Chapter 14
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"Let's go!" David yelled, grabbing a hold of Shin. Stacy grabbed his other side. Seconds later, they disappeared, reappearing on top of the Frost Bank building. Motes of light drifted away as the world came into focus.
"Shin, check all the areas and warp back, find where it is! We'll prepare!" David yelled, entering into his Energy Transformation. The little screen popped up in the corner of his eye as he felt his body become twice as strong and more durable, his mind accelerating.
Stored Energy Remaining: 64.1 hours
Energy Usage Rate: 1 Hour/Minute – Level D transformation
Shin disappeared, motes of light flashing down to where he had been standing. Stacy stood next to David, a powerful steel aura surrounding her body, as she activated her inner ki power. They waited quietly, tension slowly filling the air.
Down below, David heard the sounds of soldiers marching by. It seemed that the military was unwilling to let the Lottery Crate fall into someone else's hands as well.
Gunfire suddenly broke out from the soldiers marching below as David watched a huge reptilian creature swoop past. He didn't manage a good look at it, merely seeing the flash of yellow scales as it crashed down into the ground. Stacy made as if to look over the edge and David grabbed her, not letting her. He didn't want to risk being spotted, either by the military or the lizard.
David waited for perhaps 15 more seconds, ignoring the screeches of bullets and the screams of the dying as the two forces broke into combat below. Suddenly, motes of lights started to blur into being and Shin warped in front of them, looking rather frazzled.
"I found it! It's in front of the Capitol building! We need to go NOW! One of the Dinos is near it." Shin grabbed a hold of them and started to teleport. When Shin transported more than himself, he had to wait a few seconds before he could fully warp them. They stood for a brief moment, stress and tension rising as they prepared to travel.
**WHOOSH!**
Reality shifted, blurring into lines as David, Stacy, and Shin were transported across space.
David quickly gathered his bearings, looking around. They were standing in the street in front of the large capitol building in Austin. It was a long light brown colored building, the historical meeting and workplace of the Governor. The street was deserted now, several wrecks of cars scattered about. He saw several large gashes in the ground, remnants of the battle between the dinosaur Supers and the Psychics.
David looked around, not seeing the Super that Shin had mentioned. Shin grabbed his arm, dragging him forward towards the entrance of the Capitol Building. In front of the entrance was a large shining Crate, giving off a slight bluish glow. Stacy jogged forward, joining them.
Just as they were about to reach the large Crate, an enormous roar sounded out as a gigantic scaled creature jumped at them from one of the nearby buildings. The creature had large green wings flinging off of its back, sweeping up the nearby air. It was easily 15 meters tall, extremely large. However, the attacking monster was too far to reach them, crashing into the ground and lurching forward. By that time, David had reached the Crate and slapped his hand on it. Immediately, a blue screen popped up, glowing in front of him.
Would you like to take ownership of this Lottery Crate?
Y/N?
David tapped the yes option desperately, pushing Stacy backwards, out of the way of the charging monster.
A soft ding sounded out, ringing in the air, and a second blue screen popped up, replacing the previous one.
You are now bonded to: 1 Lottery Crate.
The giant dinosaur like creature had almost reached them, its giant mouth gaping wide as it crashed off the floor at them when, abruptly, motes of flight started flashing, scintillating through the air as reality shifted again, and David, Stacy, and Shin warped away.
David fell down on the ground, his heart racing as he looked around. Just as the transformed Super had been about to reach them, Shin had managed to warp himself, David, and Stacy back to the campgrounds. They were now standing on the inside of the Small Rechargeable Energy Shield, a series of small tents set off to their side. David sank to his knees in relief, all the tension that had filled him flowing out of him.
"FUCK YEAH WOOHOOOOOOOO!" Shin yelled, pumping his arm in the air. He jumped around happily, adrenaline fueling his actions. David watched him and shook his head, staring at him incredulously.
May and Leia walked out from the larger tent, looking at the trio intensely. Leia's wings fluttered softly in the air as she walked, like a fallen angel.
"You got it?" May asked, eyeing David.
David nodded, a smile finally appearing on his face. He opened his status screen, quickly reading what it said.
