Chapter 2 Town

After exploring the entire building I found nothing but turned over furniture, old rags and a jacket which was the most valuable find.

'This place has been picked clean long ago'.

I return back to my room and lay on the very uncomfy bed.

'Food and water will only last a week at most, I can't stay here but where will I go I don't know anything about this place'.

I continue to lay there thinking of what to do. I then get up and walk to the window and look out.

"Well nothing I can do about it, time for an adventure I guess". 

I begin packing my supplies, putting them in my backpack. Since I don't have a sleeping bag I'll just have to take the blanket. I decide to sleep early so that I can begin my journey at around sunrise. After waking up in the morning a bit after sunrise I grab my things and head out the door. I bid one last farewell to my short lived home and begin walking aimlessly.

…

~5 Days Later~

My journey has been very uneventful. I managed to find a river after leaving the city area, water seemed clean but I boiled it first before drinking. The one thing that was eventful was the back of wild dogs that I saw a good distance away chasing a deer, I don't know if they ever caught it since they ran out of view. I continued walking downstream until finally what looked like a walled settlement appeared in the distance.

"YES CIVILIZATION!" A tear rolls down my eye as I jump in joy.

'Wait I shouldn't get ahead of myself, what if their bad people like bandits or crazy cultists'.

"Time for an investigation".

I walk up a nearby hill so that I can look over the walls. It seemed like a normal town, one area looks to be primarily residential housing with tents to the side, another is just farm land, a large market place filled with stalls, and in the center of the town are two large structures. I can assume one of those buildings would be a town hall of some sorts while the other looks like a makeshift military base. The people also seem normal nothing about them screams cultist or bandits. 

"Wow I didn't notice this before but I got some good eyesight to see this far, most likely a perk from this body".

"Well time to make my way to the town".

I begin my descent down the hill towards the road that will lead to the gate.

'If they do turnout hostile I'll just shoot the first person in front of me and make a run for it I don't know if it will work but I can't think of anything else'.

'Wait, what if they speak a different language what do I do?'

I stand there in thought before coming to a simple conclusion.

'Eh, I'll cross that bridge when I get there'.

As I get closer to the gate I see two lines that have formed, one being longer than the other and seems to be going at a slower pace. 

'Guess I'll have to wait'.

I get in the slower line since it looks like they are processing people, probably visitors while in the faster line the people there just showed the guard something before being allowed in.

Finally after what felt like ages it was my turn.

"Halt, state your name and business". Said the guard. He was a bald man with a nasty scar on his face. His clothes were similar to mine besides the I would assume kevlar vest he was wearing. He also carried a bolt action rifle on him.

'Hmm name? Should I use my old name or maybe not, new life new name, lets go with Mordred then since I have an identical appearance to them'. 

"The names Mordred, I'm just a traveler that stumbled upon this place".

'I hope that didn't sound suspicious'.

The guard begins writing something down on his clipboard before looking back at me.

"Are you a refugee from the east?" He asks.

I tell him "No I came from the west".

"The west huh, by any chance did come from the old world city?"

"I did stay in a city for a while so I think so".

"You must be pretty good to have survived in the city, that place is incredibly dangerous". He looks at me impressed.

The guard turns around to the desk, and puts the clipboard down and opens a drawer. While he was doing this I was lost in my thoughts.

'Wait that place was dangerous!? I mean I didn't stay there for very long but nothing that looked dangerous ever appeared even when I was walking through the city'.

'Maybe he was referring to another city?'

The man walks back to me which breaks me out of my thoughts. He hands me a medallion.

"This medal means you have been granted temporary access to the town once you leave you will need to give it back to a guard at any gate".

I grab the medal and give it a quick look. An iron medal with a large building engraved in the middle and the word tourist engraved just under it.

"Thanks, so I can enter now?"

"Yes, if you wish to become a permanent resident here then you will need to go to the town hall at the center of town, it has a giant sign on it so its hard to miss".

"When you enter, a receptionist will set you up, and remember no causing trouble or you'll be kicked out immediately".

"Okay thanks mister". I say then begin walking through the gate.

