Capítulo 18: Theodore's Mission
John did not enjoy the thought of completing missions for Theodore, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. At the very least, he could use this opportunity to survey the city, recruit other survivors and to grow stronger. He was deep in contemplation when Julia caught his sight.
Julia approached the group with a weary smile, her arm linking with her husband's as they picked their way carefully through the debris-strewn classroom.
"Hello everyone, hi John!" she greeted, her cheerful voice momentarily lifting the spirits of the group gathered amidst the dust and shadows.
As the group murmured soft hellos in return, Theodore strode up confidently, his boots crunching on shards of glass.
"Well, here," he said briskly, handing out sheets of paper. "This is your first mission. You're to eliminate every monster for two blocks west of the university, up to the National School of Commerce. That's about 400 metres."
Julia's lips parted, questions dancing in her dark eyes, but Theodore cut her off sharply, his voice echoing around the empty room. "Everything you need to know is on those papers. But you can direct any other questions to Ryan here," he said, gesturing towards the stern-faced soldier standing rigidly at his side.
The soldier gave a curt nod, his machete glinting ominously in the streaks of sunlight. Julia and the others exchanged uneasy glances as they scanned the briefing pages. This was really happening.
"Dalia," John called out, his voice echoing hollowly in the abandoned classroom.
Dalia turned, a few stray blonde strands falling across her face. "Yeah?" she replied. For a moment she recalled admiring John's rugged features earlier, and a tinge of pink coloured her cheeks.
"The system," John said, his voice low and serious amidst the dancing dust motes. "What did you get from it?"
"Oh!" Dalia exclaimed, glancing down at the dusty floor. She brought a slender finger to her chin contemplatively. "I have an Elemental Mage class and a Fireball skill," she finally offered, trying to sound nonchalant.
John nodded thoughtfully, glancing around the room. Sunlight filtered through cracked and missing panes, illuminating just how much damage the university had sustained. Overturned desks and scratched walls surrounded them.
John glanced at Dalia, "that's really good. We'll have to learn how to use our skills and complete the mission."
Dalia smiled happily, pleased that John thought she could be a useful addition to the team. She tucked a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear.
John turned his gaze to his old teacher and her husband, who were whispering quietly to each other in the corner of the classroom. Rays of sunlight streamed in through cracked windows, illuminating motes of dust swirling around the couple.
"What about you two?" John called out, his voice echoing slightly, redirecting the couple's attention away from their hushed conversation.
Julia looked up, strands of her raven black hair falling across her face. She glanced at her husband uncertainly before responding. "Well, we're still figuring things out," she began hesitantly.
"We...I can't use my Skill offensively," Julia stammered, a shyness tainting her tone as their footsteps echoed down the empty university hallway.
Puzzled, John inquired further as they navigated fallen ceiling tiles. Julia explained haltingly that she was a support mage with a buffing Skill. She could increase the strength of others, but was no fighter herself.
Martin, her husband, had received the Soldier class along with a passive swordsmanship Skill. Their footsteps quickened as they neared the lobby, shards of glass crunching under their shoes.
The group deliberated combat strategies, voices hushed in the cavernous space. John and Martin could cover the frontlines with Julia's buffs, while Dalia provided rear cover fire. But that left the two women vulnerable.
"I think I should protect Miss Dalia and cover the rear," said Martin with a smug smile, his voice echoing up to the vaulted ceiling. Julia shot him a sharp glance which he avoided.
John snorted, he could see the man's intentions. He must have wanted to get closer to Dalia, his eyes had been scanning her body whenever Julia would look away. John understood, Dalia had a distinctively alluring body.
She is quite short with wide hips, thick thighs and toned muscles and her large breasts emphasised her already seductive body. It was hard to move your gaze away once it landed. Her round, perky buttocks were an irresistible allure.
What Martin didn't know is that he was sending his wife into the tiger's den. Would you send your wife alone with someone with the NTR Rogue class? Martin would surely come to regret this.
