It took about an hour before Preston returned. In that time, the party got attacked by a small group of Radogres. Tall, muscular ogres with clubs and an outer layer of flesh that was almost liquid had happened across them, but they had heard the Radogres coming long before they arrived. Sarah and Randall both shot the monsters from a safe distance, dwindling their numbers while the unintelligent monsters charged at them with an unwavering faith that just because their neighbor got shot in the face didn't mean they would too.

Jake had charged in with his axe while activating <Barbarian Rage>, causing a terrifying scream to emanate directly from his Soul as his physical stats were buffed. Teresa herself took the chance to practice using the bow, figuring it would use the least amount of her resources while actively contributing.

A nice little chunk of experience and a few dead monsters later, they were back to waiting for Preston. The Radogres had been tough, though their slow speed had made the actual fighting difficulty rather easy. Without appropriate skills, slow monsters were victims to fast opponents. Everyone in Teresa's party gained at least one point of Agility per level up, making monsters that hadn't specialized in Agility at all completely vulnerable to hit and run tactics.

Early on, Agility very well could be the best stat to invest in, at least in Teresa's opinion. It didn't matter if you were casting spells, stabbing stuff with a sword, or shooting a bow from a distance. Being faster than your opponent was a huge advantage, one that required the right skills to overcome. The Radogres had been able to contaminate an area with high levels of radiation wherever they swung their club, as if their weapons were leaving a constant trail of carcinogens wherever they moved. Maybe it could have been deadly if used with certain strategies, but Teresa and her party had no problem dealing with the high level monsters.

Preston arrived as Teresa was using <Extract Core> on a few of the dead monsters, getting another level in her secondary class Scavenger. Thanks to <Skittish Looter>, she was able to regenerate either Stamina or Mana faster while looting, so even if the Radogres hadn't been level 71 they still would have been worth looting just for that small passive buff.

"I found them!" Preston yelled excitedly. "The operation is still good to keep going too. A few casualties, but once everyone's recovered we're going to push deeper."

"Perfect, let's get going." Teresa said as she put the bloodied Monster Core into her <Inventory>. She hadn't gotten through all of the dead Radogres yet, but that wasn't a big deal. There were bigger things for her to worry about than a few dollars worth of loot. Actually, on second thought, she used a quick <Appraise> on a Radogre club to see if it was anything special. It was comically large, but Teresa was comically strong.

<Ogre Club (F): lv 35>

Materials: Petrified Wood

Enchantments: Minor Durability Enhancement

The customary weapon of the Ogre and its common relatives. Branches of petrified wood are common within an Ogre's natural environment, and are shaped into weapons through use.

<Appraise> was one of Teresa's skills that she honestly could use more often, and it had been a while since she tried looting a dead monster for a weapon. The Ogre Club was as tall as she was, and easily weighed around 1,000 pounds. Teresa was able to lift it, but swinging it around would be another story.

If she summoned it from her <Inventory> above her head and wielded it by the handle, she would probably be able to smash it down on something like a massive hammer. Her Strength stat would have to increase some more if she wanted to freely swing it around, but Teresa could see this weapon being especially useful against the Avatars.

It took a lot of space in her <Inventory>, but it might prove worth it down the line. Teresa had been slacking off on her resourcefulness in regards to looting anyways, despite her secondary class. She had been complacent with her current loadout of weapons and tools, seeing her attacks struggle against the Avatars had been enough to remind her that she needed to continuously expand her arsenal as well as her skill set.

The party got into traveling formation with Preston in the lead, carrying Jake. Sarah ran next to him, intently looking at every cave they passed by. A few minutes later, she saw what remained of the army.

The numbers had thinned a bit, and the healers seemed to have picked up the slack. Previously they had little to do as they just had to apply buffs and only use resources when someone was injured. Now, Teresa saw several people in healer robes looking exhausted as they got people back to perfect condition.

Several injuries looked half treated, as though they couldn't spend the time or the Mana to fully heal everyone. There were additional serious injuries that magic couldn't fix, at least not yet. A light warrior from the Completionists was missing a hand, while several others had limbs wrapped up from missing fingers and even toes.

