AN:
Ugh, not gonna lie, this was written ages ago but editing this story takes a ay too much out of me and it's why I haven't posted in forever. Whatever. Double update to make it up to you.
There are officially 8 parts to this series, so if you enjoy reading this soul's journey through the cycle of reincarnation across the multiverse, maybe check them out? Though, all fics can be read independently too!
As always, thank you guys for showing your love for my work. I hope yall enjoy and leave your thoughts down below!
Discord!
https://discord.gg/XhqUDAnbsH
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I eye the camp ground with a light frown. Essentially, it was little more than a clearing smack dab in the middle of the woods cresting one of the higher points of the Blue Ridge Mountains' range. The area is relatively sheltered by tall trees from the scorching Georgia sun, and it even has a nearby water source for fishing and drinking. However, there is nothing to protect us from monsters beyond the altitude and remoteness of the location and it'll be difficult to notice if threats are advancing on the camp.
Walkers seem relatively predictable. They are born of human corpses and our isolation makes running into them here significantly less likely than in the high population cities. But we don't know shit about these non-cannon monsters besides the fact that they come from another dimension or some shit, according to Minerva. They could appear anywhere and anytime.
In sum, we won't be able to stay here long
Shield nudges my legs, tail stiff with protective alertness, catching my attention as he ushers me away from the darkening tree line and towards the people gathered awkwardly in the clearing,. Currently, there are 3 groups. Mine, with Kyra, Altair, Glenn, Riley, and the dogs. Then there was Lee, with Clemintine, Duck, Kenny, Katjaa, Lily, Larry, Doug, and Carley. Finally, is the group of people that beat us to the camp above the quarry, consisting of a certain cop named Shane, Lori and Carl Grimes, Ed, the deadbeat husband of beaten down Carol, and their daughter Sophia. Then there were those who'd joined them at some point. There is a pair of sisters, Amy and Andrea, an old man named Dale who owns a nifty RV, and a family of five named the Morales',who have 3 young kids along with a few solo survivors like Jim, T-Dog and Jaqui.
Essentially,we were at 40 fucking people already. If we don't get a secure base camp going with some protections ASAP, we'd be ringing the goddamn dinner bell with this many flesh bags in one place. It was making my skin crawl with anxiety.
The group is currently idly talking together as though there wasn't a guillotine blade hanging above our heads, and I have to take a few deep breaths to remind myself that these people have no idea how bad things are going to get, nor how quickly, despite the gods having lit up the sky only a few days ago. Still, it takes my brother's concerned gaze on me to goad me forward.
Shield flanks me, letting out a low baritone bark, immediately sending ripples of unease through the crowd. I shoot an intrigued glance at the dog, noting the perfectly timed assist and reminding myself to check the dogs' potentially increased intelligence now that they're all mutated in some capacity.
The survivors straighten and fall silent at my dog's menacingness, and I take advantage of it, clapping my hands sharply enough to make several people flinch. "All right, first things first; we need to elect group leaders. For now, we'll pick three, one from each individual group, and the number can change as we go, but as it currently stands, we have too many people to feed and protect to not do some delegation."
"Is that really necessary?" A beautiful blonde pipes up, muscling her way forward. Andrea, I can tell, has the desire to command a room, but I can also tell she doesn't know what the hell she is doing. That said, with some training, I have a feeling she could be at least a little useful.
"Yes, I'm sure if we wait,the military-" Shane speaks up next, and I interrupt before he pollutes the group's minds with nonsense.
"No. The military isn't going to come," I announce firm yet gentle, patting Shane's
shoulder as I pass him, placing myself front and center while carefully smoothing over any ruffled feathers from cutting off him. He takes no offense, I can tell from his smile, the sight of the baby strapped to me doing wonders for my charisma. "Frankly, no one's going to save us."
I have already seen what Shane Walsh is capable of, both from visions, and from some of what I remember of watching The Walking Dead show, but while he makes my skin crawl, I've decided to leave him be for now.
