Chapter 9 - Making New Friends
“How’d ya sleep darling?” Jeb asked Suzie when she joined him in the kitchen.
Jeb was cooking some eggs, bacon, and some other dishes. It all smelled heavenly. “Mmmm! That smells amazing!”
“Thank ye kindly. Duncan said I could help myself as long as I left some for him. I figured it would make sense to use up all eggs and bacon before they went bad.” Jeb explained.
“Good idea. Where is Duncan?” Suzie asked.
“He said he wanted to do some scouting back the way we came to make sure nothing was heading this way from town. He left several hours ago, should be back soon. Ah I think I hear him approaching now.”
Jeb put some eggs and bacon along with something else on a plate just as Duncan stepped through the front door.
“It’s just me guys.” Duncan stated as he walked into the kitchen and took a seat at the table.
“We figured that based on your whistling on the way in. Did you find anything?” Suzie asked.
“Nah, not really. The town is overrun with what my identify says are goblins. They don’t look like much but there are a lot of them, plus some looked pretty well equipped.” Duncan stated.
“Any coming this way or doing any scouting?” Jeb asked as he put a plate full of food in front of both Suzie and Duncan before grabbing a plate of his own and sitting down.
Suzie didn’t realize how hungry she was, but the moment food was in her presence she instantly dug in with abandon.
“Easy darlin, there is plenty more where that came from.” Jeb said as she started to inhale her food.
Suzie wiped her face. “Sorry. Ever since the apocalypse I find my appetite has increased.”
“That’s what running for your life and not being sure when your next meal will be does to a person. I felt the same way when I was in the war. Now slow it down.” Jeb stated.
Duncan just ate. It was clear he was enjoying his meal.
“This is really good, what is it?” Suzie asked pointing to the dish that looked like some kind of meat slop mixed with gravy and potatoes.
Duncan spoke up for the first time since he started eating. “Shit on a Shingle or SOS for short. My dad used to make it. Said he learned how to make it in the army.”
“That’s right! Who do you think taught him how to make it?” Jeb answered.
Duncan just smiled, nodded, and went back to eating.
“Why is it called that?... wait don’t tell me; I don’t want to know. All I can say is this food is amazing Jeb, if you were thirty-five years younger, no thirty years younger, I’d marry you in a heartbeat with cooking like this.”
“Hey I can cook. What about me, you had my cooking before.” Duncan admonished.
“Yes, I did have your cooking and it was good but it ain’t nothing like this.” Suzie replied while pointing her fork at her empty plate.
Jeb got up and grabbed Suzie’s plate. “Want some more darlin?”
“Absolutely! Yep, if you were 20 years younger, no fifteen.” Suzie replied with a smile.
Jeb just chuckled as he piled up her plate and gave it back to her. Seeing Duncan’s plate was empty, Jeb just took it, filled it back up, and set it back in front of the big man without even saying anything.
“Thank ye kindly Sir.” Duncan said in gratitude.
“Jebediah or Jeb, none of this sir stuff. We are going to be fighting side by side for our lives, first names or nicknames are best in such a situation.” Jeb replied.
“Understood Sir, I-I mean Jebediah.” Duncan stammered out.
Jeb put his hand on the big guy’s shoulder. “And I’ll call ye Donut or Donuts, haven’t decided yet but I’ll let ye know, he, he, he.”
Duncan just shrugged and went back to eating.
After everyone was done eating, they decided to talk more about their next course of action.
“Why not just stay here? I know it’s kind of crowded but I know the place.” Duncan suggested.
“Not that I don’t mind the hospitality but Paul’s Compound, well I guess it’s Shadow’s Compound now. Anyway, it has multiple bedrooms and plenty of facilities to help us survive. Heck there’s several whole facilities underground that Paul told me about.” Jebediah explained.
“What kind of name is Shadow? Sounds kind of shady to me.” Duncan asked.
Jebediah looked at Suzie. She just sighed, “he didn’t do that on purpose. It takes a while for his brain to catch up.”
“Huh? What are you talking about Suzie-cue?” Duncan asked in confusion.
“You just said the name Shadow sounds shady. Those words can mean the same thing. I thought you were intentionally making a bad joke until I saw that clueless look on yer face.” Jebediah answered.
“Oh.” Duncan said then it clicked for him, and he let out a big ole belly laugh. “Ha, ha, ha, ha! That’s a good one. I am funny even when I don’t mean to be, ha, ha, ha, ha.”
