(XXXII) Changes

Samael slept for 24 hours straight, waking up the following morning as he blinked rapidly, blushing as he sat up, realizing he had fallen asleep in Ichiko's lap. 

"Sorry..." He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as he stared in shock at Camille as she simply smiled warmly at him.

"Don't worry about it!" She said warmly, shaking her head, "Ichiko and I swapped places when I started keeping watch over everyone when she got tired." 

"How long was I out?" He asked with a slight smile, groaning as he stood up and stretched his aching muscles. 

"An entire day..." Cami answered, standing up and handing him a water bottle and a sandwich, "Some of the others were worried that something was wrong with you, so we kept them calm." 

"Ah, sorry to be a burden..." Sam replied after downing the entire bottle and started eating and dismissing the two notifications he had received in his sleep. 

[Camille: Intimacy +20 (39/100)]

[Ichiko: Intimacy +15 (32/100)]

"After everything you did for everyone, I'm kinda surprised you weren't out for longer..." She said, smiling as she walked past him, "We started sending people out gathering supplies and set up a checkpoint..."

Sam followed her, eating his sandwich and nodding as she explained the changes that occurred while he slept. With the help of Nathan and a few of the other Awakeners, a stone wall was formed at the entrance to replace the blast doors. 

A hole was cut into the wall, and a door was fastened to it, creating a replacement entrance. Sections of the underground shelter had been partitioned off using magically created stones, creating various specialized rooms. 

A mess hall, a few barracks, a dozen bathrooms, two shared shower rooms, a recreational room, and a hospital were all formed, and appropriate staff were assigned to them based on the list Sam had created. 

"You all were busy while I was asleep..." He muttered as he finished his meal, nodding approvingly. 

"In addition, a dozen or so private living quarters have been made, but we haven't assigned them anyone yet." Cami explained as she handed him an updated list. 

He took the clipboard and skimmed through it, nodding and shaking his head as he read the names, walking through the underground bunker that now looked more like a shanty town than an emergency shelter. 

He approached the entrance as the two soldiers jumped to his attention, saluted him, and opened the door for him to exit, closing it behind them. 

Sam turned toward Camille and smirked, "Their tune quickly changed..."

"Yeah..." Cami sighed, rolling her eyes, "The younger one always wanted to be a superhero, so he now idolizes you since you granted him an Ability..." 

"And the other..?" He asked as they approached Gateway Park, which had vastly changed in appearance since he last saw it. 

"He just has a strong sense of justice." She shrugged as they entered through the large gates, walking along the stone pathway toward the lake. 

Much of the grass had been destroyed, leaving large dirt patches or completely blown away as hundreds of small craters littered the park. Most of the numerous trees had been broken or damaged. 

Camille explained they had been testing everyone's combat power and learning how to control their abilities. Sam sighed and shook his head, asking for the clipboard, and started looking through the names. 

"Come here." He said, waving her over as he grabbed a pen, making a notation of a dozen names of Awakeners, "Get them and have them fix this farm." 

"What?" Cami asked, taking the list and looking through it before staring at him.

"We can use anywhere around here to practice; it's all destroyed and needs to be removed. The park has fertile land that can be used to start growing our own food." Sam sighed, shaking his head. 

"The stores aren't going to last forever." He explained, tapping on the list, "We need to get started now, and these people have abilities that can help." 

Sam grabbed the list and sighed as they approached the lake, and the pair sat down on a bench facing the water, where they sat for the next couple of hours.

The young man asked numerous questions of the young woman, notating names on the list based on her answers, completely restructuring everything previously delegated. 

He ultimately struck ideas currently being implemented, reduced the priority of others, and included an extensive list of their immediate tasks that needed to be completed before all else. 

The members of the currently created teams were shuffled as well, rearranging the groups and adding a couple that needed to be included. Sam sighed as he placed his arm on the back of the bench, watching Camille depart.

'It's like none of them have watched a single episode of a zombie show...' He thought, dismissing a dozen notifications he had received during their conversation, gaining intimacy with Cami. 

'I don't know what that is, Master.' Khrista commented in his mind, causing him to smirk and roll his eyes as he tried explaining television shows what a zombie was and how, in the early 21st century, they had become extremely popular.

'Can they see the future? It's like they knew what was coming...' The naga marveled with awe, causing Sam to burst into laughter. 

'No...' He smirked, covering his grin with his mouth, 'It was just a fantasy to them. Something to rip its audience away from their mundane reality, if only briefly...' 

Sam stood up, yawning as he stretched and returned to the underground shelter. The preparations they had made on their own weren't entirely wrong choices, but he knew when things would happen. 

With the emergence of the portals and after their subsequent closures worldwide, the Dungeons were sent into a temporary stasis for a couple weeks. 

He entered the shelter and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms as he watched Camille explain the changes to a large group of people. There were some protests, but they were quickly dispelled when they noticed the young man. 

'Things are going to continue to escalate if you do not intervene...' Khrista said, breaking his train of thought. 

'They will soon come to understand the new way of the world.' Sam explained, his gaze fixated on the slowly dispersing crowd as they were sent toward their new duties. 

'Everyone has enjoyed their own freedoms and will naturally resist that change.' He added, shaking his head, 'Only those with absolute power can enjoy true freedom.' 

'Without a display of power, they will attempt to overthrow you, Master...' She replied, 'What are you going to do?' 

'Right now? Nothing.' He sighed, stepping away from the wall and slowly approaching the crowd, 'It won't be long before they realize they either follow me or die by the hands of others.' 

"Master...' Khrista said softly. 

"Cami." Sam called out, flagging her over with his fingers, "Go around and have everyone stop what they're doing and gather around. I have some things I would like say to them." 

She nodded and quickly departed as she went around the bunker when Isaac approached Samael and patted him on the shoulder, "Hey, man! How ya doin'?"

"Better now that I've got some sleep." He answered, watching as everyone gathered before them, "How are you adjusting?"