Chapter 18 Haul

Jon glanced between Kate and the others. “Yes. And there are too many to deal with right now.”

She gulped, glancing around the corner again. He’s right. One or two Orcs they could handle, but four? It would be a gamble at best and she wasn’t about to make the same mistake she’d made before. Kate grit her teeth and wrung her hands around her hammer, crouching as she started circling back and around to avoid the monsters’ line of sight. She gestured for the others to follow.

Occupied with their task of collecting corpses, the monsters didn’t spot them, their guttural speech soon fading into the distance.

Kate put her bag onto the back of the truck, entering the passenger seat before she closed the door.

Jon started the car and they were off a moment later, the other two sitting between a haul of goods. Enough to last them a while, with food, gear, and now even entertainment.

The latter felt a little strange. Kate agreed with Jon’s assessment but with actually getting games and books, they accepted that this change wasn’t something temporary. Or at least not something overcome in a few days. She hadn’t had much time to consider it, but with every passing day that the monsters remained and the military failed to show up, it became more clear.

More importantly, she now knew that the Orcs and Goblins didn’t just leave Keilberg after their raid. They were actively doing something. Collecting corpses for food or worse. She clenched her jaw, the sound around her stilling before she started to hear a ringing sound in her right ear.

Jon touched her arm. “Are you okay?”

She glanced at him, the ringing gone. “Yes. Just. I don’t like what they’re doing.”

“I wanted to do something about it too, Kate. Trust me. But we’re not ready. Not for something like that,” he said. The man gripped the steering wheel as they drove through the forest. “But we will be.”

She turned away from him and looked outside. Kate believed him. His tone was sincere.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived back at the castle.

Bert waved at them as they parked.

Logan sighed as he jumped off the back of the truck, stretching as he shouldered his sword and started taking bags. He whistled a tune under his helmet. Grey joined him, the gates slowly opening with both Eloise and Melusine popping out to greet them and help.

Kate wasn’t quite as elated as the others. Sure, they had made it back, with a shit load of goods too but she couldn’t shake the sight of those monsters. Are they somehow using corpses to make more Orcs? Some sinister magic?

She shook her head. It wasn’t the time. Instead she focused on what she could do, taking a few bags and helping the others.

The cellar of the armory was chosen as their main storeroom but they distributed some of the goods into the other buildings, in case of a fire.

“We have enough of these backpacks now to equip everyone, and then some,” Logan said as they laid everything out on the ground floor of the armory.

Allison leaned against a wall to the side. She looked better but still a little battered.

“I hear a suggestion?” Jon asked, looking up from the large bag before him.

“Unified packs. Everyone will need essentials but it will help if we all pack them the same way. With specified areas where everyone can put their own stuff. But if I need a flashlight or a bandage, I don’t want to search through your entire pack. It’ll help in emergencies,” Logan explained.

Kate looked at him and nodded slowly. They had similar organization at work, and she knew the benefits and the outright necessity of such a setup, but Logan didn’t strike her as a firefighter, or even a cop.

I see. Now that makes more sense.

“You decide what to pack where then, together with Kate,” Jon said.

Kate joined the man and picked out a few things, Eloise and Celeste constantly adding more onto the respective piles, sorting everything as Grey and Jon opened the bags.

“Beans should be fine as an emergency ration,” she said. “Canned ones are cooked already.”

“It’s a little heavy, but we don’t have anything better,” Logan said.

They worked in silence, putting together a survival pack with everything they could think of. Rope, hunting knife, matches, rations, water bottle, a few medical supplies, radio, plenty of batteries, binoculars, and heat packs. The process took quite some time, the others adding in suggestions until the prototype was done.

“We’ll prepare the others!” Celeste said.

Logan looked at her and smiled, his face turning serious a moment later. “Don’t miss a thing, alright? Our lives may depend on it.”

The little girl nodded with a serious expression.

“I’ll double check every pack,” Jon said.

