Noah jolted upwards, clipping the edge of the bed frame as he did.
"Owwwwww!" He groaned as he gripped his head in agony.
He curled up in ball and waited patiently as the pain raced up and down his temples. He calmed his breathing as he felt around his scalp. Nothing seemed to be bleeding, and after a minute or two of relishing in pain, he opened his eyes.
Well he assumed he did, his gaze only to be met with more darkness. Noah's eyes went wide, his mind racing as he saw nothing. 'Am I blind?!' He thought as he lifted his hand to his face. Although, as he did he watched the darkness move ever so slightly.
He blinked slowly, a small chuckle escaping his mouth as he removed the covers from his face. Then as he looked around, he gasped. Noah was confused, seeing as how he was not laying comfortably on his bed. Noah bit his lip as he saw the mess on the floor, his sheets and pillows everywhere, all accompanied by dozens of shards of glass.
Noah rose an eyebrow,
'Glass?!'
He threw the rest of the blankets off his legs, a spray of small pieces of glass flying upwards and landing sporadically. Noah frowned as he followed the spray to his poster spread over his empty bed, the frame detached and stuck between the bed frame and the wall.
Noah sat up in silence, not really amused to wake up to the mess he was in. After a few moments of weighing the scenery before him, he decided on shaking his head. It was unlike him to freak out, as doing so never merited any understanding of what was happening.
Noah thumbed his chin, his memory crossing over his mind as he thought hard. He had a "aha" moment as he replayed the event in the classroom. There had been a gas leak explosion that had shook the school very violently. He guessed the same thing could happened here overnight. It would explain why he was on the floor and his framed poster was in complete tatters.
Noah annoying shrugged, knowing he could of done little to stop it in his sleep. He was definitely a heavy sleeper, so sleeping through an explosion was a far fetch, but in his eyes the only plausible explanation.
He stretched and carefully got to his feet. Noah groaned as another pulse of pain shot through his head. Hitting his head twice with something in the last twenty fours hours wasn't good, he was sure of that much at least.
'Maybe I can sit out on Midterms, or at the bare minimum have an excuse if I do bad.'
Noah was a lazy person at heart, but he trashed the idea as he skimmed his memory over the hard weeks of studying he did for the Midterms. No way was he going to chance just blowing it off after all of the studying he did.
Noah glanced at the mess of glass on the floor, a few questions coming to mind. Firstly, he wondered if he could use a vacuum to clean it up, secondly he wondered why his alarm never went off, and thirdly he was at a lost for why he was in his underwear.
He had always had worn shorts to bed, well granted he never wore underwear underneath but it was still unlike him. He scratched his head and side stepped without looking. Noah clicked the gaming mouse on his desk, looking up to see what time it was on his monitor.
Funnily enough, he noticed his monitor was not sitting neatly on his desk. Instead, he found himself looking next to his bare feet. The black screen was smushed in and was halfway under his office chair.
Noah had frowned a lot, that was his thing after all. But usually it was because he found certain things unnecessarily hard. This however, was just pure sadness. He crouched down and ran two fingers over the screen.
The jagged edges had exposed a back plate that also looked in bad shape. Noah groaned loudly as he stepped over it and opened the door of his room. He was half expecting to see the place in pieces also, but he was relived to see everything had only shifted a few feet from were they where. His aging couch had been pushed against the island that separated the simple kitchenette from the open living room. The coffee table was just turned the wrong way and the flat screen tv was still standing on a small dresser, albeit it a few feet away from the wall.
Noah fixed his hair as he saw strands in his vision, truing back to his room as he noticed his pants on his office chair. Rummaging through the back pockets, he found his black smartphone with ease. He tapped the screen, only for nothing to happen. Noah furrowed his eyebrows and remembered he hadn't charged it last night.
Well, now that he was forcibly looking back, he could barley remember what even happened last night. Had he studied? No, his backpack was stilled filled with all his stuff. Noah was neat, but he wasn't crazy neat to put everything back in its place. Had he played videogames? No, he had none to play at the moment since he beat them all. He motioned to grab his mouse and sign on, only to remember he couldn't really do it at the moment.