Sure, he is arrogant, and his aura tells me that he believes he should naturally be the leader of us all by default, maybe because he is a cop, but there is nothing inherently terrible about him, not yet at least. I can't punish him for things he might or might not do, especially considering how very different this world is from my memories. So, instead of preemptively making an enemy of him now, I'll keep him on my side, under my thumb, and hopefully he won't turn out like canon.
But, on the off chance he does, I would deal with him then.
"Why do you say that? I mean, surely just because monsters and gods are now a thing, it doesn't mean our society is going to crumble into anarchy," Morales pipes up. "I bet the military will start rescuing people and creating safe havens. Us civilians might not even have to fight at all."
I shake my head. "Sorry, but that won't happen."
"Shit," Glenn curses, realizing instantly what I'm not saying.
"What, you gonna take this bitch's word as gospel? Ain't know how to put your woman in her place?" Ed slurs out from the back of the crowd, many immediately distancing themselves from the deadbeat, and I notice the way Carol drops her head lower and clutches her daughter to her more.
Several people look like they have something to say about that, including Shane, Glenn, and Lee, but I don't need anyone defending my honor at the moment. What I need is to take control of this group enough to keep these fools alive, or at least the ones I find useful. So, I merely roll my eyes and redirect the attention to myself. "Yeah, no, he listens when I talk because my skill lets me see the future."
Dead silence rings out as I flip my hair over my shoulder and away from Kyra's grasping fingers, face taking on a bored look as I clean dirt from my finger nails, the only sounds left in the stunned clearing the distant sounds of wind in the forest around us and Glenn facepalming as I pretend not to relish the dumbstruck gazes on me.
"Holy fuck," Shane mutters, eyes huge and I ignore the spike of greed from him. It seems that most of these people, despite being normal civilians, weren't unaware of how big a boom that such a skill could be to a group of survivors.
The thing is, revealing this skill of mine is as useful as it is incredibly dangerous. While most would be smart enough to want to keep me close to benefit from my skill, some even likely to want to protect me as a precious resource, there is definitely an idiot or two who will eventually want to sell me out, or who simply won't realize that having someone who can see the future in another group could come back to bite them in the ass. Regardless, eventually, other groups will try and hunt me down for my abilities at some point. However, at the current moment, I can be assured that info about me will be secure for now since all survivors need to reach level 20 before they can use the system to talk with others long distance.
My hope is that by the time word spreads, I'll be strong enough and in enough control of the group that they'll either shut their mouths and realize I'm keeping them alive, have enough loyalty to me to want to protect me, or that we'll be able to take on any group coming our way. Either way, I won't be able to keep it quiet for long if it means my people's lives are on the line, so I might as well use it to obtain control now.
Besides, I have plenty of other tricks hidden up my sleeves.
"A-Are you serious?" Lori, the tall, statuesque woman clutching Shane's arm asks, the disbelief thick in her voice.
"It's true," Lee speaks up. "Artemizia here Saw our group and contacted us before we lost a man to a walker and later she came to rescue us from a tight spot. There really isn't any way she could have known the things she did and she used it to save our skin back there."
From what I remember of the cannon, they mostly would've survived, but I'm not going to tell Lee that, even if that makes me feel a tiny bit bashful.
"Alright… but you'll have to prove it," Shane interjects skeptically.
I raise an eyebrow, but shrug. "It's gonna rain tomorrow. We need to put out containers to catch it so we can get some drinking water without making the trip to the lake. Put out anything you need washed as well, it's gonna be heavy."
Disbelieving eyes go to the clear blue sky, but there isn't really anything else I can predict right now that they won't argue the validity of. "I'll either prove myself or I won't, but for now, let's simply elect our leaders."
Glenn taps my shoulder and steps back, a silent nomination. Lee's group bickers for a while but Lee ultimately gets elected because of whatever happened in Macon. Naturally, I'm unsurprised when Shane is elected leader of his own group. Part of it is because he's generally not a bad leader, but most of it, I suspect, is because he's one of the people that have been here near the quarry the longest and because of his posturing as a cop.
It's not like I'll complain when it's all playing perfectly into my hands.
