NOVEL NEXT Chapter 76: Alise
Before going in she stopped him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She had a dark look and puffy eyes.
"I don't know if we'll be able to help them all..." Zolis said.
Geth wasn't sure what she meant, but he held onto her back and gently stroked her hair until she regained her composure. When she'd calmed down she wiped her tears away and led him into the cabin.
As they entered, Geth looked around and saw seven of the women sitting in the extra chairs that he'd made. He noticed that one of them was missing.
Most of them had puffy eyes and were staring down at the floor, there were two that even flinched as soon as they looked at him. The brown-haired girl seemed to be holding herself together best, but there was still a hint of fear in her eyes.
Geth approached her slowly and sat on the floor a few feet from her. She pulled back slightly but didn't flinch or turn away.
He spoke as softly as he could. "Can you tell me your name?"
The woman hesitated before responding. "I... I go by Alise here."
"I go by Geth, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Alise." He replied. "I won't force you to answer my question, nor will I ask you to talk to me at all. The only question I have is whether or not you know what those bastards are up to?"
He stood up slowly and headed out of the back door, he found it strange that the other woman was still missing. Zolis nor Alise had mentioned anything, so he decided to check for himself.
As he took a step outside, he took in a deep breath. All of the women looked away from him, even Zolis stared down at the floor.
In the bath that he'd made, the last of the eight women lay unmoving. Her arm was hanging over one side of the tub, blood running from her wrist down into the running water of the stream.
Geth let out his breath in a long, sad sigh. He walked over towards the woman to see if she was still breathing, though he already knew the answer.
She was younger, no older than 19, her blonde hair swayed in the light breeze. Her eyes were closed and there was a soft smile on her lips, she looked like she was at peace.
Geth reached down into the tub and pulled her body out of the water. He found a nice spot near the edge of the running water and dug yet another grave. After covering her gently with a cloak, he crossed her arms over her chest and lay her down before burying her.
Before heading back into the cabin, he formed a small tombstone with the image of a flower engraved on it. He stood quietly by the graveside for a few moments before dispersing the tub he'd made and heading back into the cabin.
The other women watched on respectfully. Some of them almost envied the peace that the young lady had found after her struggles. They were too scared to take that step.
Geth sat back down on the floor, Zolis sat beside him and held his hand while tears fell from her eyes again. Some of the other women were also crying.
Alise looked at Geth again, this time there was no fear in her eyes, only respect.
"They headed along the edge of the river. I heard that the one called Blade had found a Team Dungeon somewhere south along the riverbank." She spoke firmly. "What do you plan on doing?"
"Hmm?" Geth looked at her seriously. "I plan on killing them, of course."
All of the women turned to look at him in surprise, even Alise dropped her jaw momentarily.
"Wh... What... What do you plan to do with us..?" One of the other women asked timidly.
Geth turned and looked her in the eyes, causing the woman to flinch back.
"That is completely up to you. I am willing to help you, but nothing comes for free." He said. "I'll give you sufficient time to recover and come to terms, but you'll have to decide on your own if you wish to follow us or not.
We currently have two settlements that are both thriving with families and children. All of the adults are expected to work and help provide for our communities.
This Dungeon will be added to our assets and we will bring in some men and women to work the mine and the farm. If you wish to stay then we can promise to help protect you, along with making sure you remain well fed. In return, we expect you to help in our growth as well."
The woman nodded and didn't respond. A few of the women looked hopeful after hearing those words, they were scared that they would be thrown out.
Alise then stood up and looked at Geth and Zolis resolutely.
"I choose to follow you, but only if you let me accompany your party to kill Thorn's men."
Geth inducted all of the women into Valhalla for the time being but set their permissions to only stay in that particular Dungeon. He set a few Level 22-24 Guardian creatures up and checked the Inventory.
It was practically empty, there were a handful of cores and some basic gear. They had gotten better gear off of the two guards that they'd killed on the way in.
Something else that Geth had done before leaving was to check the Leaderboards, it would help to know if their enemy was as strong as them.
:World Dungeon Ranking;
1. Burning Demon Sect (Lvl 3) Sub-1
2. Valhalla (Lvl 2) Sub-2
3. Soaring Winds Sect (Lvl 2) Sub-1
4. Vodka Kings (Lvl 2) Sub-1
5. Canucks (Lvl 2)
Local Level Ranking;
1. Geth (Lvl 27)
2. Zolis (Lvl 27)
3. Blade (Lvl 26)
4. Thorn (Lvl 25)
5. Hulk (Lvl 25):