Chương 52: The First Skirmish

"Poison," Shelly gasped.

"Don't breathe it in! Get down!" Pierre, Claire, and Willow all dropped low, the same way you would in a fire. Which made sense, since the poison was being spread by heat. Warm air rose. Staying low was the only smart move. Everyone scrambled toward the back of the house. Everyone except Tala. She darted toward the bathroom and came back dragging a soaked towel behind her. Without hesitation, she threw it directly onto the fire before racing back for another.

She repeated the process again and again, smothering the flames before they could fully catch. Within moments, the worst of the poison had burned off. I stared at her, stunned.

"I have to admit," I said hoarsely, "that fricking squirrel is the hottest thing I've ever seen." Tala paused, glanced back at me, and winked. Then she barked, "Don't just stand there. Grab the weapons." The unspoken'you idiots' was very clear. Everyone sheepishly scrambled back into the main room. Even Pierre looked a little embarrassed. As if to make up for it, he moved fast, opening the gun cabinet and handing out shotguns. I nodded approvingly. Years of prepping were finally paying off.

The feeling was almost cathartic. Almost. The screaming outside shattered the moment. Thumps hit the walls. Something heavy slammed into the shutters. Voices shouted in a harsh, guttural language I didn't recognize from life, but I understood now.

"The poison didn't work," one of them snarled. He sounded genuinely offended. That's not good. I'd hoped they were little more than savage monsters, driven by hunger and instinct. The fact that they could plan, coordinate, and even complain meant we were in real trouble.

"What?" another voice barked. It sounded offended. I was waiting for him to say something like 'Inconceivable!' However, instead he said, "Poison always works. Use more!"

"Burn it!" a third voice shouted, way too enthusiastically.

"Let's burn it down!" Less than a minute later, I smelled smoke. Then I heard the crackle of fire spreading across the roof. More poison was being poured down the chimney too.

"Fudge me. Persistent little bastards," I muttered.

"They've set the cabin on fire," I said grimly, though Pierre and Tala probably already knew. Fear showed on everyone's faces. Even Pierre looked rattled, which scared me more than I wanted to admit.

"So... what do we do?" Willow asked weakly. She looked close to curling into a ball and crying. Shelly awkwardly pulled her into a one-armed hug, trying not to drop her shotgun. I just eyed the shotgun, annoyed that I couldn't shoot one myself. I might be strong for my size, but there were still limits.

"We're going to have to leave the cabin," Claire said. She clearly hated saying it. Pierre nodded reluctantly.

"I agree. Tala was smart with the wet towels, but fire spreads fast. And we don't know how long before reinforcements arrive." Tala pressed against my side and sent reassurance through our bond. Don't worry, furball. I'll get you out of this alive. I sent back a weak Thanks, though I wasn't entirely convinced. I was also worried about how I could help, but I knew I was running on fumes. There wasn't much I could do. Then I heard something that made my blood run cold.

"You'll pay! The Raven Mocker will devour you! Sgili has spoken!" Wait, what? Raven Mockers? I couldn't believe my ears. Is this about Raven? That ass! He's using me to solve his problems! This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. I was furious. Raven had put my family in danger. If I survived the night, I would definitely make him pay. Then again, I wasn't really sure if I could do anything. If I could, I would have already tried to get my body back.

God, I hate having to sit here and take it, I thought. Now I have to find a way to deal with Raven's issues, as if he hasn't already put enough on my plate. As for Tala, she didn't seem at all concerned with what the Wild People were screaming, even though I knew she could understand them. The others probably had no clue what was being said. Instead, they were looking around the house as if deciding where to make their breakout. While they debated, I tried something desperate.

I reached for my divine power and attempted to open the Liminal Lands, to pull everyone inside to safety. Pain exploded behind my eyes. Nothing happened. I didn't have enough mana to do it. Damn it. Before I could say anything, Pierre made a call.

"We're not leaving yet." He strode to the corner of the living room and yanked aside my old rug, revealing the trapdoor underneath.

"We're going to hide in the cellar." The cellar. I'd almost forgotten it existed. In all my years of prepping for every possible disaster, when one actually happened, I'd forgotten my own bunker. Part of me wondered how I could have been so stupid. Although I was disgusted with myself, I had to admit, there really wasn't any other explanation. I panicked. Me, old Abe, the one who never loses his cool and can deal with anything. In a real emergency, I panicked. I didn't dwell on it long, though. There was no time.

Pierre was right. The cellar was perfect. We scrambled down one by one. It was cramped, with barely enough room to breathe with all of us packed in. But we were underground and protected. The cellar was small, barely worth mentioning in normal circumstances, but it was everything we needed. It was airtight with a filtration system. It was also insulated against fire and gas. There was even food and water stored there. Not to mention the emergency escape hatch that was disguised so it would be hard to find.

Now that we were safe, even if only momentarily, I felt angry at myself. I can't believe it. How did I forget about the cellar? The thought kept running through my mind. Normally, a cellar would've been a death trap. However, I'd been an end-of-the-world type of prepper. I wasn't sure whether it would be zombies, nuclear war, biological warfare, or some other disaster. Because of this, I'd prepared for everything. Of course, it wasn't cheap. I could have bought a house with how much money I'd spent on it.

Looks like it was worth it, though, I thought as Pierre pulled the trapdoor shut above us. Above us, I knew the fire was still raging. However, the construction guys had done a great job when they made the bunker. I barely heard anything. I'd always pictured my cabin as something set aside from me. Not really connected. If something happened to it, I wouldn't care. Apparently, that wasn't the case. Fury burned hotter than the fire overhead. I refused to let these creatures destroy everything I'd created.

Then I felt it. A warmth spreading through my chest. I could feel mana slowly seeping into my body. I suddenly realized what was happening. Prayers. The animals were praying. The divine energy kept building slowly inside me. I quickly pulled up the notifications. PRAYERS. 2458 Received. Prayers of Thanks (Summarized prayers - Select for detailed prayer) Thank you for your teachings. Thank you for giving me a home. Thank you for letting me find the honey.

+ 1045 more prayers Prayers with Requests (Summarized prayers - Select for detailed prayer) Please help me find a suitable offering for The Great Trash Panda. Please stop Mort from poking me with his new stick. Please help me get Bambi's attention. + 1079 more prayers Prayers of Support (Summarized prayers - Select for detailed prayer) Please don't die. Please don't leave us. Please wait until we get there. + 325 more prayers MESSAGE FROM GAIA. They've got your back.

I felt a surge of affection for all the little guys that were praying for me. However, I knew there wasn't much they could do except send me well-wishes. Except those well-wishes were actually restoring my mana. I could feel the energy surging through me now, warm and steady. My mana was full. I didn't even need to activate the Web of Wisdom to feel the CONNECTION. It was amazing, and humbling. It was like countless small hands lifting me up together.

However, despite the influx of mana, I didn't know how to use it. I wasn't exactly some glass-cannon wizard who could throw out a few fireballs to destroy the enemy. Because of that, I wracked my mind trying to decide what I could do. Now that I had power again, I could try hiding us all in the Liminal Lands. That way I could pull everyone through to safety and wait it out. But that would leave the Wild People free to burn my home to the ground. To destroy everything I'd built here.

Part of me raged more than the fire overhead. I refused to allow these creatures to win. I refused to run and hide while they took everything from me. The problem was simple and frustrating. I had plenty of mana again. I even had the Web of Wisdom, Incidental Causality, and a divine domain with a baby planet inside it. And absolutely no idea how any of it could help me fight. About the only thing I could think of was turning into a bear. However, that wasn't going to work. They'd just mob me. What can I do?

I thought desperately.