Exhaustion seemed to be the primary sensation going throughout the camp, as everyone had pulled out all their tricks to staying alive. Teresa saw Theo's party, minus their healer, sitting with a glum look in their eyes as they processed the events of the day.

From an emotional perspective, Teresa could understand they were in despair. She hadn't known Leo very well herself, but that didn't mean the man hadn't been a large part in other people's lives. Teresa didn't know what she could say that could comfort them. They reminded her of when Sarah had gotten ripped open by a Yectin Clubber, and everyone in the party had believed she had already died.

Back then, they at least had some hope that Teresa might be able to save Sarah. Now, Theo's party already knew it was far too late for Leo. On the bright side, it had been quick, but this really was not the time to look for positives in their situation. No death would have been better than a quick one, if it had been slow then at least a healer could have saved him.

Teresa shook her head, feeling like her thinking was clouded. Her mind was all over the place, trying one thing after another to explain the horrors the army had experienced. She was used to going through shit herself, but her emotions had been on a rollercoaster today. Friends were dead, her father was there, her family was alive on another planet, Ezio was back, and damn it there were too many things tugging her emotions in different directions.

She spotted Nikolas and Ezio in the middle of a heated discussion, and made her approach with her party in tow.

"... we are not advancing anymore today, we are in no condition to do so." Nikolas was saying. This may have been the first time Teresa had caught a hint of genuine anger in the man's voice.

"Chernobyl is growing at an exponential rate, however bad it is today things will be worse tomorrow. We don't have time to rest another day." Ezio responded, seeming frustrated as well.

"It won't matter if it's worse tomorrow if we all die today, Ezio. As it stands, pushing further into the Contaminated Zone will get us all killed before we have a chance to finish off Chernobyl. We don't know what's waiting for us, but what we've seen is already too much for us right now. I would rather take on a stronger opponent tomorrow than rush in blindly while horribly underprepared."

"You don't seem to understand Nikolas. It doesn't matter if we die, what matters is that we neutralize the Contaminated Zone, even if we have to give our lives doing so. This is a threat that goes beyond political games, if Chernobyl doesn't fall then everyone we know is going to die. That's it, end of story." Ezio retorted.

"That's mighty rich coming from you." Teresa said as she made her way through the crowd. Several people from The Mall looked at her with newfound hope, though many were still in a state Teresa would best describe as shellshock. That was fair, considering many people in this 'army' had been ordinary civilians just a month ago.

"Holy shit, Teresa!" Nikolas exclaimed, his professional mask slipping for a moment before he caught himself. "What happened? At first we thought you died when the Avatars chased us, but after they abruptly lost interest in the middle of a battle I knew you had to have done something."

"We were in no condition to keep fighting, so we did our best and ran to the heart of the Contaminated Zone." Teresa explained. "It was a miracle we even made it, Radioactive Portals are spawning like crazy further in. We stopped when we found an artificial hill laced with traps, but there was a building obscured by the terrain that we managed to damage with some monster lures. Figured it was like attacking an Avatar Portal, it sure as shit got their attention."

"You saw Chernobyl?" Ezio asked, but Teresa shook her head.

"No, just the corner of a building that the System considers an 'Assembly Station.' Gave us a bunch of points for damaging it too. We considered pressing in deeper ourselves, but came to the conclusion that it would be better to regroup." Teresa went on to explain the specifics of the traps she saw, the types of monsters that had been attracted by the lure, her observations of those monsters, the tunnel within the hill, as well as the humanoid Avatars that had seemed specialized for construction and repairs.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"I'm glad you came back, this is definitely vital information we need to know." Nikolas said, nodding. "Just one thing. Who is that guy?"

Everyone turned to the new addition to Teresa's party, Randall, who stood by awkwardly unsure of what to say. Teresa didn't blame him, from her dad's perspective he had found his daughter only to be immediately thrust into a warzone followed by a meeting with military personnel leading a magically enhanced army of superhumans. Teresa was sure he'd get used to it.

