Novels2Search

Settling

The survivors were eating the meat right from the rats that were being cooked over the fire, some of the survivors just stretched their limbs and plucked a bit of meat that they then started to eat, they didn't care for the small burns that appeared on their hands and mouths.

When the goblin warriors saw that they began to screech at them and with few hits they calmed the survivors down, after that the goblins used hand signals and simple words they learned, such as "… LiNe Yuo dO!"

The humans got the message and formed several lines before the campfires with the cooking rats, the goblins used their machetes and cut big chunks of meat from the rats and gave them to the humans one after another, there was no tableware so the humans have to use their hand.

Those that weren't desperately hungry were at first throwing the meat in the air to cool it off and then they eagerly began to eat, they were starved and none of them cared about such things like eating soups or liquid food after long times of starving, they all just threw themselves at the meat like beasts.

As for those humans that couldn't walk the survivors either helped them or the goblins brought them the meat themselves, after that the goblins pointed at the buckets with water and then at the well that could be seen from a window, with this done they left just left.

Jordan was secretly watching all of that and was quite impressed, he didn't expect that level of intelligence from the goblins, they did everything he told them and didn't even try to eat the humans, the goblins deserve to be ranked better than the humans for now, but the reason they didn't try to eat the humans may have been because their full stomachs were full... this matter still needs more probing.

***

When the goblins left the survivors were left alone but strangely no one spoke among them at first, they already talked a bit between themselves while they were making the walls around the previous demon camp but when they were caught doing so the demons beat them senseless, they feared that the situation could repeat itself so they were only slowly probing and testing the limits.

Slowly the survivors began to speak between themselves, it started with "do you need help with this or that" and then it continued with "my name is…" the survivors spoke between one another and many of them began to cry.

Sure there were no beds, the food was bad without any seasoning and was just simply a piece of meat but it was 100 times better than what they experienced previously, those people that were way too much used to the comfort of civilization cried their eyes out as they were once again treated as human beings.

Some of the more able survivors went several times to the well for more water and they distributed it to everyone here.

Surprisingly there was almost no shoving or demanding to be first to receive the water, the few people who did so were then stared at by everyone here until they timidly sat down on the ground and waited to be served as last.

But while going for the water they noticed that the whole area was filled with beasts, escape was very unlikely.

Everyone drank and ate until they were full, some of the people that had a bit of strength even washed themselves a bit, and then most of the survivors laid down whatever they could and almost instantly fallen asleep.

Only a few of the survivors stayed awake, at most it was about ten people, there were about seven women and 3 men, most of the men were too tired and suck out of their vitality to stay awake so these three were extraordinary with theirs determination to stay awake.

Those survivors got quietly together and moved to a corner where no one was sleeping, and they began to speak between themselves.

"We are all on the same line yes? No camp can take us in as they don't have any food, the demons before treated us terribly and we yet have to see how this one will treat us"

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All of them agreed that one portion of food wasn't enough to win them over. Another of the survivors spoke "I think we should do our best to satisfy the demon, we should give him our bodies if needed and meanwhile we will recover our strength if we all try to escape I doubt that he will be able to stop us"

Another one spoke "so we should wait and see how he turns out and if he turns out to be bad we will escape?" no one spoke for a bit, they were all thinking what other options they had. "all the camps are full, they are out of food but there it doesn't look that bad if we leave we won´t survive" another one spoke, "yes we won´t but I would rather die then live like before!"

The last part was almost shouted and all the survivors that had theirs small sacred gathering made "pssshh" noise as one.

After they made sure everyone was still sleeping like dead they continued in their discussion "of course, none of us want to live like before… I too would rather choose death than living like before and you can do so, the demon seemed fine with killing anyone who disobeys him." Everyone nodded and thought back to the demon who called himself Jordan Hall.

"he is a monster, he is strong but he also seems fair, those demons before were arrogant and treated us like trash, he doesn't hide we are underneath him but he looks like he can be reason with"

Those survivors nodded once again and one of them spoke "but how is he so big? He must be at least 2,5meter tall, also what is with the smile? and why did he eat the brain of that demon bitch?" none of them knew the answer to that, after a while one of the survivors spoke.

"Maybe that's how he gets stronger?" "so, will he start to eat our brains?" another while of silence… "it is possible, but I can see why he would eat the succubus brain as she was quite strong, eating our brains? That doesn't seem to benefit him"

"doesn't matter, what we should do now is choosing someone who will represent us and this person should be prepared to do anything for the demon…" the conversation continued for a bit before even those few survivors were overcome with sleep.

----

It was the morning the next day, the sun was already creeping in and all the survivors were still sleeping, Jordan opened the door and together with few goblin workers that were carrying some frozen rat corpses, kitchen knives, several first aid kid, and a small mountain of cloth.

Jordan didn't have time to wait for everybody to wake up, so he shouted "WAKE UP" everyone was startled and stood up except few people that still weren't able to and a few that didn't have any reaction.

It turned out few people died that night, they were too malnourished and weak, Jordan send the goblin workers to collect their bodies, seeing that the demon come again everyone was alerted, they feared him a bit but also looked at him with hope in their eyes.

Jordan first pointed at the big rat corpses and the knives "make your own food, as for wood use anything you found there, also make sure everyone gets some or you will be punished"

There were many chairs and so on, Jordan couldn't be bothered to go in search for wood, "Second, aside from choosing a representative make several groups, those groups would be as such, those that can work at construction, those that can do work that requires low strength and final organizing group that will have at most ten-member, the construction group will have better treatment as they have to do hark work, and lastly use those supplies to get yourself in shape (pointing at the first aid and cloth), you will begin tomorrow and at evening I will come to check on you and then you will tell me who you choose and how you sorted yourself"

With this done Jordan looked at the several dead bodies and everyone gulped, they didn't know what the demon will do. "as for the dead… they will be food for beasts, want to have proper burial? Then prove to me that you deserve it"

Most of the people here were relieved that he didn't intend to eat them, no one dared to complain, after all, they mostly cared for their survival, burial was a luxurious service that they right now could only dream of.

Jordan "any questions?", some of the survivors already knew of Jordan's temper so they began quietly say "no-no" until one hand was raised.

"How should we call you… sir?", that was a good question Jordan himself didn't know the answer to, he thought for a while ´it won't be good if they called me Jordan, we aren't friends and won´t be, we aren´t equals either so there goes that´ in the end, Jordan decided "good question, for now just call me leader, any other question?" one of the survivors slowly raised a hand and sacredly said "as for toilets.." he was scared that the demon will tell them to make the deed here where they slept.

Jordan "oh yes, I will send you few shovels so make yourself some latrine somewhere" no one had a further question so Jordan just left the goblins and left the humans to themself, he need to organize work for everyone here.

Otherwise, it would be a waste, he planned to use them all to rebuild the stone wall surrounding the town plaza but after seeing the survivors up close and how bad their condition was he needed to change his plans a bit.