Name: David Care Points: 0 Race: Human Lottery Slots: 0
Class: Life Orb Master (1/1) Energy Stored: 62.9 hours
Abilities: Life Orb Designate, Life Orb Create, Store/Expand Energy
Stored Inventory: Glock 17 Gen4 Handgun, 1 Lottery Crate
Life Orbs: 17
David quickly grabbed the Lottery Crate out of his inventory, bringing up a small blue screen.
Lottery Crate
This item does not exist as a physical object. Would you like to open the Lottery Crate?
Y/N
David quickly pressed the yes option, causing yet another blue screen to appear.
You have opened a Lottery Crate.
Received: 5 Lottery Slots.
David looked at his status again, seeing the difference.
Name: David Care Points: 0 Race: Human Lottery Slots: 5
Class: Life Orb Master (1/1) Energy Stored: 62.9 hours
Abilities: Life Orb Designate, Life Orb Create, Store/Expand Energy
Stored Inventory: Glock 17 Gen4 Handgun
Life Orbs: 17
He closed his screen, looking at his friends with a smile.
"Success! I have 5 slots now." He declared.
Shin nodded at him, still hopping around excited. May and Leia looked mildly happy, not realizing the importance of the Lottery Slots yet. Stacy nodded with Shin and turned around, walking over to the larger tent. She grabbed one of the water bottles and got herself a drink, bringing David and Shin one as well.
David started discussing what they were going to do with the Lottery Slots, trying to figure out a good plan. He knew that both times he had opened one, he had been extraordinarily lucky and received powerful rewards. However, he didn't expect to continue having that luck and knew that there was a chance to land on nothing when the slot spun.
As the group discussed and planned what they were going to do, the duo they had saved the other day emerged from their smaller tent.
Flynn and Sarah walked out, moving towards David and his friends. David noticed them and waved them over. He quickly informed them of what had happened, asking their opinions on how to spend the Lottery Slots.
Both Flynn and Shin wanted to use them all now, eager to see what rewards they could gain. Sarah, Stacy, and May all thought they should save the slots for later, in case they would come in handy. Leia didn't have an opinion and seemed intent on showing off her new wings instead.
As David was about to make a decision, he recalled the other screen that had popped up with the Lottery Scattering screen. He remembered that the so called "System Auction" was supposed to open up about 12 hours after the Lottery Scattering.
While the System hadn't given him too much information regarding the Auction, David knew he would be able to put up things he gained through the System for sale. David assumed this included the Lottery Slots he had gained as well. An eager light appeared in his eyes as he said,
"Alright, here's the plan. The System Auction is going to open up in a dozen hours. I think we should wait till then and see if we can sell the Lottery Slots for a large number of points. We can work from there, upgrading our powers and our base." He looked around at his group members, seeing them all nod.
He smiled again, looking confident. Suddenly, a loud growling sound broke out, startling him and his friends, instantly making David's eyes go alert as he looked around for danger. The air around him trembled as he transformed, ready to attack anyone that threatened his friends.
Shin looked at David sheepishly, staring at his rumbling stomach. David and the rest of them stared at Shin incredulously for a second before breaking out into laughter.
"Ahahahahahhahaa!" Stacy burst out laughing.
"Are you serious?" May looked at Shin in disbelief.
"Please hhahaahaha pleasssseeeee." Leia flapped through the air, laughing.
Shin looked at them defensively, "I'm hungry! What? Teleporting makes me hungry!"
David stared at him incredulously and started laughing with the rest of the group. He fell to his knees, still laughing, unable to keep standing, as he looked at how ridiculous Shin looked. Tears streamed down his face as he laughed.
Shin stared back affronted, sniffing at them as he walked over to the tents.
David laughed and laughed, releasing all of the stress and worry and pain and uncertainty that had accumulated over the past few days. His heart grew light as his lungs grew heavy, a huge smile appearing on his face. He finally stood up, walking over to where Shin was standing.
Shin had opened one of the food crates and was munching on what looked like a small hotdog.
He looked up at David, a smile on his face.
"Nice work." David said, holding out his fist.
"You too." Shin responded, hitting David's fist with his own.
The rest of the group soon joined them, eating a late dinner as they shared what had happened in the city, telling the others of the military camp and the base at Camp Mabry, as well as the large dinosaur Supers that had taken over part of Austin. The girls and Flynn all gasped in horror, amazed at what the trio had gone through.