“Yea, a genuine comedian you are Donuts. Now to answer your question... the guy is a gamer. He had different gaming handles he would use, one of em was Shadowalker. Paul and I used to tease him and instead call him our Shadow because he would follow us around everywhere. He was kind and respectful enough not to correct his elders so the name kinda stuck.” Jebediah explained.
“That doesn’t sound very nice.” Duncan commented.
“No, I guess it wasn’t, but we meant no harm by it. Paul loved the guy like a son, so he left the place to him. Shadow swung by to see me about a week ago, just before you got into town in fact Suzie.”
“Oh.” Suzie replied. ‘Like what does that have to do with anything.’ Suzie thought.
Jebediah continued his explanation. “Yea, he stopped by and let me know he would be at the cabin and to let him know if I wanted to go hunting with him. Shadow said he would be there for a couple weeks, give or take. If he wasn’t saved and is still alive, that would be our best bet to make a stand. And let’s not kid ourselves, we will have to make a stand against those ugly, green-skinned goblin bastards.”
“Still sounds like the best plan.” Suzie stated before she turned her attention to Duncan. “You still got that open dolly trailer? What about ATV? Could we load up supplies on the trailer and use the ATV to haul everything there?”
“Nah I sold the ATV years ago. I got plenty of points in strength and the dolly trailer has got wheels. I could probably set up a chain harness and pull the thing behind me.” Duncan suggested.
“Right weird new world. I keep forgetting. My system says we can share our stats and form a ‘party’ which lets us share experience and let our systems relay simple messages to each other. How about it?” Suzie said as she sent both men a party invite.
A few seconds later she got the confirmation notifications.
Jebediah, Human, level 8 has joined your party.
Duncan, Human, level 6 has joined your party.
“Oh cool. I can see little health bars next to a picture of your faces in the lower righthand corner of my view. This will come in handy.” Suzie said in excitement as the familiarity of some of her past gamer experiences helped bring a sense of confidence to her mind.
They all took a moment to share their status pages with each other.
Name: Suzie
Race: Wood Elf
Level: 7
Strength: 16
Dexterity: 40
Constitution: 20
Intelligence: 20
Wisdom: 18
Charisma:24
Spiritual Attunement: Unaligned
Core Stage: Not Formed
Spiral Stage: Not Formed
Health, Mana, Stamina Values & Regen Rates per hour (pH)
HP: 110
HP/pH: 6
MP: 112
MP/pH: 64.8
SP: 370
SP/pH: 75.6
Titles: Skillful Hunter
Name: Jebediah
Race: Human
Level: 8
Strength: 20
Dexterity: 30
Constitution: 24
Intelligence: 23
Wisdom: 20
Charisma:20
Spiritual Attunement: Unaligned
Core Stage: Not Formed
Spiral Stage: Not Formed
Health, Mana, Stamina Values & Regen Rates per hour (pH)
HP: 132
HP/pH: 5
MP: 129
MP/pH: 60
SP: 367
SP/pH: 75
Title: Murderhobo
Name: Duncan
Race: Human
Level: 6
Strength: 30
Dexterity: 23
Constitution: 30
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 13
Charisma:18
Spiritual Attunement: Unaligned
Core Stage: Not Formed
Spiral Stage: Not Formed
Health, Mana, Stamina Values & Regen Rates per hour (pH)
HP: 330
HP/pH: 10
MP: 90
MP/pH: 39
SP: 435
SP/pH: 93
Title: Stalwart Defender
Suzie wasn’t surprised by Jebediah’s stats and his Murderhobo title. He was killing goblins with wild abandon and clearly loving every minute of it. Duncan, however, was another story.
“Wow Duncan that Title is impressive as is your Strength and Constitution. How did you reach level 6 already?” Suzie asked after reviewing his stats and title.
“Oh, that. Yea I saw a little deer when I went outside to check on my chicken coop. Several forest wolves tried to come after the deer and my chickens. I fought the wolves and defended the poor deer and chickens. I had a metal shovel I used to bash their heads in. When the fight was over, I had killed eight level 10 wolves and earned that title. It gave me a boost for the first battle, so the experience gain was temporarily boosted. Brought me all the way to level 6.” Duncan explained.
“Yea you’re definitely going to be our tank.” Suzie said after hearing that story.
“Tank?” Jebediah asked.
“It’s a gaming term, it means the one out front soaking up all the damage so us more fragile folk can bring the pain. You better get used to em Jeb.” Suzie replied.
