Chương 16: Chapter 15: Behind the Walls

The sound of axes and hammers grew clearer as James moved through the forest. Kevin continued feeding him impressions through their bond, separating the heavy vibration of falling trees from lighter footsteps moving around whatever settlement waited ahead. Julie sensed dozens of warm bodies packed close together, so many that their individual heat signatures blurred into a single crowded presence. James slowed when the first sharpened logs appeared between the trees.

A rough palisade surrounded a clearing ahead, standing a little above chest height along most of its length, with an uneven gate facing the forest. From a distance, the wall looked impressive enough for something built a few days after the world ended. From fifty feet away, James already hated it. Several posts leaned because their holes had not been dug deeply enough.

The horizontal bindings were inconsistent, corners lacked proper bracing, and one stretch beside the gate had been built over softer ground that was already beginning to settle.

"At least they're trying," James said as he studied the defenses, though his eyes kept finding new problems.

"First angry bear that leans against the left side is going straight through it, but it's still better than sleeping under a bush." Kevin sent a questioning impression through the bond. James shook his head before the spider could encourage the obvious response.

"No, we are not fixing every bad piece of construction I see," he said as he continued toward the gate. Julie's amusement immediately told him neither familiar believed that promise. Two guards stepped out from behind a cluster of trees before James reached the wall. One carried a long branch tipped with an Iron Fox claw, while the other held a wooden club reinforced with thin strips of dark metal.

Their weapons looked familiar enough that James suspected most survivors had independently reached the same conclusion: sharp monster parts became significantly more useful when attached to sticks.

"Stop there," the spear-wielding guard called as he lowered the point toward James. His posture remained firm until Julie lifted her head from James's shoulder and Kevin shifted across the damaged breastplate. The second guard stumbled backward two steps before recovering.

"What the hell are those things?" he demanded as his club came up.

"They're with me," James said as he lowered the damaged Warpstone Warhammer instead of raising it. Julie remained calm against his torso, while Kevin stayed on his shoulder without spreading any silk.

"The snake is Julie, the spider is Kevin, and neither one will attack unless somebody gives them a reason." The guards exchanged looks. The man with the spear narrowed his eyes and focused on James for several seconds, clearly using Appraisal. His expression changed almost immediately.

"He's Level Eight," the guard whispered to his partner, apparently forgetting that higher Perception made whispering from twenty feet away less useful. Fear replaced most of the suspicion in his face.

"Get Daniel, because I'm not handling this." The second guard disappeared through the opening without argument. James rested both hands on the hammer handle while the remaining man tried to look as if his spear were not trembling.

"Relax," James said as he kept his voice even.

"If I wanted to attack this place, standing outside politely introducing my snake would be a strange opening strategy."

"That spider is the part bothering me," the guard replied as he glanced at Kevin again. He swallowed before forcing his attention back to James.

"How many more monsters do you have?"

"Two familiars is my current limit," James said as Kevin's irritation at being called a monster reached him. He suppressed a smile because explaining the spider's offended feelings would probably make the conversation worse.

"How many people are inside?"

"Sixty-eight," the guard answered after a brief hesitation. His shoulders lowered slightly when James made no attempt to advance.

"There were more yesterday, but some left after an argument over food, kills, and who was supposed to get credit when groups hunted together." James nodded.

"Sounds about right," he said as he looked past the wall toward the smoke. Several faces had appeared between the logs, and more survivors were gathering near the gate.

"Nothing brings people together like the apocalypse until somebody has to divide dinner." A middle-aged man emerged from the gate before the guard could respond. The remains of a police uniform hung from his body, although the shirt had torn badly at one shoulder and dirt covered most of the original color. A leather guard protected his left forearm, and he carried a heavy wooden club without pointing it toward James. James recognized him after several seconds.

The man had been near the front of the crowd when the tutorial began, trying to bring order to hundreds of frightened strangers. James had only seen him for a few moments before stepping backward and discovering the cliff, but the face was familiar enough.

"Daniel Warsky?" James asked as he straightened slightly. The police officer's eyes narrowed with his own attempt at recognition.

"That's me," Daniel said as he stopped several steps beyond the gate. His gaze traveled across the monster-material armor, the damaged warhammer, Julie, and finally Kevin.

"I'm responsible for this camp, or at least responsible enough that everyone finds me whenever something goes wrong. You look familiar, but I can't place you."

"I was standing near the edge when everyone arrived," James said as the embarrassing memory returned with perfect clarity. Daniel's expression remained blank for another second, so James sighed before continuing.

"Then I took one step backward and fell off the fucking cliff." Recognition appeared immediately. Daniel stared at him before a short laugh escaped. The sound carried more relief than amusement, and some of the tension left his shoulders.

"We thought you were dead," he said as he stepped closer and extended one hand.

"No one could find a safe path down, and your screaming stopped quickly enough that we assumed the worst."

"Yeah, I was busy being unconscious," James replied as he accepted the handshake. Daniel's grip was stronger than James expected, and Appraisal identified him as Level Five.

"Turns out branches make shitty fall protection, but they're better than nothing." Daniel gave him a tired smile.

