And for the next years.”

Kate nodded. She had come to the same conclusion. All of them had.

“There are dozens of towns, and Falstadt. A majority of supplies must’ve burned up, been raided, or destroyed. By monsters or survivors like us. And it’s not even been a week. We have to get more. We have to assume the penicillin, morphine, hell everything that is manufactured… what’s in the storage rooms is what we have left,” he said.

“More supply runs then,” Kate said.

“Food too. Anything canned. And we have to learn how to make traps, how to hunt, and how to become self sufficient. There is some earth in the yard. Maybe enough for us to grow potatoes, but it’ll take time,” Jon said.

“There’s a lot to think about. We need heating too,” Kate said.

“I’m listing everything, setting priorities,” Jon said. “You can look over it, but I’m pretty confident I can handle this. Compared to fighting monsters.”

“I’ll have a look,” Kate said. “But realistically we’ll just go into a town and get what we can before hauling the fuck out of there.”

“Of course. Especially considering the monsters,” Jon said. “And still it will help prioritize things. I have local maps now, population statistics, town maps too, though some are older. It’ll help plan fast raids, with priorities depending on how long you can remain, how many monsters there are.”

Kate raised her brows. “Sounds like you have a plan.”

“I have seven supply runs already planned out. With changes depending on who’s available. Eloise is categorizing what we have in the castle. We have enough food already to last us a few months but I want at least three years worth of supplies. And again, I’m planning with the worst case in mind. More optimistically, all the magic and classes will provide unknown benefits. Already we didn’t die because of them,” Jon explained.

Ethan laughed. “You remind me of a friend I used to have.”

“Used to have?” Kate asked.

He shrugged. “Yeah, cops caught him when he moved a few hundred kilograms of coke. Been in jail last I heard. Random check, was just unlucky. He’s a legend either way.”

“A stain on society, if you ask me,” Jon said.

“Hey, plenty of people hooked on the stuff. Someone’s gonna deliver anyway. His coke was pure,” Ethan said.

“You don’t know what his buyers mix in,” Jon said. “Though I understand. It’s a system wide issue of policy. Legalization and preventive measures would probably be more effective.”

“I don’t think drug policy matters much at this point,” Kate said.

“Yes, you’re right. We digress. Especially with us having quite an illegal amount of opiates in our possession,” Jon said. “What we need in addition is an illegal amount of weaponry.”

“Rifles and the like? We’d have to raid a military base, or a police station,” Kate said. “Which would likely be some of the first places any survivors have raided.”

“Your hammer seems quite effective as is,” Jon said. “Rifles and ammunition would be a boon, sure, but I’m talking about heavy machinery. I don’t think Wyverns will like standard military calibers, but what I’m rather sure of is that high caliber anti air guns will reduce them to nothing.”

“How would we even find, let alone move something like that? And where would you put it?” Kate asked.

Jon looked at her with raised brows. “I’m an architect, Kate. I design contemporary living spaces. Adding military grade air defense to a medieval castle is like playing with mega bloks. We might need machinery to move things, yes, but don’t think anyone has missed how strong you already are. The same is true for Logan. It’s not a priority. But long term planning. For now we will simply reduce our time in the open, to avoid any Wyverns noticing our presence.”

“Anti air guns, and rifles,” Ethan said with a grin.

“Nobody is getting any weapons without Logan’s approval,” Jon said. “So forget about that again. Kate, let me know when you think you’re ready to go out again. If you’re willing to do that at all.”

“When I’m done eating these sandwiches,” she said.

Kate Lindgren

Unspent stat points: 0

Class: Berserker – lvl 13

- Active: Mindless Ferocity – lvl 18
- Active: Furious Dance – lvl 16
- Active: Reckless Charge – lvl 14
- Active: Hunting Leap – lvl 4
- Active: Shattering Step – lvl 3
- Passive: Toll for the Living – lvl 15
- Passive: Courage of the Unarmored – lvl 14
- Passive: Two Handed Weapon Fighting – lvl 14
- Passive: Unrelenting Carnage – lvl 4
- Passive: Intimidating Presence – lvl 6

Support class: Silent Striker – lvl 7

- Active: Frightening Growl – lvl 5
- Active: Bewildering Wave – lvl 3
- Active:
- Passive: Heightened Hearing – lvl 9
- Passive: Echo Location – lvl 1
- Passive:

Status:

Vitality: 23
Endurance: 17
Perseverance: 13
Strength: 17
Dexterity: 8
Intelligence: 7
Wisdom: 10
Serenity: 7

Equipment:

Torso: -
Legs: -
Trinket: -
Food: -

Chapter 31 Echoes

Kate sat on the battlements with her mask on, fed and coffee fueled. She looked at the expansive landscape, snow on the peaks of the distant mountains. Ash and smoke clung to the fields and forests of the valley. Some few spots still lingered with visible embers, others still alight with fire. She wasn’t exactly an expert on forest fires, but she had seen a few predictive models for various situations, including two on the Maar Valley specifically. None seemed this optimistic, though none had assumed military bombardment.

