Chapter 98
Home Sweet Home?
The world faded in around Jimmy.
“No, stop, come back!”
His head whipped back and forth in panic.
Congratulations.
You have completed the Hard Tutorial.
Earth is gone.
Every planet that harbored life through the Beta period has been consolidated into one.
Qi is now permeating the Universe.
Everything has been reforged, over eons.
Welcome to Crucible.
Advance. Overcome.
Kim stopped scanning their surroundings and spun, “What's wrong!?”
The archer growled in frustration, then threw his hands up in defeat.
“The light… it was… enlightening…”
His crooked smile broke upon his face, just in time for a large body to appear out of nowhere, pushing the lean man aside.
The bearded powerlifter looked around confused, as two small blonde missiles rammed into his ribs, hugging tight.
“Ooof!”
A big smile broke through his wild beard, as he kissed the tops of his wife and daughter’s heads.
“Hey, Jimmy, what are you doing on the ground?”
The burly man broke free, reaching his hand down.
“Oh, you know, just chillin’.”
The spectacled man accepted the hand, as he was yanked to his feet.
They stayed, hands clasped, beaming.
“We made it, Danny.”
The wide man barked out a laugh, “That we did Jimbo, that we did…”
He looked around, scratching at his wild beard.
“The question is, what do we do now? Earth is gone…”
Jimmy laughed, “We do what we have been doing. Adapt. Overcome. What else is there?”
Luna whined, heading whipping back and forth frantically.
“Aww, little girl, it's okay, don’t be scared…”
Kim moved to pet the anxious hound, but she was having none of it.
She sprung away, barking into the air, sniffing.
“Come here honey, it will be okay!”
Turning, the small dog let an ear shattering bark, then tore off into the trees.
“LUNA! STOP! COME BACK!”
Kim sprinted after her, droplets of water falling through the air.
They both quickly disappeared from sight.
Jimmy followed after them, calling back over his shoulder.
“I will follow, find somewhere to camp. Stay safe.”
Just like that, half their firepower was gone.
Dan stood still in shock.
Looking over, both his family and Annette were sitting and resting against nearby rocks, already falling asleep.
Chris stood apart, looking dazed and confused.
Dan let his hammer fall to the ground, sinking under its weight.
“Awww hell.”
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No way in hell is he beating me.
The endless knot composed of streams of power spun.
Twisting, contracting, racing.
Chi flowed, ever smoother, ever faster, exploding the pugilist forwards.
Whipping wind tore tears from squinted eyes, unkempt hair blasting straight back.
Boots tore divots from the ground, replicating his worst days of golf.
Shadowed fur flowed gently on a soft breeze.
He closed the gap on the cheating bastard, the childish wish to not lose driving his run to unforeseen heights.
Garuke flowed over the ground, closing to ten feet from the anomaly.
Ken’s quads coiled, flexing, and launching him forwards through the air.
As the pugilist passed by the drummer, left hand rose, smacking the back of ponytailed head.
Rolling and turning mid-air, Ken’s right hand flashed up in a middle finger.
He saw the flash of tusks over gray skin, as his world was swallowed by light.
Congratulations.
You have completed the Hardcore Tutorial.
…This is surprising…
Transferring to Crucible.
Advance. Overcome.
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
‘Surprising’?
Fuck you!
One word stuck out from the message.
Crucible? Where the hell is that supposed to be?
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
I WANT TO GO HOME!
Since you so nicely requested 47 times, here are your status pages…
Too panicked to absorb anything, he swallowed past the cold lump of dread in his throat.
It can hear you!
Just be cool.
“I really do like to joke around Mr. Universe… ha ha…”
The blue screens were the only reference point to reality, everything else an endless white void.
Just like when this all started…
Unlike purgatory, what seemed like but a moment passed, before a pinprick of color returned to the world.
Then, in a rush, a new reality slammed down around him.
Or I slammed into it.
Birdsong pierced the air, the sun hanging low in the sky.
He stood on the edge of a large clearing, encompassed by a twisted, ancient forest.
A gentle breeze blew, caressing his face.
A pleasant, welcoming area.
And completely unfamiliar.
Not a road, car, or structure in sight.
“What. The. FUCK!”
His idiotic yell rang out, silencing the sounds of nature.
Reminding him of his own rules.
You just dropped into an unknown environment.
And made a bunch of noise.
Constant Vigilance, you dumbass.
Slinking to the nearest tree, he slipped up into the branches.
Hood up, shadowed gi settled around him in the shadows.
Dark eyes panned the area.
Ears almost quivered, waiting for the inevitable crash of branches to break the silence.
Momentum Tuning fired up, roaring in his head.
Nothing.
No movement.
No sound of a beast.
…And no Garuke.
He waited a good ten minutes, hoping that some hint of his friend would appear.
Nothing.
Definitely made it, he was right there.
It must have returned him somewhere else…
With one, final, small nod to his lost battle-brother, he let out a deep sigh.
Once again, I got scared up a tree.
Smiling, head shaking at his own stupidity, he moved to descend from his perch.
When he saw it.
Hanging low in the sky, the sun threw long dramatic shadows.
Looking down into the clearing, covered only in short grass, recognition sparked.
Twisting back and forth, the earth was raised in an odd, but distinct pattern.
Without the elevated position, he never would have seen it.
“Is that Serpent Mound?”
Huh…
I was East of here…
As the gears started to turn, grind, and overheat, he waved it off.
“Fuck it. Don’t matter.”
As his gray matter began to cool, he focussed on what did.
“If I am back in some part of Ohio… they will be North.”
Move.
A shadow descended from the canopy, sprinting off as darkness began to settle.
The Core of Momentum thrummed, burning just a bit less chi than it regenerated.
Slowly, the remaining sliver was compressed back down into the matrix of movement.
Twisted, ancient landscapes passed by in the night.
Occasional cries of fear, or challenge rang out.
It all went ignored.
I will find them.
Breath blasted like bellows out of his dry throat.
Lips cracked, seeping blood.
Chi flowed, sealing the cracks, healing the blisters on his bare feet.
His beloved steel toes finally bit the dust hours ago.
The pace did not slow.
“I… might have… to take a break…”
But his legs kept pumping, almost as if stopping would admit something he could not.
Running, body screaming but silent next to his aching heart, something cut through the mental fatigue.
Something sharp.
Something, surprisingly, familiar.
A frantic, repeated noise.
What the hell is that racket?
Wait a minute…
Is that…
Chi flowed, pouring out of his Core, surging through his channels, converging on his throat.
“LUNA!”
In the distance, so faint he almost thought he was imagining it…
“Bark!”
The End.