"Glad we were wrong about you," he said as he released James's hand. His attention returned to the equipment James carried.

"Level Eight?"

"Not alone," James said as Julie shifted against him and Kevin tapped several legs against the shoulder plate. He rested one hand briefly against Julie's scales before continuing.

"They share the fights and the growth, but they've also kept me alive enough times that I'm not complaining about the arrangement." Daniel looked more carefully at the two familiars.

"Fair enough," he said as he stepped aside and motioned toward the gate.

"You can come inside, but keep them under control. Some people here are already one bad surprise away from panicking."

"They understand," James replied as he started toward the opening. He paused beside Daniel and pointed toward the left side of the gate.

"Also, that post is going to fail." Daniel looked toward it.

"You can tell that from here?" he asked as he frowned at the thick log. James could hear genuine curiosity rather than defensiveness in his voice.

"Christopher said it should hold."

"It's leaning because the ground underneath is soft, the hole is too shallow, and the gate is pulling sideways against the top," James explained as they walked through the entrance. The offending post shifted slightly when someone pushed the gate closed behind them.

"It might hold against small monsters. Something heavy hits it, you're going to have a door where the wall used to be." Daniel looked at the post again.

"Christopher is going to love you," he said as they entered the camp. The tone made James suspect exactly the opposite. The settlement occupied a clearing nearly two hundred feet across. Rough shelters stood in uneven rows around several communal fires, while racks of drying monster meat occupied an open area near the middle. James counted three unfinished watch platforms, stacks of freshly cut logs, several piles of stone, and enough prepared timber to expand the wall if somebody organized the work properly.

People stopped what they were doing to stare. Some focused on the warhammer. Others stared at Julie, but Kevin received the strongest reactions because a large spider resting comfortably on someone's shoulder apparently violated deeper instincts than a snake did. Children were more openly curious than frightened, while several adults moved behind shelters as James passed. A broad-shouldered man with a thick beard approached from beside a stack of logs.

Sawdust covered both forearms, and a stone-headed axe rested in one hand. His eyes went immediately to James's weapon. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"Daniel, we can't let somebody walk into camp carrying that thing with two monsters wrapped around him," the man said as he stopped in front of them. His stance suggested he expected his objection to matter.

"We have rules about outsiders surrendering weapons."

"We didn't have outsiders until about five minutes ago, Christopher," Daniel replied as he continued walking. He glanced at the damaged Warpstone Warhammer and then toward James.

"I'm not asking a Level Eight fighter to surrender the weapon he used to survive long enough to get here." Christopher's expression hardened. James looked past him toward the wall rather than joining the argument.

"Christopher Tanks?" he asked as his attention settled on several braces near the gate. Daniel nodded before Christopher could answer.

"I organized most of this," Christopher said as if expecting criticism. He shifted the axe against one shoulder while studying James's improvised armor.

"We had no tools, no plans, and people dying every day." James looked at him properly then.

"Honestly, you did better than most groups probably would," he said as Christopher's defensiveness faltered. James pointed toward the gate without softening the next part.

"Still needs fixing, though. That corner is weak, your post depth is inconsistent, and whoever decided vines were enough for the hinge deserves a strongly worded conversation." Christopher stared at him.

"You a carpenter?" he asked as he glanced toward James's battered tool belt. James shook his head once before answering.

"Contractor," James said as he adjusted the warhammer.

"Carpentry, framing, repairs, whatever paid and needed doing. I was building auditorium steps when the System decided my work schedule wasn't annoying enough." Christopher's suspicion eased by a small but noticeable amount. Before he could respond, Kevin became completely still. James felt the warning through the bond. Heavy vibrations approached through the ground. More than one.

"Something's coming," James said as he turned toward the northern wall. Julie tightened around his torso at nearly the same moment, her Heat Sensation detecting what Kevin had felt through the earth.

"Three large bodies. Fast." The camp changed immediately. Daniel raised his club and shouted for the northern fighters, while Christopher turned toward the gate and began ordering nearby workers into position. Survivors moved toward shelters, grabbed crude spears, or ran for prepared defensive positions along the wall. The first impact struck the gate. The shallow post James had criticized jumped several inches. Wood cracked. James looked at Daniel.

"I fucking told you," he said as he lifted the warhammer. Daniel gave him a look that promised the discussion could wait. A massive boar smashed through part of the outer barrier before the defenders finished forming. Thick brown bark covered its back and shoulders in overlapping plates, while two tusks projected from a heavy skull. Two more shapes moved behind it. [Barkhide Boar lvl. 8] [Large territorial beast protected by dense bark armor.] [Exceptional charging strength.] [Weak points remain around joints, eyes, mouth, and underside.]"Three Level Eights," James said as he stepped through the damaged gate before the first creature could build another charge inside the camp. Julie loosened from his body and dropped into the dirt beside him, while Kevin climbed onto the remaining post and began laying silk.

"Keep them outside if we can. Once they're among the shelters, people start getting trampled." Daniel joined him with five fighters. None were close to James's level, but they spread instead of clustering directly behind him, which suggested Daniel had at least drilled some basic coordination into them.

