Shock hit me instantly while I held Sylvie's hand and motioned for her to be quiet as we started creeping along the wall.
'Lvl. 6. Wow. That's real fucking great. 2 whole levels above me. What am I supposed to do with that.'
It was an honest question that needed to be answered between the time we snuck upon it and now. The only solid part being that I definitely wanted to land the first hit, cleanly and as a surprise. The sneaking part was going well as the skeleton was thankfully turned away from us. I gradually let go of Sylvie's hand, going for the makeshift sickle instead. Gripping it with both hands tightly I continued to advance, and before I could register it I was directly behind the skeleton. Cracks ran throughout its body, looking like the crowd had done a number on it before I got there. Apparently not enough though. As I swung my weapon down and made contact with its skull reverberating waves of sound were heard from my 'blade', the aftermath of the attack only a chip in the skull of my enemy.
'Shit.'
It whipped around and regarded my presence, seeming to be thinking of the best way to return the favor with empty eye sockets that seemed to radiate a flux between apathy and a cruel hatred.
"Clack, Clack! Clack, Clack, Clack!" it suddenly moved its jaw as if talking waving its arms flamboyantly and seeming to look into the sky.
"What?" Of course my question was swiftly ignored. It continued on as if telling an unintelligible story slowly walking around and gesturing with it body. 'Is it... Monologuing!?!' A new sort of fear arose in my heart. 'If I'm being monologued to now doesn't that mean this will be a my first real life or death moment where I, as the hero, will inevitably rise to the challenge and see an explosive increase in the power I wield?'
"Stay back skeleton! Or I'll be forced to use my true power on you!"
That got it's attention, the annoyance somehow clear on its skeletal face.
"Clack, Clack?"
"Exactly."
"Clack Clack Clack, Clack?"
"Mhmm."
"Clack."
*Ding*
And it turned around and left, as if nothing happened at all. Sylvie looked at me as if I'd just eaten a poisonous plant and continued on with my day.
"What was that?" was the question I got.
"A quick chat with an apology."
"But how?"
"Intuition, and a new skill I think ."
"You are just, wow, just wow. A monster chatting person is my boyfriend."
"Yep."
With that we started to make our way out of the exit again.
"I don't think the zombies will really want to talk that much though Sylv, they haven't exactly been willing to chat lately."
"And everybody else is?"
We kept talking as we slowly extricated ourselves from the school, quieting when needed and moving fast whenever possible to dodge around the perceptions of the the zombs. All in all it still took a good 15 minutes to get out of the school grounds following the walkway. In the end we got there though.
"So where to now? Mine, yours, or some random place on the street?" Was the question I got from a impatient Sylvie, but I was too stunned by the sight in front of me to really respond. Three steps out of the gate the world seemed to have been completely reconfigured. Cracks in the roads were glowing, trees and other plants seemed larger, and random monsters scurried around. Some clouds were more golden than white and was that... A DRAGON!
'Phew, I need to calm down. This is the new world, a land of fantasy and magic. A land waiting for a cool new King and his hot new Queen.'
"What'd you say babe?" Of course now was my turn to be ignored, as Sylv finally started to look around. 'Not listening right now' is what the quick glance over to me stated. So I left her to her observation and started to go forward and NOT investigate any of this new normal for nature very closely. I don't want to die, not to some glowing carnivorous piranha plant.
'Well time to get to it I guess.' was all I thought as I walked across the yard, very stealthily of course. I was definitely, like, space ninja levels of stealth. In all seriousness it was time to hopefully find some of the others and a place to stay for the night though.
*****
It was a while before we decided my place was a good destination despite the obstacles that would show up while getting there. It was, first of all, familiar enough to me. Secondly, I've always been a little bit of prepper. I also just really wanted to go to my place. So we started our trek.
A breeze was blowing in my hair and strange new scents were arrayed around us. Some of the modern buildings were overgrown already by plants and other sections of civilization seemed untouched. A whole kaleidoscope of terrains seemed to be the result of this whole transition phase.
'I wonder if I can really hold onto Sylvie, we kind of just latched onto each other in the heat of it all. Can I really survive in a world like this? Why am I specced to be a leader for a few paltry efforts in the beginning?'
Thoughts spun through my head on the otherwise silent walk. The world had changed and I needed to process it. All the bravado and the actual real confidence and surety that I felt in the actual impending doom of humanity was worrying. Anxiety was doing its job of slowly crushing all that though. So I talked for the first time since a destination was selected.
"Hey Slyv, we're gonna be alright, right?
"YEA... I mean, yeah!"
"Nice."
I didn't really know what else to say. Sylv was putting on a brave front. So I should. That's just the way life works sometimes. The unexpected hug helped with dealing with it along the way.