Lex and Ryan didn't know where to start in finding the hidden forces of this foe.
"Hey, you said he was creating those wolves and had a hand in what happened earlier? He destroyed our city?" Lex didn't hide his voice while walking about.
Speaking into the walkie-talkie.
"Should be. That guy is a psychopath who loves death." A loud voice replied.
Lex fiddled with the volume after seeing how loud it was. Feeling his ears ache.
"Do you still have eyes on us?"
"Wait until I get to the right place." In that small time talking, he heard her running.
"Alright, keep radio silence until I say it's okay. I'll be keeping you updated." He said it like there'd be a distance between his next report, but went on immediately.
Ryan's katanas hovering behind him.
The young 'Assassin Mage' checked the ground. There were hardly any tracks.
This wasn't a thick forest, after all.
The solid concrete beneath them was still fine. It wasn't like there wasn't damage.
When the lightning struck, there were many who were burnt into ashes by it.
The remains blackened the ground in several places, which gave some hope.
Those idiotic zombies stepped on the fallen's ashes and made some footprints.
The only problem was that it was hard to discern a direction with little information.
The tracks weren't long enough.
"Most the tracks are heading towards that mansion your comrade is at. Me and Ryan will look for the nearest gathering of zombies. Might help." Lex communicated.
"Don't you mean 'our' comrade? Eh?" The muscly youth nudged his new friend.
"…I'm a temporary member."
"What?! Why?" Ryan didn't understand.
"Because you all criminals and I wouldn't be working with you at any other time. I would arrest you otherwise." Lex didn't give in. He was a man with strong beliefs.
Despite not following any religion.
They dropped that subject when Lex continued to track the lost zombies.
Moving closer towards the mansion.
"…Hey, what Sub Class is yours?" Lex was a bit interested since they were working.
Team leaders should understand their team members. It would help a lot.
"Pardon?" Ryan tilted his head.
"Fine. I'll call you 'Ryan' properly. Now can you answer my simple question?"
"That's not what I mean. Err… What's a Sub Class? Is this a video game?" Ryan's reaction made the Assassin Mage turn to him. Ignoring the tracks they found.
"You're messing with me."
"Am I…?"
"You don't know what a Sub Class is. I'm supposed to believe that." Lex asked while looking like he wouldn't fall for the gag, and Ryan looked back in confusion.
"Right." He nodded his head.
Lex glared at him for a while. Looking like he could chop up and cook the fool.
Only to widen his eyes right after.
"…You're serious." He said this which a deep frown. It was a crazy conversation.
Who didn't know about their Sub Class?
Despite what the name suggested, you'd be asked in any academy what your profession, AKA 'Sub Class' is, rather than your actual Job Class. Obviously.
Not everyone had a Gift. Meaning they'd have to pick being Jobless Class anyway.
On the other hand, you could cultivate a Sub Class simply by doing the actions.
If you're Sub Class is a Gunner, then learn how to use a gun. That simple.
"You and Betty talk like Jobs are your whole lives or something. Loosen up~" A few words from Ryan were enough to make Lex speechless. It was too insane.
It was at this point the once skeptical student realised something that was odd.
He looked at Ryan's spotless right hand.
"What's wrong?" Ryan spoke with a little fear when his arm was suddenly grabbed.
Since there was radio silence in place, it was hard for Betty to notice what was going on. Until he pressed the button, all sounds from his end would be cut off.
Lex looked at the back of the right hand.
Nothing…
"How are you still fine?" Did he have a Gift similar to his own or something?
"You mean from Miasma? Not sure. I just stopped thinking about it too much." The youth didn't seem to notice how hard he was being scrutinised by his companion.
"…Don't let anyone find out. You should wear a glove or something. There's a clothing store over there we could find one in." Lex dragged the youth over.
He didn't even think of paying for the glove he bought. The city was destroyed.
It meant everything was ownerless until he said otherwise. Survival was priority.
"What's all this about?" Ryan didn't know why his new friend was acting like this.
"Don't ever tell anyone you're unaffected by Miasma, okay? Listen. I'll believe what you said about being a time traveller." Lex sounded like he was guiding a child.
"You will?! What changed your mind about this so sudden-" Ryan heard a crash. His words were interrupted by his companion breaking a nearby window.
Now there were more shattered glass pieces everywhere. Was what he thought.
But soon changed when he saw the fearful blue face of Lex Lindblum.
"You'll be taken apart and experimented on for the good of humanity. Harmonic Theory is that kind of organisation." Lex calmed himself and looked around him.
Finding the glove he needed nearby.
He covered Ryan's right hand and tried his best to keep himself under control.
"What are you planning to do after we escape from here?" He looked worried.
"Maybe become a sportsman? I play a mean Shaolin Soccer striker."
"Forget it."
"Huh…?"
"Forget everything. Before the 3rd Eruption happened, there was only one Class everyone picked unanimously." A mysterious look appeared in Lex's eyes.
"Really?" This was a surprise.
He understood about 'Job Classes' now thanks to Betty… but this was new.
To think he was getting a history lesson.
"Do you know what Harmonic Theory was called before that?" Lex blandly asked it.
"No. What?"
"Magus Association. It was a society of crazy Mages that would rip people apart for 'the bigger picture'. If you can't already tell: Eceryone with a Gift chose being a Mage. MAGE!" Lex shouted.
"Oh…" Only then did Ryan understand.