Flynn and Sarah asked to be transported to the camp, hoping to find part of their family in the large camp. David agreed, making a mental note to put in a request to find his family as well as the rest of their group's family. It could never hurt to look for them he figured, mentally reviewing his options.
They quickly finished eating and began preparing to sleep. David went over with May to check the energy shield, noting its power level. Only May understood what the symbols meant, but she tried to explain the meaning to him while they waited anyway.
They sat in the center of the encampment, quietly looking over the small disc that controlled the energy shield. May was wearing a small pair of jeans and a white undershirt, looking frail in the fading evening light. David had changed into one of the pairs of suits they had appropriated from the Men's Warehouse, enjoying the feel of the clothing.
May looked at David, concern in her eyes as she wrapped herself closer to him.
"Do you think everything will go back to normal soon?" She asked, her eyes small pools of moonlight.
David looked down, a small smile appearing on his face.
"To normal? Probably not. But I think the world will return to order. It's human nature, right? They teach you that in Psych 101, you know. People like stability. People like order." He nodded, remembering past classes.
"We can only look to the future and adapt, moving forward from the past."
He turned and kissed her softly on the lips, picking her up gently as he walked back to the large tent they shared with the others. The duo walked in and moved off to the side, quickly falling asleep.
The evening light faded to moonlight as the night swiftly came, blanketing the sky.
Several hours later, David awoke to the screeches of gunfire as the morning air shattered into chaos.
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"Let's go!" David yelled, grabbing a hold of Shin. Stacy grabbed his other side. Seconds later, they disappeared, reappearing on top of the Frost Bank building. Motes of light drifted away as the world came into focus.
"Shin, check all the areas and warp back, find where it is! We'll prepare!" David yelled, entering into his Energy Transformation. The little screen popped up in the corner of his eye as he felt his body become twice as strong and more durable, his mind accelerating.
Stored Energy Remaining: 64.1 hours
Energy Usage Rate: 1 Hour/Minute – Level D transformation
Shin disappeared, motes of light flashing down to where he had been standing. Stacy stood next to David, a powerful steel aura surrounding her body, as she activated her inner ki power. They waited quietly, tension slowly filling the air.
Down below, David heard the sounds of soldiers marching by. It seemed that the military was unwilling to let the Lottery Crate fall into someone else's hands as well.
Gunfire suddenly broke out from the soldiers marching below as David watched a huge reptilian creature swoop past. He didn't manage a good look at it, merely seeing the flash of yellow scales as it crashed down into the ground. Stacy made as if to look over the edge and David grabbed her, not letting her. He didn't want to risk being spotted, either by the military or the lizard.
David waited for perhaps 15 more seconds, ignoring the screeches of bullets and the screams of the dying as the two forces broke into combat below. Suddenly, motes of lights started to blur into being and Shin warped in front of them, looking rather frazzled.
"I found it! It's in front of the Capitol building! We need to go NOW! One of the Dinos is near it." Shin grabbed a hold of them and started to teleport. When Shin transported more than himself, he had to wait a few seconds before he could fully warp them. They stood for a brief moment, stress and tension rising as they prepared to travel.
**WHOOSH!**
Reality shifted, blurring into lines as David, Stacy, and Shin were transported across space.
David quickly gathered his bearings, looking around. They were standing in the street in front of the large capitol building in Austin. It was a long light brown colored building, the historical meeting and workplace of the Governor. The street was deserted now, several wrecks of cars scattered about. He saw several large gashes in the ground, remnants of the battle between the dinosaur Supers and the Psychics.
David looked around, not seeing the Super that Shin had mentioned. Shin grabbed his arm, dragging him forward towards the entrance of the Capitol Building. In front of the entrance was a large shining Crate, giving off a slight bluish glow. Stacy jogged forward, joining them.
Just as they were about to reach the large Crate, an enormous roar sounded out as a gigantic scaled creature jumped at them from one of the nearby buildings. The creature had large green wings flinging off of its back, sweeping up the nearby air. It was easily 15 meters tall, extremely large. However, the attacking monster was too far to reach them, crashing into the ground and lurching forward. By that time, David had reached the Crate and slapped his hand on it. Immediately, a blue screen popped up, glowing in front of him.
