Marem made sure Philips didn’t have any previously missed wounds, as she sent Leo off to look through any nearby rooms in the building. Leo found that the rooms were either untouched or ransacked for supplies. Leo also found a nearby room for Philips.

Marem and Leo gently carried Philips to the room, where she proceeded to tie him down using makeshift straps. Leo felt his stomach in knots as he helped, but he knew that if Philips wasn’t secured he could hurt himself or someone else. Leo hated the fact that they needed to restrain his mouth the most, but they didn’t want to risk him screaming and terrifying Mark.

Marem assured Leo that it wouldn’t take long for Philips to recover, but that they couldn’t risk him doing more damage to himself in that time. Her magic was good for healing injuries in combat, but to fix a deadly wound like that would take time.

Most importantly, the spikes of the Spike Devil seemed to snap off when they impaled a creature, which worsened Philips recovery time. Leo felt his anger grow when he heard that, upset that the Devil still caused problems even after he beat it.

“So, there is still one issue with the plan,” Marem said.

“Huh?” idiotically responded Leo.

“What do we do with Mark? We can’t just leave him here, but we can’t bring him with either,” she stated as she looked at the sleeping child.

Leo realized that they did have a responsibility for this kid, especially with his home now being destroyed. While the Mayors’ office was likely the safest place for him, Mark would likely not be able to handle a new environment without someone there to comfort him. Philips also was someone Mark seemed to rely on, but he wouldn’t be able to help the kid.

“Wait, Marem, if Philips helped out Mark, then maybe there are other survivors he helped. If we find more people, then they could keep an eye on Mark,” reasoned Leo.

“Mark did say Philips was the only one who didn’t leave though,” she rebutted.

“That is true, but I doubt anyone would be making themselves known with that monster coming through,” he defended.

“Well, there isn’t anything else we can do while we wait. I’ll stay with Mark and check in on Philips, you go search for anyone still in the city,” she accepted.

With sunrise having just started, Leo left the Mayor’s office to start the search for any survivors. He didn’t know where to find others, so he decided to head out and hope for the best.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

He went randomly through the city, and called out at the top of his lungs. He screamed about how the monster that terrorized them was defeated, and that there was a survivor camp. He hoped that just shouting once would have gathered a sizable crowd, but it seemed that things wouldn’t be that simple.

It took Leo well over half an hour before he got a response. He heard the creak of a door opening, as an old man peered out. Leo felt relieved, thankful that his hoarse voice could get a break.

“Hello?” greeted Leo.

“Is it really safe?” asked the old man.

“Yes! The monster is dead, we were able to defeat it last night,” exclaimed Leo.

The old man walked out from the door, as he came into the light. He had a thick bushy beard, alongside a short stature. Leo realized that the man was a dwarf, as he felt his heart skip a beat. He hadn’t seen many people since the day he faced David, but this was the first dwarf he’d seen since then.

For a moment, this man reminded Leo of Buddy. His heart felt heavy, not being prepared for the encounter. He felt sadness wash over him, but didn’t let it stop him.

“Is the city safe?” the old man queried.

“That’s the goal, right now we’re trying to set up a camp for people to stay in, ” answered Leo.

“Is Philips with you?” asked the old man.

Leo sighed, “Philips was severely injured in the fight against the Spike Devil, he’s alive but infected.”

He saw the old man’s eyes widen, as he seemed concerned and shocked at the news.

“Philips would stop by with food and supplies whenever he could, I know he helped out others. Are they with you?” the old man questioned.

“No, sadly we haven’t found them all. Philips isn’t in any state to help, and we’ve only found one survivor so far,” admitted Leo.

“Were you sent by the government? I’d nearly given up hope on someone coming to save us,” continued the old man.

“No, we’re just some adventurers who’re helping out. You should come with me to the camp,” directed Leo.

The old man followed him, as the two made their way to the Mayor’s office. The journey was uneventful, and despite his attempts Leo wasn’t able to locate anyone on their way to the office. When he arrived with the old man, he remembered the monster’s body that he walked by earlier.

When they approached, the old man stared at it in fear. Leo didn’t want to risk any contamination from the monster, as he ordered the old man to go past into the building. Leo wanted to throw the body far from here, but he didn’t want to risk it infecting more people where it landed. He carried the body to the side of the building, as he placed it under some foliage.

When he walked into the building, he heard joyous chatter echo throughout the halls. He came back to find Mark happily chatting with the old man, as Marem was sat down at a nearby table. Upon seeing Leo, Mark ran up to give him a hug with a wide grin.

“You brought back Mr. Smith!” exclaimed Mark.

Leo patted Mark on the back as gently as he could, as he looked at the old man. The tired look of the old man seemed to have been replaced by a smile.

“It’s actually Mr. Carrog, but the kids call me Mr. Smith on account of my being a blacksmith,” beamed the old man.