Oaths to Keep Pt. 08

Authors Disclaimer.

All characters are 18+ years old.

If you have made it this far, you probably already know largely what to expect, and if you are a first time reader jumping into the middle of a story like this, clearly you must like surprises, so am I to spoil that for you.

You have seen the category and the tags, or you have chosen not to.

Either way, I hope you enjoy.

More is on the way, so if you like this chapter, stay tuned for more.

Chapter 8

"Are you sure it is a trap, I can't see anything?" Amber asked, peering around, searching for any threats I might have missed.

"This much gold, not even as a loot drop, but where someone might have theoretically snuck in and stolen it without a fight, surely means something is wrong. I just know it!" I replied, even as I too could not see any threats.

"So what, we just leave it?" Amber asked, incredulously.

"What? NO! Of course not! Compared to what we got last time, this is an absolute fortune, there is no way I am leaving it behind."

"Yeah, I want it too. But what about the trap?"

"I think I might have an idea, but it will involve you get naked..." I said, winking at her, before proceeding to explain.

-X-X-X-

"Are you sure this is necessary?" Amber asked, doubt painted on her face, looking almost shy for once.

She was glorious in her near nakedness, and as far as I was concerned, she had nothing to be shy about.

Her perfectly fit 5'4" body, delicious B-cup breasts with pink nipples that were hardening against the chill air, and not a wisp of hair on her body below her eyebrows.

Her hair golden and thick, her sapphire eyes and her skin so very lightly tanned.

Perfect in every way.

She was not quite naked, wearing her badger cloak, choker, bracers and ring, but those just made her look even more like a sexy barbarian, and I could feel my cock stirring from its slumber, the greedy beast that it was.

Later, little buddy, later, I thought, as I tried to focus on the task at hand.

"Yeah, I have to carry your stuff, since you can't transform with it, and if things go as I expect, you are very much going to be our get-away vehicle. With your Sprint skill, you are our fastest option, even carrying me. If that is not enough, I can hop off, and try running through a few walls to break contact."

Or at least to pull whatever was following us away from Amber, but I chose to leave out that part.

"Now quit stalling, and get ready! Leave the bag next to you, so I can grab it when I hop on." I said, handing her the backpack full of her stuff, with her armor strapped haphazardly to it.

I was not entirely certain it would stay attached, but replacing it would be simple enough.

When she took the backpack, I stepped in for a quick embrace, and before I stepped away I couldn't help myself.

With a swift motion, I slid my fingers between her thighs and along her still glistening slit, then transferred the finger to my mouth, enjoying the rush the taste of her always gave me.

"Keeping the engine warm, I see. That's a dedicated get-away driver, if ever I met one!" I said, giving her a wink.

"Smart ass, you are going to pay for that later, with interest." she stated ominously, but couldn't quite contain her smirk.

With the dark mood broken, she visibly steeled her nerves, and hefted the backpack over her shoulders.

"I still don't see why I couldn't wait to undress until I was down on the street..." Amber grumbled, but turned to climb through the window.

Oops. I guess there really was no reason she couldn't have.

"Well, in case it is a terrible trap, I needed to get one last taste of your sexy body before I die horribly." I suggested in jest.

"If I get rope burns on my pussy, I am going to hold you responsible, mister!" Amber told me, as she shot me a final dirty look, but I could tell she was worried.

I was worried too. But the way I saw it, the risk of NOT claiming every advantage we could find, in the name of safety, would have us lag behind more and more, until the monsters grew too strong, and all we could do was hide until we were found and killed.

With Amber on her way, I took a few moments to steady my breath, before going to loot our kills.

While it would probably have been safe enough to do so with Amber present, I figured there was no reason to risk it. If looting the undead secretary and the dentist did set up the trap, I would have felt really stupid. So, I had decided to wait until she was safely out of sight.

Besides, the dead spirits did light up the place quite a bit with their leaked ectoplasm, and I knew that would vanish when I looted them.

So, steeling my nerves I went about the plan.

First I did my best to cover our point of entry, not only closing the window back up, but also piling up boxes in the window sill.

Next I listened by the steel door by the stairwell for a minute or two, before daring to crack it open. It was dented in places, where the zombies had been beating on it, but thankfully they seemed to have lost interest and wandered off.

Without any direct leadership from the specter, I figured they were likely wandering around mindlessly, possibly even spilling into the streets, if they accidentally managed to open a door to the outside, somehow.

A piece of wood that had been part of some of the furniture that got destroyed in the fight, got turned into a makeshift wedge to hold the door open for me, once I was sure there were no zombies about.

With my route prepared, there was no more point procrastinating.

First I looted the secretary, figuring odds were low that would trigger anything.

As I touched her, willing the System to give me the loot, she turned into motes of light, and I found myself holding a surprisingly nice amount of coin, a bottle of glowing ectoplasm, like the dentist had dropped last time. More importantly, I was holding a small ring, gold and a silvery metal like two parallel bands, seven small black gems set where the bands met in front.

Calling up the System data, I found it was called 'Spectral Band of the Cold Heart', and offered a nice +2 to wisdom, and gave unarmed attacks a cold effect that could add a debuff that slowed and did a bit of cold damage. Ten seconds of a five percent slow. Not amazing by itself, and limited due to the need for it being unarmed attacks. Also, the ring was listed as having a level requirement of level 9, so sadly not all that useful right now.

The bottle of ectoplasm on the other hand, seemed more immediately useful, as the glow it provided was almost on par with what the chemical break-lights would have provided, had the System not turned them into dangerous garbage.

While not exactly a blinding lightsource, it would probably be enough of a difference between me having to stumble around in the darkness, or actually going where I wanted.

Still a bit disappointed that the specter had not provided me with something that could give me an edge right now, I proceeded to loot the glowing remains of the dentist next, causing her glowing ectoplasmic remains to fade into nothing, leaving me with only the light from my bottled ectoplasm, and what little light the few tea-lights I had set out could provide.

Again, I was awarded with a surprisingly nice chunk of coins, several of which were golden, enough to make me suspect that with how our loot had been all day, that perhaps there was some System shenanigans going on. Was the System tweaking loot upwards to lure more people out of their hiding places, or was today something special?

With no way to know, I checked out the rest of the loot.

Another vial of ectoplasm, a handful of odd crystals, one of which seemed to have flecks of pale moonlight trapped inside.

Finally, a pop-up like before, offering me a choice of items.

[Epic Loot awarded! You have killed a mob at least three times your own level, earning you extra loot. Choose between the options below!]

The options were something called the Shroud of the Immaterial and another Poltergeist Ring.

I glanced briefly at the stats of both, and the shroud was definitely tempting.

It would allow me blend into shadows, increasing my stealth greatly, and gave a small chance to go spontaneously immaterial when attacked with a non-magical attack. It came with a warning that it would be less effective in direct sunlight.

The ring was as I recalled it, but when I glanced at it, there was a bit added.

[Wearing an additional Poltergeist Ring will double the time the powers of the rings can be used, and doubles the telekinetic strength of the wearer.]

Keeping an eye out for anything sneaking up on me, I took a moment to consider my options.

The Shroud would definitely come in handy, letting me better keep up with Amber while sneaking, and the ability to perhaps ignore a potentially mortal wound was almost too good.

But thinking about it, it felt like a trap.

Stealth I could level up by using it, and coming to rely on a small chance to ignore an attack could lure me into taking chances I shouldn't have. Besides, I figured more and more things would have magic as the System progressed in this new world. So, in that way the shroud might give a nice benefit right now, but would grow irrelevant over time.

The ring, on the other hand, might seem like the boring option, just giving me more of the same.

But I sensed there was a seam there, an advantage that could be exploited in the future, possibly leading to some really broken options in the future.

Even in the shorter term, being able to abuse my new Fling power twice as often and with twice the power, was already a nice boost of my power, and being able to go intangible had been a great boon already, so having twice as much of that was going to be invaluable.

My mind made up, I picked the ring, and watched the option of the shroud fade away. I would have looked silly anyway, walking around with an actual shroud over my head.

I shoved the ring on my left index finger, and felt it adjust to a comfortable fit, then the odd sensation of my mind speeding up slightly caused me to brace myself against the wall for a moment, until the slight vertigo settled.

Wearing both rings, my intelligence was now up to an effective total of 24, up by ten from when the System had come online, well beyond the theoretical pre-System maximum of 18. Sadly it did not mean I got any better ideas, or that I suddenly knew quantum mechanics, but the extra mana was useful, and the advantage it gave me in combat, letting me experience the actions of less intelligent foes as if in slow motion, was huge. As far as I knew, getting it up just one more measly point would give me a nice reduction in mana cost on my spells, so that was definitely something I was going to prioritize.

Wisdom was up to a respectable, if still human 14, meaning I would now regenerate 42 mana per hour, before meditation. I had not prioritized wisdom before, figuring I would either do enough burst damage to finish a fight fast, or run away, but lately I was beginning to appreciate it more.

There was simply too much to do every day, for me to have to spend hours and hours recovering my mana, so even without the benefit of added magic resistance, it was definitely nice to have more. I would like to say I wanted to prioritize that stat too, but making everything your first priority just meant that nothing was.

