Chương 12: GIFTS FROM THE HEAVENS

Monan led T'balt down a wooded path a sharp distance from the church. It eventually made its way into the evening woods. It didn't seem the safest spot to be, but Monan charged in his steps like a man on a mission.

"We're going loot hunting," he said on the way.

"I feel so damn bare with just this measly flame sword. I need some real loot."

"Got it. So why'd you need me?"

"I keep forgetting your brain is shit. Remember, I'm teaching you how to survive. And if you're going to get anywhere without getting your ass pulled out your mouth, you need to know how to get some good loot."

"Okay then." Monan surveyed the woods, searching for tracks and signs of wildlife, like a hunter pursuing the depths of the wilderness. T'balt patiently watched and observed, waiting for the lesson to come, but one never came. Monan just expected him to absorb everything by monkey-see-monkey-do. The forest seemed so far untouched by Zero Day. It was the first time T'balt had seen relatively normal animals in iterations. Bugs, plants, and rodents roamed the dirt as they were meant to. Almost peaceful.

A sharp contrast to the city they came from.

"So was what you did at the church supposed to teach me how to survive, too?" T'balt asked.

"Making people think you're a messenger from the heavens."

"It's pretty funny, right?" Monan smirked.

"Show people something they've never seen before, and they start rolling over like puppies."

"But you're actually an enemy of God. At least the one we're dealing with. It just feels like lying."

"Only partially." He said it like he was gloating.

"Under my guidance, a lot of them should survive. At least for a while."

"But still…" T'balt was unsure of it all, feeling guilty for lying to good people like Ellie. Or maybe he was more peeved that Chosa had believed Monan over him.

"You a coward, T'balt, or just a hypocrite?" Monan was directly in his face.

"What? I'm not…"

"You're only on like thirty-something, but can you count how many times you've already lied to the people around you? Or withheld information? Not because it was the right thing to do, but out of sheer convenience. How many times must I explain the same thing over and over again, you'd think, and leave poor Chosa confused and helpless. Or you didn't say something cuz last time you said it, it led to some BS you weren't expecting. So after the next time you die, you say whatever gets you the best ending."

It wasn't a foreign thought to him. He had taken liberties with giving out information, and he was regretting that in this iteration, especially.

"But that's different. If I told them everything I knew right at the beginning, no one would ever believe me. It'd just make them think I'm certifiable."

"It isn't different. Don't try to pose it like a bad thing. These are the advantages you have as a Redeemer. You know the future. We have better knowledge than anyone else on how to get the best possible outcome. So trust me, T." Monan slapped him on the arm.

"I've been here before. I know how to get the best possible outcome."

"Alright."

"Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"Unless you and the goth bird decide to mess things up. You two are the only wildcards that weren't here during my last visit. So if you go and start doing things out of the ordinary, then I won't have a clue what happens next, you got me?"

"Yeah." T'balt nodded again like a child getting a harsh lecture. Monan's eye caught something flying above them. He unconsciously moved in its direction as T'balt followed.

"So what's supposed to happen here? What's the best possible outcome?" Monan laughed.

"The church of the Redeemer." Just then, his flame sword flashed into his hand as he geared it up like a javelin. Flames then flung through the air before knocking a white bird from the sky. It fell several yards away from them. Then they hurried to check out the prize as it laid struggling in the dirt. The burns on its body prevented it from moving, but it twitched its neck back and forth, fighting for breath.

"That's not a monster. It's just a dove," said T'balt. But then the squirming stopped, transforming into calm, measured breathing. The wounds from the burns slowly started to disintegrate into tiny glass dust and heavenly smoke. It began to flap its wings. Then Monan skewered the bird with his combat knife. He threw away the carcass, emerging with a coin in his hand. The image on it resembled the sun.

"Is that healing loot? That's so cool." T'balt turned into a fanboy like he was discovering new game mechanics. Monan ignored him, stuffing the loot in a small black sack. He threw it at T'balt for safekeeping.

"You're not going to use it?"

"Playing the healer ain't my style," he said, rubbing his fingers through his hair.

"I'll give it to one of the props. And I shall bestow my holy power upon them. Hahaha." A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. T'balt rolled his eyes.

"Listen. The loot is a parasite, feeding off your blood. Too many and you'll dry up like a raisin. Except unlike a raisin, you die at the end of that. 3 max. They don't pop off till you croak. So save your chastity for the one that treats you right." He made himself laugh. Despite the depraved metaphor, the idea made sense to T'balt. You don't just get unlimited powers. So people just going on a beast-killing spree don't get rewarded for doing so. So that means he has to be picky about the loot he picks up.

Especially if that means he'll die if he uses too many. And being sucked dry by a bloodsucker sounded like a terrible way to get reset.

"So how are you supposed to get better loot if you don't get weaker loot first? I mean, I doubt a gun could do anything to that angel."

"You'll always have a loot. You're a Redeemer. I'm sure you can figure it out." There he went with the vague answers that didn't help at all. They spent some more time out in the wilderness when Monan suddenly stopped them. He listened to the woods. T'balt heard nothing.

