The desert stretched out endlessly before me, its golden sands rippling under the midday sun. I tightened the strap on my pack and unfolded the map Master Mirror had given me. The parchment felt rough under my fingers, its edges slightly frayed. The markings were clear: settlements, ruins, and unmarked hazards scattered across the region. My settlement was a faint dot near the edge – a convenient little thing left behind my Master Mirror, no doubt.
I traced my finger across the nearest marked ruin. It was a day's walk east, nestled among jagged cliffs. I rolled the map up, tucking it into my pack, and began my journey. The sun bore down on me, but my enhanced physiology shrugged off the heat. Sand crunched under my boots as I marched, my hand resting on [Ruyi Jingu Bang].
The first ruin was little more than a collapsed structure. Broken beams jutted out like ribs, and half-buried machinery poked through the sand. I approached cautiously, scanning for movement. The air was still, save for the faint rustle of wind.
A guttural growl broke the silence. I turned, my grip tightening on [Ruyi Jingu Bang]. A pack of beasts emerged from the shadows, their mangy fur clinging to gaunt frames. Their eyes glowed faintly, and saliva dripped from their bared fangs.
I sighed, extending the staff to its full length with a flick of my wrist. The beasts lunged. I swung in a wide arc, the staff's weight crushing the first two before they reached me. The others hesitated, their growls faltering. I stepped forward, slamming the staff into the ground. A shockwave rippled out, sending the rest sprawling.
I strode toward the fallen creatures, their bodies twitching as they tried to rise. One by one, I absorbed them into my [Biomass Reserves]. Their forms dissolved into streams of energy, leaving only faint impressions in the sand. When I finished, I surveyed the ruin again.
The place was mostly junk. Broken machinery, rusted pipes, and shattered glass littered the ground. I touched a large metal panel, activating my absorption ability. The material crumbled, disappearing into my reserves. Bits of scrap followed, each piece adding a small amount to my [Raw Material].
I moved on, the sun sinking lower as I crossed the dunes. Each ruin I visited told a similar story: empty halls filled with debris, the occasional group of marauders or beasts. None of them posed a challenge. The marauders attacked on sight, their crude weapons no match for my speed or strength. I dispatched them swiftly, absorbing their biomass without hesitation.
It wasn't until I reached the third marked ruin that I found something different.
The structure was larger than the others, its walls intact and weathered. Vines clung to its surface, their roots burrowing into cracks. I approached cautiously, stepping through the crumbled doorway. The air inside was cool, shadows stretching across the stone floor.
A faint sound reached my ears – a shuffle, followed by a sharp intake of breath. I turned toward the noise, my gaze narrowing. A figure crouched in the corner, their body twisted and frail. Their eyes widened as they saw me, and they scrambled back, pressing against the wall.
I raised a hand, palm up. "I'm not here to hurt you."
The mutant froze, their breaths shallow and rapid. They clutched a crude knife, its blade rusted and dull. I crouched, keeping my movements slow, and placed [Ruyi Jingu Bang] on the ground beside me.
"I can help," I said, my voice calm. "Let me."
The mutant's grip on the knife tightened, their knuckles white. I stayed where I was, letting them decide. Slowly, their hand relaxed. They lowered the knife, though their eyes remained wary.
I approached carefully, reaching out with my hand. Their skin was rough and mottled, tumors bulging along their arms. I activated [Flesh Shaping], the familiar glow spreading from my fingertips. The tumors shrank, their twisted form straightening. Bones realigned, muscles strengthened, and their skin smoothed.
When I finished, they stared at their hands, turning them over as if seeing them for the first time. Tears welled in their eyes, and their lips moved soundlessly. I stepped back, giving them space.
"There are others like you," I said, smiling. "And a place where you'll be safe."
They looked at me, their expression shifting from fear to something close to hope. I offered them a canteen of water and waited as they drank, their hands trembling. "You can follow me. Or I can give you directions to the settlement."
