So who are you *gasping for air*
(Stranger) My name is Marcus *Smiling*. I worked in construction. I picked up my 4-year-old daughter Zoe before this all happened. We couldn't make it home last night, so I had to shield her for the night. I have a few scratches, and I overheard you talking earlier. Can you help us?
Yeah no worries, im Lucian, i was in the army a few years then when I got out, and got a job as a presentation manager at Joe's Pizza
*Zoe's face lightens up*
(Zoe) You're a soldier, sir?? Also, can I get free pizza *handout*
Yeah *laughing* but I almost just got my face ripped off so im not a really good one
(Marcus) I don't think so, you still had that baton in your hand, you could've done something, now food? I haven't eaten in a day.
Huh oh yeah, just walk threw that back door and ask Jane to make you something
(Marcus) You heard the man, Zoe, I'll talk to him for a bit so run on inside
(Zoe) Okay papa
Aren't you hungry too and what if I was lying?
(Marcus) I can go days without food, only 3 to be exact, I've done it before, but also I've always been good at reading people and you're not lying
Alright then, how many of the mawlings have you killed?
(Marcus) Mawling? You said something about it earlier too
It's what im calling the monster right now
(Marcus) Ah, I've killed 2 of the normal ones I think, i also killed one that buzzed before attacking me, that's it though, what about you?
I've killed 4 Mawlers, 2 Mawling stalkers, and well you killed this one, have you been collecting the gems they have?
(Marcus) They have gems? I didn't see anything
Look- *I looked over to the shining mawler*
The gem was nowhere to be found, and I found some crumbs of something that could have been a gem
You crushed the gem, also how the hell do you hit so hard
*Marcus started smiling*
(Marcus) What else *he started flexing* these huge muscles and conditioning
Yeah but you hitting it sounded like a gunshot
(Marcus) im not sure honestly, it started after I killed the first one of those monsters, I feel stronger, more tanky? It's hard to say my skin is tougher than I remember
Hmm well your muscles are big so it could make some sense
*Marcus started flexing again*
You said you had some cuts?
(Marcus) Yeah all over the place
I can look at it, let's get inside it's getting hot, also if I help with your cuts and food problem, will you help me fortify my house for the next night
(Marcus) Sure that's literally what I did for a living
Yeah, you're right *laughing*
We walked back into the house, we ate, I put some band aids on Marcus's cuts, we got the planks and started on the windows, Jane couldn't keep her eyes off Marcus, but we finished up before nightfall
Give me a second guys I need to use the restroom, i haven't used it since yesterday morning
(Jane) okay
I went and came back
Alright, before it turns night, I wanna say a few things, if we discover, you 3 are going to go into the closet and Me and Marcus will try to protect y'all or kill everything before y'all can come out, got it?
(Jane) I got it
Are you fine with that Marcus?
(Marcus) of course
The night came quickly, we watched as the sun dropped behind the buildings, we shut off the lights for another night, it was quiet except for the distant sirens, no screams, or sounds of the mawlers, it was too quiet
*whispering* something's going on, there's no mawlers, no sounds at all, my intuition is telling me this is really bad-
*ROAR*
I looked at Marcus then at the others, emily's eyes seemed to glazed over, i instinctively knew this was the same type of creature that hurt Emily's father, i looked at Jane and signalled to her to cover Emily's mouth
I could hear the weight of the monster slowly moving towards us it kept making this low gruming echo like whale but way more gritty, it walked into few under a street light, it stood well over 7 feet, it used its arms to hold its body and walk, its arms were thicker than the length of my torso, it had eyes that searched around, its mouth was in a constant unhappy face, it had fangs or maybe tusk that protuded from its face, the legs of the creature were stumps, it had veins all across its skin it seem to not have holes on the sides of its head but it still moved towards sounds like it could either feel or or see the soundwaves, it looked like it could flip a tank easily
I looked at marcus, he was clunching his sledgehammer so hard his hands were shaking, i looked down at the pistol i help, i dont think this would even break the skin of that beast, the only way id do any damage would be from the shotgun or the colt M4, even then, id probably die before i could dump on mag into it, the monster broke the streat lamp then roared once again, i heared heaving breathing and a wimper behind me, my skin stood up as i stared at the Mawler as it looked over, if i could even call it a mawler, its has to be atleast close to the top of the food chain, it turned its head again walking away making the weird whale noises again, once i could hear the weight of the monster anymore i turned around to see jane struggling to hold emily still, i looked over at emily, her eyes locked with me, i gave her a stern look an a quiet sign, she calmed down for now, then i heard something fall in the kitchen
*Multiple Screeches*
Crap, get to the closet and don't come out till we say, now! Go!
