Valkyrie Smash

Chapter 343: Smoke Sticks.

"Now this is more like it..."

Ingrid smiled under her mask, her eyes carefully surveilling their surroundings.

"Somehow… this place feels off…" Juni didn't share the Nephilim's enthusiasm. "It reminds me… It reminds me of the abandoned cities we used to come across…"

Following Sara's suggestion, it was decided that the three would head to the reporter's house so they could watch the press conference there. Questions sprung up in the girls' minds when they took one of the self driving buses instead of going back to retrieve the car.

Soon after they received their answer as the scenery around them began to change, signaling that they had left one side of the city and entered another.

The concrete jungle wasn't the most pleasing of places, but compared to it, the area they arrived at gave quite an ominous feeling. The buildings looked weathered and old, the lack of maintenance showing in the webs of cracks spreading through the walls and the holes littering the once paved road.

A chaotic jumble of graffiti encircled the base of every structure, making it difficult to discern where one starts and where it ends, causing the meaning behind the art to be lost.

As the three walked barren roads, the alien noticed a few more things. Most of the windows were broken or sealed with wooden planks, some doors were replaced with curtains or alloy sheets, small shacks squeezed into the small opening, and piles of trash gathered around every corner.

When the Valkyrie made her comment, Sara couldn't help but smile. The comparison couldn't be more true. As a reporter from the Frontline Times she always jumped at the chance to document the devastation left behind by the Calamities.

Whether it was the cities that were burned to the ground or the villages that managed to evacuate in time, she had seen it all and could tell with confidence that those sites didn't differ that much from what was in front of them right now.

If there was one thing that set them apart from each other then it would be the people. Though it appeared like just another abandoned city, the area the reporter led them to had a spark of life. The sounds of kids laughing as they ran around shattered the gloomy atmosphere, and several shops and kiosques were open selling one thing or the other.

"So this is the true side of the First Settlement." Said Ingrid. "This is what I was expecting from a post-apocalyptic world."

The farther they walked the messier the environment got. The buildings seemed to expand in whichever direction, some merging with each other and growing taller and less stable. The wide road thinned out quite a bit as well, though for the time being it was still wide enough for five people to walk side by side.

"I want to agree with you but…" heaving a sigh, the reporter looked up at one of the buildings. "Things like this weren't uncommon in the old world."

"You seem to be doing pretty well for yourself, miss. I never expected that you would be living in such a place."

Sara chuckled, amused by the Nephilim's comment.

"Does it look that way?"

"Don't you get paid enough?"

"Going against what's basically the government doesn't earn us much support."

The resistance might not have taken direct actions against her and her news agency, but that didn't mean they simply left them alone.

"We're-"

Just as she was about to inform them that they had arrived, several figures emerged from behind a nearby corner and surrounded the three. Ingrid's smile widened the moment she got a look at their appearance; all of them were young men with rough features and ragged clothes, and some even had weird haircuts and tattoos. In other words, they were your typical hoodlums looking to make some trouble.

"Yo, Sara." One of them stepped forward. Seeing that he was dressed better than the others, there were no doubts about him being the leader. "Didn't expect to see here."

"Simon…" the reporter's lips curved downward as she gazed at the man.

"Shouldn't you be at that fancy conference? I thought it was your big day?"

"Something came up so I had to bail."

Noticing the irritation in the woman's voice, the two girls glanced at each other. The conversation hinted at a connection between their guide and the gang leader, but with one of them being relaxed while the other tensing up, it was unclear whether they were on good terms or not.

"Does it have something with the guests you brought?"

Simon, as she called him, looked to be in his early twenties. Adding to that his slim frame and he appeared younger than most of his followers. His light brown skin and wavy black hair hinted at an eastern origin. By human standards, he was quite the handsome guy, which made it feel like he didn't belong among the bland group of street thugs.

"I believe that is none of your business." Sara replied, her frown having turned into a piercing glare. "Now, if you don't need anything else…"

"Whoa there! No need to be rude!" Raising his hands in the air, the brown man spoke with a smile. "You brought fresh faces to my territory so I was just curious. Still, I don't remember you paying their entrance fee. How about you do so now so we can leave you be?"

Though the reporter seemed to be in quite a bad mood, the alien girls seemed excited by the situation as they watched with broad smiles under their masks. After a short staring contest the human seemed to give in as she sighed. Reluctantly, she reached into the inner pocket of her jacket and took out a pack of cigarettes.

Once she checked the contents, she tossed it to the gang leader and clicked her tongue.

"That should be enough, right?"

Simon's expression seemed to turn solemn as she caught the small paper box, and once he got a look inside, a smile returned to his face.

"Seven, huh? That will be enough for one day." He said while stashing the pack into one of his pockets. "Remember to pay in advance the next time you bring someone, okay?"

Without causing a fuss, the thugs followed after their leader as they dispersed. Sara remained in her place for a while, silently looking at the ground. After a few seconds she turned to the two and smiled, holding up two cigarettes for them to see.

"Good thing I always keep some extras separately, right?"

The girls were speechless, confused by the sudden shift in her mood. A chuckle escaped the Nephilim as she finally understood and the three of them resumed their walk.

"You can pay with your smoke sticks here?" Juni asked, still confused by the exchange.

"I'm probably the only one." Sara replied. "They're hard to come by so anyone would take them over money."

The road seemed to tighten even more as they proceeded toward their destination. A large group of children came running from the opposite direction, laughing and shouting as they chased after each other.

"That man," Ingrid spoke, moving aside so the kids wouldn't bump into her. "You seem to know him well."

"Well, you could say that."

Sara chose to not elaborate and the Nephilim decided to leave it at that. Juni on the other hand had her attention directed somewhere else, smiling as she followed the children running past her. She must've missed some of them as two boys ended up brushing against her, though their frail human bodies couldn't possibly cause a Valkyrie to trip.

"Sorry!" The two boys shouted before continuing to chase after the group of kids.

Juni was speechless for a moment, but then a wide grin spread on her face. Though she didn't seem to mind that the two boys ran into her, the truth was that she wanted to start running as well, having realized they were playing a game called tag. Unfortunately for her, the children were no match for the speed of a Valkyrie.

Feeling a little disappointed, she quickly caught up with Ingrid just as they arrived at Sara's apartment.