Mission 3: Find another quest, seriously?

Lucas trudged down the graffiti-streaked streets of Fallwood City at dawn, the early morning light casting eerie shadows that melded with the dark scribbles on the walls. Confusion and irritation bubbled inside him, threatening to overflow.

(Whenever I start to get comfortable with this fucked-up situation, Lilith always throws something new at me. It doesn't make any sense to start with a bonus quest. In a game you begin with the basic mechanics, a tutorial, something to guide you and help you level up before tackling the harder quests.)

Lucas sighed, feeling his frustration boil over.

"FUUUUUCCK!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing off the abandoned buildings. The sound reverberated, breaking the stillness of the morning and giving voice to his pent-up rage.

As he walked, the memory of Derek Brooks crept into his thoughts. (I remember Jeremy telling me about the time Derek beat the shit out of some seniors when we were freshmen. The last I heard from him was he was suspended for throwing a bigger guy than him out of a classroom window. I thought he'd be back at the start of the year, but now I have to face him under the worst circumstances. Really, Lilith?)

Lucas's expression darkened as he recalled the kiss.

(That kiss, If I had to describe it—before the pain hit—her lips were soft and wet, and her saliva tasted sweet. Shit. If it weren't for all the crazy events and the game, I'd consider her a cute girl. But in reality, she's definitely an evil witch.)

Approaching his home, the familiar sight of the modest two-story house in the quieter part of town did little to ease his tension. Taking a deep, steadying breath, he pushed open the door and stepped inside, moving silently towards the kitchen. As he passed the living room, Chloe's descending footsteps caught his attention. Her head was crowned with a glowing yellow exclamation mark.

(Is that...)

Chloe glanced at him for a few seconds, her eyes narrowing as if she had something to say, but then she walked past without a word. Lucas scoffed. (She didn't even care if I went to the party or not.)

In his room, Lucas drew a warm bath and sank into it, sighing with relief. The warmth seeped into his muscles, relaxing the tension that had been building up. "Ohhh, that's nice," he muttered.

(Chloe had that yellow mark on her head, which means she's an interactive character. I should have gotten a quest from her, but nothing happened. There must be a specific way to trigger yellow characters. I should use this time to check out the status screen.)

As he explored the status screen, Lucas discovered there were unlockable skills, though the descriptions were unavailable. He found a tab with a map logo and activated the bonus quest, revealing a circle radius indicating Derek's location. "A map with the city and location of the quest. Finally, something useful," Lucas said aloud. "Since I know where Derek could be, I can focus on other quests to raise my stats before facing him. This is it!"

"I should first figure out how to trigger the quest with Chloe before moving on to another." A soft whisper in his ear startled him.

"Not bad," Lilith's voice purred.

"Wahh!" Lucas turned his head to see Lilith kneeling beside the bath. Her eyes sparkled with amusement. "H-how did you get in here?" he stammered, his voice trembling.

Lilith's lips curled into a playful smirk. "Through the door, you dummy."

"Does Chloe know you're here?" Lucas whispered urgently.

"No, I can conceal my presence. Besides, she won't hear us talking," Lilith replied smoothly, her tone dripping with confidence.

Realizing he was naked, Lucas tried to hide his crotch in the water. "Fuck, can you at least give me some privacy?"

"Stop being a bitch already, Lucas," Lilith retorted, rolling her eyes.

"You disappear out of nowhere and then show up at the worst possible time," Lucas snapped, his frustration boiling over.

"Oh, come on. I just wanted to give you some space and see if you'd hide like a pussy. It's interesting to see you're actually planning your next step," Lilith teased, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Of course, I don't want to lose my balls. And what's with this objective? It's not even a main or red quest, and it's already this difficult," Lucas grumbled, rubbing his temples.

"Relax, dude. I'll let you in on a little secret... I don't make the quests," Lilith said, her expression suddenly serious.

Lucas looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"The game is born from your own deep desires, with a touch of giving me joy. Got to say, this start is pretty enjoyable," Lilith smiled in satisfaction, her gaze piercing into Lucas's.