"Tell us where you want them," Daniel said as he gripped his club. James appreciated that he asked instead of pretending rank translated into monster-fighting expertise.

"Drive them sideways when they charge," James replied as the first boar lowered its head. Kevin's silk crossed the creature's face before James finished speaking.

"Don't try to stop them head-on unless you're tired of having bones." The boar charged anyway. Kevin pulled. Silver Thread tightened across one eye and forced the animal's head slightly sideways. James stepped inside the tusks at the last possible moment and swung upward with the undamaged side of the Warpstone Warhammer. The head snapped backward. Julie launched from the ground and wrapped herself around the damaged front leg.

Her fangs found the softer tissue beneath the bark plating, and venom entered the limb before she dropped clear of a frantic stomp. James struck again. The hammerhead crashed through the exposed eye socket where the armor ended. Bone collapsed beneath the blow, and the Barkhide Boar fell heavily enough to shake the ground. [You have slain a Barkhide Boar lvl. 8.] The second creature had already regained speed. It charged toward the open gate.

"Left!" Daniel shouted as he and two fighters attacked from the side. Their strikes did little damage, but they forced the animal to turn enough that it passed directly beneath Kevin. Silk covered the boar's face. The creature jerked its head and lost sight of James. James planted both boots, waited for the shoulder to pass, and struck the same section twice. Bark cracked on the first hit, while the second broke through plate and bone beneath it. The boar's front leg collapsed.

Daniel stepped in immediately and brought his club down behind its ear. Three spear-wielding fighters attacked the exposed underside at the same time, driving sharpened monster parts through softer flesh until the animal stopped struggling. [You and allied survivors have slain a Barkhide Boar lvl. 8.] The third boar struck the gate. One beam split completely. Christopher and several workers threw themselves against the remaining barricade to stop it from collapsing inward.

The boar pushed through anyway, forcing the damaged structure farther open with every movement. Kevin dropped behind it and bound the rear legs together. Julie struck near the base of the tail where the bark plates thinned. The boar kicked violently and tore several strands loose, but the delay was enough. James closed the distance and smashed the back of one knee, forcing the creature downward.

"Now!" James shouted as he stepped toward the exposed neck. Daniel joined him from the opposite side, while two fighters attacked the softer belly to keep the animal from regaining its feet. James brought the warhammer down against the base of the skull. Daniel's club followed. The boar continued thrashing. James struck twice more. Then it stopped. [You and allied survivors have slain a Barkhide Boar lvl. 8.] [Experience awarded.] [You have leveled up!] [You are now Level 9.] [3 Attribute Points are available.] James stood beside the corpse and allowed himself several deep breaths. People throughout the camp stared through the destroyed section of wall at the three dead monsters, while the fighters closest to James looked between him, Julie, and Kevin as though they had just learned the difference between surviving inside walls and becoming strong enough to stand outside them. James opened his attributes. The decision took very little time. [Strength increased to 20.] [Endurance increased to 16.] The change settled through him immediately. His tired grip strengthened around the warhammer shaft, and some of the strain in his shoulders receded. James lifted the damaged weapon onto one shoulder and smiled despite the blood and splintered gate around him.

"One more level," he said as Julie climbed back around his torso. Kevin lowered himself onto James's shoulder using a silver thread, and satisfaction flowed through both familiar bonds.

"Then we finally find out what class all this bullshit has been building." Daniel approached after confirming none of the defenders had been killed. A shallow cut crossed one cheek, and his club was stained dark with boar blood. He looked toward the dead monsters before turning to James.

"Stay with us," Daniel said as people began celebrating behind him. He rested the end of his club against the ground, making no attempt to hide the seriousness in his expression.

"We need stronger fighters, and you could help keep these people alive." James looked through the broken gate toward the forest. Daniel's request was reasonable, which made refusing it more difficult than rejecting someone who tried to order him around.

"I'll stay tonight," James said as he shifted the warhammer.

"I'll help repair the worst of this mess, tell you what I know about the monsters farther north, and make sure your gate doesn't fall over if something sneezes on it." Daniel gave him a tired smile.

"But tomorrow you leave," he said as he watched James's expression. James nodded.

"I'm one level away from a class," James replied as he looked toward the deeper forest. Julie and Kevin both reacted with anticipation through the bond.

"I'm not sitting behind a wall while somebody else figures out what Level Ten gives them." Daniel studied him for several seconds before accepting the answer.

"Then there's something you should know before you go," he said as he turned northeast. Beyond the settlement, a rocky ridge rose between the trees.

"Our scouts found an old stone structure in that direction," Daniel continued as he pointed beyond the ridge. His expression became more serious before he finished.

"Nobody has gotten close enough to identify what it is, because everything guarding the place is Level Nine or higher." James followed the direction of his hand. His grip tightened around the Warpstone Warhammer. A slow smile appeared.

"That sounds useful," James said as he looked toward the ridge. Daniel sighed beside him, apparently realizing that he had just given James the exact information needed to guarantee he would leave.