Chương 18: The Barn

CH 18 - The Barn The group's drive was uninterrupted for the rest of the day. Dealing with the Terror Crow shook them up a bit; Grey felt like the group was showing him a lot more respect since seeing his ability. They were all pretty fatigued from the battle, not wanting to get caught in another fight, so they searched for a place to rest. The darkness of night was worrisome; some creatures were nocturnal and would have an advantage in the low light.. The group found a brewery.

Joe was awfully pushy about staying there and, unsurprisingly, he was quick to find the kegs of beer inside. Of course, he was a bad influence and encouraged Raccy to try some. The group had been through a lot today, so Grey figured it was fine to unwind and bond deeper. Sarah came by the campfire Grey was grilling at and sat down.

"How did you get so strong?" She asked shyly. Grey hesitated. He didn't feel strong. He only managed to defeat the powerful foes he found so far with a bit of luck. Every time I get close to dying fighting a monster, I get much stronger. Almost like the desire to live keeps me evolving past my limits. Grey still wasn't sure how to respond when Jim hobbled over with a beer in each hand.

"Aah, the bastard got a real strong wish, and he's a funny guy. Real focused on gettin strong. Gotta be his willpower or something. Ya' know, shoulda seen him before all this. Looked like a real loser-" Jim interrupted himself, trying to take back what he had just said. Sarah raised an eyebrow at Jim. And as she was about to speak up for him, Grey cut in, "He's right. I was a loser. Guess my wish is giving me a second chance, and I don't wanna mess it up this time."

Somehow, everyone had gathered around him as he spoke. Joe raised his glass for a toast.

"Cheers!" They took turns around the campfire discussing the battle and praising Grey's strength. Even Ike, who was usually pretty quiet, said something nice. The joyous mood of the night was abruptly interrupted by little fox Red's squeal.

"CHEEEE" All the heads turned to where Red was looking to find several pairs of eyes reflecting the campfire's light.

"SHIT!" Joe shouted. Grey jumped up and drew his sword, followed by the rest of the group. They formed a circle with Raccy and Red in the center. A group of large, mutated dogs had surrounded them in the darkness. They must have slipped through a window or door that they didn't notice. Thankfully, these dogs were much weaker than the bird or the fox, but the group was caught off-guard. They worked together and got two quick kills on the dogs.

Ike held off on firing any bullets, not wanting to attract any other beasts. Joe slashed out with a sword, killing the first. And Grey stabbed out with his, killing the second. After seeing two of their own fall, the pack fled. They must have figured that they could get an easier dinner elsewhere.

"They probably smelled the meat and followed the light," Raccy said.

"If we wanna keep a low profile, we douse the fire and throw any food we got in an inventory pouch. Red and I can keep an eye out for predators while you guys get some sleep." Raccy continued. Grey remembered that Red and Raccy were both nocturnal creatures and could see much better in the dark. With their new animal friends keeping watch, the humans of the group got some sleep. –— Grey bounced around in his seat on the bumpy road. His eyes rested closed and he concentrated on his Qi circulation.

He had finally purged most of his impurities and was excited to see the effects of cultivation on his body. Sarah drove while Joe got some rest in the back with Raccy. Those two really bonded over drinks last night, huh. Grey had leveled up twice yesterday from the crow and the dogs, bringing him to level 13. He put about half his points in mana and spread the rest out to balance his stats. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

Name: Grey Falsen Level: 13 [0/20] Race: Magic Human (E) Class: n/a Abilities: Shapeshifting (F), Bone Manipulation (E), Blood Manipulation (E), Mana Manipulation (F) (Passive): Mana Stomach (E), Mana Heart (E) Skills: Predator's Stare (F), Sense Mana (F), Boost (E), Bone Blade (F), Scale Armor (F), Bone Hardening (F) Stats (Before bonuses): STR: 20 DEX: 18 END: 22 WIS: 26 INT: 31 LUCK: 11 MANA: 21 Bonuses: WIS: +10% INT +10% Titles: Noticed, Beginnings of Aura, Manaborn Grey also took note of the slight increase to STR, DEX, and END that came with overworking his muscles with (Boost).

Repairing them over and over made them grow stronger. The ride had been smooth sailing so far, and they were nearing the edge of the city limits. Unlike the monsters in the city that preyed on humans, Grey figured the evolved beasts from the Zoo yearned for freedom in nature. When the cars finally left the ruins of civilization and reached southern Minnesota, Grey was surprised. What was once farmland, had been transformed back to its original form.