'Maybe this place ain't so bad, the guard was friendly'. Looking at everything up close is so much different then from far away. Despite the state of the world this place looks quite decent, not great but decent. I slowly walk towards the town hall taking in the scenery around me. The building are made from scrap wood and metal with some having neon signs, the road is just dirt with some parts being muddy. Before long I'm in front of the entrance, I push open the door and walk in. I am greeted by many people and workers going about their business, a lot of the people on one side of the room look like soldiers. 

I greet a receptionist who guides me to a counter where another receptionist is waiting. I give my basic info like name, age and where I'm from, I just told her a ruined city from the west since I just arrived in this world. Once done I was taught the basic laws of the town and some other info about the town's facilities. Then I was given a folded up tent and guided to an open area filled with other tents. Apparently there were no more available rooms or housing for newcomers. Then I was given a new medal that showed I was a resident so I didn't need to wait in the slow line at the gate.

 'I guess this is my new life now'. 

~Present Time~

 "Ow Oww!"

Mordred is currently administering first aid to herself.

"So do you have a name, OW".

[Report: Negative]

"Do you want one".

[Report: A name isn't necessary for me to operate]

Mordred finishes first aid and stands up.

"Well I'm gonna give you one".

[Request: No terrible names]

"Ha my naming sense is bad so no promises, now then time to get out of here".

Mordred grabs her gear, readying herself and opens the door she closed. Taking a quick peek out she sees no movement, then once she believes its clear she begins to cautiously walk through the long dark tunnels towards the entrance where she came in.

'Seems that pack that was chasing me is gone now'.

[Report: their is large movement 400 meters away down the tunnel to your left and is gradually getting further away]

"Wow, how far can you detect things". Mordred asks with a bewildered expression.

[Report: 500 meters]

"Nice keep me notified on anything that stands out".

After 30 minutes of walking Mordred arrives at a set of stairs that lead out of the subway. She makes her way up and is shortly blinded by the midday sun. Once her vision returns she is greeted by the city ruins taken by mother nature.

"Finally, I hate going into those tunnels even if it's for a lot of money".

She pulls out a bottle filled with water and takes a quick drink then heads towards the location of the town. After a long while she arrives at a familiar river and decides to make camp since the sun is beginning to set. She makes a camp fire and lays out her sleeping bag. Normally she would be more cautious but with the system monitoring the surroundings she becomes more relaxed. Once done she begins to eat the rations she brought consisting of dried meat and hard bread.

"I got it". Mordred says while still chewing her food.

"I shall name you Ava, it's short, simple and not hard to pronounce".

[Designation changed to Ava]

"I'll take that as you liking the name,so now um what exactly can you do besides detecting movement?".

Then suddenly a blue panel appears in front of Mordred, the panel displayed her information in the status tab that was next to two other tabs.

[Name: Mordred]

[Age: 5]

[Race: ???]

[Skills]

-None 

[Abilities]

-???

-???

-???

"Ava why am I 5 years old and why is my race unknown!?"

[Report: First I only display your age since your rebirth and second I am not allowed to display that information currently]

"What, so you know but won't tell me?"

[Report: Affirmative]

Mordred gives out a long sigh, deciding not to continue questioning about her unknown race.

"I see, so I guess the same applies to the unknown abilities?"

[Report: Affirmative]

'A race that isn't human and unknown abilities that I shouldn't have, maybe I did end up really becoming Mordred'. She then stares suspiciously at the panel, hoping for Ava to give in. 

[...]

"Okay okay, now on to the most important part, WHY DON'T I HAVE ANY SKILLS!? 5 years of pain, suffering and tons of effort has to mean something?" Mordred is now in denial about her apparent lack of skills that she should have.

[Report: Host has skills, however I have deemed them to weak or ordinary to list them]

In an instant an imaginary arrow struck Mordred right through her heart, she falls over and her eyes go white.

"Weak and ordinary". She repeats in a weakly voice, her pride now shattered. 

Mordred stays like this for a while before deciding to go to sleep and forget about what she just heard.