When Stevo, Gregoor, and Debbie arrived at the inn the food was almost ready to go, and was being packed into several large baskets. Large containers of spiced meat were packed along with fresh bread rolls still steaming from the oven. Sauces and condiments were packed with a generous selection of sliced vegetables in another basket. A third basket was loaded with 2 large jugs of Chicken soup, along with soup bowls and spoons. Stevo and Deb took the baskets and transported back to the farm where they handed them over to Kahlil and Diana who had everyone organized. Kahlil handed a cardboard box, 12 bottles of Premier cotes de Bordeaux, plus a box of 48 Mars bars, to Gregoor who took them to his father the innkeeper and was back in a few moments.
Although there wasn't room for a dining table in the basement, furniture has been shuffled to allow everyone to sit in a rough circle on chairs or end of beds to eat. The food was wonderful compared to the MREs they had been eating, and soon the group were joking with each other and many of the tensions were forgotten for a while. Stevo felt bad for the four guys in the apc, and decided to do something special for them when the fallout danger was over.
As they were finishing their meal, Debbie who had been sat joking with Stevo throughout, kissed him lightly on the cheek, stood, and said take me back to Drebun. They said their good byes to the group and left, Gregoor in toe.
The innkeeper was thrilled with the wine and chocolate bars, of which he had already sold a dozen at 1 silver coin each. He was keeping a dozen back for a special occasion, and more back for himself.
Deb and Stevo left the inn after a few minutes chatting with the locals and started their walk to the cabin. It suddenly got eerie once they reached the forest, and they both became more alert. Just a well they did as a skeletal arm appeared from seemingly nowhere and thrust a rusty sword towards Stevo's head. He deflected the blow with his club, before stunning the skeleton allowing Debbie to finish it off with an overhead swing of her mace.
Before they had a chance to take stock of the situation several more skeletal warriors appeared from deep in the forest. The trees limiting both the skeletons, and Stevo and Debs mobility. One of the skeletons was wearing slightly better armor and it's sword wasn't rusted. Stevo stunned it giving them time to eliminate its friends before they faced it. Stevo hit a skeleton in the ribs with the end of his club, and it stumbled backwards over a tree root, crashing to the ground. Debbie ducked an Axe swung by a second skeleton, before braking it's femur with a vicious swing of her mace. Unable to move on one good leg, it couldn't avoid Debbie smashing it's skull seconds later.
Stevo sent a shocking spark into the fallen Skeleton, slowing it progress as it struggled to regain its footing. Stepping in close Stevo swung his club in a horizontal arc, hoping to knock its head off. The Skeleton parried the swing, before bringing its sword down on his forearm, cutting Stevo to the bone. He yelled in pain, as Deb decapitated the skeleton with an arcing swing of her own.
Stevo would have liked to heal his wounded arm before they faced the final skeleton especially at this one was better equipped and likely more dangerous, but there was no time as it lashed out with a stabbing thrust towards Debbie that she was able to back away from. Stevo unable to do much with his club with his injured arm instead shocked the skeleton hoping to give Debbie an opportunity to strike.
It bought her a chance to swing her mace at it, but the skeleton took the blow against its armored chest plate and countered with a sword thrust she barely avoided, getting entangled in a tree branch in the process. She was defence less if the skeleton pressed it's attack, but Stevo smashed the top of it's helmet flat with a huge swing of his club, before passing out as the pain from his injured arm being jarred overcame him. He'd given Debbie time to free herself and unencumbered she finished the skeleton off. As it fell to the ground she ran to Stevo who had pulled himself to a sitting position with his back against a tree. Blood was running down his injured arm and his face was pale.
"Drink this!". Ordered Deb as she uncorked a potion and brought the bottle to his lips. He drank it like a man who was dying of thirst, as he did the bleeding stopped. Stevo felt better, the pain has lessened to the point where he could concentrate enough to cast his heal. He did so, and the wound on his arm shrank until the only sign of the deep cut was a patch of slightly red skin.
"Let's get in the cabin before any more come." Debbie said pulling Stevo to his feet.
They quickly covered the last 100m or so to the cabin, went inside and barred the door. Stevo quickly made a fire and lay back on his bed, and wiped the half dried blood from his hands. Once the fire was hot, Stevo put the kettle on. He could use a cuppa and he was sure Deb could too. He'd got a few xp during the fight, although he ignored the notifications, probably Deb did too. It had been a while he wasn't sure what level she was at this point.
"Did you get much xp Deb?". Stevo asked while waiting for the water to boil.
"A few, not enough to get excited about."
"What level are you now anyway?"
"16, how about you Stevo?"
"15, but only 20xp to go. I'll get those tomorrow if I hang around the inn and heal a few people."
"Do you get anything for healing yourself?" Debbie asked.
"Sadly not or I'd have got 5-10 xp for my arm."
Stevo made two cups of the local version of tea and added honey to sweeten it. It was pleasant enough, but he needed to ask Gregoor to bring him a box of tea bags from home. He handed a cup to Debbie and they sipped the drink sharing the sort of silence only possible between two people who were comfortable with each other. Debbie finally asked,
"What's next for the world Stevo. How will we rebuild?"
"At first it will be city states, nothing bigger than you could ride across in a day. In time transport and communication will improve making larger states possible. One day there may be a UK again, 100 years from now."
"What's your role in this Stevo? Where do you and I fit in the new world?"
"I see our group founding a city state, with William at its head. Kahlil and perhaps Adam West doing the actual running of things. I would be in charge of health care, as well as running supplies backwards and forward with Drebun. Food imports are going to be vital for at least a few years, until we get agriculture up and running. You and your sister I see training new awakened and fighting the invaders. At least if that's what you want?"
"I don't know I want, to be useful, to help society recover." Debbie stated with conviction.
"Decide on a project that interests you, that you can help with and throw yourself at it, otherwise you'll end up doing something that you don't enjoy." Stevo explained.
"I could have focused on damage dealing and become a fighter. I probably would have been quite good at it. Inflicting damage and pain is not something I enjoy however. I prefer helping people, that's why I became a healer, I'm contributing, useful, and I get satisfaction of helping people."
Debbie nodded her agreement, Stevo had given her food for thought.
