Arc 2.2 Mapping the Route

Paul’s POV

I stared at the written words on the notebook, then at the hooded figure. Behind me, I could hear the running footsteps of my companions. After seeing that the lizard monsters have retreated, they probably came to rescue me.

Struggling, I slowly stood up and wiped away the sweat on my forehead using the back of my hand.

“Thanks for saving me,” I huffed. The lizard monsters moving underneath the bridge were still audible. “This place’s still dangerous. Let’s talk somewhere safe.”

The hooded figure nodded. Anna and the rest of my group soon arrived.

Still out of breath, Anna said, “Thank you. Thank you for saving him.”

Tears were evident at the corner of her eyes, and I could not help but quiver upon seeing that. At the very least, if ever I died, someone would probably cry. It was a stupid thought of mine, but it gave me a sense of relief.

At the corner of my eyes, I could see that Virgilio was glaring at Anna. Raul, on the other hand, was nervously glancing around.

“L-Leader, we s-should probably—” said Raul.

“—Run away, yes,” I interjected. After picking up my shield on the ground, I ushered our group towards the other side of the bridge. Below, we could see the lizard monsters swimming in the river, with their trunks visible above the water. But probably because the hooded figure was with us, they did not chase after our group.

After successfully crossing the bridge, we were now officially in the next city. We hid behind a toppled bus, panting, ears perked up for any unusual sound. Just like in the previous cities, there were innumerable dead bodies on the streets. We had noticed it before, but almost all of the corpses scattered about were male. I would frequently wonder where the female bodies went.

“Let’s go inside that one,” I said.

Everyone looked at the direction I was pointing at. A decrepit building filled with cracks.

Raul frowned. “But the entrance…”

Currently, the entrance of the building was covered with rocks. Everyone was probably thinking that it would be impossible to get inside.

“I know. But the blockaded entrance almost meant that there should be no monsters inside,” I said. I was not actually confident with that one. I knew that there would still be a chance that there were monsters trapped inside. But still, it was worth a shot. “We can also look for the Camp from the rooftop. Everyone, give me your knives.”

Although a bit confused, everyone handed me their weapons.

“Weapon Morphosis!” I said. I clearly felt energy leaving my body. I could probably cast this magic for one last time.

Slowly, the knives began to assume a different shape. Four knives merged together and formed a long metallic rope with a hook at the end.

“Wait, you’re telling us to climb that?” said Virgilio in outrage.

“We need a high vantage point to easily locate the Camp. And my guts are telling me that it would be safe inside that one,” I said.

“We have a child with us!” snarled Virgilio. I glared at him and he immediately reduced his voice to a hush. “How are we supposed to climb that building while carrying a damn kid?!”

I was starting to get annoyed. The height we were going to climb was only till the second floor. Given proper equipment, it should be quite easy enough to climb up. After all, it was only around six meters or so.

“I’ll carry the kid, no worries,” I said. The sister was hesitant for a moment, but she handed me the sleeping child regardless. After securely tying the kid behind me, I said to the group. “We’ll enter the second floor one by one. Got it?”

Anna and the others nodded. Only Virgilio was against this plan. The hooded figure, on the other hand, remained silent. I have the vague feeling that he was stronger than all of us combined, so climbing up to the second floor should be easy enough for him.

I swung the rope a couple of times then threw it towards the opened window on the second floor. I purposefully made the rope rough, but not sharp, so it should be easy enough to have a firm grip to it. My shield plus the knives were spent to create this thing, so it should be quite durable.

With a sleeping kid tied on my back, I started climbing up. Upon reaching the second floor, I quickly scanned my surroundings. After seeing that there were no monsters around, I signaled the group that it was safe to go up.

One after another, they climbed up the rope. Anna and the sister easily reached the second floor, while Raul almost fell down a couple of times. Virgilio, on the other hand spat numerous curses as he climbed up. The hooded figure was the last to climb up. As expected, he easily made it to the top.

Just to be safe, let’s look around first.

I grabbed a broken steel pipe near the wall, chanted my magic, and transformed it into two short swords. I handed Raul one of them.

“Let’s check the floor for monsters. Let’s go.”

“M-Me?” he said.

“Who else? Do you want Anna to scout the floor for us?” I rebuked. I shook my head once. Raul was still young. Moreover, he was thin, almost a twig, but he was still better than nothing.

Raul sighed, looked at Anna, then followed after me. We scanned each floor for monsters, and to our relief, there were none. After delivering the news to our members, we all went towards the rooftop. Twelve floors were enough to give us a view of Camp Lamia.

“Hey, isn’t it really near?” said Raul.

“Don’t be stupid, kid,” said Virgilio. He was also staring at the fortress spread out in the distance. “It’ll probably take us more than three hours to reach that place. And that’s if we’re lucky enough not to encounter monsters along the way.”