“So will I, after,” Kate said. Preparing, cleaning, and checking equipment had always been a part of her job. It was incredibly boring and repetitive, which meant it was good for more than one pair of eyes to go over everything. Because once shit was on fire, you needed to be able to trust in your gear. At least this wasn’t a full firetruck. They had a few hundred pieces of gear in there.

She went out to get a breather, the sky mostly clear. It was cool but not unpleasant, even without a jacket.

Logan joined her a moment later, the man still wearing his plate armor. He sat down on a chair someone had placed outside and set down his helmet and sword.

Kate had her hammer nearby too. Just in case. “Military?” she asked.

He glanced at her before he looked up at the sky. “Yeah.”

“Don’t want to talk about it?” she asked.

“No,” he spoke.

“What happened in the store…” she started. It felt wrong to pry, but if he froze up in the middle of a fight.

“It doesn’t happen during an engagement. Just… after. Sometimes,” he said, his eyes unfocused. He shook his head and looked at her. “I’m sorry. And thanks, for checking on me when it happened. I have your back. Everyone’s.”

Kate didn’t know if she believed him. He didn’t seem to make things up, which meant he had experience far beyond what most people in these parts ever see. And the reaction had happened before. Jesus. How much shit did you see?

They were silent for a while, until Grey joined them.

“Good idea with the b… backpacks,” he said with a smile. It looked a little awkward. At least he was dressed like some kind of assassin now. The sword looked a little less ridiculous. And the few blood splatters on it actually helped.

Kate looked at him. She wasn’t sure what to say, not exactly in the mood for casual conversation. She generally didn’t have to deal with people much longer than an initial talk, some trauma assistance, maybe a smile and a few encouraging words.

“It’s often used in emergency services,” Logan said with a smile. “Because others need to be able to find the gear quickly. Especially when it’s dark or you’re full of mud,” he said and laughed.

Grey visibly relaxed and leaned against the wall as well. “That makes sense.”

“You did well, you know?” Logan said.

Kate was kind of between them. She raised a brow as she looked at Logan.

He ignored her. “It’s quite impressive that you stayed so calm. And you know what you’re doing with that blade of yours.”

“I d… don’t r… really,” Grey said.

“No you do. You treat it like the weapon it is. Not a toy. It’s apparent in the way you hold it. I don’t think it’s just this new strange magic either,” the man said. “And you’ll get better with time. I think your muscles could use some work though. I can show you some workouts you can do with your own body. Come on,” Logan said and stood up. He looked at Kate with a smile. “Isn’t that a thing… something about working out in the apocalypse?”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Cardio,” Grey said, smiling back.

“Cardio. Yes, that’s good too,” Logan said. “Now let me see if I can’t motivate Ethan to join in. He should be good by now.”

Kate watched him go, taking his chair instead, now that he was gone. Found his calling, I guess. Or he was already some kind of officer in the military. Doubt it though.

“You got back a lot of stuff,” Allison said, poking her head out from the open door. Her hair was loose now, freshly washed it seemed. She stepped out and sat down on the floor, hugging her knees as she leaned against the wall.

Here comes the next one, Kate thought with a sigh.

“Ah don’t be so bitchy,” the woman said and waved her off. “Your tough firefighter act doesn’t get to me. Did you fight more monsters?”

Kate puffed with a grin. “So very provocative. Yes, in fact, I did.”

The woman clambered up, holding on to the chair. “Really?” her face was very close. She moved back a little. “How did it feel? Did you use your hammer?”

“Yes,” Kate said.

“Can I… can I touch it?” the woman asked with a broad smile.

“Sure, if you get out of my face then,” Kate said.

“Great,” Allison said, her smile downright radiant. She hummed a tune and inspected the hammer, poking the spike bit and smelling on the blood. “This thing is heavy,” she exhaled and put it back down again. “You’ve got a Class right? Magic? Does it help with this thing?”

“A little,” Kate said, “Yes. You know… Allison. I’d be far more inclined to have a chit chat with a hot coffee in my hands.”

