"Contact," Eli said sharply. "This one hostile. Coming from the east."
Marcus and Mr. Chen immediately dropped their materials and raised their weapons.
The revenant burst through the back door. Again, it was a construction worker in a hard hat, its eyes glowing bright blue, its hands ending in claw like nails.
It was directly charged at them as it had sensed them previously.
BANG!
Mr. Chen's shotgun roared. The blast caught the revenant center mass, staggering it.
TAK TAK TAK!
Marcus's turn, and he fired controlled bursts. His two rounds hit it in the head.
The revenant went down hard, black smoke pouring from its wound.
[CORRUPTED SOUL: DEFEATED]
[CONSUME? Y/N]
Eli hesitated. With the vest, he had buffer room for corruption. And one soul wouldn't hurt his humanity much.
But it would cost 2-3%. And he was trying to conserve.
"Leave it," Eli decided. "We don't have time."
They grabbed their materials and moved fast.
*******
They made it back to the safe zone in fifteen minutes, loaded down with lumber, tools, and sheet metal.
Linda helped unload everything while Sophie watched with wide eyes.
"You got so much!" the girl said.
[QUEST UPDATE: SECURE ADVANCED RESOURCES]
[COLLECT: BUILDING MATERIALS (20/20 UNITS) TOOLS (5/5 SETS), MEDICAL SUPPLIES (0/10 UNITS)]
[BUILDING MATERIALS: COMPLETE]
[TOOLS: COMPLETE]
[MEDICAL SUPPLIES: INCOMPLETE]
"We still need medical supplies. Ten units of it," Eli said, checking the quest log.
"The medical kit you got from the supply cache doesn't count?" Linda asked.
"Apparently not. Probably needs to be scavenged, not system generated."
"There's a clinic two blocks west," Mr. Chen offered. "Small place, but it should have supplies."
After pondering a few minutes, Eli decided. "We eat, rest for an hour, then hit the clinic. After that, we start building."
*******
Lunch was dried bread, canned corn and soup, heated over a small camping stove Linda had found, and clean water from the bottles.
It wasn't gourmet, but at least it was filling.
Sophie sat next to Eli, swinging her legs as she asked, "Mr. Eli, when are you going to test your new powers?"
"What new powers?"
"The ones you unlocked. Marcus said you can cleanse people now. And do a chain thing."
Eli smiled. "Soul Purification and Soul Chain. I haven't tested them yet."
"Why not?"
"Haven't needed to. Soul Purification only works if someone's corrupted, and no one here is. Soul Chain is for fighting multiple enemies at once."
"But you should practice," Sophie said seriously. "That's what Marcus says. Practice before you need it for real."
She had a point.
"Alright," Eli said. "After we get the medical supplies and start building, I'll test Soul Chain on some low corruption revenants. Happy?"
Sophie beamed. "Yes!"
Marcus laughed. "She's got you figured out."
"Eight year olds are terrifying," Eli muttered.
*******
The clinic was small. It was just a single story building with a faded sign reading "Riverside Family Medicine."
The front door was locked, but Mr. Chen made quick work of it with the crowbar.
Inside smelled antiseptic and old carpet. The waiting room was undisturbed. The magazines were still on tables, and chairs arranged neatly.
"This way," Mr. Chen said, heading for the back. He had clearly been in clinics before.
The medical supply room was locked, but Marcus shot the lock off with his rifle.
Inside was a treasure trove.
Bandages, gauze, antiseptic, antibiotics, painkillers, surgical gloves, syringes, IV bags, splints, medical tape…
They loaded everything into duffel bags.
[MATERIALS COLLECTED: MEDICAL SUPPLIES X10 UNITS]
[QUEST COMPLETE: SECURE ADVANCED RESOURCES]
[REWARD: +200 EXP, CONSTRUCTION SUPPLY CACHE]
[CONSTRUCTION SUPPLY CACHE ADDED TO INVENTORY]
Another supply cache. Eli made a mental note to open it later.
They were heading for the exit when Eli's Soul Sense flared again.
But this time, it wasn't a hostile revenant.
[AUDITOR SIGNATURE DETECTED]
[DISTANCE: 0.2 MILES NORTHEAST]
[IDENTITY: UNKNOWN]
The other Auditor. And they were close.
Very close.
"Hold up " Eli said, raising a hand.
"What is it?" Marcus asked.
"The other Auditor. They're nearby. Maybe two blocks over."
"The one from the rooftop?
"Yeah."
Mr. Chen frowned. "Is that good or bad?"
"Don't know. But the system says cooperation between Auditors increases survival probability by 340%. That's significant."
"So we find them?"
Eli checked the time. It was still early afternoon. They still had Quest 2—fortify safe zone, and Quest 3—expand territory, to complete.
But finding another Auditor could change everything, as well it was on the Special Quest.
"Yeah. We find them," Eli decided.
He keyed the walkie talkie. "Linda, this is Eli. We're detouring. Spotted another Auditor nearby. Might be a while."
Static, then they heard Linda's voice. "Copy. Be careful."
"Always am."
They moved northeast, following the Auditor signature that glowed like a beacon.
Eli's Soul Sense grew stronger as they closed the distance. The signature was powerful, definitely another Auditor, probably Rank E or D like him.
Two blocks turned into three. The signature led them to a five story office building, its windows dark, and its entrance barricaded.
[AUDITOR SIGNATURE: INSIDE BUILDING]
[FLOOR: 3RD]
[TERRITORY DETECTED: SAFE ZONE ESTABLISHED]
Another safe zone. This Auditor had carved out their own territory, just like Eli.
"Hello?" Eli called out. "I'm an Auditor. We're not hostile."
Silence.
Then a voice from above. It was a female voice, sharp and suspicious.
"Prove it. Show me your soul."
Eli looked up. A figure stood on the third floor fire escape. A female, early twenties, dark hair pulled back, wearing tactical gear similar to Eli's vest.
Her hands glowed blue, and Eli could feel her power from here. She was strong, and her power was controlled well.
He let his own power flare. Blue light emanating from his chest, his hands, making the soul attuned rifle pulses with energy.
The woman studied him for a long moment.
Then she nodded. "Alright. Come up. Slowly. Your friends stay down there."
"Not happening," Marcus said immediately.
"Then you don't come up," the woman countered.
"It's fine," Eli said. "Marcus, Mr. Chen, wait here. Keep watch. I'll be ten minutes."
Marcus didn't look happy but he nodded.
Eli climbed the fire escape, his rifle slung across his back, his hands visible and non threatening.