Forged By The Apocalypse - A LitRPG With Draconic Potential

“That’s… Impossible? Right? That’s not a joke? I could do that?”

“Why would it be a joke?” Lucy was looking at me like I was an idiot but actual planes surviving the Shift was big news to me. Then she hit me with the next part and it all started to make sense. “Do you not know that you’re right outside of London?”

“London? Like all of it? It’s not just a dumb name someone chose for their new city?” My expectations rose again. Maybe this wouldn’t be a complete waste of time, I told myself, though I could feel the tendrils of a side quest attempting to latch onto me and slow me down.

“Well, a big portion of west London and further beyond, yeah. Including Heathrow airport. No one’s been using the planes, but they’re there. I’ve seen them.”

“Why aren’t they in use?” There were many reasons that would be valid, but Lucy didn’t know. She just shrugged in response and I let it drop while my mind ran with the idea. How hard could flying a plane be, really? With my Mental and Will attributes as high as they were, I was actually quite interested to see if I could figure it out on the fly. I had set up a camp, but it was an easy decision to cast it away in favour of moving.

The tents, tea and comfortable arrangement had done their job anyway. I hid a smirk as I returned the supplies to my inventory. I was reminded of a time I had left milk out for a stray cat, who had almost immediately decided it lived with me and my family. I shook thoughts of Trixie from my mind easily before heading off.

Thanks to Lucy, I did not have to actually see Londimin to know its layout and boundaries. It was surrounded by a wide river which had definitely not been a part of the geography beforehand. Our small group followed that river now, circling the perimeter. Lucy theorised that the river was a System reward given to the leader of Londomin, a man named Seth. I was of two minds about meeting this person.

On one hand, they came across as controlling which was perhaps necessary when so many people were gathered, but it rankled against me regardless. The System had destroyed our old way of life but in no uncertain terms, people were more free than before. Instead of existing and struggling simply to subsist on a dying economy, making the rich richer while wondering how to pay for next week’s meals, life had returned to the human experience.

This person Seth either didn’t view the changes in the same way, or preferred to stifle people regardless. Either of those choices didn’t sit well with me, and I was weighing up the options I might have, giving them all fair credence. Our journey was quiet until we came to the aforementioned river.

Interestingly, before we even set foot on the shore, I could feel a nearly imperceptible threshold in the air. About fifteen feet before the water started, the mana changed. The difference was as small as a single drop of ink in a swimming pool, but I could feel it all the same. It was not my Stormborn physiology which made me certain, but something else entirely. To my eyes, or any other senses, there was no difference to the energy in the area.

The part of me which was now considered nobility could feel it, though.

Title - Lord

To go with my Dragon Slayer title which made me more dangerous to the kingly lizards, it seemed that the honour of being a Lord also came with a weapon against others. The veil which pressed against me like a thin film felt a little like a water balloon. Instinctively, I knew that with enough force of will, I could pop that barrier. My gut was also telling me that wouldn’t be great for negotiations, as it would create a claim on the area.

We had passed through many miles of unclaimed territory, and the sensation had not appeared once. Then again, we hadn’t found anything interesting either so perhaps I could only feel such boundaries where the System cared to place them. I did wonder whether Londimin had access to a graded resource to make itself a true “domain” as I decided to name the effect. It was almost more likely that the real answer was as simple as population.

“Nine thousand people…” I murmured, still finding the number daunting as I opened my own Faction Page.

Faction Page:

Ascentown Population - 578

Ascentown felt busy. There were multiple industries there getting up and running, whole families choosing to live there instead of in Newtown due to the more rugged and System-based way that things worked there. Of course, a much larger percentage of people were more than happy to pretend magic wasn’t real and that they could go back to their office jobs eventually. Maybe they could.

I shivered powerfully.

The idea was anathema to me now. I couldn’t even picture being so cooped up without having a physical response. “Did you have a boring job before all of this started?” I asked my new travelling companion on a whim. Lucy’s head snapped in my direction, completely on edge and ready for trouble. When I began speaking, she had nearly bolted. “You alright?”

Forcing a smile to her face, Lucy nodded. “We’re just close to the city,” she said, “and I’m not meant to be outside the barrier.”