"Lovely," I say cheerfully, clapping my hands loudly, turning all heads back to me. "Next order of business. Does anyone have a skill that can create some form of barrier or protection around the campsite, or something that will notify us if the walkers or monsters are coming?"
Jim hesitates, but steps forward. "I got a skill called [Earth Manipulation]? I think I can make earth walls?"l
I tilt my head. "Sounds like a good idea. Thank you for stepping forward." Jim gives me a hesitant smile. "But it's possible that you haven't leveled up your skill high enough to do that. You're probably going to have to practice a fair bit before you can get to the point of making earth walls. Would you be willing to work on that?"
"Of course," Jim acquiesces, and I pat his shoulder gently, feeling the well of sadness under his skin shift slightly with a new purpose to work towards. Clearly this man has already lost someone to the walkers.
"That good with you two?" I asked Lee and Shane, as though I hadn't already decided everything on my own. Still, it was important to keep up the appearance of collaborating with them.
It's not that I had any issue with them taking leadership roles. Lee in particular I think will make a phenomenal group leader, but at the current stage, they have no idea what they are getting into so I'll be carefully circumventing their status as leaders until they grow competent enough for me not to have to make all the decisions on my own.
"All good here, girl," Lee drawls warmly, and Shane nods, looking slightly off footed, so I quickly do damage control.
"Shane? You were a cop, yeah?" The man nods, puffing up like a peacock as I smile sweetly, ignoring the way it makes Lori stiffen. Interesting that she's so protective of her territory when she thinks her husband died, what, a week or two ago? " I don't know much about blockades, but I imagine you do. Would you be willing to help Jim in setting them up where you think would be best? We need to make sure that at the very least, these walls will keep us from being attacked by all sides if a horde comes through. Even better if we can funnel any monsters in through a single opening, which will let us take them out more easily."
"Of course. That's a wonderful idea." The man lights up immediately, hands on hips as he smiles widely at me, and it sort of makes my skin crawl. Internally, I scold myself, because the man hasn't really done anything yet. It's possible he could remain a good person, something I've seen countless times during my various incarnations. However, for some reason, I am feeling doubtful about this guy.
It is probably the persistent ambition wafting off him.
"Right. Does anyone else think they have some skills that could help either with protection of the camp, creation, reinforcement, or food and water?"
Amy, Andrea's sister, steps up shyly. "I-I can grow plants? I think?"
Excitement sings through me, but I'm cautious to hide away the feral intensity of it. Gently I take the girl's hand and pull her into the center of the crowd so I can talk to the teen face to face. "Yeah? Could you explain?"
The girl's pale skin blushes enough for even I to see it. "Um, so I can grow these vines?"
The girl demonstrates by crouching and pressing a hand to the earth, a long wiggling vine coming free, making the crowd ooh and aw. It is a single vine but it continues to wiggle, curling around Amy's hand. The girl looks immensely sheepish, almost embarrassed by the admittedly small display, but it's clear some of the others have already realized its possibilities.
"Can you grow food?" I ask bluntly.
Amy hesitates, blinking. She seems to consult her status window, and I cringe, noticing how she hasn't put it on incognito mode. "Um, so it's called [Flora Genesis]. I think right now besides vines, I'd only be able to accelerate the growth of seeds. I can't, like, grow them from nothing."
"Glenn?" I call, glancing over at my friend.
Without hesitation, Glenn summons a small package of seeds from his [Item Box], the skill manifesting as a dark slash through space, and I fight a snort when it sends several people scurrying away from the sheepish man as he digs his hand into the dark hole. So far, he's been having the easiest time leveling up that particular skill because all he has to do to make it level up is stuff more into it. Lucky fucker since the rest of us have to do a lot of other strenuous shit in order to level up our skills. It makes me a little jealous, honestly.
I take out a seed from the pack and brush through the crowd, guiding Amy to a corner of the campsite, ignoring the group on our heels. "Glenn, do you happen to have one of them tiny little shovel thingies?"
Glenn shoots me a judgmental look. I shoot it right back. "Bro, I don't do gardening. Also, we lived in an apartment. It's not like I had a yard."
