Continued from the last post since I reached the maximum amount of characters I can put into a post.

“We had a deal that you must give up anything that’s a burden, which is almost everything. I will allow you to keep one thing. So choose wisely, and don’t go for any electronics, the last thing we want to be tracked down. You would know more about this world soon enough, and believe me it’s not one where you want to meet your enemies again” SHIT! Now I can’t play Powerup Fantasy 5 anytime soon, and I was just at the good part when the action was about to begin. Since I can choose only one thing, I saw that I got the novel adaptation of the 5th game while looting a store. I got more for collection purposes, but since I can’t play the game, I will have to read the book. I picked it up and put it in my bag, and I hope that I get to finish this book before it gets destroyed or the Roman will force me to give it up.

“Good choice, now since that’s the only luxury item you will have for a long time. So make use of it. You know about the story of Pygmalion do you?”

“I do, I was lectured actually by a frog on how I should always travel light, and he mentioned”

“He makes a good point, it’s not good to be a hoarder especially with life on the line. You know that I was a soldier, and on the battlefield you only got your weapons, armor and ration, and the fact that I had to pay for my armor puts any luxury off the table. Just try to not make the same mistake again, and focus on researching about the Chain Reaction, and how at least I can get back to my own time” Well, I am starting to see more on how Doo-pe is actually right about hoarding, and I don’t think I will attempt to do the same thing again, unless if it’s really good. 

“Well I do have questions for you, first how did you find me, second, who are these “evil woman” you speak of, are they hot, and how do they know about me?”

“Okay, first things first, you should have asked me who I am, and I can tell you have not talked to many people. My name is Severus Traianus, but you can just call me ‘The Roman’ as most people do. Also, from the second question, I can see that you are a total ‘simp’ as the fact it’s so stupid. Yeah they are seductive, but their beauty is both irrelevant and subjective. At least you were a bit suspicious about them knowing you, and that is not a question I can answer. They were mysterious, and I did try to find out more, only to get four steps back from where I last started. Best to stay away from them, and I only did it to find you, and somehow they gave exactly where you were, and I rushed there while avoiding anything that comes my way.” That’s right I am a bit horny. I always wished that I had a girlfriend, but I barely got the chance to even talk to one, and my high school was shit, since it was mostly just boys, and the only girls that are there are either too stupid or plain hideous. They were shitty people anyway, so I didn't miss anything while many of the men were fighting on Valentine’s Day. Just wished I went to a better school. But thinking about those women just made me drool when the Roman mentioned that they were seductive, so maybe they are hot. 

“We better get to sleep early, I got news that a turf war may be coming here by 2 in the morning, so we got to leave before we get caught up in it. Believe me, this city is not where you want to be, especially with what we dealt with the ghouls, now go to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow, as we have to be in another city up north” Great, I hate going to sleep, and I was up all night playing video games, but if the news were true, yeah I think I will listen to him for now. Hopefully the city has some hotels, because sleeping in a cramped room with a man in his 40s is not desirable for me.

To be continued...

Well, I posted the second part, just leave me some constructive criticism as always.

The next chapter in my story, aka a sequal to Not Alone with Monsters. I have not decided a title of the whole story yet, but I have an idea. So here it is:

I decided not to have breakfast today since I wanted to start playing Powerup Fantasy 5 as soon as possible. Once I started the game, I saw graphics that although had characters appear in sprites, they and the whole world was in great detail, and everything. I was enmeshed into the city of Dustirali, a city of factories that produce products that are made just to be thrown out. The protagonist was an industrial worker who decided to raise arms against his boss after being treated like shit, as he started rebelling by organizing a union where many of his co-workers decided to demolish the power plant under threat that if they don’t get better wages, they will blow it up. Already I love this game, and I even heard that other protagonists from the last 4 games will appear at some point in the game. I played until I got up with the first boss, who happened to be a huge computer system that overproduces electricity. By the time I was about to fight it, I decided that I should head outside to find out more of what’s going on in this strange new world.

I packed everything I needed into my backpack, especially the cards the frog says are more powerful than any weapon. Yeah, of course the village I was in was not inhabited by humans, and I am the only human, while the guard happens to be a mutant who just looks human. This was interesting, but I have no interest in THAT! Everyone else is actually a bunch of talking animals, mostly made up of only predatory animals like dogs, wolves, bears, eagles and the like. I never really talked to anyone yesterday, so I don’t really know much about their way of life. I went to the lobby, too, and found myself surrounded by those talking animals, especially the younger ones who all came up to me the moment they saw me like a sore thumb. I really did not want to talk, especially yesterday with the whole Jullvex thing, and the ghoul that puts terror under my skin. Of course none of them knew that I was not in the mood since they were all oblivious to my facial features saying the opposite.

“How did you survive, I bet you must be able to kill them with one strike if you have made it this far!” One dog said.

“What did you eat? Some leeches, how did they taste?” Another bear asked.

“I wonder if you ever made it out through sheer luck? After all humans tend to be weak, since they all died off” a tiger stated.

I was annoyed with these questions, so I walked away, trying to ignore them all, luckily the frog from last time came along with the guard. “Okay, everyone, leave the human alone. He has no desire to talk to anyone. Now leave him be.” The frog said sternly, enough that the children walked away, and decided to play tag with each other. 

“Thank you for clearing off those children, that means a lot to me” I said to the frog, “Anyways, you never told me your name when we first met, are you Doo-pe, the very person that the guard had mentioned?” I said, I mean it is obvious that he is the frog, but I alway like making sure this is the case.

“Yeah, I am Doo-pe, and we should discuss something. For starters, you claimed that you moved here with all of your stuff that you’ve brought from your house right?” The frog said.

“Correct, I wanted to move to a luxurious house since I assumed that I had everything to myself, so I got everything, stole a car and drove all the way to this location. Is there anything wrong with that?” I asked Doo-pe, I mean I love my possessions, and I would actually die to save my game system since it has all my favorite games and save data that would take years to get back. However, Doo-pe smacked his face, and gave an intense glare. 