I felt my mind stabilize once more, having fully adjusted to the boost, and with a deep breath I brought myself back on task.

With my main source of light now being the two vials of ectoplasm, I took a moment to fix them to my jacket with a bit of duct tape. Not the most elegant solution, but it would do for now, and would leave my hands free.

I stood just outside the threshold of the door to the little workshop, admiring the gleam of the gold and silver piled up on the counter in the far corner.

I could almost feel the treasure tugging on me, longing for a new owner to claim it. The sensation made me think that perhaps there was some sort of enchantment to lure in the unwary, but the simpler explanation was that it was probably just my own greed talking. The thought of all the good Amber and I could do with that kind of money, almost made me salivate.

Exercising a bit of restraint and self control, I pulled my eyes away from the tempting treasure, reminding myself it was most likely bait in a trap.

Taking several minutes to carefully look at everything, I could see no obvious triggers to any physical trap, nor did I notice any hiding place for something to wait in ambush.

I didn't really expect the latter, as any remaining monster on this floor would likely be weaker than the dentist, so putting it in charge of guarding the treasure would not make a lot of sense.

Unable to locate any physical traps or triggers, I resorted to the tried and true method of poking around.

Using the goblin staff like an oversized cane, I prodded the floor, the ceiling, the shelves and machines, anything I could reach without actually entering the room, but nothing happened.

"Fine. Be that way!" I muttered, as i put the magic staff on my back once more.

Drawing a deep breath, then holding it as if I was about to dive into a pool, I took a step inside the room.

Nothing.

I almost WANTED there to be something. A sensation of malicious magic, a hidden trap being sprung, anything, but I was starting to think that perhaps there was no trap to spring.

The room was certainly too small for an Indiana Jones inspired boulder trap to come rolling at me, once I grabbed my prize.

Maybe if it was a very very tiny boulder hidden inside the air vent, but then it would only really be a threat to smurfs or pixies. The vents, unlike those in movies, were definitely too small for a person, let alone anything else that might be a serious threat.

Just in case, I made sure not to stand in the direct line of fire from the nearby vent, but almost chuckled to myself at the thought of a tiny smurf marksman lying in ambush with an equally tiny rifle.

Sparing a smile for the thought, I put my open backpack right up against the edge of the table where the loot awaited.

As if checking for static electricity, I touched the edge of the table for the briefest instant, but nothing zapped me, nothing at all happened, and at this point I was starting to suspect I had been entirely too paranoid.

Perhaps today was just some sort of 'Get Fat Loot Day', secretly implemented by the System. We had certainly been lucky with the drops all day, so perhaps, just perhaps, there was nothing to worry about after all.

Even telling me that, my pulse was pounding in my ears, as I finally steeled my nerves, and holding the backpack against the table, I swept the pile of bullion and coins into the bag.

It was heavier than you would think, and I was a bit worried the bag might actually not be able to hold the weight, but I was still too afraid of lurking dangers to spend any time being careful or move less valuable stuff to the side.

When even more nothing happened as I swept everything into the bag, I took a moment to close the zipper properly, but even as I did, I started to hear something.

A rattling sound, like a handful of ball bearings being tossed down a drainpipe. Don't ask how I know that sound, it was for a science project.

Clutching the backpack to my chest, I looked around in panic.

I wanted to just bolt, but the trick about giving in to panic, is first make sure which way the danger is, so you run away from it, instead of right into its arms.

The air duct!

It was rattling and shaking, dust starting to pour from it.

No. Not dust. Mist.

I held my breath, ducked low, and started to run out the way I had come.

Even as I started to move, I saw tiny shapes appearing, no, starting to form inside the mist.

Bats.

There was no way they could have fit through the grill on the vent.

They shrieked and fluttered around angrily, but did not seem focused on me yet.

Rather than wait for them to change their mind, I bolted. Having something specific to run away from, there was no reason to stand around and wait to find out in what way this was going to turn bad.

I did have an inkling, of course. Mist turning into bats. I would have expected just a single bat, but it was still right on track for one thing.

Mist bats!

Nah, just kidding, with the undead theme, this could only be a vampire.

I was a little bit relieved, having feared the final boss might be a lich, but even with it being JUST a vampire, I already knew it would be a lot stronger than the dentist.

As I ran out, I spared a glance over my shoulder.

The small room was rapidly filling up with mists and bats, but the mist seemed to be thinning, even as the number of bats seemed to climb. Whatever process was going on, it seemed like it was almost over.

Activating my Appraise Enemies skill before turning the corner, I was rewarded by a bit of information.

'Michael Goldstein, Senior Dentist and Clinic Owner. Vampire level 20.'

Yeah, I was not going to fight that anytime soon!

I ran awkwardly down the hall, clutching my backpack while trying not to block the dim light from my vials, doing my best to stay on course, while also glancing over my shoulder to keep an eye on my new enemy.

The mass of bats exploded from the open door, and started to rush towards me. Right now, I would have traded it for that Indiana Jones boulder in a heartbeat, but sadly that was not up to me.

As the bats bore down on me, I could tell that I would not be able to outrun them. They were much faster, and came down on me like the proverbial bats out of hell. Except a bit more literal in this case.

Fortunately I had not been relying on being able to straight up outrun whatever trap I set off.

As I passed through the heavy steel door that lead to the stairs, I kicked the broom aside that had been wedging it open for me, whirling around to pull it shut behind me. Slamming it shut, almost dropping my grip on the backpack in the process.

Sparing a second to put the backpack on properly, I kicked the wedge I had prepared into place under the door, making it almost impossible to budge.

As I did, I could hear numerous impacts, almost like rocks being thrown at the door, but what was probably bats colliding with it at speed.

Then an odd rumbling noise that shook the door, before it was suddenly silent.

Suddenly the door was rocked in its frame, as something tried to burst it open, but the wedge held, even if it did shift slightly.

"OPEN THE DOOR THIEF, OR I WILL TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!" a voice roared. Intimidating for sure, but frankly I was slightly disappointed there was not even the slightest hint of a Transsylvanian accent.

Having already lingered longer than I needed to, I took a moment to make sure the wedge was back into place, before turning towards the wall next to me.

Focusing my will on the ring, and for a second feeling my focus split between the two identical rings, I was delayed for a second in my transformation, causing me to almost collide with the wall.

"Open the door, child, obey!" The voice spoke, softer, almost gently.

Even as the transformation took hold, I found myself starting to turn to do as the voice had so reasonably suggested.

Realizing I was falling for some sort of mind whammy, I managed to lean back enough that I passed through the slight resistance of the wall, and gravity started to call me into its embrace.

As soon as I passed through the wall, and it was no longer possible for me to obey the voice, I felt the grip on my mind fade, even as the ground was coming up to greet me.

Thanks to my System enhanced intelligence, I managed to do several things at once. I turned back into my tangible flesh and bone form, rather than risk falling into the ground and ending up stuck somehow. Then, flailing my arms, I managed to turn around mid-air like a cat, landing mostly on my feet as I impacted the concrete below.

At least I landed first on my feet, before momentum drove my knee and my elbow into the concrete too, and a lance of pain shot through my arm.

Like I had hit my funny bone.

With a mallet.

Even as I got to my feet, I could hear thundering metallic impacts from somewhere above, no doubt the vampire trying to dislodge the door. From the sound of it, it would not take him much longer, so rather than wait around to find out if he would be able to pick up my trail through the wall, I started to run.

It wasn't far, Amber waited for me just around the corner, hiding naked between a couple of abandoned cars.

"How did it go?" She asked me, as I came to a skidding stop.

"We have to go! Transform!" I half yelled, as I grabbed her bag and slung it over my shoulder.

"I got the loot, but we gotta go. Badass vampire coming!"

"Like in Twillight? Amber asked incredulously, even as she started to shift, her body suddenly darkening and starting to sprout black and white fur, her skin rippling like a sackful of live weasels wrestling over their favorite treat.

Don't ask me how I know what that looks like. It was for a science project.

Uh, no, it just looked strange enough to put strange thoughts into my head. I would never do that to weasels.

With a snarl, Amber threw her head from side to side, even as her new fur filled out with the sheer mass and power of the dire badger she had turned into.

Shooting me a glare with her beady eyes, she threw herself on all four, growling and moving her head suggestively.

"I know, I know, I will make it up to you. Now let's get out of here!"

I jumped on her back, gripping handfuls of fur and held on for dear life, as she burst into motion without any further warning.

In her badger form, she was stronger. Much stronger than in her human form, and like the badgers we had fought, she had significant natural armor.

More importantly, the four legs with the sharp claws on each paw, let her really pour on some speed.

Before I could get used to her current speed, she activated her sprint skill letting her go even faster. Thanks to her System enhanced constitution, she would be able to keep up the sprint longer than even an olympic athlete would have, before the System.

Holding on for dear life, I wished we had had the time to figure out a way to improvise some sort of saddle, as she was going as fast, or faster than a car would have inside of town, and he fur was as slippery as it was soft.

If not for my own System enhanced physique, I would have lost my grip before we got past the first block, and even with it, I found myself struggling. Both to keep my grip, but also to not scream like a teenage girl on a rollercoaster.

Trying to distract myself from the narrow misses of the parked cars, mail boxes and dumpsters that Amber raced between, I tried watching behind us, to see if we were being followed.