“We’ll see, we’ll see. I noticed you aren’t human. Wood elf?” Jebediah said.
“It came from the perk I took. Resulted in a race change.” Suzie explained.
“I still have to pick my perk. I will look at options while we walk.” Jebediah said as he turned his attention to Duncan. “I would say looking at Donuts’ high Strength score I don’t think he will have a problem pulling the dolly, especially if we keep it light. We can always make a second trip if we have to.”
Both Suzie and Duncan nodded in agreement. With that, they got to work loading up the little open trailer.
It took them about an hour to load everything they wanted. Then roughly another hour to set up a chain harness with some leather straps over Duncan so the chains wouldn’t dig into his skin too much. One final check and they locked up Duncan’s place.
“Ready Donuts? Let us know if you need to take any breaks or the load gets to be too much.” Jebediah said sincerely as he looked the man in the eyes.
Duncan nodded and started pulling. “Let’s get moving.”
As he started to get a grove going, he pulled out a donut from his pocket and started eating it as he was walking.
Jebediah just leaned over to Suzie and whispered. “Where did he get that from?”
Suzie smiled at her friend. “Don’t ask. Ever since he was a kid, he always kept a stash somewhere for emergencies. I’d say the apocalypse would be a good example of emergency.”
“Fair enough.” Jebediah said as he picked up his pace to keep up with the hulk of a man.
———————————
I started cooking a late lunch. After what I just went through, I was absolutely ravenous. I decided today would be the perfect time to make honey glazed bacon-wrapped scallops.
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I made a point to leave Gr’ex’s bedroom door open. Once the bacon was good and cooking, I took a kitchen towel and fanned the delicious smell towards the bedrooms. Then I went back to preparing the rest of the food.
In oh I’d say a minute or two tops I heard Gr’ex practically fly out of bed and run down the stairs, making a beeline for the kitchen.
“What is that amazing smell?!” Gr’ex commented as his big nose was raised in the air and inhaling deep.
“Good afternoon to you too Gr’ex. That is bacon, my little goblin. One of the greatest gifts from God put on this earth. See take a good long whiff.” I said as I picked up the skillet and waved the cooking bacon right under his nose.
Gr’ex literally licked and smacked his lips as his mouth started to salivate. “Mmmm. I cannot wait to taste something that smells so divine.”
“Oh yes they do taste even better than they smell.” I claimed, as I wrapped them in scallops with a dash of honey.
“How is that possible?! The bacon has to be the best thing I have ever smelled in my life.” Gr’ex said in surprise.
Then I looked at Gr’ex a wicked grin across my face. “Sadly, you won’t get to find out as I don’t reward a lazy good-for-nothing jerk!”
Gr’ex’s mouth fell open in shock. “Wh-What do you mean I don’t get to have any?!”
I popped one in my mouth and chewed, exaggerating my sounds. “Mmmm, so good!” I even licked my fingers after I popped in another bacon-wrapped scallop.
The whole time I just smiled and stared at the goblin. After I swallowed, I spoke up. “You do remember last night, don’t you?”
L-last night?” Gr’ex said hesitantly.
“Yea, you remember. I was screaming in utter agony and suffering the whole night!” I said the last sentence in clear fury.
Gr’ex was about to lie or deny he knew what I was talking about, but he could not hide the horror on his face.
“You covered your ears and went back to sleep you little bastard! I could’ve died! What were you thinking?!” I yelled at the jerk.
Gr’ex slowly stammered out a reply. “We-well. The bed was so comfortable... and I figured you would call me if it was urgent.”
“What do you think screaming is a call for?!”
Gr’ex visibly gulped. “I figured if you didn’t call for my help and you died, I’d be free to do whatever I wanted. If you were screaming because you were purifying your body as part of absorbing that core, then I would most likely be the one left to clean it up. No offense but that kind of gunk lingers and stays with you.” Gr’ex said the last part in a quick rush.
I wanted to throttle the man but then I remembered why I staged this little display and put a cold smile on my face and ate another bacon wrapped scallop. “Mmmm, these really are amazing.”
Gr’ex dropped to his knees in front of me his hands up in supplication. “Please! I’ll never do it again! I swear!”
“I know you’re a self-serving bastard, but I don’t care. I consider such an act a form of betrayal!” I said the last part as I turned on the active effects of my Dark Mantle ability.
Gr’ex literally fell backwards onto his butt, had a complete look of terror on his face, and... proceeded to wet himself. A puddle formed around him, and an awful stench wafted up.