“You. Are. A fucking moron Springdale. You should have been suspicious the first moment you noticed that no one’s around. As far as you know, every person you ever knew could have been abducted by aliens! To be honest I am shocked that you were lucky ENOUGH to move here successfully. Next time, TRAVEL LIGHT!!!” The frog said in a tangent, God, that was annoying. I hope I can go out now, but Doo-pe was not finished with his lecture, so I guess I had to hear more. “Look, I know you love your possessions, I mean we all do. I love my gun collection for example. However, I gave most of them up except for my favorites when I was pursued by a group of hellhounds. I never knew what happened to the guns I left behind, and I don’t think ever will. Don’t you know the Greek myth about Pygmalion who is also obsessed over his statue much like you? As a result, she came to life as a bickering woman!”

“Yeah, I know that myth, and I thought it’s just about how we should not go after porn, but I never thought about it that way. It was nice having this talk, but I’m burning daylight and I want to go out, I gotta go now…” I said, but Doo-pe still refuses to let me go. He still had a stern look, and he crossed his arms, meaning that I will have to stay here a bit more, just when I hope he will be finished. Okay, as much as I appreciate Doo-pe for saving my life, but I really want to get out so I find out how 

“I only have a few things to say before I let you go. First of all, when you were at that mall looting any objects, you should have some caution. You should have listened to the ghoul’s warning first hand. But since you went into the game store and got that copy of Powerup Fantasy 5, you put yourself in harm’s way. If I was not there in time, you could have been turned into just another Jullvex to be killed on the spot. Again, I said this before, but it needs to be mentioned again since you seem to be suicidal enough to throw your life away for stupid shit, TRAVEL LIGHT. In a nutshell, carry only necessities, including food, water, medicine, a weapon and a few tools like a lighter. Nothing else. We will be leaving soon, so be sure to get back before sunset. If you don’t make it, then we are leaving you behind. We will be up north right in the former city of Toronto. You can’t miss this building by the way.”. Doo-pe finally concluded. I was able to leave, and man did that last forever, I thought that would never end. 

Walking across the desolate streets, and the roads do seem to have a whole lot more weeds growing on the pavement from the last time I saw them. Now I am starting to see how much of an idiot I was for not paying attention to my surroundings, so I must have lucked out from not being attacked. So note to self, don’t do that again, or else you won’t be lucky. I walked to a library, hoping that I could find some newspaper articles about what led to the event. I went into the library, and the lights are working as they normally would. Now I think about, who’s keeping the electricity going? But that’s another mystery for another time, and I want to focus on how the Chain Reaction happened. I saw that the books were in an orderly fashion, like they never were removed. I saw a graphic novel adaptation of the first Powerup Fantasy game, but once I turned the pages it crumbled up into dust. Great, I was hoping to reread that, but it seems like there are “book eaters' ' out there that some of the residents warned me about, but they do collect whatever information there was in there, so maybe I can consume the comic that way. I used to go to the library to read some comic books from before whenever I couldn't buy them physically or find them online. I used to remember when there were more people here on the computers typing stuff out, but now those days are just a memory. 

Enough about distant memories, I had to find anything about the Chain Reaction, what happened, and what led to it, and who caused it for what reason. I decided to head right to the newspaper section, to actually see Newspapers from the New York Times still in good condition. I saw that the latest was from 2050, so I took that copy. At least the book eaters didn’t get to this one first. I read the volume to at least get an idea, as the last time I remember, the Chain Reaction must have happened 1000 years ago, and the last time I was around when people are alive was in the year 2018, just when I last slept and woke up here. I decided to see if there was a 2018 to jog my memory to see the current events of those days. I didn't find anything, so it’s safe to assume the book eaters got to those first. I just read the 2050 version to find out that there apparently was a war between God and Satan right here in the paper, except they are not called “God and Satan”, but compared to them for sake of convenience I guess since Christianity is the dominant religion, well at the time, I don’t know about now.

Basically in a nutshell there was a war between the mighty "Friend of Freedom” taking on the form of a plant-like monster fighting off against a “Red Ghost”, the embodiment of tyranny and authoritarianism. From what I can read, those two gods fought each other for about 20 years, to the point that their fight has almost destroyed the planet. Apparently though, the article states that the Red Ghost was killed off for good while Patrilbe, the name of the “Friend of Freedom” has made the world for Democracy. I don’t understand why the article would even say something like that, as from what I have seen, everything is destroyed, and humanity is practically extinct, and why would a supposed God of Freedom allow something apocalyptic to happen in the first place if people can’t enjoy their newfound freedom. Then I remember this was written back in 2050 as shown by the date, so something must have happened in between then and now, and I think I should try to figure out what happened in between. I refuse to believe that a democracy would even fall like that. As I quickly wrote all the important details down, I turned my head slightly to the left to see some familiar green slime. I could continue, but that would prove I’ve learned nothing from what happened last time, so I ran out of the library right towards the exit without a second thought. So I guess finding out about the past will have to wait.

I managed to get at least 20 blocks away from the library. I just hope that the Jullvex aren't on my tail this time around, because dealing with them is the last thing that I want to do. Since I can’t go to that library, I will have to think of a different plan on how to even start to look for information. Plus the sun seems like it’s about to set, so I should get back to the penthouse before Doo-pe leaves me behind. I heard from him that it gets really dangerous when it’s dark, as apparently most monsters are active during the night and that the Jullvex, Ghouls and the various Demons that I have encountered are not the only threats that exist, according to the dumb frog. In fact, I was actually pissed off when he started a society and base in the penthouse I own. I was there first, and the nerve of him kicking me out of the penthouse. To be fair, he did save my life when I made the mistake of focusing on taking a copy of PF5 when I should’ve waited, but damn I could not control myself as I waited for years for that game to come out. I was wondering about why Doo-pe saved me anyway, and what his motivation was. As far as I know, he could have done so just so he can show off that he’s a hero. I still ran towards the penthouse, but already the sun was setting, as I just spent all day focusing on running away from monsters while I barely got anything except for an idea of how the Chain Reaction came to be.

Right now I have to get to the penthouse, and as I ran with my, I would eventually find out that nothing was there in the place of the house. So I guess that Doo-pe and the community have left without me… GREAT! Now I don’t have a home, and all my stuff is gone with the apartment complex. What am I going to do now out at night with various monsters? Now I really wish I could stay home and play Powerup Fantasy 5. At least I didn't take the Switch with me, but I have to find a way to get to the penthouse, and I remember that Doo-pe said he has plans to head towards former Canada, so I guess I will be going there. I just need to survive from here on out if I want to reach the penthouse’s location.

