Chapter 36: The situation (2)
"Have you tried with skills?"
"We don’t have them. You haven’t been to the Vendor yet, but his merchandise is not cheap. Besides, the problem would remain. We would need to use ranged attacks, but our aim is not that high."
"Skills have the advantage that they can be used at a closer distance without doing much, at least compared to a bow," Reidar said.
"I guess you have some?" Malcolm asked.
"A couple." Reidar didn’t say much else.
Malcolm turned back to the map, taking Reidar’s words to heart. Skills might just be the key they’d missed.
For a second, he wondered if telling Reidar their situation would be good. After all, it looked like he was briefing him about the situation so that he would take care of it.
In truth, that was the reason, but he was also telling Reidar all of this because he had to know if he wanted to stay. The last thing Malcolm wanted was for Reidar to stumble somewhere and be killed because he didn’t know what to expect from a certain area.
Besides, he wasn’t stupid. He knew his best shot at solving this mess was asking Reidar for help. Reidar was level 14, and the Bark Behemoth was level 18. Even if Reidar was a little weaker, backed up by Malcolm’s people, they might take the beast down. And if Reidar leveled up a couple of times first, it’d be even easier.
"These areas have been picked clean or are too dangerous to enter. My people aren’t strong enough to go far from the base. We’re slowly starving. Each day brings us closer to having nothing left."
Kate took Malcolm’s place.
"The Vendor quest to reclaim the city offers explosive schematics. Those blueprints would give us the tools to clear sprite nests, fortify our position, and expand our territory. But completing the quest requires killing thousands of monsters across multiple sites, including the Behemoth. It requires us to secure buildings, make fortifications, walls... It is a giant project."
Malcolm gestured to the patrol routes marked on the map. "Average level four fighters can handle individual sprites or small groups. They can’t invade nests or take on elite variants."
Kate nodded. "We’ve pooled our Survival Points to buy profession books from the Vendor. Five people learned alchemy and blacksmithing. According to the Vendor’s hints, the explosive schematics require both professions working together."
"Long-term thinking," Malcolm said. "The explosives aren’t just for one quest. They’re tools for defense, offense, and territory expansion. But we need to survive long enough to use them."
Reidar looked over the map, seeing how their problems all tangled together. Each one was making the others worse over time.
Malcolm leaned forward, placing both hands on the table. "As I said, we’re dying slowly. Food running out, medical supplies gone, people trapped, morale collapsing. We have maybe two weeks before this community falls apart completely."
Dark circles hung under Malcolm’s eyes, and tired lines creased his mouth. He had the look of someone carrying five hundred lives on his shoulders. It was a heavy burden.
"I’ve kept this group alive for two weeks," Malcolm said. "But I can’t do the impossible. I can’t kill a level eighteen Behemoth with level four fighters. I can’t rescue fifty people from a sprite nest that keeps growing. I can’t make my people strong enough to reclaim this city in two days."
He straightened, meeting Reidar’s eyes directly. "But you might be able to do something."
<Well, it was obvious that this lengthy explanation would end up here. Why would he suddenly tell me all of this if not to ask for help?> Reidar sighed. "Yes. It’s not a problem..."
But Malcolm saw hesitation in Reidar’s eyes.
"I guess you want something in return..." There was a calculating look in Malcolm’s eyes. Malcolm wasn’t begging, but the desperation was there beneath his military composure.
"Not really."
That surprised not only Malcolm and Kate but even George and the others.
"There is nothing you can give me as things are now; besides, I’m not a monster. I can’t leave kids trapped and monsters threatening to kill people."
"That’s very honorable of you."
"Yes and no," Reidar said. "While you can’t give me anything now, that doesn’t mean you can’t give me anything later."
Malcolm nodded.
"I will help, but in exchange you will give me everything from the Rift-Sprites’ nest, and of course, whatever I find on the Behemoth will be mine to take."
"That’s reasonable," Malcolm said.
"It’s not all though. I will need a place to stay in this city. There is a vendor here, so I need to have access to it whenever I see fit. If I have a place to stay here, things will just be easier."
"I can agree to that."
"Last," Reidar said. "While I can take care of the Rift-Sprite nest, their numbers are still a problem, even if their levels are low."
He paused. "There are enough monsters for me not to be able to manage them all. Some might reach me while I kill the others. This means I will need help in clearing the Sprites’ nest. It will also be an excellent opportunity for you guys to level up."
Everyone nodded.
The tasks were dangerous, but they aligned with his own goals. <Survival Points from the Behemoth and nest clearing. Experience from combat. A potential safe place if my search for family goes badly. A staging ground,> Reidar thought. <Somewhere to resupply and gather information. Plus the immediate rewards from clearing high-level threats.>
The value was clear. Creamont was still far, and Kingsgate was thousands of kilometers away on the other side. Having a safe place to fall back on meant he’d still have somewhere to go when it was all over.
"The nest first. The entire city will be easier to manage without the sprites," Reidar said. "The kids are the highest priority. Then the Behemoth. After that, we work on leveling your people."
Relief flooded Malcolm’s face. "You’ll really do it?"
"I’ll do it." Reidar stood, his hand moving to his weapon. "But I work my way. No interference, no second-guessing my methods."
"Agreed." Malcolm extended his uninjured hand. "Welcome to Three Lakes."
They shook hands, sealing the agreement. Around the table, Reidar’s companions exchanged glances.
Kate rolled up the map. "I’ll show you the routes to both spots. The hospital’s closer, but getting there’s trickier. The school’s path is simpler, but it’s crawling with monsters."