Chapter 27- Decent Group
"And what can you do?" Rein asked as he looked at Teo. "It's getting dark outside and the monsters you saw earlier will become even more dangerous and potentially deadly."
"Yes, I am aware," Teo replied. "But, I don't want to remain completely useless. Ummm… Earlier, I snuck out of the base and…"
"..." Rein frowned as he looked at Teo before his eyes widened as he realized something. Teo had a faint aura around his body, and Rein could sense Essence coursing through his body.
"You killed an Undead huh?" Rein asked.
Teo nodded. "I am awakened, sir. I can help. I won't let you down, I promise." Teo said as he adjusted his glasses.
'To think this guy would actually grow a pair and do it. I guess he is very serious about this. Hmm…'
"Well, since you did do it, you might be useful. Sure, you can come with us. But, as I said earlier today."
"'Don't expect me to help you', I know, and that is fine. I think I can protect myself and get stronger."
"This is such an odd group," Alex said with a tired sigh as he looked away. 'We will all die because of these idiots. But, I can't Violet, go alone. She won't listen to me.' He thought to himself.
As much as he hated to admit, Violet clearly favors Rein a lot more than she does for him so if that man says something, she will most likely listen to him. So, he was forced into tagging along to make sure she doesn't end up in a dangerous situation.
"I'm back."
As the trio stood there, with a tense atmosphere, Violet eventually came back with a bag on her shoulders.
"Hm? Are you tagging along, Alex?" She asked when she noticed his presence. "You too, Teo?"
"Yeah," Teo replied. "I hope I'm not bothering you."
"Of course not."
"I hope your parents are safe, Violet. We need to get to them as soon as possible." Alex said.
"Mmm, thank you, Alex. You're really kind." Violet smiled softly at him. The man froze for a second before he looked away.
"Yeah, it's not special."
Rein rolled his eyes as he turned and grabbed the flashlight he took from one of the soldiers.
"Let's go. We should be able to come back to the base by dawn or earlier."
With that, the group walked out of the base into the dimly lit streets of the city. Night hadn't fallen yet, so they had some time to move with full vision before everything was submerged in blinding darkness.
The streets were eerily quiet. For one reason or another, the bombing stopped, and no more fighter jets could be seen flying above the city. Whether that was because it was getting dark or for a way grimmer reason, the city was finally submerged in complete silence for the very first time.
It was very eerie, with the occasional sound of a monster grunting in the distance.
"This is so unnerving…" Violet muttered as she looked around her, her hand clutching the cycle in her hand.
The streets were ruined, and the buildings were either fully destroyed or completely abandoned. The smell of blood and smoke filled the air and made breathing feel like a chore. Everywhere they looked, they would see dead corpses, mostly of humans and some mutated monsters.
Nothing felt remotely familiar about this place. Even when they could recognize the place, they couldn't truly feel like this was the city they had lived in for years.
"Graaa!!"
Not that long after leaving the base, they came across their first enemies. A few Undead were roaming the street before they noticed them approaching. So, they instantly attacked without waiting.
Rein was about to summon his sword before he stopped and then looked at the other three. "You take care of these. I don't need them."
'They're mostly level 2 and 3. They won't do much in getting me stronger.' Rein thought to himself as he stepped aside.
So, Violet and Alex stepped forward as they summoned their weapons. Violet then channeled Essence into her cycle. The artefact started spinning almost instantly as the orbs inside it shone with different colors.
Then, the spinning eventually slowed to a halt on the blue orb. Violet then breathed in as an ice spike started forming on top of her hand.
The ice spike floated quietly, forming a sharp tip and a smooth shape. Then…
*Swish*
She launched the spike like an arrow. The projectile flew quickly and stabbed one of the Undead in the head, killing it on the spot. Then, Violet quickly formed another one. Her speed of casting was surprisingly fast, and her aim was good.
'This is very intriguing. That weapon is quite strong, even though it said it was a lesser cycle. I wonder what the higher cycles could do.' Rein thought to himself. Then, he shifted his gaze to Alex.
The latter pulled the string of his bow, but then he realized… The man didn't even have arrows to begin with.
That was when he saw it. Out of nowhere, an arrow that seemed to be made out of pure energy formed at the tip of the string. The more he pulled, the more vibrant it became. Then, when he let go of the string, the arrow flew like a flash, blowing the head of the Undead instantly.
'That's a very good weapon.' Rein thought to himself.
The two were able to easily handle the group as they killed most of them in seconds. Their aim was immaculate, and while their positioning and general strength weren't great, Rein could see the potential.
'As for that guy…'
Then, he saw Teo. The man had pulled the aggro of one of the Undead, and he immediately tried to retreat. However, surprisingly, Rein saw the man stop, realize what he did, before he clenched his teeth.
"I won't run away!!! AAAAAAH!" He yelled as he ran forward, throwing himself at the monster, tackling it down before he pulled a dagger out of his pocket and stabbed it in the head without hesitation. Then, he stabbed it again and again until it died.
"AAAAH!" Teo then yelled again, like a warrior who won a tough battle with all the adrenaline coursing through his body.
"..."
The group stared at him silently, not knowing what to say at the bizarre sight.
"Hah… Hah… Hah… Hm?" Teo then looked to the side. All he saw were speechless looks. That was when he realized what did. "Ummm… Hahaha, I killed it… Yeah… Haha…"
Nobody replied for a few seconds.
"Good… job…" Violet was the first to react. 'I didn't know Teo could even yell like that. I guess he is feeling himself.'
"Anyway, good. We will continue now. You were able to deal with the group relatively easily. Weak Undead shouldn't pose a threat to you anymore." He said. "But, be careful, mutated monsters are far stronger and smarter. They will-"
"RAWR!!!!"
At the exact moment when Rein said those words, they all heard a powerful roar from nearby. Then, the ground beneath them started shaking as a large silhouette emerged from out of nowhere.
'Speaking of the devil.' Rein muttered as he saw the giant monster before them. It looked like a large raccoon, almost the size of a human. In its mouth was the decapitated head of a human as it spat it out and glared at them.
'This one looks very strong…' Rein's eyes grew colder as he sensed its threatening aura. 'Could even be as strong as me.'