I looked at the cards the frog gave me, and they were exactly like those typical playing cards you’d find people playing solitaire or whatever. I looked at the designs to see if they are anything like the Bicycle brand that I normally see whenever I am in game stores looking for any miniatures I should get. Ugh, this brought me back to when I often can’t decide on what to get, just a part of myself I hated. To be honest, I never really cared about these cards or the games that are played with. But to see them with a unique design, looking nothing like the cards I normally see whether they'd be the default or simply themed around pop culture or anything else, but with a almost default design, but it does feature certain symbols showing off certain actions, with the number and typical symbol to the side which there is one off. Well I can’t spend all day detailing the designs, I have to go. 

I walked across the Time Square area, just north of the neighborhood where the penthouse is, in the Upper West Side. I never mentioned the city of where I lived while writing, so I might as well give it off, and that I used to live in Harlem, a neighborhood I’m not exactly fond of. I don’t want to get into my past, or why I dislike Harlem and by extension this whole city, but I want to focus on the present. As I was walking up Columbus Circle, I thought about going into the mall right over there and getting some supplies from the store underneath the building, while building a base to fight off against whatever, but I realized that doing so might attract attention, so I decided to run towards the park, and I hope that I can quickly build a camp to spend the night.

However, as soon as I took one step into the park, I was all of a sudden ambushed right out of nowhere by a gang of teenagers who appear to have pale gray skin, and teeth with all incisors that would even put a dog on edge. The way they dress looks so damn tacky, with all black, with a hint of blue here and there, and every one of those creatures just wears skinny jeans, even the woman. Great, now I have to deal with getting attention from monsters. I was hoping that I was going to get lucky again, but I had my hopes up too high. I took out my knife, but none of those creatures flinched, coming closer to me. They looked so damn creepy with their human-like appearance, and soon enough a familiar face came, I don’t have to tell you who it was, and what those things are.

“Well, well, well, you must be the stupid little fucker I last saw while we were both at Target. I was hoping that I would get to eat you dumb bitch, but certain circumstances stopped it. But now since we don’t have any Jullvex around, we finally get the chance to finally eat a human once again, after all the disgusting demons we had to eat.” the bald ghoul said as he licked his lips. This is unnerving, I tried to run away by running past the ghouls, since I need to get to Toronto as soon as possible and try to find some car or bus that has a key in there so I can go much faster, as then the speed of the ghoul prevented me from even doing so in the first place. I was held with his right clawed hand on my neck, held onto the ground. I was panicking at this very moment, and I tried to stab the ghoul, but two other ghouls held my hands back onto the ground. They kicked the knife out my hand and threw it off far from where my hands could reach. “Nice try ******! Like we will ever let you kill me! Listen here, we have every right to do whatever we’d like, and since you are weak, and working with demons to unjustly control us. Nice try, maybe you should tell your masters THAT YOU’RE CRINGE!!. WAHAHAHAHA” All the other ghouls followed, but what the fuck is this guy even saying?! I don’t even serve anybody, or even know anything about this new world. Aside from knowing about Doo-pe and the village, then sure. 

“Hey, why don’t we eat him right now! I always wondered what human flesh tastes like!” a ghoul said. 

“Not now, we should cook this human first before we eat him. For all we could know, he could be carrying AIDS, and end up getting mind controlled by the masters he’s serving.” Oh boy here we go with this mind control bullshit, although I am aware I am in a different world, I still can never believe that literal mind control exists, but I will save that for another time. Right now, I am about to get cooked, and it would be smarter for them to eat me right now, obviously I am not telling them to do it, going against my best interests. I was tied up in some rope, as they then took me into the mall, and up on the second floor. I was too busy looking for a time to escape from the room, as I did not pay attention to a single word those ugly parasites were saying to me, as I was too focused on the task at hand. Of course I am not a fighter, only fantasizing about being one whenever I get into Powerup Fantasy or any other RPG game. I was then brought to a clothes store, where another ghoul was there preparing the pot to dunk me in.

I was taken to the closet and locked in there, to prevent escape. “Don’t worry human, soon your ugly mug will be gone from this world, so we can finally have our meal of a lifetime!” the female ghoul said, as she closed the door and locked it. Great, I don’t think I will ever be able to ever escape without noticing, but I won’t give up. I have to find out about the Chain Reaction and what caused it. I had no knife left, but I know somewhat how to untie tight knots. I was able to successfully take it off, and opened the door only slightly to see that the ghouls are too busy yakking about some useless crap. I slowly opened the door without making a creak. I slowly walked, taking advantage of their talk while boiling the pot. I walked until I was just at the entrance of the store as I then made my run. By that point, all the ghouls collectively noticed me, and they gave chase. I ran across the marble floor, but those ghouls were so damn fast, and I got creative, by going down the upwards escalator, hoping to use their speed against them as I jumped down using the handles as support. Luckily it worked, as some of the ghouls had got their feet scratched and their skin removed. I made it to the bottom without the same happening to me, but the leader and some of the other ghouls were not as dumb, and they went an alternative route, and I ran the other way, but I only got surrounded by the rest. 

“THAT WAS A DECEPTIVE TRICK YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT, BECAUSE OF YOUR LIES, YOU KILLED HALF OF OUR FRIENDS!!” the led ghoul said to me. I really did not give a shit, as these fucks literally tried to kill me. 

“Heh heh heh, calm down dude, it’s not a big deal, I mean you can make new friends somewhere else Dank Edgelord? I mean it’s not like they provided anything useful to the world.” I said in a joking manner out of pure rageful impulse, regretting it, as the ghouls then got even more pissed off when I said that statement. One of them would then rush towards me with their claws out, as the leader screamed, and told me “HOW DARE YOU, IT’S YOU WHO IS USELESS, WASTING YOUR LIFE PLAYING STUPID VIDEO GAMES!!” The leader, or the Dank Edgelord as I like to call him said in a shrieking voice. Wow, I was expecting a smug response, not this. He rages as loud as a beast, charging right towards me, many others followed his instinctual orders. Just as the ghouls were about to maul me alive, a spear came flying from the distance and pierced the Dank Edgelord in the eye, spraying out liquid red as roses.

