Cloud of Destruction: A Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG (Mists of Redemption Book 3), page 1
CLOUD
OF
DESTRUCTION
Mists of Redemption Book 3
M. L. REID
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission from Podium Publishing.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living, dead, or undead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2024 by Michelle Reid
Cover design by Mario Teodosio
ISBN: 978-1-0394-3661-9
Published in 2024 by Podium Publishing
www.podiumaudio.com
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
CHAPTER 48
CHAPTER 49
CHAPTER 50
CHAPTER 51
CHAPTER 52
CHAPTER 53
CHAPTER 54
CHAPTER 55
CHAPTER 56
CHAPTER 57
CHAPTER 58
CHAPTER 59
CHAPTER 60
CHAPTER 61
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: WHAT HAPPENED AFTER
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CHAPTER 1
I’d experienced some very unusual things in the eighteen months since I’d become a Hunter. Scary things. Some of my most memorable ones were: having a monster race toy with me to the death—and somehow surviving. Getting a System that leveled me up like a video game—and not being able to tell anyone about it. Learning that Earth was dying—and no one believing me. And befriending the most powerful person in the entire world—who is not even from Earth.
However, one of the most unusual things I’d ever seen was Bethany Wilks standing in front of the E Hostel. Never mind the fact our friendship was odd to begin with. I mean, I literally spent months thinking she was sending hitmen after me. Somehow that was cleared up, and we became friends. It still blew my mind.
But I never in my life thought I’d see Bethany standing in front of the building where the weakest of the weak lived. My residence. The blonde bombshell and her bodyguards stood out like a sore thumb on the dirty street. Well, it had been dirty before the recent earthquakes. Now it just looked horrible, with the crumbling walls and fallen lampposts added to the litter. Bethany came from the other side of Eden, where they actually had lawns and separate houses—or mansions—and everything was maintained to perfection.
I’d been fighting monsters in the Gate all morning, so I was covered in sweat and muck, from the bottom of my black leather boots to the tips of my pale brown hair and every inch of black leather armor in between. Even my triangular miniskirt and my black hip-satchel Items Bag wasn’t spared. But that’s what I get for fighting in a bog.
I didn’t think I’d be ambushed before I got home to clean up, though. I blinked at her, totally surprised. “What are you doing here?”
This was the first time anyone had ever come to the hostel for me. The reason was simple—I didn’t want them to. Even though all my important people knew my life hadn’t been easy in the past, I didn’t want them to actually see it. I didn’t know Bethany knew where I lived, but I got how she figured it out. Her dad was third in command in the Hunter’s Council, and as long as she asked him, Bethany had access to nearly every Hunter file. As a spoiled princess, he’d never told her no.
There was something off about seeing the glamorous Bethany Wilks standing outside the dingy E Hostel. Her blonde hair fell down her back in thick loose curls, and her lacey white dress, pink jacket, multicolored silk scarf, and knee-high brown boots stuck out like a sparkling diamond in a bucket of muddy pebbles.
Tenants walked in and out of the front door, craning their heads to get a better look at the celebrity gracing our small neck of the woods. Every time the door opened, it revealed the crowd hiding on the other side, watching Bethany with open curiosity. Most of the windows on the front of the building were also full of watchers.
Seriously, didn’t they have more things to do other than stand there and stare?
At least Bethany didn’t seem to mind. As the face and spokeswoman of the Hunters, she was probably used to it.
She didn’t answer my question. Instead, she asked one of her own. “Is it always so loud around here?” She glanced toward the back of the hostel, where the sounds of construction wailed painfully.
I walked over to her. Bethany had two visible bodyguards and seven invisible ones around her at all times. Before, the two visible ones never glanced in my direction; I wasn’t strong enough to be a threat, so they ignored my existence entirely. But now, the looks they sent me were unfriendly, to put it kindly. I swallowed a sigh, thinking of the last time I interacted with Bethany’s father. I guess Mr. Wilks didn’t approve of me anymore.
Despite the subtle glares, the bodyguards didn’t prevent me from getting close to her. “The workout building burnt down a couple months ago,” I explained in the simplest way possible. Never mind I was the reason it burnt down, with me inside when it happened. “It took a month for the paperwork to go through, and now they’re building the new one. It should have been done in a month, but the quake yesterday damaged the new structure. Who knows when it will be ready now?”
