Chapter 6: Small Mercies in a Rotting World
The silence after battle was worse than the screams.
Kylie's fingers trembled as she peeled the photograph from the dead man's grip. The glass was spiderwebbed with cracks, the cheerful Catholic High School Sports Day banner now streaked with rust-colored smears. His boys—Alex and Andy Lee—grinned up at her, frozen in time.
A notification pulsed in her vision:
[System Prompt: Final Rites]
"Rituals of mourning are not for the dead, but for the living—a way to scaffold grief when the world has collapsed around us."
—Excerpt from "Grief and Meaning-Making in Early Childhood Trauma," Dr. Kathleen R. Gilbert
[Select Burial Method:]
- Ground Burial
(+50 Karma, "Grave-Tender" Title – Monsters 10% less aggressive near marked graves)
- Cremation (Urn Storage)
(+30 Karma, 75 Gold – Portable memorial, may be used in certain rituals)
Kylie checked her inventory.
[Current Gold: 268G]
She hesitated. That was a significant chunk of funds. Funds she doesn't even know what she might need it for. But the thought of leaving him here, in this defiled place...
>[Cremation (Urn Storage).]
The system chimed.
[75G deducted. Cremation services activated.]
The air shimmered. A spectral dian hu (traditional Chinese crematorium furnace) materialized, its iron maw glowing cherry-red. The process was swift and strangely dignified – no smoke, just a soft blue flame that left behind a simple celadon urn etched with plum blossoms.
Mrs. Sakamoto pressed a worn 500-yen coin into Kylie's palm. "For safe passage," she murmured, nodding at the urn. Kylie placed it gently inside before storing both in her inventory.
[Cremation Complete.]
"Ashes weigh less than memory."
Reward: +30 Karma, "Keeper of Ashes" Title
---
Kylie turned back toward the corridor they'd come from, only to freeze. Where there had once been a passage, now gaped a yawning void - the entire section of hallway had collapsed into the atrium below, taking the stairwell access with it. Chunks of concrete still crumbled from the edges, dust swirling in the emergency lights.
"We can't go back," Serena said, kicking a piece of debris that tumbled endlessly into the darkness. "That was our only way down to the preschool."
Mrs. Sakamoto stepped forward, her kendo sword casting a cool blue glow across the debris. "We'll need to use the east service stairwell," she said, voice steady. "It connects to all floors—including the preschool."
Serena wiped gore from her mop handle with a torn piece of curtain. "Great. More walking."
The air hung thick with the metallic scent of blood as Intern Wei Kit crouched beside Security Guard Ahmad, his trembling hands pressing a wad of gauze against the ragged stump where an ear should be. The first aid kit splayed open beside them revealed its pathetic contents - yellowed bandages, a single alcohol wipe packet from 2019, and a roll of medical tape that had long since lost its stick. Wei Kit's glasses slid down his nose as he blinked sweat from his eyes.
"My first aid cert expired two years ago," he admitted, voice cracking slightly as blood seeped through the gauze, "but I'm pretty sure you're supposed to apply pressure and..." His words died in his throat as golden text materialized in his vision, hovering like divine intervention.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: New Skill Unlocked!]
[Mend (Lv.1)] - Restore minor tissue damage
The system notification pulsed with otherworldly light, its edges shimmering like heat haze on tarmac. Wei Kit's breath caught as the words seared themselves into his retinas, the meaning bypassing his conscious thought and lodging directly in his nervous system. Before he could process what was happening, his hands moved of their own accord, rising from Ahmad's wound with fingers splayed like a concert pianist's.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Ahmad barely had time to growl "Just do it, lah!" before warmth radiated from Wei Kit's palms. Not the dry heat of fever, but the golden glow of a sunrise after monsoon rains - gentle yet inexorable. The light pooled in the hollow of Ahmad's wound, swirling like liquid honey as it sought out damaged tissue.
Kylie watched, transfixed, as the miracle unfolded. Tiny blood vessels threaded themselves back together like lovers' fingers intertwining. Cartilage reformed with soft clicking sounds, like a puzzle box assembling itself. The skin stretched taut, smoothing out until only a faint pink line remained where torn flesh had been. Even the tiny hairs along the helix regrew in perfect formation, as if some cosmic barber had given the new ear a meticulous trim.
Ahmad's hand flew to the side of his head, fingers probing the unfamiliar smoothness where pain and blood had been moments before. His usual gruff demeanor faltered for a heartbeat before he masked it with a derisive snort. "Not bad, budak. Could've made me handsome though."
The golden light faded from Wei Kit's hands, leaving behind only the faintest shimmer on his fingertips. He stared at them as if they belonged to someone else, his mouth working soundlessly before managing a weak, "I guess I'm a healer now?"
Mrs. Sakamoto observed the proceedings with the calculating gaze of a chess master spotting an unexpected advantage. Her sword's blue glow pulsed in time with her measured breathing as she gave a single, decisive nod. "This changes our tactical options significantly."
Serena chose that moment to deliver a congratulatory slap to Wei Kit's back that nearly sent him face-first into Ahmad's lap. "Welcome to the party, Band-Aid Boy," she crowed, her grin all teeth. "Try not to faint at the next amputation."
