Chapter 14: Raiders
"We don't want trouble," I said, standing slowly with my hands visible. "We're just passing through."
The leader, I assumed he was one of the General's lieutenants, laughed. "Nobody wants trouble. But you've got supplies, and we've got guns. Simple math."
His crew spread out, surrounding us. Professional positioning. These weren't desperate survivors, they were organized predators.
I used Inspect quickly:
[RAIDER LIEUTENANT - MARCUS DORN]
[LEVEL: 4]
[THREAT LEVEL: HIGH]
[AFFILIATION: The General's Army]
[RAIDER x9]
[LEVELS: 2-3]
[THREAT LEVEL: MODERATE]
Ten against three. Bad odds, even with my legendary weapon.
"What do you want?" Maya asked, her hand tightening on her bat.
"Everything," Dorn said. "Weapons, supplies, whatever's in that bundle on your friend's back. You can walk away with your lives. That's generous, considering."
"And if we refuse?" I asked.
Dorn's smile widened. "Then we take it anyway, and you die. Your choice. We're not picky."
I felt Maya tense beside me, ready to fight. Lisa had gone very quiet, which meant she was terrified but holding together.
My mind raced through options. We could fight, but ten on three was terrible math, even with my level advantage. We could run, but they had bows and at least one rifle. We'd be shot before we got far.
Which left negotiation.
"What if we trade?" I said. "We give you some supplies, you let us pass. Everyone wins."
"I don't think you understand how this works," Dorn said. "We've got the numbers and the guns. We don't need to trade."
"You need to stay alive," I said. "You've got numbers, but do you know our levels? Do you know what skills we have?"
That made him pause. The System made levels matter, a level 4 could potentially handle multiple level 2s if they were skilled.
"You're bluffing," Dorn said, but there was uncertainty in his voice.
"Am I?" I let my hand drift toward the wrapped bundle. "What if I told you this is a B-rank legendary weapon? What if I told you I'm level 4 with combat skills? How many of your people do you think die before you take us down?"
Dorn's crew shifted nervously. They'd seen what high-level survivors could do. They weren't eager to be the first casualties.
"Even if that's true," Dorn said slowly, "you still lose. Maybe you kill three or four of us. But you die too."
"Maybe," I agreed. "But I'll kill you first. That's a guarantee."
I activated Inspect and shared the results with him somehow, the System allowed it if both people consented. Dorn's eyes widened as he saw my status screen:
[ETHAN CHEN - LEVEL 4]
[EQUIPPED: STORMBREAKER (B-RANK LEGENDARY)]
"Holy shit," one of his raiders breathed. "That's the sword Lucas was looking for."
Dorn's expression hardened. "Even more reason to take it. The General would pay well for a legendary weapon."
This wasn't working. Diplomacy had failed. Which meant—
My Danger Sense suddenly screamed at me.
"DOWN!" I yelled.
We dropped flat as gunfire erupted, not from the raiders, but from behind them.
Someone else had joined the fight.
The raiders scattered, confused, returning fire toward the new attackers. In the chaos, I saw figures moving with combat precision, flanking and suppressing.
"Come on!" Maya grabbed Lisa and dragged her toward an alley. I followed, unwrapping Stormbreaker as I ran.
More gunfire. Shouting. Someone screaming.
We made it to the alley and kept running, putting distance between us and the firefight. Behind us, the battle continued, whoever had attacked the raiders was doing a good job of keeping them busy.
Three blocks away, we stopped to catch our breath.
"What the hell was that?" Lisa gasped.
"Someone else wanted those raiders dead," Maya said. "Or maybe they wanted to rescue us. Either way, we owe them."
"Or we were just convenient bait," I said grimly. "Either way, we need to get home before—"
"Before what?" a voice said behind us.
We spun. A man stood at the alley entrance, blocking our escape route.
He was in his mid-twenties, tall and lean with confident posture. He wore practical combat gear and carried a sword, not legendary, but well-maintained. His eyes were sharp and intelligent.
