“I think we should stay here for a few days.” David suggested. “My arm will need to heal, and you need to regain your health and figure. How much food is here?” 

 

“Enough for several months.” She said with some uncertainty.

 

David looked around the living room and saw all of the windows were boarded up, this made him feel uneasy when he saw it. She said she had done it, but David could also see that some of it had been done before her since the way it was done was slightly different. Why would a family that seemed like they were going to hunker down suddenly leave?

 

“How did you put the boards up, did you use a hammer?” He asked.

 

She shook her head and pointed over to a washer and dryer next to a back door he could see from the kitchen. On it was an electric nail gun and a pair of batteries, this made David’s eyes light up. When he began to look around the house more. The house was split with a Kitchen and dining room that joined a large living room in the middle.

 

A large master bedroom and bathroom sat on one side of the kitchen behind a wall. A long hallway and a pair of bedrooms sat at the other side of the house and David woke up inside one of them. A basement held a second bedroom and a large den where extra food was stored. It was a fairly standard floor plan for a ranch-style house. 

 

“Was there any water?” He asked.

 

She shook her head in sorrow since there wasn’t any, neither of them smelled particularly good at the moment.

 

“I bet they have a well, and since we are out of the city they probably have a generator.” David told her in sympathy.

 

If they used propane instead of a gas connection from the city, it was very likely they had a well or a water tank. If they used either in Colorado with its bad snowstorms then they would certainly need to have a generator for when they inevitably lost power. David had never had a single year in the state where he went an entire winter without losing power at least three or four times. 

 

Every year a few people in the state still die of exposure, even in a modern world with plenty of places to go. It was never fun to run out of electricity when there were over 8 inches(~20CM) of snow on the ground. David was currently hoping that it was April or May so he would not have to worry about trying to survive in the snow.

 

She looked over with a brighter look when he told her that she might be able to get a bath, and she began to eat her food in a reserved and proper way. David on the other hand began to hungrily attack it with his fork. After he was injured, the additional mana in his arm was being used to heal the burns, but this would require nutrients to complete the process. A high Layer Martial Force user was able to eat several thousand calories in a single meal, they often needed several of these a day to keep going.

 

“Have you searched the house?” He asked.

 

“Not much, I dragged you here and made sure it was safe, then I bandaged your arm and slept. Today I boarded up the windows and started cooking lunch when you woke up.” She said.

 

“Alright, we still have some daylight left then, I think I am going to look around and see what we have available to us.” David said. “Did you get everything from the helicopter?” 

 

“Not yet, I was going to do it now that I am done boarding up the windows,” Lena said as she finished her eggs.

 

“Thank you for the meal, I am going to start.” David said as he placed his used plate in the sink with his good arm.

 

David made his way to the master bedroom, and slowly pushed the door open. Looking around he could see signs of a hurried evacuation. Drawers were overturned, bags were quickly filled, and a closed gun safe sat in the corner like a vulnerable child.

 

Walking around the large king-sized bed, and to an open closet in the corner, he found a large steel box and began breathing heavily as he felt it with his unbandaged hand. His mechanical sense soon sent back its readout of this large imposing box and it caused David to smile.

 

“Just like a pitbull, you pet it just a little and it rolls right over for you.” David said as a click sounded.

 

This was due to the shoddy craftsmanship of the dial on the lock, he was able to crack the combination in only a few moments after he placed his hand on it. It looked so imposing from a distance, but he was half expecting to see that it was a cheap product from overseas they bought at half the price of a normal one. Pulling open the large metal door with deep expectations he suddenly exclaimed when he saw the insides.

 

‘They didn’t even leave me any dust! What cheap assholes!” David muttered in anger.

 

David then immediately slammed the door of the gun safe shut with his good arm. He then began to look around the closet and found a pair of hiking boots and tried them on his own feet. Liking the way they fit he set them to the side and began to try on some pants and shirts.

 

“I think this looks pretty good!” David muttered to himself looking over the blue jeans and dark gray t-shirt with a skull on it.

 

“I will make something for your left arm. That way we can cover up the burns.”  He heard Lena say behind him.

 

David sucked in a deep breath as he turned around and saw her standing behind him with a slight blush. This caused him to suddenly have a horrible feeling like he was losing touch with what was happening around him. She had somehow crossed the entire bedroom without him noticing, what if she had been a monster?