"That suits me just fine," John remarked, a sly smile playing on his lips. "Are you okay with that, Julia?" He asked, gently placing his hand on her shoulder.
Julia replied with a nod and a smile, but John could sense a little sadness in her expression.
'Trouble in paradise?' John wondered as he scanned the teacher's mature body. He pushed this thought to the back of his mind; there were more pressing matters at hand.
As the group left the campus, they trekked through the ruined streets.
The group cautiously made their way through the broken remnants of the once-vibrant city. Ruined buildings stood as solemn reminders of the disaster that had hit their world. John, Dalia, Julia, and Martin moved in unison, their eyes sharp, ready to react to any sign of danger.
As the group advanced, John spotted a strange device in one of the apartments ahead, it was glowing red and he could see it through the window. He was curious, but he couldn't exactly convince everyone to go investigate some weird light on a whim.
They kept walking, but John couldn't stop thinking about the device. It was nagging at the back of his mind, as if some outside force was telling him to investigate, and as they passed through the building, he could hear a strange, whirring sound.
He thought of going by himself, but on second thought, he discarded that notion. Everyone was stressed out enough, they didn't need more on their plate.
John advanced with Julia by his side while Martin stayed behind with Dalia. Julia's gaze was locked to the floor and her shoulders slouched.
"Are you okay, Julia?"
Julia jolted, snapping out of her daze. "Huh? What did you say, John?" She asked, trying to regain her composure.
John gave Julia a concerned look as they continued down the desolate street. "I was just checking in on you. You seemed a bit lost back there. Is everything okay?"
John and Julia's conversation came to a sudden halt as a chilling roar pierced the air. Their heads snapped around to find a monstrous lizard creature, towering right in front of them. It was a Razorlin.
With lightning speed, the creature lunged at Julia. She closed her eyes, trembling, and braced for the impact. The impending attack sent a rush of adrenaline through her veins. But in the nick of time, John dashed in front of her, his weapon intercepting the monster's strike.
The creature roared as John's strike reached it, bringing it to its knees.
[Razor Killed]
[0.2 Strength Obtained]
John took a quick glance at the notification. He noticed the reward for killing Razors had diminished, but he pushed the thought aside.
The danger seemed to have passed, but as they caught their breath, a low rumbling rang from the surrounding buildings. It was as if the city itself was awakening, and something even more menacing lurked in the shadows. John and Julia exchanged worried glances, realising that their ordeal had only just begun.
PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES 
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Anaesthetic_Dawn Do let me know what you guys think of the novel so far. Tell me what you like or dislike. Oh, and don't forget to add the book to your library!
Capítulo 19: The Shop
"You two, come here!" John urged them and grabbed Julia's wrist, leading the group to hide behind a raided convenience store.
"Are you okay?" he asked Julia after ducking down beside her. She flicked a shaky smile and nodded, despite her racing heart. But her brief relief faded as she caught her husband casting worried glances at Dalia instead of her. She was familiar with his flirty personality, but that's all it was, she thought.
John peered around the corner, tracing the terrible sounds. His eyes landed on an apartment complex at the end of the street, its walls crackling with fissures. Then he saw it - the beast. It was a nightmarish fusion of a pocket monster and alien invader, like something ripped out of the pages of an H.P. Lovecraft novel.
The creature was massive, easily three stories tall. A viscous black fluid poured out from its skin and sizzled when it dripped onto the pavement. It smashed cars aside like toys with a plethora of limbs and its diabolical red eyes glowed as it sniffed the air, searching for prey.
John ducked back behind the store, his heart pounding. How could they possibly defeat a monster like that? They were sent here to defeat every monster in the vicinity, but this was on a different scale.
"What do we do?" Martin asked, his voice cracking by fear. His wide eyes shifted between each member of the group as he nervously adjusted the collar of his frayed shirt.
"Let's get out of here," John said after a tense pause, glancing anxiously down the ruined street. They would have to face this hulking creature eventually, but today? No, today they stood no chance.
