A couple of days passed as Dorian familiarized himself with the Wanderers under Dominic. He had come to learn a lot of things.
At first, he was intended to just stay the night and then leave, but he ended up staying for longer than he anticipated. The reason was simple.
The atmosphere was just too welcoming!
The Wanderers that he had stumbled upon, or perhaps it was the other way around, were just too calm and friendly with each other. The way they treated each other and him was just too good. He felt that if he was with Gus and Dora in the Oasis, then he would not be treated half as good as this.
"How is it?" A young man sat beside Dorian, placing his tray of food on the table in front of them. His name was Dylan and he was a rank 1 Gifted with the ability to manipulate water. At least, that was what he told Dorian.
"Oh, it's nice. The quality of food here is great." Dorian replied as he pulled himself out of his thoughts and directed his attention back to his half eaten food.
"I know. It's made with love." Dylan chuckled and winked before turning to his own food and wolfing it down quickly.
If Dorian was being honest, the Dylan was the first friend that he had made so far after waking up. However, he could not help but have doubts. After Gus and Dora tried kidnapping him, he could not help feeling suspicious of everything and everyone. In this post apocalyptic world, it was only natural that people would put their own interests before others. He suspected that Dylan might have been sent to monitor him closely and get close to him by Dominic, but he could not be sure. However, he felt it was better to err on the side of caution.
Not long later, the two young men walked out of the mess hall. Before they could even decide on what they were going to do next, word came from one of the guards on the border of the camp.
"Monsters are approaching the camp! All able bodied fighters should get ready to fight!"
The news spread fast and soon, a good number of people came out, ready to fight to protect the camp. Those that were unable to fight quickly took shelter in the tents behind the fighters. The able bodied men and women that could fight, whether with Gifts or not, all left the camp, stepping out of the illusory barrier that kept it hidden.
A mob of monsters, mostly rank one, were moving in the direction of the camp. Their coordination was a bit strange, as they mostly did not attack each other except for a few scuffles. They were not moving directly in the direction of the camp, but sooner or later, they would stumble upon the border of the camp and cause trouble.
"There are quite a few rank 2 monsters in the horde." Dylan said with a frown on his face.
"How much stronger are rank 2 monsters when compared with rank 1?" Dorian asked, his face showing his apprehension.
"Let's say one rank 2 can fight against four rank 1s without losing ground." Dylan thought for a moment before giving a rough estimate.
"Oh." Dorian had nothing else to say.
'Psyker, can I take on a rank 2?' He asked his mental companion and guide.
[There is a difference between fighting and defeating something. You can fight it, but defeating it is a whole different matter when it comes down to it. You lack the proper experience.] Psyker's voice promptly popped Dorian's bubble and brought him down from his high.
"Ruff!"
Dorian snapped out of his thoughts as Bolt bolted up to his side. The Lightning Hound had been separated from him to eat. Bolt was not too apprehensive about leaving Dorian's side which had also helped Dorian relax in the presence of the Wanderers.
Dorian ruffled Bolt's fur but didn't take his eyes off the approaching mob of monsters. The Wanderers were still within the barrier that hid the camp so the monsters hadn't spotted them yet.
"Be careful, Bolt. Don't leave my side." He warned the Lightning Hound and Bolt responded with a low whine as if complaining but shut up when Dorian fixed him with a stern look. "It's for your own safety."
Eventually, the Wanderers had prepared themselves enough. Dominic soon arrived and the fighters parted ways for him to walk to the front. He looked as if he was not fazed by the sudden appearance of these monsters. They had been nowhere in the past couple of days and had suddenly popped up on the radar today.
"Everyone, prepare for battle! This is going to be tough!" His voice rang out but did not reach the monsters, thankfully. The barrier was also able to mute sounds that came from within.
As the fighters got into what formations they could under the direction of their superiors, Dominic came to Dorian and Dylan's side to address them.
"Be careful out there. These monsters are suspicious. I believe they might be under the control of some Gifted." Dominic told Dorian and the latter's eyes widened with surprise.
"Under someone's control? Are you serious?" Dorian responded with shock.
"Very. There are all sorts of Gifts in this world. Who knows how many people have Gifts that can control monsters or influence them in some way. We cannot put it out of our assumptions that these monsters are under someone's control. Maybe even the people you escaped from a few days ago." Dominic shared his views.