The visible damage, even from the walls of Keilberg Castle, was extensive. But Kate knew it should’ve been worse. The fires should’ve continued, for at least a few days. Maybe there are more of those tree beings? Or maybe other creatures that dealt with the fires? Magic users? Fire mages?

She remembered the goblin shaman. Creating flames with magic was obviously possible, why shouldn’t stopping them be a thing too?

Kate looked to the east, just barely seeing the edge of the Weywater Lake, Falstadt itself hidden behind the slope. All she could see was the rising smoke, nothing different from the entire valley. She gulped. The monsters were one thing to survive. Bombardment and fires another. She shook her head, focusing on the map in her hands. A planned route. One that didn’t lead to Keilberg but Grenndorf instead. A similarly sized town to the east of the castle, still along the slope of Steinwacht and by the Willow River but a little farther away than Keilberg.

It wouldn’t make a massive difference by car, perhaps a twenty to twenty five minute drive. Other villages and towns were marked, so far only the closest ones to the castle. Grenndorf, Grakken, Wilsdorf, Neidsturz, Kahrsdorf, Ehricht, and Heersdorf. Each a little farther away than the last.

Kate could wander to each of those locations in a single day, starting at Keilberg. Not that a route like that would be particularly interesting. The forests and mountains were far more enjoyable to her. Now they were planning to loot those places. She shook her head lightly, folding the map before she put it into her pack. Grenndorf was close enough, and she knew the roads. What she didn’t know about was the state of the village, the monsters in the area, what the fires had done to it.

Only one way to find out, she thought, moving away from the battlements. Jon was right. They had to prepare for the worst, and as much as she hated it, supplies and possible survivors were more important than burning corpses in Keilberg or waiting for the military to show up. Not that she hoped for the latter at the moment, considering the hellfire they had rained down on the valley.

Not on us, she reminded herself. We just happened to be there.

She moved close to the walls and not out in the open, soon reaching Bert’s home. Supplies, clothes, and even furniture was set up in the living room, to be moved to the armory.

“Already?” Kate asked.

“It won’t help if everyone gets a cold,” Melusine said.

“We’re testing the stove. And the armory should be far easier to defend than the house, or both,” Jon said, a few notebooks in front of him.

“The truck is ready,” Ethan said as he walked in behind Kate. “We can leave whenever.”

Kate looked at the clock on the wall. It was past noon. “Who else is coming?”

“Grey wants to go,” Jon said.

“He should rest, but I suppose it’s not horrible. Logan however, has to stay,” Melusine said.

Kate nodded, grabbing her radio before she spoke into it. “Grey, we’re leaving in five minutes. Get ready.”

Jon looked her way before he glanced at the table.

“Don’t give me that. There’s enough work to be done here,” Kate said. The experience in the cavern had pushed them all to their limits. She didn’t know much about violence and fighting monsters, but she had seen plenty of firefighters join and leave. Some were cut out for that kind of work, others weren’t.

And even those that had been around for a while showed cracks, broke down, and reached their limits. Regularly. She had thought about it often. How fucked up things were. In the end she assumed she too was a little fucked up. Perhaps it was one of the reasons she had chosen her profession. A rag tag team of fucked up idiots, running into the fires. She grinned, reminded of her crew mates. Rolling up on an apartment building set alight, with Highway to Hell blasting through the speakers.

Maybe Berserker isn’t the worst choice for someone like me, she thought, checking her pack. “Got the list, fuel, bags, packs, radios. We’ll be fine.”

“Don’t overextend yourself,” Jon said.

She smiled. “A little optimistic, are we?”

He raised his brows and smiled a wry smile. “For the long term benefit of everyone here.”

Kate touched the top bit of her hammer. “We’ll do our best. Right Ethan?”

“Right,” the man said. “Our best it is.”

She looked at him for a second before waving to the others. “We should be back before nightfall. Don’t come looking for us.”

