System Fall

“How can you just chow down after that shitshow? What is wrong with you? You’re seriously messed up if you can eat right now.” Willow blurted out, the shock of what had happened plastered across her face.

"Really? You’re asking how? Fine. One bite at a time. That’s how I can do it. I’m not going to go on a hunger strike or feel bad about taking out the trash.” I didn’t bother to respond more or wait for her response. Instead, I pointed her towards Alvin and signaled her to cut him loose.

She got the hint and quickly freed Alvin with her Azure Gleam Knife.

Once Willow had sliced through the webbing, Alvin fell to his knees, rubbing his raw wrist. His face was a mix of relief and humiliation, his eyes darting anxiously to each of us. I held his gaze, my expression unreadable.

“Sorry,” Alvin muttered, his voice hoarse. "I messed up...again."

I merely nodded, taking a step back. His repeated failures were a liability but pointing that out now wouldn't change anything.

"You okay?" My words were curt, detached. There was a job to do, and we didn't have the luxury of time for comfort or reassurances.

"Y-yeah...just some rope burn, well, web burn to worry about," Alvin tried to joke, but the forced humor fell flat, the tension hanging heavily in the air.

"Good.” I said, my gaze sweeping across our surroundings. "We've got company coming."

Savage howls and snarls grew steadily louder and closer, signaling the steady advance of the once-encaged wildlife. As the scent of fresh blood intermingled with the natural odors of the outdoors, their faces paled. It had been a zoo, home to all sorts of animals. But now? Nothing was off the table. It had morphed into an uncharted wilderness where no creature was left unchanged.  Its rules are unwritten and cruel.

We could easily move and avoid the monsters altogether, but the sorry state of the group I’d taken out posed a problem. They were heavily injured, and I doubted any of them were ready to defend themselves after our battle and I didn’t really want to give them the chance to come back later against me. Nothing good came of loose ends.

"Shouldn't we just... get rid of them?" Willow's question was almost inaudible, shrouded in a discomfort that her newfound pragmatism demanded. "If they can't make it, shouldn't we... put them down? So the monsters won't get them? We could... make use of what's left."

I looked at her, taken aback by the hardened outlook that had begun to form. "Quite a change of heart you've got there," I remarked, my tone neutral.

"They can't even defend themselves! Must less less stand" Alvin's voice held an edge of bitter resentment. His gaze locked with mine, fire burning in his eyes. "Just leaving them here... it's the same as slaughtering them ourselves."

"They’ve got skills, they’ve got points," I shot back. "They’ll find a way to survive if they want to live bad enough. Hell, even he—" I motioned towards Jared who was bleeding heavily on the ground and having trouble breathing"—could recover eventually. There's gotta be some magic shit that could help."

"But are you sure about that?" Alvin asked, challenging me.

"All I know is, if they want to survive, they'll have to find a way. Humans are stubborn like that," I replied, nodding towards the fallen group. "If you're so worried, why don't you stick around and play nurse? Let's call it payment for your freedom."

With that, I turned around, leaving the group behind as I ventured deeper into the zoo. Alvin grumbled under his breath, his gaze fixated on the knife in my hand. As I moved forward, May fell into step behind me, leaving our past behind.

"Alvin," I called out to him before I turned to leave. He glanced up at me, his eyes filled with a turmoil of emotions. "They wronged you. They will wrong others in the future. I'll leave their fate in your hands. Whether they live or die."

"That might not be such a terrible thing," Alvin mused, his voice hardening. His gaze still held mine, but now there was an icy resolve shining within. "What am I even saying... Do these people... Do they even deserve to live?"

His bitterness gave way to a cold pragmatism, mirroring Willow's own shift. An echo of the harsh reality we now found ourselves in, where survival was the only morality that mattered. His words held an undertone of questioning, not directed at me, but at himself and this world that forced such considerations upon him.

Without waiting for his response, I walked off into the darkness of the zoo, with May trailing behind me. "I'm not following you, you know," she retorted defensively, "We just happen to be heading in the same direction."

 

 

With her heart heavy and filled with a sense of loss, Willow watched as May and Nick vanished into the growing darkness. She was torn, her mind buzzing with a flurry of thoughts. May was her closest friend, yet here she was, following someone else. It was May's decision, Willow knew. She had no right to question it. As painful as it was, she needed to accept it, whatever the outcome may be.

Her gaze shifted to Alvin. There was a shared guilt between them, an unspoken conversation that needed to happen. But even before she could open her mouth, Alvin held up a hand, stopping her mid-thought.

"Give me a moment, Willow," he said, his voice straining and cracking. "Just... go ahead without me. I need some time."

She felt a jolt of surprise, a stab of loneliness. This was not how she had imagined things unfolding. She was suddenly left alone, caught in an eerie silence with only the distant growls and roars of unseen monsters to keep her company. The world felt big and empty, and Willow smaller than she ever had.

