Chapter 21: Strategies

Chapter 21: Strategies

Checking his phone and still seeing no reply from Fae, causing John some more unease. But knowing she can at least look after herself and Ray is with her and able to also look after them, he put it away before starting to think on what to do going forward. Alice had made it clear he wouldn't be able to grieve properly, so he had to figure out a way to either get rid of the psychopathic girl which if being honest didn't seem remotely possible with how she spoke and the way things were currently going, or figure out a way to make the best use of her presents.

Next would be finding a reliable way to sustain themselves, either finding a merchant, the weird vending machine that is supposed to exist, or figuring out how to access the system store. Something that, while sounding easy, seems to be anything but easy, especially when you don't know what they would take as currency or for exchange. The coins the jester had given him, while undoubtedly a huge help, could lead to him easily being cheated due to not knowing their value. Food and water would no doubt be something in high demand and with an equally high price tag early on, once the regular foods in stores and homes go bad and the non-perishables get hoarded by those still conscious enough and not taken over by their class to think that far ahead.

Speaking of which, what would the merchants even look like? Would they be regular people or some kind of conscious creatures like the imp things that are supposed to be in charge of the direction things are supposed to be going? Maybe they would show up later or create some kind of scenario, and that is how coins and proper items will come from. His mind also started to wonder how the main characters and the like from the various media he enjoyed seemed to just move on really fast from trauma or not even be bothered at all by it. Giving himself a light slap to snap out of it and refocus on his list, he put down needing to find some more allies. As strong as Alice may be and everything she has proven, she's rather unstable and unfeeling. While this can prove useful for various situations like fights or times when cold hardness is needed, it's a true double-edged sword because she wouldn't be able to help with moral guidance or emotional matters. He also felt that not knowing how long her focus on him would last or if, no when she would turn on him, so some extra allies would be greatly needed and appreciated, but the matter of trust would be an important thing as well.

Next, to go on the list, he put down the location for the base, questioning if they should use his current home or find a better place. This honestly bothered him. He felt his own home could be fortified and become a good place to work from, setting up a garden for fresh produce and hunting animals for meat. The downside would be clear: it's a home. The security and fortifications would have to be self-done. In novels and manga, they would often use a wide big building or mall, but honestly, John didn't like the idea of a mall. True, there would be plenty of stores and supplies and most had shutter security gates, many people would flock to it. Too large a space for just the two of them currently to defend, and there is the matter of human greed to consider. Some people may come seeking refuge, but others may come with smiles and poison the other people's minds, till me and Alice are forced to leave or be under someone else. A thought he will refuse to even entertain, and no doubt Alice would slaughter them all before allowing it. John wrote down a little side note next to that point on how they would need to see and come to a decision, but it wasn't a massive issue for the present. But any form of prison would be entirely out of the question. They may seem good in looks, but people seem to ignore how they're meant to keep people in, not out, making it a trap more than a haven.

The next point would be his training. John knew he needed to make plans to start training and getting his second ranking secured. But he did wonder if he should do so now or wait till others improve to claim his second place. But then came the question: if he waits, would he need to work hard till he became the second rank? Or would he have it happen after a small amount of training and just need to keep practicing to keep the rank? John wasn't sure and didn't feel like chancing it. So, grabbing a second sheet of paper, he wrote down only the words "skills to learn" before placing it aside, focusing back on his planning.

Exploring the area and any future base area was the next thing he put down. They would need to understand and avoid any possible dangers or surprises. And lastly, he wrote down how he needed to create a forge, even a temporary one, to practice. He didn't want to risk finding out what the old man would do if he didn't.

Taking the next sheet, he kept it short for the time being and wrote down dagger practice, forging, carving, crafting, and lastly farming. He did add magic practice, but with a question mark due to being unsure how to even do so.

Leaning back, John felt it was too quiet and looked around for Alice. Not seeing her, he went looking and found her in his room at his computer. Seeing that made him realize he should also try to look online and on the news TV channels if they hadn't stopped working.

"What are you doing, Alice?" He asked, getting an eep and rapid clicks from her.

"Nothing, I was doing nothing, just sitting here watching the screen, you know, trying to keep busy. Figured you needed some space, so I left you be after you went to the kitchen," she told him, looking anywhere but at him. He went over to see what she was doing and found that she had been going through his files and everything on his PC, getting a sigh but being glad he never kept the more adult stuff on it and safely on a large storage-sized memory stick.

"Come on, I need to check something," he told her, trying to open a web page but getting told internet service is unavailable. Figuring that he went to check the TV in the lounge, flicking through the channels he found one news channel letting out a weird sound and people chanting. John found their eyes slowly feeling heavy and their heads dizzy.

Alice quickly brought out her dagger and stabbed it into the screen, sparks flying a bit from it.

"The hell was that!" She screamed to John, who was breathing heavily, rubbing his eyes.

"I don't know! I think that may have been someone's ability or class or something, and it was meant to brainwash people or worse. I have absolutely no idea. But I really don't want to ever have something like that ever happen again!" He said, sweating a bit and seeing Alice in just as much of a bad state.

"Let's, let's just get a drink. We need something to settle the nerves," John told her, getting a nod. Following him as he made his way to the liquor cupboard, pouring a rather generous glass of rum more so than and coke for each of them and downing his quickly before pouring another.

"We know now that some classes are beyond dangerous, and they don't need to be in person to affect others. I think once we're a bit steadier we go and try to find some allies. If something comes at us with swarm tactics, we would be overrun and taken out very fast. The whole ants versus an elephant argument. I also want us to try and find supplies or resources. Scour the houses around here, clearing them out and taking everything we can that may be of value or worth in this new world. Maybe we will find a trader or something. I think we should bring it all back here, then we can choose to keep this as our base or find somewhere better," he told her, getting a nod in return and a large smile.

"Don't forget we need to fight, fight, fight! I want some blood after experiencing whatever that was. Oooh, how about we have a spar! You can try using that dagger and learn to use it, and I get a chance to play with you! Well, not the super fun way. It can still be a different type of fun!" Alice said, grinning, downing her drink and taking the bottle, licking her lips and trying to give a wink to John but failing somewhat due to having the bottle brought to her lips and throwing her head back as she chucked it a bit. Slamming the bottle down, she sprang up and wrapped her arms around John's neck.

"Now let's go, onward to fights, blood, and excitement!" She told him, bringing her face close to his, her madness on full display up close getting a shiver from John and a nod as he put his arms around her and stood up carrying her.

"Then let's go and see what we can do before it gets dark," he told her before letting go, getting an eep from her as she falls on her behind and a pout from her. It may be petty, but he hasn't forgiven her for pushing him and for not letting him grieve. Was it smart to try and push her and do little things like this against her? Probably not, but John frankly didn't care right now. He would take these small petty victories over her wherever he could get them.