Chapter 32: The Ties That Bind

Movement caught Reidar’s eye. A shadow passed behind one of the barricaded windows. Someone was hiding inside the building."Hello?"

Reidar raised his hands to show he carried no weapons, not that it meant anything, but at least it would make him less threatening. "We cleared the sprites. It’s safe to come out."

No reply came as the group waited in silence.

"They won’t trust us," George said.

He stepped forward and called toward the building. "Is anybody here?! I’m George Wells! I live here!"

Sarah pointed at an upper window. "Look."

A woman’s face appeared between the boards, studying them from the window before slipping back into the shadows.

Footsteps echoed from inside the building. Locks clicked open in sequence.

The heavy door creaked open just a crack. A woman peeked through the gap, her eyes darting between the group and the dead monsters a few times before settling on the survivors. One in particular.

"George?" The woman pushed the door open further. "George, is it you?"

George moved toward the entrance. "Kate?"

The woman stepped out of the shadows, dressed in dark cargo pants and a military-style jacket with plenty of pockets. A bow rested on her shoulder, a quiver slung across her back. She pulled her brown hair into a tight knot, revealing a face that looked worn out but alert.


Kate looked at the carnage. Fear swept her face, but she knew George, and quite well at that. "Get inside. Now."

The group hurried through the entrance. Kate locked the door behind them with three heavy locks and a metal bar that spanned the entire frame.

The interior smelled of dust and canned food. Salvaged furniture created a makeshift living area. Water bottles and arrow boxes were stacked in piles against a wall.

"I can’t believe you survived," Kate said. She hugged George. "When this mess started, I thought everyone who left the town died."

"Not everyone," George said. "But surely most."

Kate looked at the others. "Friends of yours?"

"Yes," George pointed to each person in turn. "This is Reidar. He saved us all. These are Sarah, Mike, Margaret, Frank, and Linda. We met at the gas station on Route 16."

"Route 16?" Kate shook her head. "That’s miles from here. How did you make it through sprite territory?"

"Reidar," George said. "He has skills. Powers from the system. He took care of us."

Kate studied Reidar with newfound interest. She also saw his level and name above him.

Her eyes widened. "Level fourteen?! Most people in the city peaked at level three or four."

She remained silent, but there was no doubt she was thinking a lot. Though Reidar didn’t give her the chance to dwell on his level further.

"What happened here?" he asked. "The city, I mean."

Kate asked them to sit. "Well, the monsters came out everywhere, as you know. Most people died in the first hours, when they were asleep. Aside from that, the three lakes merged... God... I don’t even know if "merged" is the right word. Regardless, the three lakes became one giant lake... and well... people died."

George leaned forward. "What about Marie? Have you seen my wife?"

Kate’s expression fell. "She was with Malcolm the last time I saw her, but I don’t know if something happened to her since I came to secure this building."

"Malcolm?" George asked. "Malcolm Straiss?"

"Yes," Kate nodded. "After everything went south, he took charge. Organized the survivors, established a safe zone, and fought back against the sprites."

"That sounds like Malcolm," George said. "He can’t seem to stay put."

Kate pulled a bottle of water from a nearby box and passed it around. "I’m part of his group. Well, everyone is. He sent people throughout the city to fortify buildings like this one. Secondary safe houses in case the main base falls, or if someone needs rest during hunts."

"Good idea," Reidar said. "We have been in the forest for a while, and it’s hard there. So, having a place to rest will be useful."

She nodded.

"I’ve been stuck here for two days," Kate said. "The sprites surrounded the building soon after I arrived. I couldn’t risk opening the door until you cleared them out."

Reidar’s attention landed on the bow that hung from Kate’s shoulder. It was well made and clearly new. The problem was that it was uncommon for people to have bows around here; even fewer people crafted them. So how did she get it?

"That’s a serious weapon," Reidar said. "Where did you get it?"

Kate smiled for the first time. "The Vendor."

"Vendor?" Reidar straightened. "You found a Vendor?"

"One appeared after we secured our main building. Out of nowhere at that. Offered weapons, supplies, and various other things." Kate touched the bow with familiarity.

"The Vendor puts out a kind of repelling field, too. Monsters can’t get within fifty meters of it. That’s on top of our defenses at the main base."

Reidar calculated the Survival points he earned since the system activated. The total impressed even him. <I need to visit this dude.>

"There’s more," Kate said. "The Vendor doesn’t just sell stuff. It also gives quests."

"Quests?" Sarah asked.

"Tasks with rewards. Malcolm received one to secure buildings throughout the city. That’s why he sent me here." Kate looked at Reidar. "The more difficult the quest, the better the reward, and it looks like even people can issue quests, but they need to go to the vendor and offer a reward."

Reidar frowned. "I only received a couple of quests since I woke up. I thought it was the system’s job to give them."

Kate shook her head.

"The Vendor said the system only offers quests for specific conditions," Kate said. "Some people get more than others. No one knows why. The rest are mostly made by other people."

Reidar nodded. His gas station quests had been strange. The system probably gave him those tasks because of his situation.

"Can you bring us to your base?" George asked. "To Malcolm? I need to know if Marie is ok."

Kate looked at the group. "After seeing how you handled those sprites, I think you can make the journey with closed eyes." Her gaze lingered on the levels at the side of their names. "But you’re all level two. Except Reidar. How the hell did you get here, and why didn’t you level up?"

"Most of the kills were Reidar’s," George said. "We weren’t in a party group, so we couldn’t get C.L.A.S.P. points when he took them down. The monsters were too strong for us to kill in all circumstances."