“Hey, you shouldn't throw a tantrum whenever someone decides to stand up for themselves.” a man said in the distance, with heavy armor, not like that of a knight, but rather one of a Roman Legionnaire, specifically one from the 1st century, as his helmet shows his face, with only the sides covered by metal and a blindfold over his eyes. He wore a red tunic and leather boots, and appeared to be middle-aged. He’s much like a JRPG hero, so I hope I am saved.

“OH LOOK, A ******!! MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS YOU DRESS WEARING ***! GET THE FUCK AWAY, OR WE WILL DO THE SAME AS WE WILL TO THIS SHITSTAIN!” Dank Edgelord said once again. 

“Umm… yeah, I’m only doing this to save that moron, as I heard that he somehow has information I need, or at least could help. Just let him go and I will spare all of you.” The legionnaire said stoically, as if he wanted to focus on a task at hand.

“HA! SO YOU’RE THREATENING US WHEN YOU ARE JUST A WEAK AND PATHETIC HUMAN LIKE THIS PIECE OF SHIT?!! OH MY I CAN’T HOLD IN MY LAUGHTER!!” 

“Alright then, I warned you” The Legionnaire said, drawing out his sword and shield from his side and back respectively, as all of the ghouls except for the Dank Edgelord charged at him. He first stabbed the closet one right in the gut. He quickly turned around, to see another ghoul to which he slitted its thought, and bashed another with the shield and forced his sword into its skull, and took it out to spill out some stuff I feel uncomfortable explaining. I can tell that he’s a well disciplined warrior, doing what needs to be done and focusing on the task at hand, as he was able to then quickly kill the remaining 4 ghouls in a single strike in the form of a spin much like Link’s iconic attack. I am not sure of how that would work in real life, but he managed to somehow pull it off, so I wonder if he really is a human like the ghoul mentioned. Speaking of humans…

“Hey, be lucky that I saved your life. If I didn't come, you would have been eaten alive. Come on fellow human, let’s get out of here before we have to deal with the ‘Dank Edgelord’, or anything else” The legionnaire said to me. I followed him, and just like when Doo-pe saved me from the Jullvex, I don’t have a choice. At least I have found a human, but I do wonder if what the ghoul said was false, maybe there still are humans.

“Oh yeah, I should mention that humans pretty much are a nearly extinct race. They either were killed off, mutated, left this planet through spaceships, or were assimilated by various creatures. Let's say” Great, with what is familiar to me gone, I am starting to realize that I don’t want to live in this world. At least back at my shitty life in the 21st century I did have to deal with being a target from anything, just at my typical everyday boring job typing on a computer doing pointless work. 

“DAMN YOU, DAMN YOU!! YOU STUPID, RE****** HERO HAVE KILLED ALL OF MY GROUP. I AM SO PISSED OFF THAT I WILL MAUL YOU TO BITS!!!” The Dank Edgelord yelled as he rushed forward, but with ease, the legionnaire just dodged, and the Dank Edgelord gritted his teeth. At least the attention was away from me, but then the ghoul noticed me, and gave off a nasty grin.

“QUICK, USE YOUR CARDS! SWITCH TO USING ANY ACE TO LAND A BLOW AGAINST THAT BASTARD!!!” I did as the Roman told, as I quickly drew out an Ace of Hearts and casted a fireball landing onto the Ghoul, as then he burst into flames. “Now let’s get out of here before that fire cools off. It’s not going to last forever!” I was not sure, but with the fact that this guy has more experience than I do, I decided to follow him out of the mall, and crossed along Columbus Circle, and finally entered Central Park much like my original plan. However, as we entered Central Park, not surprisingly, we encountered more ghouls, and not just them, but the very weak demons that Doo-pe told me about along with zombies and others that I don’t have time to mention. This is going to be one long day.

“Okay, how are we going to fight against all of those bastards!” I asked, as I started to become even more nervous about dying.

“Calm down, I got a plan where we avoid combat as much as possible! Listen to everything I say, you’re important to me and my quest right now. So it’s in my best interest that you don’t get hurt!” He said as he took my arm, and barged through a group of zombies with his shield, and saw a now abandoned horse with a saddle and stirrups eating some grass. He hopped right on, with me on the back, as then the legionnaire whacked the horse, galloping away from the monsters. “We are going to stop off at a camp I set up in the park as a place where no one would dare think to look. It may be daunting, but be brave. Quick reminder that I am only saving you because you have vital information.” Great, I don't need another reminder that I am only useful temporarily.

After a few hours of riding, we eventually made it over to the castle in Belvedere Castle, looking over the lake, overtaken by algee. “Wait, your base is this castle? Won’t that make it obvious?” I said, because that thing sticks out like a sore thumb.

“Of course not you idiot, my base is actually right over here.” The legionnaire said as he touched a certain stone, after he put on a plastic glove, a hidden door opened. “Come on now, before any more monsters find us!” I nodded my head, as I followed him in. The hideout he has is claustrophobic, to the point that I can’t stand all the way up, but it was minimalistic, as all there was is just a backup and a sleeping bag. 

“So what do you want to know about? You said that you want me alive do you?” I asked in a stern manner. I don’t trust this guy, as if he’s like that guy from that Spanish book about a crazy man who thinks he’s a knight, although this one thinks he’s a Roman Legionnaire. I just hope that he does not accuse me of being an uncivilized barbarian who eats babies for breakfast.

“I heard from a group of women wearing dark dresses who said that you exist, and are from the 21st century. I myself, as you can see, am from the 2nd century, as I was a soldier in Trajan’s army during the Dacian War. I woke up in a field after an intense battle to have no idea of where my army was, and I assume you have the same experience. I would like to know how you ended up here in this place and time, and what happened during the Chain Reaction?” 

Okay, with this question, maybe he is not like that crazy Spanish guy after all, but already I was struggling to answer it, “Yeah sorry but I am just as much at a loss as you are. I woke up in my apartment to see nobody there, and I decided to fuck around to do stuff I would not be able to do in a functioning society.” I replied, then the Roman smacked his hand into his face.