"That's my dad, he's been looking for me with <Familial Duty> since the Tutorial ended." Teresa answered. That reminded her, she needed to tell Sarah about what she sensed earlier. Something was tracking her too, though Teresa had no idea how she had been able to sense that. It was something that could wait until they were in private again, Teresa didn't fully trust Ezio at the moment.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Teresa has been an exceptional part of our effort here. I'm Ezio." Ezio said, introducing himself.

"Randall. I've heard of you."

"Good things I hope."

"... Sure."

Nikolas introduced himself as well, which seemed to go a lot smoother.

"Ezio, we need to talk." Teresa said, unable to keep her voice from having a threatening undertone to it. Ezio raised an eyebrow and gestured for her to continue. "Nuclear <Embers>, or fission <Embers>. Whatever you call it. How do you do it?"

"State secret." Ezio replied, but Teresa rolled her eyes.

"Fuck off with that, people are dying Ezio. We just had a battle against your dissidents, where The Mall experienced losses that could have been avoided. I understand we can have casualties against the Avatars, but this is unacceptable. We have been much more open about what we know and our capabilities, yet you've been hoarding vital information that could greatly increase our odds of success. Besides, I know your state secret thing is full of shit. None of your other Completionists are using that spell, you are the only one with the knowledge of nuclear <Embers>. If it were a state secret, I'd expect to see others from Arconette using it too. That's not the case, which makes me believe you're just keeping it to yourself." Teresa accused.

"You're right, to an extent. At the moment, I am the only person capable of using nuclear <Embers>, and it's better that way." Ezio replied. "Can you imagine if that was public information? You're American, at least pre-System, so I'm sure you understand what happens when a kid gets access to a gun. Can you imagine if a kid could summon a nuke? Forget the kids, what if those Completionists we fought against had nuclear <Embers>? If both sides had it, we would all be dead. There would be no winners, it would be mutually assured destruction. Telling you how to do it would be the equivalent of nuclear proliferation. Sure, at our current level it isn't actually a nuke, but what happens a few months from now when our Intelligence and Wisdom stats surpass a thousand each?"

"There won't be anyone left a few months from now if you hoard information like that." Teresa rebutted. "I'm not saying it has to be public, but you shouldn't be the only one who can do that. I'm sure you are well versed in the philosophy of nuclear weapons, considering your profession and all, but like you said, it's not actually a nuke. If anything, your nuclear <Embers> is just a vastly improved version of my shotgun <Embers>, which is common knowledge at The Mall."

"I don't see anyone using your shotgun <Embers>."

"It takes practice, you'll break your arm if you do it wrong and have a low Fortitude. I had a month in the Tutorial to perfect it, along with balanced stats that alleviate the concerns of self harm from using the spell. Most of the people with <Embers> don't have a high Fortitude, but we at least train people and offer to help them learn."

"You'll break worse than your arm if you use nuclear <Embers> wrong. Even using it right has side effects you might not be willing to accept. Without the proper precautions, using it once will put you out of commission for the rest of the entire operation." Ezio warned.

"I have Restoration Magic, I'll be fine."

"That wouldn't be enough, not as it is now. Even if I were to try and teach you, it would be at least a week before you could use it even once a day. Maybe sooner since your stats are already solid, but it would still take too long now."

"That's a lack of preparation on your part. Someone else in the army should have been able to use it, even if it was another one of your Completionists. If you shared information on Alchemy, maybe we could have had more potions. If your people were more tolerant, we could have collaborated better in making preparations, but instead we had to do everything in Arconette because half our population makes you uncomfortable." Teresa was angry, and it was spilling out. Fuck diplomacy, fuck playing a political game for the long run, there was a reason Teresa didn't want to be in a position of power and it was because her patience for this bullshit was running thin.