 

“How long have you been standing there?” He asked.

 

Reaching into one of her pockets she handed him a small blue LED flashlight. David received this with some confusion before he looked back up and he noticed she had gone. David looked around but couldn’t see her in the bedroom.

 

What?!

 

David dropped the flashlight and closed his eyes and opened them suddenly, but the blonde woman was nowhere to be seen. Reaching down he grabbed the flashlight and began to walk across the room. He was measuring it silently.

 

She moved 15 feet(4.5M) without me noticing!

 

Thinking of this incredible feat and her ability to sneak up on him, he wondered if he should maybe train her as an assassin. Suddenly he shook his head as he walked out into the living room. What he found was that Lena was busy sorting out seasonings while muttering something to herself.

 

David decided to give her a wide berth as he went into the basement down a set of stairs, it was dark so he had to use the flashlight. He saw several large freezers at the bottom of a landing, and through an open door, he could see a large room. Walking into the large room he was greeted with a flatscreen TV, a pool table, and a kayak that was hung on the ceiling.

 

Walking further into the room, he found a door that led to a bedroom. Walking around a couch and a chair he made his way to the door and made his way inside. Using the flashlight he began to look around and smiled at what he saw.

 

Gotta love camping equipment!

 

David began to hum happily as he found several hiking backpacks, tents, and chairs, this was a family of enthusiasts. A normal hiker had a single bag, but these people had different bags depending on how long they planned to stay. They also had a large collection of tents and camping furniture.

 

I will need to see if the princess is alright with sharing a tent… The smallest one is a double, so I guess we could both take one?

 

Since he wasn’t sure he decided to just select things for him. He took the largest bag he could find, it also had quick release clips on it for emergencies, this way the bag could be dropped by pressing a few plastic clips in. This was perfect for how David fought.

He selected a bag, a tent, a sleeping bag, several canteens, some tarp, some paracord, they had left so much useful equipment. The more David thought of this, as well as all of the electronics in the other room, a feeling of fear gripped him. He was trying to figure out why the family had left.

 

David took the bag he filled and set it to the side, he would have to have Lena get it since his arm was still too weak. The only thing he decided to carry with him was a heavy machete that he was already thinking of modifying. Since he already had a mace that had proven to be an effective weapon against armored foes, he wanted something for unarmored ones. 

 

Monsters came in all shapes and varieties so it was important to carry an array of different tools and weapons. Anyone who thought that a single weapon was good for every situation was either a fantasy hero or an idiot. A machete was a blade that was closest to an ax due to the way the weight in the blade worked.

 

David had also wanted a blade that was curved like this machete was so that he wouldn’t have to worry as much about edge alignment. He was no swordsman, and he much preferred simple weapons like the machete for when he needed to get up close and personal. One thing that made him pause was that he saw a few decks of playing cards.

 

David scooped up these decks for Lena, as they were great ways to attack with runes. Spellcasting in the time of the Machine Lord had almost completely died in favor of runes and enchantments. Wands, staves, and spellbooks were all obsolete, instead, they used spell decks, collapsable wands, magic cannons. 

 

Walking past the fridges he opened them up to take a look and was shocked, she was right that they were packed. Ice had been poured on top, and only some of it had melted, he assumed they hadn’t been gone longer than a few weeks at most. He then began making his way back upstairs and saw Lena in the kitchen.

 

“I packed a bag downstairs, they have a lot of camping gear.” He told her. “I was wondering if I could get your help carrying it upstairs, and you should probably select some gear of your own.”

 

She nodded as she finished setting all of the seasonings in a bag for later, she meant to take everything with them. David then headed out the back door wearing his new boots and some socks he had taken from the bedroom. Looking around he saw a large dirt lot, it looked like they had a dog at one point. He could see a chain-link fence that surrounded the property, it would have been better if there was barbed wire but he was currently squatting.

 

David saw a small wooden shed near a corner of the fenced-off property, he walked over and opened it up and saw the wellhead. It was a large metal pipe with a pump attached and a wheel to open and close it. David smiled when he also saw a generator and a small can of gasoline.

