Chapter Forty-Three

It didn’t take Darren very long to make the boat. Ambrose had to cut down a few trees, but that was easy to do with his D-Grade strength and tapping [Infernal Infusion]. He dragged some of the logs down to the beach and through the sand to the shore. Ambrose looked with interest as Darren drew up plans for a boat on some paper, using Thomas’s back as a surface.

When he was done, Darren walked over and touched the logs. There was a pulse of clear blue mana, and the logs began to warp, twist, and shape themselves into a boat. When the skill, for that’s what it had to be, had run its course, a medium-sized, polished, wooden boat with two oars floated in the water. Ambrose turned to the group that had followed them to the beach.

“Vivienne will provide for your needs while I’m gone. Before I leave, I’d like to get a couple of things straight and discuss what happens when I return.”

Darren crossed his arms; Andrea put her hands on her hips, and Thomas smiled. Ambrose went on, his voice growing hard,

“I have a goal. It’s a very straightforward goal. I will accomplish it. There is nothing, no one, who will get in the way of that. If you choose to stay on this island, deal with a devil or not, you have to understand that everything you do here and build here will be used for that goal. If you have a problem with that, you can leave anytime. Are we clear?”

Darren shared a look with the others.

“This island is safe now, right? No monsters?”

Ambrose considered the things below.

“There are plenty of monsters here. None that can harm you, however. Not anymore.”

Andrea shrugged,

“As per the deal, we have to help you anyway. Even without that, I would stay. I don’t have anywhere else to go, and the rest of the world is in shambles,” she said.

Thomas poked his cheek.

“Me too, Sonny. I’ve been a wanderer all my life. It’s time to settle down and build something. No matter what mission it’s used for.”

Darren sighed.

“As long as Jenny is safe, I agree with these terms.”

Ambrose nodded curtly.

“Good. When I come back, I will have someone dangerous with me. That shouldn’t be an issue, but I want you to know. I’ll also have what we need to start our settlement. In the meantime, maybe draw up plans for the settlement, resources we need, etc.”

With that, Ambrose got into the boat and began rowing.

It was time to begin hunting.

____________

There were two Melbournes in Florida. The city was near Orlando or Melbourne Beach, closer to Ambrose's current location. It was a long stretch of beach surrounded by the ocean, and even with D-Grade strength, it took him a solid hour and a half to reach it. It’s still impressive since it would have taken that long by car. He rowed as close as he could to shore before getting out, water lapping gently against his armored legs. He pulled the boat onto shore.

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There was nothing he could do to secure it, so he just had to hope no one would come along and steal it. If that happened, he’d have to search for another one at the docks—if there were any docks, Ambrose thought grimly. He expected to find himself in the beach-front property area of Melbourne.

Instead, everything had changed. There were still roads, but there were zero houses he expected to see. It was as if someone had come in and demolished all of the homes and removed them. There was nothing but roads and Florida palm trees, and that was it.

It felt…barren. Ambrose trudged down the road at a steady pace. It wasn’t long before he saw a settlement out in the distance. A wooden fence lined with wire had been erected in a huge oval shape. A large wood and metal tower could be seen. A man with a rifle stood in the tower.

A shack had been built just outside the large gate that led into the settlement. It was a ramshackle, but it served the purpose it was designed for, as a man with a simple wooden staff stepped out of it. Following behind her was a full-figured platinum blonde dressed in tight green leather and with eyes as blue as the ocean.

The runes on Ambrose’s eye patch swirled instantly, cutting through whatever skill the woman had been using. She still looked the same to his site, but the brief moment of allure he had felt towards her when she had appeared vanished popped like a bubble.

She didn’t seem to notice.

Ambrose stepped up to both of them. His axe was currently in his bag, but he was ready to take it out instantly if he needed to. The woman spoke first, and her voice was low, with lots of heat. She likely thought her skill was still working.

“What brings a handsome stranger like you to new Melbourne?”

The man gripped his staff a little tighter. Ambrose kept an eye on them both but also made sure to be aware of the man in the tower who had trained his gun on him. He didn’t think the bullets would do much to him, but he wasn’t about to underestimate anyone.

Underestimating a threat is a good way to get dead real quick, boy. Ambrose almost groaned. His father’s voice was back.

“I’m passing through. I was hoping to stop for a while, rest up, and resupply.”

The man shot the woman a furtive glance before looking back at him.

“You have System Credits?”

Ambrose shook his head,

“Afraid not. I do have a pair of hands and a willingness to work.”

The man chewed on his tongue for a moment.

“We aren’t running a charity here, man.”

Ambrose gave a thumbs-up,

“I get it. Like I said, I’m willing to work.”

The woman spoke up, her voice a purr,

“You could do some work for me, stranger.”

Ambrose winced,

“No, not that kind. Thanks. Surely you have some manual labor that needs doing. What are your names, anyway?”

The man replied in a harsh tone,

“You don’t need to know that. Look, you can go in, but you have to leave any weapons with us. There’s a bar inside called Annie’s. Big sign out front, you can’t miss it. She might have work for you.”

He went to the gate and opened it with a key he had produced from somewhere on his person. Then he stood in front of the opening.

“Your weapons, please.”

Ambrose raised his hands,

“I have none. Lost it to a monster on the way here.”

The man’s brown eyes regarded him suspiciously, looking over his person. Finally, he crossed his arms and sighed.

“Fine. Go on in. But listen well. I’m a mage, and if you go starting any trouble you best believe I’ll end it, understand?”

Ambrose raised an eyebrow. The man meant it.

“Crystal.”

The man nodded at him and gestured. Ambrose walked by, and the blonde whistled at him as he did.

For some reason, Ambrose got the feeling the mage would be trying to end his trouble really soon.