The Watchers Be Watching

AUTHOR'S NOTES; Also, y'all, it's been like half a year 😭 I'm sorry!

But! In my defense, I took a little vacation for almost a month and this newest installment of this series takes way longer to write and post because it's very technical! Like, it took me a month and a half to do the first 2 chapters of A Survivor's Will! But I think it will be easier now that I have a good start on how I want to handle the mechanics of it. And now there are 8 parts to this series and I wrote over 45k since you guys last saw me!

Still… I am sorry 💙 you guys are my dear readers so I feel bad for the wait.

Anyway! I know gamer fics aren't for everyone, but it's not a traditional one, so you might enjoy it anyway.

Y'all know how this series works by now, but if you're new, hi! Welcome! Each part of this series can be read independently or in order as part of a soul's journey through the cycle of reincarnation.

Side note, I started school again, so I had to slow down in updates again. So sorry. But I'll be updating all break.

As always, thank you guys for showing your love for my work. I hope yall enjoy!

Discord!

https://discord.gg/XhqUDAnbsH

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I pull Altair down to lie on our sides on my bed, my hand coming out to rub his back like I used to when he was still tiny. "So, you have questions."

My brother frowns, his light eyes, a stunning turquoise, trained on mine. "You…. I don't understand why you're acting so differently."

I sigh. "This might be hard to understand, but I need you to hear me out." 

Altair nods, gripping my bicep, and I begin. "The story begins a long time ago in a place far, far away." I raise my hand, stopping his frustrated interruption with a severe look. "One day, a girl caught the attention of the gods. It was something about the way she lived, the way she loved, fought, feared, and the way she died, but for some undefinable, inarticulable reason, some trick of luck, the gods noticed her."

Ding!

[Your tale has caught the attention of the Divine. (The Golden Entertainer) listens with great curiosity]

I freeze at the system's voice in my head. Altair, reading his notification screen, also freezes. Shitfuckdamnit.

Ding!

[(The Golden Entertainer) frowns at the sudden stop in the tale telling.]

I gape, speechless. Were these motherfuckers treating humanities struggle against extinction like a live stream?! Were they just going to spend all their time stalking us?!

[(The Golden Entertainer) narrows their eyes in growing annoyance.]

That's… very not good. I manage to snap myself out of my stupor, biting the inside of my cheek as I try to suppress my own annoyance at this absurd situation, but then again, it's not much different from my dearly departed and the primordials watching from The Beyond.

I scowl. No, scratch that. It's totally different considering those are people that actually give a damn about my wellbeing, even if they are watching as entertainment. This Golden fucker is just here for shits and giggles.

Ding!

[(The Golden Entertainer) offers a reward if the player can tell a good tale.]

I bare my teeth. Well, now, there's an idea.

I catch my brother's eyes and give him a warning look to be careful before continuing my story. "And so, the girl first gained the attention of the gods. When the girl died, she reincarnated, a far harsher and lonelier circumstance then before, and once more she drew the eyes of gods. Then, she died again."

Altair blinks. "She…. again?"

Ding!

[(The Golden Entertainer) calls other Divine to hear the Pioneer's story.]

I grimace. "Yes, a tragic, painful, lonely death, but not an unvictorious one. She died doing much the same things she had in her previous life; living and fighting and protecting all on her own terms. And this intrigued the gods."

"When you say gods, do you mean like the Divine we saw in the sky?"

Ding!

[(The Golden Entertainer), (Undying Sugar Daddy), (Dancing Skeleton), (Queen Fuck them Hoes), (Lunar Simp For Sun Baddie), (Sun Baddie), (Teaching Pretty Things). (Kickass Kitty), (Knock Me Up or Out), and (Sinfully Sexy Serpent) are listening with great interest.]