Several people snicker, but Glenn just huffs and summons it from his skill, pointedly reminding me it's called a spade. Flicking him off, I move to kneel, hand pressed against Kyra's back to hold her close, only for Shane to stop me and take it from my hands with a charming smile. "Allow me, ladies."
I raise an eyebrow, Lori's negative reaction pinging across my awareness, but while I'm vaguely annoyed by the insinuation that I needed a man's aid, I sure as fuck wasn't going to dig in the dirt if someone was offering to do it for me. I have never been much of an outdoor person unless I was doing something to do with my magic, and this life's original personality was even less inclined to it.
Amy plants the seed in the newly dug hole before resting her hands over it, nervously shifting at the eyes on her. Andrea's hands come to rest on her sister's shoulders in support.
"Hey," I call out to Amy, smiling as I wave Kyra's tiny hand at her, making the teen smile. "Don't worry about it if you can't get it right the first time. No one's expecting perfection."
Amy nods shyly but takes a deep breath, her sister murmuring something to her that has her back straightening. Then, she seems to activate her skill, and from below glowing palms of pale sunbeam, the soil grows a small raspberry tree.
"Oh! I leveled up," Amy exclaims excitedly. I grin, congratulating her and thanking her for trying, the crowd actually letting out cheers, turning the poor girl bright red.
The little tree was only about a foot tall, but Amy had planted something far greater than a mere fruit tree; This was a seed of hope for the future. With practiced ease of life times, I smother a maniacal grin and clap my hands together yet again to get the attention back on me before I hand off Kyra to my brother tugging the baby carrier off of me. "Excellent. Jim, why don't you practice with Amy here to get a little garden going. You can use your earth skill to create holes and she can practice growing seeds in it. Once you've leveled up enough, you and Shane can work on camp defenses. Glenn, you pick which plants would be best to grow and provide Amy with the seeds. We have a few books on how best to grow various plants somewhere, too."
"On it," Glenn agrees with a salute.
"Good. Anyone else got anything they think would be useful?"
"I got a skill called [Water Blade]. It's not really strong right now, but I can use it to cut stuff up," Andrea volunteers with a shrug.
"Seems combat oriented, but perhaps you can practice on some trees so that we have wood for the fires and maybe we can get some fences built as well," I suggest, nodding to Shane and Lee as though waiting for their approval.
"Good idea," Shane agrees.
Javier Morales steps forward. "I have the skill [Reinforce]."
I try not to show my glee. "Might be helpful for the camp defenses if you can reinforce the earth walls and fences."
"I have an [Basic Enchantments] skill," Dale pipes up, the older man lingering near Andrea and Any, having been the one to take both in when fleeing the city. "Not sure how it works, but I have the [Fishing Expert] skill as well."
I blink. Now there is an unexpected little treasure.
"Well the first is pretty straightforward, but we could test the second on a knife or something small and see what happens," I note, but Dale shakes his head.
"The problem is that in order to make an enchantment, I need materials from monsters."
Shane and Lee look troubled by the implications of that, but a discreet pinch to Glenn's side has him chipping in, albeit a squeak. "I-I….was planning to go on a supply run anyway! We can take some people as help and collect any materials we find! …Although,… I'm a bit freaked out by what would be considered monster material."
I snort even as the thought of looting corpses makes me wince, and I pat Glenn on the back in silent thanks for playing along.
"Leaving camp requires combat skills then," Shane points out, almost eagerly. "I can do that no problem. I got a rare skill called [Critical Hit]. My hits are more powerful and more likely to cause lethal damage."
Well, that's not foreboding, I ponder sarcastically. On the outside I nod at the man and thank him for volunteering with a sachirine smile.
It makes Altair eye me with barely concealed suspicion. I guess despite the recent strain on our relationship, he can still read the insincerity in my face.
Jaqui shyly volunteers her skill called [Mana Beam], which allows her to shoot energy spears, something I find cool as fuck. Lee also chimes in, offering info about his legendary skill, [Sanctuary].
