Volume 01: Start Again
Chapter 12: People of Nil
Not taking any more time I stepped into the house passing the old woman as I got into the room, I was able to see several people that were all injured holding up weapons of different types pointing them towards the door where I squeezed in through.
After looking me over the people inside the building seemed to let out small sighs of relief. "He is just an outsider." The different people lowered their weapons and looked over at the old woman.
"Everyone move back underground I don't know why you are all out here what if the creatures smelled your blood." The old woman behind me whispered out to the group of people.
Heeding the words of the old woman I watched as a man stepped back to pull a rug that lay on the floor to the side revealing a small wooden hatch. Pulling open the hatch he held it up as they filed inside stepping onto some stairs that seemed to lie beneath.
"Come with us." As the old woman behind me passed me she lightly whispered to me as she also moved to head into the hatch.
'There are still NPCs alive?' Watching all the villagers disappearing underground I felt somewhat elated as this meant I could probably get a solo quest from these people.
Thinking this I quietly followed them underground and as I began to step down the stairs, I noticed that the underground area was lightly lit by candles on either side of me. As I moved further down the stairs a large room came into view littered with heavily injured NPCs on the floor with cuts and bruises lashed across each one of their bodies.
As I lowered into the large room my nose was smacked by a very disgusting smell and as I continued to look around, I noticed a couple of bodies that were placed in a corner covered by some blankets. 'They must the ones who could not handle their injuries.' Wafting the air around my nose I just continued downward.
Seeing all these injured people I could not help but think if the train captain had known that this many people were still alive, they may have still come to get some extra experience as this group of survivors was so close to the southern gate. But right now, the only thing I could do was shake my head as I was all alone.
Stepping off the staircase I stood before the wooden stairs as all the people who came down before me spread out throughout the room to go sit before people who were lying on the floor.
*tsh*
Looking back up the staircase I watched as a bloody-faced man came last down the staircase after shutting the hatch. Crouched below the hatch I watched as the man pulled a small string which I assumed moved the rug that I saw earlier back over the hatch.
As they made their way down the stairs the man with a bloody face kept his eyes on me. Getting all the way before me the man looked at me seriously now.
"Are you alone?" The man spoke out as he took his last step off the stairs to stand beside me looking at the rest of the people in the room with a saddened expression.
"A train was passing near the outside of the town and in response to the plea for help we stopped a kilometer outside the southern gate and made our way here…" I spoke out to the man in a hesitant voice.
"Then there are more people here to help us!" The man cut me off as his face lit up hearing my words not seeming to notice my hesitation to continue on.
"…no," I spoke out.
"What do you mean you just said an entire train had come to aid us? We are so close to the southern gate that with more people we could fight our way out of here. There seems to only be silver wolves lurking around the southern area." The man now sounding rather hysterical began to grab hold of my hands.
"It is only me. Everyone else left as the mission was deemed unsuccessful due to the seen destruction and lack of life deemed to still be alive in the town." I slowly spoke out my words to make sure the man understood.
Squeezing my hands, I could feel the rage within the man before me after hearing my words. Letting the man squeeze my hands I just stood in place as I waited for him to cool off.
"But we are still here. We are alive…" The man began to mumble to himself as he released his grasp of my hands and brought them to his head to run them through his auburn hair.
Choosing to stay silent I just let the man mumble to himself as I continued to look at him.
"Why did you come then?" A soft voice came from my side. Turning to look at who was speaking to me I saw the small old lady who had let me into the building and looking at her more now I saw she was using a small cane to stand.
"There was a green man and little girl who was trapped at the southern gate. I helped them along with another person who had come to help them." Only answering this much to the older woman.
Hearing my words, the man and old woman that stood beside me both flinched. "Did they both make it out?" The old woman's eyes widened slightly as she asked.
Seeing the change in the demeanor of the old woman and man I knew they must have known the two who I had seen at the gate. "I was only able to help the little girl escape with the one who had accompanied me. They took her out of the city as I distracted the wolves." I answered honestly.
"Thank you." The old woman smiled at me then turned to the man with the bloody face who had stopped mumbling to himself and smacked the side of his hip with her cane. "He saved your niece why don't you also thank him." The old woman narrowed her eyes at the man scolding him.