 

Gotta love living near the edge of the grid. It looks like they were using this when the power was out for a month, it’s got batteries and everything…

 

David reached down and pumped some oil into the generator to prime it, before he pressed an electric starter button, it drew energy out of the battery on the generator and started up with a mechanical whine. This also further affirmed David’s theory that the family had suddenly left the area for some unknown reason. This made David feel a deep sense of unease like he was being stalked by some predator.

 

He shook the feeling off as he stood up and made his way towards another detached building. This one was much larger and had a shutter-style door for wheeling a vehicle into it. Reaching forward he frowned when he discovered that the door was locked, then he frowned again when he discovered how poor the lock was designed.

 

Looking around the yard he saw a large plastic floor mat that looked like a god had used it as a chew toy. He found a small piece of it and pushed on the door using his leg. Inserting it between the door and the jam he pressed in the metal tongue and pushed the door open. He was greeted with a dark building, so he clicked on the flashlight and was pleasantly surprised by what he saw.

 

“Nice, he had several tool chests, probably did his own maintenance from the looks of things.” David commented as he began looking around.

 

He stepped on a foam bed that probably belonged to the dog outside and began looking around with the light as he went deeper into the workshop. He could see a grinder, some welders, and a lathe, there was also a drill press and a table saw. David paused when he saw some generators in the back, they were the same style as the ones near the well. 

 

Walking over he primed it up, and immediately turned it on, the gentle humming was a comforting sound. Standing up, he began to look around for a light switch. It didn’t take him too long to find one and turn on the lights to the small room.

 

“Did you turn the water on?” Lena asked him from outside the door.

 

“Yeah, I did. I think we should stay in here from now on. This workshop has a concrete floor, and metal walls with no windows.” David said. “I also plan to reinforce this joke of a door but there is power in here now. Until we know why the people here left, we should be as careful as possible.”

 

David looked around and saw that the workshop had its own bathroom in it. It had a toilet and a large sink that was probably used to clean parts. The workshop was divided into two rooms, one for tools and a large open bay for vehicles. The main advantage it had was that the windows were small and David planned on welding bars over them. 

 

David had seen that the walls were sheet metal, and the entire frame was solid wood with a second layer of wood on the inside. It was a lot more secure than the house even with the windows boarded up. Until he had proper weapons he wasn’t going to take any chances, and those all required magic stones.

 

David walked over to the worktable and pulled over a welder when he saw Lena walk into the workshop. She saw that he was clamping the machete into a vice, and sat down in the corner to watch him work. He paused as he tossed her over the playing cards he had picked up earlier.

 

“What’s this for?” She asked.

 

“A common way that people used spells was by keeping them in rune form on cards, that way they could just trace them with their mana and the card burns up when it is finished.” David replied. 

 

Lena watched him as he was grinding the head of a 6 inch(~15CM) nail, he had done this to several of them.

 

“I always thought that magic would involve saying long chants and using hand gestures...“ She said unhappily.

 

“Would you tell your enemy before you threw a frag grenade at him?” David asked plainly.

 

“I guess not...“ She said.

 

“Spellcasting is no different, in a fight surprising your enemy is also important. Just like a swordsman should never tell you where he is cutting, a spellcaster should never announce what they are throwing at you.” He said as he began pulling out a welder.

 

“How many spells do you know?” She asked.

 

David paused as he inspected the weld he just made.

 

“Too many, enough that it would make you sick. When it comes to spells and abilities I am an encyclopedia.” David explained. “When you were referring to the category of both then just call them skills, it is more generic. There are so many of them and a lot of them have good synergy too. I would start thinking of how you want to fight while you are recovering. I would recommend staying with spells though, as you are well suited to it.” 

 

David inspected the machete with the modification he had made. He had added several spikes coming off the back, this way he could turn it around and use the spike to punch through armor if necessary. This would make up for the machete's weak ability to thrust and it would complement his mace.

 

“What different kinds of power are there?” She asked.

 

“You have Martial Force and Magic which I have explained, the difference is whether you use mana inside or outside of the body.” David began his explanation. “Then you have invocation, these are like priests, elementalists, or shamans, anyone that believes their power comes from another being and has to pray, or something similar to invoke that power. I doubt it will be very useful since we don’t have any religions established that match the catalog of beings that I have recorded.”

 

David sighed, as he thought of the next one.

 

Espers like the Tullens family...