January 17th, 2022
***
The drive was an all-night experience confined in the seats of a 2020 Toyota Yaris; a nice car — compact and efficient. Brent was situated as the driver with Rio riding shotgun, leaving Reed, Koga, and Richter to share the backseat.
"Seems you've done pretty well for yourself, Brent," Richter said, shoving his elbow against Reed's stocky frame in the center.
He nodded, letting the hum of the engine fill the tired silence. The sun started to crest against the backdrop of Tokyo as they neared the city limits, filling in the details of the city with light like colors in a sketch.
"I may not have won any golds, but I earned enough to have a good standard of living," Brent murmured.
There was a subtle undercurrent to the inflection of his voice - a chip on his shoulder - like the frustrations and insecurity of being eternally second-best were leaking out. Richter felt an instinctive need to try and comfort him like a mother would to their newborn, but he resisted.
Maybe he just felt bad about it. Or he wanted to atone. Because in Swordsmanship, Richter was the one responsible for creating those chips among both competitors and disciples alike.
The drive was quiet aside from the occasional stop to push rubble out of the way. Major roadways were in decent condition, with most damage concentrated near the towns and cities they drove through.
He and Rio had put their differences aside for the moment. And if everything went according to plan, he'd be off the planet by the end of this excursion. The scroll gifted by Drek and Stel was still crumpled in his back pocket.
He just needed enough experience for six levels, and he'd rip it.
He decided to store the Jade Staff at his dojo before they left, but he didn't expect it to be there when he returned. Especially if the home intruder made a return like they said.
But his other options weren't great either. Give it to Rio so she can take the heat? He'd have to convince her first. And she'd know he was up to something.
Her fingers drummed against the console as the high-rise apartments came into view first. One in particular had been gutted like a fish, with the steel frame exposed and beams jutting out at awkward angles.
The damage was on a scale similar to Kagawa but spread over a much larger area. So it appeared in better condition overall. An optimism not shared by the residents based on their downtrodden looks.
They rode through narrow streets along the outskirts, passing more and more people milling about. Some were more interested in their Toyota than them, and Rio had to rest her hand on Brent's shoulder to calm him down.
Another hour and they encountered blockades and signs of scuffles. There were potholes and tears in the asphalt, with dried blood of assorted colors, all mixed together in an unpleasant, chemical smell.
"Looks like we're in the right place." Brent voiced the sentiments of the five as they shuffled out. "I'll stay behind to watch the car. I'm not that interested in the XP anyway."
Richter fixed a critical eye on him as if asking why he came in the first place. But the man was more focused on the vehicle, with his arms crossed and his back against the driver-side door.
"Take care, Brent."
Richter turned to the other three in the middle of stretching.
"I'm going on my own. You three can figure something out."
[Mana Surge - 15%]
He vaulted over the obstructions, spreading out his Sense to cover as wide an area as he could without strain.
"Damn. So that's how you want to play." Rio pulled out her staff and riled up her mana, casting a marker on a rooftop in sight.
[Teleport]
"They just...left us."
"Precisely."
Reed grunted, muttering curses under his breath.
"Don't worry, Tokyo is too big for two people to monopolize. Besides, I bet there are locals trying the same thing." Koga pulled up a map of the city he had on his phone. "Let's head toward the Imperial Palace. I need a wide open space to let loose."
"You mean, you're finally gonna show your skills?"
Koga's lips morphed into a grin, "Yes, I think I can. I decided during the drive to gamble the points I've been saving into Constitution. I just hope it works."
[Double Strength]
Reed's body swelled and contorted as the muscles in his body rearranged. He pulled the shield and axe off of his back, armed in his left and right hands respectively.
"Let's do this."
***
['Goblin Level 14' killed. 0 copper awarded. 0% XP awarded]
['Elite Goblin Level 13' killed. 5 copper...
'Damn, not good enough.'
Richter flicked his blade, ridding the edge of coagulated blood. It had been forty-five minutes since he separated, and most of it was wasted on monsters that couldn't give him any experience. The last ten was when his mind shifted focus, stemming from a trail littered with remains of the residents who lived here. The trail led deeper, past a few more layers of blockade, toward a set of housing and rental properties.
Each layer of protection was more hastily assembled than the last, showing their struggles as they tried to contain whatever broke through again and again.
Large chunks were absent from the bodies on the ground, some in a ripped fashion and others with teeth marks. Entire abdomens, torso, pelvises, and portions of appendages were missing, not scattered around but just gone - presumably consumed.
Richter continued to track the trail. It wasn't hard, he just had to follow his nose. He stalked closer and closer until he came upon a small townhouse coated in a dark fog.
The windows were pitch black, preventing him from seeing or Sensing through them. But the hairs on his neck stood up as if something was watching or waiting. He held his breath and pushed through, stepping over a body as the front door creaked open with a light touch of his hand. The first thing that hit him was a foul, rotten stench that made his eyes water. The second was the wet squelch his shoe made — the floor was soaked and slippery.
