Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Getting everyone around the kitchen table to have a meeting turned out to be a hassle. Specifically due to his mom. He had trouble dragging her away from her new demonic TV, even though she could still pause her shows. The real surprise came when he had to convince Beefcake to join the group as well. It seemed like he was beginning to pick up some bad habits... from somewhere. So, Mark, Miranda and Amber sat around the table, while Robert and Spock walked in a bit later. Joining them, not by choice, was his mother, wearing a zip up bathrobe, slippers on her shuffling feet, and a lit joint hanging out of her mouth, along with Beefcake, wearing a zip up bathrobe, slippers on his feet, and a lit joint hanging from his mouth.

These types of shenanigans were well known from his mom, and even Robert had grown accustomed to them quickly, but Beefcake was a different story. An eight-foot tall, demonic... demon, coming straight from the planes of hell, and he was sitting there chilling in what was essentially a fancy moo-moo, while smoking pot. If that didn't open Drew's eyes that he was living in a fantasy world now, nothing would. The large demon was the center of everyone's attention, especially Robert's. Drew wondered how the two men got along, given Robert's very... traditional beliefs.

"What? Why's everyone looking at me?" Beefcake asked.

"Because you look weird dude." Mark said.

"Well, that's just rude. You don't see me making fun of you being an elf."

"No, that's not what Mark meant. It's what you're wearing... and smoking." Drew clarified.

"Your mother happens to be a very wise sage when it comes to the art of relaxation. I simply seek to gain a greater understanding now that I have such a mentor."

"Right... that's why everyone is staring. My mom, bless her heart, is what we would call, 'retired'. She's earned certain... privileges, due to her vast... experience and wisdom."

"Oh, I see." Beefcake nodded his head.

"Good, I'm glad you understand."

"I do, thank you for the enlightenment. I will seek to earn these treasured luxuries as I grow in fame and deed."

"That's n.... alright, sure. I suppose it's something for you to aspire to."

The demon and Drew's mother nodded their heads as if everything made perfect sense, while everyone else at the table simply looked at Drew. Fuck that, he wasn't going to open up that can of worms! He might be super strong now, but that didn't mean he wanted to get smacked across his head with his mom's slipper! If the other people wanted to be the targets of retribution, he'd simply sit back and let them open their own damn mouths. Spock seemed confused, Amber wisely said nothing, but Mark seemed to have a warring expression upon his face. Ultimately, reason and safety won out in his mind.

"Anyways, we've all been off doing our own things, leading hunting parties, talking with people, summoning tree buildings from the realm of death, so I wanted to touch base with ya'll and see what's been going on." Drew said.

Robert was the first to speak.

"Mr. Spock and I have been helping the newcomers. He's been teaching us all about the nuances of this new System, and how it functions, along with information on classes, professions, and possible titles. I've been working on getting people to work together towards common goals. I wanted to ask for your permission to use some of the stored construction supplies to build a shelter to house everyone, so they're not sleeping on the ground or in tents."

"How much of the construction materials will you need to build something like that, and will the people be okay with sharing such cramped conditions?" Drew asked.

"It would probably take a good quarter or third of your current supplies, but we can repurpose the building later after permanent homes have been built. I believe there may be some complaints, but the vast majority of people would just be happy to have something solid above their heads, especially after the attack from those birds"

"I don't have an issue with that, but they'll need to gather supplies for their own personal lodgings themselves, and I'd like them to replace whatever has been used after things have settled, so that we always have a stockpile. Also, I really don't want to hear anyone bitching about living under one roof, or having to work... I have other shit I need to worry about."

"I understand. Constructing the new building will keep a portion of the newcomers busy, so do you want me to have the others start on farmable land?"

"Yes, safety and food production should be our priorities right now. I also expect them to go out in hunting parties to gain levels. We need everyone around level ten as quickly as possible, especially after seeing the hordes of critters that we're dealing with. Also, once several of them are around that level ten mark, I'd like a group of three sentries placed near the groups of people working on the farm or the shelter." Drew said.

