The night comes swifter than it has any right to as we make our final preparations for the start of our new lives as adventurers. We make ourselves useful throughout the evening, Chloe with her healing abilities, and me installing and using the glyph of [Lightning] to channel electricity into the building’s battery backup complex. I also teach others how to operate the glyph, in the hopes that they might be able to extend their operations in relative comfort for a bit longer. Unfortunately, most of the people here haven’t even reached level 3, and haven’t developed a [Basic Ether Manipulation] skill yet. At the very least, it assuages my guilt a little bit about the trouble we’re causing them.

Night, on the other hand, passes fitfully. Chloe and I each lay on a small cot in a spare office room next to Mrs. Jacobs’s office. Chloe falls asleep quickly, while I toss and turn for several hours, unable to sleep. I feel neither pain nor any particular discomfort or stress that I can point to, but something keeps me awake. Anticipation to be away from the city, perhaps? Or maybe concern for how Chloe is going to handle being in the rougher conditions that await us outside the city limits.

Still, I will protect her. For both of our sakes.

Morning arrives far too soon as well. I still feel groggy when the dawn’s early light comes streaming in through the office window. Fatigue sets in for the first time in days, right as it’s least wanted or needed. Still, it’s a day I’ve been waiting for, for a long time. Far longer than the week and change that the System has been around on Earth. No, this is a deeper, more visceral desire, one tied to the past life I once lived.

I make some [Ether Bullets] during the early morning while we wait for one final hot meal in civilization. It might just be a scrappy omelette with something that might legally pass as sausage, but it still tastes divine as the oozy, buttery flavor passes my lips and packs itself directly onto my thighs.

Before long, we’re saying our goodbyes, and led to Mrs. Jacobs’s car to be driven off to the rendezvous point. I’m a bit surprised by this myself; given the conversation yesterday, I’d expected us to have to walk there ourselves. I don’t bother asking why the change in plans, lest we lose this minor convenience, but I suspect it’s a combination of still being remanded to her custody, as well as her wanting to spend a little bit of time with her daughter for the last time in what could be a long time. Daughters, plural, I correct.

The streets are still mostly empty, though there are a few cars and a number of pedestrians strolling about. Most of both groups are uniformed personnel who appear to be on official business, but a few civilians are strewn about, mostly those working at the few businesses that are still open, as well as those scavenging for what food and essentials they can find. Gas stations are still open, with every one we pass having incredibly long lines and signs warning about heavy rationing. People seem uncomfortable, fidgety, distressed. But they are adapting and trying to make do as best as they can.

We arrive at the address a short while later. There’s already a group of six people lined up just outside the building, three men, three women. Most of them are on the younger side, though the two of us are the youngest by probably a good five years. The oldest among them is a man with chiseled features reminiscent of a cross between a movie star and a bodybuilder. He has short, gray hair and a thick goatee. Most prominently, he has a huge scar across his neck and jutting down his collarbone, before disappearing underneath the suit of reinforced body armor he wears. Likely the leader of the expedition, has been fighting in the wilderness this whole time, and has tons of levels and the strength to match his physique.

He looks at us with the same dismissive stare I’ve come to expect of adults, and especially men. The look of ‘oh great, I’m being saddled with more hangers-on who don’t know what they’re getting themselves into, and will be crying and begging for mommy the first time they see something scarier than a garter snake.’ We move to approach, but Mrs. Jacobs stops us.

“I know it won’t be safe out there, but please, be careful, both of you. I love you both, and I will see you again someday.” She turns to me. “And you, Miss Seraphina Mortensen. You promised to protect my daughter, Chloe, and you will be held to that. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I say without missing a beat.

“I don’t think I can bear to see the two of you off, so I’ll be going now. And I won’t be saying goodbye.”

“I understand,” Chloe says. “And we’ll see you soon. I promise!”

Mrs. Jacobs turns around and heads in her car. She doesn’t wave to us, or even acknowledge our presence as she pulls out of the parking lot and back onto the side street, but I can tell that the tears are already flowing and she worries for our well-being profusely. But I meant every word I said when I promised I’d keep us safe, and I have no intention to renege on that commitment.

We make our way over to where the rest of our new party is, and I see that we’re relatively underequipped compared with the other. Two of the three women are talking to one another, not acknowledging our presence. One man, looking like a ren faire knight dressed in full plate, is taking inventory. The leader is talking with who appears to be his chief lieutenant, neither doing much to acknowledge us. Only the last woman, a pale woman in a suit of leather armor— real, protective armor, not bikini mail or fetish gear— with striking ebon locks, walks up to approach us.

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“Well, hello there,” she says. “Are you the two newest recruits to our team? Oh, sorry, I should introduce myself. My name is Lindsey, I’m a [Ranger] in both class and former occupation.”

“Former?” Chloe asks.

“Enlisted in the Army once I graduated high school at eighteen, did a term, went to Ranger School. Did two years of a second term, then got a medical discharge due to a nasty injury to my right knee. Decided to try my hand in the Forest and Wildlife Service, but then all this shit went down. Me and some other ex-military decided to form our own little unit to explore and investigate the strange happenings over the past week, given that active duty personnel and National Guard units are too busy just maintaining basic law and order over the larger cities and towns throughout our country.”

