Adam
Slowly, we piled what scrap material we had in easy access onto the blossoming bonfire. We went to work ripping down boards that had been used to hastily patch the house in favor of a single grand pyre. It crackled as it grew, the warmth pushing back against the fear.
Floof paced around the periphery of the fire's light, keeping watch as we worked. Every so often, he would stop, look into the woods, and give a single angry bark, letting whatever he had spotted know that he had seen them. His threats were apparently enough to keep the monsters at bay.
As we pulled more and more material for the bonfire from the house, it began to grow much faster. The house wouldn't be livable when we were done, but surprisingly, neither Gar or Gertie argued. They just started pointing to things that could easily burn. Both of them seemed happy at the idea of leaving this nightmare behind.
Soon, the woods were no longer a dark and foreboding menace on the outskirts of the house. Instead, there were noises of retreat as the creature, lurking, saw the blaze and heard Floof’s threats. They wanted no part in the changed situation. Instilling the kind of fear back into the creatures that they had put in the residents of this house for days was only fair.
This was just the start. These creatures were far too dangerous to leave roaming. I needed to find their boss and put an end to this. The dangers of leaving them alive after what they had dared to do were just too great.
That creature had reached into my daughter's mind. It wasn't some simple mistake like Gruther had made so early on. These things were here to hurt us solely for the sake of doing so. And considering how many potential innocents there still were within these woods that we didn't know about, I couldn't let that continue.
Disregarding the danger they posed for the future of the neighborhood, there was always the possibility they could be hunting the Rock Trolls. And even beyond that, there was the wasp's nest. While I still didn't know exactly what to make of them, they weren't our enemies yet, and that meant I didn't need monsters hunting them in the night.
Giving Ash an appraising look, I finally asked a question that had been worrying me. “Ash, if I were to leave you here and go after these things, do you think you can handle protecting those people tonight?” It wasn't a question I liked asking, but it was still one I had to.
I didn't know if she was ready, but that band-aid would have to be ripped off eventually. And if I were out there hunting, it was unlikely they'd have the time or resources to attack her and the others in any sort of organized fashion. What worried me, though, was how long I'd be out there.
Depending on just how infested these woods were with undead, it was possible I wouldn't be back before the sun rose. Again, though, if I were out there in those woods making myself a menace, that was a very strong layer of protection for everyone here. I was a brute of a fighter, and I did my best work making sure everyone knew that.
“Just me? Are you taking Floof too? Because you should definitely take Floof. I think with the others here, I should be fine. I mean, Noah is already a pretty good fighter.” She jumbled her words slightly as she answered. There was still a lot of fear there and possibly some embarrassment over the monster ever getting into her mind.
That, though, wasn't her fault, and experiences like that were why I hated telepathic creatures as strongly as I did. Gruther was possibly the first I'd ever let this far into my trust circle, and if he betrayed it, there was a good chance it would never happen again.
I had considered bringing Floof, but he was such a reinforcing presence in Ash's life. I still wasn't sure, even if she was really pressing the idea. I could always send him back if the hunt proved too long, letting her make the return trip with him while I continued pursuing our quarry.
“I was debating taking him. Are you sure you're okay with that?” I asked, watching her closely. This was something she truly had to be okay with.
She looked at me firmly in the eyes, her face bathed in the glow of the fire. “There are enough people here that we will be fine. I don't want you going into those woods alone. Floof is built for this.”
That had been a good enough answer for me, mostly because she wasn't wrong. Even without the chaos of this integration, Floof would already be well on his way toward one of the top participants. I needed to figure out just what that dog could do.
“Alright, if you're sure,” I said, pausing for a second, checking for any change to her position before continuing. “Fine, but if we haven't returned by first light, I want you to take these people and get them back to the neighborhood, no matter what. And just because I'm not back doesn't mean anything horrible has happened to me. I will catch up. I promise,” I said, giving her a serious look.
I didn't intend for the promise to be a lie. I really did doubt that whatever was out here could truly kill me, and with Floof by my side, it was a near certainty that we would be the dangerous things stalking the woods. The only thing that worried me was what we'd find out here. I wasn't prepared to take down an army. At least not yet, I wasn't.
“Alright, but I'd rather you were back. Just don't do anything too stupid out there, Dad. I don't want to have to break that kind of news to Mom.” The half-smile crossing her face told me the worry still ran deep into her. Her words, though, held enough bravery that I thought she could handle the night without me. Hopefully, this didn't turn into a trial by fire for her.