John pulled a hand-drawn map from his pocket, the paper crumpling in his sweaty grip as he pondered their options. Theodore had marked certain locations that could serve as operational bases.
There was a hospital - but surely it had already been overrun and had nothing of interest. A mall - neither fortifiable nor subtle. And an old mansion on the outskirts of the city, overgrown and isolated. That seemed their best bet, but it was too far away for now.
John wanted to raid and secure the mall, but Martin argued that it was too big to defend.
"Yes, it is too big, but it's the best course of action. Not only is it placed strategically smack-down in the centre, but there will be plenty of resources," John countered.
Julia and Dalia nodded unconsciously in agreement, glancing around the dreary back-alley littered with trash and broken glass. But Martin remained unconvinced, his arms crossed stubbornly across his flamboyant outfit.
"We'll be killed if we go there!" he yelled, his shrill voice echoing down the alley. John thought his tone seemed arrogant and misguided.
"How can you know that for certain?" John retorted, drawing more nods from the two women. "This isn't some zombie movie. There likely won't be a horde of monsters lurking in every dark corner. And if any do appear, we'll handle them."
Martin opened his mouth to continue arguing, but finally resigned himself with a dismissive "Tch, fine," his expression still stormy.
They advanced through the desolate streets, keeping an eye out for any movement. The group's gazes scanned the streets frantically, monsters could be lurking anywhere, and it was not their final day, not today. There was debris and abandoned cars littered all over the city, like a graveyard of hopes and dreams. As they prowled near the mall, they hesitated, their eyes darting around, scanning for danger.
The parking lot seemed frozen in time. Aside from scraps of paper and bags skipping across the cracked pavement, there was no sign of life. John tightened his grip on his knife as they stepped inside.
The group's footsteps echoed through the mall's interior. Shattered glass, broken chairs and random objects littered the floors, yet there was no jumpscare, no monster patiently waiting for them.
John exhaled and gestured the group to move further in and search resources, but before they could begin their search, Dalia's gasp caught the group's attention. Something leaped up inside Julia who was shocked by the sudden noise.
Dalia was peering into the wreckage of a clothing store, where a strange device hummed softly. It was sleek and metallic, with a single glass panel. The group approached and Julia reached out hesitantly to touch it. As she did, the panel lit up, displaying four words, "Julia Bess. Identity Confirmed."
Intrigue invaded John's thoughts, what could it be? He wondered. Julia was startled at the machine's strange knowledge and stepped away from it, her arms coiling around her own body, as if shielding herself from some unknown force. Martin took a step back, his hands hidden behind his back.
Seeing as nobody wanted to approach the strange device, John took a step forward. He leaned in to the sides, inspecting the device from every angle, but he soon abandoned the notion of inspection. Clearly, the only way to figure this out was to interact with it.
John mirrored Julia's earlier move and rested his palm on the glass panel. Like before, the screen confirmed his identity, but John didn't remove his hand.
A second later, a new screen replaced it.
[John Sarack]
[Points: 800]
[Browse Catalogue]
Those were the words on the screen. John's quick wits grasped the meaning of the words and he tapped on the "Browse Catalogue" button.
The group watched in silence, their eyes glued to the screen, following John's actions. He seemed to have an idea of the device's purposes and they all observed, subconsciously leaning forward.
As John tapped on the button, a new screen popped up, displaying thousands upon thousands of items. John's eyes narrowed. He was familiar with a wide range of fantasy tropes and clichés, but this was something else.
Could this small device really pop a mansion into existence? Could it really materialise an arsenal of weapons? As always, seeing was believing, and so John fixed his gaze on things he could purchase and he deemed useful.
PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES
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Another chapter coming later today, keep an eye out! You better add the book to your library or I'll curse you all with the worst tropes in existence. That's right, I'm talking about THAT. That thing that won't let you sleep, that thing that makes you roll your eyes every time you see it, the thing that gets you to comment on a paragraph and vent out all your frustrations. Aight, you get the gist, add the book to your library
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