The skill is actually the reason, worth the effort of rescuing his entire group just to recruit him. It allows him to reduce damage dealt to those within a certain range of him, meaning that more lethal blows could potentially be avoided once he levels up the skill enough. It's definitely worth being considered a legendary class skill.
Of course, right now I think his range is only something like 10 feet, and at best he could probably only negate the same amount of injury as a slap, but it's still a very bad ass skill to have among us.
From there, it only gets easier to subtly delegate tasks to nearly everyone in reach. I make sure not to push anyone to reveal their skills, but most found a use for themselves in various ways, be it combat or camp chores.
When Ed gets uppity about pulling his own weight, I don't even have to manipulate Shane into wrangling him on my behalf. He does it automatically, making something twist uncomfortably inside my chest. It's clear, in this moment, how he could be such a good right hand to Rick before he went crazy. In fact, I'd say the position suited him even better than that of a leader
Still, a part of me feels bad for manipulating him even though I know my suspicion is justifiable, and while I won't deliberately kill him or let him die yet, I am prepared to have to make the decision in the future, depending on how things turn out. For now, however, I'll watch over him like anyone else in the group.
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"My, oh my, I never thought I'd see the day where my Artie girl is out in the middle of the wilderness," a low voice purse, and I whip my head around already grinning maniacally.
"Michonne! You made it! And my darling godson is with you!" I bounce in place, almost forgetting the two pieces of wood. I'm supposed to be holding together as Javier Morales nails them together before reinforcing them.
I shoot an apologetic look at Javier, but the man merely smiles, quickly finishes, and frees me off my burden. I don't waste a second, bolting towards my best friend and her baby, crashing into them with a squeal of delight.
Michonne and I hug each other for a long moment, the taller woman resting her head against mine as we grip one another with relief, but when she pulls back, light catches the gleam of tear tracks on her dark skin and the tired look in her eyes.
I frown, dread settling in beneath my skin. "…Your man?"
Michonne opens her mouth, but nothing escapes her spasming throat. She gulps harshly and shakes her head, holding Andre tighter to herself, and I purse my lips. "I'm so sorry."
Michonne just smiles grimly. "Don't be. You were right about him all along. We were on our way here and I left to hunt, but I remembered your warning and… I don't know. Maybe it was a mother's intuition, but I found myself running back just when I caught sight of a rabbit I'd been hunting for an hour. By the time I came back, Mike and his idiot friend, Terry, were completely stoned, and there were already walkers going for Andre. I managed to cut through the monsters going for my boy, but Mike and Terry were already being swarmed… I should've listened to you when you told me not to leave them alone with my baby. It's just pure luck that I was able to save my Andre… I should have listened-"
My friend's voice cracks apart the brittle surface of a frozen lake shattering under pressure, and I quickly pull her into a tight hug again, rocking us gently and taking Andre out of his mother's shaky hands and onto my own hip. "You did listen and because of that Andre is right here, safe and sound. Their actions aren't on you and taking that guilt upon yourself won't help anyone now. Still, I'm sorry. I know you loved that man, even if he was a dumbass."
Michelle let out a pained little laugh."He really was! Who the hell gets high as a kite in the middle of the apocalypse? And lord, wait till I tell you about all the dumb shit he did on the way here."
"We sure know how to pick'em, ay?," I agree sadly, bending forward to kiss Andrea's fluffy little curls and hiking him up higher on my hip. "But you have me now, so it's gonna be okay."
Michonne pulls herself together, the weight of motherhood both burdening her and giving her strength. Normally, this would probably not be how I would talk to someone who had just lost their partner, but like me, Michonne is an extremely practical person. We both know it isn't the time to be breaking down, not here in the middle of a camp full of strangers and in front of her baby, not with our children relying on us. However, after we put the kids down tonight, I'd take her aside and let her grieve.
Michonne brushes away the last of her tears. "Where is my goddaughter?"
I lead her over to where Altair is reluctantly babysitting/ guarding the camp kids and dogs, my brother's pained grimace a hilarious contrast to the children swarming all over him as they put brightly colored bows in his hair.