Trying to spot bats in the night was probably never going to be the most easy task, but I figured if the vampire had turned into a swarm of bats again, I might be able to at least spot that much.

Not seeing anything did not reassure me as much as perhaps it could have, so giving up on spotting any pursuit, I buried my face in Amber's thick fur, totally in an effort to make us more aerodynamic, and not at all because I kept thinking she was going to crash us straight into something.

A while later, Amber finally slowed down, wheezing for breath as she slowly came to a complete halt.

It was a place we had hidden before, and it offered us good cover from all sides. It was behind a small apartment building that we had ransacked before.

As Amber came to a stop, she pushed off the ground with her front legs, and came up on her rear legs, making me slide off of her.

"Hrfff grrrnghrowl" She stated.

"Yeah, yeah, thanks for the ride." I replied.

"Grrrngh rrf rarr?" Amber asked.

"Yeah, I think we are clear, you can change back now."

"Nhrrrft!" She added, before her form started to ripple and shrink, her fur and excess flesh somehow diminishing and shaping herself back into the smaller and way sexier shape of Amber's human body.

The most unsettling thing about the process, was that when she was almost fully human, her badger items started to somehow form themselves out of her flesh, until they were once more entirely separate.

"How do you do it?" She asked me.

"Do what?"

"Know what I say when I'm a badger?"

"Are you kidding me? You've met my dad. Have you ever heard him speak a complete sentence? He mostly just growled too..."

Amber just rolled her eyes at me, and swatted me on the shoulder.

"Alright then, keep your secrets. Hand over my clothes, mister, the peep show is over."

I was momentarily stunned by the offhand Lord of the Rings remark, even if it was most likely not on purpose.

"You sure you want to get dressed already?" I asked, eyeing her naked body suggestively.

"You are insatiable AND incorrigible. So am I, not gonna lie, but until we KNOW that the vampire is gone, I would rather wait until we are inside someone's home again."

"Why would, umm.. Oh. Yeah, I am not certain that works, or if it works if it is a home with an owner that is no longer around... But it is a great idea. Even if that vampire is level 20 and way out of our league, we might be able to use some of those supposed weaknesses against him. Vampires have ridiculously many of those, compared to other undead, so even if they don't all work, we might be able to find something that does."

Amber nodded, as she continued to put her clothes back on.

"If they are all based on our stories, like you say, then if they have any weakness at all, it should be that one. In True Blood, even when Bill was a god, he could not enter without an invitation..." Amber mused.

"You watched that? I thought you said it was trash?"

"Trashy, yeah, but I just watched it for the sex scenes, so don't go thinking I turned into a nerd while you were gone!" Amber admonished me, as she wrangled the final straps on her armor. I tried giving her a hand, but she waved me off, clearly wanting to get better at putting it on herself.

"I wouldn't dream of it. I am just happy you watched anything like that, because these days knowledge like that might literally save our lives."

"So... what did you get?" Amber inquired, giving my heavy backpack a poke with her finger.

"All of it." I deadpanned.

"ALL of it?"

"Well, I might have dropped a few things on the floor, when I swept what I could into the backpack, and I didn't feel like scrambling around on the floor picking up pennies, when Dracula was about to chew on my ass. But yeah, pretty much all of it."

"Let me see!" She demanded.

Her face lit up like a christmas tree, when I opened up the backpack and showed her the loot, the gold and silver twinkling in the dim light of the ectoplasm vials that I had tossed on top as we made good our escape.

"Holy... that's a lot!" Amber gasped.

"Yeah, and a nice chunk of it is gold. I think it is worth significantly more than what we brought to the kiosk last time."

"Is this gold?" Amber asked, lifting up what did indeed look like a small brick of yellow metal.

"I do believe it is. Before the System changed everything, what you are holding would probably have bought you a nice house and a car, with enough left over for college and a diamond ring. It feels crazy how the System is at once making gold worth less and more at the same time. Now it isn't as rare as before, but we NEED it for upgrades from the kiosk, before it was just something people wanted because it was rare." I mused.

"I might be an old fashioned girl, I feel the urge to just keep it! I know it is the wrong call, that if we spend it for more upgrades, it will help us make even more." As she spoke, she ran her fingers through the coins in the bag, scooping up a handful, before letting them rain back down into the bag.

"Amber McDuck. I guess we will have to fill a pool with gold coins for you to swim in at some point down the line..." I jested.

"Harh harh! So what is next?"

"Well, once we feel certain we don't have a vampire on our tail, I think we should make our way back to the bikes, and go deliver some meat."

-x-x-x-

"I thought we would run into more goblins on the way here?" Amber muttered, as we were observing the highschool down the road while doing our best to be out of sight of other nightly observers.

"Yeah, I know, me too. I hope it is because most of them went to that orgy with the orcs." I replied quietly, barely keeping myself from adding that I had a bad feeling about it. No need to tempt fate.

"Well, as long as they are not here, I'm happy!" Amber said, forcing a smile on her face. I could tell she was uneasy about the lack of resistance. We had sat here for maybe ten minutes now, carefully observing the surroundings, but had only managed to spot a couple of goblins that seemed to be more concerned with staying hidden, than with doing anything useful.

The highschool itself showed more activity. A dozen people were visible patrolling the inside of the fences that had been added since the System made people seek refuge there.

The fences were maybe seven feet tall, so by themselves they would not keep out a determined intruder, so a lot of work had apparently been going into fortifying them further.

In some places vans and larger cars had been pulled in behind the fence to brace it, and with a few pallets thrown on top to make a bit of walk space.

In other places work was underway on what might generously be called a moat, but was more of a ditch at this point. Patches of wooden spikes placed in front of and through the fence in an attempt to discourage invaders in even other places.

All in all, it was a rather Mad Max inspired attempt at fortifying the place, with even less focus on aesthetics and without much of a hint of an overall plan.

Considering how haphazardly road work had been done around town the last few years, I had no doubt this was in fact a very carefully laid out defense with someone in the old administration in charge, if not the mayor herself.

The defensive perimeter was dimly lit by tiki torches that frankly did more to illuminate the defenders, than any approaching invaders. The only saving grace was that it looked like it was only maybe one in five torches that was lit, so I figured perhaps it was to be able to light more in a hurry, if any larger force of goblins approached.

More likely, they were just running low on fuel.

The guards were a motley crew if ever I saw one, except for one khaki shirted deputy, all of them looked like ordinary people clutching mostly improvised weapons, though a few had what looked like goblin weapons. A bit small in human hands, but as Amber had proven, quite deadly if you knew how to handle them.

With this many patrolling just the one corner we were observing, I figured they might have as many as a hundred people watching the perimeter during the night.

While there was a complete lack of watch towers, something I might have prioritized over digging a useless ditch, I did notice a bow wielding guy on top of the gymnasium. He might not get as many angles of fire from up there, but I guess it made up for it with elevation.

The gymnasium was a large cube of concrete and yellow painted sheet metal that had probably won a design award back in the seventies, but that everyone had agreed was an eyesore ever since. That said, if anything in this town could survive a nuclear strike, or make the basis for a post-System castle, that would be it.

Having gleaned all we were likely to at that distance, I shrugged and got up.

"Let's go, see if they feel like having visitors."

"I'm more worried they might not want this particular visitor, they did kick me out, remember?" Amber muttered with a dark expression. Clearly she was not too keen on having to face the townies, but there was no way we could afford not to, if we were to ever grow our party, or teach the townies how to deal with this new reality.

"Only one way to find out." I stated, as we pulled the deer-laden bikes down the street, no longer trying very hard to be stealthy.

In fact, as we drew near the fence, I raised my voice.

"Hey there Townies, don't shoot, we are friendly!" I half shouted. There wasn't much they could shoot us with, even if they wanted to. It seemed the only ranged weapon they had among them was the one bow on the roof. I briefly wondered why they didn't even have any goblin bows, before realizing that the goblin archers would probably be happy to stay outside the fence to pepper the defenders with arrows, and the townies were probably too scared to venture outside, so once any melee goblins had been fought off, the fight was more or less over.

As we got closer, and we were able to make out more details, the townies looked like an even sorrier lot, many of them sporting minor wounds, most not even bandaged. They all looked a bit emaciated and like they had skipped way too much sleep.

Activating my Appraise Enemies skill let me know that they were all only level one or two, even after all this time, which meant they were lagging behind the power curve quite severely at this point.

Even the deputy was only listed as a level 2 enforcer, whatever that was. It sounded more like a mobster class than something for a respectable law enforcement officer.

"Who... Who goes there?" Someone yelled back. Not the deputy, like I had expected.

"Relax, I am not a goblin, just a guy with some meat." I replied, trying to put a bit of mirth in my voice to ease the tension.

The townies were clearly nervous, all of them clutching their weapons and peering into the darkness, which thanks to their own torches, they were too night blind to do.

Deciding to help them a bit, I pulled out a vial of ectoplasm, and used to to light up my face.

"See! All human, and bearing gifts. Sorry about the late hour, but the deer only get out at dusk." With a flourish, I shed some light on the dead deer strapped to my bike.

"I heard you guys might need some protein in your diet..." I added.

"Hell yeah!" Someone stated.