I didn't need Inspect to know who he was. The novel had described him in detail.
Lucas Reed. The protagonist.
"You're the ones who took the Stormbreaker sword," he said. Not a question. A statement.
"We found it first," I said carefully. "Killed the Boss guarding it. It's ours by right."
Lucas studied us, me especially, his eyes lingering on the sword in my hand. "I was supposed to get that sword. I needed it to clear a Tier-4 nest that's forming downtown."
"We didn't know that," I said. "We just knew there was a powerful weapon, and we went after it."
"You're well-informed for random survivors," Lucas observed. "How did you know about the Sentinel Tower? Most people don't even know legendary weapons exist yet."
I had to be careful here. Admitting I had foreknowledge from a novel was too dangerous.
"We got lucky," I said. "Found a System notice about high-value items in that building. Decided to risk it."
Lucas didn't look convinced, but he didn't press. "What are your levels?"
"I'm level 4. My companions are level 3 and 2."
His eyebrows rose. "Level 4 on day six. That's impressive. Most people are still level 1, maybe 2." He paused. "I'm level 7. Fought a lot of zombies, cleared multiple nests. And yes, I have an SSS-rank ability called Precognition. I can see attacks before they happen."
He was being direct, establishing that he could take the sword by force if he wanted to.
"We don't want to fight you," Maya said. "We just want to survive."
"Then give me the sword," Lucas said simply. "I need it more than you do. I'm fighting to protect hundreds of people. You're fighting for what, yourselves?"
"Everyone's fighting for themselves in the apocalypse," I said. "Even you."
"That's not true," Lucas said, and there was steel in his voice. "I'm fighting for everyone who can't fight. I'm taking risks to keep people safe. That sword would let me clear threats faster, save more lives."
He wasn't wrong. The Lucas from the novel had been a genuine hero, putting himself in danger for others. But he was also asking me to give up my biggest advantage.
"What if we worked together instead?" I offered. "You need the sword for a Tier-4 nest. What if we helped you clear it? All of us together, using the sword. Afterward, we discuss who keeps it."
Lucas considered this. "You'd join a raid against a Tier-4 nest? Those things are deadly. Most level 4s wouldn't survive the encounter."
"We killed a level 5 Boss," I pointed out. "We know how to fight above our weight class."
"Clearly." Lucas studied us with new interest. "Alright. Here's my offer: help me clear the Tier-4 nest tomorrow. If you survive and contribute meaningfully, you keep the sword. If you can't handle it, you give me the sword and I'll help you level up to compensate. Fair?"
It was fair. More than fair, actually. He could've just attacked us.
"Deal," I said, extending my hand.
Lucas shook it, his grip firm. "Good. Meet me at the Green Lake compound tomorrow at dawn. Come prepared for a serious fight."
He turned to leave, then paused. "One more thing, those raiders who ambushed you? I took care of them. Couldn't let them kill capable survivors. Consider it a down payment on our cooperation."
He walked away, disappearing into the ruins of Seattle.
"Well," Maya said once he was gone. "That could've gone worse."
"Could've gone better too," I muttered. "Now we're committed to fighting a Tier-4 nest tomorrow. Those things are supposed to be nightmares."
"At least Lucas seems reasonable," Lisa offered. "He could've just taken the sword."
She was right. The protagonist was living up to his heroic reputation. That was good, heroes were predictable. But it also meant I couldn't keep stealing his resources without consequences.
We made it back to Cascade View as evening fell. Safe. Alive. But with a big fight looming tomorrow.
I spent the evening preparing: checking my skills, reviewing my points (still had 181 saved), making sure Stormbreaker was clean and ready.
Tomorrow, I'd fight alongside the protagonist.
Tomorrow, I'd prove I deserved to keep the legendary weapon.
Tomorrow, I'd find out if changing the story was the smartest thing I'd ever done, or the mistake that got me killed.
---
If you enjoy this chapter, please vote with your Power Stones! It helps a lot! 💎