World Apocalypse: Apocalust

Chapter 32: Chapter XXXII - The Big Question

Noah slowed to a stop, letting Sage and Levy move a few steps ahead before reopening the quest screen. The familiar violet panel appeared before him, hovering silently in the air.

His eyes moved over the contents as he reread the objective and the remaining time. Nothing had changed.

The quest was still active.

〔Main Quest〕

〔The Red-Headed Archer〕

〔Objective: Convince Sage to join your team.

Reward: Unknown

Failure Penalty: Revert back to Level 1.

Time Left: 08:57:21〕

Convince Sage to join my team.

He glanced toward Sage, who was quietly scanning the street ahead with her bow in hand.

Maybe I should start by asking.

Before he could give the idea any more thought, the sharp twang of a bowstring sounded from ahead.

An arrow whistled through the air and buried itself cleanly in the skull of one of the closer walkers. The creature crumpled to the pavement without so much as a groan.

Noah watched the body hit the ground before glancing at Sage.

Maybe later.

He dismissed the quest screen and quickened his pace, catching up with the other two until he fell naturally into step beside them.

Noah quickened his pace until he was walking alongside Sage and Levy.

"So, what level are you, anyway?"

Sage raised her brows, giving him a sideways glance. "And why would I tell you that?"

"Just curious." Noah nodded toward the bow in her hand. "You seem pretty good with that thing. Reminds me of someone we met earlier."

Levy immediately chimed in. "Yeah. Saved this guy from a walker and then disappeared or something."

"Really?" Sage asked.

"No." Noah looked at Levy. "I wasn’t saved."

Levy smirked. "Yeah, yeah."

"I had it under control."

"Sure you did."

"I did."

Levy gave him a dismissive wave. "Tell it to the birds."

Sage glanced between them, a faint smile threatening to appear.

Noah sighed.

"I got saved, huh?" he asked dejectedly.

Levy placed a hand on his shoulder. "It’s ok, buddy. We all get saved sometimes. But not me, though. Stay safe out here."

Noah shoved him away, smiling as Levy chuckled casually. This time around, Sage couldn’t help but laugh a little.

"Are you two siblings or something?" she asked through a smile.

"No," Noah answered.

"Yes," Levy said at the same time.

They both turned to look at each other.

"Or something," Levy rephrased.

Noah gave him a smirk while looking at him. "I don’t know this guy; he’s just been hanging around me all day."

Levy shook his head with mock disappointment.

"Wow. Didn’t believe in magic till my dogs turned into snakes."

Sage raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

Levy let out a fake sigh. "Oh, nothing."

Noah brushed him off.

"That’s how he’s been since I met him. I honestly don’t think he could take anything seriously, even if he wanted to."

You’re not too far off yourself. Sage thought.

She then glanced between them, her smile lingering. "So, not brothers."

"Not brothers," Noah confirmed.

"Nope, regular-degular classmates," Levy added. "Though I would say we look a little bit alike."

Sage turned to her left. Levy struck a model-like pose, hollowing his cheeks and raising his eyebrows with a smoldering look. She then shifted her gaze to Noah, who had his hair in a messy bun, clearly not bothering to pay him any mind.

"I don’t see it."

Levy relaxed his expression. He opened his mouth, then quickly closed it before opening it again.

"You know what, you’re right"

"I look better."

Noah’s face unraveled as he snorted, not out of arrogance or vanity but simply because the guy never seemed to miss a beat.

The conversation settled into a comfortable silence as they continued down the street. Noah glanced toward Sage, the question he’d been considering finally coming to mind.

"Speaking of family... did you live in that spot alone?"

Sage went rigid.

It was subtle, but Noah noticed immediately. Her stride faltered for half a second, and whatever amusement had been lingering on her face slipped.

Shit.

He mentally cursed himself.

Out of everything he could have asked, that was probably one of the most thoughtless things he could say. You could say it was a Levy moment.

Noah expected her to brush him off or tell him to mind his own business. He would’ve been completely fine with that, too. But after everything they’d been through, she didn’t seem nearly as eager to shut them out as she had when they’d first met.

Perhaps it was the time they’d spent together. Perhaps nearly getting themselves killed had a way of breaking down barriers.

Whatever the reason was, she eventually answered.

"I lived there with my dad."

She paused.

Her eyes remained fixed ahead as though the answer had brought something to mind that she wasn’t quite ready to share.

"He was..."

The words trailed off.

Sage’s jaw tightened slightly before she shook her head.

"Never mind."

Noah glanced at her but chose not to press further. Even Levy, usually so outspoken, stayed silent this time.

For about three seconds.

"So, what are you planning to do now that you know where you live isn’t exactly safe anymore?" Levy asked.

Noah gave him a subtle thumbs-up.

Good save.

Levy returned the gesture with a small nod.

Sage either didn’t notice their exchange or chose to ignore it. She shrugged, her eyes wandering toward the street ahead.

"Wherever the wind takes me."

As if to punctuate her answer, she stopped walking and drew an arrow from her quiver. Her bow rose smoothly, the string pulling back until it rested against the corner of her mouth.

Noah followed her gaze to a walker that was wandering a few yards ahead, completely oblivious to them.

Sage released the string.

The arrow streaked across the street and burrowed itself into the walker’s skull. The creature staggered for a moment before it finally dropped.

Sage lowered her bow and walked toward the corpse as though nothing had happened.

She crouched beside it, pulled the arrow free, and wiped the blood from its tip against the walker’s shirt before sliding it back into her quiver.

She rose and rejoined them without a word.

Noah stared at her for a moment. "Were you the archer who took care of the walker earlier?"

Sage paused with a sly smirk playing on her lips. "I thought you would’ve asked that a bit sooner."

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