So what, what did he do last night?
'Was it the head injury I got?' Noah asked himself.
There was no way it was that serious, although he mentally made sure to remember to take a trip to the nurses office. Just in case.
Noah surveyed the room to find his collared shirt and his black blazer on the floor, a few shards off glass stuck to the fabric. He decided he could maybe get a wash and dry in before he had to go to school, but he pushed the idea away as he trudged back into the main room of the apartment. Noah stared at the owl clock that hung above the bathroom door.
He rightfully frowned again. He had only forty minutes till school started. Minus the twenty for the walk, he was cutting it close. Noah carefully raced back and grabbed his uniform, dusting off the glass and slipping it on. He hopped around as he got his pants on, his belt locking as he found a pair of socks in his small dresser at the foot of his bed.
The entire time he danced around the room, somehow doing it quicker and more nimble than he thought he could manage. Now that he noticed, his body was almost weightless as he jumped out of his room in full uniform, minus his shoes at the front entrance. He was filling great physically, but mentally he was still in a stupor.
He stopped though, as he suddenly thought of something else. He couldn't even remember what he did after he stepped in his apartment. All he could note was walking home from school and going up the elevator. After that it was just a blur.
In his peripheral vision he noticed the clock and dropped his aimless thoughts. He had taken only three minutes to get dressed but he still wanted to make it a little early. If he walked in late or close to it people might make it a big deal. Maybe he was being paranoid, but he would rather not attract any unwanted attention.
Noah smiled as he recalled being a little confused yesterday over his thoughts of being a nobody. Now that he honestly browsed himself, he was certain about a few things.
He was better off a lone wolf. Why did he so hungrily want attention from his classmates? What did he owe them that he should be working so hard to achieve their praise? Hell, now that he no longer had a headache or whatever he had yesterday, he realized a lot of things.
There was no reason he should waste his thoughts on pointlessly chasing popularity that in two years wouldn't even matter. Sunset City had over four universities, he was sure that his thirty or so classmates wouldn't go to the same one.
Noah grinned, 'Yeah, who needs to make friends, they probably would just forget about me like my parents.'
Noah winced as he said that, deciding maybe he shouldn't brung up the touchy subject. After settling his thoughts, he made his way over to the exit, slipping on his shoes and grabbing the handle. He noticed he hadn't locked it last night, which was very odd for him to do. However, there was no evidence of someone tampering with the lock so he assumed the latter.
He readied himself, checking his hair, tying his shoes and finally, and sniffing his armpit.
'Okay, why do I smell like utter crap?!'
Noah shook his head and threw his clothes off. Yeah he decided he was fine with being a lone wolf, but he was not okay with smelling horrible. Those things were in two entirely different categories.
So as quick as he could he raced past the kitchenette to a door just next to the pantry. He swung it open and hurried into the bathroom, his arm snaking out and turning the shower water on. Noah took a moment to examine his hair. His bed head, well floor head this time, was very visible. He turned on the sink and ran his hand under cold water. After he ran his finger through his hair. He combed any fizzed strands back down.
Then he stepped into the shower, cold water hitting his back with no restraint. He flinched, but endured as he reached down and turned the other valve to warm. Noah aggressively grabbed a bar a soap and went to town. His armpits were the first place he lathered and he continued his venture in silence.
And just as he faced the shower head, he noticed a black dot just underneath it. Noah leaned in, seeing a spider crawl away from him. He grimaced, seeing as how it was at least the size of a nickel. There were rarely spiders in his shower, but he had seen them before. As he washed, he watched it closely, the creature scuttling up toward the shower's ledge. As Noah saw it do so, the spider had turned to face away from him.
That's when he noticed it had a tail. It was small of course, but he was taken aback as he saw the sight of a scorpion tail wading back and forth. Now that he was clearly focused on it, maybe it was the size of a quarter. The scorpion tail looked unnatural attached to its body, and as it made its way to the top, it faced him.