"No," I say, trying not to crack up into hysterical laughter at these screen names. It sounds like they got pranked by a Gen Z kid with coffee for blood and too few fucks left to give during finals week. Suddenly, I'm no longer mad because it's just too funny. I'm having a hard time believing such ancient and prideful creatures were okay with that, but maybe they couldn't figure out how to change the names, like a couple of oldies who didn't know how to work their smartphones. Regardless, the idea that the Divine might not actually be fully in charge of the system was rather interesting. "No, I mean the primordials of all creation, Magic, Death, and Fate, from which all worlds and their gods came from."

Ding!

[(Teaching Pretty Things) is pleasantly surprised by your knowledge.]

[(Undying Sugar Daddy) and (Dancing Skeleton) are very interested in your relationship with the Great Ones.]

[(The Golden Entertainer) grabs some popcorn and wine.]

"The gods blessed her with a boon of sorts. They reincarnated her a third time with a task as a Champion for Magic, her memories intact and the potential for a much more rewarding life ahead of her."

"What happened?" Altair asks, his head propped up on his hand much like mine.

I smirk. "She succeeded. The gods were pleased, granting her their eternal favor. When her third life ended, the gods offered her yet another adventure. And then another after that. She became a soul cherished by them, often undertaking missions from them to stabilize the Balance despite the suffering she faced. For someone who has seen the afterlife, who has experienced the rest and peace of it, it is so much more difficult, tortuous even, to face the hardships of life. The gods found the girl unique in her willingness to return to the challenges of life again and again, often at their behest."

Altair watches me, jaw clenched. "And so, what? You've… reincarnated into my sister's body?"

[The Divine are fascinated, shocked, in awe, and even a little alarmed by this revelation.]

[(Sinfully Sexy Serpent) is salivating at the thought of incoming conflict between siblings.]

"No," I state, perhaps a touch too sharply as I hear the latest comment in my head from the system. "I was always your sister. My memories were just locked away until the Divine changed the rules of this world. Doing so has allowed me to remember centuries of lives lived, and that naturally has changed me, but I'm not actually a different person than before."

[The Divine lean forward, anticipating the reaction of the younger Pioneer.]

Altair huffs, running a hand roughly through his hair as he sits up. "I don't really know how to feel about the fact that you're some ancient being that reincarnated as my sister after gaining the favor of gods. And while you're not actually a different person,… You kinda are at the same time."

I hum, rolling into a sitting position as well, and eyeing him a moment. Then I reach out and gently pull his head to rest in the crook of my neck. "Take the time you need. I know it feels a little like I'm a body snatcher, but I'm still the sister who kept your baby scribbles in the same place as I put important documents like my birth certificate, the one who taught you the most annoying songs as a toddler to use against our parents as guerilla warfare when they pissed me off, and that promised to take you to get tattoos when you were old enough, I love you, kid. So much."

[(Queen Fuck them Hoes) is pleased the child is being treated with love. 

(Kicksss Kitty) thinks the mortals are being adorable. 

(Lunar Simp For Sun Baddie) and (Sun Baddie) appreciate the close sibling bond. 

(Sinfully Sexy Serpent) gags and is disappointed there was no conflict.]

Altair looks contemplative and I can feel the indecision roiling inside him, so I just smile sadly. "I won't say you're being stupid about this. It's a fucked up situation that anyone would be confused about. Just… think about it, okay, love?"

He smiles a bit sheepishly, almost guiltily since he can't seem to accept me as is just yet, before leaving me to find Riley and Glenn. I sigh, shutting my eyes briefly even though it doesn't stop the incessant notifications droning in my head. A tugging on my clothes has me looking down and grinning.

"Kyra, did you miss Mama?" I tease. My daughter had waddled her way over, the dogs keeping close by her protectively. I scoop her up, huffing when three giant fur balls join her in flopping onto me. I grunt when Riot headbutts me, Hunter's fiercely wagging take whipping my back. Shield, however, proves himself wise with age when he lumbers over, pushing the younger two dogs away and settling his giant shaggy body behind my back, allowing me to lean on the Newfoundland.

I chuckle, setting Kyra in my lap and cuddling the dogs for a while as I read through the notifications. 