The woman winked and pointed at her. “I get that. That makes sense. Coffee I can do,” she said and walked off towards the kitchen.

Kate collected the hammer again, her weapon left standing a few meters away. She wanted it close. The following calm didn’t last for particularly long, three men exiting the armory a few minutes later.

Logan had his sword and helmet, a shield now too.

Grey followed with an assortment of wooden tools. Training weapons it seemed.

Third was Ethan, the man who had been unconscious or sleeping throughout the past few days. Both hands in his pants pockets, he came out and glanced at Kate. “What’re you looking at?”

“That’s how you wanna do this?” Kate asked.

He smiled, a downright wicked grin. “No issues, ma’am,” he said, giving Logan a meaningful look.

Another kid, she thought. This time she saw the scar on his brow clearly. Definitely from fire. His hair was fitting, in a cruel kind of way, red in color, mid-length and unkempt. She could tell he wasn’t exactly a slouch. Somewhat thin but his posture suggested he was quite sporty.

“We can put up some targets. Ethan, no fire until I say so,” Logan said.

Kate raised her brows.

“Yes, sir, Mr. Bosslogan,” Ethan deadpanned, giving a look to Grey. They glanced at each other for a moment before the latter looked away, Ethan in turn grinning before he shook his head. He still wore his green work pants and blood covered gray hoodie. He seemed in his late teens, maybe early twenties.

A little older than Grey and Eloise, Kate assumed. She followed his gaze and found Allison walking towards her with two mugs in her hands. She looked back to Ethan, his expression downright lecherous. Can’t blame him. She’s got coffee.

“Eyes front, Ethan,” Logan said.

The man ignored him and straight up whistled. “Who are you?” he asked with a broad smile.

Allison smiled back. “The woman who will cut off your cock and feed it to you if you ever look at me like that again,” she said without missing a beat.

Ethan was left with a strange expression on his face.

“Now go play soldier or whatever it is you’re doing. Hush,” Allison said, her expression more than a little dismissive.

“Bitch,” Ethan murmured and turned away, hands still in his pockets.

“Here you go,” Allison said, back with her smile. “I hope I didn’t fuck it up. You seemed really, really into coffee. To an unhealthy degree really. Are you addicted?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Kate said and took the cup. It had milk in it. Fuck. She tasted it. And sugar.

“I fucked it up,” Allison said.

“It’s fine. I forgot to specify,” Kate said. At least it was warm, and the woman hadn’t gone overboard with the white crystal. “Didn’t have to murder him.”

“No. No I did,” Allison said as she leaned on the wall. “You give guys like him an inch, they’ll never stop. Trust me.”

“Pretty experienced? Black with no sugar, by the way,” Kate said. “And thanks for the coffee.”

“Thanks for saving my life,” the woman said before she laughed in a hollow manner. “Yeah, I had my share. The big guy is pretty hot. Already taken?”

Kate raised a brow. “No, not really.”

“Hey, I don’t want you to murder me in my sleep, so be honest,” Allison said as she sipped from her mug.

“No, I meant it. I’m not exactly looking to get with anyone at the moment,” Kate said and looked over. “With the apocalypse and all.”

Allison grinned. “Your loss.”

“I think this is fine,” Logan said. He stood next to an impromptu target. A steel chair propping up a metal plate. “Let’s see if you can hit it. Try not to get any on the tree.”

The two women shifted their attention to Ethan, the young man visibly enjoying the attention.

He moved his hand in a gesture before a fiery wisp flickered to life above his palm. He grinned as the flame intensified, burning in a yellowish red color.

Oh no.

“Cool, give the idiot fire magic,” Allison said.

Ethan flicked his wrist and the small sphere flashed forward. Not quite as fast as an arrow, let alone a bullet, but it did reach the target. He missed by a few meters and the sphere hit the cobbled ground, exploding into a two meter patch of flames.

“Awesome!” Grey exclaimed, looking between the fire and Ethan.

The latter glanced to the women while he tried to ignore Grey, neither giving him the reaction he wanted. He frowned when the assassin approached, talking about splash damage and range.