The former mutant stared at me for a moment, before speaking. "I... I will follow you."
More mutants emerged from the shadows, crawling towards me – wretched and decrepit, in need of mercy and aid. So, I offered both. There were only a handful of them, I noted, likely having subsisted on irradiated moss and the odd rodent here and there.
I led them out of the ruin, marking the location on my map as a potential waypoint. As we walked, I thought of the settlement and the people waiting there. One by one, I would bring them in. One by one, I would restore them.
By the time we reached the next ruin, the sun had dipped below the horizon, casting the desert in a cool, pale light. The figure beside me followed silently, their steps steadier now. The ruins ahead loomed dark against the sky, promising more secrets, more dangers, and perhaps more lives to save.
The group of mutants-turned-humans walked behind me, their steps slow and uncertain. Each one bore the fresh weight of their restored humanity – straightened spines, unscarred skin, and eyes no longer clouded by illness. Yet they moved with caution, as if they were still waiting for the world to lash out at them. Still, they trusted me to protect them. And, against beasts and monsters, I did.
I stopped at the edge of the next ruin, gesturing for them to halt. "Wait here," I said, turning to face them. My voice carried authority now, not through force, but through the trust they had begun to place in me. "I'll check for danger."
They nodded, their gazes flickering between me and the shadowed structure ahead. I stepped forward, [Ruyi Jingu Bang] ready in my hand. The ruin stretched out before me, its walls jagged and broken, like teeth. I moved carefully, my boots crunching on loose stone as I entered.
The air inside was damp, the faint smell of decay lingering in the stillness. My eyes adjusted quickly, scanning for movement. The faint scrape of claws on stone came from above. I didn't bother looking up; the creature lunged before I even raised my weapon.
[Ruyi Jingu Bang] extended in a blur, striking the beast mid-air. It crumpled to the ground, its mottled body twitching once before going still. I absorbed it into my reserves without hesitation, feeling the familiar pull of energy. More skittering sounds followed, and I dispatched each of the creatures with efficient swings. When the room was silent again, I checked the debris for anything useful.
Most of it was junk – twisted metal, shattered glass, and decayed wood. I absorbed what I could, the materials vanishing into my reserves. A faint glow in the corner caught my eye. I crouched, brushing away dirt to reveal a partially intact data slate. Its screen flickered weakly, symbols scrolling across hundreds of pages.
I pocketed it. Even if I couldn't use it, someone in the future might. Or, maybe, Master Mirror might have some use for it.
When I returned to the group, their faces lit with relief. One of the younger ones, a boy with dark curls, stepped forward hesitantly.
"Is it... safe?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
I nodded, gesturing to the ruin. "Nothing left to fear there."
Their shoulders relaxed, though their postures remained wary. I pulled a canteen from my [Inventory] and handed it to the boy. He took it with both hands, gulping down the water greedily. The others watched, their expressions a mix of hunger and hesitation.
"I have food and water for all of you," I said, my tone steady. "You don't need to fight over it. There's enough."
They exchanged glances, unsure whether to believe me. I reached into my [Inventory], pulling out fabricated ration packs – ones I'd pocketed from the ruins of a Guardsman barracks on Praxtor... in a completely different timeline. Each one contained dense nutrient wafers and small containers of purified water. I handed them out, one by one, watching as they accepted the supplies with trembling hands.
"This will keep you strong," I said. "Eat, drink, and rest. We'll move again soon."
They nodded, murmuring quiet thanks as they tore into the rations. The youngest among them ate slowly, as if savoring every bite. The older ones chewed quickly, their eyes darting toward the horizon, still wary of threats.
I sat on a nearby rock, watching them. They were changing, not just physically, but mentally. The fear that had defined their existence was giving way to something else – hope. It was fragile, but it was there.
"When will we go to your settlement?" one of them asked, a woman with sharp eyes and a scar that still faintly lined her jaw.
"Soon," I said. "I need to finish exploring this region first. There could be others like you out here. I won't leave them behind."
