Today was the day we would set out for our mission. It was a harrowing thought but I had already come to terms with it throughout the past few days.
'Of course I did, Its either have a chance to survive out there or certainly die while trying to resist it. I would have to steel myself if I was to survive."
I had actually learnt a lot more about where we were located at the time, it was said to be one of the three bastions. Bastions were mega structures capable of holding nearly a billion people, this bastion was unique however.
This bastion was where all of the blessed gathered. It was a place where only ability users were allowed to be, and so it was quite small compared to the others but saying it was small would be laughable. The entire place carried more then a hundred million people, all of which making it a scientific and military hub due to the sheer number of people with abilities.
There were plenty of other things I had learnt too, once I had learnt the elemental resistance ability I was given free rein to learn anything I wanted to so I decided on three to learn.
One was the ability to slow the rate of hunger and thirst, even though we would get rations I knew instinctively that it wouldn't be enough. Maybe enough for two weeks like they had said but I had a feeling it would take longer then that and even with the downside of frail skin it was still a worthwhile ability to have.
'At least that's not my actual curse and I can just turn the ability off. The actual user of that blessing having permanently frail skin would be an issue, even being in the sun would likely harm them.'
The second ability I had learnt was a sensory ability, it allowed me to see movement like how I felt my own skin. It was certainly weird feeling but an invaluable asset. Though the main reason I got it was to keep up the act of having a sensory blessing.
My third blessing allowed me to accelerate something faster then I should be able to. It wasn't much but being able to move a fair bit quicker and hit a solid amount harder was something I knew I would need. more so even then the body enhancement which would have likely took longer and wouldn't have been able to learn one of the other two abilities because of it.
Not many others had actually learned 3 abilities, most of my friends apart from 13 hadn't been able to, though they did have their own blessing to improve with unlike me so they didn't have as much time to practice new abilities.
A notification appeared on my phone telling me to go to aircraft hanger D wearing my combat outfit.
'This is it.'
My hand was shaking slightly, while I wouldn't quite call it fear anymore since I had long accepted what was going to happen I still felt some kind of apprehension.
The phone luckily had directions to the hanger.
Walking out my room I felt the intense want to just stay and not leave, however I knew that wasn't an option.
Around me were all the others, and after a few moments I caught up to 7, 9, and 13. We didn't say anything but being in their presence was comforting.
At the end of the hallway 49 was waiting for us. "Hey, anyone know how long it will take to get to the hanger?"
Looking at the directions on my phone the estimated time said...
"Forty three minutes apparently."
"Fucking hell, just how massive is this place?" 13 said in uncharacteristic anger.
"What he said." 9 said in agreement.
"Lets just get there first." I said in response.
13 and 9 sighed but we all started walking to aircraft hanger D anyways.
The walk was long, down many twisting paths and even into an elevator with hundreds of floors marked on it.
Eventually after a gruelling fifty four minutes we arrived at the aircraft hanger. The inside was so large I struggled to believe someone was able to actually build it. On the runway was a huge cylinder of metal with massive wings on each side
Walking up to the gigantic plane I marvelled on the sheer size of it, it seemed extremely excessive just for us.
Our entire military group which had just undergone an early graduation was now being guided onto the plane.
We had all been organised into groups of four so my group was comprised of 49 7 13 and I. These groups were for the military vehicles, each group was given one which was stocked with the rations and recourses we would need for the two week long operation.
We were never told why we had to do this alone, we would have no backup or support of any kind once we entered the zone
The engines of the plane started up and we begun moving, the windows on the side allowed us to see the outside.
For a moment the only thing I could see were the metal walls of the massive aircraft hanger. A few moments afterwards however thanks to my window side seat I saw the outside.
We were flying in the air possibly three kilometres from the ground, though I wasn't exactly the best at figuring out distances considering all my time spend indoors either on the station or inside the bastion. As the aircraft turned around I saw more of bastion in its entirety, it was a floating city suspended with colossal mystical circles, both holding up and protecting the mega structure. On the top was many circles and beams where a many little dots seemed to be either being caught or being launched. I imagined that was exactly how we had all arrived but back then we never got a good view.
Looking down below to the ground all I saw was a wasteland, all caused by the years of ruin. An event which introduced both many horrible cursed monsters while many humans and even other animals became blessed.
The efforts of that generation was not nearly enough though, and they eventually fired countless nuclear or worse weapons. Reactors were made to go critical in operations to kill some of the truly horrifying creatures out there and all these events eventually made the earth a radioactive wasteland where only the monsters lived.
dragging myself out of my thoughts I continued to practice my roh, I decided to use the ability to slow hunger and thirst. It seemed the most sensible to use considering I didn't know when my next meal was.
--
A few hours later the aircraft started descending, an unfamiliar and slightly painful sensation was building in my ears but strangely it seemed to go away once I swallowed.
'Everything on earth is so weird.'
I looked around the room, there was my entire platoon and another group of others, much old and placed closer to the front of the plane. I briefly wondered what they would be doing but I would probably never know.
I looked at my friends wanting to talk to them, and I would have talked to them had it not been for the deafening noise making it impossible.
I looked outside the window to see the ground fairly quickly approaching us until eventually the plane was eventually on top of the ground.
'That was a pretty soft landing. I'm surprised how good the piolet-'
I got jolted into my seat, it wasn't anything that bad but certainly not pleasant.
'I take back my words, and guess I was wrong about it having landed.'
Eventually over the next few seconds the plane slowed down quickly and then stopped. The hanger door started opening prompting my platoon to leave.
A moment later a woman's voice blared over the intercom.
"Heard that its you newbies getting off here so here's a few pieces of advice.
Absolutely never turn off your elemental resistance, the radiation might not kill immediately but its never good for you.
Never look into the sun, not just because its bright. There is something there what should never be looked at.
Never be too careful, the road ahead of you will be ghastly. You need to give yourself every advantage you can.
That is all, good luck out there."
'Someone nice, that's rare.'
What I focused on was not that however, it was the mention of the sun.
'Something which should never be looked at huh?'
After everyone in my platoon had left we found ourselves in the middle of nowhere on a runway. Over to the side of the runway were 13 MTVs also known as military transport vehicles.
I looked over at my group before saying. "come on, lets get in one of these." then I looked over at 9 which was going with another group. "Good luck out there." I shouted at her.
"You too." I heard 9 say distantly.
Sound was quite weird from such distances which was fascinating but not much more then that.
Walking over to one of the MTVs our group climbed inside the back.
It was massive, even 7 was able to stand up straight in it and there was a lot packed in here. There was a bathroom, a kitchen, a singular bunk bed, and a desk with a computer on it. This was fairly useful right now but once we had set up communications between all the groups in the area this would be invaluable.
Right now it was still able to monitor the surroundings, detail our missions, along with a whole bunch of other stuff but the list was far too long.
After locking the doors I turned around to the others. "Welcome to our humble abode."