“They’re gonna be best friends,” Allison murmured, taking another sip from her mug.

Kate damn near growled as she too drank from her coffee. Fire mage.

“Wow, that’s a sound! I mean I’m good at growling but holy fuck, I just got goosebumps. How did you do that?” Allison asked.

Kate looked over. “What do you mean? I just growled.”

“No seriously. You don’t understand. That wasn’t a normal sound. Did you get a skill or something?” Allison asked.

“No,” Kate said, shaking her head with some confusion. A tearing noise made her turn.

Grey had cut through the metal sheet with his sword, standing in a low crouch behind the target where he sheathed the weapon with a calm motion.

“Not half bad,” Allison said.

“Indeed,” Kate said. Should see him stab goblins.

Ethan stood with his arms crossed while Logan laughed, holding his armored stomach.

“Now you choose a weapon too, Ethan,” Logan said.

“Why? I have fire,” he answered.

“You have mana. And that can run out,” Logan said. “So choose something.”

The fire mage went and looked through the pile, finally taking a shortsword.

“Good, that works. Grey, you know some sword fighting theory? Because I don’t,” Logan said.

“I know some!” Allison said in a shrill voice as she stood up and rushed over.

How?

“Really?” Logan asked. “That’s great.”

He just trusts her. She just wants to-

Kate’s thought process was interrupted when Allison grabbed a wooden longsword and twirled it around. She stabbed and slashed the air a few times while still holding on to her mug.

“These are very light. You should train with your real weapons when you don’t fight each other. First, we’ll look at forms. I only looked at theory from medieval England, nordic styles, and some egyptian fighting, but I suppose we’ll figure out what suits you best,” the woman said and pointed at three spots on the ground. “Spread out. Grey, straighten up, you’re slouching. Ethan, take your hands out of your fucking pants, you’ll die with them in there. Logan, put on your helmet. It will fuck you over if you’re not used to it.”

Damn, Kate thought as she drank from her coffee. She nearly choked when the woman pointed her sword in her direction.

“You’re joining too, once you’re done with that coffee,” Allison exclaimed.

Where did she take that energy from? She was near fucking death just this morning!

“What’s all that noise about?” Melusine asked as she stepped outside. “Oh, Allison is taking charge. I see.” She had a genuine smile on her face.

“You’re enjoying it?” Kate asked.

“Oh but of course. She’s a wonderful addition. Did you know she makes armor? Jon thinks she’ll be a great asset,” the woman said.

“That too? What doesn’t she do?” Kate wondered and finished her coffee. She stood up and grabbed her hammer. “Do you know war hammer theory too?” she asked as she joined the group.

“Not a lot. But then, it’s a hammer,” Allison commented. “And you’re a firefighter, you’re fitter than these lads anyway. Grey wants to say something.”

“Y… you should train your skills,” he said.

“Good idea,” Allison said. “Yeah those with skills should work on them, now that no monsters are around.”

“Do you plan to fight as well?” Kate asked her.

“No. I don’t… really do violence. But good on you for adapting,” the woman said with a radiant smile.

Can’t tell if she’s fucking with me or if she really just is like that, Kate wondered. She grabbed a wooden hammer and glanced at the target.

Kate Lindgren

Unspent stat points: 0

Class: Berserker – lvl 8

- Active: Mindless Ferocity – lvl 10

- Active: Furious Dance – lvl 10

- Active: Reckless Charge – lvl 7

- Active: Hunting Leap – lvl 1

- Active:

- Passive: Toll for the Living – lvl 8

- Passive: Courage of the Unarmored – lvl 7

- Passive: Two Handed Weapon Fighting – lvl 8

- Passive: Unrelenting Carnage – lvl 1

- Passive:

Support class: Locked

Status:

Vitality: 20

Endurance: 14

Perseverance: 8

Strength: 13

Dexterity: 8

Intelligence: 7

Wisdom: 10

Equipment:

Torso: -

Legs: -

Trinket: -

Food: -