‘I don’t think that’s just piss. Whoops. I might have overdone it there. I just wanted to get him back not scare the actual crap out of him.’
I immediately deactivated my Dark Mantle’s active effects. Then used several instances of PURITY!!! to clean up Gr’ex, his clothes, and my floor.
I bent down, grabbed the goblin by the shoulders, and lifted him to his feet. “Sorry about that buddy. Guess I overdid it a bit.”
“Ya-ya-ya think?! What was that?! I have never been both so scared and in awe in my whole life! And I used to talk with my former master, and he was scary.” Gr’ex replied.
“It’s called Dark Mantle and...” I started to explain but was cut off by Gr’ex.
“No need. There is a legend about that ability among my people.”
“There is?” I started to ask then refocused. “Never mind. Tell me about it later. We good? You ever going to not come to my aid again?”
“Never. I swear. My apologies. I never slept in such a comfortable bed, and it got the better of me. I am not a laborer and admit I can be a bit lazy. I’ll try harder.” Gr’ex apologized.
The little goblin still seemed a bit shook up, so I let it go and opted to move forward. “Fair enough. Come let’s eat.”
I put a plate full of bacon-wrapped scallops in front of Gr’ex and he proceeded to inhale them.
The goblin necromancer patted his extended stomach. “You were right master! They tasted better than they smelled. You are too good to Gr’ex. I re-pledge myself to you and your cause. Especially if we can have bacon again.”
“Done! You can start by teaching me the spells you know.” I said as we clasped our wrists.
————————-
“Some of my most effective spells are my curses. They each cause an effect and damage over time to the target. To use them you must envision great suffering on your target. I was seen as somewhat of a savant when it came to such magic. I think this above anything else is why my previous master favored me with higher tiered spells.” Gr’ex explained as we were in the study discussing magic.
“Sounds effective but I can also see how using curses could twist you up inside.” I commented.
“To use such power, you must grow hard inside, or the curse will rebound and affect you too. I may be cruel, but I do not take pleasure in the act as some do. No, I remain focused on the goal, beat or stop my target or enemy. This is where my previous master was wise. His gift was death magic, necromancy, but that is not the only magic he wields.” Gr’ex clarified.
“What kinds of magic does he wield?” I asked curiously. Something told me I would have to face this guy someday, best to get as much intel as I could.
“I am getting there. In this you must let me be the teacher. Back to curses. As you seem to be immune to curses it will be difficult for me to teach you that magic.” Gr’ex answered.
“So then what do you recommend we start with?”
Gr’ex continued. “Master taught me more than curses. As you already are aware I know Death magic but what you have not yet seen is my Dark, Air, Water, Hellfire, and Eldritch magic. My core is more aligned to the darker elements. Beyond curses, death magic is my highest affinity then water and ice, then air.”
“You didn’t mention your affinity to Hellfire or Eldritch magic. Why is that?”
Gr’ex nodded. “Yes, that is because those two magics use higher energies and work differently. I would recommend we cover those later. Let us start with the basic elements. Most of my curses come from Dark magic but they are not all the spells I know of this type.”
Gr’ex conjured a bolt of energy that seemed to suck in the light around it and was pitch black. “This is called Dark Bolt. It is a simple Tier 1 spell but still quite effective. It uses very little damage and when hit it can cause dark magic damage. If you hit them in the face with it, you have a chance to cause temporary blindness. In battle, I am sure you realize how much of a boom it can be to blind your enemy. Let me show you the spell form.”
And so, he did. The form was rather easy to pick up. Especially after he hit me with the spell so I could better understand the effects. According to him it helps speed up the visualization step. I think he just wanted to use the loophole that allowed him to attack me. As long as the attack wasn’t lethal, and it was part of magic training the oath did not trigger. He was far too happy about this fact.
I felt the use of my exceptional imagination would be a far better way to learn the spells, but Gr’ex had gleefully insisted, the jerk!
So, for several hours I was hit with the Tier 1 Dark Bolt spell. After that Gr’ex moved on to Death Bolt, which dealt had similar forms to the Dark Bolt, but was a Tier 2 spell and caused decay damage. From there he used Ice Lance, another Tier 2 spell, which caused cold and limited force damage. Finally, to round out the torture was Miasma Blast, this was a Tier 3 spell and created a forceful blast and then spread miasma in the surrounding area of effect. Miasma is the antithesis to life. The undead thrive off of it but needless to say it messed you up if you weren’t a walking corpse.