The deputy stepped forward towards the fence.

"Well, if you are bringing meat, don't dawdle, bring it here, Buddy." The deputy urged, and started to gesture to the townies to let me in.

The gate itself was just another section of fence that was only fastened on one side, so from a distance it was hard to tell there was a gate at all.

As we pulled into the gate, the deputy met us.

It took me a moment, but I actually recognized him. Jason and I went to highschool together, only I believe he was a year junior to me. He had been the quarterback one season, and still looked the part. He was a bit haggard and his uniform had been poorly mended, and yet he looked to be in better condition than most.

"While it is an odd time for a social call, it sure is going to help morale to have a bit of meat in the diet. Even if I doubt a couple of deer are going to go very far with all the mouths we have to feed." The deputy gestured for us to hurry up, holding the gate open.

"Well, it was all we could carry with us in one go, but there is..." I started.

"Hold up, Amber? What are you doing here, you know you are not allowed inside..." The deputy admonished her, taking a step towards her. Or more like a half step, as my hand on his chest stopped him in his tracks.

"If she isn't welcome, we can take our deer and go." I muttered loud enough that he could hear me clearly, but not enough for the townies to listen in on the conversation.

"... without an escort. Jenny, you stick to her, and don't let her wander, okay?" The deputy continued almost without pause. I was happy he was a fast thinker and realized that turning away our meat would likely cause a riot among the townies.

"If she steals anything, I can't guarantee she will just be banished this time, understand?" Jason muttered, shooting me a meaningful glance.

"I will make sure she behaves!" I agreed.

Before Amber could pass me by to join Jenny, a skinny brunette with what looked like a permanent scowl of anger on her face, I grabbed her arm and leaned close.

"Don't steal anything here. If you need to wipe your ass, you will ask permission before taking any toilet paper, understand?" I whispered.

"Yes John, I understand!" She replied, a bit louder than strictly necessary, perhaps partially due to the weight of the oath I could sense reinforcing my instructions.

Jason clearly heard her, and looked at me. Really looking at me.

"Holy... John? I didn't recognize you. You actually managed to put on weight, while everyone else is starving? You look like you have been hitting the weights..."

"Well, if you stop resisting the new ways, and use the System to your advantage, a lot of things become possible. I'd love to tell you all about it, but perhaps we should get the deer inside first?

While I was chatting with Jason, Jenny had attached herself to Amber, giving her a fierce scowl while she clutched her sad excuse for a weapon. Somehow she had attached the blade of a meat cleaver to a metal broomstick with duct tape and what looked like shoelaces, turning it into a makeshift halberd. I guess it was nice thinking on her part to get a bit of reach, but doubted it would take much use, before it fell apart or bent in the middle.

Still, as fierce as she might look, I was sure Amber could handle her easily, if she decided to start anything with that cleaver stick of hers, so I was not too worried.

"You remember where the cafeteria is, right? I think that's the best place to bring the deer, though to be honest, I don't know that we have had anyone else bring in wild game before."

"Well, you should have. How else will you keep all your people fed, Jason?" I asked him, glancing at the emaciated townies sending hungry looks at the deer carcasses.

"Yeah... The mayor insists the government will send help soon. Helicopters full of aid. She is not very keen on anyone leaving the safety of the highschool, until the government says it's okay." Jason muttered, seemingly uncomfortable with the whole situation.

I caught him glancing at my arming sword, and when he noticed I had seen it, he gave me an awkward shrug.

"Relax Jason, I am not going to go on a rampage, only here to bring presents and maybe get some news." I told him, acknowledging his concern with a pat on the hilt of my sword.

"It's not that. I'm not worried about you going berserk, I was just thinking it sure would be nice to have a full size weapon like that..." Jason replied, giving a nod towards the goblin sword strapped to his own hip.

"Yeah. Sorry, I can't give you mine, I don't have a spare. "

"No no, I wasn't going to ask you that. It's just been rough, what with guns not working right anymore. Things are just rough right now. Sure hope the mayor is right. Anyway, best get the meat to the kitchen, before Amber leaves without you." Jason said, nodding towards Amber who was starting to look like she might just go on without me, so with a nod to Jason, I decided to take his advice.

-x-x-x-

"Sweet Christmas, I do not even mind that I was pulled out of bed for this! I have not skinned a deer or cooked venison for a long while, but I can make it work! A bit of meat in the soup will certainly perk everyone up a bit, but a smile on their faces! Thank you! Thank you so much!" Brenda gushed, as she examined the deer carcasses we had put on her counter, inside the well guarded highschool kitchen.

I remembered Mrs Welch from my time here, a cheerful lady in her fifties, always ready with a kind word of encouragement when she spotted a long face in the lunch line.

She was looking a bit ragged, her graying brown hair matted and greasy, her clothes a little loose on her body, even if she did not seem to have lost as much weight as some of the others we had passed in the densely crowded interior of the highschool.

I wouldn't have taken her for the kind to survive the apocalypse, but I guess that could be said for many of the townies. She and a couple of women I did not recognize but figured were her assistants had been sleeping inside the kitchen on a couple of couches when we arrived, but as soon as they heard we brought meat, all the harsh words from being woken up a couple of hours before dawn had faded instantly.

One of the guards that had been posted outside the kitchen had followed us inside, and was eyeing us suspiciously, as if he was afraid we would steal the silverware or something.

The kitchen itself was a bit of a mess, the floor was sticky, and enough dirty pots and utensils littered the counters, that the whole place might have been shut down as a health hazard before the System changed everything.

I guess with the loss of running water, it was a bit hard to keep up with the cleaning. At least the stove tops were gas powered, so they still had the ability to cook inside, rather than having to build fires outside.

"Oh it's nothing, I am only sorry we couldn't bring more, but you can only fit so many on a bike..." I shrugged.

"I will take however many you can get, no questions asked! Now I better get them cooked up before SOMEONE orders me to put it aside for her elite, like that stuff over there..." Mrs Welch said, indicating a pile of crates stacked up in one corner.

I had been wondering why a pile of supplies were being kept aside, partially covered by what looked to have been a curtain. It didn't cover the pile entirely, so at her indicating it, I spared it a glance.

It was canned food, of course, but knowing it was apparently set aside, comparing it to the other supplies placed around the kitchen, I saw an obvious pattern.

"She is keeping the good stuff, all the meat, for herself?" I half stated, half asked.

"And her inner circle. Says it is because she wants those who sabotaged all the cartridges for the firearms to come forward. Until then, it is short rations and no meat for anyone. Anyone besides her and those in favor, of course." Mrs Welch looked like she had bit into a lemon, and glancing at Jenny, she seemed to decide to clam up.

"Enough chit chat, now let me work, I am sure you nice young people have other things to do than chat me up all night. Jenny, don't you just stand there choking that silly weapon of yours, I know you know how to skin a deer better than me, get to work, and I will let you help me get the taste just right..." Mrs Welch gave Jenny a look that spoke volumes, clearly realizing she had said too much in front of her, and wanting to remind her what it meant to be on friendly terms with the cook.

Jenny glanced from Amber to the deer carcass to Mrs Welch, then back again, clearly not certain what to do. Her belly on the other hand, let out a loud growl at the mere thought that food might be in its near future.

"But.. I am not to let Amber walk around alone..." She protested weakly.

"With all the people crammed into the highschool, she is not going to be alone anywhere, so stop making excuses, unless you want me to find someone else to help me taste the stew."

"Stew? Not just soup?" Jenny asked breathlessly.

"Well, it will start as a stew, and then we will water it down so there is enough for everyone."

Her mind made up, Jenny put her improvised polearm up against the wall, and stepped up to the nearest deer.

"Amber, please don't make me regret this!" Jenny pleaded.

"She won't!" I stated, and ushered Amber out the door and shut it behind me, before anyone could change their minds.

The guards outside the kitchen stared at us like we might have somehow hidden a juicy steak in our pockets, but let us pass without issue, even if one was eyeing my sword like he wanted to say something.

As we moved away, I asked Amber about it.

"Well, when I was still staying here, the mayor and sheriff had made a statement that anyone not on the protector teams, should hand over any weapons they had to them, since functional weapons were now in high demand. I guess perhaps that guy was wondering if he could demand you turn it over."

"Great. This just keeps getting better."

It was still a few hours till dawn, so the place, crammed full of people as it was, was surprisingly quiet. A few dozen people were gathered in the canteen, early risers or insomniacs, maybe hungry citizens hoping breakfast would be served early.

Whatever their reason to be there, they did not seem eager for company, which was fine as Amber and I really needed to just sit down and rest, having been on our feet all night.

"... So the dentist dropped another ring like the first one, making me think there is some sort of loot table that the System picks something from at random. We already knew that it worked that way with ordinary loot, but it is nice to get a confirmation that it is the same way with the epic stuff." I said, keeping my voice low enough to not let everyone listen in to our conversation.

Amber was toying with one of the ectoplasm vials in the small pile of loot I had put on the table in front of us, so she could see what we had got.

"Uh huh. Nice idea using the glow-juice as a light source. I just wish we could make them brighter, it is not like they give near enough light for me to use my throwing knives in the dark. So what is up with this ring?" Amber asked, as she put down the vial and instead picked up the silver and gold ring, turning it this way and that in the dim light of the ectoplasm, making the tiny black gems sparkle.

