Amazon Apocalypse 5: Chapter 70 [Epilogue]

The Goddess in Jade, after the battle with Vayly Vaust.

Jade lay on the unnaturally smooth steel tiles that made up the Vaust station while Hyacinth tended to her wounds. The place was little more than ruins now after their victory. Even if Vayly Vaust herself had fled like a rat, without her station her power was broken.

“I’m fine, truly,” Jade insisted.

“Hush. Without this ointment, you’ll spend years purifying your skin of scar tissue. You took many wounds during this battle."

Jade sighed and let Hyacinth massage oil into her shoulders and back.

“Don’t sound glum just because of a little massage, Senior Sister Jade. You are victorious. You are a liberating hero. Though the A-Grades of the Black Beast Sect turned tail and ran at the sight of Vayly Vaust’s defenses, you persevered and eventually finished her off in single combat! That story shall live on in song for all time,” Hyacinth said.

“I don’t deserve the credit you’re giving me. Nor did I succeed in breaking through as the sect elders hoped.” Jade sighed.

“While true, we have dealt a hefty blow against the enemy. It has been thousands of years since one of their nodes was so completely destroyed. We have driven back the machine menace and reclaimed this territory in the name of our ancestors. Be happy.”

“Except it wasn’t me who truly won that battle, was it? I showed you the crystal recordings. If he hadn’t shown up when he did, I don’t know what might have happened.”

“Yes... that Carter fellow...” Hyacinth sighed. “You were right. If he is capable of wielding powers like that, it is for the best that we didn’t kidnap him. I don’t know how he wields such power, though. If all System users were all that strong, we would have lost the war for the heavens long ago.”

“One thing is certain. Carter Smith has many secrets, and some of them are the key to my path forward. One way or another, I’m certain I’ll be seeing him again...”

Eowyn, Warrior Queen of a Pocket World Far Away...

“I shall soon go questing once again, this time with my faithful knights. My council, I leave the realm in your hands once more.”

Queen Eowyn said before her court. It would only be a few short weeks or months for her, but she knew from experience that many years would pass for those she left behind. But this was necessary. Limited as her world was, she could gain no levels within it. But she could train, and this time she had honed not just her skills, but those of her subordinates as well. This time, she’d be ready.

“Milady, it has been a century since you took up the quest to find the hero known as Carter. Must you still look for him? Your strength is an anchor for the entire realm! Already, the eastern provinces are growing discontent. When you and your knights leave, I am certain they will rebel.”

The woman who spoke was one of Eowyn’s oldest councilors. She’d been a girl when Eowyn went on her last quest, and when she returned, she was a woman of middle age. It was sad to think that when Eowyn returned again, she would likely be long dead. But that was the price she paid every time she left her home, which she now knew was a small pocket world in a very large multiverse.

“All the same, councilor, I must go. If the eastern provinces rebel, remind them that I will return, and this time, the Knights of the Order of the Hero will be with me. When we return, all of us shall be stronger than ever,” Eowyn replied.

The rest of the councilors all voiced their complaints, but none were words she hadn’t heard before. She was as certain of her convictions as she had been the day she first made her promise.

Someday, somehow, she would find Carter Smith again.

Bridget, Walking the Streets of Crownhill

Things had been quieter than Bridget could remember in a long while since Carter left. Most high-level people were off scouting the wilderness, looking for whatever new enemies the System had pitted against. Sakura had joined them, but Bridget had stayed behind.

She’d been feeling ill as of late, and a few tests had suggested the reason, but she’d know whether or not her guess was true soon. There was plenty to do while she waited to see Doctor Roswell, though.

“Bridget, good to see you!” Margaret said warmly.

“And you, Margaret. Don’t let me pull you away from your work. I’ve been baking all day these last few days and just wanted you to tell people on the radio that I’ll be giving away free food to the needy again.” Bridget smiled warmly, and after a few more pleasantries and a quick bribe in the form of snacks, Bridget was once again free to give away her excess cookies, muffins, and other baked goods.

Despite being intended only for the needy, lots of people in Crownhill enjoyed them. After all, she was the only person who could bake foods that directly increased the stats of whoever consumed them.

After giving away food to those in need, she did the same for clothes, then spent some time volunteering to watch the children in Crownhill’s pocket realm. Carter hadn’t stepped foot in the place in ages, but this was where all the children went, along with the people who had no taste for combat or bloodshed.

“Miss Bridget! Are you here to teach cooking class again today?” a girl with a bright smile ran up to Bridget.

“I sure am, but later. I just want to drop some things off for now.” Bridget smiled warmly at the girl and all her playmates.

What had previously been an empty grassy field was now more like a farming village. Rows of crops lined the areas, and the apple trees were nearly shoulder-high. The pocket realm entrance wasn’t quite big enough to bring in tractors and real farming equipment, but it was easy enough to get people with high levels to come in and do any heavy lifting that needed to be done. Truthfully, most of the early planting had been done by Bridget.

They’d decided long ago that a countryside farming community would be best for raising kids. Most of the children alternated between school, play, and common chores to see to the crops and livestock they kept in the pocket realm. All in all, the only thing strange about the place was that there were ten children for every adult.

She set up a table with the help of a few teachers familiar people who stayed in the pocket world full-time. When they were done, they sat down and watched the children play for a few minutes.

“Look at them. As things are now, you would never even realize the world had ended.” Bridget looked on and smiled. The children seemed even happier than she remembered from the days before the apocalypse. The world outside this place was still a mess, but it was nice to think they’d built something good here.

She placed a hand on her stomach, thinking about the future. Hopefully, in a few years, Carter would have fixed the outside world, too. But whatever happened, Bridget planned to support him every step of the way. For him and whoever else might come along.

Soon, Bridget’s phone beeped, and she knew her time for her appointment was up. She said goodbye to the teachers sitting with her and waved to the children. Then, made her way to Doctor Roswell’s clinic, where the doctor was arms deep in a zombie he was dissecting.

He looked up from his work and turned to her as she let herself in. She and the doctor knew one another well thanks to all that work on the wolf pups they’d done.

“Ah, Bridget! There you are. So, did you want to know if it was a girl or a boy?”

End of Book 5.

The story will continue in Amazon Apocalypse Book 6, coming soon.