[(The Golden Entertainer) gifts 500 coins and 3 WIS for an interesting story with a plot twist. 

(Undying Sugar Daddy) and (Dancing Skeleton) recognize the blessing of the Originator, Death. They make a note to keep an eye on the player. (Queen Fuck them Hoes) gifts 500 coins and 3 STR in recognition of the player's strong maternal love. 

(Knock Me Up or Out) and (Sinfully Sexy Serpent) are bored and request some blood shed.]

I raise an eyebrow, adjusting Kyra on my shoulder as I take her for a diaper change in the living room of the RV. A very large part of me wanted to tell them all to fuck right off, but if they could actually give me genuine benefits, I could play nice.

For now.

I finish cleaning my daughter up, blowing a raspberry on her belly before redressing her and calling out to the others. "Oi, brats! We're going hunting!"

"What?!" yelps Glenn, sticking his head around a corner. "Like, monster hunting?"

I smirk, pressing Kyra to my chest. "Of course. We have experience to farm and levels to grind."

If the Divine wanted blood shed in exchange for strength, I could make it happen.

XXXXXXXXXX

"It's… a person? It's attacking these two guys, but... it doesn't look right," Altair whispers, horror stricken.

"It looks like a corpse, I'm guessing?" I ask, squinting at the 3 blurry figures through the window, strapping my sword belt on. I use my [Divine Eye] to determine a course of action. 

-a man with bright blue eyes, strong arms, a scowling face, and yet, gentle hands. "What d'ya want, woman?"-

"-and why the fuck would we throw in with a woman and a bunch of little shits? The fuck could you offer besides more mouths to feed?"-

-gun shots on a rooftop attract a hoard-

"-them children will get you killed, girl. You know it. I know it. Though, I suppose I respect you for not once considering abandoning 'em-"

-a man with a crossbow stepping in front of Altair-

"- ain't ever had a family before. Just ma brother and my Ma a long, long time ago-"

I take a second to organize my thoughts before shrugging and throwing open the door and stepping down onto the deserted street. "Tai, come with me."

I stride forward, ignoring the way the two men, both big and burly, though one must have been over 6' 6'' and utterly massive, were shouting at the zombie and each other.

"I'm fucking warning ya, ya crazy crack head. Swing on me again and I'll-" My boot snaps out and sends the corpse sprawling to the floor, leaving both men gaping.

"Now, watch closely, kid, this thing here-" I kick the zombie, an older man that could have been found at any lake chugging beers and fishing, back to the ground as it starts to get up, placing a foot on it's back to pin it face down. "-is not a person, not anymore."

"Are you sure? It's not just… sick?" Altair asks hesitantly, carefully watching both the armed men and the creature under my heel.

I peer down at the corpse in something like horror and fascination. The soul… it was still attached to the corpse. The feeling of death hung heavy around it, but not the Death I cherished and aspired to bring, not the eternal rest, but something dark,and twisted, tortured and fractured in a way that had my hair rising, utterly disturbed. Free them, a soundless voice whispered from deep inside me, one more familiar than my own name. Return them to my embrace.

"Mizy?" Altair calls me back to the present, voice wary. 

I blink, remembering to answer his question. "You heard the Divine. What organs do people need to live?" 

"Brain. Heart. Lungs. Stomach," my brother offers and I nod, pulling one sword and driving it into the guy's heart from behind. 

"Hot damn, bitch is crazy!" One of the men yelps and they real back pointing crossbows at me and I give them a flat look before moving to show the way the zombie just starts dragging itself up.

"No human could have survived that and kept going. And yet, this thing does," I deadpan.

Altair promptly vomits onto the ground and I move to rub his back, staring at the armed men almost boredly. Slowly, they shift their weapons back to the creature and I continue my little lecture. "Shoot its heart or lungs, cut off its limbs, or even its spine, but it will keep going."