I nod and offer my hand. “Seraphina Mortensen, just Sera for short since I know that’s a handful. Joined with my friend Chloe Jacobs.”

“It’s nice to meet the both of you. Anyway, as befits a [Ranger] class, I focus on scouting, detection of enemy forces, and long-range attacks. My class gives me proficiency with both daggers and bows, so I’m not completely helpless in close-quarters combat. We do have some handguns if you two need them for emergencies, but most of the monsters out there are all-but-immune to bullets. Still effective against some of the weaker ones in a pinch, at least.”

“I might be able to help with that,” I say. “I’ve got a [Mechanist] class. I specialize in dissecting the interplay between Ether, spells, and technology both new and old. Offensively, I wield a blowgun right now that can shoot pellets infused with [Lightning] energy. Outside of combat, I can enhance weapons and armor with basic enchantments that grant effects not unlike the spells that various [Mages] can perform. I don’t have nearly as much experience as you all do, nor ideal materials for the task, but I suspect I can build new technology from scratch as I gain more experience with my skill set.”

I pull out my [Barrier Gauntlets] and activate their effect. “Try to punch through it.”

Lindsey does so and is quickly rebuffed, staggering backward before regaining her footing.

“Impressive,” she says. “Can think of a couple of fights where something like that would’ve saved our sorry asses.”

Chloe looks to me. “But what about…?”

“We don’t need to tell them all the details about ourselves and our bilities, but we all need to know what one another can and can’t do so we can plan accordingly.”

“It’s as she says,” Lindsey agrees. “I trust you both have gotten at least a little combat experience since the System arrived?”

“We’re both over Level 10,” Chloe says. “And I’m a [Healer]. Not great on offense, low strength, not keen to fight anyone else personally, but I can do pretty much exactly what my class implies. Injuries and poisons both.”

“Curses?” Lindsey asks. “Can you cure a paralysis curse?”

“Probably at higher levels, but I don’t have a spell to that effect just yet.”

“We’ll get you there.” Lindsey smiles. “Don’t worry, I promise, you’re going to be a popular one. Make sure to let Jackie know.” She points to the shorter woman with strawberry blonde hair. “She’s got a class with some healing abilities, but she’ll love having a dedicated healer to work alongside.”

“Anyway, the brunette is Anna. Don’t let her calm demeanor disarm you; she’s a [Fire Evoker] and a damn powerful one. Not going to be conjuring water anytime soon, but if a problem can be solved with any amount of fire, she’ll be right at home. The guy in the armor is Brent, a [Shield Fighter]. Stupid high defenses, alongside more skills that allow him to shrug off blows that would incapacitate the rest of us.

“Talking with our leader right now is Nicholas, our [Tactician]. Sera, I bet you two will be spending quite a bit of time together. Despite his class name, he focuses on auras and buffs. As long as he’s alive, conscious, and has a steady supply of [Ether] to fuel his skills, he’ll help coordinate our efforts and allow each of us to fight at our full potential, both individually and as a team.

“And then we’ve got our leader, Alexey. He’s a [Bludgeoner] through and through. No fancy tricks or subtlety. He hits things hard and has skills that allow him to hit even harder. Don’t worry about his appearances; he’s seen more than a few things, but he’s loyal to a fault and you can rely on him when the chips are down. Immigrated from Russia to the States back shortly after the fall of the wall. Did a tour in Kosovo back twenty-odd years ago to earn his American citizenship, then has pretty much been a military man his whole life until he retired back five years ago with full honors and distinction.”

“Alright, you three ladies,” Alexey says just as Lindsey finishes her speech. If his name and backstory didn’t give his birthplace away, his still-heavy Eastern European accent certainly would have. “I think it’s about time to head out. Chloe, Sera, do I have your names correct?”

We both nod, and I add a sheepish ‘Yes, Sir’ for good measure.

“Good. Lindsey, scout out along our usual path.”

“Yes, Sir,” she says. She moves with a graceful celerity, sprinting past the edge of civilization and into the nearby trees without making a sound or leaving even a trace of wind in her wake.

“Nicholas, have you finished our final preparations relating to our supplies? We’re going to plan on a five day excursion this time around, now that we’ve got two new recruits.”

“As you command, sir. Foodstuffs are sufficient, though I’ll need to get a few more water treatment tablets and filters for safety’s sake.”

“See to it, even if there’s a slight delay. Our goal, first and foremost, is to return from our mission alive and well.”

“Sir, yes sir!” He nods and jogs off to the nearby warehouse building. I notice a couple of army personnel standing guard outside the building.

“Jackie, Anna, see to it that our newest recruits are properly outfitted. We’ll plan to depart at oh-nine thirty local.” The two both nod and salute.

“Brent, you’re with me. And you two,” he says, offering his hand to the both of us. “Welcome aboard. We look forward to working with the both of you.”

“As do we,” Chloe and I both say, again in unison, as we shake hands with our boss for the next several months.