Red Zone
Once a planet thriving with diversity and life, now a series of fragmented territories, each scarred by past cataclysms—nuclear fallouts, bio-engineered plagues, and mystic upheavals that rent the earth asunder. Cities lie in ruins, overgrown by twisted flora and permeated by a spectrum of anomalous energies. Regions devastated by the rending of reality, where the barriers between dimensions have torn. Cosmic horrors slip through these breaches, and the laws of physics are mere suggestions. It's here the energies that awakened powers in humans are strongest, the phenomenon known as "The Eruption."
A perpetual storm called the Veil of Ruin, that encircles the globe, pulsating with arcane lightning, from which few have emerged alive or sane. It is said that the storm protects—or imprisons—a heart of untold power at the Earth's core. The Milkmen, Bearers of purity in a defiled world, Their milk often manifest in healing, protective barriers, and nurturing proclivities—yet when thrust into conflict, their capabilities take on a more violent defense; someone in the apocalypse orders a certain type of milk, and the Milkmen travel to deliver the preferred milk from the agency, delivering it to the people. There are different types of milk, and one perk within the milk.
The outside world is crawling with survivors who haven't awakened their powers, awakened people defending themselves and creating strongholds and guilds, and enemy deities, humanoids, and monsters from other realms walking around causing havoc and tending to their lustful nature.
Every faction, individual, and awakened battles their own apocalypse, seeking allies, confronting nightmarish threats, and enduring personal quests in a tapestry of stories. But whispers speak of an "Axis Mundi," a spine of the old Earth that remains unbroken and may hold the key to the planet's restoration or to tipping its delicate balance into final oblivion.
In the morning time, the sky is pitch white. In the afternoon, the sky is dark orange with black clouds. At night, the sky is red and black. The rain is drops of acid blood, and the snow is piles of skeleton heads.
(2055)
(Unknown underground location In Japan)
(Base of the Milkman agency.)
A Milkman boy with a white hat, wavy short black hair, and red eyes dressed in a formal white button up shirt with black slacks and black pants and dress shoes walked through a large refrigerator, with shelves on each side that contained milk with different labels on them. There were other people there who were sorting or collecting the milk and putting it in their baskets attatched tk their bikes to get ready to deliver, and they were all dressed formally the same way, as an actual Milkman that delivers milk to the neighborhoods.
The boys name was Yuma, 15 years old, had a kid like demeanor and face, and he was holding a 4 foot tall and 7 foot wide large basket filled with jars of milk. He was smiling widely, with a pep in his step as he walked past the other Milkmen.
They said to Yuma:
"Hey, Yuma!"
"Happy today aren't you?"
"Good luck on your mission!"
Yuma smiled and waved at them, "Thanks! You too!"
Yuma then began to sing, "Innnnn the shattered remnants of a world forsaken, through the ashen whisperrrrs of civilizations past, we, the Milkmen, stand as bastions of the last light. With fortitude as our armor, and hope as our beacon, we carry forth the sustenance of life—nurturing body and soul. We rise with the dawn to wage war against the encroaching darkness; guardians of what remains, defenders of the rebirth to come. For every drop of purity we deliver, a shadow is dispelled; for every life we nourish, a star is sown into the night's canvas. We are the Milkmen, carriers of the final embers of humanity, architects of renewal, sworn to preserve the legacy of the earth and its progeny. Our path is solitude, our battle is eternal, our legacy indomitable. May the milk of human kindness never sour in the cauldron of adversityyyy!"
Everyone clapped, saying:
"Good singing, Yuma!"
"Amazing job!"
Yuma chuckled, "Thanks!"
Yuma apporocbed a boy named Fenrir, he was dressed in the Milkman outfit also with the white hat, he had golden colored hair, and turquoise colored eyes and freckles.
"Fenrir!" Yuma waved.
Fenrir replied with a smile, "Hi, Yuma! Going on a mission?"
"Yep!"
"Cool! What's the order?"
"Hmmmm, a lot of health orders! Mother said this job is out in the middle of a line defense! Mother told me a survivor camp is holding back waves of monsters! I have to deliver them Healing milk. I'm going into a Red Zone!"
