A Survivor’s Will (TWD)

AUTHOR'S NOTES:Yo! If you're new here, fucking welcome! This is were I express all my chaotic urges so it doesn't self destruct my everyday life. lol.

If you're one of my wonderful, amazing, badass readers, sup! I'm alive! Ya girl went on vacation and took a lot of time starting this fic because it's nothing like my other works. might not be your cup of tea, and that's okay. Thx for stopping by anyway, you beautiful creatures, you! 💙

Anyway, this is a gamer fic. Why? Shits and giggles, really. Plus, if y'all have read manga, manhwa, manhua, ect, y'all know the potential of this zombie apocalypse genre. I always thought that mutated zombies could have been so sick in the walking dead. Alas, all we got were some motherfuckers that could climb shit like ten years into the series, lmao.

Like always, this is a part of my series, but can be read independently as we follow the MC on her journey through the cycle of reincarnation.

Love you guys so much. I'll be updating soon, and hopefully all my works will get an update before school starts again.

Have fun and tell me how you liked it since I'm feeling hella insecure about writting something so different from anything I've done before. 💙

Discord!

https://discord.gg/XhqUDAnbsH

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The World Health Organization has officially published an International Disaster Emergency Response and the President addressed the nation, saying there was a 'Wildfire Virus'. It was only the next day that the National Guard was sent out, the country declaring a state of emergency. Despite the growing chaos, my party doesn't dare stop our preparations.

Thankfully, we managed to get a hold of most of our loved ones earlier.

The conversation with my parents had been filled with tears and suppressed panic. The reports of people contracting the virus and losing their minds have only been getting more frequent and people were advised to stay inside, so my parents already knew something was wrong and were making their way back home. I disclosed my skill and the existence of the system, informing them about what was coming and that they needed to avoid large populations at all costs. I told them to leave Altair to me, that I'd protect him even though they thought that, with my disability, it would be him protecting me. I told them what to prepare and to stay safe, and how much we loved them before giving them info on which radio lines we would be on and where we'd be heading before hanging up.

Altair broke down a bit, knowing with them across the states and planes shut down, we'd probably never see our parents again, even if they survived the outbreak.

I on the other hand, while sad, knew Death so well that I've become pretty desensitized to it. Oh, I'd rampage if someone dared to touch my own, but I understood that Death was about to be far more merciful than the shit hole this world was about to become. Sometimes Death is unavoidable and I'd have gone mad lifetimes ago if I hadn't accepted that.

Sighing, I know there is one more person I want to call and I grimace, checking the time, cursing her for not having picked up my previous calls. Grabbing my phone, I ring my dearest friend, the only close friend I really have, and my heart leaps when the call actually connects this time. "Hello?"

"Arty? Girl, have you seen the news? It's-"

"Michonne, I need you to listen to me," I interrupt. "I want you to say the word, 'Status'."

"…What is this about?" She asks, sounding confused.

"Trust me."

There is silence before I hear her say it and then a shocked gasp. "What the-"

"Listen, okay? There isn't time to explain," I interrupt, anticipating phone lines coming down at any second. "I have a special skill. Do not under any circumstances leave Baby Andre's protection to you high off his ass, irresponsible boyfriend."

"Arty, what-"

"Listen!" I snarl, urgency pushing me forward. "I love you and I love my godson. We both know Mike and Terry are dumbasses, even if not terrible people. But, this is your goddamn son, okay? Don't risk him. Never him."

"… Alright. I hear you. Now can you tell me what the fuck is going on?"

"People are turning into monsters and humans are going to be even worse threats to one another. Get your supplies, weapons, especially stealthy ones, and be careful. Use the system I showed you, the status thing, to get stronger. If possible, meet me at the quarry outside Atlanta. I'm texting you the radio signals we'll be on."

"Fuck, this is insane, but I doubt you'd joke like this," she growls. "What else? Can we-"

I hit send on my text just as the phone line goes dead and I stare, hoping it was enough.

