Apocalypse Ascension: Rift Walkers

Kade moved through the ruined streets like a shadow, his heightened senses keeping him ahead of the dangers lurking in the dark. He passed through small groups of Wretches and even a few Rendclaws surveying their claimed territory. His body was still sore from the last battle, and with his Morningstar shattered, he wasn't in the mood for another fight.

Slipping into the subway entrance, he navigated the familiar underground paths toward the clubhouse. Just across the tracks and around the bend, the reinforced doors of the stronghold loomed, standing as the last bastion of order against the chaos outside. The ground was slick with fresh blood—fortunately, monster blood.

He knocked twice. The peephole slid open, a pair of wary eyes scrutinizing him before the heavy door groaned inward.

Then Griggs' voice hit him like a hammer.

"You son of a bitch!"

The old man stood at the entrance, arms crossed, his expression twisted between exasperation and begrudging relief. "I swear to god, Kade, I should kill you myself just to save the universe the trouble!"

Kade smirked, stepping inside as Griggs slammed the door shut behind him. "Nice to see you too, Griggs."

"Nice to see you? Oh yeah, real nice, real heartwarming. Except, you know, YOU DISAPPEARED WITHOUT A DAMN WORD!" Griggs threw his hands up, pacing in frustration. "Again! It's the goddamn end of the world, and you still can't shake that death wish of yours?"

Kade dropped his pack onto the table with a heavy thud, salvaged Riftsteel and energy cores clanking against the wood. "Relax, I just needed some fresh air."

Griggs scoffed. "Fresh air, my ass. You went out there alone, no backup, and judging from the look of you, barely made it back. One of these days, Kade, your luck's gonna run out."

Kade shrugged. "Yeah, but today's not that day."

Griggs let out a long sigh before eyeing the pack Kade had set down. His expression shifted, greed flickering in his eyes. "So... what'd you bring me?"

Kade smirked, knowing exactly where the old man's priorities were.

Julia, who had silently followed behind them, pressed her lips together to keep from laughing.

Kade exhaled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I brought back supplies, evolved, and almost died. But hey, didn't die. So, there's that."

Julia crossed her arms. "Things are getting worse, Kade."

Griggs' amusement faded, his face tightening. "Bad. Two days have passed since you brought in those refugees, Kade, and we're already cutting rations. Maybe eight days before we start starving. And that's if nothing else goes wrong."

Kade's smirk disappeared. "So we need food and supplies."

Griggs nodded grimly. "When I stocked this place, I didn't think we'd be feeding this many people. And I sure as hell didn't expect to be feeding them indefinitely."

He gestured toward a rough map spread across the table. "I mapped out a few routes. Closest targets are the bodegas, but let's be real—they're probably stripped clean. The real prize is the shopping center further out. Problem is, that means cutting through the residential district. That's the worst of it. But that's also where we're gonna find the most supplies."

Kade studied the map, already working through the angles. "How many people do we have that can fight?"

"Not enough," Griggs admitted. "But… that's starting to change."

He gestured for Kade to follow, leading him through the back halls toward a storage area where a small group of survivors had gathered. The moment Kade stepped inside, he felt it—Resonance Energy. Not just within himself, but from them.

The crowbar man—Daniel—stood among them, his posture different, stronger. His grip on the metal weapon was steadier, his stance more balanced. And beside him, the kid—Miles—held his slingshot with a quiet confidence.

"They're evolving," Griggs said simply. "Your breathing technique? They've been using it. The kid figured something out. In the middle of the fight earlier, he shot an energy core with his slingshot."

Kade raised a brow. "And?"

Griggs smirked. "Turned it into a damn grenade."

Kade let out a low whistle. "No shit?"

Miles scratched the back of his head. "I didn't mean to! I was just out of options, and I figured… maybe the energy would react?" He shrugged. "It did."

Kade nodded. "That's smart. Risky, but smart."

"But that's not all," Griggs continued. "I evolved too."

Kade blinked. "You?" He focused, feeling it now. The Resonance Energy around Griggs was different. Calmer, refined.

"Yeah." Griggs' face turned serious. "And it didn't happen in a fight. It happened while I was forging with Julia. I was working with the Riftsteel, and something clicked. Like I could feel the energy running through the metal. And when I absorbed that tablet from the Rift Merchant? Well, turns out I should've died. I'm still piecing together everything in that tablet. The knowledge alone should've fried my damn brain. But it didn't."

Kade frowned. "So what does that mean?"