 

Nodding stiffly, she respected Alvin's wish. She turned her back on him and began to move in the direction May and I had disappeared. With each step, she felt the weight of what was left behind growing. The defeated group lying unconscious, Alvin standing alone in his thoughts, and the silence that was left hanging in the air.

Alvin's gaze remained fixed on the group scattered before him, unconscious and vulnerable. A pang of something akin to guilt flashed through him, quickly overshadowed by a rush of righteous anger. These people had wronged him, exploited him, and now lay at his mercy.

His grip on the naval cutlass tightened as he thought back to what I had said. The choice was his to make. He was the judge, jury, and executioner now. He found himself weighing their sins, the deceit, the humiliation they subjected him to, against their unconscious forms.

"They're garbage," he murmured under his breath, echoing my words. "And garbage should be dealt with appropriately." His fingers traced the hilt of the cutlass, cold and solid under his touch. His own reflection stared back at him from the polished steel – a far cry from the man who'd been tied up just a while ago.

His heart pounded against his ribs, a steady rhythm that fueled his resolve. "They made their choices, and now, it's time they face the consequences," he told himself, each word cementing his determination.

A strange sensation flooded him, a mix of fear, excitement, and a thirst for retribution. He lifted his cutlass, the sharp edge glinting ominously under the moonlight. His voice echoed once more in the silent night, filled with a cold resolve. "This is justice. This is retribution. And it's only fitting that I'm the one to deliver it."

His body tensed, his heart hammered against his chest, and his grip on the cutlass was ironclad. He was just a swing away from delivering the justice they deserved.

 

As I descended deeper into the chaos that was once a peaceful zoo, the caged enclosures turned into the hunting grounds for all sorts of nightmarish beasts. Yet even in this macabre scenario, May proved her worth as a formidable companion. Her skills had honed sharp like her twin blades, the sheen of which cut through the twilight as she dispatched smaller monster mobs with terrifying efficiency. On one such occasion, I saw her skillfully use her weapons to form a blockade, averting a vicious attack from a monstrously mutated tiger.

In the meantime, I found myself squaring off against an oddly named creature: a Bare Bear. It was an uncanny parody of what a bear ought to be, grotesquely naked and wholly unnerving. Yet, I held my ground, moving swiftly to cut off a part of its paw.

 

Much to my surprise, the creature responded by gnawing at the bloodied stump. Steam rose as it accelerated its healing process. Intriguing," I murmured to myself, keenly observing its recuperative ability. But I wasn’t about to offer it a fair fight. Swiftly, I launched forward, slicing its legs from under it, followed by a powerful downward swing that separated its head from the body. A quick kick ensured that the head rolled away, eliminating the chance of it miraculously springing back to life.

A morbid curiosity bloomed within me, a grin playing upon my lips. My knives danced as I carved a bit of the defeated creature's meat, earning myself a culinary trophy. I glanced over at May, who was still engaged in an intense combat with the oversized tiger. Seeing her in a bit of a bind, I made my way towards the beast, moving as quietly as a predator in the night. In a flash, my knife dug deep into its side, tearing open a massive wound.

The tiger’s reaction came delayed, staggering only when the severity of its injury caught up. This provided May the perfect opportunity to strike. She lunged forward, her blades sinking deep into the back of the tiger's neck. Though the beast remained alive, it was effectively paralyzed, its spine damaged beyond hope.

Now, it was simply a matter of finishing the job. I added the tiger's meat to my growing collection, nonchalantly shrugging off May's questioning gaze. As I busied myself with this grim harvest, a message popped up in my vision. "About damn time," I muttered, finally feeling the thrill of the hunt.

With each encounter, we found ourselves diving deeper into the belly of the beast - the zoo becoming an uncanny kitchen full of exotic and disturbing ingredients. There was a peculiar satisfaction in conquering these monstrous creatures and reducing them to mere sustenance.

"Dinner's on me tonight, May," I declared cheerfully, a handful of meat from a terrifyingly large Anacondor in hand, "Grilled snake steak, anyone?"

May shook her head, chuckling at my attempt at levity amidst our gruesome work, "You're cooking. No complaints if I get food poisoning, alright?"

"I'm practically a chief, remember?" I winked, "Trust me, you won't be disappointed."

And just like that, our dangerous expedition turned into a deadly picnic, one monstrous meal at a time.

[System Fall Notification]

 

System Notification

 

Survivalist Gourmet

 

Congratulations! As the first user to delve into the culinary variety of System Fall during the basic tutorial phase, your unique curiosity has been duly noted. Your extraordinary accomplishment has prompted the system to unlock a special reward: The ability to craft and purchase Vacuum Tupperware. This product, endorsed by System Fall, is an essential tool for all your food storage needs.

 

Crafting Recipe:

 

Materials Required:

 

Plastic Pieces (10 Units)

Vacuum Stone (1 Unit)

Shaping Crystal (2 Units)