XXXXXXXXXX

I glance around at the mobilehome we'd bought, the absolute beast of a thing packed full of everything Glenn couldn't keep with him in Item Box. I'd put down enough of the almost half a million dollar price tag to have Glenn drive it out of the lot, just before all the businesses had started shutting down. Glenn, because I couldn't fucking drive with these cursed peepers.

Granted, money was about to be useless but I digress. All our shit was packed away and we were heading the fuck out of town where the population was less, and therefore, the monsters as well. I breathe deeply, brushing off the sting of leaving home, and jokingly call out, "Right. Party, move out!"

I flinch at the ding in my ear.

[Would you like to form a party with Altair, Glenn, and Queen of Flash?]

I snort, agreeing. "Riley, did you use an anime reference as a username?"

Riley smirks. "Go big or go home, Ms. Artemizia. You and Altair already have cool names, so it's fine. But, Glenn, going by your name is just lame as hell."

Glenn sputters. "At least I'm not advertising my geekiness!"

I ignore the two siblings as they begin to bicker, relieved that Riley had decided to stay with her brother this weekend, even though their youngest sister and parents had gone out of town. The two were good kids and I'm glad to have them, even if it was more mouthed to feed. "Altair, join Glenn up front. You need to learn how to drive in an emergency since I can't."

I was fucking loath to admit it, but with how bad my sight is, it is an absolute last resort for me to take the wheel, which means the burden would fall on the young teens in my care first.

"Seriously? Hell yeah!" I glare as Kyra whines against my chest where she's wrapped and he immediately shuts up, scratching his head sheepishly. "Sorry."

I take the baby with me to the master bedroom, letting her nap on the astonishingly spacious bed with the dogs as I watch out a window, messing with my new Appraisal skill to level it up. Currently, I'm trying to observe everything I can without the dinging in my head driving me nuts.

[(Rare) Appraisal lvl 1: 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).

Kyra lvl 1: A year old child still breastfeeding. Currently sleeping.

(Common) Electric Stove: A kitchen appliance that allows for cooking without gas.

(Common) Blue Teddy Bear: A sparkling blue, stuffed bear. It looks well loved.

(Common) Glass cup: An ordinary glass that can hold 14 ounces. 

Congratulations! You've leveled up the skill Appraisal to level 2! The kill can now display more detail.]

I smile, pleased. Ding!

A cry from up front has me bolting to my feet and hurrying over even as I ignore the notification. "What is it?"

"Holy shit! The sky!"

I grip my brother"s shoulder as I lean over him, peering through the windshield. Projected into the sky, a sight mimicked by the system screen to my right, were several giant figures peering down on the earth.

There are five, an elephant headed being with several arms, a stern looking woman in armor, and owl perched on her shoulder, a giant, bearded man with a fierce expression whose arm is extended up and off screen as though holding something heavy, a Japanese samurai with a bow and katana on him, a dove on his shoulder, and finally, another women with light brown skin, a golden headdress, and sad kohl lined eyes.

"Hello, mortals. I am Minerva and my companions and I are here on behalf of the Divine, the gods of your world, the legends and myths, those that have far surpassed your meager selves and ascended to a higher existence. We come bearing news of humanity's doom and your only recourse of survival," speaks the armored woman with the owl, her eyes disdainful and her words dripping with condescension and self importance. "A virus has spread amongst your people, one that was destined to decimate you as the dead rose to walk again. We of the Divine foresaw the perilous struggle to come and have generously decided to intervene on behalf of you pitiful creatures."

I find myself abruptly wanting to punch the Roman Goddess of war and justice in the face. To someone who knew the primordial gods, Magic, Death, and Fate, her lofty, apathetic manner felt like nothing more than an act to belittle humans and trick us into believing that they were our benevolent saviors. Frankly, I call bullshit.

Even my eternal nemesis, that asshole, Fate, who literally curses me in every life, wasn't this outwardly bitchy.