Bethany scowled and rubbed her diamond-studded ear. “It’s so loud. How do you sleep?”
I smiled and shrugged. “The city rules make them stop working at 9:00 p.m. And I’m usually gone before they start in the morning.” I used to be the weakest Hunter in history and learned the hard way that finding a safe party to trail in the Gate was crucial to surviving the brutal Hunter lifestyle. Now that I was stronger, I didn’t need to use another team as a shield anymore, but it was a habit to get up early and finish my daily tasks as soon as possible now. “Since I don’t spend that much time at the hostel, it’s not that big of a deal.”
The person who had to deal with it the most was poor Henry, who was here all day long. The sound was driving him nuts. Every time I talked to him, he looked so haggard from the constant noise. But the sweet old man was still excited over the new gym, so he didn’t complain too much.
“Hm.” She obviously still thought it was a pain. “I’ve only been here for fifteen minutes, and I already think it’s dumb.”
I sighed, caught in between amusement and exasperation. “You didn’t have to come here, you know. You could have called me, and I would have met you somewhere else.”
She grinned and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I know. But I wanted to surprise you. I mean, you surprised me, so it’s only fair.”
Mateo—my fellow burning gym victim—walked out of the hostel doors and froze, jaw unhinged at the sight of Bethany. Then he looked at me, and his shocked expression shifted to confusion. I could see the wheels turning in his mind, as if he was debating on what to do. He moved to come closer.
The instant he shifted in our direction, every bodyguards’ eyes zeroed in on him. Even the invisible ones—not that Mateo was strong enough to feel them. Mateo went rigid under their menacing stares before he hurried back into the hostel in a rather disgraceful-looking retreat.
Bethany didn’t even notice the whole thing.
I glanced at her, trying to figure out what she meant. This woman was the worst at talking in circles. “What surprise?”
“I totally didn’t know you were going to the party tonight.” She laughed in delight. “I’m excited you’re finally coming to a party with me. I mean, it’s not really coming with me. I actually can’t hang out with you, since I’ll be on the job and in charge of entertaining the guests, but you know.” She shrugged.
No, I didn’t know. “What party? What are you talking about?” A sense of dread sank in my stomach.
She looked at me like I was crazy. “The reception party in a couple hours? The one set up to greet the Hunters from the Quebec and West Coast Gate. I was floored when I saw your name on the expedition list.”
I gaped at her, fin
There were so many things at stake right now, both on a personal and global level, I didn’t have time to go to a party. Excluding the fact the world was dying, it was only two days ago that I found out my System was in danger. How it was and where it was located, I didn’t know. All I knew was I needed to find the right portal somewhere in the world—and hope I was strong enough to rescue it. All my strength came from the System. Without it, everything I had now would disappear, along with my family’s livelihood.
Bethany snorted and planted a hand on her hip. “Ah, no. It’s a big deal. Eden is the headquarters of the Hunter’s Association, so they’re going to roll out the red carpet to make sure all the other Hunters know we aren’t some backwater town. Everyone is required to go.”
My stomach sank like a bag of rocks. I could already guess what Bethany was going to do next.
She slipped her arm around my shoulder, ignoring the grime, and gripped it to prevent me from escaping. “So, I’m here to make sure you look absolutely amazing. You’re going to be stunning by the time I’m done with you.” Her baby blue eyes were practically sparkling with determined excitement. “Those other Hunters are going to know that no matter what your rank is, you are worth your weight in gold, and you have backing.”
I patted her arm. “That’s really nice of you, but—”
“Nope. It’s already a done deal. Let’s go. The stylist is already waiting, and we don’t have a lot of time. Stylishly late doesn’t work for the hostess.” Bethany marched me down the street, her bodyguards trailing behind. “My car’s just ahead.”
“Stylist?” I gaped at her. “Where are we going?”
“My house.” Bethany beamed. “I already have your outfit ready for you. You remember the amazing outfit I picked out for you a couple days ago? I thought it would fit perfectly for this occasion. Chic, sexy, but not slutty.”