Leaving the apartment, she saw Grey come out of the armory, his sword and plenty of knives at the ready. He wore the usual gray gear with a white mask covering his black skiing mask, a helmet on top.

She wore the same sans the helmet and skiing mask.

Ethan summoned a small flame above his gloved palm. “Let’s burn some shit.”

Rag tag team of idiots, Kate thought.

“The Forest looks clear,” came Allison’s voice through the radio. The woman looked out into the yard from atop the battlements.

“Logan still burnt up?” Ethan asked.

“He’s better. But it l… looked rough. W… when Melusine… c… changed the bandages,” Grey said.

“Why do you always stutter?” Ethan asked.

“Let him stutter,” Kate said.

“I didn’t mean anything by it. Just a fucking question,” Ethan said.

“It… it’s o… okay,” Grey said, looking to the ground, one hand on the handle of his katana.

Kate grabbed her battle axe and started towards the gate. “No it’s not. The question obviously makes him uncomfortable, you’re being a dick Ethan. And Grey, you’re an adult. Stand up for yourself. If others are shit to you, you have to tell them. It’s not fine to feel like shit.”

She ripped the wooden bar out of the gate and put it aside. “Allison, we’re leaving. Come close the gate behind us,” Kate said. She looked at the two young men and sighed. “Jesus fuck, you were killing orcs yesterday, how is this bothering you so much?” Kate moved to Ethan and grabbed his shoulders. “Stop being a dickhead. Apologize to him,” she said.

He rolled his eyes. “Sorry.”

“Sorry for what, Ethan?” Kate asked.

“I’m sorry for being a dick,” he said.

She glanced at Grey.

“I…” he stuttered.

“You could accept the apology, even though he doesn’t really get it. But it’s a start,” Kate said.

“R… right. I accept,” Grey said.

“What the fuck are you three idiots doing?” Allison asked as she walked towards them, staying close to the wall. “You’re not good at this, Kate. Way too direct. You have to manipulate people, not bash them with your hammer, but then what the fuck did I expect?”

Kate shook her head.

“You know I’m right,” Allison said, smirking at her with her head tilted a bit to the right.

“You’re a harpy,” Kate said.

“I made money selling cosplay pictures to horny nerds,” Allison said as she pulled on the gate.

Kate gave her a hand, the large wooden gate squeaking at the fast motion.

“God, you’re a fucking brute,” Allison said. “And I prefer siren,” she added with a wink.

Kate just rolled her eyes and walked towards the prepared truck. She glanced up to the sky and listened to the forest, nothing sticking out to her.

“Now go forth, fighters, and bring me back some corpses,” Allison said.

Ethan entered on the passenger side and looked at her. “Think she wants to eat the corpses?”

Kate shrugged. “Who knows. I’m not clear on what sirens do.”

“What is a siren?” Ethan asked.

“Some screeching sea monster woman, I think,” Kate said as she turned the key. She checked behind to see Grey sitting between the gas canisters and empty packs, a loaded crossbow on his lap.

“She’s kind of hot,” Ethan said, glancing back towards the battlements.

“Your call,” Kate said in a dry tone before she started driving. “Do you mind Rock?”

“You’re the driver. Your music,” Ethan said, summoning a small flame before he made it vanish.

Kate gave him a look but didn’t comment on it. The sooner he learned to handle his tools, the better. She couldn’t exactly take away his magic. Let’s see what else you had, Lars.

The drive was rather uneventful, Kate taking the route through the forests as she had discussed with Jon. The trees would help hide them from any flying beasts. Anything else they just had to deal with. They had considered walking, but the large loading area and speed of the truck won out in the argument. Many of the monsters they had spotted so far didn’t exactly seem capable of keeping up with a car, let alone breaking through a metal door.

More supplies for less time. At least that was the hope. Kate parked the truck backwards and between a set of trees, trying to hide it as best she could. She turned off the radio and then the car, rolling the window down a few centimeters before she listened.

“What are you doing?” Ethan asked.

She ignored him. “Nothing is coming at us,” she said before she rolled the window down more. Kate turned on her echo location and clicked her tongue. All she could see was forest. She turned it off again, shaking her head a little to get rid of the strange sensation.

“You okay? You don’t seem okay,” Ethan said.

“Sound magic, remember?” she asked. “And echo location.”

“Oh, right. What’s the echo thing?” he said as Kate opened the door.

She walked to the back and repeated her findings to Grey, in a whisper. “It’s what bats do to know where they’re going,” Kate said as she grabbed four large empty sport bags.