Noah was thoroughly entranced by how weird it looked, and as he stared at it, a sudden beep sounded in his hear.
---
Name: Skad
Level: 0
Description: +
---
Noah stood in complete awe, his body still as he read the words again. Only, they weren't in front of him at all, but inside his head. It was almost like it was a part of him, floating in nothingness but still clearly visible. He just silently read it a few more times, his eyes narrowing as he saw a plus on description. He focused, and another beep played in his head.
---
Description:
A Skad is a combination of two deadly arachnids. Although its is low in level, it can have up to one Spell* or Ability* at its disposal.
---
Noah was still at a lost, reading the words again in such a weird way. He just focused on them in his head and he could digest all of it in a instant.
'Am I going crazy, it must of been when I hit my head.... Right?'
Noah smiled weakly, thinking maybe he was dreaming right now, and that he definitely didn't just inspect the bug like in a videogame. There was just no way. Noah's mind distorted as he glared at the so called Skad, its little body shaking back and forth as it answered with its own stare. Dozens of red eyes looked back at him too, which didn't really help his case.
The bathroom fell silent, and all one could hear was the running water hitting Noah and the curtain. He had no idea how he felt, but as he saw "Spells+ or Abilities+", he focused on Spells.
---
-Skad has no Spells-
---
Noah rightfully sighed, glad that at the very least if what he was thinking was real than the so called "Skad" before him had no Spells. After pinching himself a few times, he focused on Abilities.
---
-Skad has Ability (Lunge)-
---
Even if Noah could barley believe what he was doing, he knew enough to understand that the Ability the Skad had was enough for him to be scared. So he jumped back in a rush, hoping that it didn't plan on using its ability. Sadly though, the black dot had encased itself in green energy before lunging toward him at an alarming rate. It was fast, faster than any spider should be at that size, and his eyes bulged with fear. Noah wasn't ready for its attack, and he definitely wasn't ready for him to lose his footing.
With a "thwick" sound, he slipped and fell hard against the shower wall. The air in his lungs were forced out, and his head swam in circles as he slammed both his palms against the tiles to stop himself from falling. Through his frenzy to stabilize himself, he managed to glare upwards, the Skad gracefully landing right above him. If he hadn't accidentally slipped, he might of had to deal with that thing on his face.
The insect turned and began to glow again.
'Uh oh'
Noah pushed off the wall, the Skad racing downwards to miss him by mere inches. He gasped for air as he did, a torrent of shower water splashing in his mouth. Noah coughed hard and swirled around, the Skad now situated on the floor, its front legs rising,
"Hsssthh!"
Noah shook his head, as the hissing sound from the insect made goosebumps crawl up and down his spine. Although Noah was scared shitless, he was no idiot, and he guessed that if that thing managed to stab him with its tail he would be in deep trouble. No matter how you looked at the creature, the thing was not of Earth. That coupled with the fact he could inspect like an RPG, he definitely assumed it was alien.
If this was a dream, Noah silently prayed he would wake up, but as the green translucent energy spread across the bug once again, Noah frowned. There was no way he could track it while it lunged, since the damned thing was practically a blur to him. His mind raced as he glanced around. He flinched as a droplet if water hit his eye. Then, he configured a plan rather quickly. Actually, he had created two in a matter of seconds. Noah grinned wholeheartedly.
It going to leap again, faster than what Noah could even truly register, but he had banked on the fact it could do that. So in the instant he guessed the ability activated, he side stepped.
The Skad was slammed back against the floor as a hail of warm water hit it directly, a hiss of what seemed like pain cut off by the magnitude of water. Noah ducked down and lunged for the water valve, turning it to full throttle while turning a second one just to its side.
Now, the water began to create steam as the once calm shower head kicked into full gear, an explosion of water smacking the Skad once again. It squealed and tried to crawl away but the sheer amount and temperature was too much.
Noah stayed crouch, his heart racing and his eyes glued to the creature as it tried its best to escape. He calmed himself, scooting back to avoid the hot water. Although everything was a little unhinged at the moment, Noah rose an eyebrow,
'Why can they get this hot anyways, this doesn't seem safe at all?'