Sunlight barely made a difference, drawing attention to the scratch marks, broken paintings and personal belongings in disrepair along the foyer. There was a shattered aquarium, picture frames of the parents and their son, and other images showing fish Richter didn't know.
So what did this? And where was it now?
A flicker of light caught his eye, drawing him to an old-fashioned lightbulb hanging from the living room ceiling.
He ventured past the mess and to the left, scanning the living room top to bottom. His Sense didn't pick up anything, but even that didn't make Richter feel better. He reached up to tighten the bulb, hoping it would stay on and give him some more visibility. His fingers wrapped around the cold bulb and started to twist.
But it didn't twist. Not to the right. And not to the left. And why was it cold to the touch?
His instincts were a second too late to warn him.
[Mana Surge - 35%]
He leaped back, crashing through the outside wall of the living room and rolling to a stop in the street. He was missing his pointer, middle, and index fingers on his right hand. But it's only because he moved fast that it wasn't worse. He cut off part of his shirt and bandaged the injury, locking his eyes on the front door. He swapped his katana to his left hand.
Moments later; a sickly, blue humanoid figure - hunched over and quivering - stumbled out of the entryway, moving and contorting like a puppet on strings. The 'lightbulb' he thought he touched was actually a small sphere attached to the creature's head through a thin skin tube. Even now, it flickered, almost as if to taunt him.
"D-d-don't...get back..." It gargled the letters, spitting them out in a messy, broken language.
But it wasn't alone. Another, and then another, and on and on until there were nine huddled out front.
Richter couldn't get the bad feeling out of his chest.
[Chain Cast: Sunder (20%) --> Mana Surge (40%)]
He downed a Mana Potion and quickly bought two more from the store as the explosive hit the front of the crowd. The first four barely reacted, taking the blast head-on; their bodies blown apart like tissue paper. The remaining five were much more agile and lively, spreading out around him with surprising speed.
XP notifications rang in his ears, offering a small bit of joy. At least the four were confirmed dead.
The other five stayed back. Their eyes scanned his body, taking in every detail as their mana started to vibrate beneath the skin. All five went through instantaneous changes, creating small floods of water from their orifices and shedding their blue tints in exchange for a tanned, muscular body.
They sprouted short, spiky brown hair that trailed down to their eyebrows and each one grew several inches equipped with a katana that materialized at their waists. Five pairs of hazel eyes stared back at him.
"What are you?"
"We're Richter," they replied in chorus. The tone and inflection were spot-on.
Richter stared down five copies of himself that were nearly perfect in every way. Be it through sight or Sense he couldn't tell a difference. They circulated mana the same way, had the same looks, flashed the same smile, and carried the same demeanor. The only thing that tipped him off was that they didn't possess a Sense like he did.
The five Richters drew their swords in sync and rushed him.
[Sunder - 10%]
The floating orb provided a soft barrier between direct assault, allowing him to control the angle they approached.
Though the fakes would take inspiration from his display.
[Sunder x3 - 10%]
Two of the orbs exploded immediately, blasting their casters several feet back, cracking against the foundation of the townhouse. The third was talented enough to maintain the connection, and true to form, sent the sphere hurtling toward Richter with a perfect hit. The fourth and fifth flanked him on the left and right side, with the sphere splitting the difference down the middle, aiming for his own Sunder suspended in the air.
Richter took a deep breath, sheathed his sword, and focused a dense burst of mana in the muscles and tendons in his arms.
[Shikigami Sword Style: Draw - 40%]
Richter's sword arced across the front of his body in the time it took to blink, slicing through the ribs of one fake, followed by Sunder, then the other fake. Four halves cascaded around him while the propellent caught the spark from the katana, sent forth through force. The red jet of flame eroded the outside of the incoming Sunder, bursting it several feet out. The remaining fire engulfed the fake.
Listening to his own screams of pain made him queasy, and he fought the urge to vomit. But there were still two left — the ones who messed up Sunder. The two injured fakes made eye contact with one another in tacit agreement. By Utilizing Richter's incredible mana control, they pooled their mana together, creating one large mana circuit in a way he'd never seen before. But Richter could guess what they were up to. His feet carried him away before he could finish the thought.
[Sunder - ???]
The massive Sunder, larger than he'd ever made before, appeared under the combined efforts of the two fakes. The last of their focus allowed it to form, floating briefly before taking its toll on the casters. They passed out, letting the bombshell descend to the ground.
The explosion was so intense it carried for a square mile, shaking the ground and the surrounding property. The shockwave obliterated the townhouse behind them. Richter's ears burst from the pressure, as did several of his veins and ribs. He was temporarily blinded and concussed, even with the distance he made and the cover he took behind a thick wall of a convenience store.
He downed a Healing Potion he bought and sat for a moment, letting the soothing liquid fix him back up to one hundred percent. Only bits and pieces of the two fakes were left.
But there was no third. His blood ran cold as he tore through the rubble, but no matter how hard he looked; he couldn't find a trace of the fake that he caught on fire.
Maybe it died from the pressure wave? Maybe it burnt to death? But he couldn't shake the dread in his heart.
He believed and was almost certain, that there was another Richter Maier on the loose.
***