"What we could have done holds no weight on our current situation." Ezio said, an edge to his voice. "You want to know why no one can use nuclear <Embers>? Because it damages your Soul Teresa. Now I'm not exactly sure how the Soul works, there's been a lot of debate amongst the various religious communities on how recent events impact their belief systems, but I doubt I need to stress just how ridiculously important a Soul is. I don't know if it impacts what happens after we die, I don't even know if there is an afterlife, but using nuclear <Embers> threatens to destroy your Soul. Maybe the Soul has nothing to do with what happens after we die, but destroying someone's Soul seems to me a tragedy far worse than death. Training someone to use this spell risks more than just their life, Teresa."

"In case you've forgotten, Ezio, there are human traffickers doing experiments to people's Souls as we speak. Chernobyl isn't the final threat, even if we manage to pull through this there will be more dangers for us to deal with. You might have religious concerns about what happens to someone whose Soul gets destroyed, but it's happening to other people. If we aren't willing to take risks ourselves, then innocent people will experience things I can't even comprehend yet. Like you said, the Soul we sense might be a completely different thing than the religious interpretation of a Soul, you shouldn't be the one to decide others can't take a risk to help."

"I doubt God would even allow for an innocent person to be robbed of heaven." Nikolas said, catching Teresa off guard.

"I didn't know you were religious."

"Hasn't really been relevant until now."

"Fair enough."

"There simply hasn't been enough time to properly vet people for nuclear <Embers> training." Ezio admitted. "Teach it to the wrong person, and we have another massive problem on our hands. Instead of focusing on the perfect version of how things should be, we should be thinking about what to do now. Teaching nuclear <Embers> to someone right now is out of the question, not an option. You clearly have some political beliefs that do not mesh well with Arconette, but it doesn't change the fact we need each other to take out Chernobyl."

He was right. Teresa was of the mind that his highly secretive stance had put them in a worse position, but they had to make the most of what they had to work with. Nuclear <Embers> wasn't an option, what else could they use to their advantage.

"Before you arrived, we were discussing whether we should push further into the Contaminated Zone or recover." Nikolas said, though Teresa had admittedly heard a portion of that conversation.

"Trying to advance will kill off whoever we have left." Teresa said. "Our numbers won't matter if everyone is exhausted and low on resources. We'd just be feeding the Avatars experience by throwing bodies at the problem. Our advance was working before we were attacked by the Completionists, let's just recover and resume our original strategy."

"You saw the heart of the Contaminated Zone yourself, you know how fast Portals are spawning there now." Ezio warned. "We might not be able to handle things tomorrow."

"Well we definitely can't handle things today. People need sleep, and they need to process what they are going through. Everyone knows someone who died today, most of these people aren't soldiers. They're carpenters, cashiers, plumbers, tour guides, whatever. I'm telling you, if we try anything more today we will die." Teresa stated. "You need to know when you're doing too much Ezio, you said that. If we keep going, we're doing too much."

"I have a feeling that no matter what I say, you and The Mall will refuse to advance without a night's rest." Ezio admitted, surrendering. "We'll need to advance first thing in the morning. People need to sleep now, it's a little early but if we're going to rest we should hurry up and do it."

"One more thing, though it's unrelated to our current operation." Teresa said. Technically, she didn't need to share this information, but she felt they had a right to know. She wasn't Ezio. "There's another planet with people on it, people from Earth. Even if we circumnavigate the world, we'll need to go into space if we really want to reunite with everyone."

"You're kidding…" Nikolas said, a somber expression crossing his face. "We couldn't even get to Mars with the world fully intact, how are we going to get to another planet?"

"I don't know, but we've got magic now. That's got to count for something. I've heard George is a huge space geek, maybe we'll talk to him once this is all set and done." Teresa said, refusing to give up hope. Ezio seemed suspiciously unphased, however, which led Teresa to another realization. "Ezio you fucker, you knew there was another planet didn't you. You knew how many of us were looking for family, and you didn't say anything."

"We had our suspicions from rumors, but the vast majority of people with <Familial Duty> were unreliable sources of inform-"

Ezio didn't get to finish his sentence as Teresa punched him in the jaw with a right hook from hell.

"Motherfucker."

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