He shook the question away and watched blissfully as the Skad was now flat against the floor, its black skin turning grey as the heat cooked it alive. The insect's tail spasmed a few times before going erect. After a few more seconds, it finally went limp.
---
-/////-
2XP gained.
-/////-
Congratulations! You have defeated your first Monster in World 1. You have met the requirements to choose a class and can now allocate your Free (AP).
---
Noah breathed heavily as he shut the water off, his mind reading over the notifications in his head.
---
Congratulations! You are Level 1. "Although your journey has just begun, you are gifted for your efforts."
You have been gifted -nine- extra Attribute Points.
---
Noah sat down then and there, his naked body still lathered in soap bubbles as he closed his eyes. Everything crashed down on his consciousness, and for a minute or two he just stayed where he was.
'Okay Noah, things have happened, some bad and some possibly good. This is bizarre yes, and it's clearly not a dream. Think, what do you do next? Your phone! Yes charge it, get dressed and see if the internet has a clue, if it's happening to me then the possibility of it happening to another is likely. Don't freak out, you yourself knows it doesn't help. Although, let's not get excited, I may be drugged at the moment. Okay good, I got this."
Noah nodded to himself, standing up to secure his plan. As he did, he thumped his head on the shower head, a surge of pain crackling over him. If he wasn't a little panicked at the moment, he could of sworn he had literally hit the same spot again and again. If he didn't have a concussion before, he probably had it now.
'After the plan, find a helmet, it seems head injuries are more frequent than alien bugs."
As Noah dried himself, he still thought back to his notifications, which he could scroll through in his head. It was weird, well very weird, but it was the only clue he had to why he was attacked. If he hadn't acted out instead of standing in fear, he probably could of died. Also if the same incident happened to any one else, could they survive? Noah was a little different, as most things didn't really faze him or again, make him freak out.
But if it was Star, or even Leo, could they kill it too. Noah dropped the towel on his hamper and stepped out of the bathroom. Honestly now that he thought back to his classmates, he had a small tint of worry on his face. Of course they weren't his friends or anything, but they were as close as Noah was going to get. Maybe if he ventured out he could find them.
'No, don't be an idiot. This isn't the apocalypse, there would be more...'
Noah waited in silence,
'Well there would be more noise.'
He was listening as he made his way to the entrance of his apartment, trying to pick up any semblance of of where another Skad could appear. Actually, had the thing even made noise besides hissing. Noah frowned like usual, casting a wide gaze across everything and anything. He had gotten lucky that he was in the shower, if not he might of been stung, and who knew what that could of spelled for him.
Right now, he needed his clothes on, because if more of those things showed up he would like certain places to not be stung. He especially would like to have his grey sneakers, it would make killing Skad easier.
Noah grunted as he cautiously slipped his Green High uniform on, he would hate to be attacked while he was getting dressed.
'Well who's to say there are more of them? I might encounter something new, something that wasn't level 0. What if a high level just waltz in here and killed me? Wait, do I respawn? How game like am I?'
Noah was at a lost, yeah he could not freak out and weigh his options, but honestly his plan was fragile and could fall apart any minute. The lights to his apartment were on, but what if the cell towers weren't. If the internet was gone, he was out of luck, and he knew only the immediate area of Sunset City. There was also the question of how long would the power be on. That was a question that made Noah stop standing, and he made quick strides back to his room.
His smartphone was on his desk were he left it, along with some pieces of his monitor. Noah's heart pinged as he saw the scraps, sighing pain as he turned to leave. But, he wasn't dumb enough to not look under his desk. There, his Ryzen 9, GTX 2080, 64Gb ram, 2 terabytes ssd, and 2 terabytes hd looked back at him. He smiled for a second to see it was still on a small stool, beautiful as ever, blue fans spinning in his NZXT case.