“Great, I was just at a quest in the north right at the Irving City, then I had those women get information they needed for whatever horrible plan they wanted to enact, and now I have wasted my time saving a moron who’s on the same page as I am. I was really hoping that you know at least SOMETHING about those details, the very information I need to get back to my own time with my friends! Great, I guess I will have to get out empty handed, while not getting one step closer back to my era! It’s bad enough that I have to walk in an unfamiliar world where I have to learn a new language and the culture!” The Roman yelled at, pissed off that he can’t continue being on the battlefield fighting against the “Dacians” or whatever they call them. 

“I am sorry about that, but complaining won’t make it better, you know. As I too am on a quest to find out what the hell happened with the Chain Reaction! I just can’t find anything out with monsters chasing me around, and you’re not helping with shaming me! I just would love to play Powerup Fantasy 5 on my Switch at my home” I yelled back, the nerve this guy has. Yes I get that soldier probably wants to get back home, but I kind of like this chance of pace, as I said to him that since I don’t have to work, I have a whole lot more freedom to do as I pleased.

“EXCUSE ME! I have been out in this crappy future and unfamiliar environment for about 3 years everyday having to fight against various monsters and hostile forces, looking for a way to travel back to my own time! I suspect that Rome lost the war that I fought, probably leading to this, and the fact that you are obsessed with a video game is not going to help you out as with any other luxury!”

“Alright, fine, I don’t want to argue with a cranky soldier! Let’s just stop fighting, I mean this is taking us nowhere. I did actually find out more information about the Chain Reaction, do you want them?” I said, I bet the Roman would like to hear the little information I have to say, because he would find this interesting.

“Go on then, I’m listening, but if it’s something useless or I already know, then you’re out of the hole. I should tell you that I work alone, as any partner I have have either died or betrayed me” Here goes nothing then, so I explained to him everything I read in that newspaper back at the library about the war between the Red Ghost and the God of Freedom, but that the latter was presented as a hero, and it all happened in 2050.

“Interesting. I never have thought that something that comes right out of the Christian religion could actually have an element of truth to it. For my whole life I thought it was just pure rubbish made up to destroy the empire, then again it did succeed, as those fucken Goths used it to destroy everything!” He yelled out frustration, “Only if I was there to help out in the Dacian war, then the Imperium would have never collapsed!” he yelled out.

“Hey, how about we work together, we both have the same interests. Or similar interests to be more accurate, there is a limit to what one person can do, and I have a history major from college, so I can get more details on what led to this event and how we got here in the first place” Now that I think about it, I kinda am going on my own JRPG adventure, despite the fact that I am technically useless except for the fact that I only have cards, but I can get better. I even have the Legionnaire, which could be the warrior in my gang, although with the lack of humans, I wonder how far it will go.

“Fine, I will travel with you. But with a condition that you don’t do the same stupid shit you did when you woke up. I see that you have a backup with you, so let’s look through it, and see what you have that could or could not be useful.”

“Um… fuck it, just look through it! I need you anyway, so just look through everything here” I said, so from the look of him, I think I will be forced to give up some things, I just hope though that it won’t be something like the Limited Edition Powerup Fantasy Coin I collected at a game store on , which was the first thing he looked at after dumping everything out of my bag. He looked at it for a while to make a decision, to decide:

“Trash” he stated, and he would later look at my other stuff, taking a look at my pistol,

“This is not going to last long, and will have no effect on most creatures, trash”, then my Lego set “Trash”, my umbrella “Trash”, an action figure of a certain bat superhero “Trash”, a pack of gummies, “This is contaminated with several poisons, and even if were fine, it still would not be a good idea to eat, trash”. He would go on to do this for another five minutes, labeling everything I got during this trip as trash, with the exception of my journal, the cards and a pack of sardines, but he said they won’t last long, so I will have to eat them up. I was annoyed and worried about leaving everything I have collected over the course of today behind, as my body would start fidgeting over this thought. 

“Can I keep some things, I don’t want to leave behind all my treasure, I spent all day collecting all of that! I want to make today memorable!” 

To be continued on the next post since there was not enough room.

The names Johnson Springdale, just another average dude working a boring minimum wage job. I just woke up to check on my alarm clock, to see 9:00 am? Agh, I hate getting up in the morning, and going to sleep always annoys the hell out of me. As I stretched and forced myself out of bed, I decided to go to the bathroom and take a nice hot shower to wake myself up. Yes, I fucking know that cold showers are better to wake up with, but I can’t handle the cold, a large reason why I wish I could just move to the tropics. But enough talk about the tropics, I want to see what’s on the news. Maybe they are giving Powerup Fantasy 5 some DLC. I don’t have the game, but I have been saving up my money for a while just so I can get it along with the Switch, since it’s a console exclusive. However, recently, many people in the government have been fighting over this proposal if they should spend money on building some stupid monument to honor a man who I personally believe is a piece of shit. They could be using that money for better infrastructure, not having to deal with leaks, but nope they have to build a worthless monument, but I wonder how the bill is going.

I got up to make myself four slices of toast, and took out my phone to see what dumb shitshow the circus our society is involved in yet again aside from that monument. However, as soon as I tried to search up the news, I found out that I had no internet connection. Really, WHAT THE HELL! I thought I had paid for the internet this month, and I got nothing! I see that I still have water, and the electricity is still on, but no internet? Is the landlord preventing me from using it due to my late payment this month? Seems like the kind of thing he does on his first strike before going onto water, electricity and finally eviction. At least he does the bare minimum by issuing a warning unlike the others who go right to eviction.

I decided to give my landlord a call through the landline, but I got no answer. I was starting to get pissed off, so I went downstairs to his apartment to only see that he’s not even there at his office flipping through a stack of cash. Just an empty apartment. Goddammit! He must be at some strip club, as he often does, rather than actually taking care of the building. Then again even if he was here, he would tell me to leave him alone, and he might have hung up if I did call him. For this reason, everyday I fantasize about stabbing him whenever he comes into my house. Of course I don’t want to be chased after by the law, so I just deal with his shit until I can find a better place. 