I could hear glass breaking upstairs
*chitters*
I looked at Marcus, making hand signs to get them when they get down the stairs-
*buzz*
I immediatly got up trying to find where it could be, its invisiblity is strong in the dark, i imediatly grabbed my baton, and turned on the light to the living room, i looked around and see it on ceiling, both it hands out like it getting ready catch a fly, i swung towards the Mawling, it junped towards me, all four of its claws out, i smashed its head before it got close enough to touch me, killing it on the spot
*SCREECH*
4 normal mawling stood at the bottom of the stairs, marcus took his sledge hammer swinging it horizontally killing 3 before the 4th one jumped on him, trying to eat his face, i quickly grabbed its neck pulling it away from marcus, slamming it on the ground splattering its blood all over the floor, i could hear climbing all over the building, chitters, crunching all over the place
We'll kill them as they come into the doorway, it'll be easier than trying to kill them in the room with us or trying to go up the stairs
(Marcus) okay *gripping his sledgehammer harder*
Every time multiple would try to enter through the doorway, Marcus killed them, when one or two got through or the stalkers climbed through I dealt with them, it was while till-
*ROAR*
All the mawlers in the house started running back the way they came, i looked out the window and saw the brute mawling, charging down the street running over tons of normal mawlers, it was heading straight for the house
Crap! Girls go to the upstairs closet and hide quickly
*Stomp, Stomp, Stomp*
I quickly grabbed the M4 grabbed 2 extra mags then I felt the house start to shake, marcus was next to me as the brute ran through the house like it was made of graham crackers, we dodged out of the way and the brute went running straight into the backyard, through the whole house, marcus looked at me and smiled
We're going to die
(Marcus) *laughs* I'll try to tank it and hold its attention, you try to kill it with your gun
Okay, don't die, im not trying to take care of 2 orphans
We moved into the backyard, i had 3 yards of land in my backyard, the brute was at the end of the yard, i took aim and shot once at its head, it didn't even register that I attacked it
*ROAR*
(Marcus) Roar! Come at me
The monster started running then jumped at least 5 feet in the air slamming its arm down where Marcus was, marcus jumped to the side swinging his sledgehammer on the monster's tough skin, i heard the same gunshot I heard earlier, the monster roared and jumped back with its arms and examined its arm
That's when I noticed that my bullet from earlier did do damage it was just very little, Marcus's attack left a circular cracked surface
Your attack can break its defense!
When I looked at Marcus his arms were shaking a ton, as if he was holding something weighing triple his body weight
(Marcus) That bastard is hard as hell *clenching his fist to stop the shaking*
I aimed again shooting at the broken area of its arm, and the bullets went straight through
*ROAAAR*
Its roar was louder than before, i felt my body tense, the brute started heading towards me, but I couldn't move, it was as if I was a deer in the headlights, then Marcus pushed me and swung his sledgehammer, the brute charged full force charged and Marcus's strike made the ground shake, i saw Marcus fly towards the house
MARCUS!
Once the smoke cleared, the arm the marcus hit was completely open, i could see the flesh muscle, viens of the brute, i took aim again and shot at its wound and didnt stop till the mag was out, i dropped the mag out slammed in a new one, fix the chamber and kept shooting, i seen blood from its arm gushing out everywhere, everytime a bullet hit i could hear the brute roar, it was getting lower, the second mag finished, i dropped it and put the new one in it, fix the chamber and waited, the brute was covered in blood, it was only standing with one arm, half its body was limp
Marcus! Are you okay! *still aimed at the brute*
*Marcus groaning*
(Marcus) That's hurt a lot, but yeah, I don't see anything broken, except the couch I landed on!
Don't worry about the couch, you can always buy me another one
(Marcus) It wasn't even my fault though *limbing back out* damn
*A low groan from the brute*
It fell over dead, Its chest stopped moving, but its eyes didn't close, they stayed locked on me, even in death.
Well let's not go near it till we know it's actually dead
(Marcus) Agreed, by the way, where did you get that couch, it was very comfortable
For the rest of the night I looked over Marcus, the rest of the mawlers seemed not to want to wander over here, maybe a pheromone or something the brute gives off, but we didn't see one mawler the rest of the night
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Monster Codex: Brute Mawling
Type: Mutation-Type Mawling
Threat Level: 3
Description:
At least 7 feet tall, slow in movement and reflexes, with swollen arms of dense muscle wrapped in an armored outer shell. It can see and visually track targets, but cannot hear. Instead, it detects vibrations through the ground and air, allowing it to sense movement even in total silence. Its mouth is fixed in a grim expression with tusk-like fangs, and its legs end in thick, blunt stumps. When it roars, the sound alone carries through walls, shaking structures and stunning prey.
Strengths:
Immense physical strength and endurance.
Bone plating offers protection against small-arms fire.
Detects vibrations and movement, allowing it to track prey even without sound.
Weaknesses:
Slow reaction time and poor coordination.
Weak to Blunt force
Deaf (relies solely on vision and vibration sense.)
Behavior:
Highly aggressive and territorial. Brutes charge toward movement or vibration with unrelenting focus, showing limited intelligence but extreme persistence. Often encountered alone or leading smaller mutations by example rather than command.
Survivor Notes (Lucian):
"This beast wasn't blind, just deaf. Could see every step I made through the dirt.
When that brute sized thing came running through my house, we treated it like a pile of dirt
Funny thing? Another brute-sized thing with a hammer put it down like nothing.
Maybe there's a food chain for monsters now."
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(Jane) what are you writing?
Nothing! Just monster codex