The elephant headed man speaks next, one of his many arms nearly smacking Minerva as he steps forward. "There is a way for you all to overcome the trials and tribulations ahead of you," Ganesha booms, the Hindu god of beginnings, wisdom, prosperity, and overcoming obstacles, sounds damn near jovial from the prospect of humanity's incoming fight, but at least he isn't looking down on us like we're the crud between his toes like Minerva is. "It is called the System, and with it, you humans will grow far beyond your mortal restraints. Be it power, honor, wealth, or glory, all of it is now within reach!"

"However," Minerva interrupts, sounding annoyed at having the attention stolen from her in her manner, and I feel my lips curl into a spiteful little grin. "Nothing can be gained without sacrifice.The Balance has shifted,-" I curse, knowing exactly where this is going from personal experience. The system is far too generous a gift. "-and soon, far more than just the Divine and the walking dead will appear before you, slipping through the cracks between realms."

I laugh, incredulous. This is it. Why I'm here and why canon has already been torn into shreds even though I've only just awakened into this world. These so called gods, nothing more then pebbles of utter insignificance compared to the gods I knew, had fucked around and found out, messing with shit they never should have. By interfering with humanity in such a blatant way, weakening and breaking the walls between worlds, they shattered the fucking universal laws and the Balance had to overcorrect itself by rewriting the rules of this reality. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't actually create the system, but rather, it having come into creation as a consequence of their stupid and arrogant actions, or an effort by the Balance itself to fix this mess.

"I, Hachiman, encourage you all to face your enemies courageously, for it is the only way to survive in the battlefield this world will become," the samurai with the dove states, voice ringing with authority, dark eyes blazing.

Hachiman… the Shinto and Japanese god of warriors, I remember with some effort, having become an expert in all types of ideology and mythology throughout my combined lives worth over a millennia of living.

"And while we Divine will graciously offer support to those of you that distinguish your selves-" Minerva tries again, visibly scowling as the other gods pay her no heed, but she's interrupted again.

"Not all of us are so benevolent," the bearded man says bitterly as he side eyes Minerva. 'May you all endure."

"Atlas-," Minerva growls, only to be greeted by a mocking smile as Atlas, the Greek titan that was forced to carry the sky as punishment for rebelling against Zeus, Minerva's Greek aspect's father, in the Titanomachy. The titan shifts his one raised hand and the sky begins to fucking shatter as dark fissures, like cracks spreading over pottery, start to crawl across the blue expense above us where the Divine were currently putting on a show. 

I tense, my lips curling into a snarl as curse under my breath, feeling the looming threat. I didn't currently have any way to keep the sky from fucking falling, but maybe if I prayed to my godly friends….

"You survivors will find glory and power, or you will find your rest in the Afterlife. Pray your body doesn't rise and become among the desecrated," the final woman says grimly, kohl lined eyes mournful as she cuts through the brewing tension between Atlas and Minerva, and I let out a shaky breath of relief as Atlas shifts again, the crumbling sky seeming to smooth itself back together, damage reversing itself and vanishing. Minerva goes to spit something at the other goddess only to be neatly cut off. "I am Nebet-Het, or Nephtys as my Greek and Roman followers sometimes called me, though I prefer my original name." 

The icy tone of the Egyptian Goddess of death, decay, and home has me fighting back the urge to whistle at how impressively she manages to convey so much disdain while maintaining a veneer of polite impassiveness. Clearly, the wars waged by the Dicines' followers did affect their relationships with one another.

That is very interesting information.

"Yes, well, now that we've been introduced," Minerva grits out. "Mortals, seize the opportunity to rise beyond your own insignificance-" this bitch- "-and reach for strength to secure your race's survival. The greatest among you may even earn the favor and blessings of one of the Divine."

Minerva smiles, and it's not a nice or kind thing. It leaves me baring my own teeth in response.

"The die is cast, humans, and fortune favors the bold. Which among you will journey to the stars? Let the Tutorial begin."

The image of the five beings in the sky and on the system screen vanishes, leaving a deafening silence. I let out a slow breath, releasing my too tight grip on Glenn and Altair's shoulders, not even knowing when it happened.

"W-what do we do?" Glenn asks, voice cracking as he stares frozen at the now normal, blue sky. "Are we going straight to the quarry?"

