23 – Successor

Andy put his new gloves in his back pocket and almost left the trailer, but then he called up his status sheet again and stared at his two remaining improvement points. If he was going to go through with his plan to skulk around in the desert full of monsters at night, shouldn’t he just spend them all?

He’d been looking at those improvement points almost like a bank account, leery about running it down to zero—what if he found out some System secret and learned he needed to spend them a certain way? What if he gained a critical new skill and wanted to pump it up immediately?

“What if I die because I didn’t use them when I could?”

Even with that verbal confirmation bolstering his resolve, he hesitated. Should he spend the last two points on an attribute or a skill? His first instinct was to put them into his new skill, Veil of the Stalker. If it would help him hide in shadows and improve his attacks from those same shadows, wouldn’t it be wise to improve it before going out? But then, what if he put more points into perception, which would help him in almost any situation?

Ultimately, his immediate plans influenced his decision. He was going out at night and had no idea how many monsters he might encounter. Being able to sneak and hide seemed critical. “At least for now,” he muttered, putting the two points into the skill. He felt warm tingles run up and down his spine, but other than that, he couldn’t tell what had changed. He supposed he’d find out how effective the skill was when he put it to the test.

His improvement points dealt with, he picked up his spear and left the trailer, heading for James’s place. When he got there, he knocked on the door. While he waited, he squinted up at the sun. What time was it? The big, swollen, orangish orb was definitely moving toward the western horizon, but he wasn’t sure how long he had until it would be dark.

The door swung open, and James stood there, wearing a grease-stained apron that read "Pit Master." He smiled, cocking his head to side as he said, “What’s up, young feller?”

Andy held up his spear. “I need a longer, sturdier spear haft than this shovel handle. I was wondering if you had any idea where I might find the right kind of wood.”

“Hmm, you want hickory, I think. That’s what axe handles are made of. I don’t know if you’ll find any long pieces of hickory at a regular hardware store, but maybe one of those big home improvement places. I’ve seen sections for specialty woods, but I never really took a look. Actually"—he held up a finger—“you’d probably have better luck at a lumberyard, like Stevens and Sons. They aren’t too far, either, maybe seven or eight miles. You know the place?”

Andy nodded. “I think so. If I got some wood, do you think you could make a good spear haft?”

“Without a doubt! I’ve been making stuff all day!” He laughed, slapping his thigh. “I’m already a level six tinker, and that damn System told me I’m close to unlocking a new crafting class.”

“It did?”

“Yep.” He nodded, folding his arms over his apron, grinning. Andy felt glad for the older guy; at least someone was thriving in this new reality.

“How’s your grandson?”

“He’s doing much better. Much better. He’s up and alert and eating a lot. Speaking of which, we need to have a meeting about food, don’t you think?”

“Yeah.” Andy stepped back, squinting at the sun again. “I’m gonna be busy this evening, but maybe first thing in the morning? You think it’ll be dark soon?”

“Yep, maybe an hour. Anyway, meeting in the morning sounds good, young feller. Let me know if you find some of that hickory. Really, any good long piece of hardwood would be better than that shovel handle. Oak would be okay, but I think hickory is harder.”

“Okay, got it. I’ll let you know, James.” Andy waved and started walking toward Lucy’s trailer. He had to talk to her about the quest; he didn’t want to lie to her and say he wasn’t going, but he also didn’t want her to feel like she needed to join him. The thing was, if he was going to take advantage of his Umbral Warden skills, he needed to be alone. He supposed things would be different if she had her own skills to help her sneak around. It seemed like something a hunter ought to get, but… He shook his head. No, her heart wasn’t in it, and he couldn’t blame her. Hunting down another person wasn’t the same as fighting monsters.

Did you know this story is from NovelBin? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Andy wasn’t exactly sure what he’d do with the “Whistler” when he caught up to him, but he knew he wanted to stop him. If that meant they were going to fight, then so be it. He was contemplating what other sort of outcome was possible when he arrived at Lucy’s trailer and smelled the unmistakable odor of frying hamburgers. When he knocked, she pushed the door open, smiling. “I’m glad you came.”

“Holy shit, that smells good!”

Her smile widened further as she backed up and beckoned for him to enter the trailer. “Come in.”

Inside, Andy saw that she was cooking burgers on a large griddle over a butane camp stove. Beside the stove was a platter holding at least ten she’d already cooked. “You expecting more company?”

