I started the car and drove straight to the nearest hospital. I was very worried about my children and the fact that they might have gotten hurt, especially Octavio. One of the crocodiles had scratched his arm at least once while I was hitting it with the crowbar.
As soon as we arrived at the hospital parking lot, I parked in the first free spot I found and got out, pulling my children from the car and dragging them by the arm to the building entrance as quickly as I could, afraid we might be attacked again. On the way, I had seen more of the small, red-eyed crocodiles scattered throughout the city; I had even run one over.
The area near the hospital didn't seem to have any of the animals, which made me sigh in relief. However, the place seemed to be filling up rapidly with people who had apparently also been attacked by the strange crocodiles. They had bite marks all over their bodies, torn clothes stained with blood. Many were crying in terror, others were being carried in unconscious.
It didn't take long for a nurse to reach me and my children, though. Considering how chaotic the hospital was, with more people arriving every minute, I was surprised.
"A stretcher, please!" she shouted, but amid the noise and commotion, she wasn't heard, and no one was available to bring her one. Realizing her request wouldn't be answered, she turned her attention back to me. "Can you walk? I'll try to treat your wounds as best I can and then take you to a doctor. You'll need to hold on, stay awake, okay?"
"I'm fine, treat my son first! He was attacked on the arm!" I told her, pointing to Octavio, who was sitting beside me on the blue reception chairs, with wide eyes and a pale face. Vincent had a tear-stained face and was sobbing every few seconds, but he was no longer crying.
The nurse frowned and visually examined the small cut on Octavio's arm, then looked back at me and spoke seriously:
"I'll take care of his wound, but you are seriously injured. I need to treat your injuries first."
I vehemently refused.
"My son first, take care of his injury first!"
Realizing I refused to receive treatment before Octavio, she gave up arguing and quickly began disinfecting the wound on his arm, then made a simple bandage around the injury. Immediately after, she began examining me with worried eyes.
It was only then that I analyzed my own state. I was soaked in blood on my arms, abdomen, and legs. My clothes were torn and bloodied. The contrast was even greater because of my white shirt. It was a terrifying sight, but I was hardly feeling any pain.
As she examined and cleaned my wounds, the nurse frowned and asked me how long ago I had suffered the attack and received the crocodile bites. I replied it hadn't been more than half an hour. After doing some bandaging, she asked for my full name and ID number, noted them on a clipboard, and asked me to accompany her to another waiting room inside the hospital.
Then, I was called to be seen in a room. The nurse said she would give Octavio an injection as a precaution because of the injury caused by the unknown animal. I was worried about leaving him and Vincent alone, but he assured me he wasn't scared and would take care of his younger brother.
As soon as I entered the room, a doctor instructed me to lie down on the stretcher, and another nurse was assisting her. She examined my wounds and asked some questions.
"Are you a player?" The question she asked surprised me, and it took me a moment before I answered.
"No" I lied.
"Be honest. If you are a player and hide that information, you will be committing a crime."
Seeing myself cornered like that, I had no choice but to admit it. A federal decree making it mandatory to inform one's player condition had indeed been issued a few days ago. I didn't know exactly what the physical distinctions were between a common person and a player, but the doctor before me seemed to know enough to see through my lie.
I found out later that the hospital staff had been instructed to contact an army line to report any player or possible player who had visited the location. Many could slip through, but that wasn't my case.
I was informed that my wounds were healing quickly, and I didn't even need the stitches that would have been necessary under normal circumstances. After deliberating for a moment, I remembered the system notifications that had presented themselves and which I hadn't paid much attention to because I was busy with the crocodiles and trying to keep my children safe.
So, while waiting for the hospital's formal procedures to be discharged, with Vincent sleeping in my lap and Octavio dozing with his head resting on my arm, I mentally opened my player profile.
[Profile
Name: Liliana Costa
Condition: Player
Age: 33 years
Species: Human
Level: 3
Experience: 5/45
Attributes:
Strength: 7
Agility: 7
Defense: 5
Endurance: 6
Intelligence: 13
Class: (Unavailable)
Skills: Rapid Recovery - Level 1 (Open skill description); Physical Enhancement - Level 1 (Open skill description).
Achievements: Blessed by the Goddess Creta.]