Griggs exhaled. "It means we might've been looking at this whole Rift Walker thing too narrowly. We all assumed evolution was through combat. But what if it's not?"

He turned toward the forge. "I can grow in my evolution by refining my skills, crafting weapons and armor, and channeling the energy of the cores into them. The more I refine my craft, the more I refine myself. As long as I keep using the breathing techniques and cultivating my control, I'll be able to evolve."

Kade rubbed his chin. "You're saying it's not just forging? That anyone who cultivates a skill that requires control over Resonance Energy can evolve?"

Griggs nodded. "I think so. I don't have all the answers yet, but I know one thing—this? This is just the beginning. We either figure this out, or we die trying."

Kade processed that, then smirked. "Well, guess we better start figuring it out. We've got four days before the Rift Merchant comes back. We need more cores."

Kade stretched his arms, feeling the tension ease from his muscles. For the first time since returning, he allowed himself to take in the state of the clubhouse. The people around him—exhausted but alive—looked to him, Griggs, and Julia with a quiet kind of expectation. He had to admit, whether he liked it or not, he had become a pillar for this ragtag group.

Griggs pocketed the gold with a knowing smirk. "Alright, let's get to work. If we're gonna survive, we need a plan."

Assessing the Survivors

They gathered in the common area, a section of the old underground club where tables and chairs had been arranged in a makeshift command center. The survivors, seventeen in total—seven men, six women, two children, a teenager, and an old man—assembled in front of them.

Griggs cleared his throat. "Alright, listen up. We've been scraping by, but that's not gonna cut it anymore. If we want to last, we need structure. So we're gonna figure out what we have and what we need."

Kade's sharp eyes swept over the group, gauging them. Most were still reeling from the new world they had been thrown into, but some had begun to adapt. "Let's start with the ones willing to fight."

The first person to step forward was the man Kade had brought with him in the tunnels—the one who had barely escaped with his life after being dragged away by a wretch. He was built like a laborer, strong but rough around the edges. His short, dark hair was streaked with dust, and his hands were rough and calloused. He carried his trusty crowbar like it was an extension of himself.

"Name's Daniel," the man said, his voice steady. "I work construction for the city, I can do repairs on most things, and I like to work." as if on queue, his stomach grumbled from the lack of protein he had been consuming the past few days

Kade gave him a nod. "Daniel, You seem to be pretty good with that crowbar, and I can sense you're getting close to evolving into a riftborn, that's a good start"

"Well been fightin' since we got here" he said plainly, his grip tightening on his weapon. "I ain't got a choice. Got my little girl to look after, shes all I have... her mother..." the pain in his voice was evident

Kade glanced behind him, spotting the small, wide-eyed girl clutching the hem of one of the women's jackets. She looked no older than eight, her tiny fingers wrapped tightly around the fabric like letting go meant losing everything.

"Alright," Kade said. "You fight, your kid stays safe."

Daniel nodded. "That's the plan."

The next few men who stepped forward were in various states of exhaustion, but they all had the same look in their eyes—the one Kade had seen in the mirror since this whole thing began. They knew they didn't have a choice anymore. If they didn't get stronger, they were dead.

There was David, a broad-shouldered ex-bouncer who had already been helping guard the clubhouse's entrance with Griggs. He had fists like bricks and the patience of a man who had dealt with way too many drunks in his time. What Kade found hilarious about him was he actually hated fighting, he was just so damn big that he always seemed to end up as some drunkard's bunching bag!

Then there was Jin, lean, quiet, but sharp-eyed. He had been a chemist before the world went to hell, and while he wasn't a fighter, he had already been helping provide first aid to everyone who needed it. He had already proven useful even without fighting.

Miguel was a mechanic, sturdy and also with the calloused hands to prove it. His combat experience was zero, but he was strong, willing to learn, and had already been fixing up the reinforced barriers outside the doors after every monster assault on the base.

The last man, Frank, was in his late fourties, grizzled with a scruffy beard and a no-nonsense attitude. "Used to be in the army, retired vet now" he grunted. "Figured I can still handle a gun, or a bat, if need be." 

Kade nodded. "Good enough."

Most of the women had been sticking to supporting roles—helping with food, organizing supplies, and assisting where they could. But one stepped forward now, her face set with determination.

"I'm fighting too," she said.

Kade raised a brow. "And you are?"

"Rachel," she answered, her voice firm. "I am...was in college before this studying plant biology. Now? I'm just someone who wants to see her family again."

