Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Drew was sad to see his winged friend leave, just like he was always sad when saying goodbye to any friend. He had been thankful to meet her, and thankful for all the help she'd given him and the people on the property. Drew hardened his heart, he couldn't let emotions get the better of him right now. He needed to start putting together a game plan for scouting out the surrounding areas near the town. It'd been more than three weeks, and no one had ventured there yet. Many people were afraid of what they would find, but it still needed to be done. If there were survivors, he had the ability to help them now.

While he wasn't under any kind of obligation to help anyone, he felt like it was something that he should do. Their food supplies were in a good place, especially with all the beast hunting that had been going on, the farm was seeded, a second farm had been started, and he was slowly accumulating some livestock. He couldn't feed all three hundred people from the town, but he seriously doubted that many people had survived, given that a large demographic were older folks. But, the point was, he was capable of helping some folks now without greatly endangering the people already present in the community, so it only felt right that he reach out a hand to those who might be in need.

He'd need a small party of people to join him, he could bring minions of course, but walking skeletons would most likely spook anyone he found, and would require quick and clear communication to avoid any misunderstandings. Soulflames would work fine though, besides the glowing blue fire-like eyes they still looked passable as humans, Dickbag not included. He could use his undead birds to scout a bit closer and to watch for movement or income threats, and if they rode some of the horses they found into town, he could have the animals carry any of the sick or elderly. Luckily, he didn't even need to consider the Dickens, as no saddles had been created for them yet, and there was no way in hell he'd be caught dead riding one.

If he needed more room, he could take one of the old pickup trucks they'd purchased before The Descent. Both of them were functioning the last time he checked, and they had a bed to carry the survivors... maybe that would be a good choice if he needed to haul supplies and a bunch of people... but the noise of the old engine and the exhaust might end up attracting unwanted attention in the form of monsters and beasts. Hmmm, yeah... he'd go for a quieter option unless it was an emergency then.

With no time like the present, he lightly tugged at the mental connections within his mind, quickly isolating the four soulflames and finding their locations. They had remained local and were all still on the property. Good. That would work out well. He sent them some general information via the telepathic connections to meet him at the gate with their equipment for the scouting party. Even though they were technically his minions, he had mostly left them alone and had never sent them orders of any kind. He knew they were loyal, and would obey any commands he gave, but it didn't sit right with him to do so, as they were still human souls. Dickbag was the exception to that rule, but he did kind of deserve it.

He sent out several birds to find the groups that were out hunting so he could relay the information that he was going to scout out the town, that way no one was left wondering where he disappeared to when they got back and couldn't find him. Drew also decided to take Scolder. The coyote was great to have in a fight, and he was curious about the new aspects of his class and about its effects on his minions. He could feel that Scolder had begun developing a personality of some kind, and he wanted to have some more interactions with him and see how it would change and grow.

The four soulflames met him and Scolder at the gate. Out of them all, Daniel was the one he'd spent the most time with, and had grown close to. There was something incredibly likable about the kid, not to mention the respect that Drew felt for him having laid down his life to carry his mother to safety. Because of that, Drew had always treated him as an adult, despite him being a young teenager in body and soul. Daniel had also matured very quickly these past three weeks, maybe it was due to not having a living body filled with hormones anymore, or maybe it was just the stress of life that pushed him into maturity, but it was good to see him adapting so well.

Originally Drew had worried about the soulflames, and how they'd interact with life as they'd died. The only thing he'd noticed that they all shared in common was their somewhat stand-offish behavior. When he'd spoken with them, they came across as a bit cold, and without mirth, but Drew couldn't begrudge them due to that fact. They did die, and that was something he was sure would affect just about anyone.

Daniel was the youngest, and he'd taken to using a sword and shield. Kyle was closest to Daniel in age, having barely been considered an adult by the time he died. Kyle had taken up using a large two-handed axe of some kind, which he'd... begun talking to. It was a bit concerning, that the guy talked to an axe, but Drew guessed it was a coping mechanism of some kind. The last two were Jon and Jez, Jon died with his hair dyed blue, and now was stuck with it forever, poor bastard, and he had the smith make him a giant scythe to fight with. It didn't seem like a practical weapon at all, but Drew had the feeling that Jon liked doing crazy things.

Jez on the other hand...well, he was a foreigner, came from the UK or something and moved out to the country to live with his wife and some kind of poodle dog. Weird guy, talked a lot about nipple tassels for some reason. He was a bit older, around his forties, and was obsessed with spears. Daniel was really the only normal soulflame minion that Drew had, the rest each had very distinct idiosyncrasies that stood out once Drew got to know them a little bit.

With everyone ready and at the gate, Drew sent out a small flock of birds to scout the road into town. They'd be taking the main road, as there was very little reason not to, and it would give them a clear line of sight in front and behind them in case any critters wanted to spring an ambush from the sides of the road that held forested areas. Plus, a relatively flat surface would allow for quicker and quieter movement to and from the town itself.

With everything prepared, Drew and the four soulflames headed out.

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"Look mate, all I'm saying is tassels and spears are underrated. Everyone either sticks with pasty’s, or duct tape, and no one appreciates a spear. Using a spear decently takes very little training, they're easily produced, and they benefit from increased reach." Jez waffled to Kyle.

"We're both men of superior tastes, hell, we're both bald, so we're doing something right. But the spear is too impersonal, it has little character. Not like Frank here."

"Frank?" Drew asked, regretting the decision instantly.

"Yeah, Frank. My axe." Kyle said.

"You named your axe?" Jez asked.

"He named himself actually. That's what I've been trying to tell you, a good axe has a lot of character, and if you treat him right, he'll always be by your side."

Drew wisely chose to stay quiet this time. They all had a few screws loose.