As we talk, I find out that my friend has gained several interesting sword skills, including one called [Shadow Weaver], which lets her manipulate shadow energy to attack her target, cutting through things even at range. Silently, I remind myself to teach her my sword technique, just like I'm teaching my brother.
I couldn't have my bestie running around weak, now could I?
XXXXXDARYLXXXXX
It takes 10 days for Merrill to get through the worst of the withdrawal. It was 10 days of him getting feverish and sick and angry and violent, but by the end of it, Merle is the most clear eyed I've ever seen him.
There were a couple times where I honestly thought we were gonna die, either from Merle acting crazy and drawing in walkers or during the two times where I had to defend us both when he was too sick to even get up. It was 10 days of Hell, 10 days of being beating black and blue by my brother or the monsters walking the earth, but we made it to that woman's camp at last.
As I get out of my truck, and Merle off his bike, I glare as I notice how many people are here, my shoulders tensing as I feel judgemental eyes settling on us.
I ain't stupid. I know what me and Merle are. If there was a picture in the dictionary of white trash, it would be us. That crazy woman might not have blinked twice about how we look, but I know it won't be the same for the rest of them.
Coming was a fucking mistake.
A crowd is already forming around us. A man steps forward, and if his posture didn't make it clear he was a fucking pig, the fact that he is still, for some fucking reason, in his police uniform despite the world ending, gave it away. I grip my crossbow, already knowing this is gonna go to shit, especially from the toothy sneer forming on Merle's face.
"Who are you?" The pig barks, hand going to linger near his gun.
I scowl, and Merle opens his mouth, the gleam in his eye ensuring his words will be real nasty when a voice interrupts.
"You made it!"
"You know these two, Artemizia?" The pig asks incredulously, and I stare as the crowd parts before her, wondering what the fuck kinda name that is, but I'm distracted by the realization that the small woman has an actual baby strapped to her chest. Holy fuck, she has an actual infant?! Where's her man?
Before she can reply, Merle buts in, his wicked grin turning downright malicious and I brace myself. "Well, well, the curry munching bitch lives! Guess I owe you 50 bucks, little brother," Merle drawls.
God fucking damnit, Merle, I curse mentally.
"What the fuck did you just say-" The pig spits, going rigid and I settle my legs shoulder width apart, already scanning the crowd to get a headcount of our potential number of enemies because of my brother's big mouth. The pig reaches out and yanks her, Artemizia, apparently, roughly behind her, her eyes going wide as her free arm comes up to steady the baby's back as it cries out.
The sight pisses me the fuck off and guessing by the way Merele's smile vanishes, I'm not the only one who caught the way the man handled her.
"Easy, Shane," Artemizia says, slapping the man sharply on the back hard enough to stop his incoming tirade and free herself. "Yeah, I know them. They're a little rough, but not too bad once you get past that."
I raise an eyebrow, startled by the way she seems unbothered and the odd certainty in her words despite only having met us once. How the hell could she even decide that?
"You can't be serious," the pig, Shane, says, once more yanking on her and sending her stumbling as she tries to step between us, and this time I catch the annoyance in her face.
I grit my teeth, losing patience fast. "How 'bout you stop putting your hands on a lady?"
The words are out before I can stop them, the clearing around us going quiet as all eyes turn to me. Even Merle stares before a knowing grin creeps on his face, his eyebrows wiggling suggestively. I shoot him a glare, distracting myself from the sensation of ants crawling across my skin from all the attention.
Shane's jaw actually drops open, but Artemizia doesn't seem surprised. If anything, she's amused as she breaks free again, sauntering over. "Seems like I found a real gentleman."
The words are practically purred, her grey eyes sparkling in mirth and I feel myself go bright red before I glare at her.
Clearly, she's fucking mocking me.
I open my mouth to spit something venomous, but I'm distracted when she shifts to show me the baby strapped to her chest. "This is Kyra, my daughter."
The baby's smile is sweet and gummy and I can't find my anger anymore, vanquished in the gleam of big eyes and a bright purple flower clip holding her fluffy tufts of hair back. Even Merle looks intrigued, hunching forward to get a look, before he smirks. "Where your baby daddy at, huh?"