My ability PURITY!!! saved the day as it could completely purify the area of any of the miasma and helped me heal from the many, many, and I do mean many injuries from my sadistic magic trainer.
At one point I reactivated the Dark Mantle’s active effects just to get him back a bit, and to keep him on his toes, but mostly just to get him back.
When we called it a day several hours later, I had to admit Gr’ex was a good teacher. Though I won’t be telling him that... ever. I was able to learn Dark Bolt, Ice Lance, Death Bolt, and even Miasma Blast.
My Partitioned Mind ability helped me mentally practice each spell form hundreds of times, which added to the rate I was able to ingrain the spells and add them to my repertoire. However, this also added to my fatigue and exhaustion. My mind had a headache, and my body ached all over. Yep, this was definitely the apocalypse.
We were sitting down drinking some herbal tea I made, enjoying the quiet. My headache was rapidly disappearing. One giant benefit of having really high Wisdom is how fast my mana fills back up when I’m not constantly chain casting.
“Ah, this is nice.” I commented as my headache was now completely gone.
“Shhh, don’t ruin it.” Gr’ex replied.
‘That little shit. I’m going to...’ I was mentally interrupted when I looked over and Gr’ex had a big smile on his face. ‘He was messing with me.’ I mentally sighed. ‘I’ve got to remember his nature and just dish it back.’
I smiled right back at him. “Ah, for a moment I forgot you were even here. Shame you ruined it.”
His smile never wavered. Gr’ex nodded. “Good one.”
We both went back to sitting in the study which had a great view. We just watched the sun begin to set.
After another few moments of silence Gr’ex spoke up. “You did remarkable today. You learned each of the spells in hours. I have never heard of anyone learning so quickly. I’ll admit I was hoping to torture... I mean teach you further.”
“I’m sure we can pick up the torture tomorrow.” I replied.
I was starting to get used to Gr’ex’s personality and despite my better judgements the little goblin was growing on me.
“What happens after I have taught you everything I know?” Gr’ex said, clear uncertainty in his voice.
“Then we figure out our next move together. Perhaps scout out the town, see what supplies we can scavenge, or see if we find any survivors. This place could probably be converted to a decent base at some point.” I answered as my mind began to think about what was next. ‘I won’t rush in, but I also don’t plan to remain hidden away.’
“You-you mean you aren’t planning on killing me after you have learned everything?” Gr’ex asked.
The question threw me for a loop. “No why would I. There is more you can help me understand and navigate. Why would you think that was my plan?”
“That is what I would have done. I know many that would do such a thing.” Gr’ex answered.
“No wonder you’re such a jerk. You think I was planning on killing you. No, you big dork. Don’t cross me or betray me and we will get along just fine.” I extended my free hand, and we clasped our wrists once again.
We both caught movement out of the corner of our eyes that made us turn to see what it was. Three people were coming up the dirt road. They were all armed and the biggest one that looked like a tank, looked like he was pulling an open trailer behind him.
A memory triggered in my mind. I had seen these three in a flash, I’m guessing from when I first gained my Seer’s Gift ability.
“Best go grab your staff and activate your ring Gr’ex. We have company. Let’s see if they are friendly or hostile.”
We both moved to the other room to take action. Once I had my elephant gun in hand, figured I’d need it for the one pulling the trailer, I inspected all three of them.
Duncan, Human, Level 6.
Jebediah, Human, Level 8.
Suzie, Wood Elf, Level 7.
“Wood elf huh? That’s interesting. I didn’t expect to encounter an elf out here.” I relayed back to Gr’ex.
“How are you able to identify them already? There are still so far away.” Gr’ex replied.
“Don’t know. Good eyes I guess.”
Query Accepted
Yes, your eyesight has greatly improved but the inspection range of your system is also much farther than standard.
“What? Why is that System?” I mentally asked.
Query Accepted
As you chose this form of interaction with your new world it was deemed appropriate additional interface options and settings be available.
“Sweet, thanks System!”
You are welcome.
I turned my attention back to the three people approaching.
“Hold it right there!” I yelled out.
“Shadow, is that you?” A familiar voice yelled back.
“Jebediah?!”
“Yea it’s me son. I have a couple of friends I made along the way. Mind if we have this conversation inside? It’s getting dark and I don’t feel like tangling with the wildlife in the dark!” Jebediah yelled back.
“Sure! I’ll open the garage so you can pull your trailer in!” I called back before shutting the murder hole and heading to the garage.