“We had a big sack of frozen burger patties—” She stopped, cleared her throat, and continued, “Didn’t want them to go bad. I’ll take some to the neighbors.”

Andy nodded. “Yeah, I guess that’s better than wasting ’em. Your voice sounds better. Is it still raw?”

“It’s not…raw, I guess, but kind of…” She reached up and massaged her throat gently. “It gets tired fast.” She shrugged. After a second, she stepped close, kind of whispering, “I can talk like this a lot easier.”

“I’m sure you’re just not used to it, that’s all.”

She nodded. “I’m sure. Are you hungry?”

After his peanut butter bread, Andy wasn’t exactly starved, but there was no way he’d turn down a burger or two. “Yeah. Hell yeah, I am.”

Lucy smiled, moving past him to get a plate from the cupboard. “I even have buns. We went shopping just a couple of days ago.”

She started spreading condiments onto the buns, and Andy said, “Thanks, you don’t have to—”

“It takes my mind off things.”

“Alright.” He watched her fix his burgers, even throwing a slice of floppy American cheese on each. His hunger returned quickly, and Andy realized he’d probably burned a ton of calories traipsing around the desert fighting goblins. When she handed him the plate, he didn’t hold back, taking a huge bite, savoring the greasy, salty, ketchup-covered burger. As he chewed and swallowed, Lucy put a can of generic cola on the counter before him.

“Sorry, it’s not very cold.”

Andy popped the top and chugged half of it with a satisfied sigh. “Nah, this is so great. Thank you.”

She made herself a burger while he continued eating, and when she was done swallowing her first bite, she asked, “So? You’re going after that guy, aren’t you?”

“That obvious?”

“I don’t know. I can just kinda feel it. Like, you’ve got something you’re holding back. Don’t worry about me.”

As she took another bite, Andy took the chance to explain a little. “I don’t want you to think I was going to try to talk you into going. I’m going to go out at night, but not because I have to; I want to. It’s my class—I get bonuses for doing things in the dark.” He laughed. “That sounded like a cheesy pick-up line.”

Lucy snorted, still chewing.

Andy continued trying to make his case, “I think you should stay here anyway. As far as I know, your bow is the only decent weapon in this place. If something happens…” He shrugged, hoping he didn’t sound as full of shit as he felt.

She matched his shrug. “You want to go alone.”

“Is that bad?”

She looked at him through narrowed eyes. When she spoke, she whispered, and he knew she was saving her voice. “Are you trying to be persuasive? Like, throwing questions at me to keep me off guard?”

“I’m not trying to be anything. I just… I feel like I’ll do better at night if I’m alone, and I also don’t want to drag you into something you’re not into.”

“It’s okay, Andy. I’m glad you’re being honest. It’s still crazy to me—crazy that you’re going out there in the dark and crazy that you’re going after that guy.” Before he could object, she held up a hand and moved a little closer, still whispering. “I understand, though. He’s a bad guy. He tried to get us killed so he could sift through our remains for my bow and arrows. Who knows how many others he’s hurt or gotten hurt? Besides, Sandy’s out there.”

Andy nodded. “I’ll check in on her.”

“You should tell her how to get here—maybe bring her back with you.”

“For sure.” He cleared his throat, then said, “Hey, before I go…” Andy called up the settlement menu and focused on the “Successor” line.

***Do you wish to designate a successor for the settlement? If you should perish, that person will become the leader of Sleepy Saguaro Trailer Park. Yes/No.***

“Yes,” he said.

***Concentrate on the name of your successor.***

Andy stared at Lucy, looking into her eyes. For the first time, he really noticed or at least paid attention to how pretty they were. Maybe it was the light in her trailer, or the fact that she was smiling at him, tilting her head, puzzled by his behavior. Whatever the case, he stared long enough that she blushed and looked to the side.

***Is your successor Lucy Huff? Yes/No.***

“Yes.”

***Congratulations! You have assigned Lucy Huff as your successor!***

“I made you—”

“Your successor! The System just told me.”

“Oh, cool. Well, we have a boon point. If I, uh, don’t make it back for some reason, be sure to spend it, okay? Considering what we saw at the school, I think the natural bulwark might be smart.”

Lucy frowned and then sipped her soda. “You’re coming back, though, right?”

“Yeah, ’course.” He looked at the tray of burgers, and before he could rethink his gluttony, he asked, “Any chance I could get another one of those?”