“These rules are…” I struggled to find a word less offensive than disgusting. I was desperately against the idea of telling people what to do. Laws were still sensible, general things like don’t murder your neighbour and stuff should remain - but a curfew seemed a step too far. Would it not stifle the growth of everyone involved if they just hunkered down together? “They’re weird. Why can’t you go out?”

“It’s just how it is, I guess? Once Seth makes a rule most people follow it.” Lucy didn’t seem too bothered by the idea of someone coming up with random laws, but considering she clearly didn’t follow them, I supposed it didn’t matter. I decided that I would try to meet this Seth guy. Anyone who had set themselves up as a leader and managed to protect so many, so quickly was worth at least a little respect. Or caution.

“So, you think they’ll just let me take a plane? I’ve not got the highest hopes.” I asked my question towards Naea, who was quietly bobbing up and down on the surface of the river to my left. Her Dao was, of course, in its element and she moved through the waves like a natural.

“I hope so, I wouldn’t want to have to steal from our new friends.” Naea’s eyes were shut, so she couldn’t see the glare I gave her.

Lucy stiffened, maybe only now considering the danger she was bringing into her sanctuary. If someone with my strength went wild inside… I held my hands up in apology for the fairy. “She’s joking. Naea, we might have to take over this city to get hold of an aeroplane but we’ll try diplomacy first. We’re not going to be savages, are we?” That was a really cool sentence to say out loud, I geeked internally. The pretty wolf lady seemed to be struggling to work out whether I was being serious. “I’m joking,” I lied.

Lucy frowned. “No matter how strong you are, you can’t stop a bullet,” she said. “They’ve got more than a few guns in there.” I told her I wasn’t planning on getting into any gunfights if I could help it, but I quietly disagreed. It would hurt, but I could absolutely take a bullet. Most casualties from bullet wounds came from the bleeding afterwards, so If I had Naea’s healing, anything less than a headshot would be fine. That is, if the shot could even get through my skin anymore.

“How did they even get guns?” I asked after a moment’s thought. It’s not like firearms were common in the United Kingdom to start with.

“I heard it was someone’s quest reward,” Lucy answered with a grimace. I found that particular idea somewhat disturbing until I considered that the System had given me a magical weapon which could turn into just about anything. A gun was actually a pretty terrible reward compared to an Aspect, which could turn you into a gun.

I shrugged. It wasn’t like I was going to look for a fight, but I wouldn’t stop either. I had a goal, now it pointed me to the city, so I was going. “I think I’m going to try the front door,” I told Lucy, turning to ask what she was planning to do. Except, as I looked, there was no Lucy to be found. The pretty woman had disappeared entirely. I nodded, more than a little impressed. It was smart to stay out of the way, I guessed. “Does she think she’s Batman or something? C’mon then, Nae, let’s move.”

There was still a fair distance between us and the now visible buildings of Londimin. Naea and I shot forth together, clearing the fairly expansive river quickly. To my surprise, Naea opted to swim, her Dao feeling exalted within the flowing waters. Her speed was so quick that it seemed like teleportation as she appeared at random within the waves. I used Air Manipulation to create steps and within a minute I had crossed the water but it was nowhere near as graceful as Naea.

It wasn’t long after that we were forced to slow down once more. The towns of old were not built for the speeds I could now move at, and I blasted past a few streets of houses before even noticing that suburbia had crept up on me. Row after row of cookie cutter homes had been left abandoned, a ghost town through and through. I didn’t need to ask for a reason these buildings weren’t being used.

Tall walls loomed nearby, easily twenty feet tall. Due to their uniformity and quality, I could tell these were System made, and not anything like the ramshackle defences I might have expected. A few bored looking scouts were keeping watch from atop those fortifications. There were no severe walls around Ascentown and I realised upon seeing the parapets and ramparts that I didn’t want them, either. The place looked like a singular, massive fortress, or maybe a prison.

“Naea, stay hidden for now. I’m sure you’ll have a chance to make a scene soon enough.” Following my suggestion, Naea rippled with mana and faded from sight. Even to my stormborn eyes, the mana was incredibly subtle and hard to spot. She’d been practising, clearly. “Let’s go see a man about a plane.”