"What is it?" he asked. Monan smiled. He drew his sword, slashing towards T'balt, who instinctively ducked.

"What are you trying to kill me for!?" But above him was a bull-sized wolf descending to pounce. Monan's swing made the wolf veer its position and leap far above them. It started bouncing off trees at speeds that T'balt couldn't follow. But thankfully, it recognized Monan as the threat. Without any loot in him, T'balt was nothing but a sitting duck. It charged at the man who parried its freakish claws with his sword, black smoke and flame circling.

As soon as it would attack, it would immediately retreat to the trees and under cover. It was using its overwhelming speed to peck at Monan, searching for an opening. Monan would not give it that. He positioned the sword in front of him and stood ready to defend against an attack to his front and back. The attack-retreat pattern repeated for over a minute as neither could nail a definitive blow. But Monan was rejoicing in his adrenaline. Though it didn't help him prevent the wolf from dodging all his attacks.

The beast's reflexes were off the charts. Even when Monan launched ranged attacks, predicting its movements, it was able to effortlessly swing its body to change direction. It was proving troublesome even for Monan. T'balt was clamoring on the ground, awestruck and hardly able to follow what was happening. But determined to help, he grabbed a rock and chucked it where he thought the wolf would be. But he was completely off the mark, only succeeding at grabbing its attention.

Then it recognized him as a threat again, bolting straight for his throat. He let out a gasp, but then Monan's flaming sword was javelined right in front of him. The wind and flame burst from the ground, swallowing T'balt in heat. But the wolf wasn't hit. It still dodged. And moreover, it saw that Monan was unarmed. It bounced off the branch of a tree, beaming for the bite. Monan only had time to shield with his forearm. The beast sank its teeth in, piercing his arm. But this would prove to be its downfall.

He only pretended to be unarmed. Once he had it still, teeth focused on tearing off his arm, his free hand had his combat knife in hand and drilled the beast right in the heart. It continued the struggle, but only for a few seconds longer. Then it shut its eyes for good. T'balt was the most relieved he had ever been. Besides a minor burn from the sword and some singed clothes, he was unhurt. And Monan didn't seem to care about the bite in his arm at all. In fact, he was laughing again, jolly and jovial.

For once, T'balt was glad he was a bit of a maniac.

"No wonder it was such a bitch. Double looted." He juggled the two coins between his fingers.

"Thanks for saving me. I guess I don't need to bother asking if you're alright," T'balt said, wiping the dirt from himself.

"Catch." Monan tossed one of the coins.

"You'll get a kick out of that one." T'balt studied the design. There were multiple arrows on it facing one direction. He wondered what it meant.

"We ain't got all day, kid," Monan prodded. T'balt reluctantly put it on the back of his neck, partly relieved that he finally had some loot of his own. But he wondered if Monan thought that whatever this loot was was the one that'll treat him right. After the cringing in his spine, T'balt didn't feel anything too different about himself.

"What's it…" T'balt took a step forward, suddenly finding himself several yards past Monan. His body was flushed with that strange adrenaline feeling.

"What the…" He tried to move again, and he was even further, even though he only intended to take a single step.

"Ok."

"Top speed. Bud. You'll be competing in the Olympics in no time," Monan teased.

"Did I really just move that fast?" Then, a few moments later, he was jetting back and forth through the trees and around the woods as the speed synced to his body. Dust was flying behind him, and he could up the tempo of his steps like never before.

"This is awesome," he yelled.

"Alright, great," Monan said.

"Now try to attack me with it."

"What are you talking about? I'm not going to attack you."

"Full speed. Come at me."

"No."

"What, are you scared?"

"I just don't want you…"

"Then come at me." T'balt shook his head and followed the man's request. He moved his legs, then snapped several yards right in front of Monan in half a second. He didn't throw a punch, just intended to run past him close enough to make the wind knock him off balance. To his surprise, Monan had caught him by the arm, swinging him in a giant circle and tossing him into some bushes. But T'balt was going at such a speed that Monan would've had to be moving far faster than him to catch him where he was going to be.

He was spitting leaves out of his mouth, wondering what the big deal was.

"Hahahaha. Reflex loot. The most useful loot to get accustomed to fighting. Not bad, huh?" He kept chuckling to himself.

"Yeah, I guess." T'balt's head was still ringing from the fall.

"Did you have to be so rough?"

"Is the little baby not done suckling mommy's tit?" he laughed.

"Do you have to be so condescending all the time?"

"I'm just waiting for you to prove that I don't have to baby you anymore."

"And how do I prove that?"

"Why not try taking down a couple of beasts on your own with the lovely loot I gifted you?"

"I'll take that challenge." T'balt grinned. Using the speed loot was even more fun in combat. Mostly because most beasts didn't have the wherewithal to deal with it. They encountered the next beast, some bodybuilt bear with psychokinetic loot. After it threw a single rock, T'balt was already on it. The punch he delivered was ten times more powerful than normal, and the beast fell with one blow despite outweighing him by hundreds of pounds.

"How's that?" T'balt gloated.

"What? You satisfied with just one?"