He sparred a few details from it but decided that he had no time to spare. He grabbed his charger and raced to the far side of the living room. At the wall, an outlet was still holding on to a power strip, albeit strained and suspended in air as the tv held it in place. Noah yanked away the plug, slamming his charger in its place. Behind him, his tv leaned forward and fell, a loud boom echoing through the apartment.
"Damn, that one hurt." He said as he plugged his phone in. He checked his tv, only to see that no scratches were present. Noah thanked SONY and moved on. Finding himself in the kitchen, Noah opened few drawers. As he was going through his plan he added a few parts. First off he wasn't going to stay in his room, if something came in he would be cornered to fight in the small space. Secondly, he needed a weapon, especially if something other than a Skad showed up. However, that was also assuming that creatures were now everywhere in his complex. Although, at the very least he just needed a weapon. Noah made the counter to his argument that maybe whatever was going on had just began, as what the screen mentioned was something about World 1. Again, whatever that meant, which had only gave Noah the slightest clue.
He scoffed as he found a long kitchen knife. He wasn't even sure what it was used for, as he usually just ordered food or ate at school. Of course, he occasionally made eggs and grilled-cheese sandwiches to appease his inner chef. Well, a pathetic excuse for one.
Noah placed the knife against his side belt loop, the pressure from the leather belt he was wearing keeping it in place. He didn't like the idea of working while holding the blade, so it was better put away. Noah bit his lip as he grabbed all his ramen, granola bars, and mac and cheese, placing it on the island. He noticed his stomach growl, but he put getting ready above that.
'Hey, if this is all some big joke than all I lost was a few screws, at least it's not my life.'
Noah ventured to the bathroom, while he disliked the idea, he needed a few things. He grabbed all the medicine from behind the mirror and grabbed a container of bleach. He sauntered back and placed it all on the counter also.
Now, he raced to get his backpack. Only upon grabbing it he understood he could only fit a few important things in there. Noah cared little about his looks, but accessories like watches, nice backpacks, and other knickknacks had his fancy. He chided himself for it, realizing if he had gotten a big backpack like the athletic students he would be set. Instead he was stuck with a leather satchel with grey accents. A long adjustable leather strap slung across his shoulder. He guessed if things went bad he would look somewhat good doing it.
Then the power went out.
Noah's eyes bulged and he dropped his thoughts and sprinted to the living room. Gathering his phone in his hands, he tapped the screen. It blinked to life, and he glared at the top right corner.
He only had one percent.
Noah gritted his teeth, "Change of plans." He was a little mad at himself for expecting to much from the situation, luck was apparently not something he could rely on. He opened his smartphone and clicked twice with precision. Without a second to spare he put it to his ear.
"The person you are trying to reach is unavailable at this time pl-" the robotic voice was cut off.
Noah's features went dark as he saw the phone go black. For a moment his demeanor seem to crack, but his cold calm gaze came back.
He had gotten three answers. One, the power was out, so whatever was happening had already effected other places, most likely all of Sunset City. If this was a prank or some sort, he planned on playing along, at least then the surprise would merit a few laughs from anyone watching through hidden cameras. The other answer was that the internet was not down, he had called his Mother, since he knew deep down she would answer right away. Noah also knew the if the internet was down he wouldn't have been able to call in the first place. He had come from a rural area, so he had found himself in dead spots before. Lastly, his third answer was that he had to assume his Mother was dead.
She would of answered, he was so sure. There was also the fact she didn't understand a phone enough to put it on do no disturb.
Noah sighed and tossed his phone in his backpack, snatching up the charger and doing the same. Then he made his way over to the counter, tossing in the essentials he could fit. Noah was thankful at the very least he could still see, the door being slightly ajar letting in sunlight. Although a good amount of the apartment was dark.
Wait. When did he open the door?
There was two sounds that filled the air. The first was the most sickening laughter Noah had ever heard, and secondly was the sound of metal meeting his collarbone. Noah collapsed to the floor, a wave of unknown sensations racing up and down his entire body.
-/////-
Warning! You are below 10% Health
You are -bleeding-
Duration: 5 minutes
-/////-