“I’m not sure I get what you mean,” Ethan said as he got out of the car.

“I’ll explain some other time, we stop the talk now. There will probably be monsters nearby,” she said.

“I don’t see any,” Grey said.

Kate saw him crouching behind a tree right next to the concrete road that led into Grenndorf. He looked through binoculars, slightly leaning past the tree.

“There are quite a few corpses. Not just human. Orcs, goblins, larger things too,” he said. “I can’t see anything that is moving.”

“Might attract other things, let’s move, quietly. Ethan you wait with your fire until we’re attacked and can’t handle them quietly,” she said.

He shrugged. “How am I supposed to know if we’re being overwhelmed?”

“When I’m bleeding or on the ground,” Kate said and started to move into the forest.

“What if I’m bleeding or on the ground?” Ethan murmured under his breath.

She heard him but chose to ignore the man, instead focusing on her surroundings and the sounds of the forest. She soon managed to tune out the unimportant rustling of leaves, still glancing up at the occasional bird call. For all she knew the calls could come from a monster type she hadn’t encountered before.

Occasionally she stopped and clicked with her tongue, her echo location giving her a glimpse of the surroundings. It still felt somewhat strange and disorienting but Kate found the added depth to her perception more welcome than detrimental.

Mostly she just perceived the dense forest of firs, occasionally spotting a squirrel or bird, though either she had already heard long before. Slowly they crept up on the settlement, the outlines of houses soon visible through the trees. Kate clicked her tongue when they were a few hundred meters away from the closest house, an old wood cabin with small windows towards the forest. She turned her head to look at the two human corpses she perceived but all she saw was trees and bushes. She shook her head, raising her fist.

The loud steps of her companions ceased.

Kate took in a deep breath, reorienting herself. An herb garden, a small slide, a sandbox with a toy excavator built onto its side. She could only see the top of the slide from here, but she had perceived it all. And she knew there were two dead humans lying about twenty meters to the left, arrows sticking out of their backs. A woman, maybe in her thirties, holding on to a man, his left leg horribly twisted. Only a glimpse, but she knew they were there. Their eyes were open.

She could feel bile rising up in her mouth, steadying herself against a nearby tree as she took in a deep breath.

Grey gestured with a thumb, up then down. His brows rose up, going below his skiing mask.

She nodded, gesturing with her hand. She needed a minute, hearing her own heartbeat pick up. She heard Ethan’s doing the same. Grey’s stayed steady.

Her breathing calmed before she gave the two waiting men a thumbs up. Strange, she thought, slowly making her way over to the corpses. They were hidden between a set of bushes, but right there, where the echo had shown them. Now that she stood nearby, she saw that the woman had a blue blouse on, the man wearing khaki pants, both stained with dried blood. They smelled of decay. And still it felt far less visceral to her. Far less detailed.

Kate crouched down and started pulling out the arrows, one by one, hooked metal moving past flesh. She turned the woman around and closed her eyes, putting her hands onto her stomach. She repeated the same for the man. Standing, she looked at the two. Quiet, already forgotten. She took in a deep breath and shuddered, pulling the hammer out from the leather strap. Kate felt its weight, clicking her tongue again. She closed her eyes and stood up. “Sorry,” she said, more confused than anything.

Neither of them commented, for which she was thankful.

Didn’t think I could be impacted by corpses in an entirely new way of perception. Fun.

She continued onward and towards the small house, now seeing more buildings past the remaining trees. The pointy top of a church was visible behind a set of more modern stone buildings, the clock showing fifteen past one. Various colors adorned the apartment houses, each three stories high and lining the main road that led into and through Grenndorf. A bakery was visible across the street, the large loaf of plastic bread no longer attached to its intended metal clasp. Instead it lay strewn between decaying corpses, blood covered like the rest of the quiet road.

Kate moved silently past the slide and sandbox, to a stone building on her left and adjacent to the main road. She crouched down and listened, her two companions close behind her. “Faint steps from farther down the road. Growling. Something biting into flesh,” she said and closed her eyes. Kate clicked her tongue.

There was a lot.

Corpses. Humans. Orcs. Goblins. Four entire ogres. Two dead Wyverns. One that was alive, behind a set of buildings, its large maw biting down into an unrecognizable chunk of flesh and bone. Wolves too, dead and alive. The growls she had heard. Kate’s mind reeled, unable to process all the information as she tried to hold on to the image.

‘ding’ ‘Echo Location reaches lvl 2’

She took a deep breath. “One Wyvern, feeding,” she said and took out the folded up map from her jacket. Using the compass from her pack, she turned the map until it seemed right. “We’re here?”

