Chapter 27: Tales of the System Apocolypse Ⅵ: Firehall 8
Before today, Deputy Fire Chief Bailey Adams thought he had led an interesting life. He had joined the military right out of high school and spent nine years overseas before coming home. He had tried joining the police department, but after two years, he realized it wasn't for him. He then joined the fire department and had been there for another seven years. A few of his subordinates had even followed in his footsteps. Chester, his group's medic, and Casey, one of his platoon Mechanics, had both joined him in the fire hall.
During those thirty-six years, he honestly thought that he had seen everything. He had seen a woman open fire on a family barbecue in defense of the cows. He had seen people call 911 for a free ride to the hospital so they could snack at the bar across the street. He had seen good men and women broken by war. Then he woke up this morning to see something completely new.
Welcome to the System, Major Bailey Adams!!!
As you did not take advantage of the extensive guide the system provided six years ago you muggle, you will now be initiating your world to the system without the tutorial.
Cliff notes version: You get a system, classes, and skills. Most of your landmarks will be turned into Dungeons or Settlements to soak up the excess mana and prevent everyone from dying from mana poisoning.
If you want any additional advice, find a settlement to avoid the dungeons, as they produce monsters. Try not to die. Maybe try and find a [Beta-Tester] who actually knows what they're doing.
Peace the Fuck Out.
If that had been all that had happened, he could have managed it without a fuss. Unfortunately, it now seemed that everyone had screens in their faces. With the fire chief on vacation, he was in charge.
"Fire Service Hall 8, shut up and form up immediately!!" Adams ordered, snapping everyone out of their panic and getting them to stand up.
Everyone on duty was ex-military, and the order immediately caused them to fall in.
"Just to confirm, you all see a blue screen in front of your face saying welcome to the system, yes?" Adams asked.
"Yes, Sir!" Everyone responded.
Everyone confirmed it, and Adams even read out his own notification to see if there were any differences between names and titles. There weren't.
"Um, sir?" Casey, the fire hall Mechanic, spoke up. "It's asking us to pick a class. What should we do?"
"Pick a class before the monsters show up." Chester cut in, staring off into space, poking at something only he could see.
"What do you mean?" Adams asked.
"Well, I mean, this is like those system apocalypse books I like to … um, I mean my daughter likes reading, yeah? Monsters and shit are going to start showing up, so we should start leveling now." Chester said.
Chester was a veteran like him. Unlike him, Chester was a native American and much larger than Adams, almost seven feet tall. Despite that, the big guy had a heart of gold. The big guy quickly went on to explain the importance of getting a class and skills and leveling them as quickly as possible. Adams gave in and opened up his status at Chester's instance.
Class Options available:
Fighter Class Options
Lieutenant - Inferior
Corporal - Lesser
Sergeant - Common
Captain - Uncommon
Major - Rare
Fire Fighter - Rare
Infantry - Epic
Spellcaster Class Options
Aquamancer - Inferior
Umbramancer - Inferior
Death Mage - Common
Water Mage - Common
Fire Mage - Common
Dark Mage - Common
Ice Mage - Uncommon
Ash Mage - Uncommon
Rouge Class Options
Assassin - Rare
Ranger Class Options
Pet Owner - Lesser
Sharpshooter - Rare
Police Officer - Rare
Support Class Options
Survivor - Lesser
Wither - Lesser
Paramedic - Common
Crafter Class Options
Labourer - Lesser
Scribe - Common
The choice of class was relatively easy. Most of his people picked the [Firefighter] class. Adam had picked the [Toolkit] Ability. It allowed him to store his gear in some kind of pocket and then summon the gear directly into his hands whenever he needed it. It sounded useful enough, so he chose that one over the others. Before they left the building, Adams went to his locked room and pulled out the gun he had stashed inside. With a flick of his hand, the gun disappeared into his [Toolkit]. He felt like he could summon it back at any time. He tried it a few times, stashing his Haligan away into thin air before calling it back to his hand. The Haligan just appeared in his hand with a small pop of displaced air.
"Neet right, sir?" Chester said.
"It's interesting…" Adams said as he checked the Haligan over.
"I picked up Life Mage in case anyone gets injured," Chester said. "Lots of magical healing."
"I'll take your word for it. Personally, I'm not sure if I trust this system," Adams muttered. "What about your wife & kid?"
Chester shook his head.
"I tried to reach Sam, but the phone line was clogged. I'm not too worried yet. I taught her how to take care of herself, and the house has guns and other supplies inside. Sam should be fine.."