I would later decide to check on my neighbors, as I knocked on their doors to get no answer. I decided that I should just head over to work, as I have to get there by 11:00 and it’s already 10:30. I already don’t want to be late, with my boss being much worse So I just packed everything up, and headed right towards my work. As I was on my way, I began to notice that no cars are moving on the streets, or even any people. This started to feel weird, as this is usually the most busy part of the city with all the interesting shops. I just walk to work, as it’s just a couple of blocks, and the fact that the public transport just terrifies me with the fact that a lot of violent crime happens there. But without a sight, I suddenly had the urge to do something that I never had the guts to do before.

“HELLO!!! IS ANYBODY HERE, I WANT TO SEE IF EVERYONE IS STILL HERE!!!” I yelled across the street wondering if there’s anyone left. This actually felt so good, as I never yelled that load in a long time, for reasons that are too traumatic for me to get into right now. I tried to see what happened, I did have the thought that everyone is playing a trick on me, or if it’s like that Johnny Bravo episode where he thought that time stopped. I decided to do something I would not be able to do. And this was breaking a window of a car, and stealing something. So I went to the military antique shop where they sold all sorts of weapons, and of course the old cranky clerk who’s usually there with the lack of a left arm and an eyepatch was not there. So I was able to take the Viking axe, and ran all the way back to my apartment building to realize that my landlord’s Ferrari is still there. I threw the axe against the front window, as the car emits an alarm. Nothing happened, except of course for the smashed car. I was expecting my landlord, an officer or someone else to get pissed, but nothing happened. I only have one conclusion for this, and I think it seems epic. I started to laugh loudly, then I busted out “I am alone, I AM ALONE, AND I CAN DO WHATEVER THE FUCK I WANT!!!” I was bursting with excitement, as I had no idea what to do with this freedom, then I knew exactly what I had to do as a lightbulb flashed above my head.

I first decided to vandalize a billboard right near my office where I used to work. It was just another stupid Hollywood Superhero movie, God how many of those movies do they have to make, it’s just getting repetitive at this point. I drew some mustaches, clown noses and devil horns to make the character look silly, and I even wrote the line “DEATH TO THE GOVERNMENT” in bold red letters. Since I have this world to myself, I could at least get a bit of revenge against the leaders who been fucking with people like for many years. But with them gone, what are those fucks going to do about it? Put me on death row? I doubt THAT! 

Later I decided to head to the arcade to see it still works, but then to only remember that there still is electricity. I guess climbing onto a billboard and focusing on not falling could cause one to forget something that simple. I decided to play some of my all time favorite games, starting with King of Dragons. I played there for a few minutes after taking the quarters from the vending machine by taking off the screws. I played other games, but I grew bored after a while, and I decided that I should do some looting. I mean, I should have done that first thing, and while I am at it, I think I will move into a penthouse! I hate how my apartment always has leaky faucets, and of course my landlord refuses to ever call in a plumber. 

I took as much as possible, including some groceries like bread, meat and bananas to my new penthouse. For those of you wondering why food is one of the first things I take, I HAVE TO EAT YOU KNOW! I would later bring all my stuff from my apartment over, just one game console with pre-downloaded games, and a couple of books and 32 figurines. After taking some food and bringing everything to my new house, I decided to head over to a huge mall. I looked at every store, with a backpack to carry everything. 

I decided to head into Target to see for a general selection, and maybe I will get more food, and see if I see any furniture that I can bring to spice up my apartment. As I was walking along the food aisle to get some groceries, since I wanted to eat, and I was planning to get something easy to cook, like a microwavable cup of ramen. I soon heard sounds of metal cans hitting the stone floor. I ignored it at first, as I assumed that I must have been hearing things. It however continued, and went on for a few minutes. I was starting to lose my mind, as I decided to exceed with caution. Fortunately I looted an antique pistol from that store and some bullets. I think it could be somebody else, but that’s impossible. Everyone is gone, but then I realized something, what if I’m not the only one left, but rather I am one of the few that’s left, or a part of a minority that survived. I went to the aisle and I heard the noise to notice that indeed there were cans on the floor. I walked with my gun out, I turned around right to my back as I thought I heard footsteps in the distance. I was starting to lose my mind, and to be honest, I kind of knew that was going to happen to me eventually. However I assumed this insanity will come over when eventually I will start speaking to inanimate objects and seeing hallucinations. Just hoped that the short term fun of doing whatever with no consequences would be worth dealing with what solitary confinement does to a person. 

I walked and looked back and forth still looking for any signs of whatever the hell is knocking off the cans. I looked to one side while hiding in one corner of the shelf, as I pointed my gun in the distance. I just saw more shelves with merchandise. I went out still with my gun to search for what’s happening. 

“YOU! GET OUT OF MY MARKETPLACE!!” This voice came out of nowhere, filling me up with goosebumps. I turned around to see a skinny man with skin so pale you could assume he never went outside his whole life, and the fact that he has a long tongue and teeth so sharp puts me on edge. I pointed my gun right away, and took deep breaths while looking at this hideous abomination, that it really needs a haircut, it covers up his face, then again, I don’t want to see that thing’s face.

“Look, what the fuck do you want?! I just want to go by day, and get what I need, that’s all! SO PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE!!” I said in complete fear and anger. I was at a complete edge, and I am not even sure if I was seeing a human, in fact I don’t even think I have ever seen this creature before.

“Ahh, so you’re a human eh? I thought your kind was dead ever since the “Chain Reaction” happened.” This creature said to me in a tone that makes me feel uncomfortable, as if he’s condescending me. 

“What the fuck is the Chain Reaction?” I asked

“HA! I should have guessed that you were oblivious enough to have no clue of that important event. I mean it took place 1000 years ago! Eh… Never mind, I don’t want to waste any time telling you a history lesson.” The humanoid said as it soon leaped at me with speed that should be impossible for any creature to go. I was lucky that I dodged right at the nick of time, and quickly shot my gun. All I did was wound the creature, and it seemed like he did not even get a scratch. At least that gave me enough time to escape and maybe think of a plan to either flee, or fight that thing if I have to. 

I avoided that creature by sheer luck, and now I am thinking that thing might be a ghoul, you know from a horror movie? I decided to get some beer, take off the lids and make molotov cocktails just in case I run out of ammo, reminding me that I may need a new gun. I listened for any sudden movements, and once I heard footsteps, I paid attention to all possible directions, and once the ghoul jumped right at me, I shot a few more bullets at its chest. 

