Zero to Peak: Ascension Online

Ivan and Team One stood watch for Team Two as they advanced into the park. After Team Two had entered, Ivan and Team One advanced towards the target building. The group had a significant distance to cross before they would get there.

The Bryan Industrial Estate was designed with the idea of being independent from the outside world. There was virtually everything within the estate—malls, restaurants, and cafés, to name but a few. The area Ivan and Team One had to cross contained restaurants, a vehicle refuelling station, cafés, a bar, a large car park, and a big car wash. From what the group knew, the empty buildings would act as cover as they advanced. However, they were aware that the surveillance cameras could be their undoing; still, they were willing to take the risk.

Ivan and Team One were manoeuvring past the buildings when the cameras mounted on the streets began tracking their movements.

"They have locked onto us. The cameras are tracking our movement," one of the soldiers reported through the common communication network.

Ivan noticed the presence of unknown projectiles hurtling towards their average position.

"Brace yourselves!" Ivan roared, barging into an empty restaurant by diving through the glass window and shattering it in the process. The soldiers did likewise, scrambling into nearby buildings. The structures were made of solid concrete; hence, the group stood a chance of surviving the attack.

Maximillian held his breath, hoping for a miracle in this hopeless situation. If Team One was vanquished, Team Two was next. Maximillian didn't intend to risk the helicarrier to try and extract the soldiers. He planned that should both teams be wiped out, he would call for the helicarrier to extract him alone.

Wave after wave of a continuous missile barrage, and the terrified wails and pleas of Team One's soldiers, echoed through the common communication network. Ivan regretted his decision to take cover. Now trapped under rubble, he couldn't easily approach the missile launchers and attempt to incapacitate them.

The rounds of missiles ceased. Ivan quickly freed himself from under the rubble. He immediately began to rescue a few soldiers who, in turn, helped rescue others. The heavy hum of machinery was heard gradually approaching their position. This development prompted the soldiers' rescue efforts to become faster, wanting to escape before they met the approaching machine.

Suddenly, Maximillian was dropped from the sky. Ivan and the soldiers were stupefied to see him. They gazed up and saw the man clad in white apparel staring down disdainfully at Maximillian. Profoundly irritated, Maximillian got back to his feet, cussing at the super-powered man. Justus Justus, the man clad in white, had a system panel at the corner of his perception as he gazed at the ill-mannered mafia man.

>>>>

NAME: Justus Justus

RANK: Gold Transcendent.

CLASS: Sun Mage

New Mission

Information: Return the favour.

Description: A mafia soldier helped you dispose a life-threatening alien adversary. You left a sou taste after you failed to acknowledge the effort. You have been tasked to thank the mafia man for his help. Ask the mafia man his name. Third and last, return the favour in equal worth.

PENALTY: You will suffer something terrible

<<<<

Justus Justus was fuming on the inside. He wondered why he was given such annoying quests to accomplish. Sometimes he wondered if the system's consciousness was beyond the automated level, perhaps comparable to human consciousness. He could not understand why the system would mess with him by assigning annoying missions, like helping out a morally bankrupt mafia man.

A swarm of missiles could be seen sailing through the skies at breakneck pace, heading for the group on the ground. Justus abruptly stretched out his left hand. A wide beam of light formed some centimetres away from his palm and fired towards the missiles. The contact between the missiles and the beam disposed of them without causing significant explosions or shockwaves.

Justus's eyes fell upon the source of the attacks: underground silos with Retractable Launch Systems (RLS). The systems had been installed to defend the estate, and the aliens had hijacked them. Justus ruthlessly cast multiple spear-sized beams of golden light, destroying the weapons systems. Then, he switched his focus to the group of aliens around the RLS area. The aliens were mostly in their version of armoured vehicles. He ruthlessly annihilated them.

Justus returned to the position where he had dropped Maximillian. He remained hovering above the men. He swept his disdainful gaze across the people below. He saw no difference among them, lumping Ivan in as one of the mafia members.

He asked Maximillian, "Why are you here?"

Maximillian cussed at Justus, refusing to tell him anything. Justus used a beam of converged light to grab and lift the military group leader. He used the heat of the beam to torture the arrogant prick. Maximillian succumbed, revealing that he and his group were here to save Bryan.

Justus coldly dropped Maximillian to the ground. This time, the drop really hurt him because of the burns he had sustained.

"Follow me, all of you," Justus said to the group, his cruel gaze fixed on Maximillian.

Maximillian, Ivan, and Team One followed Justus to the target building. Ivan couldn't help but wonder, "Is there any history between the two? Have they met somewhere else apart from that time on the other side of the business district?"

Justus hovered above the peak of the skyscraper that sat on top of the bunker where Bryan was sealed. Long beams of solid light penetrated the skyscraper from virtually all angles. Then, Justus transformed into his deified form, but this time his skin also burned with a dignified golden light that shone through his clothing.

More than ten golden balls of burning gas arose behind him. In two groups, the fiery balls diverged in opposite directions and exerted a strong gravitational pull on the beams. The beams were like grapple hooks attached to the building, and the firm gravitational pull successfully struggled to wrench the skyscraper from the ground, unveiling the bunker beneath.

Justus tossed the tall building aside. The impact of the crash created a mini-earthquake and a sharp gust of wind in all directions. The dignified sun mage replicated the action on the bunker itself, but this time summoning about forty more of the fiery balls of gas.

After minutes of struggle, the bunker was pulled out of the ground. Justus went further, ripping open an entrance on the side of the bunker.

With a voice that had an intensity akin to concert speakers, Justus announced to the occupants, "The enemies have been vanquished, and you have been saved."

A system notification flashed in his perception, confirming the mission was complete. It reiterated the details: a mafia soldier had helped him, he had left a sour taste, and he had now been tasked to thank the man, ask his name, and return the favour, which he had just done.