I hum, letting my eyes shut, activating my Eye of Time. The images flicker lightning fast.

-a dark skinned man slipping in blood as he tries to fight a walker-

-a little girl with a hat-

-emintine?"- 

[Congratulations!

The skill, Eye of Time has leveled up!

(Divine) Eye of Time lvl 2- This skill, gifted to the chosen few beloved by the Originator, the primordial beings of all of creation, allows the player to see into the past, present, and possible futures through visions. (Cost: 20 MP per sec) (Cooldown: 55 min).]

"Nah," I say, grimacing at the abrupt end of the skill, but thankfully, I'd been using it as often as the cooldown allowed, and not only had an idea of where to go from here, but had now leveled my skill up by one, meaning I could now I'd reduced the cool down. I'd probably be able to see more as well when I used it. "We are gonna pull over into these suburbs and wait a bit."

Glenn looks confused. "What are we waiting for?"

I smirk. "A future friend. Keep the radio on."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Yo! Can y'all hear me?" I ask into radio having flipped between a ton of different channels already to find the right one.

There is a pause before a familiar, deep voice picks up, the one from my visions. "Hello?"

I grin. "Is this Lee?"

There was silence before the voice picks up again. "….how did you know my name?"

I ignore the weird look Glenn and Altair are giving me. "I got a skilll. A very useful skill. And I know you have one as well."

I had, after all, been searching for strong allies when I'd Seen him and his band of misfits, including one adorable little girl.

"So, what do you want?" I soften at the wariness I hear over the static of the radio.

"Strong people banding together increases the group's survival rate. Plus, like you, I got kids to look out for. I know what you're doing right now with little Clementine out of the sheer kindness of your heart and I think we would make really good allies for one another," I tell him, infusing my sincerity into every word. "We can survive this messed up world with one another's power."

"… I'd like to meet, then." Lee sounds a little hopeful.

I smirk wickedly making my group members eye me, disturbed, much to exasperation. Can't a girl enjoy a scheme coming to fruition? I wasn't even doing anything nefarious!

"Before that, you have a friend to save. Are you at Hershal Green's farm, yet?"

"I- we just pulled up!" Lee sounds shocked.

I nod. "Okay. There are walkers at the fence near the tractor. They sneak up on the child, Duck, and Shawn who can't escape because of the tractor pinning him or something. I'm not really sure, but he gets stuck. So, save them both."

"…Seriously?" He sounds beyond alarmed.

"Yeah, man. You can just check by waiting for the walkers to appear. No harm done if you heed my warning right? And you can decide if a skill like mine is something worth having on your side."

"I'm pretty sure I'd be an idiot to not jump at the opportunity of making a friend who can see the future. Damn, that's overpowered," Lee laughs, a bit incredulously. "I still need to see if you're yanking my chain. But, I guess, I'll know that soon. What's your name?"

"I'm Artemizia. It's nice to meet you, Lee. Let me know how it goes," I tell him, satisfied.

"Talk to you soon."

I turn to meet the bewildered faces of my group and laugh

Glenn grins a bit. "Are you just gonna reach out left and right and play 'mysterious, all knowing, benevolent savior,' from now on?"

I shake my head. "Hell, no. Just to people I think are worth it. We're about to see the worst of humanity. Lee? He just took in some random little girl he found as his own and is willing to risk his life for her. The Greens? They…. are good people, too, and they have good skills, which, considering the upcoming food scarcity, is unfortunately something we have to consider from now on."

And I couldn't exactly say that the Greens would become Glenn's in-laws, could I?

"Alright, guys, we're staying here for a while, so it's time to practice. Gather up, minions!" I sing-song, setting down Kyra to play with the dogs carefully watching her.

Glenn, Riley, and Altair sit criss cross around me on my king sized bed. Truly, expensive mobile homes were fucking fantastic.