"So fighting Derek is something I want? Bullshit, this is for your own entertainment," Lucas accused, his voice rising.

"Believe what you want. More importantly... did you like it?" Lilith asked with a smirk, running her fingers over her lips seductively.

Lucas blushed, knowing exactly what she meant. "W-what?"

"Stop playing dumb. You know what... kissing me," Lilith taunted, her eyes gleaming with a playful light.

"I just felt a lot of pain," Lucas lied, his cheeks burning.

"Just so you know, I didn't need to use my lips to give you my blood," Lilith said, leaning closer to him, her breath hot against his ear.

"Then why did you—" Lucas began, but Lilith cut him off, covering his mouth with her hand.

"I know you've never kissed a girl before. I wanted to give you the experience firsthand," she whispered, her lips hovering just inches away from his. "What do you say, want another taste?"

Lucas felt paralyzed, her proximity making him feel vulnerable. Her perfect face was inches from his, and he was acutely aware of his nakedness.

Lilith pulled back with a mischievous expression. "Maybe another time, you simp."

Lucas's face turned redder. "I wasn't expecting anything!"

"Yeah, right, you perv," she teased, pointing at his covered crotch, which was betraying his arousal. Lucas tried to hide it by drawing his legs closer to his body.

"Since I had fun watching your pathetic face, I'll point you to where you can find a yellow character who will give you a quest. No need to trigger it or whatever, unlike your bitch stepsister," she said, looking at him with an enigmatic gaze.

"I marked a place on your map. Go there, and you'll find that person."

Lucas stared at her, trying to decipher who this person could be. Before she left, Lilith blew him a kiss and winked. "I hope to see something interesting soon," she said, disappearing through the door.

Lucas got out of the bath, feeling exhausted. (Fuck... I can't deal with that girl.) He opened the map, revealing the marked location. (This street... isn't it close to where the party was held last night?)

 He dressed and prepared to leave, passing by Chloe's room, who was nowhere to be seen. Without giving it more thought, he left the house. After taking the bus, he arrived at the designated location and found a rundown house that looked uninhabited.

He tried the front door, but it was locked with a padlock. Suspicious and wary, Lucas checked the map again. The target area was definitely this house.

(This can't be right.)

He looked around for another way in, finding a window slightly open on the second floor. Climbing up a dumpster, he forced his way through the window, tumbling to the floor inside. The house was deteriorated, the air thick with dust and decay. Lucas's unease grew as he began to investigate.

(This place gives me the creeps. Why would Lilith send me here?)

He walked through the dimly lit hallways, the floorboards creaking under his weight. (I bet she's setting me up again. What kind of quest could be in this dump?) He ventured deeper into the house, his senses on high alert.

(I should have brought a weapon. Who knows what's lurking around here?)

His thoughts were interrupted by faint mumbles coming from the basement. 

("Shit, what the hell is that? I should get out of here.") But before he could step back, the memory of the quest and the stakes—keeping his nut—pushed him forward. Summoning his courage, he descended the creaking stairs, the mumbles growing louder. (I can't back out now. I need to see this through.)

The basement was pitch dark, but he found a candle and some matches. Lighting the candle, he scanned the room.

Amidst the clutter and debris, a pile of garbage bags caught his eye. One of them moved slightly, startling him. (Fuck, fuck! What's in there!?)

He approached cautiously, seeing a small yellow mark floating above the pile. (Don't fucking tell this is...) Ripping through the layers, he uncovered a bruised and battered face.

Lucas realized it was Jake, his classmate. Lucas recoiled in shock but quickly recovered, pulling the tape off Jake's mouth. Lucas heard low, barely intelligible words coming from him.

"Hel...p ...me," Jake gasped.

A new quest appeared: ["Your classmate appears to be kidnapped! How did this happen? Anyways..."

HELP JAKE ESCAPE.]

Lucas's heart pounded as he realized the gravity of the situation. (This is fucking insane.)