Amelia couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Instinctively, her head turned toward Jack, expecting him to be surprised, or at least taken aback by the village in front of them, but all she saw was the calmness of someone who had entirely accepted this reality.
Seeing that, she couldn’t help but blurt out, “How can you be so calm? Those things shouldn’t even be real!”
Jack looked at her and, to her shock, smiled bitterly. “I’m not calm. I’m nervous at the thought of fighting them, and I’m not even sure I’ll get out of this place alive. But what else am I supposed to do? If I’m not even able to overcome this, then what right do I have to…”
He stopped himself from speaking further, but in his mind he finished the thought. Be his friend.
All he wanted was to experience this new world, filled with possibilities, alongside his best friend. They were each other’s support. They had already gone through many hardships together throughout their childhood, possibly more than many adults, and they had always had the other to lean on.
Despite the apocalypse having started only a few hours ago, he didn’t need to think up any new promises or grand oaths to welcome this event. What he wanted had always been the same, unchanged since their early schooldays.
To support his best friend, the same way his best friend had always supported him.
And if he were to falter now, how could he ever accomplish that goal? The only way forward was to grit his teeth and move on. If he was too scared to do something, then he would force himself until he could. And if he thought he couldn’t do it, then he would.
His body was slightly trembling, not from excitement or fear, but from pure nervousness. His face wore a faint smile, but if one took the time to look closely, they would see the many worries that plagued him.
But despite his words, in Amelia’s eyes Jack seemed like an immovable rock in a turbulent sea. He gave her a sense of security that she longed for, one that had felt oh so distant until now.
Will I… be safe if I follow him? If so, then… I should… follow him, right?
Gradually, her already lowered guard began to fade, and she slowly found herself leaning on him more, wanting to cling to that feeling and never let it go.
Jack didn’t notice the change, he had already shifted his gaze back to the orcs’ village. With his previous experience in the goblins’ village, he had a rough idea of what awaited them and was now better prepared to deal with the current situation.
“Listen carefully.” Still staring ahead, he said, “You stay here while I go first and draw their attention. Once the orcs on the walls are gone, that’s your cue to follow me. By then, you won’t be targeted by arrows and can safely enter the village. Once there, try to sneak-attack them while I keep their eyes on me. Remember, safety first. Okay?”
Amelia didn’t listen as attentively as Jack had hoped. Her dreamy eyes were fixed on him as thoughts swirled in her head, and only when she heard his question did she nod.
“Okay.”
From there, it was a blur. She couldn’t remember much of what happened, how Jack got inside the village, how she entered a few minutes later, or how the fight unfolded. It felt as though that time had been entirely erased, save for a few moments.
Moments in which she was always close to being injured, or worse, but, like a knight in shining armor, Jack was always there to save her.
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Those memories seemed to repeat as if on a loop, and if not for the different ways in which Jack saved her, she might have believed that to be true.
It all happened so fast that one moment she was standing outside the village, and the next she was in the middle of its ruins, surrounded by orc corpses, and beside her stood a tired Jack, panting heavily, his clothes torn and his body marked with several cuts.
The sight made her earlier feelings surge in intensity. The safety, calmness, and support she needed were all right in front of her. The only thing left to do was to reach out, to grasp it, to make it hers, and… she did.
She ran up to him, wrapping her arms around his tired body as if she had done it expertly many times before. With a voice full of emotion, she said, “I’ve decided. From now on, you’ll be my boyfriend.”
Jack’s eyes widened. He didn’t know what to say or how to react. He had expected anything but this, he even wondered if Amelia was only saying it because of the emotional flood brought on by the adrenaline crash after the danger had passed.
After a moment of thought, and reasoning that this portal was Amelia’s first, he chalked it up to that and gently said, “Alright, alright. You can let go now.”
Amelia didn’t immediately comply. She debated with herself whether to release him, and only when she realized she was holding on too tightly did she slowly pull away, without a hint of awkwardness on her face.
Instead, she gave him a sweet smile and said, “Are we done with this place? Can we hang out outside? I want to spend time with you.”
Jack gave her a worried glance. He didn’t know how long an adrenaline crash would last, nor what state she would be in once her body recovered. With a weight on his chest, he said, “Mhm. The middle tent was empty, and I don’t see any other orcs around. That means we should be out of this place soon. Do you want me to accompany you back home?”
Amelia didn’t think twice and shook her head. “No, I don’t want to go home. I want to stay with you, bring me with you!”
“But—”
“No buts! I won’t go back home!” she stated firmly, her expression leaving no room for further argument.
It was then that the system’s voice rang out in both their minds.
[Mission: Kill all the Orcs in the village has been completed]
Rewards:
o Gold: 80 coins
o EXP: 40
o Title: Orcs Exterminator
This title enhances your reputation in towns and cities, increasing rewards for future quests involving monster extermination.
o Weapon of choice (Attributes will be assigned based on the weapon picked)
A long list of weapons flashed in Amelia’s mind. This time, it didn’t startle her. Barely glancing at it, she quickly chose a sword. In her opinion, since she had already picked it for this portal, it made sense to continue using it.
Jack, on the other hand, had already strapped his new saber to his waist. With it his tired expression seemed to vanish like smoke, replaced by a silly smile. Owning his favorite weapon had always been a dream, and now it had become reality.
[Portal will close in 10:00]
It was only when a portal formed in front of them, accompanied by a notification, that Jack and Amelia snapped out of their daze, each for different reasons, and turned their heads toward it in unison.
Amelia moved beside Jack, their clothes brushing together. Her intentions were crystal clear. Wherever Jack went, she would follow.
Her actions made Jack sigh. He didn’t have the stone-cold personality to push her away, so he could only accept her decision. But recalling what had happened after he exited the previous portal and lost sight of his friend, he felt compelled to warn her.
“When we leave, there’s a high chance we’ll be split and sent to different places. They shouldn’t be too far apart. When it happened to me before, I was only a street or two away from the place where I first entered. Stay where you are. I’ll come find you, and then, with a clear mind, you can decide whether you want to follow me or go back home.”
At first, she panicked, worried she wouldn’t be able to stay close to him. But as she listened, she gradually calmed down and nodded.
“I’ll be waiting for you.”
Jack stared at her deeply, and seeing that she had taken his earlier words to heart, he relaxed slightly. Then he turned toward the portal and said, “Let’s go outside.”
Amelia happily walked by his side, and soon they stepped through the portal.
What they didn’t know was that, the moment they left, an orc, vastly stronger than the rest and wielding a massive war axe, was finally released from a seemingly invisible cage right next to where the largest tent stood.
The orc had witnessed everything. Its fellow orcs had been slaughtered one by one, yet it could not intervene. Distraught and consumed by overwhelming grief, it began silently and slowly turning the village into a graveyard.
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