"What about her mother?" he asked.
"She's out on the reserve for the week. I expect her to be fine."
Further discussion was interrupted by the alarm
RING!!! RING!!! RING!!!
And just like that, the atmosphere shifted as they all moved in sync toward the trucks.
"Alright, regardless of what's going on, we're still firefighters. Grab your gear and get to the trucks!!" Adams ordered.
"Yes, Sir," Chester roared as they moved into the locker.
They quickly donned their turnout gear—pants, boots, jacket, helmet, gloves, and SCBA masks. Adams also took an extra moment to grab his 9 mm and place it inside his [Toolkit]. He wasn't supposed to have it, but today felt like one of those days he wanted to keep it close.
He double-checked his gear, ensuring everything was in place. Casey and Chester followed suit, gearing up and performing their checks with practiced efficiency.
"Report!" Adams barked as he fell back into his old role as a Warrant Officer.
"Engine 1 ready," Casey responded, checking the status of their primary engine.
"All set here," Chester echoed, excitement coloring his every move. While he didn't have a pistol, he was holding onto his Ax with a white-knuckled grip.
They moved towards the fire engine, the heart of their operation. Casey took the driver's seat, Chester the officer's seat, and Adam and another firefighter, Jen, jumped into the back. The engine roared to life, and with the blaring siren and flashing lights, they sped out of the fire hall.
"Dispatch, this is Engine 1. We're en route to the scene," Adams radioed in, maintaining communication as they navigated the streets.
"Copy that, Engine 1. Be advised: it's a pile-up on 220 St and Fraser Highway. Police are already on the scene. There are multiple reports of injuries. Be advised that wild animals have been spotted on scene," the dispatcher replied.
As they approached the scene, the pile-up became visible. The
Casey brought the engine to a safe distance, assessing the situation. At least a dozen vehicles were piled up at the crossroads, and a few blood stains were splattered around the place. But the truly strange thing was the lack of damage. There were four cars at the crossroads that looked like they had been in a crash. The rest of the cars didn't look like they had crashed into each other.
"What the hell is going on with that?" Casey muttered to herself before he turned to address his team.
"No one leaves the vehicle. Chester grabs the Thermal Camera. Scan the area for wild … animals. They should stand out against the snow on the thermal."
"You mean monsters, sir?" Chester asked as he did as instructed.
"I'm not saying that," Adams said as Chester scanned the area. Casey, if anything pops out of the snow, get us out of here. Understand?"
"Yes, sir," Casey said nervously.
"Engines are still hot. No sign of monsters. There are bodies in the pile-up."
"Alright. We're heading in, so just remember that safety is our top priority. We don't want any more casualties today. Casey, you stay here and keep the engine warm."
Adams stepped out of the fire truck and moved towards the pile-up. A single police car was at the scene. The door practically ripped off the vehicle. As they got closer, Adams noticed metal casings and blood decorating the asphalt. A police officer's body lay on the ground. His entire body had been ripped to shreds.
"Fire department! Call out if you can hear us!" Adams called out.
There was no response, and that wasn't a good sign. Adam could feel his hair standing on end as he felt the tension notch up a bit.
What could have done this? He glanced at the cop's Glock, which sat on the ground. If it didn't work out for him, his nine-millimeter wasn't going to cut it. Police cars should have both an AR-15 and a 12-gauge in their trunks, and the police car's trunk was already open. He moved to the vehicle's trunk. The Ar-15 was missing, but the 12-gauge was still inside, along with plenty of ammo for both.
Tossing his Haligan into his [Toolkit], he picked up the shotgun and loaded it. He would only get off five shots before he needed to reload, but it was better than the 9 mm.
"Jeffery. Grab the ammunition and transport it to Eignine 1."
"Yes, sir," Jeffery said. Grabbing the spare ammunition and quickly transporting it.
"Hey, Major," Chester called out. "We found survivors."
Adams turned and walked over, finding Chester, his hands glowing gold as he performed first aid on a police officer, someone he immediately recognized.
"Sgt.Thorn is reporting for duty, sir," Thorn said, her body covered in blood, her hands gripping the Ar-15 with a death grip.
Sgt. Thorn had been the sniper assigned to his platoon when he was still in the army. And right now, she was in the worst condition of her life. Her stomach had large gashes on it as if something had clawed at her stomach. A chunk of flesh had been torn off of her thigh.