*Red Zones - Highly dangerous zones with dangerous beings lurking and high action*
*Yellow Zones - Moderately dangerous area with fewer enemies, and less dangerous ones*
*Green Zones - Safer than the other two zones, but still not without mishaps. Unsafe plants, wild animals affected by the apocalypse, and food outside that molds fast are an issue. Green Zones are usually occupied with outposts of awakened or non awakened humans. But it's unpredictable. A green zone could turn into a Red Zone tomorrow.*
"Cool!"
"What about you?"
"Oh me? There's a really nice place where a couple of elderly women are watching over children that lost their parents! Like an orphanage! I'm going there to deliver Dream milk. It helps them fall asleep. They said the children are always staying up because of the scary monsters and beings outside! It'll be in a Yellow Zone!"
"Oh, you're the perfect one for this job then!"
"Yeah! Well, I gotta get going. Good luck, and maybe I'll catch you outside!"
"Bye, Fenrir!"
Yuma waved at Fenrir as Fenrir was cycling away with his carts of milk on the back of his bicycle.
Yuma walked forward, humming and smiling, nodding and saying hi to everyone, and they said hi back.
As Yuma was grabbing his assigned bike near a wall, he sat his cartons of milk on the back of his bike. He kept a smile on his face. He got on his bike, and pedaled down a tunnel. There were other Milkmen beside him on bikes filled with cartons of milk, heading out into the dangerous world to make deliveries.
They said to each other:
"Good luck!"
"You too!"
"I just reached Curdlan Champion rank! In about a few more months, I'll be Rennet Reclaimer rank!"
"I'm trying to take more and more deliveries to rank up, these enemies are getting stronger!"
"How long is it taking for you to beat enemies now??"
"Hmmm, about 9 seconds this time! It's usually 4 seconds!"
"Oh no that's bad! We have to get stronger!"
They looked at Yuma, and Yuma was playing upbeat oldies music that kept a smile on his face.
One of the Milkmen asked Yuma, "Hey, Yuma! What's your rank now?"
Yuma replied, "I don't know yet! I have to check! Don't worry!"
"Oh ok, let us know!"
One of the Milkmen thought, 'Milkman Yuma…he's not a normal person. He's always smiling or grinning, never frowning at all. Everyone always asks Mother who Yuma really is, but she says she can't say. Yuma is the strongest out of all of us though, that's for sure..'
Milkman Ranks:
1. **Lacteous Novitiates**
These are the initiates of the Order, novices whose powers have only recently awakened. Their abilities are still in their infancy, but they've shown the potential for growth and a stalwart heart. Despite their inexperience, they're respected for taking up the mantle in bleak times.
- **Strengths:** Basic nurturing and healing abilities.
- **Achievements:** Accepted the call of the Order.
- **Likability:** Regarded warmly as newcomers upholding the legacy.
### 2. **Casein Guardians**
A rank earned through dedication, the Casein Guardians have honed their abilities to protect and sustain small enclaves of survivors. Their steadfastness in defense allows their communities to flourish.
- **Strengths:** Enhanced protective barriers and life-sustaining skills.
- **Achievements:** Successfully defended a community against significant threats.
- **Likability:** Esteemed as reliable bastions of safety.
### 3. **Curdlan Champions**
On the battlefield, these champions manifest formidable combative abilities. Their reputation is built on using their powers to aggressively shield humanity from harm, turning the battlefield in favor of the weakened and oppressed.
- **Strengths:** Mighty offensive capabilities combined with their supportive roles.
- **Achievements:** Turning the tide in major conflicts.
- **Likability:** Admired for their fiery spirit and knack for pulling off victories.
### 4. **Whey Warden**
Wardens are seasoned veterans, often leaders of convoys or outposts. Their prowess extends beyond personal strength to strategic and tactical acumen. They are the healers of the land, capable of reversing environmental damage.
- **Strengths:** Strategic leadership, advanced healing, and environmental purification.
- **Achievements:** Reclaiming and revitalizing blighted areas.
- **Likability:** Cherished as harbingers of renewal and hope.
### 5. **Rennet Reclaimers**
These elite members of the Milkmen Order are celebrated for reclaiming large territories once thought irretrievable. Their mastery over their powers facilitates the birth of new oases of life in desolation.
- **Strengths:** Exceptional control over growth and rebuilding processes.
- **Achievements:** Restoring large swaths of land and founding new bastions of civilization.
- **Likability:** Revered as architects of the future.
