John stared at the pile of debris and dust, and the bodies of the fallen survivors. The smell of blood and death permeated the air and his heart throbbed as he felt the pain. The image of the happy and smiling survivors entered his mind and he clenched his fists.
They had no ill intentions. They just wanted a place to call home. John knew he was no hero, but at the very least, he wanted to make good on his word to give everyone a safe space and he had failed them.
"John! What do we do?" Octavia called out.
"Look for survivors and take anyone still alive back to base."
"Right," the redhead nodded.
Octavia and her party members got to work. They searched for survivors amidst the rubble. They had a long day ahead of them, but
John sneaked out and followed Michael. It was better to act fast and give explanations later.
His figure streaked through the desolate streets of the apocalyptic city. At the rate of his travel, it should’ve been impossible for anyone to tail him. Still, as John turned the corner into an alleyway, he heard the shuffle of boots against cement and cars screeching to a halt.
John accessed his inventory where Venomlash was stored and removed his dagger, extending the blades before entering the alleyway.
His eyes narrowed and his senses strained to hear the slightest sound in the darkness. He tightened his grip on the dagger, and with a loud battle-cry, rammed it through the heart of an armoured grunt.
"That’s him!" A shout rose in the alleyway, followed by gunfire. John tore through the henchman, their weapons glancing harmlessly off his body. Bullets tore through the walls around John while the frightened grunts fired. They scrambled backwards, screaming in fear.
John looked beyond the crowd, focusing on a grinning figure clad in a suit and tie, his appearance normal. However, his presence was overwhelming. John guessed him to be someone like Theodore, someone who had the system for far longer than anybody else.
His breath shuddered at the thought, knowing he’d be in serious danger.
A series of bullets flew by and slammed into John’s shoulder. He bit his lower lip as his flesh exploded, and the world slowed down around him as the man in the suit looked at him with a smirk on his face.
John felt his conscience slowly fading, but through sheer will, he held his ground whilst a blur enveloped him, vanishing from sight. He hid in an alleyway and gulped down a health potion before cloaking himself again in the Haze Veil.
He climbed up a tall building and observed the confused grunts who were still looking for him. The man in the suit stood unfazed in the middle, he had his eyes closed.
’Is he trying to... sense me?’
John’s eyes narrowed and decided to retreat for now. He didn’t know how a battle against the man in the suit would go, but what he did know was that it would go on for a long time and he needed to rescue Amber.
John sprinted across the rooftops, leaping over the gaps between the crumbling buildings. He could see the smoke and flames rising from the city below, the result of the apocalypse’s rampage. He knew he had to reach Amber before it was too late.
He vaulted over a broken antenna, dodging a falling debris. He spotted a bright spot in the distance, a sign of life in the midst of the chaos. It was a temporary refuge, where Amber was being held. He could see the truck Michael and his men used.
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He approached the building, which was an old car dealership. The parking lot was a mess, cars were smashed against each other and debris strewn everywhere. The crash of the century might’ve taken place. There was even a car-sized hole on the wall of the shop and John could spot a few of the henchmen.
John streaked closer enveloped in a blur. His figure looked more like the result of heat on concrete than an actual human’s silhouette. As he approached the shop, he hid behind a white van and peered through the gaps in the windows, waiting for a patrol to leave the building.
Through the gaps, he could spot a large man with a spear leaving the building and patrolling the perimeter. He waited for him to pass the van and lunged at the man from behind.
With his Venomlash coated in Aura, he slashed the man’s neck, grabbing his heavy body before it could alert others and hiding him behind the van.
With Quiet Steps, he stuck his back to the wall and peered through the hole. There were two men sitting on a table, conversing in hushed whispers and a group of four a little further beyond.
There was no time to fight these men. He activated his Haze Veil skill once more and entered the building. Combined with his Quiet Steps, his Haze Veil allowed him to walk right past the guards unnoticed.
He passed the group of four and peered through a window that lead to an office where Amber was tied to a chair. Michael sat confident opposite to her. His smirk was as manic as his demeanour.
"You shouldn’t have escaped, Amber. You should have stayed with me, where you belong. You know I love you, don’t you? I love you more than anyone else in this world. More than your pathetic friends, more than your useless family, more than that traitor John. He doesn’t love you, Amber. He doesn’t care about you. He only used you to get to me. He only wanted to steal you from me. He only wanted to hurt me. But he failed, Amber. He failed miserably. And now he’s going to pay for what he did. He’s going to pay with his life. And you’re going to watch, Amber. You’re going to watch as I kill him. And then you’re going to come back to me, willingly. Because you know I’m the only one who can protect you. The only one who can make you happy. The only one who can give you what you need."