Adams rushed to her side in a panic. She looked half dead.
"Sgt, report what happened here?" Adams said as he found himself slipping back into his role as a Major.
Sgt.Thorn didn't say anything, just mumbling.
"Lions!" someone said.
Adams turned to find another man he hadn't seen in his rush to Sgt.Thorn. He had been dressed in a good suit, now covered in blood. He was gripping his arm. Shallow claw marks allowed blood to stain his suit. It looked painful but superficial.
"Hey buddy, what's your name?" Adams asked.
"Hanze, Hanze Burg. she saved my life." Hanze said.
"Alright, Hanze, what happened here." Adams pushed.
"Lions. I came here just before she did. A pack of lions showed up, and they ate people. I tried to run, but they cut us off. Then the cops came. They shot at the lions, but they didn't die. By the time she pushed me under this car, we were the only ones left. We need to leave now. Before they came back," his words started to become more hectic.
"Chester, how are they?" Adams asked.
"He's having a panic attack, not a priority. Sgt. Thorn was in more danger. The vest stopped her from being disemboweled barely, and my healing magic seemed to be fixing the issue. The thigh wound is more concerning. She lost a lot of blood. We should take her to the hospital. Before the lions come back." Chester stated
"What about the other survivors?" Adams asked.
"All dead, sir," Jeffery said nervously.
Adams briefly considered staying here; according to procedure, that was the proper thing to do. However, given the current circumstances and Thorns' current condition, he decided to head to St.George Hospital.
"Alright, load them into the firetruck," Adams ordered as he helped Chester lift up Thorn. Jeffry didn't so much pick up as push Hanze to the firetruck.
After moving her, Adams could already see her stomach was in far better condition than they got here, as pink skin was already growing over the injuries. Her mangled leg had already stopped bleeding and even looked like it had just started to heal.
They had just started moving towards Engine 1 when a ROAR Interrupted them. Adams turned around just in time to see a pride of lions climb up one of the cars. Their claws pulled up slivers of metal the same way cats did when they pawed your furniture.
Hanze took off like a rocket, running towards the firetruck in a panic.
"Oh fuck" Adams muttered as he made eye contact with the lioness. They Roared again before charging them.
"Someone get to the truck and hose them down," Adams called out as he leveled the twelve gauge.
He blasted the lioness, sending them sprawling, but just as Sgt. Thorn had warned there was no blood, and the moment the lioness stopped rolling across the ground, she stood back up and resumed her charge, seemingly uninjured.
"How the fuck is this possible?" Adams cursed as he blasted another lioness, sending her to stumble backwards.
Unfortunately, Jeffery was lagging behind, and one of the lionesses lept on top of him. Its claws tore through the turn-out gear. Adams turned, blasting the lioness off of Jefferys's back. Adams grabbed Jeffery by the arm and started dragging him back to the firetruck. Chester was already pulling out the hose.
"Turn it on!!" Adams called out as he dragged Jefferies behind him.
Pressurized Water shot out of the hose and sprayed one of the lionesses. Between the water pressure and the intense cold, the lioness leapt away from the stream of water as Chester hosed them down. Turning the hose on the other nine lionesses, he forced them to back up.
"Everyone gets in the truck. We've only got a minute of water in this thing!!" Adam ordered.
Thorn and Jeffery were loaded into the back of the truck. The lioness made sure to stay out of the hose's range, but only just. They quickly began to circle the group as they retreated to the fire truck. Just as it looked like they might be able to get out of this with no further casualties, the hose lost pressure.
"Shit," Chester swore as he turned and ran back to the truck. The lions growled as they lunged at him.
"MINE!!" someone roared.
Adam stumbled, turning to see a man leaping through the air, bringing a staff down the lead Lioness's head with a crunch. Adam froze as the man slept through the air with an absurd amount of speed as he engaged the lions. He looked like a guy in a bad monkey costume.
Even as the lioness clawed and bit at the man, his body healed from the damage faster than they could inflict it. His staff shattered bone and broke apart the lioness's skin despite their bullets being useless. Despite all this damage, the guy in the monkey costume was gleefully laughing as he decimated lions, not caring about the injuries he was taking one bit.
"Who the hell is that?!" Chester asked.
"Doesn't Caseyer. We're leaving." Adams ordered as he loaded Jefferies into the firetruck.
Chester didn't even try to load the fire hose back into the truck. He just got in, and Casey drove, not even waiting for Adams' orders; instead, he threw the fire truck in reverse and speeded away. The hose is dragging after them.