“Better come with Gr’ex. I know Jebediah but I don’t know the other two.” I said over my shoulder as I made my way to the garage.
Gr’ex followed me into the garage.
The garage was huge. It could easily hold 6 to 8 vehicles plus a boat and a motorhome if I wanted. Currently, it has a couple ATVs, a van, some tools, and several Powerwall batteries to store solar power. The garage was a faraday cage, so it made sense to store the power backup in here.
I opened the massive door just enough to let the three in with their trailer.
Once everyone was inside, I closed the garage door while they helped their friend out of his chain harness. The three newcomers were all heavily armed, but no one had any of their weapons drawn, except Gr’ex with his staff.
“It’s good to see ya alive my boy. I feared the worse.” Jebediah said as he embraced me in a big hug.
“Good to see you too, Sir.” I greeted him while returning the hug.
After we separated, I noticed Jebediah had tears in his eyes. “Are you crying, Sir?”
“No, just got something in my eyes. And stop with all this sir stuff. Jeb or Jebediah, we are in your home, I should be the one addressing you as Sir. Paul left this place to you.”
“Here I was worried you might try to take this place from me. The apocalypse does weird things to people.” I was honest and expressed my concerns.
Jeb looked shocked. “I may be a bastard that likes killin what needs killin, but I haven’t lost my humanity yet. Let me introduce you to my traveling companions and party members.”
“Party members?” I asked.
Gr’ex was the first to answer. “Yes, the system lets you group up, share experience, and gain limited communication functions.”
I looked back at my companion. “That is pretty cool. Thanks, Gr’ex.” Then I turned to the newcomers. “Let me introduce my buddy Gr’ex. He is a magic caster and very knowledgeable about the system.”
Jeb nodded in acknowledgement. “Nice to meet ya Gr’ex. My name is Jebediah.” Then he waved to the woman beside him, and then the mountain of a man. “This here is Suzie, and he is Donuts... I mean Duncan but I call him Donuts. You two this is Shadow.”
“It’s Shadowalker. I let you and Paul call me that out of respect but...” I started to say but Jeb gave me the most intentional innocent look. “Ah screw it, I don’t care. It’s nice to meet you both.”
“Thank you for letting us in. Things are pretty crazy out there.” Suzie said while shaking my hand in greeting.
“Yea I can imagine. Come on in and let’s talk over some tea.”
“Nice to meet you, Sir.” Duncan said as he shook my hand as he passed.
Gr’ex led them to the living room while I went to the kitchen to get the currently lukewarm tea back up to hot. It did not take long and by the time they undid their gear and set it aside so they could sit comfortably, I had returned with the tea. I handed each of them a cup or mug of tea before grabbing my own mug and taking a seat.
Duncan surprised me and spoke up first. “How are you level 10 already? And how is your friend level 18?!”
“Wait what?!” Suzie said before she took on a far-off look that I learned was a tale tell sign someone was interacting with their system.
“Duncan Donuts is right! And here I thought we were high level.” Suzie replied.
Jebediah just smiled. “Good for you, my boy. Must’ve killed a whole bunch of those green-skinned pukes.”
That seemed to get Gr’ex’s attention, and he looked at me.
I answered Duncan’s question. “Killed some goblins yes. Also killed an undead mutated forest bear. What earned me the most was being first on the planet to close the portal that brought them here. According to the prompt, all the goblins had been defeated, but it sounds like you all had a run in with goblins too.”
Realization dawned on Gr’ex, and he spoke up. “There must be more than one portal!”
“I don’t know about any portal-thingies, but I do know that goblins invaded the town.”
“Which way did they come from?” Gr’ex asked.
Suzie was the one to answer. “From what I saw, there were two separate groups. One came in from the southwest, and the other came in from the southeast. Each group seemed to dress differently and sport some kind of common colors.”
“Three portals. Why three? To create a three-pronged attack?” I asked as I looked at my companion.
Gr’ex looked thoughtful. “Three portals would be the maximum number of conflict portals that could be opened in such a close proximity.”
“How do you know that?” Suzie asked.
I chimed in. “Very knowledgeable about how this new world works, remember.”
She didn’t seem thrilled with that answer, but she accepted it.
Gr’ex was oblivious as it was clear his mind was working in overdrive. “What colors or symbols did you observe?”
“I just saw a lot of red but that was probably from all the bloodshed. I did notice one group wore more armor and heavy leather. The other seemed to wear light leather and cloth.” Jebediah stated.
