Relics of the Apocalypse

The so-called minion had horns that would resemble that of a gazelle more than that of a goat. It was significantly longer, and thicker, but occupying the same position on the forehead. Their bodies were toned with muscles and resembled closely that of a human male.

But you won't ever mistake it for a human. Aside from the horns and pale red color, it had eyes too large for its head that glowed like ruby marbles, and a wide mouth without lips- just a large rip on the face, barbed with tens of needle-like teeth.

It hissed and growled. Blood and bits of flesh could be seen in and around its mouth, likely from an earlier prey. It stood there, undecided whether to attack the screaming woman inside the car or the taunting young man out in the open.

Pierre did not have time to hesitate, to wonder if he could take it down like he could a spawn. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for whatever may come, and furiously threw the coin at the demon.

The minion saw him attacking, roared, and charged toward him unwittingly meeting the speeding coin head-on. The metal tore through right on top of the nose, immediately halting the creature. Confused it touched the small bleeding wound with its clawed hands.

The glow in the red eyes faded, and it collapsed face-first to the asphalt.

[You have killed a Minion]

[You have gained Experience]

[Relic Mastery Increased to Beginner]

[You have gained Wielder Skill: Outnumbered]

[You have gained Relic Skill: Serpent Strike]

Pierre could only smile. A thrill he had buried in his youthful days, rose from its grave. Who knew, that a coin of all things, could do such damage? And he just leveled up, video game style. It was not just letters on the screen either, he could feel it. He felt more powerful, more dangerous.

He was starting to believe that the interface might be right. As a relic user, he might be the hope of mankind, in these dark, unprecedented times.

But there was no time to celebrate, as Robert called his attention to the demons that he had seen earlier come out of the tear. They probably saw how he murdered their comrade and had come down to avenge him.

"Quick, get your and your grandma's ass to the car," he barked, as he turned around to face the swooping demons. After a quick look at his attackers, he turned around again and hollered to Robert. "Can I borrow your bat?"

With the coin on his right and the bat on his left, he readied for combat. This was different from earlier. The minion he just killed was on the ground, these were about to attack him like angry magpies. And most obvious of all, there was more than one demon this time around, and they weren't attacking in the same direction.

Oddly, or perhaps not, Pierre did not feel intimidated or horrified. He was steady on his feet and decided to be immovable as a tree. He was no longer the hunted, but the hunter.

An explosion sounded in the distance. He took it as the signaling whistle and threw the coin in a way he had never thrown before.

The coin took the usual straight path to hit the nearest flying demon. Then right out of the body of its first victim, the coin sharply swerved to hit the next target, and then the next. The afterimages left behind in its wake, resembled a crawling silver snake.

With every target hit, the stronger and sharper the coin swerved. This odd pattern, pluck down the last two demons, while only seriously wounding the first two.

[You have used Serpent Strike]

[Skill Cooldown: 00:00:15]

[Basic Attack Cooldown: 00:00:05]

The remaining demons, continued, weaker but more furious. The frontmost demon, with one of its wings damaged, dove towards him tilted but still managing to stretch out its hands so that its sharp claws would be the first to make contact with Pierre's unarmored and vulnerable body.

He had hoped that the attack would have killed all of the demons. And he had not taken into account that there might be a cooldown. But the panic was short-lived. He remembered he had the bat, and that the interface had informed him of another skill.

He swatted the encroaching hands, derailing the crash path of the demon. Then with two hands, he immediately recovered and swung the bat from below to hit the face of the demon who was about to hit the asphalt to his side.

[You are outnumbered]

[Passive Wielder Skill: Outnumbered is in effect]

[Physical Strength Increased 4x]

[You have killed a Minion]

The last demon had its wings intact, and dove straight towards him like a suicidal jet. Pierre raised the bat above him and with all his strength, slammed it down, when the horned demon's head came within reach. The result was satisfyingly brutal.

The demon was sent down flat to the ground. Its skull collapsed in the middle, and it made the horns touch. The wings wildly flapped, but with the brain gone, the movement was nothing but death throes. It was promptly incapacitated.

[You have killed a Minion]

[You have gained Experience]

Pierre released the breath he did not realize he was holding. With his fingers, he combed back the stray strands of his curly hair that were touching his forehead. He scanned the aftermath of the havoc he had wrought and felt proud of it.

The passive skill had the potential to be overpowered. It would complement the mid-range capability of the coin. Already, he felt that his arsenal was formidable.

He heard the smooth hum of his car, which miraculously was yet to take damage to its engine. A nervously smiling Robert stopped the car right behind him.

"Good… good job sir. That was well… done" Robert said from the driver's seat, making a poor attempt at hiding his newfound fear of the professor he was used to being rude with. "If it's alright with you, I'll drive. Or… I could quickly go the back seat if you want."

Pierre smiled. He would be lying if he said he did not enjoy, the expression of both fear and awe, on the faces of Robert and Clementine.

He was not a loser before. But this time, he might end further up the dominance hierarchy.