"It's from the specter. Pretty, and probably worth a good amount, even if we can't really use it right now, as it is listed as level nine."

"Men. Only focusing on the utility. Even at level two, I still think it is pretty!" Amber stated, and slipped it on her ring finger on her left hand.

Clearly I was becoming too used to the idea that the world was now acting more like a classic MMO, as I was momentarily surprised that she was able to even put it on.

"I was going to sell that, but I guess if you like it, you might as well wear it for now." I said, as I was considering what other assumptions I might have made, that would turn out to be wrong.

"Not the most romantic way for you to put a ring on my finger, but I will take it!" Amber announced loudly enough for the people at a nearby table to hear.

The woman sitting there lit up in a smile, gave Amber a thumbs up and added a barely audible 'grats Honey!'

"That was not..." I started, but let it peter out, realizing Amber was just being Amber. If getting some jewelry boosted her morale, who was I to take it from her?

"Speaking of levels, I have a LOT of experience points right now, after all the fighting we have been doing, and since we don't know there are any more badgers to hunt, perhaps I should spend some to level up?" Amber asked, as she shot the woman at the neighboring table a grin, showing off her newly ringed hand.

"Show me your character sheet." I said, putting a bit of intention into the words, making it a System enforced command. Immediately the blue screen of her character sheet appeared in the air before me.

"Yeah, you really do have a nice chunk of experience. I still think we should focus on getting more skills and powers from the Kiosk, but getting you a bit closer to my level would not be a bad thing..." I mused, as I studied her stats and considered the options.

Her physical stats were the highest, and unless we got her a class change at some point, it made the most sense to keep improving those. Her unmodified strength of 11 and constitution of 13 were not remarkable, but with the bonuses from my oathkeeper skill and her magic badger items, they were lifted to a very respectable 16 and 22. Her dexterity had a base of 16, so reached 17 with the oath bonus.

In a typical MMO I would have just stacked up more dexterity to give her thief skills more of a boost, and have relied on other party members to pick up any slack.

But with the lack of additional party members, I felt that it would be better to up all her physical stats a bit more, with the leftover point either going into another point in dexterity, or whatever else Amber would prefer. Incidentally, keeping her physical stats roughly proportional would ensure that her body did not change too much, and I really liked her body as it was.

Amber argued that her last point should go to charisma, as it might cause the townies to reconsider their negative stance on her, and while I already found her plenty attractive, I could not rule out it might actually be helpful.

So with that, it would bring her charisma up to a very respectable 16. It might seem a small change, but I knew from experience that the effects of the stats were not linear, and some numbers seemed to matter more. Sixteen was definitely one of the sweet spots in the other stats, so it stood to reason that it would be for charisma as well.

As she accepted and finalized the change, I noticed the changes start to happen in real time.

Her arms definitely got a little bit more toned, nothing crazy, just enough to suggest she occasionally saw the inside of a fitness studio. Perhaps her waist got a little slimmer as her abs tightened. It was hard to tell, with the ill fitting goblin armor she was wearing.

The most substantial change was definitely the charisma boost. I felt a surge of attraction as I looked at her, like the first time I saw her so many years ago. It was hard to put a finger on what had changed exactly, perhaps her eyes had more sparkle to them, perhaps her smile was just a little bit more dazzling. Whatever it was definitely sent a surge of emotion through me, reminding me how infatuated I had been way back.

Watching her brought back so many memories of how I had pined for her, tried to win her affection by being her loyal minion. A complete waste of time, as it turned out, all I had to do to win her, was to wait for the end of the world.

"Are you even listening to a word I say?" Amber asked, finally snapping me out of my trance.

"Huh? What? Yes. Um. What?" I stated, as I tried to catch up.

"Skills. Which one should I pick?"

"What were the options again?" I asked, realizing I had not heard a word she said, instead having spent the last minute just looking at her sparkling sapphire eyes.

"Beastial Roar, Evade, and Persuade." Amber repeated, rolling her eyes at me.

"Show me!" I commanded, and her screen appeared to me once more.

"It still feels weird when you do that." Amber grumbled.

"Yeah, I know, but it is much easier when I can see what the System says about the skills directly. Hmm. Bestial roar seems to only work in your badger form, and can instill fear in weaker enemies. Good against being swarmed, could be useful against goblins. But I don't really see you fighting goblins in your badger form, and even then, you are faster than goblins in that form, so could just run away instead."

"Maybe I could learn to shift faster, like you seem to have with your ghost form?"

"Yes, perhaps, but you also have to be naked when you shift, unless we find a way around that too. So perhaps not the most useful right now. Evade gives you a boost to your ability to dodge attacks that you see coming, as well as a chance to reduce the damage from attacks you do not dodge, and the probability scales with dexterity, so it stacks well both with your damage reduction from your badger items, and with your ridiculously high dexterity."

"It also seems like the most boring of the options." Amber commented.

"True. Boring, but looks like it could be an actual literal life saver. Persuade definitely also looks tempting. Anyone with less wisdom than your charisma will find your arguments more persuasive than they otherwise would have. With this, we could have the townies eating out of your hand in no time. Sadly, I don't think it is the right choice for now."

"Why not? If I could wrap the townies around my fingers with it, I could have them take back the banishment, and we wouldn't have to stay in your house anymore."

"Frankly, what the townies think of you is of little concern. Look at them. This is no place to stay. They are lagging so far behind the power curve, it isn't even funny. If the goblins don't kill them first, they will soon start turning on each other. No, staying at the house is definitely safer, and we are better able to perhaps show them a better way, if we can show them life outside is an option. Further, no matter what the townies decide to do, WE will definitely have to go back out there to keep ahead of the curve. No, I think the most important thing right now is to make sure you survive. Evade is definitely the choice I would suggest. I am not going to insist, but I would definitely prefer it if you chose that one."

"Aww it is so sweet you think I am the most important thing. Alright, I will go with the boring choice, but only because you care so much." Amber beamed her best smile at me, and it really was a good one, that sent a surge into my stomach, and even further down.

That charisma boost was really paying dividends.

As she finalized the skill choice, I took another look at her new and improved stats. She was now at 123 hit points, 23 more than me, even though she was still two levels lower. With that, and her damage reduction from the badger items and now her Evade skill, she was turning into quite the tank. Not that I would ever have her fill that role, but it was nice to know she was no fragile flower anymore. She still lacked a lot of fighting experience to develop the instincts and reflexes to go toe to toe with enemies like I did, but she was making remarkable progress in such a short time.

"John? John, what on earth are you doing here? I figured you'd be dead by now, but here you are, looking not just healthy but fit!" A voice boomed, drowning out what Amber was trying to tell me.

I turned, and quickly spotted the source of the voice. A group of people seemed to have just returned from guard duty outside, and one of them, a big guy wearing a rather Mad Max inspired improvised armor with a couple of road signs duct taped to a set of football shoulder pads and welding gloves with actual cutlery taped to them. A STOP sign had been modified to serve as a shield, and as a weapon he was wielding an aluminum baseball bat, that had clearly seen some service, judging from the nicks, dents and hints of dried green blood he had failed to clean from it.

Wearing armor but no helmet struck me as foolish, but on second thought, Daniel was a big guy, tall for someone of italian stock, so the goblins that seemed like the main threat here so far, would not have an easy time to strike his head anyway.

"Daniel, how have YOU not gotten yourself killed yet?" I countered, as he left the group of people he had come in with, and came over to the table. They all looked like members of the militia. Protectors. Whatever they were called. Most of them continued on their way, likely looking forward to some rest. A few went to a table nearby and sat down wearily, probably having decided that getting in on an early breakfast might be worth an hour or two of sleep.

Most of them looked a bit worse for wear, a few walking with an outright limp.

"Nah, my spirit animal is the dandelion, I am too stubborn to die." Daniel said with a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Perhaps. I see you got yourself roped into taking up arms, after all?"

"Extra rations. I know I said we should leave it to the professionals last time we spoke, but hey... If they are paying me in food, I guess that means I am the professionals now."

He didn't really look like he had been getting all that much extra food, as he had definitely lost weight. When we went to highschool together, he had been on the wrestling team, but after that he had let himself go a bit, putting on even more bulk, while keeping most of the muscle. Working in his fathers tyre business made sure he stayed strong, even if his mothers cooking added some padding. With the short rations, he was now looking more like his old highschool self, than he had in years.

His black hair was matted to his head, and his skin appeared damp with sweat, and he appeared thoroughly worn out.

A quick check revealed that even though he appeared to be among the few who actually fought back against the System spawned monsters, he was still only level one. A monk level one. Monk. Funny.

He sat down, wincing and pressing a hand against his hip.

"Well, it doesn't look very professional when you sit down like an old man with a recent hip replacement. What's up with that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I think I just spotted Carrie, so I will just go catch up with her real quick, while you guys go about your guys stuff or whatever..." Amber stated, getting up from the table and giving me a peck on the cheek.

"Oh. I guess that is fine. Just remember my instructions from earlier, and don't be too long." I replied, giving her nice firm ass a pat as she moved away.

"Wow. You and Amber, huh? I never thought I would see the day..." Daniel leaned forward, and slapped my shoulder with a huge grin on his face.