A faint antiseptic scent lingered in the air, mixing oddly with the ever-present stench of decay. The group stood in momentary silence, each privately recalculating their chances of survival now that pain and injury weren't necessarily permanent. Some unspoken tension eased from Kylie's shoulders as she glanced at her quest log, the counter ticking upward in her mind's eye. For the first time since the world ended, something had gone unequivocally right.
Kylie's gaze swept across the dimly lit office space, taking stock of their ragtag group of survivors-turned-warriors. The flickering emergency lights cast long shadows that made their little band seem larger than they were, but the system notifications floating in her vision told the true story:
[Party Status Updated]
4/8 Members Awakened
SYNERGY EFFECT: The Trinity Blades"
"Three edges of the same sword - one to parry, one to strike, one to cut the throats of doubters."
Effect: +20% counterattack damage when fighting back-to-back
Her eyes first found Mrs. Sakamoto standing sentinel by the shattered windows. The older woman's normally immaculate bun had come half-undone, strands of silver-streaked black hair framing a face that looked carved from seasoned teak. Even at rest, her posture remained perfect - back straight, shoulders squared, fingers curled lightly around the glowing length of her ruler-turned-sword.
[Sakamoto Hanako - Blade Dancer]
Species: Human
Level 3
Trust: High
The system text shimmered like moonlight on water as Kylie focused on her. Mrs. Sakamoto's blade pulsed faintly in response, its blue glow illuminating the fine lines of concentration around her eyes. Kylie had seen her cut down three goblins in a single fluid motion, her movements like a calligraphy master's brushstrokes - precise, beautiful, and utterly lethal.
A pained grunt drew Kylie's attention to the corner where Wei Kit sat slumped against a filing cabinet. The young intern's glasses were smudged with fingerprints and what looked suspiciously like goblin blood. His hands - those miraculous, glowing hands - trembled slightly in his lap as he caught his breath.
[Chun Wei Kit - Healer]
Species: Human
Level 2
Trust: None
The golden aura around him had faded to a faint shimmer, like the last embers of a dying fire. His [Mend] ability might be crude compared to proper medical training, but watching him regrow Ahmad's ear had been nothing short of miraculous. Kylie made a mental note to keep him out of direct combat - their first proper healer was worth protecting.
The sound of metal scraping concrete announced Serena's approach before she stepped into view. She'd traded her ruined office blouse for a scavenged security vest, the Kevlar bulk making her slender frame seem even more wiry by contrast. A fresh smear of greenish blood decorated the business end of her modified mop handle.
[Serena Koh - Srikandi Hulubalang (Silat Warrior Maiden) ]
Species: Human
Level 5
Trust: High
The system text flickered red at the edges, matching the dangerous glint in Serena's eyes. Kylie had lost count of how many goblins had fallen to those brutal, efficient strikes - each movement honed by years of weekend silat classes at the community center. Where Mrs. Sakamoto fought with grace, Serena battled with the ruthless pragmatism of a backalley brawler.
Finally, Kylie's gaze dropped to her own hands, still sticky with blood and grime. The system notification for her own class pulsed gently, its verdant glow softer than the others.
[Kylie Lee - Nurturer Whisperer]
Species: Human
Level 5
The title still felt alien, though the weight of responsibility it carried was all too familiar. Not a warrior, not a healer, but something in between - someone who could see the potential in even the most broken things. Her fingers twitched toward the urn in her inventory, thoughts drifting to the children waiting at the preschool.
Four awakened. Four against whatever horrors lurked in the ruined building. Not enough, but it would have to be.
Mrs. Sakamoto's blade hummed as she turned toward the group. "We move in five," she announced, her voice cutting through the exhausted silence. "The preschool isn't getting any closer."
Serena grinned, all sharp edges and dangerous promises. "About damn time."
Wei Kit groaned but pushed himself upright, his hands already beginning to glow faintly in anticipation.
And Kylie? Kylie's fingers flexed around empty air before she caught herself - no fire extinguisher, not after that last desperate swing had sent it tumbling down the floors with three goblins still clinging to it. Her eyes swept the ravaged office, inventory notifications flickering at the edge of her vision like impatient ghosts.
There - the heavy-duty three-hole punch from Accounting, its metal base still smeared with someone's forgotten sticky notes. She wrenched it free from debris, the weight all wrong but the corner edges satisfyingly sharp. The system pinged as she swung it experimentally:
[Improvised Weapon: Office Guillotine]
Across the room, Serena snorted. "Really? Of all the—"
"Quiet," Mrs. Sakamoto murmured, though her lips twitched as Kylie demonstrated the punch's spinning mechanism. The holes aligned with terrifying precision.
Wei Kit blinked. "That's... actually kind of—"
A distant screech cut him off. Kylie hefted her new weapon, the fluorescent light glinting off its filing spikes. Not elegant. Not even vaguely appropriate. But as the first goblin rounded the corner, she found herself smiling.
The three-hole punch descended with a sound like a stapler fired from a cannon.
[SYNERGY UNLOCKED: Stationery Massacre] "Death by a thousand paper cuts... and one very enthusiastic hole punch."
Kylie exhaled. "East it is." She glanced at her quest log—
[Individual Quest: Protect the Innocents]
Objective: Safeguard your students and return them to their parents.
Minimum Success: 5/10 children returned safely.
- Success Reward: ???
- Failure (Below 5/10): Penalty: -50 EXP, Skill Lock for 24 hours.
—and clenched her fists.