"Do you expect that they will be attacked?" Robert asked.

"Yes. I can definitely seem them coming under attack by something nasty. But there's more to it. I recently summoned in a large lighthouse that I'm sure everyone here has now seen; I'll get to that in a minute. I want you, Robert, to start working on a flag system. Or rather a warning system using flags, and attach a big one to the lighthouse up high, and some small ones near the watchtowers near the outer wall. We don't have a large bell or anything that makes a ton of noise, so if we come under attack, the minions or people in the watchtowers will raise a colored flag, and a sentry stationed in the lighthouse will drop their flag at that point."

"So... you're wanting one of the sentries posted with the work groups to always be watching in case the flag drops, so they can get everyone to safety and to battle stations?"

"Yes, exactly."

"Okay, I'll begin work on it tomorrow."

Everyone nodded their heads. The other people clearly saw the wisdom in a warning system, so they weren't caught with their pants around their ankles again.

"Do you have anything to add, Spock?" Drew asked.

"No. Robert summarized the situation very clearly. Although, I do recommend that we all focus on leveling for the immediate future. I wasn't privy to the information about the forty-five days of relative safety, so I'm growing concerned that there may be more incoming danger that I wasn't aware of." Spock answered.

"I see. That is concerning. I agree with you, we need to focus our efforts on leveling up quickly. That means everyone here specifically. Mom..."

"Hmm? Did you say something?" She looked up from the joint she was puffing on.

He sighed.

"Yes, I did. I said you need to level up. A lot. You can't just sit on your butt and watch shows all day. Everyone here, and the newcomers out there, are relying on our strength to survive the monsters."

"Yeah, yeah. I hear you."

He wasn't sure if she was acting like a stubborn old lady anymore, or a rebellious teenager wanting to ignore her family due to friends.

"You do understand, that if you aren't around to help support Beefcake, and he dies, then your TV is gone, forever, right?"

"Fine. I'll help out. Are we done here?"

"No, we're not done."

She huffed at him. Actually huffed. What did he ever do to deserve this?

"Mark, Miranda, what have ya'll been up to?"

"We've been going out on hunts with Amber. Miranda has been bouncing between teams, and I've been going with one group specifically, along with Beefcake." Mark answered.

"What about you, Miranda? Do you have anything to add?" Drew asked.

"I've been talking with many of the refugees here, and several of them don't have classes yet. Some seem to think this is a test from God, and that accepting a class from The System, is akin to accepting help from Satan. Other people are older, and seem to have a hard time taking in all the information. I've been trying to convince some of the people without classes to consider going into the Neophyte class, to help with healing duties. But, it's difficult, and I don't know how much success I will have."

"I see. That's troubling, but not entirely unexpected. We live in the south, and we all know how big religion is to many people's lives. If they don't want to have a class, I don't have a problem with it, as long as they're willing to contribute in other ways." Drew replied.

"Yes, well, it seems your new friend has created a stir in those people now. Several people have come forward to me today, expressing a desire to learn more about the healing class. They said that seeing the 'Angel' and the 'elderly man' bring peace and deliver the souls of the dead to heaven, inspired them to consider my words. Do you have any idea what they're talking about?" Miranda asked.

"Oh. Well... that's good? I think? I'm having mixed feelings about this. I'm not even old for one! I'm barely over thirty, I just have grayish hair now. What type of old man is this buff, and badass looking? Ugh."

"Dear, you're not focusing on the important part of what she's asking." Amber interrupted.

"I'm not old."

"Yes dear, you're a spring chicken. Now, answer Miranda and stop caring about what those people think."

"Fine. She's not a friend, she's a co-worker. Kind of. I think I'm technically her boss. It's all very confusing to be honest. As most of you know, I was invited to the realm of a goddess. Apparently divine beings are real, and she's of a degree that's far, far more powerful than most in existence. She offered me a job, to collect lost and damned souls. Sometimes the soul doesn't move on after death, and it's my job to collect them and send them to the afterlife, before they become... corrupted? Basically, they turn into really angry, violent fucking ghosts if I don't collect them in time. Then they'll start killing people. Anyways! Sindra was sent here by The Baleful Lady, the goddess, to deliver some protective gear to me, and she's been hanging out ever since. She's on vacation for a couple of days and wanted to kick back here." Drew rambled.