"Hopefully dead in a ditch somewhere," she says cheerfully, making several in the crowd double take, including the pig, who's still looking at us like we'd just crawled out the devil's asshole.
I snort, freezing when silver eyes turn back to me only to see her smile, my heart beginning to race. My instincts were telling me this woman was dangerous. "Come on, let me give ya a tour."
The crowd disperses with an soddly regal wave of her hand as she begins leading us around, showing us the half formed defenses, explaining the groups and dynamic of the camp and how skills are currently being used. It is obvious, though, what the true hierarchy of the camp is despite her careful words. Only the pig follows us, haunting her steps like a damn shadow, something Artemizia seems to ignore for the most part.
"Hey, Shane! Got a question about our next run," an Asian kid yells out and the man hesitates, glancing at the young mother as though looking for permission.
"Could you deal with that?" She asks sweetly, and for some reason it makes my inside turn a little and my skin prickle. This woman reminds me of a mountain lion I once failed to hunt. Beautiful and graceful and deadly.
The loyal pig goes, albeit with reluctance and she leads us into the woods, the honey sweetness of her smile dripping away to reveal something somehow softer and more real even as she eyes us with enough sharpness that it makes me reach for my weapon before I even realize what I'm doing. Her eyes focus on me, full lips turning into a smirk that has me nervous despite the baby in her arms and her small stature. I don't know what kinda skill she's got, but whatever it is has me feeling exposed and my instincts screaming 'threat'.
"So, does that pig know he's under your thumb?" Merle drawls.
Artemizia just hums as she guides us to a nearby clearing, leaning against a tree as the baby tugs on her braided silver streaked hair. "Not yet."
"For such a manipulative woman, you sure ain't smart, wandering out here with us all alone. I won't take orders from some stupid bitch who don't even know danger when it's right in front of her," Merle coos, looming closer to her, but she merely eyes him like a particularly ugly bug despite the fact that I'm pretty sure Merle could fit her entire head in a single one of his hands.
"You seem to be under some kind of misunderstanding. I'm not naïve. Hell, I'm probably not even kind. I didn't invite you here to save another human being. I brought you here to be an asset and only a fool would bring a beast they couldn't butcher into their own home."
She smiles again, and with her soft rounded features, regal and exotic, it should be beautiful, but I can't tell if it is with the feeling of fangs closing in on my throat.
I glare, working my head side to side to loosen the muscles, feeling distinctly like this might still end in a fight, one I'd struggle to win, even with Merle here, so I decide to speak up for the first time. "Ain't you worried we're gonna tell those sheep about your real face under that mask?"
The woman full-blown laughs, tossing her head back, the amusement returning to her, and the air gets easier to breathe. Once more, she seems to just be a normal mother tending to her child. "You think they'd believe you over me? 'Sides, while I might have a second face, my goal is still to keep them all alive. Who cares how I do it? And if we're being honest, we all know that you guys ain't gonna say shit because in the end, having a strong, competent community around you is safer than being on your own, and I can provide that. It's why you bothered coming here, isn't it?"
"Why are you explaining any of this to us?" I question, crossing my arms over my chest. "Why do you think we'll stay?"
"I'm explaining because unlike the others, you're not so easily fooled and you need to be sure that whoever is leading this group will not only respect you two and your talent, but be able to wrangle everyone else into not being dead weight. Or you'll rob the camp and leave right?"
I stare. Merle stares. How the fuck did she know that?
"You're a real scary bitch, ya know that?" Merl states, his face is uncharacteristically serious.
"Thank you."
"But just because you're not useless, don't mean the rest of them are worth the trouble," my brother points out.
The woman merely smiles, small and mischievous and lovely. "You're right, but we're now in a world where every single person has unique abilities. The more abilities we have, the more options. We're going to have to rebuild a life for ourselves from the ground up. Survival won't just be about combat strength, but versatility. And you'd be a damn fool to leave the group that has someone who can see the future."