A very black car slowly rolled down the street toward us, avoiding the cracks in the road that hadn’t been patched up yet. I doubted such an expensive vehicle had ever graced the streets of E District.
My mouth dropped open. God, I’d only ridden in a car a couple times my whole life. And never one like that. It was practically gleaming with money. “Hang on, Bethany. This is a bad idea. I don’t think your dad likes me that much.”
She actually laughed. “Yeah, Daddy’s had a stick up his butt for the last couple days. What did you say to him? I can’t count how many times he’s started a ‘I need to be careful of the charity projects I pick up’ talk.” She snorted rather unladylike and rolled her eyes. “He just doesn’t get it. Anyway, as long as I start to cry, he caves in.” Sometimes, her honesty was simply amazing. “Besides, he’s not home right now. And even if he was, he wouldn’t say anything to you with me there.”
A bodyguard opened the door to the car and bent his waist to bow her in.
“Oh, this is going to be fun!” Bethany squealed as she shoved me inside.
Every day in the Gate was a battle to survive. It was a brutal, merciless ordeal that would never end. But compared to the last two hours, I would gladly choose the Gate. I’d been scrubbed, primped, and slathered with so many bottles of stuff, I didn’t even feel like myself anymore. The stylist said she was going with a natural-beauty look, but she still covered every inch of my face in layers and layers of makeup. Admittedly, I looked good. I’d never been so beautiful in my life.
My hair was in perfect beachy curls which softened the image my sporty-glam clothes gave. And I smelled like perfume. It wasn’t the little-kid, fruity stuff I played with Aliya with; it was feminine and sexy and way over my budget. It smelled fantastic, but it drove me nuts because it muffled my sense of smell.
Bethany’s car pulled up to the side of the most prominent club in A District. I looked out the window at the marble, tinted glass, and steel building. Lights were placed in strategic locations to cause the white stone to almost glow in the dying light. Pale blue energy crystals were embedded in the steel, making the building pop all the more.
I swallowed hard, nervously running my hand over the two inches of bare skin on my left thigh. Since my right one was covered in leather, I couldn’t get used to the feeling of air on only my left. I couldn’t help tugging on the short black-and-iridescent-blue jacket, as if one more tug would make it cover my stomach.
“I really don’t have to go,” I said, trying to take the shameful route of retreat.
Bethany reached out and fidgeted with my bangs for a second. “Nope. You’re coming. You look amazing, don’t worry. I can’t hang with you the whole time, but if you run into trouble, you can come get me immediately. Okay?” Her thick blonde hair was half pulled up, creating a beautiful knot on her crown, while the rest of her curls fell down to her butt. Her opalescent wraparound dress hugged her features. Somehow, it made us look like a match, her high-class glam paired with the sporty glam I wore.
“Let’s go. We’re a little early, but there’s things I have to set up.” Bethany opened the door and took the hand of the bodyguard standing outside.
Instead of the usual black armor the men normally wore, they were all in black pants, shirts, and leather jackets. Cool and sophisticated looking. For the first time, I noticed that all of her bodyguards were attractive men, something I’d bet was in the job description. They weren’t clones of each other, but each had undeniable appeal.
After Bethany exited the car, the bodyguard reached out for me. I waved away his hand and got out by myself, then Bethany grabbed my arm and dragged me up the short steps into the building. The foyer was done in the same aesthetics as outside; nothing out of the ordinary, I guessed.
The lead bodyguard opened the doors in the back of the foyer, and Bethany pulled me in. It was like walking into a whole new world—one I would never be ready for.
The front door opened to a mezzanine which wrapped around the dance floor and bar below. The whole club was dark—the ceiling, walls, and flooring were all solid black or a black-and-navy swirled design. Two large rectangular pillars, which looked like a giant had taken the ends and twisted them, rose from the ground all the way up to the extra-tall ceiling.
Brightly glowing blue crystals gleamed along the sides of the pillars, all the way up, and lined the mezzanine and the dance floors. Round tables adorned with shining crystals in glass vases dotted the mezzanine. Large chandeliers dripping hundreds of rows of crystals dangled from the ceiling, creating tiny rainbows everywhere. In the back of the massive main floor was a sophisticated bar in front of a feature wall made out of diamond-shaped brushed metal and hidden white lighting.
