Chapter 83 (1/2)

Randidly stretched, cracking his neck, as the moon rose over the city.

Unlike Donnyton, this monster horde had come quite soon after sundown. So around 6 hours later, when the monsters were too thinly spread to be considered anything more than the usual amount, the survivors collapsed, ready to rest for the ‘rest’ of their lives.

As he returned to the city, he couldn’t help but laugh at his own joke. But then he looked around at the piles of bodies, and he sobered up somewhat.

It had been bloody. More so than Randidly expected. But he supposed that the machine guns had been barely used. The ammo stores were running low before the horde. How could they be expected to handle 20k monsters…?

Even if they kept the number of classers low for tomorrow, the sheer number of people here meant the hordes would be large. Surviving would be tough. Briefly, Randidly considered remaining here, trying to assist for a while longer.

But then he shook his head. He could not help every village grow. He was here to create an advantage for Donnyton. And the advantages in recruiting they would gain would be more than enough.

In addition, Devan had told him about some of the dangerous seeming notifications that he had received a few days prior, as Donnyton apparently advanced to a Trainee Village. Hopefully this also meant that Nul would relent, and allow Randidly to learn more skills from his skill challenges. And just interact with him in general.

At any rate, it was time to head home. Or at least it would be, tomorrow.

Over the course of the night, Randidly had gained 3 levels in Spear Mastery, 2 in Phantom Thrust and Spear Phantom’s Footwork, 1 in Eyes of the Spear Phantom, 4 in Phantom Half-Step, 2 in Heavy Blow and Fighting Proficiency, 3 in Phantom Onslaught, Sweep, and Edge of Decay, 4 in Pollen of the Rafflesia, 1 in Agony, 6 in Circle of Flame, and finally 1 in Physical Fitness.

But for the moment, Randidly did not yet distribute his PP. Instead, he walked through the depressed city, heading towards the location of his cooking job. This would likely be the last time he would be here, so he wanted to join in the work. Especially when they were offering free food to the survivors in an attempt to keep up morale.

Randidly was not really interested in charity, but he supposed building up goodwill, and grinding his cooking skill just a little longer with the superior cooking equipment, wasn’t such a bad thing.

****

Luckily for Franksburg, the Senator had survived, even while the headquarters was largely ransacked by skeletons, by locking himself in the closet and crying himself to sleep. Most of the previously intimidating “military presence” had fled, leaving him alone to man the communications room.

The Freedom Fighters as a group searched for him, found him, and then satisfied, everyone wandered to find the nearest bed. Even Anthony, who had only commanded the battle, had red rims around his eyes and was starting to slur his speech.

Alana supposed it was only natural; this was their first beast horde. They had fought monsters before, but they didn’t know what it was like to be afraid for their lives. And to think they had nowhere to return to.

Internally, Alana admitted to herself that it was slightly cruel, what they were doing. Without their assistance, they wouldn’t have acquired a Newbie Town for a few more weeks. At that time, their average level of strength would have risen another level.

Admittedly, not to the point where they could have survived what came for them last night, but still…

Shaking her head, Alana turned around to talk to Devan and his squad, only to find another group of 3 had crept up on them.

“Still awake?” Alana said with false casualness, but inwardly, she was slightly afraid of the masked woman in front of her. She had felt the pull on her will too, as Raina had chanted fight, but had resisted it. Once the conscious choice was made, it was rather easy to push its influence aside, but she then had to watch as people had their arms cut off and stuffed their bloody stumped down the throat of a monster to kill it, their eyes gleeful.

It was a dangerous power when you allowed it to consume yourself.

“Yes.” Raina said simply. “And I know a place that is giving out free food to survivors. I… know a chef there. I’m sure you all are famished. Won’t you join me? I have something to discuss.

*****

Raina explained slowly, cautiously, but she could still see Alana hesitate.

“Are you sure…” Alana asked carefully. “That you really want to abandon what you have here?”

“Yes,” Raina said simply, for the first time realizing what a boon the mask was. The other woman could not see the change in her expression. “Things are fine now, but I expect there to be… backlash for what I did to all those people.”

Alana remained silent, but her gaunt eyes meant that she had seen it too. Most of the lives lost at the end were not due to people being overwhelmed by monsters, but rather due to people fighting without any care for their lives, throwing themselves into danger in order to inflict wounds on the monsters.

The rest of the walk continued in silence, and Raina admired the professionalism of the people who came down from this village to the North. The head of the squad, who Raina had heard was a knight, marched with his squad members following behind in formation, even now prepared. Their equipment looked well cared for and practical. She wondered idly what they had gone through to get to this level of skill.

Raina saw Randidly as she walked up, working the front of a stand, one hand blurring as he cut food, then moving it to the pan, all the while speaking with a customer. His movements were liquid and smooth, even as everyone around him hurried back and forth, struggling to keep up with the mass of people willing to stay awake for food.