Chapter 70 - Lurking in the Darkness

The sky was getting dark and Gren had just finished clearing yet another area of snow. Finding people that needed assistance became faster as rumors of his exploits spread and a network of citizens formed to search for those that were affected most by the snowfall. Thanks to those rumors, Claire was able to leave early and return to her home in time make lunch for her family.

Gren could still work since he could rely on his system to visualize the area while casting spells. Noir, Choco, and Korra had to return to the guild since they wouldn't be much help in the dark. Midna and Luna both had excellent night vision and continued to guard Gren as he used his magic.

"I think it's time for another break." Gren's stomach was feeling empty since he hadn't eaten anything in hours. "How are you two feeling? Any problems?"

Midna was staring down a nearby harpy that had lost their home when she heard Gren speaking to her and Luna. "Huh? What did you say?"

"I was just asking if you or Luna had any problems. I'm going to take a break and eat something before we continue." Gren hoped that she was listening this time since he didn't want to keep repeating himself.

Midna reacted to Gren saying that he'd eat something. "Ah. I could use some food if you can spare some more. Also, my feet are getting cold. Can you do that thing with the fire again?" With her beast-like feet she couldn't wear regular shoes so she wore wraps around her feet instead.

Luna still had some of her food left in her pack and she was eating that without fussing over anything. Her feet were bare but she didn't seem to be struggling with the cold like Midna was. It was unfair for him to treat her differently than Midna so Gren decided to give them both the same amount of food and made sure that Luna didn't need her feet warmed like Midna did. Luna didn't accept the foot warming but filled up her backpack with the food just so that she could be ready in an emergency.

Finished with their break, Gren packed up his bag and got ready to move on to the next area. "They said that the next closest place that needs help is in that direction--towards the casino." Since it was in the heart of the old district there was a good chance that they didn't need that much help but he wanted to make sure that everybody was helped so that Carrie's request was properly fulfilled.

Along the way, Gren noticed that there was more lighting the further he got into the old district and the number of businesses increased. One building in particular was sticking out with red lights surrounding it. Scantily clad women could be seen in the windows--their suggestive poses were meant to entice the men walking by. Unlike most of the surrounding buildings, the brothel looked like it was in great condition.

The disparity between the larger businesses and the homes of the citizens was odd to see. Back in his past life he was more than familiar with poverty and both the businesses and residences suffered alike. Even large chain stores weren't free from getting graffitied or getting shot at in the bad parts of the city. It didn't make sense for them to open a business aimed towards people with disposable income in a place where the people had none.

The lights from the casino could be seen as Gren reached the next destroyed area. Unlike the previous areas, there were no signs of anybody waiting for him and even the lights were out. They must have found shelter for the night since it was dark out. "This will be the last one for today. Let's get it over with and then head home to get some rest so we can return in the morning." Gren hoped that he could get the job over in a single day when he first started but he was only able to cover the shantytown and part of the old district. There were at least two other areas that needed assistance after this and he didn't think that he had the energy to help them today.

Upon inspection of the damage, Gren noticed that there were people in a few of the destroyed buildings. He chose to silently meet back up with his allies to discuss the problem. "There are people in the buildings. Some of them are holding weapons. What should we do?"

Luna was the first to chime in. "How many people are armed? Does it look like they're enemies?"

"I counted thirteen but there might be more. I'm not sure if they're enemies but they're suspicious. I think it'd be best to assume that they're enemies for now." Gren wasn't sure what their goal was; for all he knew they could just be protective of their home. If they were enemies then were they targeting him or was it just a coincidence that they were here?

"We should go back home." Midna had a surprisingly peaceful solution. "Dinner should be finished by now." Gren felt cheated for thinking that she would have a good reason.

Luna nodded her head, agreeing with Midna. "We should just leave for tonight. There's no need to risk being attacked. Even if they're not enemies they might think we're burglars since nobody else is around."

With the two of them wanting to leave and Gren leaning towards leaving already, it was obvious what they had to do. Unfortunately, it looked like that decision wasn't one that they were allowed to make. The people with weapons were already leaving the destroyed buildings and they had their eyes locked on to Gren's group. There were more than the thirteen people that Gren counted earlier. Much more.

"I think it's too late to leave. The two of you should get ready for a fight." Gren was already regretting his decision to stay and send the other women home without him. "You two protect me when the fight begins and I'll try to clear a path so that we can escape." With his magic even a mound of snow could become deadly.

A few archers could be seen atop one of the older buildings that had a flat roof--their bowstrings drawn back and the bows aimed directly towards Gren's group. The enemies were on all sides and Gren needed to come up with a plan.