Duncan chimed in. “I saw a willow tree on some of them.”
Suzie finally gave her observations. “One wore lots of browns and reds. They had bone symbols on some of their gear and came from the southwest. The other force that came from the southeast wore lots of muted greens and browns. They were the ones who had what could pass as a willow tree symbol on their gear.”
“Well done, Darlin. That is some great intel gathering.” Jebediah commented as everyone else nodded in agreement.
“Ah troll dung! Damnit!” Gr’ex swore.
“What’s wrong Gr’ex?” I asked.
“The two clans Suzie described are the Bone Marrow clan and the Sleeping Willow clan.”
“I take it they are bad news.” Jebediah stated.
“The Sleeping Willow clan is known for its very effective sleeping potions and other poisons. Their common tactic is dropping a vial or pouch into a group to knock out an enemy and come in to mop up after they are incapacitated. Bone Marrow stays true to their clan’s namesake, they love to feast on the bone marrow of their victims. They are one of the more bloodthirsty of the goblin clans and usually have the most equipped warriors.” Gr’ex explained.
“There were definitely double the number of brown and red clothed goblins than the others.” Suzie conveyed.
Duncan chimed in again. “When I went scouting, it was clear the town was overrun. I would say there were hundreds of goblins from what I saw.”
“That is way more goblins than the group I faced!” I stared in shock at what I just heard.
I then looked at Gr’ex and asked the questions on my mind. “Why were so few sent with one group and so many more with the other groups? Also, that is a lot of forces for a small town, what do they want?”
“How do you know so much about these goblins, Gr’ex? And don’t give me the excuse you just know a lot about this new world!” Suzie said in frustration.
“Darlin, careful. We are guests here.” Jebediah said quietly.
Suzie rose to her feet. “No! I want answers! You almost died Jeb!”
“I know Darlin, I was there, but our host hasn’t even agreed to let us stay.” Jebediah cautioned.
Suzie was having none of it. “The town I grew up in has been overrun by monsters! I have been fighting and running for my life practically nonstop! If this little man has answers and if your ‘friend’ is keeping stuff that could get us killed I will kill them before they get a chance!”
Gr’ex chuckled. “Ha. You wouldn’t get two steps.”
That was apparently not the thing to say.
What happened next was a quick series of crazy in my opinion.
Suzie pulled one of her blades and lunged at Gr’ex! Unfortunately for Suzie, Gr’ex had been prepared and hit her with a Curse of Agony that immediately dropped her to the floor screaming in pain.
Seeing his lifelong friend hurting, Duncan rose to his feet and attempted to charge. “Hey! Leave my friend alone!”
Duncan too only took one step before he dropped to his knees: pain written clearly on his face.
However, Jebediah just sat there sipping his tea. “Huh?”
Gr’ex looked at the old man. “What?”
Jebediah shrugged his shoulders. “You said they wouldn’t get two steps and you were right.”
Gr’ex just smirked and then turned to me. “I like this one.”
I replied with a smile. “I do too. Release them.”
Gr’ex did as I commanded and visible relief showed on Suzie and Duncan’s faces.
After they took some time to collect themselves, Suzie and Duncan both resumed taking their seats.
With a frown Suzie turned to Jebediah and spoke with clear continued frustration in her voice. “Some help you were! Is that how you help your party members?!”
Jebediah just shook his head. “Ah the impatience and impetuousness of youth. You aren’t the only one to learn what they can from the system. While you were busy staring daggers I was reading.”
“Reading what?!” Suzie said as she crossed her arms over her chest as she considered how to still attack Gr’ex and I.
“Guest Rights. Also known as hospitality rights. You and Duncan are too young to be familiar but back in the day there were clear expectations between guest and host. My pappy always told me they were sacred and old traditions passed down. I asked my system about them. And you know what I found out?” Jebediah replied.
“What?!” Suzie said through clenched teeth.
“That in this new world if you commit an act of violence or attack a guest while under guest rights the host has the right and obligation to act. The guest you attacked has a right to kill you if the host doesn’t do it themselves.” Gr’ex answered.
Jebediah just nodded. “That’s right.”
Both Suzie and Duncan had looks of horror on their faces.
“That is barbaric!” Suzie admonished.
“This coming from the person who attacked someone under my protection after I opened my home and hearth to you. The world you knew is gone. Like Jebediah my family raised me right. Guest rights are not barbaric but the exact opposite.”
Jebediah chimed in. “If we are to build a society from the ashes, we will need such things to prevent us from becoming the monsters we are fighting.”
