Path of Dragons

Winter had come, blanketing the region around the settlement in a thick layer of snow. The temperatures had plummeted well below freezing, and as a result, food – as well as every other necessary resource – had grown scarce. Alyssa and a few of the other hunters with martial archetypes hunted as much as possible, and other members of the growing community frequently gathered supplies from the remnants of the town.

But the pickings were growing slimmer by the day. Already, the local market had been picked clean of non-perishable goods, and the gathering parties had been forced to range further with every passing week. They’d found a few gas stations here and there, as well as a couple of fast-food restaurants, but for the most part, they had been forced to gather wild edibles like mushrooms and berries.

With winter having descended, even those sources of food had dried up.

Alyssa sat next to Carmen’s forge, where her wife was busy shaping a hunk of metal into what would probably become a sword. She watched as the other woman’s hammer repeatedly fell upon the hot steel. The spear that Alyssa favored – another of Carmen’s creations – was never far away. They’d been attacked often enough that she didn’t dare walk around unarmed.

Not anymore.

Finally, Carmen was satisfied with the shape, so she shoved it into the forge – which was really just a fire pit – and let out a sigh. Then, she turned to Alyssa and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Alyssa said. She sat in a camp chair she’d retrieved from the house when she and a few others had returned to gather any supplies they’d left behind. Most of the house had been ripped to pieces by some unknown monster, but the chair – along with a few other essentials – had survived.

“Yeah – not buying it,” Carmen said. “C’mon. Lay it on me.”

“Why does something have to be wrong? Can’t I just want to watch my wife work?” she asked.

“Again – not buying it. You never stop moving unless something’s gone wrong. So, what’s going on?” Carmen asked.

Alyssa sighed. “Same as always. Not enough food,” she said. “Not enough wood. Not enough of anything, really. We have almost three-hundred people living here now, and unless something changes, there’s no way we can survive the winter.”

“Oh. That.”

“Yeah. That,” Alyssa agreed.

Carmen wiped the sweat from her brow, then grabbed a huge stump she often used as a chair. It had to weigh at least three-hundred pounds, but with her enhanced Strength, she didn’t even struggle with it. Carmen had always been a strong woman, but she’d begun to approach superhuman levels.

Of course, that had come at the cost of her other attributes, none of which had seen any significant investment. Despite Alyssa’s words of caution, Carmen had no interest in increasing her Dexterity, Constitution, or the more ephemeral Ethera attributes.

“We’re going to have to go on another supply run soon,” Alyssa said. “I was talking to Roman about it, and he thinks we should go tomorrow.”

“Miggy won’t like that,” Carmen said.

“And you?”

“I don’t like it either,” she admitted. “But I’m an adult, and I know what’s going on here. Either you do what needs to be done, or none of us survive.”

“Someone else could go.”

Carmen shook her head, then put her hand on Alyssa’s thigh. “You’re the highest level here,” she said. “Face it – you’re the most important person in this whole community.”

“Roman –”

“Is an asshole who nobody likes,” Carmen stated. “He tries. He works as hard as anybody. Harder, even. But think about it, Alyssa. Everyone sees you out there on the front lines, leading the charge. Meanwhile, Roman’s in the back with all the non-combatants, firing away from relative safety. On top of that, he’s the guy who’s telling everyone they can only have so much food. That they have to work or get kicked out.”

“This place would collapse without him.”

“I know that. You know that. And deep down, most other people do, too. But just because they recognize that he’s essential doesn’t mean they like the guy. Hell, he’s saved my life twice now, and I still barely tolerate him,” Carmen said.

The fact that most people didn’t particularly care for Roman wasn’t news to Alyssa, though she certainly didn’t think it was fair. Without his influence, the small community would have long since failed. People would have starved if he hadn’t instituted rationing or insisted that everyone had to contribute in some way. Whether it was gathering or hunting, no one was exempt from food procurement duties.

“He’s a good man.”

“Again, not arguing that he isn’t,” Carmen said, holding up her hands in surrender. “I’m just saying he’s an asshole. And nobody likes assholes.”

Alyssa shook her head, then leaned over, her head in her hands as she massaged her temples. She certainly hadn’t signed up to lead a community, and she didn’t think she was cut out for it. However, because she’d reached level nine – making her the highest level person in the settlement – people looked to her for guidance. As she went, the community would follow.

“Doesn’t matter,” she said.

“I think it matters more than you want to admit, but okay,” Carmen said. “So – how far do you think you’ll have to go?”

Alyssa shrugged. “At least a few miles,” she said. “Maybe further. Last time he climbed the water tower, Rick said he thought he saw some buildings about ten miles to the north. So, at worst, we’ll have to go there.”

“Any signs its inhabited?”

“Not by people,” Alyssa answered.

Not for the first time, she tried to wrap her head around how much the world had been transformed. Before, Easton had been only a few miles from Seattle’s city limits, but now, there was nothing but forest for dozens of miles all around, with only pockets of the abandoned remnants of civilization. Alyssa had confirmed it for herself when she’d climbed the water tower at the center of town.

It seemed that they’d managed to gather all the local survivors into one place, which was both horrifying and gratifying. Horrifying because it suggested that the mortality rate approached seventy or eighty percent. On the other hand, the fact that everyone was willing to gather in one spot and work together for the greater good was certainly a good thing. Alyssa had seen enough post-apocalyptic movies where the world was ruled by warlords to be thankful that such a fate hadn’t come to pass.

Perhaps it was different in more populated areas. Or maybe not. Either way, she couldn’t concern herself with hypotheticals that couldn’t be proved one way or another. Instead, she needed to focus on her own situation.

