Apocalypse Assassin: A Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG and Fantasy

Apocalypse Assassin System Orphans: Claire Book 1 J.J. Thorn Apocalypse Assassin (System Orphans: Claire, Book 1) Copyright @2023 by J. J. Thorn All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this book are fictional. Author: J.J. Thorn Editor: Hilary Doda Cover Artist: Piere D’Arterie Cover Typography: Mlbart.com Contents Quick Author’s Note Prologue – One Hundred 1 – Hello 2 – Insurance Policy 3 – You were supposed to 4 – Interlude – On Behalf of the System 5 – Alone 6 – The Market Queen 7 – Bianca 8 – To Cripple and Maim 9 – Nice, And Social 10 - Worry 11 – Broken 12 – Bear with me 13 – Target 46 / ‘his girl’ 14 – Earn it 15 – This old Asian lady is going to kill me 16 - Bubbles 17 – The walls are closing in 18 – Options 19 – Meet and Greet 20 – Challenges 21 – Consolidation 22 – Listen to your elders, a cautionary tale 23 - Vulnerable 24 – At Home 25 – Fear 26 - Supplier 27 – Sit down 28 – Nice chat 29 – Predictable 30 – A blonde, a brunette, and a red head walk into a hot tub 31 – You are weak. 32 – Interlude – A healer 33 – Claire? 34 – Not me 35 – While you slept 36 – Interlude – Melted bronze 37 – Interlude – Special Treatment 38 – Epilogue Author’s Note My Stories This book is dedicated to the many people who have read my stories and provided their feedback. Please know that it’s greatly appreciated, thank you. And to my wife, since she pushes me to keep going. Quick Author’s Note This book contains swearing and depictions of violence, and is intended for young adult audiences or older. There is no sexual violence or sexual content. I hope you enjoy the story and thanks for reading! Prologue – One Hundred He probably doesn’t even remember us. Not that it matters. ††††† Skulking from one shadow to the next, I trailed behind him as he walked through the remains of the city. My honed steps, dark clothing, and stealth-related Skills ensured I wasn’t noticed. His name was George. A simple name for a simple man. I didn’t know George firsthand, but I wasn’t going to recognize everyone on the list. One hundred names. One hundred targets. I’d been young back then. I — or should I say ‘we’ — couldn’t have been expected to keep track of every piece of scum who crossed our paths, let alone the ones who hid behind desks, unable to face what they’d signed up for. No, I didn’t remember meeting George, but if there was anything I could trust in this new world, it was the Quest. The Quest hadn’t lied to me yet. George stopped to talk to one of the goons on the street. Some idiot in a beanie and beat-up old coat, probably handing George some of the money he’d made for the week. George seemed like a connected guy, walking from shop to shop, chatting with the owners as they closed for the day. I’d only spent a little time in this part of the city, but I knew most of the people who lived around here were crooked in one way or another. Not evil, just trying to get by. And sometimes that meant doing things you didn’t want to do to make it to the next day. I couldn’t fully relate, but who was I to judge? My day-to-day involved killing people — or waiting to kill people. Finally, George left the street and walked back to his apartment building. I could’ve waited longer, but I wasn’t complaining about the way the night got darker and the streets cleared out. George must’ve felt untouchable. He walked with a purpose, shoulders back and head held high as though he was the most powerful man on these streets. Like no one would dare try to jump or rob him. Skills could do that to a man. Make them think they were invincible, that is. I kept following at a safe distance until George turned down one of the side streets. No-one else was around, and picking up the pace, I decided this was the best time to strike. I jumped up and onto the nearest roof, running directly above where George would be walking. I scaled the brick wall, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. I should still have been invisible in the darkness of the shadows around me, but George stopped and turned his head to the left and right. “Whoever you are, let’s fucking go! I haven’t got all night,” he yelled, looking around wildly, trying to find me. From his expression I knew he still couldn’t tell where I was, but it looked like his paranoia from his previous life had earned him a Skill good enough to notice when he was being followed. I contemplated leaving and trying again later, but I’d waited long enough already. Another day wasn’t going to help me when I didn’t even know what Skill he had. No, George might not have been on my personal kill list, but the quest didn’t let me skip names. His death meant one more step towards finding the others.. So, too bad for George. Tonight it was his turn to die. I threw a dagger towards George. I leapt down as the first dagger flew towards him and threw a second directly after the first. Neither dagger packed much of a punch individually, but each was fast and sharp enough to alert George of my intentions as I discarded attempts at stealth and raced down the wall. I threw more daggers, a couple of which pierced his skin, proving he wasn’t as untouchable as he thought. He swatted most of them away, a glow encasing his hands until they looked like