The farms that once existed there had been grown over by long, tall grass. It was a prairie biome as far as he could see; far in the distance a group of mountains stood tall. A few farmhouses were scattered across the landscape, and so the group decided to stop at one to eat and scavenge for fuel. The farm looked mostly untouched as they approached. However, a splatter of blood on the front porch immediately raised alarm.

There wasn't a body or any evidence of one being eaten, so Grey assumed whatever killed the people who lived here brought the body back to its den. The crew restocked on some food and fuel, opting not to spend any extra time in the ominous house. Grey went to check out the barn in the back and found it empty, with a giant hole in the wall towards the back of it. He also noticed smashed fences in pastures. All in all, not any good signs. Grey returned to the group to report his findings.

"Looks like shit went down here, we should keep moving." Everyone gathered what they could and loaded up the cars. They continued driving through the country, passing farmhouses in various states of destruction. Eventually, the group came upon a place that had smoke rising from the barn. The grass here was much more overgrown compared to other parts of the prairie. That would have been the focus of concern for Grey if not for the hundreds of large cows grazing around the homestead.

Sarah convinced the group to go investigate.

"There could be people here, and I don't think the cows are dangerous." Grey used identify on a cow. [(Cow): lvl. 5] I wonder what their wish was? Maybe to restore the land? The group parked the truck and moved stealthily towards the source of the smoke. Bits of smoke leaked out of a window, indicating a fire inside. Grey crouched down in the grass and slowly stepped forward. He almost shouted out in surprise when he realized Raccy was right next to him, blending in with the leaves, stepping forward silently.

"Stealth skills," Raccy whispered as if Grey was too dumb to understand. Raccy held his hand up for the group to wait and moved ahead quietly. As he climbed up the barn and poked his head through a window, not a sound was made. When he returned, a frown rested on his face.

"Yeah, you're not gonna like this… It's pretty messed up in there." Raccy told the group in a hush.

"What did you see?" Grey asked"Bunch of humans. Naked and real skinny. Some were crying, some looked sick or dead. They were all chained up in there. Bars on all the windows and doors. Someone's keeping them prisoner." Grey felt himself getting hot. Bad people existed before the integration. It shouldn't surprise me that they'd use their wishes for evil. The group shared a look of disgust but reached a silent agreement to help out the captive people in the barn.

They approached the barn and tried finding a way inside. The front door was locked up tight. Raccy climbed the window again and called out to the people inside.

"How many people are in the group that captured you? Are they strong?" Grey was focused on getting the gate open to the barn and realized that, without a key, slashing it open was his best bet. He knew that cutting open the lock would likely draw the attention of their new enemies and told the team his idea. Grey readied his sword, preparing to slash open the lock to get inside to the trapped humans. Raccy approached him nervously and began to speak.

"Umm.. We have a slight problem…"

"What's wrong?" Grey asked as he raised his sword over his head, about to slice the lock.

"It's not a group of bad guys. It's one bad guy…. And he's big and strong." This immediately worried Grey. A big group of cannon fodder was way less of a concern than a strong individual like himself.

"Let's get them out of here. Joe and Ike, go grab the cars and drive them over here. When I hear the engines, I'll slice the lock and get everyone unchained."

"You got it," said Joe. Ike nodded, and the two ran through the tall grass towards the vehicles. Grey, Raccy, Jim, and Sarah crouched quietly, waiting. The sounds of wind rustling the grass mixed with the pained moans of prisoners made the wait feel much longer than it really was. Finally, Grey heard the sound of the cars approaching. Slowly raising his bone sword, he paused a moment before bringing it down on the lock. Jim led the way and charged in; and the four of them got to work freeing prisoners.

"What happened!" Grey asked the first man he found. Only a dead stare from empty eyes looked back. Many screamed or cried, ignoring the shushing from Sarah and Jim. One brave man finally answered.

"The beast did this to us. We have to get out of here, he'll know you've freed us!"

"I'm not going anywhere! I don't wanna die. It'll kill us!"

"I want my mommyy!" Voices from men and women, even children, cried as they were released from their bindings. Many of the people were dead, still chained to different barn stalls. Suddenly, a roar met Grey's ears. The sound was coming from the farmhouse. He turned around to see a massive, 9-foot-tall Minotaur exiting the home.

"THIEVES! HOW DARE YOU STEAL MY LIVESTOCK!"