For a while, she and Carmen sat together, just enjoying one another’s company. Miguel was in the main building with the other surviving children. Without the benefit of an archetype – the cut-off seemed to be fifteen-years-old – they weren’t yet equipped to make it in the new world.

“Are you going to be back for Christmas?” Carmen asked.

“I hope so,” Alyssa answered, fervently hoping that she could spend the holiday – if such a thing even mattered anymore – with her family. It was three days away – as far as they could tell, at least – and she wanted more than anything to be there for what would probably be a very subdued celebration. However, the needs of the many outweighed her desire for family time. She hoped Miguel understood why she just didn’t have as much time for him as she would have liked.

Eventually, duty called, and Alyssa bade her wife goodbye. After that, she stopped by to see Miguel before reporting to the armory. She was the first of the hunters to do so, which gave her a few minutes to look her status over:

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Name	Alyssa Hart
Level	9
Archetype	Warrior
Class	N/A
Specialization	N/A
Alignment	N/A
Strength	10
Dexterity	10
Constitution	10
Ethera	7
Regeneration	7
Attunement	None
Cultivation
Body	Core	Mind	Soul
Unformed	Unformed	Unformed	Unformed

Unlike Carmen, Alyssa had chosen to spread the sixteen free attribute points out, allocating a few into each category. She’d brought all of her physical attributes to double digits, but Ethera and Regeneration had lagged a little behind.

The benefits were apparent, and she felt stronger, more coordinated, and far more durable than she ever had before. She’d never been in bad shape, but with the increased physical capability that came with her new attributes, Alyssa had no trouble throwing a grown man over her shoulder in a fireman’s carry. She knew that because she’d been forced to do just that on more than one occasion, and even hindered by the extra weight, she could sprint at speeds appropriate for a professional athlete.

And during her frequent hunts, she’d also taken enough wounds to know precisely how much more durable she’d become. Attacks that would have once been debilitating were far less severe, and she healed from them far more quickly than ever before.

But even with her increased attributes, the most important change had come from her abilities:

Archetype: Warrior A versatile melee archetype, proficient with most weaponry. Features bonuses to durability, Strength, and learning martial techniques. Required Aspect: [Martial]
Abilities
Heavy Blow	Increase the damage of your melee attacks by 5%. Toggled personal augmentation.
Charge	Dash forward at 200% your normal speed for three seconds. Your next attack will do 30% more damage.
Shockwave	Stomp the ground, sending a wave of force to stun opponents. Incapacitates lesser enemies.
Hardened Skin	Increase your Constitution by one (1) point per level. Current: Nine (9). Toggled personal augmentation
Recover	Focus your Ethera, tripling your Regeneration.
Impale	Strike an enemy, causing damage over time.
Bulwark	Summon a shield of Ethera to protect allies.
Weapon Mastery	Grants basic competence with any weapon.
Champion’s Shout	Strike fear into your enemies’ hearts, weakening their resolve.
Enrage	Channel Ethera into rage, increasing all physical attributes.

All of her abilities were powerful, though a few of them came with significant caveats. For instance, Recover allowed her to heal from grievous injuries in a fraction of the time that would normally be required, but it rapidly drained her Ethera as well. The other abilities were also limited, either by Ethera, time, or an ephemeral cap on how many self-buffs she could maintain.

At present, she usually had Heavy Blows active, but she’d found a few occasions where Hardened Skin was more useful. The only one that didn’t seem to count toward her limit was Weapon Mastery, which seemed to always be active, regardless of the situation.

Alyssa was busy considering it when the others arrived. First, there was Tony – one of the town’s Rangers. Thin and dark-skinned, he was level six, which made him the fourth highest leveled person in the community behind Alyssa, Carmen, and Roman.

“Hey,” he said as he came into the room. Following him was Fiona, a mousey woman who’d chosen the Sorcerer archetype. Then, finally, Trish came into view. She was one of only three Healers in the settlement. Alyssa had argued against her inclusion, but Trish had insisted upon coming, citing the very probable need for a healer. Alyssa had reluctantly acknowledged that the blonde woman was right, but she’d have still preferred it if one of the other healers had been available.

They all exchanged greetings before Alyssa said, “I guess we need to get going. If we move quickly, we should be able to make it to the Robinson House before nightfall.”

There wasn’t much else to say, so they quickly set out, passing through the building’s lobby, then crossing the parking lot, and exiting through the gate. Often, Alyssa found herself marveling at how much had changed, and in only a handful of months.

Tony ranged ahead, using his abilities to stay hidden as he scouted their route. Periodically, he would return to the road to report his findings while the others moved at a much more sedate pace. Alyssa could have gone much faster, but neither Trish nor Fiona had invested heavily in their physical attributes. Even so, Alyssa knew that if they were attacked, both would prove their worth.

Gradually, they covered ground until, as the sun began to set, they reached a large log cabin. The mailbox labeled it as belonging to the Robinsons, though no one knew what had happened to the original owners. What they did know was that the house, with its sturdy walls, made for a great shelter, and it had often been used as such by foragers who needed to spend the night away from the settlement.

Though it was technically labeled as a log cabin, the house was more of a mansion than anything else. The sort of place the incredibly wealthy built, and when they stayed there, they called it roughing it. So, to make it safe, Alyssa and the others had been forced to board the windows and block most of the doors.

That had been months back, and the house had proved its worth on more than one occasion. So, as the group settled in for the night, they had every reason to feel secure.

They weren’t.

A little after midnight, something huge and scaly burst through the door, tearing it free of its hinges. Alyssa, who was the one who happened to be on watch at the time, sprang into action, using Champion’s Shout. At the sound of Alyssa’s raised voice, the creature stumbled a bit, but it was otherwise unaffected.

Shocked, Alyssa raised her spear and sprang forward, engaging the massive creature so the others would have a chance to respond.

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