424 A Relaxing Morning, Amihans Greatest Wish (1/2)

Day 73 - 8:15 AM - Moutain Base, Mount Malabito, General Nakar, Quezon

Another cold and fresh morning came.

Everyone already accepted the change in their lifestyle since arriving at this place.

Unlike how almost everyone here lived back in the past, before the apocalypse, it was rather dull. They did not have much to do but do the work they were designated to do regularly. Of course, they were not forced to work until they were tired or treated as lowly slaves. And they were glad about that. Especially those that experienced being slaves in Death Valley Settlement, they wished that they had stumbled into this place sooner.

Yes, anyone could say that it was rather dull. Compared to living outside, however, this was heaven. The infected could barely reach these parts of the mountains. There were animals that should have been treated as a threat. However, the secure walls, traps, and the strength of the leading figures of the base turned these threats into a stable food source instead.

Meats had already become a luxury to military settlements due to the scarcity of it, especially fresh meat and meat from mutated animals.

There was no livestock to slaughter anymore since the apocalypse started. Because of that, the only meat food available could only be found in preserved canned goods.

As for meat from mutated animals, it was a dangerous endeavor to gather. The word mutated stated it all. These were not the usual fauna earth had before. Without proper planning, catching one for food could spell disaster. These animals had different features than before. Many of these characteristics were also deadly to their enemies and predators. Furthermore, not all these mutated animals were edible. Some of them had poison either in their blood or meat.

In the base, however, it was very different.

Everyone could eat meat on a daily basis. Furthermore, there was no fear of poison and such. Why? The existence of the [Blood Children] made a lot of things in this settlement different.

While Ivy mutated in a way that its body contained poison, another [Blood Child] mutated oppositely.

Apparently, a bad thing happened while Mark was gone and went to Bay City Settlement. During one of the days, Huey and the others were training their abilities, Nicole got attacked by a poisonous insect. She was stung by a fist-sized green colored bee. Like ordinary bees, the bee died a few seconds after it pricked Nicole. Still, Nicole was poisoned.

Bringing Nicole back to the base, she was already feverish. Her left arm that was stung already turned purplish. Without a doubt, it was a deadly poison. They were all in panic at that time because Mark was not around.

That was when Ruby, the [Blood Child] closest to Nicole, did something they did not expect. With a tentacle, it pierced the area where Nicole was stung. Then, she started to suck the poison out of Nicole's system using her blood flow.

Huey and everyone around saw how Ruby sucked out the poison. They could even observe a different colored liquid flowing through her body from the tentacle she used to pierce Nicole.

Everyone knew that Mark would be angry if something happened to Ruby. However, they could only take this chance. And thus, none of them stopped it. Nicole's life was in danger, after all.

When Ruby stopped and retracted her tentacle, healthy colored blood flowed out of Nicole's wound. There was still discoloration in Nicole's skin. Nevertheless, her complexion was better, and her breathing stabilized.

One thing was odd, however. Ruby stopped moving. It looked the same as when they were in the sleep state. They all knew that it was not normal and decided to observe further.

The next day, Nicole recovered. And so thus Ruby.

However, Ruby had changed. Her reddish-black color now had been mixed with a purplish hue. She looked ominous.

Still, that made Nicole's and Ruby's relationship even closer.

Since that time, Ruby would take care of any suspicious animals they brought back from their hunt. If the poison was in the meat, Ruby would detect it, and it would be discarded. However, if the poison was within the blood, Ruby would happily absorb it.

To say, the [Blood Children] were the very foundation of this base next to Mark. The walls and structures here were built solely with the metal they created.

Because of Alaula, they even started installing light sources using the [Glowing Blood Metal] she could produce.

The production of see-through windows also started after Mark's return since Oracle was with him.

Poisoned weapons, needles, and arrows were created by Ivy.

Crimson, on the other hand, would do the surveillance while they were hunting. With his ability to turn into Black Smoke, he could go around the forest faster without being detected. He started this job after Mark returned. Because of the sudden influx of people, they needed more food for the base, after all.

Lastly and one of the most important ones was Salacia. The [Blood Child] named after a goddess of saltwater helped a lot in the preservation of food. The [Blood Metal] was found out to have high concentrations of salt. With drying racks made from the [Blood Metal], she created, curing meat and fish caught in the river became faster and easier.

***

From the newly created balcony on the face of the cliff, Mark turned into a house, he glanced unto what he had created. The base was just starting. Yet, he could say that it was already prosperous.

The people living in his base had different aura compared to those living inside settlements. Even the new slaves that joined in did not have a hard time to find the security they needed. They had not fully recovered from malnutrition. However, the state of living in the base made them want to contribute. They desired to do what they could and be a part of this small community.

”This is a very different place compared to Bay City.”

Mei, who sat beside Mark, said.

Back in Bay City, although the treatment they received was not bad at all, they barely had any time to properly rest. In the middle of the night, there were a lot of times that they needed to wake up and help to fight the infected attacking the settlement. Missions had to be done every now and then. And as one of the pillars in that settlement, the responsibility was rather heavy.

Now, they did not have to experience such circumstances more than necessary.

”Yeah, very different.”

Mark could agree with that. Just the mood of the people could make the difference.

”Gege, you should eat your breakfast first before it gets cold.”

Mei could not help but pout after hearing his reply. It was because he already went back to what he was doing without even touching the food Mei made for him.

”Okay, sorry.”

Mark apologized and decided to eat first.

While he ate, Mei looked at what he was working on. On the table, Mark made yesterday in this balcony, several pieces of paper with a lot of scribbles and sketches were placed.

Without a doubt, he was working on a new weapon. Furthermore, on the sketch, it was a rather large one. Probably, something that could be mounted on the roof of a vehicle. She wanted to know what kind of weapon this was. However, the part was Mark could usually place the title on his sketches was still empty.

”Gege, what kind of weapon is this?”

Mei could not help but ask as her curiosity peaked.