The party had made it a little more than halfway to town before the lunacy began, but if Drew was being honest with himself, he enjoyed their company. It felt a lot like being around friends while playing dungeons and dragons back in the day. Before he settled down, before the move to the country and before The Descent. It was nostalgic listening to their shenanigans. He found it relaxing to just lean back and let them have their fun. They were keeping their voices low, so the chance of any monster atta... an alert? One of his birds saw movement up ahead.

"Eyes up everyone, we've got movement up ahead." Drew whispered.

Drew pulled his sword, as the others readied their weapons. Except Kyle, he was rubbing his axe's head and whispering sweet nothings into its non-existent ears.

"Any idea what it is?" Daniel whispered.

"No. If ya'll can watch my back for a minute, I can possess the bird and try and get a closer look." Drew replied quietly.

They nodded their heads.

Drew focused on the bird that sent him the alert and activated his skill. He was looking out from the eyes of the zombie crow; it was circling a small wooded area near the road up ahead. He sent the command to get closer to the area it saw the movement, but to keep away from the ground. He didn't want the bird to become easy prey for whatever was hiding there. The crow swooped in near the canopy of the trees. There were... people down there. Three of them. It looked like a mom, dad and a kid all wearing camo. All three were on the ground and trying to hide in some brush, but the crow's eyesight could easily see them.

All three had wide eyes and were holding perfectly still while watching his crow, with the mother holding a hand over the kid’s mouth. Actually, the mom didn't look so good. She had a bunch of bandages on her leg made out of torn up clothing. Huh, so she was hurt. He didn't recognize them as part of the community, but that didn't mean anything, he was bad at remembering people recently with everything going on. But where was the rest of the group if they were from the community, and why were they so close to town? ...Unless they came from the town.

"Sorry to spook you folks. Don't mind the bird, I'm talking through it. I live down the road, do ya'll require any assistance?" Drew asked via the bird.

The people flinched and moved backwards slightly, but otherwise remained quiet.

"Alright then, well if you change your minds, me and four others will be walking down the road shortly. We won't bother you if you don't intend us any ill will. We're planning to scout out the town and see what's going on over there." He said.

Drew sent an order to the crow to leave the people alone, but kept an eye on them from the sky. If they didn't want help, he wouldn't force them. His job was to scout near the town and look for any survivors. If they survivors didn't want or need help, that was no skin off his back. He returned to his body and turned to the soulflames.

"It's just a family of three hiding in the brush. I tried speaking to them, but they didn't seem to want help." Drew said.

"You spoke to them with one of your creepy ass birds, what did you expect would happen?" Jon said.

"They're not cr... okay they're a little creepy, but still!"

"They probably thought it was a talking monster or something." Jez nodded.

"... Well, they know we're coming down the road at least. If they want help, they can ask for it then."

The group continued down the road towards the town.

It wasn't long before they came near the area where the family had been hiding. Nobody was jumping out of the bushes or trying to ambush them, and Drew's crow saw no movement from the area, so it left and went to land on Drew's right shoulder. He'd send it out to scout in a little while, there was no sense in continuing to spook the family in the woods. Everyone still had their weapons at the ready though, there was no telling what people would do if they were truly desperate, and none of the party was in any rush to find out. The crow cocked its head to the side and alerted Drew to movement coming behind him. He was beginning to turn around when a meek voice called out to him.

"Excuse me sirs, may I ask for your assistance?" It was the father asking.

The child and the mother stayed hidden, but he had come out from the brush with his hands up. Drew regarded the man before him, his clothes looked to be ragged, with holes in his light jacket and pants, his hands looked very dirty and calloused, and he had dark bags under his eyes. His shoulders were slumped forward slightly, and he was having difficulty keeping eye contact. Just what had happened to this guy?

"What can we help you with? I didn't think ya'll wanted help after I offered it to you earlier." Drew asked.

"That voice..." The man eyed the crow on Drew's shoulder.

"I beg your pardon, is it true you live up the road?" The man continued.

"Hmmm, yeah we do. About four miles or so. We've got a bunch of other survivors living there after The Descent. They've completed a farm, and they're working on another one. We have some cattle, and food for about twelve months now, even with all the people. A shelter has been built for everyone to stay in, and we have large fences and security forces. Most folks are starting to gather supplies to build personal housing, or are out leveling in groups." Drew replied off handedly.

"This is ...true?" The man asked warily.

The soulflames all nodded their heads.

"Would... would it be okay if we..." The man began.

"Yeah, it's totally fine. We came out to scout the town out and look for other survivors. You're more than welcome if you have need. As long as you're not a dick." Drew answered preemptively.

"I... I wouldn't go to the town good sirs. It's...not safe."

"Not safe how?" Daniel asked the man.

"A... boy?"

"I'm more than a boy. Why isn't the town safe?" Daniel asked.

"The people... the council... monsters everywhere." He said in a whisper.

Drew looked at his companions. Kyle and Jez nodded their heads. Jon shrugged, and Daniel seemed pensive. If it was dangerous enough for the man to not want to speak about it in more than a whisper out in the middle of the country, then it was probably better they brought him back to the community and try to get some more information out of him. Drew might need a bigger scouting force than he thought, if things were that bad.

"Alright, we'll lead you and your family back to the community, you can tell us more after you're clean and have some warm food in your stomachs." Drew said, making the decision.

"My wife... she's hurt. Broke her leg bad."

"We can either carry her, or I can run back and grab the truck and she can lay in the bed." Drew offered.

"Cars don't work anymore though..."

"Ours do. It just has to be old enough. I can leave these four with you while I run and get the truck if you want. Tell me what you prefer."

"No... there’s no need. I'll help her walk."

"Alright then, let's get going." Drew said.