"Yeah, all it took was the end of the world to make that miracle happen. But don't change the subject, what's up with you?"

"Just a few scratches. No new ones from tonight, fortunately. The goblins have not pressed us much, just a few archers taking potshots once in a while. But one got me good in the hip the other day, had to yank out the arrow myself." Daniel shrugged, his expression that of a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Have you had it looked at? You do have a doctor here, right?" I asked.

"We do have a doctor, but what is he going to do, without any medicine? He is just going to tell me to go fill up a bed in the infirmary. Who would take my place in the watch then? Not many are willing. Plus I would be on short rations again, and I just can't take it. I am a hungry boy, damn it." Daniel shook his head, clearly exasperated by the whole deal.

"It's that bad, huh?" I said, studying his face, sweat still trickling down his forehead and cheek from time to time. Odd. I leaned forward, reaching out a hand and touched his forehead.

"Daniel, you are burning up. You are not sweating because you just exerted yourself. You have a fever, don't you?"

"Keep it down, no need to let everyone know." Daniel muttered, gesturing for me to keep it down.

"Alright. Let me see it. The wound. Let me see it!"

"Stop making such a fuzz, it is what it is." Even though he protested, he still slid down the sweatpants enough that I could see the wad of thoroughly bled through paper towels attached to his hip with strips of duct tape. Worse, I could see sickly green pus oozing out from under the makeshift bandage.

Less gently than I perhaps should have been, I reached out before Daniel could hide the wound again, and pulled the bandage to the side enough that I could see the gaping and clearly infected wound where a goblin arrow had struck deep. It was only by at least some fraction of luck, that no major blood vessels had been ruptured, but if the wound was left untreated, Daniel would clearly be in a bad way soon.

"Hey, careful, it's a bit sore..." Daniel began, then hissed in pain as I unceremoniously ripped the bandage away and placed both hands on either side.

Before he could protest further, I poured my will and my mana into my healing spell, mumbling the words of power to trigger the power the System had granted me.

Blue light formed around my hands before being sucked into the wound. Like a black hole it ate all the magic I poured into it, and clearly thirsted for even more. As the energy from the spell poured in, a thick mass of green and yellow goop was expelled from the wound, making me gag with nausea.

Even after the last mote of light had been absorbed by the wound, pus, lumps of congealed blood, and then with a 'plink' as it hit the ground, the tip of the arrow was expelled.

"Aaahhh that... wow... what... that really eased the pain..." Daniel muttered, his body almost going limp with the relief.

"Yeah, thank me later, I think I need to do it a few more times. Hold on."

Another spell cleared up the infection, something I had not been certain it would, but I guess it just counted as a status effect on the wound, and not as a separate thing.

A third spell saw the gaping hole mostly close up, turning it into just a really nasty gash, and I probably could have left it alone at that point. But I figured we still had a few hours to burn, before heading home, so added a fourth casting, the last I was able to do for now.

With that, the skin was left pink but whole. A bit tender to the touch perhaps, but that would pass in a day or two, if my own experience was any guide.

"There! Good as new!" I said, as I straightened back up, suddenly weary at the rapid drain on my mana.

"That... That's amazing. How did you even...?" Daniel asked, clearly at a loss for words.

"The System, Daniel. Using it to your advantage is worth it. It made me into a caster, and this is one of the spells I took."

"Like in those games?"

"Exactly like in those games. That's more or less what the System is molding our world into. Except with real people, who didn't ask for it, and no respawn."

"So is that why you are here, to heal all the injured people?"

"I don't have THAT much magic, no. Amber and I mostly came to drop off some deer, catch up on any news, and perhaps see if anyone would want to help us bring back the rest."

"You brought deer? And you have more? Well, I guess I could do with a walk now that you fixed my leg." Daniel beamed me a smile, his complexion already starting to improve, making him look like he had merely skipped a few meals and hadn't slept enough for a while. Which I suppose was entirely accurate.

He started to get to his feet, but I gestured for him to sit back down.

"We are not leaving right this minute, the goblins are not as comfortable with daylight, so we are waiting for dawn at the very least. And yeah we can spare maybe half a dozen more. Then everyone could get some meat in their diet, if the mayor allows it..."

"Yeah. The mayor. Maybe we could have a bit of a barbecue, before we haul it all back?" Daniel suggested, clearly perking up at the idea.

"Well, it would only make sense! What we eat we won't have to carry, so that way we can carry more." I agreed with a grin.

"I do believe we even have some BBQ sauce back in our house..." I added.

"Count me in!" Daniel stated.

"And don't you dare leave without me!" he added.

"Sure sure, don't worry about it. How about you get some rest, and meet me back here after breakfast? I get the feeling you wouldn't want to skip that..."

"Deal!"

Amber found me some time later. I had moved to a more quiet part of the area, sitting on the low brick wall that fenced in the canteen proper. She just stood there for a while, observing me, as I very slowly moved my arms and torso in what to an observer might look like some sort of martial arts kata, while my legs were folded into the traditional lotus position.

I looked at her and smiled. She looked good. Happy even, even if the raised eyebrow made it seem like she was smiling because she figured I had finally lost my mind.

"What?" I asked.

"What are you doing, John? It looks like you are dancing awkwardly to music only you can hear..." Amber said, mirth in her voice.

"Yeah, that is one of the reasons I moved away from the tables. I am practicing meditating while moving. I figured that since Tai Chi is a form of meditation, and you are always moving when doing Tai Chi, I should be able to move when I meditate. For now, emulating Tai Chi seems to work most of the time. But with more practice, I bet I could start to meditate while I walk."

"Oookay, I am sure that makes sense to someone as crazy as you, but whatever your reasons, you need to stop. I have something you need to do."

I found it quite amusing that Amber so easily fell back into her old pattern of bossing me around, now that we were back in highschool. It was like we never even left.

I chuckled a bit, and got to my feet. I was a bit curious what Amber had on her mind, so decided to let her play her hand. It would be easy enough to reel her back in thanks to the oath, if she was up to something stupid that could get us both banished.

I didn't want to stay here, of course, but it would be bad for the townies and my own plans, if I was no longer allowed inside.

Amber led me down the worn corridors of the highschool, down the concrete stairs that lead to the parts used for storage, lockers, the bicycle cellar, and a number of other small rooms that used to be assigned for various clubs. It was strangely empty, except for a mess of tables and chairs piled up everywhere, probably items that had been cleared out from the classrooms so there would be more available space for people.

"What's up with this place, why is it so... abandoned? With all the people crowding the place upstairs, why did no one set up camp down here?" I asked, looking around to see if I could spot the answers.

"The doors down here are steel, and locked. Something about the place being able to double as a fallout shelter in case of nukes back in the day. And it seems no one with the keys to the place made it."

"So what are WE doing here?"

"Well, you showed me how to pick locks, so I found us somewhere nice and private, so I could say thank you for saving my life, I know my leg was a lot worse than you let on. And also for putting a ring on my finger. It isn't diamonds, but it will make do, until you get me some. And as a thank you, there is something I need you to do."

"You want me to thank you by doing something for you? Have you turned into the old Amber again? Are you going to reward me by making me rub your feet?" I couldn't help it, the sarcasm just kinda leaked, as I got ready to invoke the oath to reel her back in.

"No silly, though I sure could use one. Hmm. Maybe later." Amber said, as she opened the heavy door next to us, and nudged me inside ahead of her.

"No, what I need you to do, is her." Amber stated, as I saw her.

Carrie, the friend she had rushed off to talk to.

I recognized her from her bright copper hear that was a wild mess of curls, and long enough to reach the middle of her back.

The room was dimly lit, dusty shelves to one side, some worn furniture and a large sign with yellow letters that read 'The SPARK'. Clearly the lair of some highschool club.

A dozen tea lights provided enough illumination to provide the room with a cozy lighting, and with the lack of windows it was the only light source.

The light made Carrie's eyes sparkle like emeralds, enhanced by what looked like both eyeliner and mascara, though she seemed a bit shy, not meeting my gaze. She looked nervous, as she fidgeted with the edges of the terrycloth robe she was wearing. I did not know Carrie all that well, even though she went to highschool at the same time Amber and I did, but I did know that Amber had started hanging out with her after I decided to stop being her minion, worshiping at her feet.

With Carrie being slightly taller than Amber and an eager athlete back then, it had not surprised me that Amber soon made her carry her books and stuff for her, like she had me. I never did learn WHY Carrie would let Amber use her like that. With me it was quite obvious, I was head over heels with her. Of course I did suspect there might be something along the same lines, but Amber had kept seeing guys, probably stringing them along like she had me, and Carrie had never seemed to mind, just following Amber like a loyal puppy.

"Well, don't just stand there, John, you are being rude. I told you to do her. My gift to you." Amber insisted, giving me a gentle push forward, as she closed the door behind us.

"I uh what?"

"Carrie!" Amber snapped, a bit of steel in her voice.

While I was floundering a bit, Carrie clearly was better trained, and even though she still looked scared half to death, she took a half step forward, opening the navy terry cloth robe, exposing her naked body fully to my view.

