The well was dug and a one meter wide PVC pipe was inserted and then secured by stones and earth around it. With access to water secured, that is if filtered and then boiled for safety it was time to clear the ammunition plant.
Without bags slowing us down, a spear in my right arm and a riot shield in the very same armament that four other soldiers had, we entered the factory through the smashed doors. The rest of the soldiers had bows, all of us had flashlights on our heads. Nineteen flashlights made it as bright as a day inside the hall that had no windows, no light coming in from the outside.
“First the open spaces.” Henry commanded. The plan was thought of before, drilled into our minds a few times. We moved on, the group forming a circle as we went further inside. Machinery was blocking the sight, conveyor belts ran through the factory circling multiple times covering almost half of the ground. At times we had to jump over it to progress further in.
[Detect Presence] activated. [Detect Presence] deactivated.
First time was a dud, eighteen pings belonged to the soldiers themselves. Moving over, slowly and securely we checked the surroundings with skill a few times, the factory was long. It took an hour to finally find something, on the other side of the factory.
[Detect Presence] activated. [Detect Presence] deactivated.
There were twenty pings this time, with eighteen belonging to the soldiers. The two must be monsters. “Two over there.” I pointed with my spear, as we were all looking in different directions. “On eight.” Henry added who was standing next to me, we started moving. This time faster as we knew there were only two targets inside the whole factory.
There were few rooms to the side of the production hall. Rooms meant for breaks and on-site administration. Soon we were at the doors, it had scratches on it, from dog monsters most likely. After forming the makeshift shield wall with soldiers wielding bows behind us Henry kicked the doors. Hard.
The doors swung open, and then… nothing. Humans. It wasn’t a pair of monsters but a woman with a younger teenage girl. Curled into each other as light shone on them. Silently crying while holding each other. I stepped in, something told me that it should be me. “We are from the Army. You are safe.” I really wasn’t, but then again I was working for them. It didn't help, as they continued crying. We lighted up a portable led lamp to gently lighten up the room.
“My name is William.” I kneeled next to them, trying to make them open up. “Do you want food?” The younger one looked at me briefly but then curled back up. It was as good of an answer as anything. Henry was looking at me waiting for orders, it was my decision what to do next. After pulling the phone I mused, the time was still early at ten AM. “Let’s secure the building and block all the holes. I will stay here. Bring some food as well, something based on water.” Henry nodded.
There were no monsters inside in the first place as we used the Detect Presence skill multiple times in all corners of the factory. It was empty, almost. I looked over at the two women still holding onto each other.
Edd, one of the soldiers arrived bringing in two rations of soup. He left them close to the women and left himself soon after. His strength would be useful for moving heavy objects while blocking the entrances. The women snatched the food almost instantly and started eating, so I left the room. It was weird watching them.
-
It didn’t take long to secure the holes made by monsters. The two women, both younger and older, were moved to the office building since it was safer, and warmer. Winter was coming with leaves already falling from the trees. Firewood, it was the only real way to heat an entire building these times.
Next was the fence. A two meter tall iron fence would not stop bigger monsters but the most annoying and the most numerous, dog like monsters would be easily stopped. It would allow us to work on additional warehouses as well as a kitchen, one that would use wood as well. Everything in both the office and the factory was based on electricity, as such it was mostly used. Thankfully there was an entire town for us to loot. Tomorrow though, for now training.
Medium cores.
[Meditation] is now level 57. You have gained 1 Path point. Increases mana regeneration by 57% while the skill is active.
[Detect Presence] is now level 59. You have gained 1 Path point. Actively sends a pulse of mana to check the user’s surroundings for living beings. Range 177 meters. Uses 5 mana per minute.
The change was massive, all of sudden I could regenerate and spend a thousand mana points in a matter of a few hours. Each hour of meditation while using medium core regenerated 200 mana. Detect Presence, if kept active, was using the mana almost at the same time, with only twenty minutes of downtime. I would later decide what to spend path points on.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
In the evening the older woman finally started speaking. “I’m Viola.” She started. “My husband was working at this factory, he didn’t get home one day so we came looking. He was not here.” He either ran away or died, it was not something she said though.
It happened quite often. With electricity down and the travel disrupted one could easily run away from the family never to be found again. The reason was mostly simple, glory and bitches. Or something like that, typical adventurer types that I read quite often about in books.
“Most people from this town escaped towards Gavensburg.” I told her, she nodded. She didn’t seem eager to find her husband. He was long dead or he abandoned them, either way there was no reason to look for him, or maybe she didn’t want to find out. Hope, it was something that people lacked these days, even me. Perhaps it was best to let her keep it.