"Then how fuck do you kill it?" The shorter man growls, addressing me for the first time, flinching when the other man puts three arrows into the body in various vital points, none of it even slowing the zombie down.

"The brain. It's what moves the body, so it's the only way to stop it. For these guys at least," I offer, patting my brother's back gently before stepping forward and letting the zombie impale its own skull on my right hand's sword with its lunging momentum. I take a moment to observe the zombie as it dies, noting the dead eyes, sallow skin, and bloody mouth since I'm finally close enough to see it. 

My breath hitches as I feel it, the way the soul, twisted and agonized, still chained to the corpse by a frayed soul strung, is suddenly set free. The feeling of Death brushes against me, making me fight a smile that would look psychotic in the circumstances to any outside observer. Go in peace to a better place, Poor Soul. 

[(Undying Sugar Daddy) and (Dancing Skeleton) recognizes that an Originator has greeted the Pioneer. They are in awe.]

I kick the corpse off my blade, noting the system notification. 

[You have killed a [Common Zombie]! Reward: 100 EXP.]

I smile, but refocus and turn to the two men still gaping. "You two are tough, so I'm offering a deal. Shit is about to get a lot worse. Join my group. We'll share supplies and defend one another."

The bigger man leers. "And why, sweet cheeks, would we bother? Unless your offering a lil' somethin' som-"

"Merle. Come on, man, that's a kid with her." The shorter man interrupts sharply, even as Altair growls, hand tightening on his sword and I grip his arm tightly to hold him in place. 

"I'm offering you a better chance at survival. Because while you'd be useful to me, I don't need you. Not like you need me," I tell him, smiling sweetly as I set my hand alight with blue fire, making them jerk back.

"Ah, this some witchcraft type shit, lady," the bigger man, Merle, hisses.

I snort. "Does it matter if it means creatures like this don't eat you?" The resounding silence is all the answer I need. "If you want in, get your supplies, get 100% clean off whatever it is you're on, and show up at the Quarry off the highway, that direction."

"You gonna camp at the quarry?" The other male asks, Daryl, I knew, his hands tight on his crossbow.

"Nah, I'm not dumb. We are camping on the hill next to it for the vantage point," I tell him. "I'm Artemizia.You're Merle, and you?"

"…Daryl," he offers gruffly, shuffling uncertainty.

"Listen here, missy, I can't just get clean and why the fuck would we throw in with a woman and a bunch of little shits? The fuck could you offer besides more mouths to feed?"

I hurl my sword, the thing flipping hilt over tip before lodging in the skull of a walking dead man sneaking up behind the two. I smile sweetly before sauntering between them and yanking it free. "I don't care what you do. Get yourselves killed but don't say I ain't warn ya. I'm not keeping around some dumbass who can't tell a walker from a tree stump with his head so high in the clouds around my kids. So get clean, or fuck off somewhere else."

And then my brother and I are back in the RV and driving off, leaving two very baffled Dixon brothers behind.

XXXXXXXXXXX

I peer out the window as we drive towards Lee who had asked us to pick him up at a store on the edge of Macon that he'd gotten trapped at. 

Thankfully, Lee had taken my warning seriously and informed me that they managed to save Shawn Green. Hershel himself had come on the radio line and expressed how we would be welcome at the farm anytime. However, there was something Lee needed to check out in Macon, so he and Clementine had left the farm with another family. Unwise, but understandable. Now, here we were riding to the rescue.

"Is it okay for us to be doing things like this for people?" Altair asks quietly from where he's feeding Kyra, switching languages to keep our conversation from the others. "Putting ourselves on the line for a rescue… I know it sounds selfish but-"

"Al-Taheer, you'll get no judgment from me," I soothe gently, following him into Arabic, although I never really pronounced his name theEnglish way. "And you're right. We can't help anyone if we destroy ourselves in the process. Caution is not the same as cowardice. "

"Then, why are we helping them?"

"An investment, my dear. These are strong, trustworthy people who are worth the risk."

"A… cost-benefit analysis?" My brother asks, his jaw tight.

