Chapter 39 - New camp [1]
As we made our way to the designated spot for our new camp, some critters crossed our path. But nothing Ellen and I couldn't handle. Leo lingered further back, leading the remaining survivors from the last attack. His fiery speech managed to win everyone's trust, but I know it's just that: surface-level trust.
They'll still steer clear of me if they get the chance, but now their looks have changed. Before, I was met with suspicion, fear, and even anger in some cases. Now, indifference is what I see in their eyes. Either way, I prefer it to what it was before.
"Still far to go? We've been walking for almost two hours" Ellen commented wearily beside me as I let my thoughts wander.
"We're almost there. Plus, don't you think the farther we go, the better?" I asked, turning my gaze to Ellen with a wry smile.
Listening to my words, Ellen just sighed resignedly, knowing there was no denying the truth. By this point, Noelle was already dozing off. Anyway, we wouldn't need her for now since, theoretically, we were in great numbers. So, I advised her to sleep.
After a few more minutes of walking, we started climbing a steep little hill. Although Ellen and I had often ventured out since we joined, I hadn't shown her this place yet. We didn't always go out together; it was one of the times I went out alone that I stumbled upon this place while chasing a critter.
Once we reached the top of the small hill, facing a relatively flat area, we spotted an imposing mountain in the distance. Though we'd be cornered in this position, I consider it more advantageous than being surrounded on all sides. Here, we could focus all our defenses on a single point.
Even if flying critters showed up, Ellen, a few others, and I could easily take care of them. After all, though annoying for flying, they're generally physically weaker than other critters. As I looked around, Leo and the rest of the group had finally arrived.
"So... this is the place?" Leo commented as he looked around. If I had to guess, he was assessing the site to see if it would make a good camp.
"Exactly. Though it has its upside of us needing to focus only on one point, it also has its downside since all enemy forces will also focus there" I replied.
As Leo walked around examining the area, the other passengers started sitting or lying down on the ground. Honestly, why were these guys so tired? Seeing their state really made me wonder what exactly they were spending their points on. Well, it's not like all of them looked dead.
From what I could observe, only mages and supports were tired, while warriors and archers seemed to be relatively okay. The weirdest thing is that, upon reflecting on it, I realized I didn't fit into either the warrior or mage category. I mean, I was pretty physically strong, but my abilities also relied on Ether. Honestly, I wasn't sure where exactly I stood in that division.
"Alright, folks, can I have your attention for a minute!"
As I was once again lost in thought, Leo caught everyone's attention with his voice. I turned my gaze to him, waiting for his words. However, it's not like I was going to follow them. It was already clear that I acted independently.
"Now that we've reached our new campsite, we'll be able to rest a bit, but we still can't let our guard down. We need to fortify the place and set up traps along the ascent to prevent critters from piling up too quickly in front of us. Though it has the downside that we won't be able to escape from behind, it also means that critters won't be able to surround us from the other sides!" Leo exclaimed with a serious expression.