Both of them could cook, as such they would be responsible for it. Soldiers were needed to secure the factory and loot the town for necessary supplies. Tomorrow though.
-
Food stores came first, at least the big ones close to our position. Henry, me and seven others went for the clear. First was a generic one, the one where almost everyone went in for their basic groceries.
The windows were smashed, shelves fallen over and anything that was left… well there was nothing left. We didn’t bother checking the warehouses and decided to check another store. Time passed, a few dogs attacked us and… nothing.
From three stores that we checked, none had food. The signs were clear, none cared about law when evacuation was called, everyone took what they wanted or rather anything that could be taken. Electronic shops fared similar, it was weird that in such times people still stole what they believed to be something of worth. Then again, electronics still worked and I was quite sure that none would be produced soon, meaning that the stock was limited.
We entered the construction shop, the very same that had bones of dead people inside. Apparently some people stayed in the town, believing that the whole system and monsters are meant to scare the populace into being controlled by the government. Foil hat shit and all that. There were small bones as well, dresses and teddy bears… I stared at it a bit longer, perhaps too long as Henry touched my shoulder.
“We should move on.” He spoke quietly. I turned noticing that everyone watched me, we moved on. The little ones didn’t deserve the foolishness of their parents. Soon after we made our way through the entire shop, taking the stock in.
Wood stoves, electric generators, a few tons of cement, beds, and tons of other stuff that would be necessary and useful including bricks, construction wood, metal fences… Given that it was two to three kilometers away from the factory it was too much. We needed transport, a truck.
Dogs… They were the only monsters that we met around this place, no bears and centairly no medium to big monsters. Not even a chance to meet titans this far inland.
Few dead dogs laid off to the side, arrow shafts pulled out of their bodies by the ones that shot them. “Collect the cores and we are heading back.” Henry said, a few hours had already passed and we picked up a few things from the construction store, axes for chopping wood and sleeping mattresses that had to be inflated. We voted for what to take back first, mattresses won. It was hard to take anything more just in our hands. It would take time to prepare everything.
-
[Meditation] is now level 63. You have gained 1 Path point. Increases mana regeneration by 63% while the skill is active.
[Detect Presence] is now level 65. You have gained 1 Path point. Actively sends a pulse of mana to check the user’s surroundings for living beings. Range 195 meters. Uses 4 mana per minute.
After a few days we had everything essential carried over, we swapped the teams meant for defense and looting every day allowing me to meditate and train for a long time. And with it enough to unlock a skill that would evolve in time into something that I wanted, a long range magic missile. I doubt that was its system name.
[Path of Intelligence 5/25] Intelligence increased by 1.
[Path of Intelligence 10/25] Intelligence increased by 1.
[Path of Intelligence 15/25] Intelligence increased by 1.
[Path of Intelligence 20/25] Intelligence increased by 1.
[Path of Intelligence 25/25] Intelligence increased by 1. [Magic Missile] unlocked.
[Magic Missile] is now level 1. You gained 1 Path point. Deals 1 base damage plus ‘Intelligence’ stat. Costs 20 mana to cast.
Every twenty levels it evolves and becomes stronger and more useful, at first though…
I moved into the town on my own and ran quite fast casting detect presence once in a while. Soon I found what I was looking for. Three dogs on the road, among the crashed cars. I jumped onto the roof of the building a few meters off the road where the dogs were. Next I pointed my finger at the right arm and muttered under my breath. “Magic Missile.”
[Magic Missile] used.
[Magic Missile] is now level 2. You gained 1 Path point. Deals 2 base damage plus ‘Intelligence’ stat. Costs 20 mana to cast.
The dog died with a magic missile smashing its head. Soon after the two others followed the first one. Second one being hit in the ribs and the third one in the neck blowing the head off.
[Magic Missile] used. [Magic Missile] used.
[Magic Missile] is now level 3. You gained 1 Path point. Deals 3 base damage plus ‘Intelligence’ stat. Costs 20 mana to cast.
It was strong, but if it was the first skill that I learned I would be able to use only one missile each day. The mana cost will not go down if what I read on the internet before the forums went off was right. Apparently there were Paths that decreased mana use. Every skill had its own rules, as if there were no rules to it to begin with.
-
Two days later we got our first order from Gavensburg. Jake wanted to meet just between us two. I sighed knowing that it would be me having to run over to him.