Would you like to take ownership of this Lottery Crate?
Y/N?
David tapped the yes option desperately, pushing Stacy backwards, out of the way of the charging monster.
A soft ding sounded out, ringing in the air, and a second blue screen popped up, replacing the previous one.
You are now bonded to: 1 Lottery Crate.
The giant dinosaur like creature had almost reached them, its giant mouth gaping wide as it crashed off the floor at them when, abruptly, motes of flight started flashing, scintillating through the air as reality shifted again, and David, Stacy, and Shin warped away.
David fell down on the ground, his heart racing as he looked around. Just as the transformed Super had been about to reach them, Shin had managed to warp himself, David, and Stacy back to the campgrounds. They were now standing on the inside of the Small Rechargeable Energy Shield, a series of small tents set off to their side. David sank to his knees in relief, all the tension that had filled him flowing out of him.
"FUCK YEAH WOOHOOOOOOOO!" Shin yelled, pumping his arm in the air. He jumped around happily, adrenaline fueling his actions. David watched him and shook his head, staring at him incredulously.
May and Leia walked out from the larger tent, looking at the trio intensely. Leia's wings fluttered softly in the air as she walked, like a fallen angel.
"You got it?" May asked, eyeing David.
David nodded, a smile finally appearing on his face. He opened his status screen, quickly reading what it said.
Name: David Care Points: 0 Race: Human Lottery Slots: 0
Class: Life Orb Master (1/1) Energy Stored: 62.9 hours
Abilities: Life Orb Designate, Life Orb Create, Store/Expand Energy
Stored Inventory: Glock 17 Gen4 Handgun, 1 Lottery Crate
Life Orbs: 17
David quickly grabbed the Lottery Crate out of his inventory, bringing up a small blue screen.
Lottery Crate
This item does not exist as a physical object. Would you like to open the Lottery Crate?
Y/N
David quickly pressed the yes option, causing yet another blue screen to appear.
You have opened a Lottery Crate.
Received: 5 Lottery Slots.
David looked at his status again, seeing the difference.
Name: David Care Points: 0 Race: Human Lottery Slots: 5
Class: Life Orb Master (1/1) Energy Stored: 62.9 hours
Abilities: Life Orb Designate, Life Orb Create, Store/Expand Energy
Stored Inventory: Glock 17 Gen4 Handgun
Life Orbs: 17
He closed his screen, looking at his friends with a smile.
"Success! I have 5 slots now." He declared.
Shin nodded at him, still hopping around excited. May and Leia looked mildly happy, not realizing the importance of the Lottery Slots yet. Stacy nodded with Shin and turned around, walking over to the larger tent. She grabbed one of the water bottles and got herself a drink, bringing David and Shin one as well.
David started discussing what they were going to do with the Lottery Slots, trying to figure out a good plan. He knew that both times he had opened one, he had been extraordinarily lucky and received powerful rewards. However, he didn't expect to continue having that luck and knew that there was a chance to land on nothing when the slot spun.
As the group discussed and planned what they were going to do, the duo they had saved the other day emerged from their smaller tent.
Flynn and Sarah walked out, moving towards David and his friends. David noticed them and waved them over. He quickly informed them of what had happened, asking their opinions on how to spend the Lottery Slots.
Both Flynn and Shin wanted to use them all now, eager to see what rewards they could gain. Sarah, Stacy, and May all thought they should save the slots for later, in case they would come in handy. Leia didn't have an opinion and seemed intent on showing off her new wings instead.
As David was about to make a decision, he recalled the other screen that had popped up with the Lottery Scattering screen. He remembered that the so called "System Auction" was supposed to open up about 12 hours after the Lottery Scattering.
While the System hadn't given him too much information regarding the Auction, David knew he would be able to put up things he gained through the System for sale. David assumed this included the Lottery Slots he had gained as well. An eager light appeared in his eyes as he said,
"Alright, here's the plan. The System Auction is going to open up in a dozen hours. I think we should wait till then and see if we can sell the Lottery Slots for a large number of points. We can work from there, upgrading our powers and our base." He looked around at his group members, seeing them all nod.
