“Hang out right here. I’m gonna get my crew to help everyone. Just be patient,” was all CJ said as he broke into a light jog toward the retirement home, “Monty, stay hidden as long as you can. That’s just one group of confused people and we haven’t seen the other truck yet.”

Elena and Rubio were the first two out of the door. They were quickly followed by Jenn who was coaxing Roger out of the building. CJ noticed that Roger was a little too apprehensive. Good thing he had a present for him.

Transforming his clothes into the High Examiners robe, CJ reached into his sleeve and produced one of the bullet proof vests they took from the chicken dungeon. He handed it to Rubio as he passed him. To Rubio’s credit, he quickly slipped it onto himself without breaking stride. Rubio did side eye CJ’s outfit though.

“Roger, we just need to explain to these people how to use their slates. They never had them before. Here, I grabbed a bunch of these from the last dungeon. I assume you’ve been trained with it?” CJ asked while getting the older gentlemen to focus on the AR-15 in his hands.

“Where did you get… right the dungeon. Look I’ve got a big problem coming out here. I don’t know these fuckers and what if shit pops off?” replied Roger.

“I also got a bunch of these.” CJ handed Roger another one of the vests, “Never leave good loot just lying around. That’s what I always say.”

“Uh… thanks man. Good lookin out.”

“Okay, people we just need to explain what the slates they now see are and then we hit the road. It looks to be almost three and I’d like to get back to the safe zone before dark.”

CJ spun around directing traffic as some of the Humanities Saviors began to hoot and holler. Then a red beam lit up on the wall of the pharmacy they were all standing around. The red dot it made moved back and forth in a figure eight pattern. Then the guy pointing his hand at it, created a fist. Stones chipped off the wall plinking to the ground.

“I’ve got some kind of targeted force power. I’m a damn space wizard!” he whooped.

As CJ approached and tried to calm everyone he noticed several people clutching their recovered weapons. They were eyeing CJ’s crew very cautiously. That made him do a double take. He spun around to look at his team.

Elena was rocking football pads, a skull bikers’ helmet, and she had a chainsaw slung over her shoulder with a rocket launcher strapped to her back. Jenn’s blonde hair was sticking out from the straps of her plague doctor’s mask while she carried an old school pesticide sprayer. Over her chest was a bullet proof vest she, Rubio, and now Roger were all rocking. The only difference was Rubio carried a kitted out rifle and Roger held an AR-15 like he knew how to use it.

Then CJ looked down at himself. Now clad in the High Examiners robes he could be confused for death himself. He had a bald head and a very thin frame. As long as they could look past the Black skin and all. He decided to cut the tension by reverting his outfit back to the tuxedo.

“Sorry about that, out here we come loaded for bear. Jenn, if you will. Please place Liber on the ground. I’d like him to remember this.”

Jenn took Liber out of her backpack. She had a strap on the end of the sprayer and slung it over her shoulder while holding him. Then she gently placed him down onto the gravel of the parking lot.

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“Heavens, this is a larger audience. Greetings, my name is Liber, and I will be your erstwhile historian for today.” Said the book.

“Alright, just record or write or whatever what’s about to happen.” CJ shrugged rubbing his hand across his forehead with his other hand on his hip, “I’d like your assistance going forward since I think I’m going to be doing a lot of this.”

“Capital idea. Delighted to be of service and not shoved in a bag.”

“Listen up.” CJ addressed the gathered HS people. “Your slates have been repaired. You can now read the messages and build yourself up. You have attributes, levels, and classes. The classes give you powers like the space wizard over there. Depending on the power, it will draw from your mana or stamina. They should be bars you can see in your vision if you focus. I suggest reading all available information your slate gives you but be aware your focus on the slate can be noticed by people around you. Any questions?”

“What should I pick for my class?”

“I don’t understand any of this?”

“Aren’t we supposed to catch that mother fucker? Why are we listing to this?”

“My ability says it uses my health to heal others. How do I change that?

The questions came rapidly, and CJ decided to divide and conquer. He directed anyone with attribute score questions to talk to Elena. Anyone with ability questions to speak with Jenn. Those with general navigation questions to speak with Rubio. He hoped he could wrap this up quickly by breaking them into groups.

His group was shared with Roger. Once one group was finished they switched off trying to answer as many questions as they could. Some things they just didn’t know.

New Message from Monty: I hear the other vehicle moving around. You might want to wrap this up.

“Alright that’s it we need to be moving on.” CJ interrupted all the breakouts, “Remember to get your people to start clearing dungeons. You know you’ve found one when a monsters avoid a specific area. They just won’t go near it. That’s the only way to save all of us. Not just some of us. All the humans that are left.”

“But won’t the people who took the deal be coming back at the end of the decade?” asked a guy he just accepted the Shadow Stalker class.

“There needs to be something for them to come back too. If we all get wiped out they’ll be returning to a place infested with monsters. How long do you think they’ll last then? So, in summation, we’re leaving. You’re welcome. Clear dungeons.”

New Message from Rubio: Can’t leave yet. Rogers got a surprise for you. We have to go back in.

CJ then waived goodbye to the gathered and now less confused members of Humanities Saviors. Driving his idling motorcycle back over to the entrance of the retirement home. Roger opened the door to usher everyone in. Monty sprinted from one of the bushes into the now open doorway. Jenn carried Liber with her and the Trinchars followed. CJ had to turn his bike off, reluctantly, before going inside.

“We need to make this quick. What’s so important that we came…” CJ’s words died in his mouth as he beheld the now tricked out Escalade.

Roger had added metal plating to each side and built a serrated ram on the front grill. There were a bunch of broken electronics and various forms of bedding stuffed into the back of the vehicle. It looked like he was ready to go on a road trip.

“If I knew you were bringing back AR-15’s I would have made the firing slots larger. Right now, you can only get a handgun through there.” Explained Roger with the biggest shit eating grin CJ had ever seen.

“This is amazing.” Marveled CJ as he walked around the upgraded vehicle. “Is there enough gas in the tank to make it an hour or so south with all this weight?”

“Shit, gasoline is the power source of the past. This baby’s powered by mana now. It took me five tries to get a working concept. It’s not as efficient as I can make it, but she’ll run. She’ll fuckin run.”

“How do you intend on getting it out of here?” asked CJ.

“Same way you brought it in. Go ahead, shrink it down.”

CJ looked at his pathetic mana pool. He only had thirty two mana left after ensuring everyone’s bikes would be okay. He looked over at Monty who just shook his head. Then he looked back at everyone and sighed.

“You’re gonna have to hit me.”

Just then, the other truck pulled into the parking lot. CJ ran over to the viewing ports that Roger had set up only to see the space was now empty. When he looked back, Roger just shrugged.

“I packed it for the move.”