The dome glowed a light red as I exited its protective embrace. Unfortunately for us, my apartment is still outside the dome. Grendel was huddled inside his bubble, careful not to make a sound. The air around us stood still. Unlike the inside of the barrier, the buildings had been overtaken by large swatches of overgrowth. A few seemed like twisted caricatures of their former selves while others seemed wholly or partly unreformed. Gliding through a glade of thick grass that had sprouted through massive holes in the concrete street, we made our way toward the apartment.
I nearly didn’t recognize the building. Large vines clung to the outside, weaving in through cracked windows and holes in the walls. The sign for the complex dangled precariously above. Heading inside, the vines had even weaved through the elevator shaft, making it unusable. Why anyone would even try with the building looking like this is anyone’s guess. Stairs it is. Traversing the flights of stairs I soon made it to the sixth story of the building. Stopping for a moment I thought back to times when the elevator had been out of service. My legs had ached so much climbing those steps. Rubbing the inside of my calves, the muscles were tough but not overly sore.
Once inside my apartment, I quickly released Grendel back into the comfort of his bed. I could hear his purring as I glanced about trying to assess the damage to the room. A majority of the disarray had been brought on by the howler, claw marks still etched themselves into the wooden floorboards. Slight damage had occurred due to the outside growth, small cracks in windows housed vining plants, some with flowering buds. A soft breeze carried itself throughout the room, making Grendel curl up even more.
“Okay, so we made it through the tutorial… just what do we do next?” I asked myself. First, I should probably grab a different backpack if I want to be able to survive out there. I know Grendel likes the bubble pack but I can only fit so much in there as it is. With the barrier where it is, I’m not sure how much longer this building is going to be safe.
Sifting through my closet, I found an old hiking backpack, filling it with cans of cat food and treats for Grendel as well as other food and necessities. Taking stock of the items remaining in the apartment, I stuffed my knife into its small plastic sheath and placed it in the bag. Next, I grabbed a set of wraps that I often used for heavy bag training at the gym. I thought back to Boxtro and how the heavy bags I used to use were nowhere to be seen and let out a sigh. I wonder if I’ll ever get to box again…
Laying on my bed, I traced the cracks in the ceiling until my mind began to clear once more. Peering at my computer, it looked just as sad and lonely as the rest of the city. I wonder if it’ll even turn on. I reached over to a nearby table lamp and flicked its switch. The bulb flickered to life before turning back off again. Guess that’s a no. I need some way of messaging the others. My eyes shut for a moment as I thought, before fluttering back open.
“That’s it!” I said, almost yelling. I sat up on my bed. Concentrating, I brought up the messages from John again. Swiping them away, this time I tried starting my own chat log. How do I add people?
Didi.
A familiar soft tone sounded. A new screen popped up with a search function.
[Would you like to search for a friend?]
Do I search for their usernames or their actual names? I guess either might work considering John was using his usual _knightMare screen name. Adding everyone to the group, I sent the first message:
Seleth_: If anyone receives this message let me know. I’m still unsure how this messaging system works.
A few minutes passed before I got a reply notification.
Didi.
UndeadMochi: Oh wow, I didn’t even know this feature existed… What else have you been hiding from us Selle?
Seleth_: It's your own fault for not checking out the different features Moch. How’ve you been holding on?
UndeadMochi: Blah T-_-. I’m fine. At least this whole update thing got me out of going to work.
Tilda_Bear: We should do a headcount and make sure that everyone’s alright.
Elmwood: I’m doing alright, the other night gave me quite a scare though.
Seleth_: Oh right, Elm don’t you live in the middle of nowhere? Is there a safe zone you can get to?
Elmwood: Safe zone? What’s that?
Seleth_: I’ll take that as a no then… Just make sure you’re staying safe Elm.
Tilda_Bear: Has anyone heard from John?
Seleth_: I got a couple of weird messages from him, but nothing as back and forth as this chat.
Tilda_Bear: What’d he say? Is he alright?
Seleth_: The first message was about our class tutorials, which I would recommend you all complete too if you haven’t already. The second was about something called Prentice Pass. I don’t really know what that one was about though.
Tilda_Bear: Prentice pass? That’s strange. There’s a small town named that outside of the city nearby where I live. My dad goes into town there sometimes when he doesn’t want to drive all the way into the city.
Seleth_: Hmm… maybe it would be best if you and I met up IRL then. That way we could try and figure this whole thing out together.
Elmwood: What about the rest of us?
Seleth_: You and Mochi both live further away than Tilda does. For the time being, try to stay alive and work on leveling up your skills. You two can message either me or Tilda if you need anything in the meantime. Otherwise, hopefully, we’ll all be able to meet up soon.
UndeadMochi: That’s alright with me. Elm? Do you think you can survive that long?
Elmwood: The house has plenty of food in case of an emergency. I should be alright. I still need to go out and do my tutorial quest though. I might bring Sedrick with me.
UndeadMochi: *Rich kid alert* OH! So the butler’s name is Sedrick?
Elmwood: *Caregiver while my parents are away on business.
UndeadMochi: Oh wow, he even corrected me. *Butler
Seleth_: Ehm. Anyway, Tilda, I should be headed your way soon. I haven’t been outside of Pinehill’s protective barrier much yet so hopefully, I don’t run into too much trouble getting to you.
Tilda_Bear: We don’t have a barrier on the farm, so we’ve seen quite a few smaller monsters around. Just be careful. If you see anything that might be too hard to beat just try going around it. Have you had any luck using your class yet?
Seleth_: … Sorta.
UndeadMochi: If you die can I take your place as guild leader?
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