He smiled again, looking confident. Suddenly, a loud growling sound broke out, startling him and his friends, instantly making David's eyes go alert as he looked around for danger. The air around him trembled as he transformed, ready to attack anyone that threatened his friends.
Shin looked at David sheepishly, staring at his rumbling stomach. David and the rest of them stared at Shin incredulously for a second before breaking out into laughter.
"Ahahahahahhahaa!" Stacy burst out laughing.
"Are you serious?" May looked at Shin in disbelief.
"Please hhahaahaha pleasssseeeee." Leia flapped through the air, laughing.
Shin looked at them defensively, "I'm hungry! What? Teleporting makes me hungry!"
David stared at him incredulously and started laughing with the rest of the group. He fell to his knees, still laughing, unable to keep standing, as he looked at how ridiculous Shin looked. Tears streamed down his face as he laughed.
Shin stared back affronted, sniffing at them as he walked over to the tents.
David laughed and laughed, releasing all of the stress and worry and pain and uncertainty that had accumulated over the past few days. His heart grew light as his lungs grew heavy, a huge smile appearing on his face. He finally stood up, walking over to where Shin was standing.
Shin had opened one of the food crates and was munching on what looked like a small hotdog.
He looked up at David, a smile on his face.
"Nice work." David said, holding out his fist.
"You too." Shin responded, hitting David's fist with his own.
The rest of the group soon joined them, eating a late dinner as they shared what had happened in the city, telling the others of the military camp and the base at Camp Mabry, as well as the large dinosaur Supers that had taken over part of Austin. The girls and Flynn all gasped in horror, amazed at what the trio had gone through.
Flynn and Sarah asked to be transported to the camp, hoping to find part of their family in the large camp. David agreed, making a mental note to put in a request to find his family as well as the rest of their group's family. It could never hurt to look for them he figured, mentally reviewing his options.
They quickly finished eating and began preparing to sleep. David went over with May to check the energy shield, noting its power level. Only May understood what the symbols meant, but she tried to explain the meaning to him while they waited anyway.
They sat in the center of the encampment, quietly looking over the small disc that controlled the energy shield. May was wearing a small pair of jeans and a white undershirt, looking frail in the fading evening light. David had changed into one of the pairs of suits they had appropriated from the Men's Warehouse, enjoying the feel of the clothing.
May looked at David, concern in her eyes as she wrapped herself closer to him.
"Do you think everything will go back to normal soon?" She asked, her eyes small pools of moonlight.
David looked down, a small smile appearing on his face.
"To normal? Probably not. But I think the world will return to order. It's human nature, right? They teach you that in Psych 101, you know. People like stability. People like order." He nodded, remembering past classes.
"We can only look to the future and adapt, moving forward from the past."
He turned and kissed her softly on the lips, picking her up gently as he walked back to the large tent they shared with the others. The duo walked in and moved off to the side, quickly falling asleep.
The evening light faded to moonlight as the night swiftly came, blanketing the sky.
Several hours later, David awoke to the screeches of gunfire as the morning air shattered into chaos.