She was a marvelous sight. Her hair sparkled like burnished copper in the candle light, her skin pale and freckled. Every part of her, freckled. Her breasts with pink hard nipples standing proudly on what looked like a generous C cup. Her waist was narrow, probably kept so by the hard work put into giving her just the right amount of abs. Just the hint of a six-pack lurked beneath enough feminine softness. The more shining copper above her slit. Not a wild growth, but about enough to suggest she probably used to keep it smooth back when razors were a thing.

Her legs were toned, and like the rest of her suggested she used to at the very least hit the weights in the gym regularly. Finally my gaze reached her toes, where hints of pearly nail polish reflected the dim light in curious ways.

Having set herself in motion, she let the robe slip completely off her arms and shoulders, leaving it to fall to the ground behind her, as she quickly covered the distance between us, falling to her knees in front of me.

"Good girl!" Amber cood, wrapping her arms around my waist from behind, her breath hot against my ear, as she leaned in to nibble my earlobe. The sensation sent shivers down my spine, and even while my supposedly System accelerated mind was still struggling a bit to catch up, my cock was already quite eager to see where this was going.

Amber hands found my belt buckle and started to undo it with practiced ease, while Carrie reached up, her eyes pleading and now looking at my face.

With a hint of hesitation, she reached for my crotch, then when she met no rebuke, her hands were on me. On my rock hard aching cock, massaging it the layers of fabric that now felt far too constricting.

With my belt undone, Amber undid the pants next, then shoved them and my boxers down my thigh, freeing my cock suddenly, almost causing it to hit Carrie, who had inched a bit closer, straight in the face.

"Oh wow, he IS big!" Carrie remarked as she studied my length from so close a distance it made her slightly cross eyed.

"Thank you, Carrie, now stop stating the obvious and put your mouth to better use!" Amber said, her voice sharp, the suggestion clearly non-negotiable.

"Yes Miss." Claire agreed, and without further delay her mouth opened, her pink tongue darted out for a quick lick of my throbbing purple cockhead, before bobbing her head forwards, engulfing several inches of my engorged flesh in her mouth.

As Claire took care of my cock, Amber turned my face towards her and kissed me deeply, her tongue mingling greedily with mine.

Without breaking the kiss, Amber managed to mostly undress me, dropping all but my t-shirt to the floor, then proceed to have her clothes join mine.

"Amber, what is this?" I managed, as I briefly broke the kiss. My cock was yelling at me to shut up,

"A blowjob, for starters. A threesome, like all guys dream about. I thought that was obvious by now?" Amber teased, force feeding me her tongue again, her hands caressing my chest and stomach, as her breasts pushed firmly against my back.

"MMmm!" I agreed, and while I had planned to be somewhat more eloquent, Carrie suddenly shoving my cock against the tight opening of her throat threw me off.

Glancing down, I saw Amber's hand wrapped in Carrie's hair, guiding her head forward once more rather forcefully. Again I felt my cockhead mashing against the too tight opening of her throat. I could feel her struggling to push herself forward, her hands on my thighs pulling her towards me.

The pressure on my cock was significant, and I was starting to consider it might bend, before her throat yielded.

Then suddenly the pressure vanished, as Carrie's head was yanked back, allowing her to gasp for air, before she was pulled forward by the hair once more.

Another valid attempt, for sure, and as eager as I was to have my cock in her throat, when I saw tears starting to well up in her eyes, I had to speak up.

"Amber, it is not going to..." I began.

"Work like that. Carrie! We talked about this. Focus! Open your throat and get the angle right! NOW!" Amber snapped harshly at Carrie.

"Yes Miss, I am sorry Miss!" Carrie blurted out, between gulps of air. Then swallowing hard, she took a deep breath and surged forward once more.

This time Amber did not pull her by the hair, and perhaps that or the impromptu peptalk made all the difference.

I did feel myself collide with the narrow passage at the back of her mouth, but then she adjusted her head slightly while pushing forward, and suddenly what had felt impossibly narrow, instead turned into an incredibly tight but traversable passage. Then as I began to slide into her throat proper, another adjustment, and suddenly she opened up a bit more.

What had been painfully tight, was now just pure pleasure.

Even through all of that, I still mustered the will to speak.

"Amber, is this another attempt to gain control over me?" I asked, putting enough intent into the question to trigger the power of the oath. I was getting a lot better at that, having practiced it a bit since the last time I accidentally triggered the oath. It was a nice trump card to hold, even if I trusted Amber completely, which clearly I didn't, but also in case we ran into that mind fucking asshole again, that we had stumbled into at the System Kiosk.

"NO! John. No it isn't. Sheesh, is she that bad at giving you head, that you can't stop talking?" Amber replied, even rolling her eyes at me in exasperation.

Well, with that suspicion off the table, I guess Amber was right, I was being rude to Carrie, ignoring her, even while she was doing her best to please me.

"Damn, that's good!" I said, as Carrie once again took me to the hilt. With one hand I caressed her head, letting my fingers slide through her copper curls. Amber's hand found mine, and once again started pulling Carrie forward.

"Fuck her face, John, Carrie likes to be used and not have a say in the matter." Carrie urged me, and I could feel Carrie shuddering at her words, pushing her nose flat against my stomach for emphasis. Her arms wrapped around my thighs to hold herself in place, as she moved her head back and forward with my cock deep down her throat.

When Carrie released her grip and pulled back for another breath, I started to do just as Amber had suggested, and holding Carrie in place, I thrust my hips forward, slowly sliding my length down her throat.

I went slowly, because I wanted to make sure she was able to take it in this angle, and didn't want to hurt her, for all that Amber seemed to want me to use her roughly.

She took me easily in her throat, even managing to glance up at me, meeting my gaze with her sparkling emerald eyes that seemed to signal that she was indeed having a wonderful time.

While she held my gaze, I saw her hand slide down her taut belly, reaching between her legs, eliciting wet little noises as she started to play with her apparently soaking wet pussy.

"You slut, is it not enough you have his cock inside you, you have to masturbate shamelessly in front of us?" Amber taunted Carrie, even as she herself started to slide her fingers through her own glistening folds.

With two such incredibly sexy women masturbating in front of me, while I gently fucked the throat of one of them, was making my balls tense up and get ready for my impending release.

"Nngh not long..." I warned, in case Carrie did not want me to shoot my cum directly down her gullet. Warning your partner is always the gentlemanly thing to do.

"Nope. Stop that you greedy cunt, do NOT make him cum yet!" Amber growled, as she gripped Carrie by her hair, pulling her off of my cock, just barely before I reached the point of no return.

"So close!" I whined.

"Well, don't. It is time for you to try her hairy little pussy, isn't that right Carrie?"

"Yes Miss, of course Miss."

"Well, if you want it that badly, I think you should beg John to fuck you!" Amber commanded, the tone of her voice leaving no doubt it was not a mere suggestion.

"Yes Miss. Please, John, will you please fuck my tight little pussy?" Carrie begged.

"Sir! You address him as Sir, if you want to have any hope at all of him granting your wish!" Amber hissed, giving Carrie's head a shake for emphasis, with the hand still in her hair.

"Yes Miss, I'm sorry Miss. Sir. Please Sir, will you please use my tight pussy, PLEASE?" Carrie begged, rather convincingly.

I had always thought it looked rather ridiculous in porn, when a girl begged like that, but I will admit, having a gorgeous woman on her knees in front of me, begging, literally begging for me to fuck her, was both a huge boost to my ego and my ardor.

"I believe I will, Carrie, you did take me rather nicely in your throat, so I guess it is the least I can do." I said, trying to play along by sounding as lordly as I could.

"Thank you Sir, thank you so much, how do you want to take me?"

"Sir will have you on the table over there, on your back, slut!" Amber instructed, before I could come up with anything, and I guess it was as nice a place as any.

With only a slight nudge from Amber, Carrie rushed to her feet, and within seconds she had placed herself on the table in question, and with a few additional instructions by Amber, she had her ass to the edge of the table, her legs bent with her heels resting on the edge of the table on either side of her.

She was completely open to my viewing pleasure, her rosy petals wide open and absolutely and literally dripping wet. Drops of her nectar flowed from her folds and dripped to the floor, past her tight little pink star, making it glisten in the candle light.

"Please Sir, please!" Carrie begged, as I stood there admiring her naked body.

Amber came up next to me and grabbed my cock, wrapping her dainty fingers around my throbbing flesh.

"Don't just stand there, John, you know how this part goes." Amber teased, as she pulled my member forward, placing my swollen cockhead against the hot slick folds of Carrie's pussy.

"I do indeed!" I stated, and started to push forward, spreading Carrie's petals even further as I slowly went inside of her.

"Thaaaank yooouuu, Sir!" Carrie sighed, as I pushed forward. Her tight tunnel twitched around me, adjusting to the intruder.

Behind me, Amber gripped my hips and hugged me tightly, then she started to pull me back, before thrusting her pelvis forward, making me fuck Carrie, almost like she was fucking Carrie by proxy. A bit weird for my taste, but I guess some allowances for Amber's desire to be in charge could be made under the circumstances, so I let her have her way for a minute, before gently pulling her hands off my hips, to let her know I could handle it from here.

With every Amber powered thrust, Carrie let out a gasp of pleasure, making it sound like she was surprised every time my cock poked against her cervix.