Even back in his time, Mages were quite the scary people when feeling curious.
They'd use any excuse to rip him apart.
He felt a chill down his spine and quickly fastened the black glove to be tighter.
Not wanting it to come off in a fight.
"Sub Classes are your profession. Having abilities doesn't mean you branch out your skills. If you don't focus, you will become a master of nothing." Lex gave the common reasoning for this culture.
It was why he focused on group combat and assassination more than fighting.
His martial arts being average.
"If you say Sub Classes are like that, then I think mine is…" Ryan held out his hand towards the hovering katanas behind Lex's back. It flew to him telekinetically.
Telekinesis? Psychokinesis? No, strings of light surrounded him like a web.
"…'Puppeteer'."
"…" Lex was in awe.
He couldn't believe there was someone with this much fine control over Mana.
"You have Sage Blood."
"I have what now?" Ryan once again became confused of what he meant.
The young Assassin Mage sighed.
"Magic Pathways. You can freely manipulate Mana without the constraints of a Normie like me. Damn… Was even a commoner like you a Sage back then?" A look of jealousy appeared in Lex's eyes.
He needed all sorts of tricks in order to manipulate Mana. Even those who had good Gifts couldn't freely manipulate Mana within them. They needed a tool to do that. 'Sages' were completely on a different level than a Normie like him.
They were considered nobility.
Having high status in society and pulling the strings behind the Harmonic Theory.
"If you're asking if everyone could do this much, then yeah. Why? Can't you guys use Mana?" The innocent way Ryan asked that only made him feel more inferior.
"Humans can't use Mana."
"That's not the humanity I knew in Valkcry Empire." Ryan tilted his head.
Truly wondering why they couldn't use Mana when it was intrinsic to Humans.
He chose to put it aside for now.
"Ready to work together?" Ryan held out his hand to shake on this goal properly.
After what just happened, respect had grown in Lex's heart towards the youth.
"I am." He shook on it resolutely.
Their relationship changing when the cat was out of the bag. It was a big change.
Ryan had took the leadership role without having to fight for it. He lead his partner.
"We need to create an escape route outside the mansion. All four sides of the mansion is too out in the open. Trying to force ourselves in will be suicide." When the leader chabged, it felt too different.
Lex liked to rely on himself and tended to become tunnel-visioned to the objective.
This time traveller was different.
He saw things from a more broader angle than he could. Bringing up a good point.
The mage hadn't even thought of that.
"If you're asking me to go underground to infiltrate, then just forget it. You have no idea how bad the sewers stink." Lex made that clear to him. This wasn't a kids show.
You couldn't just go into the sewers.
"I can create a barrier that cuts smell."
"Still not doing that."
"Why not?"
"What if I stepped on raw poop?" Lex looked disgusted just thinking about it.
"Fine. We won't use sewers." Ryan gave in while they were leaving the store.
He started to look around.
His eyes laid on a certain vehicle.
"Can you fix this?" Ryan patted on what seemed to be a truck left on the highway.
"You know what this is?" Lex raised a brow at how familiar he seemed to be.
"Isn't it a truck?"
"They had trucks in ancient times too?"
"Of course. I read stories about people being sent to other worlds after being hit by a truck." Ryan didn't know if a Wheeler Truck holding clothes was what they used, but it was good enough right now.
"…I'm not a mechanic. Also, what kind of world do you mean? The afterlife?"
"Not exactly…" Ryan replied while being disappointed they couldn't hitch a ride.
Lex thought about it a little more.
It was true that he couldn't use any skills as a mechanic to fix it, but what about himself as a Mage? He sorted through his techniques while meshing some cogs.
Combing through his memories.
A leader's job was to make decisions, and the smart guy's role was to provide data.
Question: What did Ryan want?
Answer: A vehicle to use for escape.
"Would a smaller vehicle work?" Lex asked while looking through the options.
"Unless it can fly and be able to take on flying weapons or beams, then no. We'll just get killed. A truck can at least mow down the zombies in our way." Ryan shook his head. Having made a decision.
He wasn't going to bend.
"…Alright. It might take around an hour getting it though. Do we have time?"
"Betty, are we allowed an hour to ourselves to find an escape vehicle?" The ancient, Ryan Rayleigh, immediately used his walkie-talkie. Radio silence was off.
"You can. Her vitals are stable. I'm going to try using a drone to find her current situation. It doesn't seem like they want to hurt her… for now." Betty agreed to it.
"Alright. I need you somewhere." Lex guided the 'team leader' somewhere.
"Where are we going?"
"To ask my dad if we can borrow his car for a bit." Lex spoke something common.
Right, bringing a family car.
Why not? It probably worked and had fuel… but wasn't that unnecessary?
He already said it before.
"What does he have? I don't care if your dad has a Ferrari. It'll turn into a sieve from how many bullets will be shot at it. I hope you're not gonna say it's bulletproof or something." Because that'd be a lie.
Ryan wouldn't be able to believe that a mere school student had it bulletproof.
No matter how much the world leaned towards combat, there was a limit.
Would authorities be able to live in peace if everyone went around with such a car?
"It's bulletproof and can fly." Lex's words sounded similar to Ryan's nonsense.
Except even more unbelievable.
"You're messing with me." Ryan spoke before looking at the Mage in the eyes.
Then continued: "You have to be kidding."
"There's no point lying here." Lex also knew how crazy his house car sounded.
It was time to borrow his dad's car.