After having walked for a couple of hours, we managed to reach quite the strange structure. The word “bunker” didn’t do it any justice at all. Instead of expecting a gate going to the underground, I was faced with what could only be described as a “citadel.” Stone walls stretched for about 600 meters in each direction and about 5 meters high.

Atop the walls were watch towers spread out for every 20 meters, most likely to defend against the monsters. As we approached a massive gate, I heard a light rumble sound out before the gate itself moved. After a few seconds, I spotted two people approaching us, looking quite similar to each other. Renei donned a smile to hide his fatigue and greeted them.

“Hey there guys….so how’s it goin?”

“”......””

It seemed they were having none of it, as they just kept staring at him, as if boring holes through his very being. After a minute of utter silence, they finally changed their target to me and Matthew and instead gave us a quizzical look. I was very confused by this point, not knowing what to do. Eventually, Renei seemed to get a hold of himself and walked in between us and the two people.

“I think introductions are in order. James, Matthew, these are the twins Derrick and Merrick. Twins, these are James and Matthew, got me out of a crappy situation.”

We shook each other's hands and proceeded to head through the gates while greeting other people on our way to a large stone structure. All the other people we met didn’t seem to have any powers, and if they did, they were quite basic ones such as stamina regeneration. The biggest difference between them and Renei or Matthew was that they didn’t have a “Job,” merely a skill. I hadn’t checked what the twins possessed yet; I planned to check over the entire team at once to compare them.

When we finally arrived at our destination, we spotted 3 more people, two guys and a girl. The guys were pretty average looking, with dark hair and hazel eyes. The only peculiar thing about the girl was how she wore a green mask to cover her nose and mouth, allowing me to only see her sapphire eyes. Renei walked ahead of us and handled the introductions again. Apparently the 2 guys were called Kyle and Timothy and the girl’s name was Jessica. Since all of them were here now, I guess it was just about time to check out their powers.

Analysis Activated

{Timothy Barker

Job: Warper}

{Kyle Stewarts

Job: Apprentice of Ice}

{Jessica Steiner

Job: Apprentice of Heat}

{Merrick Stinson

Job: Esper}

{Derrick Stinson

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Job: Telepath}

All the members of Renei’s team had jobs, which really surprised me, since up until now I’d only met a total of 3 people who’d had them, Renei included. From what I could see, they all treated each other fairly, and none of the people we had passed seemed to be stressed or uncomfortable around them. This boded well for me, enough to do what I came here for.

I waited for them to finish their short greetings before finally standing in front of the entire group. After taking a deep breath and thinking about what I would actually say, I opened my mouth.

“Hey Renei, how would you feel about forming a team with me?”

He seemed to have guessed that this would happen, because unlike the other 5 who stared at me with wide eyes, he was perfectly calm.

“As you can see here, my friend, I’d need to discuss this with the others before coming to a decision,” was the last thing he said before giving me a wink and heading off. After the Renei and his team headed inside the stone monument, Matthew approached with careful steps until he was just beside me.

“Hey, you sure this will work out?” He whispered carefully while staring all around us. I couldn’t really give a full guarantee either way, so I gave him a light smile in a show of confidence.

✶✶✶

Renei POV

“Renei, just who did you bring?”

That was the first thing Jessica asked as soon as we entered our little “base.” I waited in silence for the others to speak as well.

“Yeah, I don’t know if the others could sense it, but Jessica and I saw……that guy was a monster” was what Kyle said

““We couldn’t even read his thoughts, it’s like gazing into a blank slate””

It seemed even the twins had something to say about him when they were usually silent. I knew they had their worries about this, but my gut (and ability) were telling me to take this deal.

“Alright guys, I know you have your worries, but trust me when I say this. Had those two come with violence in mind….we wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

They all gave me an inquisitive look, but couldn’t refute me; They all trusted my judgment. For good reason, too, as it was this same judgment that saved us multiple times from danger.

Finally, after hammering out a few details, we decided on what we’d do. We would become members of James’ team. However, if he showed any negative intentions towards us and the other survivors, we’d deal with the situation then.

*****

After we stepped out, I saw James and Matthew wearing grim expressions on their faces. I didn’t know why they looked that way, but soon, a feeling of dread crept up my being, causing me to stare up at the sky. As soon as I did that, I spotted a….screen? It just laid there doing nothing, but for some reason no one dared to move. After what felt like forever, the “screen” finally turned on…and I wish it hadn’t.

“Testing Testing, 1 2 3, 1 2 3…oh! It’s working!”

What we saw appear was a man with short green hair, running in waves, and an androgynous face. He carried a confident expression, like a ruler staring down his subjects, and wore a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Before I could decipher any more of his facial features, he spoke out again.

“You may be asking yourselves why is there a screen floating in the sky, and to that I can provide only one answer….to send a message,” He said, then took a slight pause for effect before continuing on again, “this message obviously being from me. The name I’m addressed by in Tartarus wouldn’t be processed by your inferior brains…so you may call me Gluttony. I have only one thing to tell you, and that is, in three days I will be sending my armies towards all your homes. You have two options, you may either submit….or face anguish worse than death.” Before anyone one could scream in protest, the screen disappeared just as promptly as they had appeared….taking my itch away with them….

…And just like that….the second calamity was on its way, heading straight towards us.