Her stance was stiff, her eyes were red, it was clear she had been crying, but she stood firm. She had no experience, but neither had he when all of this started. Kade sighed. "You willing to take orders?"

Rachel nodded. "Yeah."

"Alright, then. You're in."

The other women—including Daniel's daughter and a few others who had lost family—stayed silent. They weren't fighters, but they were still important to the groups survival. Logistics still needed to be managed, any war effort needed a supply chain.

Then there was the teenager, Miles. He still looked like a kid, scrawny, with a defiant glint in his eye. But Kade had already seen what he could do. He was on the brink of evolving. And after absorbing that core, he took it like a champ! "So," Kade said, tilting his head. "Gonna keep using that slingshot?"

Miles smirked. "You tell me. It works."

Kade chuckled. "Yeah. Apparently, but you know those cores arent cheap, you'll need to kill a wretch first to take its core. You know that saying, it takes money to make money."

Miles laughed in defiance, "Please, I'm way ahead of you," a huge grin appeared on his face as he pulled a bag out of his pocket, almost translucent from the half-dozen cores inside. It seemed as though he had struck it rich from the previous conflict.

The last person Kade took note of was Elliot, an older man—probably in his seventies—who had barely spoken since they had all arrived. He sat on the edge of the room, fiddling with broken wires and circuits like they were puzzle pieces.

"What's his deal?" Kade asked, nodding toward him.

Griggs smirked. "Retired electrical engineer."

Kade blinked. "No shit?"

"Yes shit," Griggs confirmed. "He's been messing with what's left of our busted radios. Thinks he might be able to get a signal working if he can find a stable power source that doesn't get fried by resonance energy, or if he figures out how to use cores as energy."

Kade frowned. "You think he can?"

Griggs shrugged. "Says it might be possible."

Kade considered that for a moment. The idea of using Resonance Energy as a power source hadn't crossed his mind, but it made sense. If the world was going to keep falling apart, then information was power.

He turned back to the others.

"Alright," Griggs said, his tone firm. "Here's the deal. We're gonna start moving in teams. Fighters train. The rest of you? Support however you can. We've got about seven days before we're out of supplies. Less if something else goes wrong. That means we need weapons, food, and a way to keep this place standing, and if we don't get some fuel soon, these generators will cut off soon, and that means lights out!"

Kade's gaze swept the room, measuring the resolve in each set of eyes. The weight of survival pressed down on all of them, but hesitation could get them killed.

"If you want to live, we do this the smart way," he said, his voice firm. "We need scouts, we need guards, and every single one of you needs to learn how to fight."

The room was silent, the truth settling in. There was no more hiding, no more waiting for someone else to save them.

Julia stepped forward, her stance confident. "I'll handle the weapons training," she declared. "I was an Olympic fencer before all this, and later, an instructor. If you're going to fight, you better learn to do it right."

There was no argument. Her skill had already proven itself in battle. Even those who weren't sure if they could fight nodded in agreement.

Kade let out a breath, relieved that part was settled. Then, turning to Griggs, he hesitated for a beat before muttering, "I've got some bad news… I lost my mace. Well, more like it shattered."

Griggs fixed him with a deadpan stare, rubbing his temples like he was nursing a migraine. "I swear to god, kid, if you don't start bringing me back more than you break—"

Kade smirked and tossed something onto the table with a clatter. "Relax, old man. look in the bag," he said, nodding toward the bag full of riftsteel and resonance cores. Griggs eyed the haul, grumbling under his breath, but the glint in his eye betrayed him, his excitement taking hold. He had his work cut out for him.

Kade, however, had other priorities. Without another word, he made his way straight to his lodging, ignoring the hunger gnawing at his stomach. He'd worry about rations in the morning. Right now, all he wanted was sleep.

When he arrived, his bed had been made neatly, the sheets tucked in tight. "Must've been Julia," he muttered. A small gesture, but one that made the place feel a little less like a battlefield. He peeled off his tattered clothing, every muscle in his body aching from the past few days of nonstop fighting.

With a deep breath, he leaped onto the bed, the mattress sinking beneath him as the air rushed out of the pillows in a soft exhale. A familiar scent rose with it—strawberry and something darker, like the ghost of smoldering embers clinging to the fabric. It was fleeting yet distinct, a strange mix of warmth and ruin that wrapped around him as he settled into the blankets. For the first time in what felt like forever, the exhaustion hit him all at once. The world could wait. Just for a little while.