"We are going to practice meditation to see if we can't get you guys to learn new skills and manipulate your mana," I inform my audience. In my experience, this is always the best way to learn control over an internal energy, which is essentially all mana is. I squint, peering out the tinted windows. "It also seems like the Introduction of the Divine spooked everyone into evacuation."

We'd hunkered down and parked in this quiet neighborhood, but we'd been passed by several cars hurrying towards the evacuation center in Atlanta. I grimace. "That's a very bad move on their part. More people means more infected. Those people have yet to accept the reality of the situation."

"But, the military should be able to get a foothold, right?" Altair asks hopefully.

I tilt my head consideringly. "Maybe, but, will it be enough to keep them from getting overrun? I'm not sure. There will be too many people who aren't willing, or are too scared, to attempt to raise their level by taking out monsters. A handful of strong fighting swarms while protecting the weak? What do you think will happen?"

Glenn slumps. "A blood bath."

I nod solemnly. "There is a chance they manage to overcome the issues created by having so many people in one place , but it's better for us to hunker down and stay rural. For now, we'll observe the situation, practice, raise our levels, and scavenge."

Altair is giving me that look again, and I can feel through Sensing how his eyes are narrowed on me, Empathy notifying me of his rising confusion, alarm, and genuine suspicion. I'd need to talk to him tonight. The differences between my current self and my pre-awakened self were too much to ignore for him, who had always been close to his decade older sister.

I reach out and ruffle his hair before turning to the others. "First, we meditate. Then, we'll go unting. Let's begin."

Gently, I lull them into a meditative state, my lips curling into my nostalgic smile as I remember the countless times I've guided children, usually my own, just like this.

"Focus on your own heartbeat, the pulse and steady thrum. Try to follow the way the blood circulates in your veins. Breathe in… and out. Feel it deep in your lungs," I purr softly, more song than spoken word.

None of them were doing too terribly, but out of the three, the two boys were having the most trouble. Riley, however, seemed to be starting to get it.

Altair, huffs, and speaks barely above a whisper, "Aren't you supposed to be telling us to empty our minds, or whatever?"

I hum softly, observing them and reaching out to soothe the furrow between his brows. "That's one way, but that form of meditation doesn't work for me personally. The goal is just to relax and find the mana inside you. It's there, the status screen proves it, so you just gotta find it. It's concentrated in your core, but it still flows in your veins. Don't get frustrated. Take your time."

I let myself fall into meditation as well, the RV near silent, even the dogs and baby. Soon enough, my thoughts are still, attention on the mana swirling lazily inside me. 

Ding! Ding! Ding!

[Congratulations!

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

[Congratulations!

You have leveled up the skill Mana Manipulation!]

[Congratulations!

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

I create the skills and examine my newly leveled up Mana Manipulation skill.

[(Common) Mana Manipulation lvl 2: The player can influence the flow of Mana. (Current range: 4 feet)].

[(Common) Meditation lvl 1: Through the use of this skill, the user can strengthen their mind, rest and restore their body, and other potential effects. (Cost: 1 MP per hr) (Cooldown: 24 hr)]

[(Rare) Teaching LVL 1: The user can impart their wisdom upon others and when active, this skill increases the growth rate of targets, making it easier to learn a new skill or increase their skill level. (Cost; 10 MP per hr) (Cooldown: 24 hr)]

I activate my teaching skill, silently bemused. I barely bring myself to take anything serious with the system involved. It was too much like a game, so I found myself having fun despite the literal end of the world. Then again, it's not like much phases me anymore, and the system was the first thing about a world to truly catch me off guard in a long time.

By the end of the training session, all three of my students had managed to meet the conditions to create the meditation skill, if barely. I glance at Altair, feeling the discomfort radiating off him as soon as he notices my gaze on him, and I sigh, not understanding what about me was so different that it was disconcerting with only a glance. I dismiss the Rhee siblings, knowing it's time to talk privately with my brother. "Come have a gnat with me, Kid."

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AN; Feel free to leave skill suggestions for any character and let me know what you think. Also, Lee! And Clem! Well, they'll be showing up soon enough. I'm not against incorporating some non TV show characters. I hope yall will enjoy it.