I smile grimly. "The unfortunate necessity of the world we now live in."

Carefully, I check my equipment, before addressing the group. "Okay, Glenn, you're staying here with Riley and Kyra. Altair and I will go on foot from here to not draw more attention."

Glenn's brows furrow. "Shouldn't I go with you? It's dangerous…."

I nod. "Yeah, but Lee says there is a fairly large hoard outside of their location. They got a distraction going, but still. Altair can [Float] out of a mob. You can't. I'd rather take you to a less dangerous situation for your first battles. Besides, the kids need an adult around," I reply gently. Perhaps if Glenn had some battle skills, an effective attack or defense like my brother, but he doesn't.

Glenn nods hesitantly as I pass my baby over. I pause for a minute but shrug and take not only Altair with me, but Hunter, the fierce German Shepherd falling silently into place at my heels, teeth bared in a soundless snarl as we stalk forward on our rescue mission. 

After several minutes of us carefully skirting zombies, and me carefully guiding my brother in moving silently, we radio Lee to let him know to start the distraction. I wince everytime Altair's sneakers scrape on asphalt or kick pebbles, making a mental note to start stealth training everyone. 

We arrive and Altair tells me there are at least thirty zombies blocking Lee and his group inside a building. Currently a majority of them were distracted by the noise coming from some TV's on display nearby, the distraction Lee created for us. "How long can you [Float]?"

Altair purses his lips as he checks his status. "I've got 300 MP and it takes 30 MP per minute, so ten minutes."

I grimace. "Okay, can you get ten feet high? And control the direction?"

"Ten feet high is my limit, and I've been practicing, but I can't maneuver very fast," he whispers as we crouch by a corner of the wall. 

I glare at a zombie wandering near us. "Okay. Here's the plan. We're gonna pick off these motherfuckers right here. Then when I tell you to [Float], you [Float] for as long as you can. Get above the hoard and use your sword on their skulls. Stay out of reach entirely and bash their brains in, and I'll take the rest of them down here. Hunter,…"

The dog is silent, easily sensing the danger. "…stay silent. Good boy."

"Art- um, are you sure? That seems really dangerous for you," Altair stutters, seemingly unable to call me by my own name while struggling to recognize me as his sister. It makes my chest ache, but I shove it down hard, resigned. It's not like I couldn't give him a few days to process. 

"Don't worry, I'll be just fine." Altair frowns, but doesn't argue as I begin creeping up behind the first zombie, a teenage boy. Swiftly, I grab his hair, yank back, and impale my dagger in its skull, sending up a wordless prayer as the soul is releases and I lower the body soundlessly to the ground.

Ding!

[You have killed a [Common Zombie]! Reward: 100 EXP.]

Ding!

[Congratulations! You have met the conditions to create the skill, Stealth! Would you like to create this skill?]

I raise an eyebrow, intrigued. What conditions were met? Just the sneaking and stealth kill? Could Altair gain the same skill if I had him replicate my actions? Hmm, thoughts to explore later.

(Common) Stealth lvl 1: The player's presence is harder to detect and muted to the senses of those around them. (Cost: 3 MP per sec) (Cooldown: 5 min)

I turn on the skill and manage to kill off a few more on the perimeter before a sharp snarl followed by a yelp has me whipping around. I turn just in time to see my brother kill a walker that had snuck up on him and Hunter. While they seem fine, the noise has drawn attention from a few walkers that were distracted by the TV shop earlier.

I curse, putting away my dagger in favor of my swords, one of my skills activating automatically. "Altair! Go!"

(Mythical) Otherworldly Sword Dancer lvl 1: A sword martial art performed and perfected across many different realms, created by a reincarnator beloved by the Originators of creation. This combat style which relies on smooth flowing movements, swift dodging, sharp counters, acrobatics, and using the opponents abilities against them, is one that, when mastered, can cut down even the strongest opponents.