"Let's go!" David yelled, grabbing a hold of Shin. Stacy grabbed his other side. Seconds later, they disappeared, reappearing on top of the Frost Bank building. Motes of light drifted away as the world came into focus."Shin, check all the areas and warp back, find where it is! We'll prepare!" David yelled, entering into his Energy Transformation. The little screen popped up in the corner of his eye as he felt his body become twice as strong and more durable, his mind accelerating.Stored Energy Remaining: 64.1 hoursEnergy Usage Rate: 1 Hour/Minute Level D transformationShin disappeared, motes of light flashing down to where he had been standing. Stacy stood next to David, a powerful steel aura surrounding her body, as she activated her inner ki power. They waited quietly, tension slowly filling the air.Down below, David heard the sounds of soldiers marching by. It seemed that the military was unwilling to let the Lottery Crate fall into someone else's hands as well.Gunfire suddenly broke out from the soldiers marching below as David watched a huge reptilian creature swoop past. He didn't manage a good look at it, merely seeing the flash of yellow scales as it crashed down into the ground. Stacy made as if to look over the edge and David grabbed her, not letting her. He didn't want to risk being spotted, either by the military or the lizard.David waited for perhaps 15 more seconds, ignoring the screeches of bullets and the screams of the dying as the two forces broke into combat below. Suddenly, motes of lights started to blur into being and Shin warped in front of them, looking rather frazzled."I found it! It's in front of the Capitol building! We need to go NOW! One of the Dinos is near it." Shin grabbed a hold of them and started to teleport. When Shin transported more than himself, he had to wait a few seconds before he could fully warp them. They stood for a brief moment, stress and tension rising as they prepared to travel.**WHOOSH!**Reality shifted, blurring into lines as David, Stacy, and Shin were transported across space.David quickly gathered his bearings, looking around. They were standing in the street in front of the large capitol building in Austin. It was a long light brown colored building, the historical meeting and workplace of the Governor. The street was deserted now, several wrecks of cars scattered about. He saw several large gashes in the ground, remnants of the battle between the dinosaur Supers and the Psychics.David looked around, not seeing the Super that Shin had mentioned. Shin grabbed his arm, dragging him forward towards the entrance of the Capitol Building. In front of the entrance was a large shining Crate, giving off a slight bluish glow. Stacy jogged forward, joining them.Just as they were about to reach the large Crate, an enormous roar sounded out as a gigantic scaled creature jumped at them from one of the nearby buildings. The creature had large green wings flinging off of its back, sweeping up the nearby air. It was easily 15 meters tall, extremely large. However, the attacking monster was too far to reach them, crashing into the ground and lurching forward. By that time, David had reached the Crate and slapped his hand on it. Immediately, a blue screen popped up, glowing in front of him.Would you like to take ownership of this Lottery Crate?Y/N?David tapped the yes option desperately, pushing Stacy backwards, out of the way of the charging monster.A soft ding sounded out, ringing in the air, and a second blue screen popped up, replacing the previous one.You are now bonded to: 1 Lottery Crate.The giant dinosaur like creature had almost reached them, its giant mouth gaping wide as it crashed off the floor at them when, abruptly, motes of flight started flashing, scintillating through the air as reality shifted again, and David, Stacy, and Shin warped away.David fell down on the ground, his heart racing as he looked around. Just as the transformed Super had been about to reach them, Shin had managed to warp himself, David, and Stacy back to the campgrounds. They were now standing on the inside of the Small Rechargeable Energy Shield, a series of small tents set off to their side. David sank to his knees in relief, all the tension that had filled him flowing out of him."FUCK YEAH WOOHOOOOOOOO!" Shin yelled, pumping his arm in the air. He jumped around happily, adrenaline fueling his actions. David watched him and shook his head, staring at him incredulously.May and Leia walked out from the larger tent, looking at the trio intensely. Leia's wings fluttered softly in the air as she walked, like a fallen angel."You got it?" May asked, eyeing David.David nodded, a smile finally appearing on his face. He opened his status screen, quickly reading what it said.Name: David Care Points: 0 Race: Human Lottery Slots: 0Class: Life Orb Master 1/1 Energy Stored: 62.9 hoursAbilities: Life Orb Designate, Life Orb Create, Store/Expand EnergyStored Inventory: Glock 17 Gen4 Handgun, 1 Lottery CrateLife Orbs: 17David quickly grabbed the Lottery Crate out of his inventory, bringing up a small blue screen.Lottery CrateThis item does not exist as a physical object. Would you like to open the Lottery Crate?Y/NDavid quickly pressed the yes option, causing yet another blue screen to appear.You have opened a Lottery Crate.Received: 5 Lottery Slots.David looked at his status again, seeing the difference.Name: David Care Points: 0 Race: Human Lottery Slots: 5Class: Life Orb Master 1/1 Energy Stored: 62.9 hoursAbilities: Life Orb Designate, Life Orb Create, Store/Expand EnergyStored Inventory: Glock 17 Gen4 HandgunLife Orbs: 17He closed his screen, looking at his friends with a smile."Success! I have 5 slots now." He declared.Shin nodded at