She nodded, her gaze softening. "We'll wait. We'll follow you."
I gave a curt nod, standing again. To make sure they weren't defenseless, I used [Fabrication] and gave each of them spears. "Stay together. Stay alert. I'll return."
I ventured into the next ruin alone, the group watching me from the edge. The pattern repeated itself: marauders who attacked without question, beasts lurking in the shadows, and debris that held scraps of raw material. Each encounter added to my reserves, each cleared space making the region safer for those who might follow.
When I returned to the group again, the dynamic had shifted further. They stood straighter now, their eyes meeting mine without the same hesitation. One of the older men even smiled faintly as I approached.
"We've been talking," he said, his voice gruff but steady. "About your settlement. About what it'll be like."
"It's safe," I said simply. "And it'll stay that way."
He nodded. "We'll work for it. We don't want to just... exist anymore."
I didn't respond immediately, meeting his gaze instead. There was a spark in his expression – something firm and unyielding. I nodded, resting [Ruyi Jingu Bang] against my shoulder.
"Good," I said. "Because when we get there, I'll need all of you to help it grow."
The others gathered closer, their curiosity replacing some of their unease. The sharp-eyed woman from before stepped forward. "How much further do we go?"
"A few more places to check," I replied, unfolding the map. "Then we head home."
They murmured among themselves, a quiet buzz of anticipation. For the first time, I saw them as more than survivors. They were becoming something stronger than who they used to be – than what they used to be. And soon, they'd have a chance to prove it.
We continued our journey.
The sun was setting as we approached the next location marked on the map. From a distance, the outline of structures emerged against the darkening sky. Smoke curled faintly from the charred remains, the acrid scent carried on the wind. My steps slowed, and the group behind me grew quiet.
This wasn't like the ruins we had seen before.
I motioned for my followers to stop. Their faces mirrored my unease as I walked ahead alone, [Ruyi Jingu Bang] in hand. The settlement was small, no more than a cluster of huts and a central communal area, but it had been thriving once. I recognized it immediately.
This was the first village I had saved. The one I had cured of their ailments. I had left them strong, healthy, and full of hope. Now, their homes were blackened husks. The air stank of ash and blood. My grip on [Ruyi Jingu Bang] tightened as I walked further into the village, stepping over the remnants of what had been lives full of promise.
At the center of the village, I stopped short. A crude flag stood impaled into the ground. Around it, skulls were arranged in a grotesque circle, their hollow eyes staring into nothing. The flag bore the emblem of a golden bull, painted hastily and crudely, its horns twisted upward.
The sight burned itself into my mind. My teeth clenched, my jaw aching from the tension. I tore the flag from the ground, the pole splintering in my grip. The skulls tumbled with it, their fragile forms shattering as they hit the scorched earth.
Behind me, my followers approached cautiously. They stopped a few feet away, their faces pale as they took in the scene. One of them, the sharp-eyed woman, stepped forward.
"Who did this?" she asked, her voice low but trembling with anger.
I didn't answer immediately, my eyes fixed on the ruined flag. The golden bull was a symbol I didn't recognize, but it didn't matter. Someone had done this. Someone had taken the people I had saved, the lives I had given back, and snuffed them out.
"This wasn't random," I said finally, my voice like stone. "They left a message."
The older man stepped closer, his hand gripping the spear I had given him. "What does it mean?"
"It means war," I said, snapping the flagpole over my knee. The pieces fell to the ground, broken and useless. "Someone thinks they can take what I've built. Someone thinks they can destroy what I've saved."
The group exchanged glances, their fear palpable, but something else lingered there too. Determination. Resolve. They were no longer the cowering mutants I had found in the ruins.
I turned to face them fully.
"We're going back to the settlement," I said. "This ends there."
The sharp-eyed woman frowned. "We're not soldiers."
"Not yet," I said, my tone firm. "But you will be."
AN: Chapter 80 is out on (Pat)reon!