It’s still going strong, but it leaped onto the top of the shelves, and I had no idea why it did that, so I got prepared anyway in case it tried to leap directly on top of me.

“Heh heh heh. Well it was nice fucking with you little of shit. But I have to go now, since the Jullvex are coming. Don’t worry though pathetic human, they will give you peace, AS A PART OF THEIR HIVE MIND!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!” the ghoul laughed as it jumped into an air vent, but not before it knocked down the shelf so I can’t do the same.

Great, now I actually have two problems, one to escape from whatever the ghoul warned me about through ridicule, and second to figure out what is going on, and how did I somehow live for a thousand years and not even age a bit. Just more mysteries I need answered. And from the absurdities, I should probably prepare for the supernatural judging from what’s happening. 

I ran out of the store with my loot, with plans to head into my penthouse to turn it into my personal fortress to defend against whatever is out there. I ran out of the supermarket, and I looked into my pistol to see that I only had 2 bullets left after I used the rest to subdue that ghoul back there. I saw some green slime in one part, and it looked so squishy. Although I was tempted to touch it, as I put my hands closer. However, I decided against doing such a thing once I realized that doing so would have effects that I do not want to know. 

I walked across the mall hallways, and I spotted a video game store. I would see a game that I have been wanting for a while now, which was none other than the one on the top of my wishlist, Powerup Fantasy 5. It’s pretty much your typical pseudo-medieval fantasy JRPG, but with amazing characters, and each game actually has a different setting each game, and yet it all takes place all in the same world. So it does not necessarily take place in a medieval setting, as only the first game is like that. Been playing since the first game was released on the SNES, and played every game after. Heck I am surprised the publisher and developer just focus entirely on this series without any spin offs despite the amount of money they could have made doing other stuff. And that’s just 5 games to boot! Since this game is in HD and on all consoles, I decided to take it and the Switch since I intend to play when I am on the move, with all the danger and everything. I took the game into my bag, took the Switch out the box and put it in a Mario themed case, and there, I was ready to get out of this mall, as all the slime was starting to move and gave me the creeps. Fortunately I am not carrying much stuff, so I ran right outside the store. I realized that I should not have taken that detour and maybe find a better time to get that game, as then the slime I saw piled up into one section, and it formed into what appears to be a humanoid shape resembling that of a young woman, along with more slimes forming making up many humanoid shapes of various groups of people of different features. The first to form was their leader, and she gave off a caring smile, and yeah, I don’t trust these creatures no matter how friendly they seem. 

“Hey human, looks you were just in trouble with that ghoul. You’re lucky that we made it here on time. Since you are safe now, and soon you will become one with us, a part of the Jullvex, our whole family.” Yeah, I am starting to cult vibes from hearing this slime woman speak those lines. Damn, I wish that I had waited to get that game, or have it been the first thing that I got since the supposed “Chain Reaction” happened. Ah well, live and learn. 

“Uh, sorry, but I don’t think I really am that interested in being a part of a family. I mean I will have to be involved with obligations when I could just be playing video games, especially the Powerup Fantasy games. And if you excuse me, the fifth entry isn’t going to complete itself” I said to the Jullvex, as I walked backwards slowly, getting ready to make my run.

“Well, we are not the kind of family you were thinking of fleshing, rather we all look after one another, and we will protect you. And in addition, the conversion will give you immortality and become whatever you’d like!” the Slime woman said.

“Sorry, I don’t want to live forever, seems kinda overrated. So I will simply just go and focus on completing Powerup Fantasy 5 for maybe 10 times since I heard the story was good. Bye now” I quickly ran, as the way these slime people were talking, it almost seems like a cult. 

Of course, I should have not said that, but now they are desperate to save me from my supposed “brainwashing”, and it seems like they won’t take no for an answer. I don’t want to go into detail of what the creatures were saying to convince me, but it was in the lines of having “eternal happiness, and part of a family”, you know, usual cult stuff.

Damn, for creatures made entirely of slime, those bastards sure are fast, I tried to get them off my tail, as I tried to creatively create an escape route while in the process, but of course doing this the last minute is never a good idea, and now I knew why the ghoul escaped in the first place. Whatever these slime people are, I don’t need any estimations to know they are powerful. As I made my escape to one corner, and while those creatures were faster than a human, and I was lucky I did not get turned as I was writing this in my journal. 

I was out of breath, and I was really hoping that I had escaped those creatures, but I found out that I was not paying attention to where I was running as I did not focus on where I was heading, to see I was at a dead end. Shit, this is not my lucky day. I turned around to see the Jullvex woman along with more of her kind surrounding me. I saw that there were at least 7 including the leader herself, and they were all women like her. To be honest, the leader was smoking hot, I would actually be smitten if she was actually a human, but I am no simp, and I made a promise to myself that I won’t join any cults. I took out my pistol, and shot a few rounds, to see that the bullets had no effect. Ok, seeing that there are bullet proof creatures creeps the living shit out of me, and seeing there is no way out, I took out a knife thinking that I might have to commit suicide if what they implied about turning into them is true. As I was about to slit my own throat, as I was in complete panic, the leader dropped it out of my hand by expanding it’s limbs and smacks it away.

“Well human, we don’t want you to end your life when it’s just beginning do we? Suicide is not a joke, and we will take care of your mental wellbeing.” She said in a stern voice sent chills down my spine

“LEAVE ME ALONE! IS IT A BAD THING THAT I WANT TO PLAY POWERUP FANTASY 5 IN PEACE!!” I yelled as I was in complete panic, already surrendering, as I saw no way out but to become yet another cult member, and a monster. The woman ignored my cries, as she gave a warm smile, as her minions came to me. I was already turning to God even though I am an atheist, praying that he would send someone to help me, but it’s hopeless.

That’s what I thought, as out of nowhere, a spray of fire retardant went into the Jullvex, as they’ve been slowly freezing into statues that are just as lively as the Romans made them. A frog came into the scene, and he was humanoid, had red lips like that of a woman, while wearing a military outfit that reminds me of what the Soviets wore. The frog gave off a smug look in his face, as if he’s a troll accomplishing something funny yet pointless, and his appearance reminds me of a certain character.