The estimation of Virgilio was probably right. Although it looked nearby, the travel towards that place would prove really difficult. We all knew that monsters would suddenly pounce from each corner. It was knowledge we’ve obtained after receiving casualties.

“The important thing is that this place is safe. Let’s rest for now,” I said. My mana had been wringed dry after using Weapon Morphosis a couple of times.

Anna started handing out rations, and our group started eating our share of food. I grabbed a sandwich from the bag and handed it to the hooded figure. To my surprise, he shook his head and refused the offer.

“If you don’t eat, you won’t have strength later,” I said. I took his hand and forcefully handed him the sandwich. “Eat.”

After staring at the food for a moment, the hooded figure eventually tucked it inside his robe. I inwardly sighed. This man was full of mysteries.

“You want to ask us some questions before,” I said, my mouth half-filled with food. “What is it?”

The hooded figure began scribbling down something in the notebook. Afterwards, he showed it to us.

“You can’t speak, huh?” I mumbled. I looked at Anna, Raul, and at the rest of our group. They all shook their heads. “Sorry, but we haven’t seen those two.”

According to this hooded figure, he was looking for a woman and a boy. He had been roaming the city for quite some time now, searching for their whereabouts. Normally, I would think he was reckless for doing that. But after taking into consideration the strength he had shown us, I knew that he had the capability to single-handedly look for them.

‘So, all of you are going to Camp Lamia?’ asked the hooded figure.

I nodded. “That’s right. We’ve heard on the radio that they’re taking in refugees. With soldiers to protect us, it should be fairly safe.”

At those words, Virgilio snorted. I knew that he still held grudge for the deaths of our comrades. Even I, too, was feeling a sense of guilt, but I refused to show it in my face.

I will come with you.

Without hesitations, I agreed. This person was a strong magician, and since he saved me before, he should not be a bad person. Our chances of reaching Camp Lamia would increase with him providing backup.

“I don’t really mind,” said Virgilio. “But I don’t feel like working with someone wearing a mask. And what’s with those bandages? Show us your face!”

I felt like hitting this old man. His voice was definitely condescending. Did he not see how strong this masked magician was? If not for him, I would definitely be dead by now. I understood that it would be hard to trust someone wearing a mask, and what Virgilio had said was right, but there was no need to be outright rude to this person.

Anna gave an apologetic smile at the hooded person, while Raul nervously swallowed the lump in his throat.

“M-Mr. Virgilio, p-please don’t shout,” said Raul. His baggy clothes were filled with sweat.

Virgilio glared at him, and Raul immediately shut his lips.

“So, how about it? Show us your face!” repeated Virgilio.

My heart started to beat faster. Although I knew that Virgilio was being outright rude, I was also curious on what was behind that mask.

A moment of silence befell us, and the hooded figure shook his head.

I can’t show you my face.

Virgilio looked like he wanted to retort.

I breathed out. I placed a hand on Virgilio. “Let him be. He did save me. It shouldn’t matter what he looks like.”

Virgilio clicked his tongue then started gobbling his share of food. The little girl started waking up. She started asking questions which were immediately answered by her sister and Anna.

“I’m going up for a bit. I’m going to scout the best route towards the Camp,” I announced. I said to the hooded figure, “Do you want to come?”

I received a nod.

Raul followed after me, while the others remained on the floor. After climbing the stairs, we soon reached the top of the building. We could still see smoke swirling to the sky here and there, and a large portion of the city had been burned down to the ground. I could see the numerous dead bodies scattered on the streets. It was really hard to believe that not even a month ago, this place was bustling with life. Now, it had become a ghost town – No, a devil’s town.

According to some survivors we met back in the last city, the other cities in the country were in no better shape. There was even a city in the far north that had giant mud monsters roaming around. I also heard that it was impossible to escape by boat due to the monsters in the sea.

Right now, our last ray of hope was the Military Camp. Surely, those soldiers knew something about this damnable nightmare. And even if they don’t, at least they could give us shelter.

“Again, I want to thank you for saving me,” I said to the hooded figure. He was also staring at the city below. More particularly, he was gazing at the fortress spread out in the distance.

I received no response.

Raul put some crackers to his mouth, creating loud crackling sounds. With some bits left on his lips, he said to me, “Leader, we’ll be alright, right? The Camp will accept us, right?”

“Of course,” I said. There was no point in saying anything that would negatively impact Raul’s spirit.

“You’re going to the Camp to look for those two?” I said to the hooded figure. He looked at me, and for a moment, we locked eyes with each other. Those golden pupils of his was really peculiar, as though they could see through your soul.

“I’ve heard that thousands of refugees are inside the Camp,” I said, trying to reassure the hooded figure. “There’s a high chance that those two are among them.”

The hooded figure approached the edge of the building, his cloak fluttering in the wind. Somehow, there was melancholy in his eyes.

Silence followed. Surprisingly, it was not awkward but comfortable.

I gazed at the city below, mapping our route towards the Camp.