Chap #24 Two Encounters

Joy and Rune saw Melissa first thing in the morning and felt weirded out inside. But they suppressed it. Plus, she wasn't alone and walked with a serious expression. A pack of girls followed her, heading straight toward the living rooms on this floor.

When Melissa saw Joy and Rune, she nodded at them and said "Just cooperate." The guard girls behind her grabbed Joy and Rune before they could say anything.

Joy instantly screamed, "What are you trying to do?!"

Keneric, however, didn't know any of this. He was far from the Arts building, running through the swamp at great speed, staying in the shadows wherever he went. He moved logically, avoiding big watery areas, and only crossed overgrown straw grass when there was no clear or stable path ahead.

He came to a halt near the edge of the arts campus. "This should be far enough," he said.

Most of the buildings here had collapsed, with only the aftereffects of the green water remaining. Still, some structures stood, and one of them was a guard room. He went inside to check for anything useful. But no—except for the guard uniform, everything had already been taken.

"Looks like the professor's team already looted this area," Keneric muttered and moved on.

Looking for supplies wasn't his goal today, but if he found something, he wouldn't turn it down. Even if he couldn't eat it, his two teammates would appreciate it. Yes, he already considered Joy a teammate and while Rune was new, she was good at carrying stuff and had great stamina, so Keneric didn't mind the company. Also, her small, petite figure was perfect for squeezing into narrow spaces—handy in a world full of crumbling buildings.

Keneric entered another building. He didn't see anything useful on the surface, but it would make a decent second base. He kept it in mind and continued searching the outer periphery of the arts campus, always circling the edges to avoid anyone the professor might've sent for gathering resources or scouting.

After two more hours of wandering, Keneric found a vending machine and a privately owned fast food joint from before the world went to hell. Sadly, there was no food inside. But the restaurant had a basement storage area. When Keneric tried to go down, he saw it was filled with the same green, bubbly water as the parking lot. He gave up on whatever might've been in those freezers.

The professor's men must've come here too and returned empty-handed. No one sane would walk into suspicious water willingly.

But the trip wasn't completely useless. Right beside the fast food place was a small, one-floor building covered entirely in overgrown vines, completely green from the outside. If the inside was preserved, it could make for an ideal second base camp.

Keneric went into heavy-duty mode, tearing through the vines until he reached a closed window. He widened the path so others could fit through and opened the window with effort, and crawled inside. The vines were fat and strong—clearly the work of the mystical water—but Keneric was growing fond of this place. And when he got inside, he understood why.

It was some sort of arts and crafts club room, with benches, chairs, and everything still preserved. Some vines had crept in but hadn't damaged the overall structure or furniture or the foundation.

"Perfect," Keneric said, after finding some snacks and tea in a cupboard. These people were clearly eccentric, using expensive stuff to make their teas—but Keneric was more excited about the untouched room itself.

It was rare to find buildings in such good condition after the world changed. This one had survived, probably protected by the vines from the outside. Also, being only one story tall, it likely took less damage during the cataclysm.

Before leaving, Keneric tidied up and created an extra exit point. He already had one entry point, the window, which could double as an exit, but just in case, he made another at the back, spending a few more hours clearing vines. Before heading out, he blocked both points with lightweight furniture—easy to move for someone who knew what to look for—and walked away.

Next, he decided to circle back to the stronghold and tell everyone about the excellent tea he found.

But on the way, an overgrown spider blocked his path. Since it was far from the club building, he chose to retreat, stepping back the way he came. He didn't want to wrestle with something that had multiple eyes, multiple legs, and was as big as he was.

Things, however, never went according to plan.

Another spider had snuck up behind him while looking awfully similar to the first one and Keneric realized he'd fallen into a trap. Good thing his instincts were quick. He jumped sideways as the second spider lunged from behind. The first one joined in too, and soon a two-versus-one fight broke out—pure nightmare fuel for anyone with arachnophobia.

But back at the stronghold, another kind of battle was underway—one focused more on enemies within than with-out.