I hadn't noticed before, but I had leveled up, and the numbers next to my attributes had also increased by two points each. From all the time I was trying to save myself and my children from the crocodiles, the only thing I had etched in my memory was about the agreement with a goddess. Now I could see in my profile that I had been blessed by this goddess, and her name was Creta.
Through the previous notifications, I realized it was because of this agreement that I had received the two skills that now appeared in my profile: Rapid Recovery and Physical Enhancement. I discovered I could open the skill descriptions and did so.
Until then, I had been skeptical about the reports of people with special powers, but after reading the descriptions of my skills and checking my wounds, I was no longer so cynical. Rapid Recovery allowed me to heal faster than normal, while Physical Enhancement made me get hurt less than expected and improved my stats a little while activated.
Little by little, I began to believe more in the possibility that the powers were real. I looked at my wounds, which were almost completely healed, and began thinking about the Goddess Creta.
I looked at the serene faces of my children, who were sleeping even in the chaotic hospital environment. My heart suddenly filled with gratitude.
I didn't really understand what was happening, nor why our world had changed, nor why we were being attacked by strange animals, but thanks to the Goddess Creta, I had managed to survive and protect Vincent and Octavio.
I had never been a religious person because I had never been presented with proof of a deity's existence. But from that moment on, it was hard to doubt it. I had never heard of a Goddess Creta before and had no idea which mythology she belonged to, or if there was any religion that followed her. But I was grateful.
"Thank you!" I whispered, my eyes filling with water. "Thank you for saving me and for saving my children."
A short time later, I was discharged from the hospital and instructed to report to an army base within three days. The doctor and nurses who treated me were generous enough to note in their reports that I had just discovered my condition as a player, so I wouldn't have to face possible punishments, but not generous enough to hide my condition.
I was apprehensive about the situation because I was afraid that enlistment would soon become mandatory for everyone, regardless of gender or willingness. And my fears were confirmed.
A new decree was issued on the seventeenth day, making enlistment mandatory for all players aged 18 or over, regardless of gender or sex. The person would then undergo a training period of about three months. If they had already served in the army, this time would be reduced to one month.
Reluctantly, I contacted my cousin Jaqueline, who was almost the same age as me, just a few months older, to ask for help in caring for my children. She happily accepted and said her eldest daughter, Amanda, would take care of the younger cousins.
"Lily, don't worry, Amanda takes good care of them during the day, and during the time she's at school, I'm not working, so I'll be with them. You know Octavio and Vincent are like my own children, right? You can leave them with your older cousin."
I tried to disguise my expression of distaste and expressed my gratitude with words. Jaqueline was only a few months older than me, but she always liked to reinforce that she was the oldest between us two, and treated me like a younger sister ever since we were children.
The big problem was that her behavior had always been childish and frivolous, hardly fitting her age. She was also irresponsible and ended up pregnant and forced to marry during her teens. But instead of maturing after that, she continued with the same mindset she always had. I had difficulty dealing with her way, which I strongly disapproved of.
However, she was the only support network I could count on at the moment. Jaqueline was the daughter of my mother's only brother, uncle Roberto, and was the only relative who lived in the same city as us. So, as irritating as she was, I needed her help.
After that, I went to the office where I worked. I still had two ongoing cases and handed them over to Manuel. I explained the situation in detail and said goodbye to everyone there. It wouldn't be long before the others also went their separate ways, since the firm would close, so it was a farewell with many tears, especially with Isabela.
"I'm going to miss all of this and you, Attorney Liliana!" she said and hugged me. I said goodbye promising to keep in touch, but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to keep my promise considering all the crazy things happening lately.
Finally, I reported to the army. It was a very bureaucratic process, and I had to undergo many physical exams. The entire enlistment process took three days, and at the end, it was established that I should report for training the following Monday. That is, I only had four days to spend with my children before inevitably being separated from them.
On the twenty-fifth day, I reported to begin the three-month training in the army. I was nervous and insecure; I had never held a weapon in my entire life and was never the athletic type, always living with my head buried in books and notebooks.
Therefore, as soon as I set foot inside the barracks, I made a silent prayer. I didn't pray to any god of a known religion, nor to the universe like my younger sister used to do. Instead, I concentrated my thoughts on the one who had blessed me and allowed me to protect my children, the Goddess Creta. Immediately after, a notification appeared in my mind through the Player System.
[New mission assigned by the Goddess Creta]