### 6. **Chaliced Custodians**
A title reserved for those whose exploits are near-legendary. These Custodians carry the sacred chalices, artifacts that amplify their abilities to near-mythical levels. Their very presence inspires awe and courage.
- **Strengths:** Near-mythic powers and the ability to inspire and lead.
- **Achievements:** Legendary feats that echo through the annals of the Milkman agency.
- **Likability:** Exalted as the paragons of the virtues upheld by the Milkmen.
### 7. **Galactagogue Ascendant**
The paramount rank, occupied by a singular figure whose unparalleled power is matched only by their wisdom and benevolence. They are as much a leader as they are a symbol—an embodiment of the highest aspirations of the Order.
- **Strengths:** Transcendent abilities that can alter the course of the world.
- **Achievements:** Acts that reshape the landscape of power and survival.
- **Likability:** Unconditionally esteemed, a beacon of light in the darkest times.
Minutes later, Yuma was cycling with the beat of his oldies music under the dark orange sky. He was cursing through a torn and desolate city. He could hear battles from afar, alongside screaming and explosions and roars.
Yuma said to himself, "Can't wait to make a delivery! I can't wait to save people!! To help people!"
He cut through a destroyed building, and he saw a large 10 foot tall red and black wolf with four heads, eight horns, seven tails, and it was devouring a pile of humans. Tearing their intestines out of their lifeless bodies, with blood and chunks of human remains splattering only the walls and floor.
Yuma called out to the wolf, "Hey! That's not nice!"
The wolf replied, "Damn you fragile human kid…"
The wolf charged towards Yuma…
Seconds later, Yuma was cycling out of the building with a smile, bopping his head to his upbeat oldies music.
He cycled past many awakened humans who were battling monsters and other humanoids out in the distance. He went past outposts of survivors as well.
Yuma thought, 'Much more fighting in this area than last time I rode through here!
"Please! Help!"
Yuma stopped his bike, and he saw a wounded male warrior in armor holding a broken sword approaching him, saying, "Please…help…at least one drop of the milk..you're one of those Milkmen, right?"
Yuma responded, "Awww! I can't really give you someone else's order!"
"Oh..that's fine then. Sorry for-."
"BUUUUT! I brought an extra one just in case! I wasn't supposed to, but here!"
Yuma reached in his side pocket, and pulled out a small jar of Healing milk, handing it to the guy.
The man replied, "T-Thanks! Thank you so much-!"
Yuma flipped off of the bike, and threw a punch. The man moved out of the way, and Yuma had punched a 300 floor building that was flying towards them. The punch shattered the building into hundreds of thousands of pieces.
The man moved, saying to himself, "That punch…they said the Milkmen were strong, but I never saw one this strong up close!"
Yuma looked at the man, and smiled, "Don't worry! I'll protect us!"
"Look! Milkman, sir!"
Yuma turned back around, and saw an enemy from another realm. He was over 500 feet tall, dressed in a nice black suit, wearing a black hat. He had no eyes, but he had a smile that was like a creepy superhero grin. He was holding two large submachine tommy guns.
He exclaimed, "Yeahhhh yeahhhh! Let's get to work smokin' these fragile pieces of human bologna! Tack is here, baby!"
He started shooting all over the place with extremely large bullets and those bullets ripped through many buildings and people, killing them easily as blood was splattering all over the place. The blood from the humans killed were sucked into the guns, and were used as fuel to shoot more. More people were getting slaughtered, with buildings and bullets crushing them flat.
Yuma spoke up, still smiling, "That one's an A rank enemy! I'll beat him!"
The man behind Yuma asked, "How could you smile at a time like this?!"
"Mother said it's always good to smile! Can you please watch the milk?! I still have a delivery to make!"
In the blink of an eye, Yuma vanished in plain sight.
Bullets were flying all over the place, and Yuma was running faster than 100 cheetahs combined. Yuma was flipping all over the abandoned buildings avoiding bullets.
The large man, Tack, was yelling, "Die! Die! Die! You're that one they talked about! The one with the seven hearts! Boom! Boom! Bam!"
Yuma was basically teleporting all over the place, also running through a large building that was falling and he twisted through the wall with his head, smashing straight through, destroying the entire building.
Yuma slid on the ground with a keen smile, and Tack kept shooting at him.