him, still hopping around excited. May and Leia looked mildly happy, not realizing the importance of the Lottery Slots yet. Stacy nodded with Shin and turned around, walking over to the larger tent. She grabbed one of the water bottles and got herself a drink, bringing David and Shin one as well.David started discussing what they were going to do with the Lottery Slots, trying to figure out a good plan. He knew that both times he had opened one, he had been extraordinarily lucky and received powerful rewards. However, he didn't expect to continue having that luck and knew that there was a chance to land on nothing when the slot spun.As the group discussed and planned what they were going to do, the duo they had saved the other day emerged from their smaller tent.Flynn and Sarah walked out, moving towards David and his friends. David noticed them and waved them over. He quickly informed them of what had happened, asking their opinions on how to spend the Lottery Slots.Both Flynn and Shin wanted to use them all now, eager to see what rewards they could gain. Sarah, Stacy, and May all thought they should save the slots for later, in case they would come in handy. Leia didn't have an opinion and seemed intent on showing off her new wings instead.As David was about to make a decision, he recalled the other screen that had popped up with the Lottery Scattering screen. He remembered that the so called "System Auction" was supposed to open up about 12 hours after the Lottery Scattering.While the System hadn't given him too much information regarding the Auction, David knew he would be able to put up things he gained through the System for sale. David assumed this included the Lottery Slots he had gained as well. An eager light appeared in his eyes as he said,"Alright, here's the plan. The System Auction is going to open up in a dozen hours. I think we should wait till then and see if we can sell the Lottery Slots for a large number of points. We can work from there, upgrading our powers and our base." He looked around at his group members, seeing them all nod.He smiled again, looking confident. Suddenly, a loud growling sound broke out, startling him and his friends, instantly making David's eyes go alert as he looked around for danger. The air around him trembled as he transformed, ready to attack anyone that threatened his friends.Shin looked at David sheepishly, staring at his rumbling stomach. David and the rest of them stared at Shin incredulously for a second before breaking out into laughter."Ahahahahahhahaa!" Stacy burst out laughing."Are you serious?" May looked at Shin in disbelief."Please hhahaahaha pleasssseeeee." Leia flapped through the air, laughing.Shin looked at them defensively, "I'm hungry! What? Teleporting makes me hungry!"David stared at him incredulously and started laughing with the rest of the group. He fell to his knees, still laughing, unable to keep standing, as he looked at how ridiculous Shin looked. Tears streamed down his face as he laughed.Shin stared back affronted, sniffing at them as he walked over to the tents.David laughed and laughed, releasing all of the stress and worry and pain and uncertainty that had accumulated over the past few days. His heart grew light as his lungs grew heavy, a huge smile appearing on his face. He finally stood up, walking over to where Shin was standing.Shin had opened one of the food crates and was munching on what looked like a small hotdog.He looked up at David, a smile on his face."Nice work." David said, holding out his fist."You too." Shin responded, hitting David's fist with his own.The rest of the group soon joined them, eating a late dinner as they shared what had happened in the city, telling the others of the military camp and the base at Camp Mabry, as well as the large dinosaur Supers that had taken over part of Austin. The girls and Flynn all gasped in horror, amazed at what the trio had gone through.Flynn and Sarah asked to be transported to the camp, hoping to find part of their family in the large camp. David agreed, making a mental note to put in a request to find his family as well as the rest of their group's family. It could never hurt to look for them he figured, mentally reviewing his options.They quickly finished eating and began preparing to sleep. David went over with May to check the energy shield, noting its power level. Only May understood what the symbols meant, but she tried to explain the meaning to him while they waited anyway.They sat in the center of the encampment, quietly looking over the small disc that controlled the energy shield. May was wearing a small pair of jeans and a white undershirt, looking frail in the fading evening light. David had changed into one of the pairs of suits they had appropriated from the Men's Warehouse, enjoying the feel of the clothing.May looked at David, concern in her eyes as she wrapped herself closer to him."Do you think everything will go back to normal soon?" She asked, her eyes small pools of moonlight.David looked down, a small smile appearing on his face."To normal? Probably not. But I think the world will return to order. It's human nature, right? They teach you that in Psych 101, you know. People like stability. People like order." He nodded, remembering past classes."We can only look to the future and adapt, moving forward from the past."He turned and kissed her softly on the lips, picking her up gently as he walked back to the large tent they shared with the others. The duo walked in and moved off to the side, quickly falling asleep.The evening light faded to moonlight as the night swiftly came, blanketing the sky.Several hours later, David awoke to the screeches of gunfire as the morning air shattered into chaos.
