10 Seducing the Engaged Woman

Maria guided John towards a working car. Once she was settled, he started the engine and they set off through the devastated streets.

Maria gave directions as John drove, intent on their destination. He had no personal reason to aid her, but she could prove useful against Theodore. John was certain they would become enemies, and what better ally than the man's own daughter? Plus certain benefits if she's in a relationship.

"Maria," John spoke up evenly, "what exactly is your father planning?" He stole a sidelong glance at her.

Maria hesitated, debating how much to reveal. Finally she took a deep breath, turning to John with resolution gleaming in her eyes. "My father...he knew about the invaders' arrival for years."

John's eyes widened in shock, swerving the car slightly. He had expected Theodore had foreknowledge, but for years? John urged Maria to continue, his full attention on her words.

Maria took a deep breath and began unravelling the truth. "Years ago, my father developed a window that could peer into other dimensions. He discovered the invaders' homeworld and became obsessed with their advanced technology."

"He studied their language in secret until he could communicate with them. That's when he hatched his twisted plan - to orchestrate an 'invasion' with the aliens as allies," she explained.

John's grip on the wheel tightened. "Go on."

"His goal was to force rapid evolution - to weed out those too weak to fight while empowering others with abilities through the aliens' system," Maria said, her voice laced with disgust.

"This 'shelter' traps test subjects, keeping them contained. The attacks and scarcity force them to either gain power or die out. It's survival of the fittest - the creation of his so-called 'superior race'."

John's jaw clenched with barely contained fury. He had known Theodore couldn't be trusted, but this grand deception was worse than he imagined.

"In the end, my father means to rule over the strongest survivors, with the aliens as allies," Maria finished gravely. She turned to John with fire in her eyes. "We have to stop his insane vision before more innocent lives are sacrificed."

John nodded, resolve steeling his heart. Theodore would bitterly regret ever crossing him. It was time to turn the madman's own depraved schemes against him. John did not consider himself a good person and he knew his motives were selfish, but eliminating Theodore is no doubt for the greater good.

After several more tense minutes of driving, Maria signalled for John to stop. They had arrived in an industrial area with abandoned factories and warehouses. To the untrained eye, there was nothing remarkable about the location. But Maria knew better.

"It's just ahead, beneath that old textile plant," she informed John, pointing. "There's an underground bunker accessible through a hidden passageway."

John followed her out, scanning for any threats as they approached what appeared to be a decrepit building. Around the side, Maria pried open a rusted basement door barely visible in the alley shadows.

Cool, stale air wafted up from the dark passage within. Maria flicked on a flashlight, illuminating worn stone steps leading down under the earth. John watched their rear as they descended, ensuring no one had followed them.

At the bottom, a heavy vault door with an electronic lock seal stood before them. Maria quickly input an access code and the thick door swung open with a groan, granting them entry.

Inside, the bunker was sparse but secure, with stockpiled provisions and basic living necessities. Other survivors moved things, took notes and whispered. Maria relaxed slightly now that they were safely within the bunker's confines.

"We can speak freely here," she said. "There's much to discuss before making our next move."

John nodded, stepping fully inside. This clandestine redoubt was the perfect staging ground to launch his resistance against Theodore and turn the man's own twisted schemes against him.

"Then let's get started," he replied with cool determination. The fight ahead would require all his cunning.

Before they could strategize further, hurried footsteps approached. A tall, brown-haired man appeared, concern creasing his face.

"Maria! Are you okay?" The man rushed to Maria's side to inspect her injury.

"Joleen!" he yelled, and a young woman who appeared medically trained rushed to Maria's side to tend to her wounds.

"I'm okay, Marco," she reassured him and turned her gaze towards John. "John here helped me. We were classmates in high school."

"Thank you for helping my fiancée, John," Marco said, his tone was gentle, but his words were a notice.

John smirked, "it's nothing," he said. John of course noticed Marco's warning, his words implied to stay away from Maria, but would that be something a NTR Rogue would do? Of course not. 

As Joleen tended to Maria's wounds, John took a seat beside her. 

"You know of the National University shelter?" he asked. At Maria's hesitant nod, he pressed on. "What do you know of it?"

"Yes..." she confirmed, her voice barely a whisper, "we wanted to do something, but the soldiers, they... they've had the invaders' system for longer than us. We're no match for them."

"I see," John said, his thoughts drifting back to the red-haired man. It made sense, he couldn't have become so strong in just a few hours otherwise.

"Then we'll just have to gain power," John stated, his mind racing. "Endure the trials and master the system."

'He is simple-minded,' Maria thought, but she dismissed that thought immediately. He was right, this was the only way

"What did you pick as your class during selection?" John asked.

"Oh, it's a class called Gunner, it's like... artillery," she said shily. John chuckled, the contrast between her gentle nature and her class was a little funny, but he thought he was lucky. They would certainly need someone who can damage structures, break formation and confuse their enemies. An artillery class would be perfect.

"Is there a class common amongst the people here?" He asked, his gaze darting around the bunker. 

"Yes. It seems that those who didn't pay attention to the selection screen all were granted the Soldier class." 

As Maria finished her words, a whimper escaped her lips. John checked her wounds once more and went to search for Joleen. As he did, he could see a new notification from the system.

[Favourability +5]

John smirked, thinking how that simple gesture brought him closer to her. He had enough time to steady his place in this new world, it was now time to make use of his class and reap the rewards. As he thought that, a notification chimed:

[Seduce the Engaged Woman] 

[Quest: Manipulate circumstances to make Maria's fiancé believe she is being unfaithful.]

[Time Limit: 24 hours]

[Reward: Random D-Tier Skill]