Hey guys, before you read this chapter. I am sincerely sorry for not being active. I had been busy with stuff last week, and I know you guys probably don't care, but I do hope I will be more productive. Again, I am genuinely sorry, and I'll try to make it up to you. Now, time to get going with the chapter.
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Quickly checking her teammates' luggage, Rosalina was jumping with joy. It was finally the day where her team would take their first Hunter mission.
The mission was simple, search an abandoned city up in the North. From the small debrief they had, they were to find any suspicious activities that have been recently picked up.
Ivy looked down at her Scroll, checking for any extra information she was able to find. Of course, she didn't find anything. Sighing, Ivy put away her Scroll.
"May Team RILEY, please go to Helipad Five," a female spoke over the PA.
Hearing their team finally being called on, they immediately picked up their luggage and started walking towards Helipad Five.
Both Ivy and Lilith carried light while the others took a bit heavier luggage.
The Helipad area was an open-spaced area with military helicopters. They were greeted by Scarlett, who simply nodded at them.
Just before they continue strolling towards their helicopter, they intercepted Team BRAVO. A year two team that was supposed to return to the academy two months ago.
The team looked extremely down, their faces in a grim state and heads hung low.
Ivy approached a werewolf girl whose name was Violet; "You're back! What happened?"
Violet looked at Ivy, her purple ears sprung up at seeing Ivy. She looked at her team before staring back at Ivy.
"It...it was futile to save them. W-we couldn't save them, and we attracted too much attention."
Comprehending the brief words, Ivy placed a hand on Violet's shoulder. "Not everyone can be saved; at least you tried your best, and that what matters."
"Ivy!"
Ivy looked over Violet's shoulder and saw her team were already in the helicopter. Sighing, Ivy removed her hand and headed towards the plane.
Violet quickly slipped something in Ivy's hand. The girl was worried for Ivy, something was nagging her.
Ivy took a quick glance at what Violet slipped into her hand. A small black circle attached to her metal hand. Ignoring the object, Ivy hopped on her helicopter as she waited for the pilot to take off.
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Arriving at their mission, the team was shocked at the abandoned city they entered. Buildings collapsed or unfinished, streets filled with debris, and some with roaming monsters. Lamp posts flickering on and off, there were barely any signs of actual socialization.
The helicopter landed in an open area, blowing away small amounts of dust. The team jumped out as they observed the place.
Since it was a bit up North, the wind was chilly and harsh. For Ivy and Lilith, it was barely seething them, but for the rest, even Scarlett had to put on some warmer clothing.
"Okay, this place roams with monsters. I want all of you to be careful and know your surroundings," Scarlett ordered as she walked around with her pack on her.
Each one of them had a pack to carry, it had only the necessary needs and nothing more.
"Alright, team! Since we need to see if anything looks suspicious, let's look around in pairs," Rosalina suggested. She was in a joyous mood, being on a Hunter mission was a dream she has away had. Now Rosalina could finally accomplice her dream.
Ivy nodded as she pulled out Oathkeeper. She looked away from Rosalina to check the area before telling herself that everything was fine.
"Alright, since Lilith will be with York, and I'll be with Eden. Ivy, I hope you don't mind going alone?" Rosalina asked nervously.
Ivy saw Lilith's face with a concerned look, letting out a smile, she said, "I'll be fine. Go ahead, I think Professor Scarlett will give us more laps when we get back to the academy if we don't do anything."
Just like that, the paired groups started going in separate directions. Ivy to the East, York, and Lilith to the North where Scarlett was going, and Rosalina and Eden going West.
At 1300, Ivy found an abandoned shop. No logo, no sign, just bleak. She turned the knob on the door but nothing. Ivy pressed her body against the door to see if there was any activity.
Nothing but the cold wind passing by.
"Ivy."
Upon instinct, Ivy whipped out Oathkeeper and had it pointed at the source of the sound. Only to see Scarlett standing still, no fear in her eyes.
"Caught me off guard, professor," Ivy apologized.
"Walk with me," Scarlett said as she started to stroll down a street. Ivy was inclined to follow Scarlett, and so she did.
"What do you see here, miss Ivy?" Scarlett suddenly asked. She looked around, taking in every septic of the building.
"A story socialization, people who could have succeeded if they just had more time," Ivy responded. She has seen plenty of ruined cities and villages, heck even Toyko was once a prosperous city but they didn't have time.
"You're right, but nowadays, time is precious. We cling to time as much as we can just to slowly be squeezing it out," Scarlett spoke cryptically. "I do wish that one day, we can have ti--"
BWAAAAAAAAAH!
Three gorilla-like monsters appeared a couple meters away from the two women. Their bodies covered in black skin, with bone-like plates covering their bodies at certain places like armor. A red pattern or symbol resembling an eye is present on their back.
Ivy held out Oathkeeper in front of her as if it was a sword, but before she could even make a move. Scarlett exploded like literally exploded, creating a crater in the pavement.
Seeing Scarlett exploded, Ivy stood back as she saw a flash of burning bright embers shot out of the dust and smoke. Without hesitating, Ivy sat down and watched as Scarlett dealt with these Beringels.
"GOD DAMN APES!" Scarlett raged.
"They're actually gorillas, as noted bu the author!" Ivy corrected for reader humor.
Ignoring Ivy's remark, Scarlett immediately slammed her heel into the gorilla's skull, breaking it upon impact and leaving a dent in the street. She then quickly and swiftly dealt with the other two before calming down her breathing.
Seeing that the monsters' bodies were disappearing, Scarlett walked back to Ivy, who was clapping.
"Scary, I must say, I wasn't expecting you to...explode," Ivy smiled.
"Oh shut up, come on, it's getting dark. We'll find a place to camp out for now," Scarlett commanded.
Without any hesitation, Ivy jumped onto one of the buildings' roofs and started searching with the high ground advantage. While Scarlett starts sprinting towards the other direction where she last saw the others.