Grey nodded. “I think so.”

“The Wyvern is here,” she said and pointed at a set of buildings. “Large wolves in this direction,” she said and moved her finger. “Corpses all over… they’re… fucked up. No idea who fought whom. Doesn’t matter.” She put her finger down. “Pharmacy and general store are both to our right. We can cross behind the wooden cabin, there are plenty of bodies there.”

“What about the police station?” Grey asked, nodding towards the map.

“We’d have to circle half the town,” Kate said. “Let’s first do these two. Objections?”

They both shook their heads.

“Great. Let’s stay hidden and quiet. They have enough to eat,” she said, feeling bile come up again. She swallowed hard, focusing on her breathing before she pushed away from the stone wall and sneaked towards the wooden house. Kate moved around it and checked again, her echo location scanning the street. It took a few seconds for her to reorient herself. She found it helped to pick a spot and stare at it.

There were too many bodies for her to check. The road was littered. She only got a glimpse of a Wyvern wing this time, the wolves barely registering by now. She motioned to the others and crossed the road in silence, still listening for anything that stood out.

With quick steps, they rushed past more houses, up the slope and towards where the pharmacy was located. Grenndorf had been untouched by the air strikes it seemed, little to no smoke rising. Kate soon reached the building in question, finding the entrance closed and locked. She circled the rather small one story concrete block, finding all of the windows closed as well.

Should’ve brought my crowbar, she thought, standing at the back of the building, a set of cabins farther up the slope and behind the pharmacy. Kate stepped back and walked upwards as Grey and Ethan checked the window. She soon saw the top of the building where she spotted a hatch. Closed but with a handle. Kate smiled, ready to give it a shot when her eyes moved past the pharmacy and over the town. She spotted the yellow wings of the Wyvern in the distance, more buildings beyond, then a patch of forest that led down into the valley.

Farther back she could see the Weywater Lake. And before it stood Falstadt. A city of nearly eighty thousand people, stretching along the shore and out into the valley, train tracks moving out from the arched main station. She saw smoke rise from all over, glowing flames visible in hundreds of spots, even from this distance. Bursts of fire erupted on occasion, just flashes of light to Kate, but she knew each explosion was worse than most she had seen.

Entire buildings were missing, others reduced to blackened hollow frames, as if they were mere stumps of burned down trees. Few windows reflected any sunlight, sections of the city entirely flattened and coated in a hue of black. Kate stared in silence, feeling her lips quiver before she bent down and retched up her lunch.

She fell back on her ass and closed her eyes, tears welling up in her eyes as she tried and failed to put herself back together.

Grey was by her side an instant later, touching the hilt of his blade as he looked around.

“What’s going on?” Ethan said as he walked up, his boots rustling through the autumn leaves.

Kate’s vision blurred as she stared at the ground, breathing faster.

“Oh shit. Holy fuck, that’s insane,” Ethan exclaimed, looking towards the lake.

“You should use your magic,” Grey said.

Kate heard him and nodded slowly, activating Mindless Ferocity. Immediately she could feel her body calm down a little. Her thoughts focused. She rubbed at her eyes and took in a sharp breath. “Fuck,” she said through gritted teeth.

She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing for a while. Then she sighed and stood up. Checking for the Wyvern, she ran at the building and jumped, Hunting Leap bringing her to the roof. She landed, nearly stumbling before she crouched. A moment later she was at the latch. Closed from the inside, she thought, grabbed on, and pulled. She heard a slight groaning sound of bending metal before the lock gave in.

Kate listened before she climbed down into the small storage room below, the part of her that wanted to stare at the burning city silenced as she focused on the task at hand. She had known. But seeing it herself was different. And she knew it wasn’t the time to deal with it. Nor was there anything she could feasibly do.

We shall prevail.

The words felt hollow in her mind, subdued and meaningless as she opened the window from the inside, waving for the others to come inside with all the empty bags.

Her magic deactivated, having fulfilled its purpose. A part of her wished that her dad was there right then. He always knew what to say.

She stood in the small pharmacy and sighed, reminded somehow of a strange thing he once told her.

One step at a time, Kate. But when your stomach hurts from eating too much Nutella, you stop. Don’t be fucking stupid.

She hit the wall with her back and slid down, laughing and crying at the same time as she tried to keep the sound down.

Grey closed the window behind himself, Ethan sitting down next to her.

He found her hand and held it tightly.