I gape, staring at those silver eyes, the sensation I'd get every time our gazes would meet now making sense. Merle recovers faster though, and he begins cackling, loud and long. "You can see the future! That explains it. You know what our skills are. That's why you're trying so hard to recruit us, and why you're so damn freaky."
She tips her head, looking like she thought she should take offense, but couldn't quite manage it. "That's part of it, but if I thought you guys were real scum bags, I wouldn't have bothered, no matter how useful you could be. I might even have killed you just to save myself the trouble later."
Sweet Jesus, she's back to being fucking scary. I glance at my brother, but to my surprise, I can tell it's not anger he's feeling.
[(Rare) Eagle eye lvl 3; The player is granted extraordinarily sharp eyesight, able to see details at inhuman distances. (Range: 2.5 miles)
(Rare) Body Language Expert lvl 2: The player is able to interpret body language to a startling degree, allowing them to better differentiate between truth and lies, and friend and foe.]
The way Merle is straight backed and expressionless is a remnant of his time in the military. It's written there, and in the line of his jaw, the curve of his eyelids, and the steadiness of ankles. Right now, my brother isn't angry at all. Rather, his respect has just been won.
"Alright. Fucking fine, you scary, scary bitch. We'll stick around for a while. But we ain't gonna be one of yer puppets like the pig," Merle decides for the both of us and I curse him in my head even as I keep my face straight. "As long as yer willing to hear us out and give us as much loyalty as we give ya, we ain't gonna have an issue."
Apparently, my brother's self preservation skills aren't as good as I thought they were if he thinks hanging around this woman is worth the trouble it will bring.
She nods, adjusting the baby on her hip with a gentleness that is strangely mesmerizing and the words are spilling out of me before the thought is even formed. "I still don't get why yer trusting us in yer camp with yer kids."
Those beautiful, terrifying eyes flick to me again and I barely keep from flinching. "Because I see you two. You guys are selfish, racist, pains in the ass. You don't know the first thing about working with others. But I can also see that you're loyal, hard-working, good fighters, and you would never, ever hurt a woman or child, no matter how dirty your mouths are," she replies calmly, stunning me still yet again.
"Ya can't possibly know that," Merely snaps, clearly just as uncomfortable at being seen through as I am.
"I do know," she says simply, gray eyes actually starting to glow in the dim light of the forest canopy. The sight is unhuman, and once more my instincts remind me that I'm in the presence of a predator. "If I hadn't been absolutely certain you wouldn't be a threat to me and mine, I definitely wouldn't have invited you here where my vulnerable people is. No, I made damn sure I knew your souls before we'd even spoken a word to one another."
The forest seems to grow darker around us. For a moment, I think the growl coming from the trees is my imagination in the face of her, but then a giant black dog stalks out from behind one oak, coming to settle silently at her feet. Nobody even moves to acknowledge it, both Merle and I frozen stiff under the sheer pressure of her presence.
"…Seriously, what part of hell did you crawl out of, angel face?" Merle splutters.
She grins, but somehow, the air shifts into something less deadly once more, and the invisible hand that was slowly tightening around my throat seems to vanish. "Oh, don't be like that! After all, from this point on, we're teammates."
Ding!
[Player Artemizia is requesting you to join her party]
Everyone jumps, startled by the sudden notification, even the woman herself. I share a glance with Merele, a silent conversation taking place before we both turn back to the system and click accept.
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AN; lol y'all , I love the idea of Daryl being terrified bc he's the only one who can sense how dangerous she is. Daryl seems the type to see through bullshit. Merle too, but no one accused him of having good self preservation, so he's just like, lol this chick is fun. I hope y'all like my portrayal of these characters.
Side note, last chapter, someone commented that I was writing gibberish and needed to get my ADHD self together. I'm offended that anyone would blame my madness on being ADHD. I'm in fact, not, and those poor ADHD people don't deserve my crazy ass being lumped in with them lmao. Nah, but seriously, ADHD isn't an insult and shouldn't be used as one. I'm welcome to constructive criticism, but let's not be prejudice.
All see y'all very soon for the next bit of this update. 💙 I appreciate the patience.