“He’s got a point Suzie-cue.” Duncan said softly.
Suzie sighed loudly and dropped her shoulders in defeat. “You’re all right. I’m sorry I attacked you Gr’ex. I have been on edge since I lost my family, and it has just been a lot.”
“That is something we can understand, right Gr’ex?” I chimed in.
“Not really.” Gr’ex deadpanned.
I quickly spoke up. “Gr’ex is just screwing with you. He likes to use humor to reduce the tension in the room. Rather than decide anything tonight, why don’t I fix us something to eat, and we can discuss everything tomorrow. I’m sure you all could benefit from a shower and some much-needed rest.”
“A shower sounds nice.” Suzie sighed.
“Jebediah, you know where everything is. Why don’t you show your friends to the facilities while I cook us up some food.” I instructed.
“Aye son, that sounds like a great idea. Suzie-cue, Donuts, follow me.” Jebediah said as he stood and guided them upstairs.
After they were out of earshot, Gr’ex spoke up. “They are struggling to adapt, but they are not as bad as they could be.”
“We will sort it out in the morning. I’m concerned about these other two clans. Why don’t you tell me what you didn’t want to say in front of them.” I replied as I prepped the food for dinner.
Gr’ex spoke quietly. “My master told me that I was limited on the number of warriors I could take as the portal was encountering interference. My master felt that meant my portal was most likely close to the target.”
“In other words, the town may not be what your master wanted to claim.” I hypothesized.
“I believe you may be right. If their portals were farther away, then they would’ve been allowed to send more men.” Gr’ex explained.
“If I recall, this compound is north and slightly east of the town. The Sleeping Willow Clan was half the size of the Bone Marrow clan. If this compound is the real target, it would explain why Sleeping Willow, who came from the southeast, could not send more men. What were...” I cut off what I was going to ask as I heard my guests coming downstairs.
“Smells divine my boy!” Jebediah said as he took a seat at the table.
Duncan took a seat as he finished the donut in his hand.
Suzie was drying her hair with a towel. “That shower was amazing. Much better than what my parents had. Theirs would have already run out of hot water by now.”
“Paul built this place to also tap into some geothermal energy as both a backup to solar power and to heat the water.” I explained as I put plates down in front of everyone.
Gr’ex immediately dug in. He had zero interest in waiting for anyone or talking while he was eating. No one really wanted to talk as they all seemed focused on the food.
“You always were an amazing cook, son. That was delicious.” Jebediah said after finishing his meal.
“Yes, it was very good.” Duncan chimed in.
“Man, where have you men who can cook been all my life. I think that was better than what Jeb fixed for breakfast, and I thought that was the best meal I’ve ever eaten until now.” Suzie commented.
“It’s the elk. The richest flavor of meat I have ever eaten came from elk.” I explained.
“Nah, it is definitely more than that. I’ve had elk before.” Suzie replied.
“Side effect of the apocalypse.” Gr’ex finally spoke up after he finished his food.
“Huh? What was that?” Suzie asked.
“Mana and ambient energy are in the air. You also have gained physical stats that are enhancing your body. These things increase your appetite and make your taste buds more sensitive. It also increases your food consumption until you can develop and grow a strong enough core to help subside the massive energy requirements your empowered body needs to thrive.” Gr’ex explained.
“Well, now I know why I’m hungry all the time.” Duncan commented.
“Shadowalker doesn’t realize he’s doing it, but he’s infusing some of his mana into the food when he prepares and cooks it. In doing so, it makes it far more nutritious for all of us. Eventually you will be able to eat monster meat and that will already have mana infused into its flesh.” Gr’ex continued.
“Hmmm. I didn’t realize I was doing that. Wouldn’t that weaken me instead of filling me up more?” I asked.
“No. Two reasons. First, you are only using the smallest amount. Second, your mana regeneration rate is so high you recover faster.” Gr’ex once again proved a wealth of knowledge.
“Who votes Shadowalker prepares all the meals?” Jebediah asked.
“Hey!” I protested.
They all raised their hands. Gr’ex raised both his hands.
“Fine, we will discuss it in the morning. I recommend you take some time to meditate and channel your energy. It really does help.” I offered as I was picking up the plates.
We all said our good nights and adjourned for the evening. It took me several hours of active cultivation, gathering and moving the mana around my channels before I was tired enough to be able to sleep. While I lay there, my thoughts kept drifting to the realization that they may have been sent for his compound and he didn’t know why.