“You’re lucky that I came here right at the nick of time, now come with me if you want to live with your sanity intact, or alive. Either way is fine” the frog said. I don’t want to have to team up with something that does not make any sense whatsoever, since everything I saw today came right out of a fantasy story like the very JRPG I love. But with the situation at hand, I don’t really have a choice. 

“Alright, fine I don’t have any options. I will go with you, just please don't betray me or do any tricks” I said to the frog.

“I saved you didn't I? Don’t worry about me betraying you, we have to get out of here now, before those jellies break out of their prisons!” The frog said, going from smug to serious, as his face now says it all. 

“Anyways, that pistol is not going to cut it. Here’s a better tool, a deck of cards. Sure, you don’t know what they are, but believe me, they are good weapons better than anything you ever knew of. Now let’s get out before we get assimilated!” The frog yelled, after he gave me what he said in the quotes. Yeah, I have no clue about how game supplies are going to help me, but at least I get to play games when my Switch is out of battery. I followed the frog out, running away from the frozen Jullvex. 

As we were running, I asked the frog “Why don’t we break the ice sculptures? Won’t that kill them?”

“No time for questions, just follow my lead right now, and I will get you to your penthouse. I have made a survival area there, and turned the whole building into a ship. I found out once I went in there and saw it’s in best. Now let’s get back to our escape from the mall!” The frog said, getting slightly annoyed. 

Yeah, I don’t think I want to bother him anymore. I don’t know how he knew where I lived, or why he decided to have a commune in my building, but I should not ask more questions, as he might just abandon me. I followed him to the exit, onto the street, I saw that there was a jeep that he went on. I was about to run right to it, but he dragged me into the sideline. I don’t why he did that, but it seems like he’s about to…

“Shhh, and don’t write, this is not the time.” The frog said as he took my notebook while I was writing. So everything from there on out is written after these events. I didn't realize why the frog pulled me onto one corner, until he took out a grenade, and threw it to one side. An explosion causing rubble to go all over the place. Then a bunch of lizards, goblins, imps and other demons considered weak in most fantasy stories came out. 

“Here’s the keys!” The frog said as he handed me what’s needed to drive that jeep. “Now get out, I will handle these monsters. Just focus on leaving here alive, don’t worry I will catch up to you later, now go to the penthouse!” He yelled. I did exactly what he wanted me to do, as I got into the jeep and left without him. I drove off to my penthouse, and I heard that the frog said he converted the whole building into a ship. I decided to head right over to the society that’s made of others like me, and I saw that everyone is actually stationed everywhere, well, I mean the building is just twenty stories, and I made my base on the top floor obviously, since I assume the penthouse will give me some sort of protection just in case if this sort of situation arises. I saw that the building was much like a village, except it’s one whole building and that apparently everyone’s apartments function as their own huts. I went inside, as I put my gun away. I never knew that the building I chose will have a community, but hey it’s better that way I guess.

Well, back to my story rather than explaining about the situation, I was greeted by one of the guards who wore a similar style of uniform to the Frog. He appears to just be an ordinary human being of an African American appearance, a no nonsense look with a shaved head and 

“Hello, I am just another survivor who made his home here before this tribe of yours made it yours. Could I come in since all my stuff is in here, and I made it here first” I asked, and I have a feeling that I should have been a bit more polite, as that came off a bit rude. 

“Oh, you must be that loser Doo-pe told me about, well come right in. Oh yeah, you may need to move all your stuff from the penthouse, as that’s where the controls of the ship are. So Doo-pe told me that you will be right below him on the 19th floor. Just do so before he comes back, or else everything there is his” The guard said as he allowed me into the building.

I guess I have to start moving, at least it won’t be that much of a hassle as all I have in the penthouse is just my game system, controllers, and 3 boxes of toys and figurines. I already have a T.V. and furniture in my room, so this Doo-pe guy can have it. Now I am wondering, is this Doo-pe guy the guard mentioned actually the very same frog who saved me? I have more questions than ever, but I am more interested in what the hell happened, and how I even ended up in the situation. I wondered about this, and I wrote all the crazy shit that happened today, and I could do some research, but of course as I tried to leave the building, the guard refuses to let me out, as he reminded me about the Jullvex, and that Doo-pe has plans to leave this city along with the building. So I guess I will be playing Powerup Fantasy 5 while I am waiting for the okay to head out. But now I want to figure out how the Chain Reaction happened, and what event caused this chain of events. I will have to some research, I want to play this game I have been waiting for so long ever since it was announced, but speaking about Powerup Fantasy, the plot about the Chain Reaction, and that I woke up thinking I have the whole world to myself reminds me of what happened in the last entry of the game, where the protagonist like me also finds himself in weird circumstances, except that he woke up in a field to be found by a couple. It’s sort of the same, but it’s not.

I will have to end this blog here for now, but I really hope that I won’t have to deal with anymore monsters, but I have to be realistic, that’s not going to happen with the state of the world, so I think I will devote my life towards finding out more on the Chain Reaction, what led to the event, and what happened in between now and then.

A story that this time around is about a hermit who's just living by himself.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vT2j85jiUj8qB99CLp_rgQsNm_w3BbCMPLpxp2yXyiMrOrlwIRPu2_w0wUePwCiQ3lt25megFkTpiOp/pub

My Edited Story, the same as the last one, but I made some changes to it.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRXE9mK0HhFAg88uMVi4aKKtSSBdphXJK0iDhPZB50HOzmcFxYX0hFAG975EjQQWwHCQRlbogekgNs3/pub

Here is another story as well:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSnruVvNG-NmuGPRadLzE3JiRmoy3fCJFtaA0o8a-P-k8We2_Czctj2FUsbkaU3uq9O9xBH3LkHoymc/pub

Please I would like to have constructive criticism, and I will also again be posting these onto the Writing Forum for more attention.

A short story that I have made more as practice. It will be different from the fanfiction that I have written, as it will be shorter, and maybe I will make a sequel to it sometime.

Here is my story:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRXE9mK0HhFAg88uMVi4aKKtSSBdphXJK0iDhPZB50HOzmcFxYX0hFAG975EjQQWwHCQRlbogekgNs3/pub