Maids VS Apocalypse
Chapter 68: Aliens.

Chapter 68: Aliens.

After taking a few bites, Mark put down his fork and plate, heaving a sigh of defeat. He was familiar with the recipe, but compared to the shepherd’s pie he had made in the past, the one served by the big guy was leagues above.

"By the way, lad," Ben spoke in his thick Irish accent. "Why are you still hear?"

Looking up, Mark stared at him for a moment, one of his eyebrows raised.

"He’s talking about the Overworld," Franco said as he refilled his cup from a beer can. "This world might end any moment now, you know? Shouldn’t you have gone to safety while you still can?"

Mark glanced at the sergeant beside him. Ramsay was entirely focused on his drink, and going by his expression, he had no intention of answering in his place.

"I... still have some unfinished business here."

With the way their conversation went a couple of minutes ago, Mark guessed that his new squadmates had yet to learn much about his System besides that it’s a Level 5.

That question just now showed that they didn’t know about his update quest as well, which made him wonder about the extent of the information they were provided with.

"Is that why you’re heading to Amberwood?" Elya sipped from her cup as she stared at him.

"Yeah..." Pausing for a moment, he then decided to add. "I’m going to check on my parents."

Silence overtook the living room all of a sudden. Everyone seemed to freeze, and when he turned to look at them, they all averted their gazes.

"Sorry, lad," Ben sighed and shook his head. "We won’t tell you to give up, but you should keep your expectations low."

Things weren’t looking good for Amberwood, which is the main reason reinforcements are being sent there. It was only natural that they would tell him not to get his hopes up.

Mark looked at his reflection in the cup he held. He had already switched to a soft drink fearing what alcohol might make him do. Thinking for some time, he downed a few chugs then turned to the big guy and did his best to smile.

"Nah, Father said not to worry so I’m sure everything is fine. I’m just heading over to see them one last time before leaving for the overworld." He quickly switched the topic before the mood could get any heavier. "Speaking of the Overworld, I’m guessing everyone here has been to that place, except me and Lara, of course."

"Obviously," Elya grinned. "We’re distinguished Specialists, after all. We have our own quarters over there."

Mark could sense that she was bragging, and going by what he learned from Natalie, he could understand why she would feel proud of living there.

"So you’re all aliens?" He shot back with a grin of his own.

His counter might have been a little too strong as it caused Ramsay to spit his drink. Just when Mark began to wonder about the reason for the Sergeant’s reaction, he noticed the other four staring at him.

Sitting beside him, Lara continued to enjoy her piece of the pie without a care in the world. The atmosphere got a little tense, but a couple of seconds later, Ben suddenly burst out laughing.

"Aliens, he said!"

Besides Ramsay, the only one who seemed to find it amusing was the big guy. Franco nervously coughed in his fist and Alex looked aside pretending that he didn’t hear anything. Elya, on the other hand, wore a very angry smile as she looked at him.

"Lad," Ben struggled to suppress his laughter. "That was one racist word you just used."

Mark could only stare back at him, completely taken aback.

"You talk like one of them Highlanders." Standing up, Elya began cracking her fingers. "Should I beat some sense into you before it gets bad?"

"Calm down, Elya." Alex quickly got up as well and tried to calm her down.

Still confused, Mark turned to the only one who still seemed to be in control of his emotions.

"How do I put this..." Holding his chin, Franco went silent for a moment then sighed. "Let’s just say not everyone in the Overworld is welcoming of migrants."

Hearing him say that, something suddenly clicked in Mark’s mind.

"Oh..."

There was no need for further explanation. Though he didn’t have the full picture, the reactions he got were enough to get an idea of how things are in the so-called Overworld.

"So even the original world of the Peace Keepers has scum in it."

The first time he heard about the Overworld was during his conversation with Natalie. The way she explained it to him made it sound like a parallel to the Underworld, with the main difference being that the former housed Awakened humans instead of Fallen abominations.

The Overworld is supposed to be this great place where Awakened from all around the multiverse gather and fight to save other worlds from destruction, but from the looks of it, those who arrived there first weren’t big fans of others moving it after them.

"Hold on," Raising an eyebrow, Mark turned to look at the petite girl. Ramsay interrupted him before he could ask, however.

"They are all from here." He said.

"Ooooh!"

Mark wasn’t the only one who exclaimed. The others seemed to understand what he was getting at from the start and the tension quickly died down.

"Well, if you meant us being aliens to this world then you aren’t exactly wrong." Elya sat back down and grabbed her cup. "We barely spent any time here."

"Really?" Mark asked.

Though Ben’s age was a little difficult to guess due to his size, everyone else seemed to be under thirty. That meant they were born in the latter half of the Great World War, and knowing that gave Mark an idea about their story.

"Were you among the first to Awaken in this world?" He asked.

"Good guess," Franco said. "We just happened to be near the gate when it opened. I don’t remember a lot from back then, but..."

"The Peace Keepers took us in and we ended up joining them." Ramsay finished in his place. "It’s pretty much the same story for most Peace Keepers. Well, those who weren’t born in the Overworld, at least."