I take a deep breath and lunge, noting that with [Stealth] still on, they don't seem to really notice me coming until I'm already in range to attack. The first two are easily dealt with as I spin between them, slashing into their brains. Next is a set of three that come charging over. I kick the first one over, duck around the next, sweep its legs out and then stab the third through the eye socket before turning to finish off the first two, blood thumping rhythmically under my skin. I hear random singing and look up and see Altair floating awkwardly above the hoard and trying to draw their attention from me from the safety of the air. He's a little wobbly and very disturbed as he brings his sword down into their skulls repeatedly while gagging, but it makes me smile to know that even though he's conflicted about me, he's still trying to protect me.

I sense the walker behind me, but before I can turn, Hunter is snarling and pouncing, taking the zombie to the ground and, interestingly, going straight for the head and tearing into it.

"Huh," I mumble as I go for my next foes. "Smart pup. Good boy."

We clear the whole area, Altair thinning out the main mob while I sneak up on them from fringes, our dog doing a surprisingly excellent job of killing any walkers coming at me from behind. Surprisingly, it goes both smoothly and quickly.

[(Kickass Kitty) and (Knock Me Up or Out) praise the Pioneer for her skills and strategy in battle. They reward the player 3 STR and 3AGI respectively along with 300 coins each for the prowess of the female warrior.]

[(Sinfully Sexy Serpent) is very pleased with the blood shed and applauds the player for following through on their promise. The player is rewarded with 3 VIT and 300 coins.]

As we finish, I heave and use [Sensing] to double check the bodies around us as I do a quick round around the area. Altair wobbles violently but manages to land himself without injury, albeit some stumbling. "Holy shit!"

I huff, turning off [Stealth], bracing myself against a car as people suddenly rush out of a nearby building. I stiffen, but relax when I hear Lee's voice. "Damn, I've never seen anything like that!"

Smirking, I check my level and stats. "Someone called for a rescue?"

Name: Artemizia

Level: 4[11300/15000 EXP]

Age: 25

Species: Human

Class: None

Title: Beloved Soul of the Originators, Reincarnator, Fate's Contractor, Pioneer

HP: 215/230

MP: 140/300

Coins: 51000

Stats (52 Available)

Strength: 25

Agility: 24

Vitality: 23

Intelligence: 30

Wisdom: 31

Luck: 20

"You're Artemizia?" The tall man asks as he approaches, a whole group with him, including a little girl on his heels. "I'm not sure what I was expecting, but a flying kid, a sword wielding lady, and a dog weren't it."

I laugh. "Well, I hope we didn't disappoint."

"Not at all! I don't think I've ever seen anything that cool! I'm Kenny! This is my wife Kat, and our son, Duck!" A mustached man says, grinning wide as he comes up next to Lee. 

I smile, but pause when Hunter growls. I narrow my eyes and try [Appraisal] on the German Shepherd. 

(Rare) Appraisal lvl 2: The player can discern information about a target, and depending on the level of the skill and target, even discover hidden information. (Cost: 10 Mp) (Cooldown: 1 min)

Hunter lvl 2: A 3 year old mutated German Shepard with fierce protective instincts and a vicious bite. Skills:???

I stare, alarmed. Mutated? Did he eat any of the infected? Oh shit, I didn't even consider what that would do to him. And did he level up to lvl 2 or was he like that? And what the hell is up with his skills?!

I rub my head but note that he's looking in one direction as he snarls, stance protective. I turn back to the group of survivors around me. " Sorry guys, we can do introductions later. I have a feeling that we've got company coming and we don't want to be here when they do. So, I guess this is the part where I tell you to come with me if you wanna live."

Someone snorts, but follow me they do, all the way to the quarry on the edge of Atlanta.

XXXXXXXXXX

AN; Hi! Missed y'all! How ya liking it so far? We'll be getting into the first episodes of season 1 soon. Sorry for the long wait, my dears, but I never stop writing or discontinue anything, I just have a very intense course load 😭

Anyway, please comment your thoughts and suggestions.