Maids VS Apocalypse

Mark noticed the subtle displeasure in his maid’s soon after she returned to his side. He thought nothing of it at first only to change his mind soon after they started moving again. Before he could say anything, however, Elya spoke out first.

"Hey, don’t let it bother you." She said. "That thing had a lot more time to train."

Just like him, Lara had yet to get the chance to raise her stats and because of that, she was far from reaching her full potential even though she had already leveled up nineteen times.

Knowing that changed how one looks at the previous battle. Being able to stand her ground against a far more powerful spoke of her superior skills and fighting prowess. If they had been equal in terms of stats, there was no doubt that she would’ve come out as the winner.

"I understand..." Lara said after a brief silence. "What bothers me are those cuffs he used."

Franco seemed to know something as he spoke up without looking back.

"I couldn’t get much but they’re definitely A-grade."

"An Artifact?" Mark inquired.

"What else?" Elya scoffed.

Ben’s gauntlets, Franco’s sickles, the swords Alex and Elya use, and even Ramsay’s bow; Mark had asked about them when they were touring the shops earlier that day and was told that they were special equipment known as Artifacts.

Artifacts, Just like Ability Cores, give the Awakened access to Abilities they don’t naturally have. Unlike the latter, however, they lower the drain on one’s MP significantly, making them the go-to type of equipment for any Awakened who doesn’t have the MP to spare.

Lara’s gray spear was an artifact as well, although an E-grade. Apparently using one of the enchantment scrolls from the System Shop was enough to make any ordinary weapon an Artifact.

Lara still seemed bothered by the encounter they just had. Another band of red hoods appeared in their path so she chose to ignore it for the time being. Unlike the three-meter giant, they were normal-sized.

One of them happened to target Lara first but was decapitated before he could reach her. That kill seemed to brush off whatever was bothering her allowing her to regain her usual calm indifference.

[Lara had defeated Neb’Alseth’s disciple (Apprentice)]

[+25 AP]

Mark read the System message in the corner of his vision and almost came to a halt.

’Ne... what?’

He had been curious about what he would see when he or his maid killed one of the red hoods and guessed that the System would call them Awakened Humans, just like how the zombies from the prison were called Fallen Humans. What appeared was entirely different, however, causing his mind to be filled with questions in an instant.

[Ignore it.] Ramsay spoke up at that moment as if he had read his mind. [It’s nothing you need to concern yourself about.]

Mark opened his mouth to retort but found no words to say. They were in the middle of a chaotic battlefield and had no time for lore discussion.

"This doesn’t look good..." Franco muttered.

For a while, enemy encounters increased the farther they went significantly slowing down their progress. The ground was littered with severed limbs and the corpses of both Peace Keepers and Red Hoods. It became harder to find a spot to step on that wasn’t covered in blood.

[Keep going forward.]

An abrupt change in direction. Their planned route included them taking the left turn at the next intersection and as they passed it they understood their Sergeant’s reasoning.

That direction led to one of the entrances to the underground shelter they were aiming for. The fighting was especially fierce near it and crossing the chaotic melee appeared difficult if not impossible.

"Wouldn’t the other exits be the same?"

Big cities such as Hope’s End had hundreds of shelters scattered all over the place and each came with multiple exits to accommodate the large population. If one entrance was blocked one could still use the others, but since the Red Hoods were aiming to infiltrate the shelters Mark guessed that it would be the same no matter which entrance they chose.

As expected, another battle awaited them at the other exit, forcing them to make another detour. The third one was looking to be the same and so they prepared to do battle. That’s one Ramsay gave them new instructions.

[Go left next.] He said. [There is a building with a big green billboard. Get to its roof.] 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Mark saw the billboard a second after they made the turn and the moment he realized it was on a ten-story building a really bad feeling rose from the depths of his stomach. Massive fingers coiled around his body and lifted him off the ground, the altitude abruptly increasing as if he had been tossed toward the building mentioned by the sergeant.

The urge to shout overwhelmed him the instant they landed on the roof but he quickly suppressed it. He had already voiced his hatred for being yanked off the ground abruptly but the big guy behind him never cared to listen.

Ramsay was waiting for them behind the billboard with an arrow knocked in his bow. He looked around once then gestured to a slightly elevated platform.

Ben seemed to understand without having to be told and climbed on top of the platform. Reaching down, he grabbed something and pulled at it, tearing it off with minimal effort. It was a round cover made out of metal bars. Whatever was under it seemed large enough for the big guy to jump into.

A sharp crushing noise came from it a moment later and when it quieted down Ramsay turned to face the others.

"Get in."

Mark immediately recognized that he was looking at the opening to an air vent the moment he climbed on the platform. Without its cover, it looked like a hole leading to the center of the earth. His squadmates jumped in one after the other leaving only him, Lara, and Ramsay behind.

"You waiting for an invitation?" He asked.

"Are you being serious right now?"