He remembered.
"Eric?" he muttered, staring at the boy but then, a loud explosion drowned his voice. It distracted all of them, including himself. He quickly shoved his head up to see what it all was.
And it was a disaster. The sky was discolored, with hues of red and blue here and there. Hovering in the sky above them were flying monsters.
And around them, certain otherworldly creatures popped out here and there at intervals, coming at them. They moved fast, and seemed really dangerous.
'I see' Icard thought. 'This is the world just after the apocalypse began'
He looked at where he was. He and a number of other people were aboard a big truck heading toward a city in the distance. Along with them were other vehicles travelling in line.
They engaged the creatures that emerged from the earth and attacked them, using artillery.
"What the fuck are these things!?" one of the people near them yelled in fear and confusion. "They keep coming at us!"
Then he threw something which exploded at one of the creatures coming at them, blasting it away.
"Is this an alien invasion?!"
Icard could remember this beginning, although not too clearly. And he could recognise the creatures very well.
"Are you okay?" the boy asked again.
Icard looked at him once more and nodded calmly.
They were in a dangerous situation at the moment however. He had to do something.
And so, he attempted to use a low level skill he was sure he had at the beginning.
'Open' he said in his thoughts but nothing came.
"Huh?" he questioned, alarmed at this. It had never happened to him before.
'Open' he said in his thoughts again but nothing came.
It was then he remembered again.
'The system hasn't been distributed!' he exclaimed in his mind, dismayed.
At the moment, none of them had any skills to deal with anything. Even these creatures--F rank Ant lizards. They were one of the most basic of opponents but humans now couldn't do much against them without man-made weapons.
All they could do was run--to their sanctuary, which was the city before them.
"Arghhhhhh!" the people on the truck kept fighting. They used guns and grenades, things they had gotten from a military base not far from there.
However, just as they raced and fought for their lives, another ant lizard swam out of the earth. This one was much bigger, about the size of their truck.
It came from underneath one of the vehicles behind them, launching it and the people on it into the air and out of the road.
Those people were doomed. The smaller ant lizards would attack and rip them apart.
It came so suddenly, and very unexpectedly.
The large ant lizard was fast. It reached the next car, clamped its jaw on it and ripped it apart.
"Kyaaaa!"
They all screamed in fright as they were obviously next. The large sized ant lizard hissed loudly, snapping its jaws at them and barely missing their vehicle.
"Damn it! Go faster! Go faster!!"
'Crap!' Icard exclaimed in his thoughts. 'This is an E rank ant lizard. We can't do anything!'
They focused most of their fire on it but it had little effect.
Then, it leaped forward one last time, opening its mouth wide open at them. They were all drowned in fear, some of them screaming in horror.
However, it was then that they arrived.
Icard noticed it first, as the other ant lizards had stopped pursuing them. They had entered the 'vicinity'.
The ant lizard promptly withdrew mid-attack, letting them escape with their lives. It was really a close call but...
They were safe then.
'Damn it' Icard said in his thoughts, frustrated at his near death experience just now. 'I just had to regress to this point'
The rest of them whose lives had flashed before their eyes just now took their time to calm down. Including the boy next to him. He sat on the floor, leaning against another wooden box, shuddering.
This was Eric, a close friend of his during his previous turn. If things went the way they did last time, they would become quite a duo.
But for now however, Eric was still too scared and naïve.
Soon enough, they arrived at the city's entrance. A lot of people were already there, at the entrance and inside the city.
"Come on in! Hurry!" the ones at the entrance ushered them in. They had constructed a gate and fenced most of the city's perimeter already.
Icard could remember this city well. After they entered, the gates were shut and they were directed to a space where they could stop and alight.
Although the city was small, it would be spacious enough to accommodate everyone who would come now and in the future.
Icard looked around him. The place was still disorganised and the apocalypse had just begun, about a day ago.
People were still trying to come to terms with all they had seen. They clustered together, consoling each other, some already finding ways to adapt.
"Welcome" a middle aged man greeted as he walked toward their group. He was escorted by a small number of people. Icard recognized him instantly.
"I am the mayor of this city" he began. "I'm sure it must have been a tough journey but you all did well to make it here"
Icard and the rest alighted then while the man continued.
"Is anyone here the leader of this group? I would like to ask a few questions"
"Is this how you welcome people? Just now, we were nearly ripped apart by that thing. You should let us rest instead, not throw questions at us" the truck driver said in an irritated tone.
"Are you the leader of this group?"
The person who spoke to the mayor was one of Icard's people in his first turn. Her name was Reya, a soldier and the leader of the group they later formed.
She was also the one who got them out and led them to this city.
She had an impressive dark skinned build, towering over the mayor who she walked up to. Her mood was obviously soured.
"Does it matter?" she replied.
One of the people with the mayor tried to confront her but the mayor stood him down.
"Sorry about that. I truly understand" the mayor apologised politely. "I just wanted to know the state of things outside"
"Everyone's dead, if that's what you want to know" Reya replied flatly then walked back to the truck, sitting down at the driver's seat with her head slumped.
'She just lost all her colleagues back at the camp she was at before the apocalypse' Icard said in his thoughts. 'I doubt if anyone here is in the mood for a conversation'.
In his first turn, he would have been depressed as they were as well.
However, there was no time for that.
By dusk today, the Maire of this city will open his space and allow the System distribution to begin.
The Maire was the reason this city was safe. Maires were beings who appeared as soon as the apocalypse began.
As soon as they appeared, they marked territories and set up their space which was inaccessible for other creatures of the epoch.
Although the Maire of this territory was yet to reveal himself, Icard knew him quite well. He also knew where he would be at the moment.
But meeting him right now would be suicide. So he wasn't heading there any time soon, not at the level he was at now.
"I see" the mayor continued. "I am really sorry about that. Most people who sought refuge here have seen quite a lot of things"
The mayor had his gaze down.
Icard looked at him. In his first turn, there were political struggles in this city. One that led to a scuffle between various parties.
It was something that would take place soon and the mayor was one of the major players.
"How are those things not getting in here" Eric asked, joining Icard off the truck and distracting his reverie.
"We'll know soon" Icard replied.
Eric then introduced himself.
"I'm Eric" he said, offering knuckle jab.
"I'm Icard" Icard replied, jamming his fist gently on Eric's.
"You still don't think you could have survived back there, do you?"
Icard shrugged a bit.
"I guess seeing those things made me think twice" Icard replied.
Back at the base they came from, Reya had suggested they headed out and Icard refused, unwilling to risk it.
So she ended up forcing him into a box.
They talked a bit more but then, what Icard was truly looking forward to approached slowly.
It was dusk.
The time for the system distribution. The time it all begins.
It neared slowly and soon enough, the sun finally set and the sky darkened.
Then the air began shifting, followed by a sudden loud rumble that made them stop their conversation abruptly.
An aurora display suddenly appeared, beautifully colouring the sky with moving lights.
Then, in the sky over the center of the city, a green circle appeared--like an opening.
From there, a great wind flushed into the city. One that everyone could feel.
It grabbed their attention and made them stare in awe as whatever it was, wasn't of this world.
"What--what is that?"
Everyone quivered at the sight that began unfolding, but Icard watched it all calmly and prepared.
There, the figure of a person appeared mid-air and slowly, this person descended.
Everyone could feel the heavy presence of this being.
A strong aura emanated from him, making them shudder.
"Aksalep" Icard muttered sensing another familiar presence.
"Inhabitants of this planet" the descending being began, his voice audible to everyone. "Welcome to the Epoch of your ruin--welcome to your doom!"