“Don't worry, we'll be back. Floof, come on, we're going monster hunting,” I said, calling the giant fluff ball of a dog over. How such a gentle-looking beast could be as powerful as he was was one of those idiosyncrasies of the universe. But I was glad he was on our side.
“Hey, be careful out there, Adam. I can't imagine what the neighborhood would be like without you, so try to get your ass back,” Norm added just before Floof and I stepped into the trees.
Norm
Whatever the poison was that was affecting the family in the cabin was powerful. Norm had his suspicions, but without actually seeing the source, it was hard to be sure. He knew it was a paralytic. That much was obvious.
If this had just been Earth, he'd guess the source was either an octopus or a snail. There just weren't many animals capable of easily paralyzing humans to this level. But these days, there were a lot more monsters at play. Still, he suspected the venom was probably similar.
The fact that the haphazard mixture had somewhat focused in on that idea told him he was on the right path. That was the main reason he had raided the kitchen so strongly. He'd already had a brew reasonably ready for Gertie. He just needed a slower heart and to increase her healing. That was something he'd already prepared after the Battle of the Neighborhood.
And while he had some things that helped the others, none of them would do much to speed up the effects of the poison. But if he could just do that, it would make their trip back in the morning much easier. Which was why, as the others worked on the bonfire and Adam vanished into the woods, he had gone back to work on a new brew.
There was a lot to work with. They'd had a surprisingly stocked kitchen. Every spice he could think of was there. Hell, they had things he couldn't find back in the neighborhood, and he was making sure those were coming back with them. Who the hell just kept ground mace on hand?
Right now, though, what he needed was turmeric and garlic. There was an inkling in the back of his mind that that was the right way to go. The unopened bottle of rum he had found in their cabinet would be the base. The main problem he was running into right now was how to weaken it. He was worried about putting something with that much of a kick into their throats if they couldn't easily swallow themselves, especially given how young the girl was.
Finding his backpack behind the couch where he'd left it, he pulled out his large canister of fresh water. And then, rummaging through the cupboards until he found four smaller glasses, he filled each of them halfway full of the water. Then he added three drops of rum to each glass. And all that was left was the part he wasn't going to enjoy.
He popped off the lids in both of his chosen spices and slowly started to mix them into one of the smaller glasses, carefully keeping track of exactly how much he added. After each mix, he stirred it, examined it, and took a tiny taste. Managing to suppress the urge to spit out the mixture every time it touched his tongue, he forced himself to swallow.
Finally, after the seventh attempt and so much garlic that he wasn't sure he'd ever want to taste the spice again, he had managed to unlock what he'd been aiming for.
__________
New Mixture Discovered.
Child Safe Slow-Acting Anti-Paralytic
10/10 Mixtures Discovered for Battle Brewer Progression.
Battle Brewer rank has increased.
Battle Brewer rank 2.
Mixture Refinement Unlocked
__________
He knew he had been close to his progression to the next rank, but he hadn't fully understood what that meant yet. He just hadn't had time to sit down with Adam and see how much information he could pull out of the man's head, not with everything that needed to be done. But it was good to see it came with a new ability.
On the other hand, it would have been better had the mixture been fast-acting. Though he didn't know how slow, slow-acting actually was. There was also the fact that, given how sick these people were, it was possible it was best to let their bodies slowly metabolize what he was about to give them.
“Gertie, can I borrow your help for a minute?” Norm called to the older woman, who was still resting on the couch. “I need you to hold each of their heads up while I give them a new brew I've got ready. It should start countering the effects of the poison. Sadly, I'm not sure how fast it's going to be. We may not see any real change in them for a bit, but still, can you give me a hand?”
“Yep, no problem. Let me get these old feet of mine under me again,” she said as she stood up, groaning lightly, before joining Norm in front of her family. Slowly, she bent her body back down to the ground, sitting in front of Sarah first.
“The good news is I've already tested it on myself. Other than the fact that it tastes god-awful, there's nothing to worry about. So let's just make sure it all gets down their throat, and they don't choke,” Norm said as he lifted the first cup up to the youngest one and tipped it down her lips.
While there was no immediate change, the fact that Norm had gained some experience for the action was all the sign he needed to continue. They quickly repeated the process on the other two members of Gertie's family.
“Good. That should be everything we can do right now. Why don't you take another rest on the couch, and I'll get something brewed up for you as well? It's going to be a long walk tomorrow, and you're going to need your strength.”