Path of Dragons

Alyssa stood on the roof of the police station and gazed out across the parking lot. There, she saw a haggard group of people waiting in front of the crude brick wall Carmen had built. It was rough, but at almost six feet high and half as thick, it had proven to be very effective in the weeks since it had been built.

“What do you think?” asked Roman, who’d taken a position beside her.

She glanced his way. The past couple of months had been difficult for everyone, but Roman had been hit particularly hard by all the death they’d seen. After that first night in the police station, they’d set about creating a safe haven, and along the way, they’d picked up quite a few survivors. At present, their little community, which had extended well past the station by virtue of a series of hastily built structures behind the main building, numbered in the hundreds.

And more seemed to come every day.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Same as always, right? Take them in, interview them, and then watch them closely.”

“That method doesn’t work,” he said, clearly referring to a recent incident where a few recent additions had plundered the stores of supplies. The group had escaped before anyone even knew they’d stolen anything. Where they’d gone, no one knew, but Roman wanted to hunt them down. Everyone else had talked him out of it.

“What’s the alternative?” Alyssa asked.

“Martial law,” he said. “Curfews. Strict rationing. Rewards for good behavior.”

“You make it sound like a prison,” she said. He’d spent the first part of his career working at the local jail, so the fact that he’d gone down that road wasn’t terribly surprising.

“And you think that’s fair?” she asked.

“Fair has nothing to do with it,” he answered. “Look around, Alyssa. This isn’t a world where we get to worry about personal freedom. We all have to work toward the greater good, or we won’t survive. You know that as well as anyone else.”

Indeed, she’d seen more death in the past two months than she’d ever thought possible. The first few days had been particularly hard on the local townspeople, and it was only through luck that their little group had managed to survive. She’d heard stories about monsters breaking into houses within a few hours of the world’s integration, and what’s more, she’d seen the results for herself. The reality was that they had suddenly found themselves in an incredibly dangerous world where support was a distant concept. They had no choice but to take care of themselves.

But that need had brought to light an additional problem – they all had different ideas about how to go about it. Roman leaned toward a strict policy where everyone was expected to pull their weight, and if they didn’t, they’d be left behind. Understandable, considering what was at stake. By contrast, Alyssa wanted to leave people to their own devices – at least for the most part. Sure, she expected people to work for the greater good, but she had no interest in forcing them to do things against their will.

And she would never kick anyone out of the compound they’d established. Roman would, and without even a hint of guilt. If someone wasn’t pulling their weight, they were worthless to him.

Again, Alyssa didn’t exactly disagree with that assertion. She knew how close they were to tipping over the edge. But she didn’t think someone deserved to die just because they were incapable – for whatever reason – of working toward the greater good. Some lacked the skills. Others were barely functional after losing friends and family. Only a few refused for selfish reasons.

“I think we need to go down and let them in,” Alyssa said.

“We’re going to have to figure this out eventually,” Roman stated. “We need a system. We’re getting too big to be on the honor system.”

Alyssa nodded. “Then we get everyone together and hash it out,” she said.

“Or we tell people how it’s going to be, and if they don’t like it, they can leave,” he responded.

“We can’t do that.”

He sighed. They’d had the discussion more than a few times, and he clearly didn’t want to revisit the debate. So, he said, “We’ll figure it out later, then. For now, we need to get those people inside.”

With that, the pair descended from the roof via a ladder that led to the ground. Then, they headed toward the gate. Like the wall Carmen had constructed, it was a crude thing made of plywood and rebar they’d found at a construction site just outside of town, but it did the job well enough.

They pulled it open.

“Oh, thank God!” said a shabby looking fellow armed with a shovel. He sported a few wounds, as did the rest of his party. There were seven in all – two of which were women – each looking like they’d been through hell. “We heard there were people here, but I wasn’t sure what we would find.”

“Where did you hear that?” demanded Roman.

“Uh…around? There was…I don’t know…we ran into a group a few days back,” the man said, running his hand through greasy hair. “They told us about this compound. Said it was safe.”

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“Nowhere is safe,” Alyssa stated.

“R-right,” he said, glancing at Roman. The former police chief held his bow at the ready, and he already had an arrow nocked. He hadn’t gone so far as to draw it back, but the threat was clear in his expression. The refugee asked, “Can…can we come in? We’ve been walking for two days, and –”

“What are your archetypes?” Roman asked.

“What?”

“Archetypes. What are we dealing with, here?” Roman repeated.

“Uh…I’m a Ranger. Martha is a Mage. Two Warriors. Two Scholars. And a Tradesman.”

“No Healers?” asked Alyssa in obvious disappointment.

“And two Scholars? Useless,” Roman added.

One of the women spoke up, “We’re not useless! I’m a historian, and I think –”

“Nobody cares what you used to be. Or didn’t you get the memo? The world ended two months ago. Now, all that matters is if you’re useful,” Roman said. “That means fighting. Gathering. Healing. Building things. Can you do any of that?”

“N-no…”

“Then you’re useless. But that’s fine. We need manual laborers, too.”

One of the men said, “But I have a doctorate! I can –”

“In what?”

“Uh…French literature…”

“Right. Useless.”