"Ah. Thank you." The man spoke out in a soft voice as he rubbed the side of his hip with his hand.
Staying silent now the man just scrunched his face as if in displeasure from having to thank me before he walked off stepping between the people on the floor to the other side of the room and crouching before a young woman whose hand he grabbed.
Seeing this sight, I felt rather understanding as I thought about how devastated everyone must feel as most of their loved ones were probably dead already or have serious injuries.
"Don't worry about my son it has just been a rather long day for all of us. His brother and niece who you had seen had left here to try and escape alone. So, with your news, I am sure he is feeling a bit better." Hearing the voice of the old woman I slowly nodded my head as I looked back to her who was staring out at her son holding the hand of the frail woman.
"We plan to stay here till the beast tide passes over the night then we will leave with everyone who is left and try to make it to the next town over. So, you can stay here with us if you'd like to young man." The old woman spoke out in a low voice as she peered back at me.
Hearing these words, I turned to look at the rest of the room at the people who were slowly dying on the cold stone floor and the people who were sitting beside them grasping their hands. It reminded me of when I was a child holding the hands of my dying mother as she slowly left the world.
This thought slipping into my mind for a split second made me feel rather lonely. Feeling this, I immediately shook my head before pushing the feeling away.
I looked over at her and said, "Thank you."
"It is fine young man I am sure you have had a long day as well." Patting my arm, the old woman smiled and then looked back over to the people in the room.
'I can most likely get a quest from this woman.' This was my only thought after seeing the eyes of the old woman who stared out at the people.
"Ma'am, by chance does the town have a medium-sized forge?" I suddenly asked recalling some past events of my last life.
Hearing my peculiar question, the old woman turned to look at me with a questioning gaze, but not knowing my meaning answered. "Yes, we should have one near the town's square. Why?"
Smiling I turned to look at everyone in the room then back to the old woman. "Do you think everyone here can be moved out of the southern gate if I create a large distraction pulling all the creatures in the town?"
The smile on the face of the old woman quickly changed to a frown as she moved her cane up to smack my leg.
'Ah.' Not letting any sound out, I continued to stare at the old woman with a grin.
"You do not need to do that for us just stay here with us then we can all leave in the morning." The old woman brought her cane back to her side and then continued to frown at me.
"Don't worry about me I have plenty of abilities to escape anything that does happen as long as I am alone. But for now, I will stay here until my abilities are back. Then I will create a diversion so all of you can escape." Saying these words, I gave a small toothy smile to the old woman.
Still seeing the hesitation of the old woman, I jokingly said, "Don't worry even if I die, I expect all of you to make a statue in my honor."
Hearing these words, the old woman raised her cane once again and smacked me with it.
"Ah!" Over exaggerating the pain, I continued to smile at the old woman trying to reinsure her.
Looking at my reaction the old woman struck me a couple more times with her cane and as she noticed my exaggerated response each time, she could only return her cane to her side and shake her head.
"Fine. I will talk with everyone else." The old woman walked out to where the bloody-faced man was crouching holding the hand of the woman and began speaking to him. I could see the two conversing with each other and as the woman pointed toward me the face of the bloody man significantly changed to shock as he looked towards me.
Placing the woman's hand onto her own chest the man once again stood up and began walking towards me as the old woman followed right behind him. Once they got before me the man spoke out, "Take me as well."
After saying this the old woman standing behind him immediately smacked his butt with her cane.
"Ah." The light cry of the man sounded out.
"Be quiet you will stay with us you will only slow him down if you go with him." The old woman stepped beside the man.
"But mom…"
"No, you are only good for fighting one on one. The boy has escape abilities that you do not have so you will only slow him down." The woman scolded stopping the man's words in their tracks.
"Fine so we will need to know your plan so we can prepare. Garland! Silv!" The man called out to the room causing two distinct people in the room to shoot up from their spots in the room.
One woman and one man who was seated among the people began making their way through the room toward our position. Arriving next to the man.
"We are getting out of here later with the help of this person so we will now listen to his plan." The man looked back over his shoulder speaking to the two people who had just arrived.
Hearing his words, the two people looked over at me with wide eyes.
Noticing that everyone I probably needed to speak to was here I turned to sit on the stairs behind me. Turning back to look at the small group I began to speak.
"Shall we get started?"