"What the hell was that?" Adams asked.
"Monsters, and maybe a cultivator something," Chester said as he went back to shooting golden light from his hands onto Jeffery and Sgt.Thorn.
<[Pursuite Hunter] has Reached Level 2>
<[Pursuite Hunter] has Reached Level 3>
<[Toolkit] has Reached Level 2>
<[Toolkit] has Reached Level 3>
<[Toolkit] has Reached Level 4>
<[Toolkit] has Reached Level 5>
"Sweet levels," Chester cheered. "I'm grabbing three levels in [Death Mage] and two more in [Life Mage]."
"I have no idea what that means," Adams stated.
"Just put levels into whatever you think will be useful," Chester said.
Adams shrugged, and he decided to put two levels into [Fire Fighter], one in [Police Officer] and one in [Paramedic]. He grabbed [Toughness], [Turngear], and [Lifesafe]. He didn't really understand this system, but he figured resistance to physical, elemental, and vitality damage could only be a good thing. For some reason, he had an extra skill point. He had gotten one for each of his new classes, and reaching level 3 in [Fire Fighter], he wasn't sure where the last one came from. But he used it to pick up the [Police Officer] skill [Danger Sense].
He considered assigning his stat points, but he wasn't sure where to put them, and Chester had claimed that he wouldn't be able to reassign them after the fact, so he was loath to spend them.
He was just about to turn to Chester to ask his opinion when there was a knock at the window. Adams turned and froze, finding the monkey guy who had been fighting the lions holding onto the side of the firetruck.
The monkey guy gestured for them to roll down his window. Adam briefly considered refusing or even shooting him, but I reconsidered. This guy had just decimated the nine lionesses that had shrugged off gunfire and then caught up to a speeding fire truck. Better to be diplomatic, he completed his request and rolled down the window.
Now that he was closer, Adams realized the guy was a kid, maybe sixteen or nineteen years old. He had golden eyes and some strange tattoos across his forehead. He was Asian, maybe Korean, with large sideburns that made him look a bit like a gorilla.
"Hey, fireman, you owe me one, agree?" the boy asked, raising his staff towards him.
"Uh yeah, sure," Adam said, agreeing to whatever the crazy super monkey kid said.
Then, a screen appeared in front of his eyes.
Doom Contract Set
You have made a deal with [Starkiller] - (Beta-Tester, First). You have agreed to owe [Starkiller] a favor in exchange for your life. If you do not follow the terms of this contract, you will die.
"What the hell is this?" Adam asked as the monkey kid … Starkiller laughed uproariously.
"Hey, don't hate the player; hate the game," Starkiller chuckled. He turned and leaped into the air like Peter Pan.
"What the fuck just happened?" Casey asked.
"I think that kid just tricked me," Adams said as he chewed his lip, considering this new development. "Let's get to the hospital. I want some normalcy."
You may skip to the next chapter.
Name: Baily Adams
Race: Human
Type: Humanoid
LVL: 5
SubRace: British
Age 36
Health: 200
Stamina: 250
Mana: 0
Health Regen: 2.5 per hour
Stamina Regen: 3.5 per min
Mana Regen: 1.0 per min
Titles: Major
Immune
None
Resistances
Physical 0.5%, Elemental 0.5%, Vitality 0.5%
Weakness
None
Bane
Manslayer
Classes: Firefighter 3, Police Officer 1, Paramedic 1
Total
STR: 0
AGIL: 0
DEX: 0
CON: 15
END: 10
PER: 0
INT: 0
WILL: 0
SPIRIT: 10
EGO: 5
CHA: 0
LCK: 0
Base
STR: 0
AGIL: 0
DEX: 0
CON: 15
END: 10
PER: 0
INT: 0
WILL: 0
SPIRIT: 10
EGO: 5
CHA: 0 +10%
LCK: 0
Personal: 70 Unassigned
Racial: +3 CON, +2 END, +2 SPIRIT, +1 EGO
Skill Slots: 07/60: Skill Points: 0
Personal Skills
- [Pursuite Hunter] - Level 1 >> Level 3
- [Storyteller] - Level N/A
Fireman 02/11
- [Toolkit] - Level 1 >> Level 5
- [Turnout Gear] - Level 1
Police Officer 02/11
- [Toughness] - Level 1
- [Danger Sense] - Level 1
Paramedic 01/11
- [Life Guard] - Level 1