"And this...goddess, what does she get out of all this?" Robert asked.

"Honestly? Nothing. She actually loses precious resources by doing what she does. To keep a long story short, gods get energy from worshippers, which is a form of power. The stronger the worshipper, the more power. But, creating a spot in a specific god's afterlife usually costs far more energy than a weak worshipper will create during their lives. So, most gods just throw their worshippers' souls into a horrible blackness called The Abyss, where they're slowly driven insane over the eons with no one to interact with besides being trapped in their own minds. The Baleful Lady doesn't work like that."

"Go on..." Robert said, his face a bit pale and his eyebrow raised.

"Well, she's empowered by death itself. Every death, of every being, every plant, every bug, they all give her power, more power than a soul would produce by worshipping a god. So, she gives the souls that the other gods throw away like garbage, an afterlife of their own. It costs her energy, but she still makes more from death itself, so it isn't a loss."

"She does this out of the kindness of her own heart?" Robert asked.

"To the best of my knowledge, yes. She actually seemed really down to earth. We sat in a reading room and had hot chocolate with skull-shaped marshmallows when we were talking."

"No offense, but I find this all a little hard to believe."

"None taken. It is strange, but she seems genuine, and I saw the souls first hand, they were standing in a long line, and she offered one of them an afterlife of their choosing, reincarnation of some kind, or a job working for her. The soul seemed very upset after learning that their god had abandoned them after a life spent in worship. Plus, to be fair here, the religions of Earth before The System were each strange in their own way, if you look at them objectively."

"My religion and relationship with God aren’t strange." Robert defended himself.

"Not to us, no. But if you look at it from an outside perspective, you basically worship three beings that are all God, yet aren't God at the same time. The father, son and holy spirit. The son was born to a virgin, could heal the sick, and could create food and wine from nothing. He could walk on water, and after he was killed, he came back to life and disappeared to join his father in heaven. Not to mention the Old Testament, where God sent plagues, and floods, and asked people to kill their own family members. So, to people that aren't Christian like you are, they'd see the whole religion as very strange and unbelievable. No offense, of course."

"I don't know that I'd agree with you." Robert responded curtly.

"That's fine. I don't really care one way or another, you're free to believe whatever you'd like. If you want to believe in the Christian God, or the Easter bunny, it makes no difference to me. I'm simply stating what happened to me, and the repercussions."

"Understood."

"Anyways! So long story short, I got a job from the goddess, and the new buildings come from those new skills. The lighthouse will collect lost and damned souls nearby, but I don't know what the range is yet. I also got a skill to create a blacksmith shop, and The Baleful Lady is sending an apprentice and some workers to come help us out with tools, construction materials, armor and weapons. Something that we're all very short on, so it's much appreciated. Lastly, Sindra, has agreed to help train us. She's technically a Valkyrie and not an Angel, but it's basically a similar job. She's also incredibly strong, I think she's in B Grade or higher, the training starts tomorrow at dawn, and I'd recommend that everyone here passes along the information to the newcomers."

"What can she train us in?" Amber asked.

"I don't know yet. I know she's going to help me with swordsmanship, but I don't know if she'll be teaching anything else. Still, she's likely to have more information than Spock does, so it could be beneficial. I plan on going, so I can learn how to fight better. If I got pulled into a melee fight with someone or something experienced right now, I don't know how I'd hold up."

"Interesting, I'll go too." Amber said.

Several other people nodded their heads, including Beefcake. That was interesting. If Beefcake was open to her training, there must be some merit to it. The meeting carried on for a little bit longer before everything winded down and folks went their separate ways.

Meanwhile, on the south end of the property, things were stirring.

A loud crowing pierced through the night.