Alyssa wanted to speak up, but they’d agreed to present a unified front. She didn’t like how dismissive Roman was, but division was even worse. So, she held her tongue. Meanwhile, Roman told the group of refugees the rules. They weren’t onerous. No fighting. No stealing. Everyone worked toward collective survival, and if they were attacked – which wasn’t common, but it wasn’t unheard of either – everyone was required to contribute to the defense in one way or another.

“Food is earned,” he went on. “You work, you eat. You don’t work, you starve. You refuse to contribute, you can take your ass elsewhere. We’ve got no use for freeloaders.”

“We’ll work,” the leader said.

“Damn right you will,” Roman stated. Then, his expression softened and he extended his hand, “Roman Cain. This is Alyssa Hart.”

“Cain? That sounds familiar,” said the man.

“Used to be the police chief,” Roman said. “Before everything went to shit, I mean. Not much use for those kinds of titles these days, though.”

It was at that moment that Alyssa saw a flicker of movement as something streaked toward the open gate. She couldn’t see what it was, but she had been in enough fights in the past couple of months that she didn’t hesitate to act. Yanking the machete from the sheath at her waist, she used Charge and dashed forward to meet it.

As she did, she used her newest ability, which she had acquired upon reaching level three. Stomping on the ground, she let loose with Shockwave, sending an invisible pulse of force to hit the monster. It didn’t do much, just stunning it for a split second, but it was enough to give Alyssa an opening. She used it, slashing down with all the force she could muster.

And considering that she’d put all her free points into her physical attributes, the power she could bring to bear was considerable.

The creature – which looked like some kind of monstrous weasel – took the blade on the shoulder. The momentum of the overhand attack knocked it into the ground. And a moment later, an arrow took it in the eye, killing it instantly.

Alyssa’s Charge dissipated, and she slowed to a stop. Her eyes darted back and forth. Sometimes, the monsters moved in packs, and she wanted to ensure that the weasel had been alone. She saw nothing, suggesting that it was a lone hunter.

Then, once she’d ensured that there were no other threats, she reached down and grabbed the monster by the tail. In one swift motion, she hefted it and slung it over one shoulder before turning to the stunned refugees.

“Good fur. Winter’s coming, and we’re going to need all the materials we can get,” she said.

Indeed, the monster was almost four feet long, which meant that its pelt would make for a decent blanket. They had access to quite a bit of cloth – by virtue of looting the abandoned homes and the handful of businesses in the town proper – but no one could afford to turn down any resources.

“Come on in,” said Roman. “We’ll get you settled.”

With that, the stunned group came through. Alyssa sheathed her machete, then dragged the gate closed, locking it in place. Then, she told Roman, “I’ll go drop this for Carmen. She can probably make something with it.”

He nodded, and as he led the group into the main building, Alyssa circled around to the left. Soon, she caught sight of Carmen, who was wearing nothing but a sports bra, a pair of shorts, and a heavy leather apron. The other woman was busy stoking a forge. Alyssa took a moment to admire her wife’s muscular form before she remembered that she had a dead animal over her shoulder. Once she did, she strode forward, and when she reached the smithy, deposited the animal carcass.

“Really?” Carmen said, cutting her eyes at the corpse. “Right in the middle of my smithy?”

Alyssa shrugged. “Don’t know where else to stick it,” she said. “You want me to process it?”

“Go nuts.”

Alyssa did just that, pulling a knife from where it was strapped to her thigh. Then, she commenced with gutting, skinning, and quartering the animal. It took a while, and when she’d finished, her arms were covered in blood up to her elbows. But it was worthwhile, and not just because of the pelt. The meat looked perfectly edible, which would come in handy considering the shortage of food.

“I have no idea how you can do that,” Carmen said, handing Alyssa a bucket of water. “Just watching you makes me want to vomit.”

“Grew up hunting with my dad,” she said with a shrug as she washed the blood off.

“New arrivals have any decent skills?”

“Not sure. There was a Ranger, so maybe he can help with defense and hunting,” she said. “A Mage. A couple of Warriors. And a Tradesman. Two Scholars, unfortunately.”

Alyssa didn’t precisely agree with Roman about what to do with the less useful people in their budding community, but she couldn’t deny that she was more than a little disappointed with the Scholars.

“Oh, maybe I can get an apprentice,” said Carmen.

Alyssa shrugged. “Maybe,” she agreed. “What are you working on, anyway?”

“Boar spear,” Carmen stated. “I think I’ve got the blade shaped. I just need to get it sharpened and attached to the haft.”

“Nice,” Alyssa said. She could see the use of such a weapon. Many of the monsters they fought were just mutated animals who just charged blindly when they were disturbed. For that kind of situation, you couldn’t get much better than a boar spear.

“Glad you approve, because I made it for you,” she said.

“Someone else might –”

“Didn’t make it for anyone else. I don’t give two shits about all those other people. All I care about is that you and Miggy stay alive. That’s why I made it,” Carmen said.

Alyssa sighed, then rolled her eyes. “So noble.”

“I’ll leave the nobility to you,” Carmen said.

“Whatever. You going to be here much longer?” she asked.

“A few more hours,” Carmen said, glancing at the sky. Night was still quite a ways off. “But save some of that weasel, yeah? Miggy hasn’t been getting enough meat.”

“Will do,” Alyssa responded. That was one thing they definitely agreed on. No matter what else happened, the boy was their first priority. She leaned in and kissed Carmen, then said, “Don’t work yourself to death.”

And then she headed back toward the main building. There was still a lot to do, after all.

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