Her large breasts filled my hands nicely, as I tweaked her nipples, leaning forward to taste her mouth for the first time. I don't think I have ever fucked someone before, without first getting to kiss them, so it was about time.

The angle was a bit awkward, so it limited my ability to thrust, which Carrie seemed to sense, and make up for, by starting to grind her hips against mine, as our lips met.

She kissed me greedily, almost thrusting her tongue into my mouth, but immediately yielding as my tongue met hers. For a few moments, our tongues danced,, until Amber climbed up on the table next to Carrie's face.

"Excuse me, I believe that is MY seat!" She quipped.

Breaking the kiss, I looked at her in all her naked glory, having even removed most of her badger items, even though I know she said it felt weird when the System adjusted her stats.

"Oh I am sorry, I did not know it was taken?" I retorted, quickly gathering what she was getting at.

As I moved out of the way, Amber quickly mounted Carrie's face, letting out a sigh of contentment as Carrie's tongue darted between her nether lips, parting them in search for Amber's most sensitive bits.

With Amber stradling Carrie that way, I suddenly had access to four perfect breasts to fondle, while Amber pulled me in for a kiss.

Making out with Amber, while I was grinding my cock inside her friend Carrie, was not something I had had on my bingo card for the year, but I guess very little on that card was ever going to come true, now that the world had changed into something so radically different.

Amber's kiss got deeper and more insistent, and she started to gyrate her hips against Carrie's face, smearing her juices all over her, all the while moaning with her mounting pleasure.

I could tell from the way Carrie's pussy was starting to clench my cock rhythmically, that she was getting off on the whole thing too. Almost as if she too could sense Amber would soon cum, and wanted to cum along with her.

I too, could feel my peak nearing, the strong grip of Carrie's core definitely enhancing my pleasure.

"Don't... ngh.. Don't cum! Don't CUM!" Amber stated, while she clearly did so herself.

I will admit I had kinda lost myself to the pleasure of the moment, and was suddenly made aware that perhaps cumming inside Carrie's pussy unprotected, might carry certain consequences. Pun not intended.

Being right at the edge, I knew I would come in seconds, if I stayed inside of Carry, so with great effort of will, I managed to pull out only a moment before I passed the point of no return.

As soon as my cock left her pussy, both of Carrie's hands took my place, the fingers of one hand frigging her tight pussy, while the other hand took care of her clit, rubbing it fast enough she might have lit it on fire, if it was not so thoroughly soaked.

Moments later, she started to whimper and moan into Amber pussy, her abdomen convulsing with waves of pleasure.

While I did feel a bit left out, the sight of two gorgeous women orgasming right in front of me, more than made up for it.

Still, I must have appeared to be a sad sight, standing there with my stiff cock waving in the breeze.

"Don't mope like that, John, you can cum inside her ass, you need to try every part of her." Amber purred, as she slowly came down from her own peak.

The idea was certainly enticing, and I did feel a desperate need to cum. I took a moment to really admire the glistening rosebud beneath Carrie's still twitching pussy.

Amber apparently took my hesitation as reluctance.

"Carrie, open your ass for John, remember what we talked about! John, if you are waiting for her to beg, just say the word, and she will!" Amber instructed us.

Carrie obeyed immediately, hands spreading her cheeks wide, putting her tight asshole even more on display than before.

"Please Sir!" I heard her moan, muted as it was by Amber's pussy.

"Alright, I guess it is rude to keep a lady waiting!" I agreed, and stepped forward, sliding my cock through her soaking wet folds once, to ensure I was nice and slick, before spreading her excess juices with my fingers, tracing around and across her sphincter until it was nice and slick. As I touched her sensitive little star, it twitched as if surprised, or as if my touch tickled.

"Yes, that's it. Push inside her. Now as he does that, I want you to push, like you are trying to take a dump. That will open you right up. You can do that for me, can't you slut?"

"Yes Miss, I will try Miss."

I did not pay too much attention to what they were saying, being very focused on the sensation of my cock pushing against her tight opening.

"Uhhnn" Carrie seemed to complain as I pushed forward, her tight ring not budging.

"I said push, you useless slut, push!" Amber chastized her, tweaking both her nipples for added emphasis, while her eyes were glued to where my cock was trying to make its way inside Carrie.

Suddenly I felt the tension of her sphincter release, almost opening up to welcome me inside.

Without a second thought, I pushed again, watching the tight ring of flesh ever so slightly open up as my cock wedged its way inside, the pressure growing once more, until suddenly her ass relaxed as my cockhead was completely engulfed inside her tight rear entrance.

With that, her whimpering turned into a sigh of pleasure.

"There you go, slut, you did it! You are an anal virgin no more!" Amber cooed.

Oh. That certainly explained why she had been so difficult to squeeze inside. The idea that I was her first, even if only in that way, sent a spike of pleasure through my cock, rushing up my spine and into my brain.

For a minute I remained just barely inside her, making only the tinies of motions to let her ass grow accustomed to having me inside it. I had not known it was her first time, but now that I knew, I felt like I had better be a bit gentle with her.

At least that was the plan.

As I started to push gently inside of her, Carrie suddenly crossed her legs behind my hips, and pulled me forward, driving my cock deep inside her searing hot core. Her walls tightened around me momentarily, in reaction to the sudden deep penetration, and Carrie's breath was driven from her lungs in a loud moan, straight into Amber's pussy, that had once again begun to grind against Carrie's mouth.

Clearly, Carrie was determined to show Amber she was able to take my cock in her ass, making up for experience with eagerness.

When I had about pulled halfway out, she pulled me back in once more, making me slam my cock back inside of her, all the way to the hilt.

Giving a little shrug, I figured I might as well give her what she wanted. If she was determined to be fucked hard, I was more than able to comply.

As I pulled back once more, I did not wait for her to pull me back, instead I slammed back inside of her, pulling her hips towards me, grinding my cock against her insides briefly, before pulling back and starting to ram her harder and faster with each thrust.

With me now firmly in control, Carrie once again let her fingers do a furious dance around her clit, while licking Amber's pussy with reckless abandon, clearly much to Amber's delight.

I could tell from the way her face seemed clenched almost in agony, that she was getting very close. She was biting her lip as her hands were mauling her own breasts, stretching one of her nipples quite viciously.

In moments, she was shaking and whimpering, as the edge of her orgasm cascaded through her, sending her over the edge.

"Cumming! Don't stop. Don't you dare stop!" Amber moaned a split second before she pulled me in for a kiss, making out with me hungrily as she peaked.

I was already close, so Amber cumming like that was the final spark that sent me at long last to the peak of my own pleasure.

My balls tightened suddenly, and without further warning my cock swelled and cum surged forth, shooting deep inside Carrie's bowels.

Again and again I slammed my cock as deep as I could get it, while ropes of cum coated her core.

Then as I was nearly done, she started. I felt her contract so fiercely, it almost pushed me out, then her entire body started to buck as waves of pleasure robbed her of all control.

Amber was flung back, fortunately managing to land on her ass just above Carrie's head, rather than being flung from the table, and only by clinging to her hips and pulling her against me with all my might, was I able to remain inside of her, as she screamed out in pleasure.

The tightness of her core in her throes of orgasm caused my balls to conjure up even more cum to add to her growing collection, and I felt myself adding a few more bursts of cum to what I had already so generously donated.

As we both slowly came down from our peaks, and I slowly eased my grip on her hips, I felt my balls were sore with the unexpected strain, and my entire body was soaked with sweat. Perhaps I should see about adding a few more points into constitution soon.

All I could see for a few moments, were sparks, and even my gums were buzzing with the sensory overload I had just gone through.

I vaguely registered the girls talking, as I tried to get back to my senses.

"Do you agree?" Amber asked.

"Uh sure. What?"

[You have accepted an oath of fealty. As this oath increases your number of followers to double the minimum of your current level of skill, your Oathkeeper skill has increased to level 2. As a result the bonus your skill provides to you and your followers has increased.]

"What did you just say?" I asked, looking at Carrie, suddenly pulled out of my post coital reverie.

"Uh, I said, If I passed the test, and that I swear on the System to obey you or Amber in your stead. Did I get it right?" Carrie glanced at Amber.

"Yes, you did just perfect!" I assured her, while giving Amber a glare, letting her know we would have a talk about this. Though perhaps not right now, with my cock still inside Carrie's asshole, slowly growing soft.

"Yay!" Carrie cheered, clapping her hands in celebration.

Amber met my glare with a smile, looking like a cat who had just drunk all the milk.

"Well, you did put me in charge of your harem, John. I happen to think that includes expanding it as needed." She purred.

I shook my head, but beamed a smile at both of them.

"This was certainly both unexpected and pleasurable, but I think we should be leaving soon."

"Of course, John. Carrie, get your things, we are leaving soon." Amber stated a bit redundantly.

"Yes Miss, I hardly have anything, so it shouldn't take more than a few minutes." Carrie replied, moving her ass gingerly until my now only semi-rigid length slid out of her, letting a flood of cum rush out from her depths.

Shaking my head, I gave her a second glance, focusing my will.

A level one witch. Well, at least she had a real class, and had not been labeled a mere commoner by the System. Perhaps I could make whatever this was work!