Yuma's body flickered and glitched as she he vanished in fast speed.
Tack yelled, "Stop moving so fast! Stand still! And stop smiling!"
Yuma was flickering through the air towards Tack, basically teleporting upward as he dodged bullets that ripped the area in half.
In that instance, Yuma was above Tack, holding a 50 foot long staff that was glowing red, made out of red crystals.
Yuma smiled, "Byeee!"
Yuma was falling down near Tack, spinning the staff above his head as red flames blasted from the top of it in essence.
Tack screamed, "That staff-!"
Yuma pointed the rapidly spinning staff downward, and went down on Tack's head. The staff shredded Tack in a bloody mess like a blender meeting an apple. Blood was tossed around like rain leaping off of a helicopter, and Yuma landed feet first on the ground as his staff shrunk to normal size.
Yuma smiled, "Done! Phew! I gotta change outfits!"
At that moment, a little girl in a white nightgown dress, with long black hair covering her face walked towards him, holding a stuffed pink bunny.
She said, "Are you…a killer?"
Yuma smiled, "Wanna see?"
She threw her stuffed animal at Yuma, and the stuffed animal bunny grew in a monstrous pink bunny form, with bone sticking out of its body.
The bunny ran towards Yuma, leaped high in the air, and slammed its large bunny feet on the ground, causing the ground to crack open, and the area to shatter and pummel where it laid, causing heavy destruction.
Yuma just stood there walking towards the bunny with a smile as he dodged some of the rocks and miscellaneous objects that were flying towards him.
Yuma said, "You're another A rank enemy!"
The bunny laughed, "You're the one they fear! I'll be the one to-."
Yuma punched the bunny in the chest, and the bunny exploded in brutal agony. The little girl melted into a pool of black ink, due to the fact that she was a part of the otherworldly enemy, and the black ink dissolved.
Yuma sighed, "I gotta get back to my bike! People need to be saved!"
At that moment, dead human bodies around started to rise on their own with pitch black eyes. And they all had red vines attached to their heads, and above them all, was a large Jack In the Box hovering in the air, puppeteering them. The Jack in the Box was a clown with a large red nose, a wide bloody smile and red flowy hair holding a large scythe on its back.
"Ohhh..look what we have here…another puppet to add to my collection…"
Yuma grinned with a wave, "Hi! Do you hurry up and fight? I have to deliver the Healing milk! I'm a Milkman!"
"Milkman…huh? The one who bears the Seven hearts of the Seven entities…is a Milkman? HAHAH! LOSER!"
"Hey..that's not funny. I love helping people."
"Helping fragile weak humans. What a joke."
"Hey…you're an S rank enemy..! HAHA! LET'S FIGHT!"
The Jack in the Box was startled, he wasn't expecting for a quick fight to happen right away without a few more words to be exchanged.
He began to command the dead bodies he was puppeteering to create large scythe blades with their own blood, and to kill Yuma. They were moving pretty fast, and Yuma dodged them easily.
His teeth got sharp, and his hair turned glowing red and long, defying gravity. He grew red glowing wings on his back, and four red glowing spiked tails on his bottom, and in the blink of an eye, he darted through the zombified humans, and a large blast of red crystal energy spouted everywhere, killing the zombified humans, and he looked up.
He opened his mouth wide, and a large glowing red hand came out, and grabbed the Jack in the Box.
"AGHHH! NO! I CONSUMED ENOUGH HUMANS TO GET STRONG ENOUGH TO BEAT THE-."
The hand crushed the Jack in the Box, killing him instantly.
It was calm around that area, and Yuma was going back to his normal look.
"That took a lot out of me! Now let's go deliver!"
'I wish I could've saved those people.'
Yuma walked towards the man he saved earlier, and the man said, "Hey…what's your name?"
'This Milkman…what a guy! And he looks so young! All of that power…'
Yuma replied, "Hm?"
"What's your name?"
"I'm Yuma! Nice to meet you!" Yuma answered, getting on his bike. "I hope we can meet again soon! What's your name?!"
"K-Kaija!"
Kaija had wavy grayish blonde hair, hazel eyes, and a bandage around his neck.
Yuma cycled away with a smile, playing his upbeat oldies music, humming and bopping his head to the song.
Kaija thought to himself, 'That kid…what the hell is he..?'